Chapter 155: Ring, Shares, Huge Sum
"What did Borgin say back then?" Ethan recalled Mr. Borgin's words.
*I remember now. A beep indicates either a Dark Magic item or a hex placed on it. In that case, I need to switch modes to confirm whether it's actually cursed.*
Ethan scanned the two items separately. The Secrecy Sensor swept over the locket without a sound. Ethan determined that the problem was with the ring.
He pressed a button, just as Mr. Borgin had shown him. The previously cylindrical Secrecy Sensor split open at the front, revealing a fine mesh woven from an unknown metal. It now resembled a square-headed engineer's shovel.
The Secrecy Sensor's two forms made it convenient to carry. It was compact when retracted, but was highly functional once unfolded.
Beep, beep, beep. The mesh-tipped Secrecy Sensor swept over the ring, but the sound remained unchanged. This steady tone indicated that the ring merely contained Dark Magic.
If it had been cursed, it would have emitted a rhythmic 'doot-doot' sound, similar to when the sensor had passed over the opal necklace in the shop.
Ethan relaxed. It seemed Salazar hadn't left any nasty surprises.
*What would happen if I used the Secrecy Sensor to scan a Horcrux?* Ethan wondered.
*I should bring this Secrecy Sensor to school. There are at least two Horcruxes there right now. I might be able to track them.*
Stowing the Secrecy Sensor and the ring, Ethan fastened the locket around his neck.
He used the Floo Network through the shop's fireplace to return to Cyril's home first. Cyril had to write letters to arrange appointments for several families to visit Diagon Alley for the share distribution, so Ethan eventually headed back to his own home as well.
The next day, Ethan returned to the shop in Diagon Alley to wait for the four families to arrive.
By noon, representatives of the four families had arrived one after another.
The Malfoy family sent Lucius and Draco Malfoy, both acquaintances.
The Abbott family sent Tom Abbott, another acquaintance and the owner of the Leaky Cauldron.
The Longbottom family naturally sent businessman Algie Longbottom.
As for the Fudge family, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge couldn't show his face, so his sister Isabella Stephen came instead.
This gray-haired witch, wearing a glittering necklace, greeted Ethan enthusiastically the moment she saw him.
"You're Jones, right? I've heard John speak of you. He said you're handsome, incredibly strong, and even more powerful than some professors."
Ethan thought for a moment, and, considering Isabella's current surname, he remembered someone. He asked tentatively, "John Stephen?"
"Yes, that's my son." The witch's smile grew even brighter.
"I've also heard Neville speak of you. He said you helped him find Trevor on the train," Algie Longbottom, who had a small beard, chimed in.
As a second-year student, Ethan felt somewhat out of place in front of the two adults. He moved to the back, sitting with Draco and listening to them exchange pleasantries.
Before the negotiation officially began, the atmosphere was quite pleasant. Everyone was chatting and laughing.
A wizard came down from upstairs and whispered a few words into Cyril's ear.
Cyril nodded and stood up. "The room is ready. Let's go."
The group headed to the second floor and entered a conference room prepared specifically for today's negotiation, as arranged following yesterday's appointment.
Ethan sat behind Cyril, while Draco sat behind Lucius.
Cyril began by introducing the success the first version of Wizarding Cards had achieved at Hogwarts.
The first version of Wizarding Cards went on sale at Hogwarts in November. In less than two months, over thirty thousand packs had sold, and the number was still climbing.
"Thanks to the card trading system, our packs have a high repurchase rate. Once we launch to the entire wizarding world, there will be even more buyers.
"Moreover, the second version of Wizarding Cards is already in the works. I believe that once it hits the market, it will attract even more customers."
The price of Wizarding Cards wasn't actually low, but it wasn't too high either. After accounting for other costs, each pack had a profit margin of roughly fifty percent. That meant selling thirty thousand packs had already netted a pure profit of over eight hundred Galleons.
Several people at the negotiation table today had already heard from their own children just how appealing Wizarding Cards were to students.
Furthermore, for adult wizards, the game held nearly as much appeal. At the very least, everyone who tried playing wanted to go a few more rounds.
