Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying

Chapter 53 Steven's Ideal
"No, sir, this number is not acceptable... It's too much... Professor, please consider this for me. Business is not going well right now. Can we share some profits..."

"It's just the idea that's clever, but it's actually very easy to copy... You should know how rampant piracy is... If the cost is too high, people would rather buy fakes... I can't make much money..."

"Two-way mirrors and Floo powder can both replace it, but they may not be as popular as you think. We are just testing the waters at the beginning, and no one knows how well they will sell... If the price you ask is too high, I will have to give up..."

Everyone gathered around Professor Murray, talking to each other as if they were besieging him.

When Marchionne started to quote, Wade was finally able to confirm that Professor Murray's party was actually a new product launch for his Book of Friends.

No wonder he didn't let Wade sell the Book of Friends at school - if the information of similar products was leaked in advance, it might not have achieved the results it has today. And Wade could only earn a little pocket money from students by selling small things at school, which was not as efficient as these "multinational companies".

Each of these strange wizards in the small garden can be called the head of a "multinational company" - because of the existence of the Floo Network and the Portkey, it is much easier for wizards to travel across different countries than Muggles. And with the Traceless Extension Charm, the cost of logistics and transportation can be ignored, so wizards can easily sell their products to different countries and even different continents.

Wade followed Professor Murray and watched him argue with these wizards about how much the patent license for the Book of Friends should pay - one person wanted to buy it out directly with 100,000 Galleons, and was almost kicked out by Professor Murray. He raised the price all the way to 200,000 Galleons, but Professor Murray insisted on not agreeing and was only willing to sell the right to use it.

At this time, these wizards no longer showed their previous flattery and respect for Professor Murray. Instead, they negotiated with great care. Some of them pestered him, some were very picky, some pretended to give up, and some began to play the emotional card. But Professor Murray was like a stone pillar in the river, hit by water currents from all directions and was not shaken at all.

He started by asking for an incredibly high price, and then he bargained with these people little by little, constantly showing the advantages of the Book of Friends - fast, convenient, cheap, wizards all over the world will buy it, and will buy it repeatedly throughout their lives... Do you know how beautiful and stable its structure is? Counterfeit items simply cannot have the stability of the Book of Friends. If you don't believe it, try it yourself! Your Transfiguration Spell may fail if it exceeds fifty meters, and it cannot transmit complex information...

Seeing that they couldn't convince Professor Murray, some people simply bypassed him and went to find Wade. But Wade just smiled and said nothing, as if he was shy, hiding behind Professor Murray.

He knew that at the age of eleven, there was no need for him to be smooth, mature, or sharp. He just needed to leave everything to the adults. He also knew his own limitations, because if it was just Wade himself, he might have directly agreed to the 100,000 Galleon buyout price...

After all, before this, Wade's best idea for the "Book of Friends" was to earn a few hundred or a thousand Galleons from his classmates at Hogwarts, and that would require him to produce a large number of Books of Friends in his dormitory day and night, like an assembly line worker.

But now, he is about to sit at the capitalist's table.

Of course, the reason for handing over the decision-making power is that the adult in front of him is trustworthy and will truly consider his own interests.

Wade looked up at Professor Murray, who was working hard for him. The old man's thin back was like a tall cliff, and Wade's eyes were filled with confusion and complexity.

Seeing Wade being harassed and looking a little pitiful with a confused look in his eyes, Professor Murray waved his hand and asked Steven to take Wade out to play and not to get in the way here. Then he rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight.

Steven, who was as quiet as a plant and was once again classified as a child: ...

He hesitated to speak, but finally shut his mouth and obediently took Wade away. After leaving, he couldn't help but sigh deeply. "If you have something to do, you can go and do it first. I can just find a place to read." Wade looked at him and said sympathetically.

Who would like to play with children? He himself doesn't like it.

"No - it's not your fault -" Steven was dejected. He didn't want to say anything, but under Wade's gaze, he slowly expressed his troubles: "I'm already thirty-six years old, and my father still always treats me like a child - in fact, I want to follow in Mr. Scamander's footsteps, travel around the world, and become a magical zoologist. But my parents are reluctant to let me go far away, saying it's too dangerous..."

Wade looked at him in confusion: "But - they didn't put you under house arrest -"

He is in his thirties and is a wizard. How can he not leave if he wants to?

"If I leave without saying goodbye, my mother will be so sad. My father will definitely be angry too." Steven said worriedly, "I still hope to get their understanding and support. Otherwise, I won't dare to come back after I leave."

Wade was speechless. He didn't expect that Professor Murray's son looked like a bear, but had a soft personality like a rabbit. He thought for a while and asked, "Why don't you write to Mr. Scamander?"

"—Write a letter? What letter should I write?"

"I heard that Mr. Scamander has a lot of magical animals himself. Maybe you can ask him to provide you with a job as a breeder. The salary is not important. What is important is that you can learn about magical animals from Mr. Scamander. If one day, you can deal with various magical animals as calmly as that gentleman, Professor Murray should be able to let you travel with confidence, right?"

Wade felt envious from the bottom of his heart when he thought of the magical box in Scamander's hand that contained multiple environments and climate changes.

"Yeah, why didn't I think of this idea!" Steven was overjoyed. He was happy for a while, but then hesitant: "Then how should I write this letter? Will it be offensive?"

He asked for advice seriously with fear and anxiety, even though the person in front of him was just a child.

"Just tell the truth," Wade suggested. "Write down your worries and ideals, as well as your understanding of magical creatures. That way, even if Mr. Scamander disagrees, he won't be angry about it."

——I just wonder if Mr. Scamander would think that the writer of the letter was a recent graduate just by looking at the tone and wording of the letter when he received it.

When they first met, Wade thought he was a very strong man; then he found him gentle and steady; but after getting along for a while, he felt that this man's true character was like that of a child, even simpler than many children.

No wonder Professor Murray didn't dare to let him go out. If it was his own son, Wade wouldn't dare to let him travel around the world alone.

(End of this chapter)