Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 359 Helga: Not short of money, not short of money at all

Upon hearing the word "discount," the wizards watching became visibly excited. They huddled in a corner of the hall, whispering to their friends and recalling the balance in their own vaults, calculating whether they could take such a doll home.

"Do you have a price list?" A familiar voice rang out from the crowd, and everyone turned around to see that it was Barty Crouch, the former director of the International Department of Magical Cooperation, asking the question.

Although Barty Crouch was stripped of all his positions in the Ministry of Magic, he remained the patriarch of House Crouch, controlling the entire wealth of this ancient family.

Clearly, he wanted to buy an automated combat doll for his home.

The basic doll model is priced at 3,000 Galleons and comes with patrol and defense modes. Additional features and upgrades require purchasing accessories separately.

The doll not only answered Crouch's question, but also thoughtfully took out a bunch of booklets from its pocket and distributed them to the wizards around it.

Even though they were prepared, the wizards present still couldn't help but gasp when they learned that the basic doll alone cost three thousand Galleons: the average salary of a Ministry of Magic employee is only fifty Galleons a month, and it would take an employee five years of saving up to afford a basic doll.

Fortunately, Smith White accepts installment payments up to fifty years in advance, so even ordinary Ministry of Magic employees can afford one if they grit their teeth—the Ministry of Magic theoretically has no retirement age; you can work as long as you want. For example, Gershilda Marchbane, the Directorate of Wizarding Examinations, personally tested Albus Dumbledore's Transfiguration and Charms in the final wizarding exams, and her tenure is conservatively estimated to be close to one hundred years.

However, such wizards are exceptions; most people tend to retire once they have saved enough money and go on to pursue their own lives.

Considering this, many people were tempted. However, they were shocked when they opened the booklet: this doll was definitely not something that could be bought for three thousand Galleons!

As the base model at the starting price, it has very few features. The magical "magnetic field magic," the powerful "explosion magic," and the combat-use "teleportation" are all missing. It only has basic functions such as patrolling and distinguishing friend from foe—even the palm sword and arm shield are extra accessories.

"Holy crap!" "Heartless!" "By Merlin!"

Upon learning that the basic model was essentially just a shell, the wizards couldn't help but mutter: "Is Smith White obsessed with money?"

"Excuse me, how much would it cost to acquire a doll like this?" A wizard from a relatively wealthy family decided to directly purchase the same doll as the one in front of him.

I am equipped with all the mode modules and functional accessories listed in the brochure, totaling seven modules, seventy-two additional functions, and a high-level intelligent hub, with a total cost of 100,000 Galleons.

Rich Wizard: ...

Excuse me, goodbye!

What does 100,000 Galleons mean? A shop in a less desirable location in Diagon Alley wouldn't even cost 1,000 Galleons to rent for a year. In bad years, like during the Wizarding Wars, 1,000 Galleons could even buy a shop!

A single top-tier doll is enough to bankrupt a wizarding family.

[Currently during Christmas, there's a 20% discount, costing only 80,000 Galleons, and Professor White guarantees a lifetime warranty on the top-of-the-line doll.]

The rich guy: I'm suddenly tempted. This 20% discount saves me 20,000 Galleons! Plus, they accept installment payments, so I only need to pay 133 Galleons per month...

Thinking about it that way, it doesn't seem so expensive, since 133 Galleons can't buy three Aurors.

"I want to buy two top-of-the-line dolls, payable in installments over fifty years." Suddenly, Mr. Crouch spoke, instantly shocking his former colleagues around him.

Is this what a pure-blood family is like? You seem a little too rich!

Okay, order generated.

"Wait a minute!" Mr. Crouch interrupted the doll. "I don't want that service module and the accompanying life magic. I already have house-elves."

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief: thankfully, he had flipped through the booklet before leaving and seen the "Service Module" on the last page. The spells on it were useful, but why had he spent tens of thousands of Galleons on everyday magic? Wasn't that just being a complete idiot?

With Crouch taking the lead, several other pure-blood family heads placed orders for the dolls, with Lucius Malfoy even buying four top-of-the-line dolls without any service mode.

Knowing that his doll would be shipped first, he breathed a sigh of relief and started thinking about which old items in his house he could take out to exchange for money.

Lucius's eagerness to purchase automatons, even at the cost of a fortune, was not without reason: the Dark Mark on his arm had recently shown signs of rekindling, which made him extremely nervous.

He knew all too well what he had done to escape punishment back then, and he was certain he would be severely punished when the Dark Lord returned. Having these four dolls at home would be a trump card, enough to fight to the death.

If the Dark Lord doesn't leave himself any room for maneuver...

Lucius made up his mind.

The commotion in the Ministry of Magic's hall finally reached Borns. She rushed to the hall and took the doll to her office.

During this time, she learned about the puppet's performance and that it had left the two Aurors with no chance to fight back, forcing them to flee in terror. She immediately made up her mind to purchase a large number of automated combat puppets.

Moreover, he was determined to make a big splash, so Burns decided to buy ten dolls at once, also paying in installments over fifty years. This would only cost him a few hundred gallons more each month, which was equivalent to hiring a few more employees.

She even considered laying off all the Aurors to save on the budget, but she ultimately dismissed the idea because the impact would be too severe.

Orders poured into Hogwarts like snowflakes, along with huge sums of money—as Helga demanded, payment was due immediately after signing the contract, regardless of whether the goods had been received.

Of course, some wizards don't intend to pay the full amount, but instead want to use some magical items as payment. But that's another story.

Helga's previously empty Gringotts account suddenly received a large sum of money. She became a millionaire almost instantly.

Looking at the account change notification and the amount in the balance column sent by Gringotts, Helga made a decision: Christmas is coming soon, isn't it? She needs to think carefully about what gifts to give the children.

As for the backlog of orders, Helga wasn't in a hurry. She and Salazar could work overtime together during the Christmas holidays to finish them. Of course, she'd have to find a way to appease that old viper.

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.

First update delivered.

I'll update the second chapter as I see fit; I should be able to finish it before midnight.

(End of this chapter)