Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 332 Hufflepuff: Do you think I don't know whether that set of cups is worth three thousand Galleons?!

"How much?" Lucius thought for a moment that there was something wrong with his ears.

"Three thousand Galleons. If you want more formulations, you'll have to pay more," Helga said confidently. She knew these pure-blood families were wealthy, so naturally she wanted to squeeze as much money out of them as possible.

As for the Ministry of Magic, she certainly wouldn't ask for an exorbitant price, but would instead quote a reasonable price that the Ministry of Magic could accept.

However, the Ministry of Magic officials who were listening in were shocked by Helga's quote: three thousand Galleons, and that was just the starting price?! The cost of just four puppets would exceed ten thousand Galleons. How could the Ministry possibly come up with such a large budget?

Upon hearing the price, Lucius initially intended to return to his seat, but the figure of three thousand triggered a sensitive nerve. He recalled a set of "good stuff" gathering dust in his personal vault.

"Three thousand Galleons is a bit too expensive," Lucius said in his slow, deliberate voice. But before Hufflepuff could object, he changed the subject and told Professor White that he had a set of treasured artifacts at home that he had bought for three thousand Galleons back then, and wondered if he could exchange them for a doll.

The "treasure" Lucius was referring to was naturally the set of the founder's golden cups.

He's shrewd. That set of cups would be hard to sell, and even if someone bought it, they'd lose a lot of money. It would be more practical to exchange it for dolls to guard the house.

"Oh?" Hufflepuff's interest was piqued; she really thought Lucius wanted to barter for his family's heirloom.

"That's a treasure left behind by the founder of Hogwarts..." Seeing that Professor White seemed interested, Lucius immediately repeated Mr. Borgin's words verbatim.

But halfway through his story, he suddenly frowned: Where did Bokin get this set of cups from? He remembered that Bokin had mentioned that person's name to him before…

Looking up, Lucius Malfoy made brief eye contact with Professor White, and then it suddenly dawned on him that this set of cups was sold by Professor White! His son had mentioned her name to Borgin, but he hadn't paid it any mind—he'd been so busy arguing with Borgin that he'd completely forgotten about it!

He was completely dumbfounded. For a moment, he could only mechanically recite Bokin's promotional slogans, without even knowing what he was saying.

Hufflepuff was initially quite interested, but the more she listened, the more silent she became: Isn't this the set of cups I sold back then?

She glanced at Lucius. Was he planning to resell the things I'd sold at a higher price back to me?

Helga promptly interrupted Lucius's introduction of the cup.

"Mr. Malfoy, this set of cups is indeed made by Helga Hufflepuff, but it is clearly not worth three thousand Galleons."

Professor White's words left Lucius speechless; he was momentarily at a loss for words.

To Lucius, these words were like a direct slap in the face, telling him that the treasure he had bought for a fortune was actually a fake. The thought sent a real urge to stand up and curse the man, but his reason prevailed.

If things really escalate and she happens to reveal some "truth," not only will the price of her cup set plummet, but the Malfoy family will also become a laughing stock.

No matter what, he insisted that the cup set was genuine!

"You're joking. That's a Hufflepuff piece. How could it not be worth three thousand Galleons?" Lucius forced a stiff, fake smile and tried to bargain with Professor White.

Helga: Do you think I don't know whether that set of cups is worth three thousand Galleons?!

She ignored Lucius and simply told those present that she would make a sample doll, which would then be sent to the Ministry of Magic before Christmas. The wizards at the Ministry could then test it to see if it matched what she had described.

Upon hearing this, the wizards present gradually calmed down. They decided to wait until they saw a sample of the doll before making a decision.

Starting at three thousand Galleons, even if you can use magical items and collectibles to offset part of the cost, it's still not a small amount, so you should think carefully.

With that said, the deal was considered done.

Parents and officials received quotes and performance parameters for the doll from Professor White, who also promised to produce a sample before Christmas. So, let's wait and see what happens at Christmas.

Parents filed out and headed to the auditorium. They wanted to grab a quick lunch while they still had time, and maybe see their children.

Only the square-chinned witch who kept asking questions remained.

"Is there anything else? If we don't go to the auditorium soon, we'll only be able to eat dessert. Did you ask your kid to pack some food for you?" Helga glanced at her, wondering what she was up to.

"I don't have any children." She shook her head. "I only have a niece who is studying in Hufflepuff."

"Oh!" Helga's mood improved considerably after learning that her niece was in Hufflepuff.

"Would you like to come to my office for a drink? I'm sure you have something you'd like to discuss with me?"

"certainly."

The two walked together toward Helga's office.

On the way, Hufflepuff learned that the broad-shouldered, square-chinned witch in front of him was Amelia Bones, the current head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and roughly guessed the purpose of her private conversation with him.

Upon entering the office, Helga invited her to sit down and served her a plate of pastries and a copper wine cup.

After witnessing water turn into lemon tea in a wine glass, Bones raised an eyebrow, and she roughly guessed what was going on with Lucius's wine glass set.

"Let's be frank." After downing his lemon tea in one gulp, Borns stated his purpose directly: "Three thousand Galleons is simply too expensive; such a high budget is unlikely to be approved by the department."

"But I firmly believe they're worth every penny." Hufflepuff calmly took a piece of bread, spread a thick layer of liver pâté on it, squeezed some salad dressing on top, and finally covered it with pickles. After finishing the sandwich, which was both incredibly calorie and incredibly delicious, she looked up at Burns and asked if she wanted one too.

"I won't need it. I didn't expect you to have such a good appetite." Borns' eyes gleamed with envy.

"It's mainly because I've been drinking potions that enhance my digestion," Helga said with an embarrassed smile. She wouldn't have such a good appetite if Salazar hadn't made those potions for her.

“I won’t lower the price of the dolls,” Hufflepuff steered the conversation back to the original topic, “but I can accept installment payments—you only need to pay a small deposit, or even no deposit at all, and then just transfer the money to me monthly.”

A thoughtful glint flashed in Bones' eyes: This request seems quite feasible!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Update here~

There will still be some before midnight.

(End of this chapter)