Hogwarts: Me? Fight Voldemort?

……

Once back at Raccoon Alchemy Workshop via FiloNet, the staff had already gone home to rest, and Jimmy went to the restroom next to the lounge on the second floor to wash up.

Before him, Rocket, the mascot of Raccoon Alchemy Workshop, was fast asleep on the large sofa with its limbs outstretched.

After taking a shower, Jimmy lay down on the sofa, pushed Rocket next to the armrest, and used Rocket's stomach as a pillow.

He forgot about the little things at Malfoy Manor as soon as he got back; now he's thinking about opening a shop.

Moving forward without a goal is the beginning of getting lost. Raccoon Alchemy will set a small goal first: to earn 1000 Galleons during the summer vacation!

Two days later, the Raccoon Alchemy Workshop officially opened.

The five owls in the shop have been working overtime these past two days, sending dozens of letters written by Jimmy to all over the England Islands, inviting various friends and relatives to come to the Raccoon Alchemy Workshop for tea.

The sign that Jimmy had promised to make has been completed and placed next to Old Tom's bar.

The sign is about the size of a person, with a muscular raccoon drawn at the top and the store address and limited-time promotional offers below.

If the card production speed weren't so slow, this sign should have been placed in the bar the day before.

As the only normal entrance to Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron has a large flow of people. People entering Diagon Alley from the Leaky Cauldron will see this huge billboard as soon as they enter.

Wizards who lack entertainment tend to be curious and like to join in the fun. After reading the contents of the sign, most wizards would go to Jimmy's Raccoon Alchemy Workshop out of curiosity.

In addition, Jimmy was popular, and almost all the classmates he invited by letter came. This directly resulted in the Raccoon Alchemy Workshop being packed with wizards of all ages who came to join in the fun on the first day of its opening.

Outside the shop, the Weasleys were kept out of the surging crowd.

"My goodness! There are so many people here! Have you seen Jimmy?"

Even when George stood on tiptoe and leaned on Ron's back, he still couldn't see what was going on inside the store.

"Hey! Don't put your weight on me!" Ron yelled in annoyance.

"I paid you 1 Gallon, so you have to listen to me this summer!"

Fred was smarter; he was lying on top of Percy and could vaguely see what was happening inside. "Hey, it moved! The person inside moved!"

Sure enough, the crowd crammed into the store began to move into the interior. The entrance to the inner room was like a flush toilet, sucking all the people blocking the way outside into it.

After the crowd squeezed inside, those outside were allowed to enter, and the Weasley family finally entered the store, revealing the entire interior to everyone.

The black and white decor was eye-catching, and the shelves and windows along the edges were filled with cheap goods with publicly available copyrights.

The items inside the display cases facing the street were even more special. Metal card models were neatly arranged in the window; those were purely exhibits, pretending to have something to sell when they didn't actually have any.

After the crowd dispersed, Jimmy, wearing a black and white apron, was seen writing furiously behind the counter.

The items in the shop's display cases were all made by Jimmy, imitating other alchemy workshops. He made a set of card models out of metal and put them inside to make the shop look nice and not make it seem too empty.

He looked up and saw the Weasley family, as if they were excellent laborers, and immediately threw down his pen, shouting, "Ah, you've finally arrived! Come in!"

Ron did as instructed and walked behind the counter. The next second, a black and white apron was put on him. He looked down at the apron and said with a bewildered expression, "Weren't we here to drink tea?"

George and Fred wanted to laugh at Ron's current state, but they didn't expect that the next second they would also be put on an apron.

Jimmy had no interest in joking with them; he had miscalculated. These wizards tended to go wherever there were crowds.

His letter attracted not only the people named in the letter, but also the friends and family of his classmates, resulting in a crowd of more than two hundred people.

There were so many people that the front of the shop couldn't hold them all, so the back room, which was originally a warehouse, was urgently converted into a tea room. Mark, Langdon, and the others were all incredibly busy, just teaching those people how to play cards kept them occupied.

The milk tea equipment that was originally intended as an add-on is now completely dry and smoking. Although they received a lot of money, they were simply too busy to handle everything and had to pull in extra staff on the spot.

"You'll get paid. Go and help deliver the milk tea Mary made to the customers. There are labels on the teacups, so just find the tables according to the labels. If anyone asks you to teach them how to play cards, teach them."