Given the current momentum, if sold throughout the wizarding world, monthly profits could reach thousands of Galleons. That was already equivalent to what many ordinary wizards earned in several years.
Naturally, everyone wanted a piece of this lucrative business.
After Cyril finished speaking, the others seated at the table launched into heated discussions about the shares they wanted to claim and the prices they were willing to pay.
"Haven't the shares been confirmed yet?" Ethan asked doubtfully. He'd originally assumed today was just about signing the contract.
After listening for a while, he understood. Before this negotiation, each family had only vaguely agreed on a range of shares, nothing set in stone. Today, everyone was laying out their conditions, fighting to claim a larger piece.
"Our family can provide printing services at a lower price," said the witch from the Fudge family.
"We can spare an alchemist to optimize the process," Algie Longbottom added, unwilling to show weakness.
"I can set up a special Wizarding Cards display area in the pub for promotion," said the Abbott family representative. As the gatekeepers of Diagon Alley, their ownership of the Leaky Cauldron gave them a natural advantage in promotion.
"I have extensive connections. If any real competition shows up, I can reach out to the other families and we can deal with them together."
The Malfoy family was at a disadvantage in this confrontation. Their primary business was running apothecaries, which left them without the significant edge the other families held in the alchemy-driven Wizarding Cards market.
Each family laid out their conditions and advantages, all hoping to secure a larger share. Cyril sat calmly, listening to the terms each family presented. He had already secured his own portion, so he simply watched them fight over what remained.
After half an hour of verbal sparring, the parties finally reached a consensus.
Cyril took a sip of tea and cleared his throat. "Good. The final results of this negotiation are as follows.
"Regarding the domestic Wizarding Cards business, the Shafiq and Weasley families will hold a combined fifty percent share. We will determine the specific split between our two families internally. We are responsible for operations and printing. The rest will be handled exactly as we discussed.
"For the remaining half, the Longbottom, Fudge, and Abbott families will each hold fourteen percent, covering costs like promotion and labor. The Malfoy family will hold eight percent and is responsible only for providing capital.
"However, if a competitor shows up, we need to stick together to protect our business. Does everyone agree?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Very well, let's draw up the contract." With everyone watching, Cyril took out a piece of parchment. He meticulously recorded every detail of their discussion before passing it around for review.
Once the contents were verified, Cyril made three additional copies. With a wave of his wand, he cast a spell to bind the parchments into a magically enforceable contract. Everyone then signed.
"Very well, now that the contract is signed, I'll head back to the Leaky Cauldron. I'll have someone deliver the promised Galleons later." The bald innkeeper, Tom, was the first to take his leave.
"I'm heading to Gringotts to withdraw the funds now. I'll deliver the Galleons right away." Isabella was the next to leave.
"I've brought the funds with me." Lucius gestured for Draco to step forward and set the bag he'd been carrying on the table.
Lucius counted out eight thousand Galleons from the bag in neat stacks of fifty and placed them on the table.
Cyril nodded, confirming the amount was correct.
Draco waved to Ethan. Just before leaving with Lucius, he whispered, "I'll be back for the opening. Don't forget what you promised me."
"Of course."
Only Cyril, Ethan, and Algie Longbottom remained in the room.
"Now that everyone else is gone, let's discuss the international Wizarding Card business." Algie rubbed his chin and leaned slightly closer to Cyril.
"The Shafiq family still holds some influence in France. I can handle the promotion there. In other countries, though, you'll have to rely mainly on yourself."
Cyril had emphasized the UK Wizarding Card business earlier because several families could only band together to oppose competing products within the UK. They had no reach beyond that.
"The Wizarding Cards certainly have potential, and they're very easy to localize."
"This works especially well in countries with magical schools like Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. You can simply swap out the founder characters and the various Partner Cards to replicate the model." Algie was optimistic about the Wizarding Cards business.
He asked, "What will be the focus for the second version of the Wizarding Cards?"
"We've decided on magical creatures. We will include different magical creatures from various countries across the wizarding world. This content should help with international promotion."
