A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 547 Taking a Big Step Forward
Charles had a long private conversation in the box, and when he came out, he found an unexpected person waiting for him.

Ambrosio Froome, the owner of Honeydukes Candy Shop, saw Charles and excitedly waved him over, leading him to the Three Broomsticks Bar.

After Charles sat down, Froome said warmly, "What would you like to drink? It's on me."

“A glass of elderberry apple juice, please,” Charles said.

Mrs. Rosmerta quickly brought over the juice, and Charles noticed that she was smiling broadly at him. Several other shop owners on the street were also looking in his direction, with similar smiles on their faces.

Charles wondered if the Hogsmeade owners' alliance had something to discuss with him, and that they had sent Froome to him simply because he had the most high school students among his customers and was more experienced in dealing with them.

Froome chatted about the weather for fifteen minutes, and after Charles's expression changed slightly, he immediately continued the topic, saying, "The weather has been terrible lately, and business has been much worse. It would be great if customers could buy candy without leaving home."

Charles understood immediately. They also started using the delicious tablecloths, and once they realized its benefits, they would definitely start thinking about their business.

This is simple. Charles had considered this from the beginning and had even started a takeout business at Hogwarts long ago, so there shouldn't be any problem in principle.

The problem is that there is still an important issue that has not been resolved, and the waters behind it run deep.

Charles said, "Delicious Tablecloths is a little different from takeout. Takeout has more processing than they do, while Delicious Tablecloths' fees go directly to the treasury at Farbatton Castle. We do our internal accounting every month."

"If Honeydukes and other friends want to join, the monthly turnover can probably only be reconciled within 30 working days starting from the first day of the following month, and the accounts will be settled within 30 working days after the reconciliation is completed."

Charles was somewhat worried that such a long payment period might cause dissatisfaction among the bosses.

Froome thought for a moment and said, "Well, it takes a bit long, but it's not unacceptable."

“Calculating the costs is complicated. If so many of us are cooperating with you, 30 days is not incomprehensible.”

Charles looked at the other bosses, and they all nodded.

Froome continued, "But could you expedite the payment?"

Given their level of mathematical ability, calculating is much more difficult than plucking Dumbledore's beard; making mistakes is inevitable, so they'll just leave it at that.

But withdrawing the money should be quick; it only takes a short while to withdraw money from Gringotts.

Charles got to the point: "The treasury at Farbatton Castle is a bit of a problem. It's easy to put money in, but difficult to take it out. It can only be opened once a month to withdraw money for payroll and bills."

Froome looked like he suddenly understood and said, "That makes sense. If it were too easy to withdraw money from such an important vault, it would attract thieves. It's understandable that it's only opened once a month."

He thought about it and realized it made sense. The business at Falbaddon Castle was much larger than his own shop, and its security measures were naturally far superior to those of his own money box.

This makes sense for payment within 30 days of the transaction being completed, meaning payment would be made upon the next withdrawal.

Charles revealed his true intentions: "Our company has a method that, if you'd like, would allow you to access this money the very next day."

Froome frowned slightly and asked, "Is there a processing fee?"

Charles immediately shook his head and said, "Definitely not, it's just how company employees pay for their meals at Dancing Grass Restaurant."

“Each of our employees’ personal items, wands, and communication notebooks are linked to a single account.”

"The company allocates a fixed amount of money for employees' meals, which is directly deposited into this account. The balance and transaction details can be checked through the communication notebook."

"Employees don't need to take out coins when dining at Dancing Grass Restaurant; they can directly transfer money to Dancing Grass Restaurant's account using their communication laptops."

"Of course, you can apply to withdraw cash if needed, and it will be given with your next paycheck."

“If we cooperate, I will also open an account for you, and the money will arrive the next day, but it will be cleared when you make monthly payments.”

“If Ms. Rosmerta works with us, there is such an account where you can transfer money to her account to pay for drinks without withdrawing cash, as long as there are sufficient funds in the account.”