Jimmy practically dragged and kicked Ron and the Weasley twins to work as waiters. The three of them stopped resisting when they heard there was money to be made, and immediately started working.

After shooing everyone away, Jimmy noticed Percy, who was still standing there, and asked, "Percy, want to earn some extra money? And is this your little sister?"

Percy was tempted by the prospect of earning extra money, but then he remembered the person he had arranged to meet and declined, saying, "No, I actually have an appointment with someone. Yes, her name is Ginny, our little sister."

"Oh, hello Ginny, you can call me Jimmy, Jimmy Blaine. Interested in earning some extra money? You could help out Mary, my senior." Jimmy was actually eyeing Ginny, who was only 11 years old! This was child labor!

Jimmy is only 12 years old this year, yet he shows no remorse whatsoever for using child labor.

Ginny wasn't shy at all, except in the Harry Potter setting; in fact, she was quite bold. When she heard about money, her eyes lit up, and she asked, "How much money will I have?"

“No less than 3 Galleons.” Jimmy held up three fingers, looking at Ginny with amusement. She was quite a heavyweight in the original story, but she was indeed very beautiful.

With bright, sparkling eyes and delicate skin, she wore a simple green dress, but her red hair transformed these unassuming elements into beautiful accents, making her as pleasing to the eye as a rose.

Being a waiter/waitress is perfect for me!

Just then, another group of young wizards walked into the store.

Percy, who had been listless, immediately perked up and waved to a figure in the crowd, "Here!"

Ginny had already slipped under the counter from the other side and put on a well-fitting black and white apron that had been conjured by Transfiguration.

Seeing the girl walking towards them, she asked Jimmy, "Since Percy came back, he's been writing letters to a woman named Penelope. Is it her?"

“Senior Penelope Crivate, your two brothers and I saw them being affectionate in the woods, haha!”

Jimmy didn't hold back in exposing Percy's shortcomings. He wasn't going to care about Percy's feelings in front of Ginny, since Percy and Penelope's relationship was already semi-public anyway.

"Alright, let's go see if Mary can help us with anything. She's the one over there."

Chapter 97 Old Deng, Feigning Madness

Later, people Jimmy knew started coming to the Raccoon Alchemy Workshop. Among them were Seamus, Dean Thomas, Parvati, his twin sister Padma, and upperclassmen Wood and Angelina...

There were many people; they were there to support the event and would also buy a cup of milk tea.

The milk tea shop originally had several varieties, but now, due to being too busy, only three are left. Each cup costs 3 scoops, which is more expensive than butter beer. However, today is the grand opening promotion, and for a limited time, the price is 2 scoops.

Even so, these were the only two items sold in the shop. Due to insufficient production capacity, the duel cards could only be pre-ordered. Jimmy had already recorded the names and addresses of the people who pre-ordered the cards, and would deliver them by owl once they were made.

"There's no room outside, let's go inside, it's more lively there."

Simon and Dean went inside arm in arm. Half of the already spacious inner room had been converted into a card table after an emergency renovation.

The Weasleys, the three unfortunate brothers, wearing black and white aprons, and Langdon, who was supposed to be making cards, all became waiters, running around explaining the rules of card battles to the customers.

They also had to keep using their magic wands to distribute the delivered milk tea to each table, keeping everyone busy and creating quite a scene. Those who were already familiar with the rules started playing, and if there weren't enough people, they would gather at one table. If they preferred a quieter place, they would go to the table with the screen at the back.

This place doesn't seem like a shop selling alchemy; it's more like a casual coffee shop.

The customers probably thought so too. Until close time, Jimmy had only sold twenty-six decks of cards, with most of the revenue coming from milk tea and various snacks bought on short notice.

Jimmy began to seriously doubt the alchemy workshop's ability to make money, and thought he might as well open a casual dining restaurant instead...

But after tallying up the day's revenue, he gave up on that idea. He had served several hundred onlookers and sold three or four hundred drinks and some snacks, but his income was less than 50 Galleons.

The Duel deck sold 26 decks at 8 Galleons each, generating 208 Galleons in revenue, which outperformed the beverage and snack sales.

Taking costs into account, beverages and snacks are far less profitable than trading cards, and can only be considered a slow and steady business.

Jimmy doesn't plan to give up drinks and snacks, but he'll open a separate shop selling all kinds of drinks and snacks in Hogsmeade Village later, so he can do business with students.