"Indeed. History varies from country to country, but magical creatures are largely the same throughout the world. That's a great angle." Algie praised the decision.
Ethan listened silently to their discussion. Finally, they determined the shares each party would hold in the various overseas territories.
In France, the Shafiq family would participate in the promotion, taking a 30% share. In other countries, the Shafiq family would hold a 20% share. The remainder would be split between the Longbottom family and whichever local family handled the promotion.
"No time to lose. I won't be here for the opening ceremony in a few days. I want to visit several magical schools to promote the product first. I'll select local agents before the Wizarding Card technology is reverse-engineered."
Leaving fourteen thousand Galleons behind, Algie hurried off as well.
As soon as he left, Isabella returned after withdrawing money at Gringotts.
She set down fourteen thousand Galleons as well. "When school starts, I'll have John find you. I want him to learn from you."
"No problem," Ethan agreed readily.
The witch departed, satisfied.
After lingering in the shop a while longer, Ethan returned home via the Floo Network.
He wrote a detailed letter about the day's negotiation and had Edward deliver it to Hogwarts for Fred and the others.
Edward flew at incredible speed. He delivered the letter that evening.
It was dinnertime. The two students at dinner watched a huge owl fly into the Great Hall, land in front of them, and extend its leg.
Edward had flown all afternoon and was hungry. Rather than wait for someone to take the letter, he snatched a drumstick from a dinner plate, opened his beak wide, and swallowed it in a few quick gulps.
"Is that Ethan's Edward?" Fred looked at the owl, uncertain. They had only received a package from Edward once, last Christmas, and hadn't seen him since.
But that one time had left an impression. After all, such a large owl wasn't a common sight at the school.
"Yes, this letter is from Ethan." George untied the letter and showed the envelope to Fred.
"Wonder what this is about," George said to Fred as he opened it.
"I don't know either. But Edward certainly has an appetite." He's already polished off five or six drumsticks in such a short time. Fred looked at Edward, then at the dwindling pile of drumsticks in front of him, and quickly snatched two away to save them for himself and George.
Edward shot him a disgruntled look and continued working his way through the drumsticks one by one.
"We're rich, Fred! We're rich!" George's face flushed with excitement as he finished reading the letter.
"What's it say? Let me see!" Fred snatched the letter from George's hand and quickly scanned it.
"That is a fortune!" Fred looked shocked as he finished reading.
In the letter, Ethan outlined how the shares would be divided among the families.
He said that for the fifty percent held jointly by the two families, the Shafiq family would claim a larger share of the future dividends, specifically thirty-five percent, as they would be responsible for operations. However, as compensation, they would receive thirty-five thousand Galleons from the fifty thousand obtained through this share transfer.
"Thirty-five thousand Galleons! That's got to be more than ten years of Dad's salary, right?" Fred felt like he was dreaming.
George, recovering from his shock, pointed out an even more important detail. "And the dividends. Even at only fifteen percent, that's a massive amount."
"We have to thank Ethan!" A rush of warmth flooded the twins' hearts. With this money, they could not only fund their dream of developing joke products, but also vastly improve the Weasley family's quality of life.
Ethan had also explained the Malfoy family's involvement in his letter.
The twins understood completely. Just like them, he wouldn't turn hostile toward someone so proactive and friendly.
"Fred, wait here a second. Don't let Edward leave yet. I need to write a reply for him to take back." George didn't even touch his food. He threw the instructions over his shoulder and hurried off toward the Gryffindor common room.
Fred pushed the two remaining chicken drumsticks toward Edward. "Take your time. They're all yours."
Although Fred's eyes remained on the owl as it ate, his gaze had already grown unfocused. He began to imagine what he would do once the money arrived.
"What a truly beautiful day!" Fred sighed contentedly.
Half an hour later, George hurried into the Great Hall, covered in sweat. He handed a letter to Edward, who had long since finished his meal and was grooming his feathers. "Take this to Ethan."
"Hoot!" With the letter secured to his leg, Edward spread his dark wings and soared out of the Great Hall toward London.
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