"The ability to check consumption records on Delicious Tablecloths is actually because each tablecloth has its own independent account, but users cannot withdraw money."

Froome thought about it for a moment and realized it seemed quite convenient.

At this moment, Ms. Rosmerta came over, sat down, and asked Charles, "You mean that as long as we both have accounts, we can pay without having Galleons?"

Charles nodded and said, "That's true." Ms. Rosmerta then asked, "Is this money safe if it stays with you?"

Before Charles could answer, Froome laughed and said, "Haha, don't forget, Farbatton Castle is where the decryption challenge is held, and many people can't even register."

Lady Rosmerta then realized that Farbatton Castle was indeed very safe, and that she had been worrying unnecessarily.

Charles also said, "Don't worry about security. The vault and ledgers are the safest places. Even if the mysterious man were to come back to life and burn the entire castle to the ground, they would not be damaged in the slightest."

"Moreover, we have more than one vault. If the vault in the castle is emptied, the loss will not be significant. It will just take some time to transport the money back from other vaults."

"The same goes for ledgers. The records in the ledgers are stored elsewhere, so if there is an accident, you can just retrieve them."

Froome and Ms. Rosmerta thought this was fine and reassuring.

At this point, someone asked Charles, "Smith, I'm not doing business with you, but what if I want to open an account?"

Charles turned and replied, “That’s easy. Just go to Dancing Grass Restaurant and spend at least 1 Nate to become a member. You can deposit money to spend at Dancing Grass Restaurant and transfer money between accounts. However, you still have to wait 30 business days to withdraw the money.”

Many people discussed it after hearing it.

Froome asked a question: "Could I open a special account for Honey Duke, where my wife and I would need to operate it together for transfers and withdrawals?"

One of the business owners said, "Yes, could we have a dedicated public account to separate public funds from private funds?"

Charles pretended to think about it and said, "Well, that can be done. For example, you could stipulate that the money can only be withdrawn with the consent of one or more specific wizards."

Many business owners nodded in agreement, saying that it's best to keep public and private matters separate.

Another boss asked, "What if the communication notebook and the magic wand are stolen together?"

This is a big problem and we must take precautions.

Charles was prepared for this and replied, "Don't worry, we've already considered this."

"Everyone knows that the Ministry of Magic has official notebooks. We considered what would happen if a child misbehaved and used their parents' notebooks to send messages, and we also considered the possibility of theft."

"We used a special kind of magic, which I cannot explain in detail, but after testing, we found that it can prevent this from happening."

Many people have seen the Ministry of Magic's workbook and heard about it, and think it's not bad.

The group discussed it again, thinking that the cooperation should be good, and raised many questions, which Charles answered one by one.

When the event ended, Charles drank two glasses of juice but still felt a bit thirsty.

He first went to the Pig's Head Bar to pick up Gabrielle, and together they returned to Farbatton Castle. Gabrielle had decorated her staff quarters like a palace, with two long rows of names on the desk.

Gabrielle overheard her parents' conversation and began secretly choosing names for her future younger brother or sister.

Charles settled her in, went to Azkaban to feed the Dementors, and then returned to sleep.

So much happened tonight. The Hogsmeade bosses took one of Charles's plans a big step forward, which surprised him.

But upon closer reflection, it's not surprising. Wizards are human too, and humans always try to be lazy and yearn for a more convenient and efficient life.

If things develop as expected...

Charles scratched his head, as if he could strangle the wizards economically, since the wizarding society's economy was stagnant and they had money but nowhere to invest it.

But this also carries risks. First, it would threaten Gringotts' interests, and second, the Ministry of Magic might also take action, so we must be wary.

Charles began to think seriously. He thought that if he ate such a big cake by himself, he would be hated. Should he drag others down with him?

He was at a loss for the moment, and finally decided not to think about it too much. After Voldemort's actions, the British wizarding community would face a reshuffle, and he would deal with it then.

(End of this chapter)