The gates closed, and the bustling atmosphere of Diagon Alley gradually subsided as darkness fell.

Percy only stayed in the store for an hour before disappearing with Penelope.

Only seven employees and the four Weasley pups remained at the Raccoon Alchemy Workshop, eagerly awaiting their paychecks and a free meal.

The total income for the first day was 256 Galleons and 4 Sickles. Jimmy also had to pay the people who helped. The four members of the Weasley family helped together, and each of them received 4 Galleons, which quickly cost 16 Galleons.

Including bonuses for employees who worked hard all day, the net income was 228 Gallons. After deducting costs, the daily net profit was over 100 Gallons.

When Ron received his wages for the day, all his fatigue seemed to disappear, and he was so excited that he exclaimed that he would save up to buy a new wand.

George and Fred have made a lot of money, and now they actually look down on these 4 Galleons.

Ginny was fine; she was happy to receive 4 Galleons. However, her main purpose in coming to the Raccoon Alchemy Workshop today was to see Harry Potter, and she had dressed herself up beautifully for the occasion.

She had heard that Jimmy and Harry were good friends who shared a dorm room, and she would definitely come to support her friend's shop opening, but unfortunately Harry Potter didn't come.

Jimmy gathered the money from the table, saying with a mix of regret and comfort, "I invited Harry, but I guess his uncle is keeping him locked up at home."

Hermione didn't come today either. Her summer vacation plans were all set. On the day of the opening, Hermione had already returned to the countryside in Uncle George's car. She only sent a letter to express her congratulations.

Draco didn't come either. Jimmy had sent an invitation, but Draco replied that he was busy.

Somewhat surprisingly, Neville didn't come either, and the letters that were sent out haven't received a reply yet.

"Dinner's ready!"

Ginny's low spirits were quickly dispelled by a delicious aroma. Senior Mary, who loved food, used her wand to direct dinner to be delivered to the table in a circle.

A large bowl of secret-recipe roasted chicken is placed in the center of the round table, and each person has a plate of spaghetti in front of them. Several plates of sauces and salads are placed together, and you can use a spoon to pour whatever sauce you want onto your spaghetti.

The food was simple, but everyone, who had been busy all day, ate with great enjoyment, constantly praising Mary's cooking skills.

Mary, a senior student with a few freckles, wore a satisfied smile. Seeing others enjoy the food she made was the best compliment a chef could receive.

After having their meal at the alchemy workshop, the four Weasleys went straight back to their home from the fireplace in the alchemy workshop.

This is the advantage of having FiluNet – fast teleportation, very convenient.

As long as the fireplace door isn't closed, the Floo Network can connect the two places directly. George and Fred even said they'd use this fireplace to get to Diagon Alley when school starts.

For the next few days, Jimmy stopped interfering with the business operations, allowing Mary and Langdon, who were performing quite well, to manage it together, one externally and one internally.

He doesn't get involved in the day-to-day operations unless something goes wrong.

After the group became familiar with the alchemy workshop's affairs, Jimmy entrusted the shop and the rocket to their care.

Because it's July 1st, and Jimmy will be attending the Merlin Band's awards dinner.

Early that morning, Jimmy changed into a brand-new brown suit, tied a tie, and combed his hair like an adult. He arrived at the Broken Axe Bar promptly at six o'clock in the evening.

Upon entering the Leaky Cauldron, Jimmy spotted the rather conspicuous old man behind the counter. Dumbledore's towering height of 1.8 meters and purple wizard's robes made him stand out starkly from the filthy surroundings.

The old man's eyes, behind his half-moon glasses, were fixed intently on the billboard for Raccoon Alchemy Workshop, seemingly filled with admiration.

“Professor Dumbledore, you didn’t come to support my newly opened shop.” Jimmy walked up to Dumbledore with an air of superiority and demanded, “Besides, I was injured at the school. As the headmaster, shouldn’t you compensate the student for his emotional distress?”

Do you know how much psychological damage a devastating Explosion Charm can cause to a young, underage wizard?!

Dumbledore looked away from the billboard, his eyes slowly becoming vacant, as if he had suddenly developed Alzheimer's. "Um... compensation, that compensation, ah, yes, yes."

He mumbled some indistinct words as he walked out of the bar.

Jimmy immediately followed suit, dismissing the charade with disdain. "At least 100 Galleons! Otherwise, I'll throw a tantrum at school!"