Chapter 156: Opening, Trivia, Return to School
With these new partners on board, the shop's grand opening became an even bigger event.
Starting during the holidays, advertisements for the shop's opening ran daily in newspapers like the Daily Prophet, ensuring that anyone who kept up with the news would know about it.
On the twenty-sixth, the shop officially opened.
After a series of impressive performances, representatives from several families stepped forward together to cut the ribbon and unveil the velvet cloth covering the shop's sign.
The shop's name was simple: The Wizarding Cards Specialty Store.
Click, click. A specially hired photographer captured the entire event.
Representing the Shafiq family, Ethan stood front and center in impeccable wizarding robes, posing for a group photo with the others to mark the occasion.
Most of the onlookers were Hogwarts students with their parents. Having already experienced the excitement of Wizarding Cards at school, they were eager to check out the specialty store they'd heard so much about.
To draw a bigger crowd, the shop's opening day promotions included a buy five, get one free offer on card packs, a twenty percent discount on point redemptions for high-level chess pieces and cards, and various battle rewards.
Students flooded into the shop first, getting swept up in the activities and unable to tear themselves away.
They begged their parents to loosen their purse strings. Card packs sold fast, and shouts of disappointment and envy rang out from time to time.
The Wizarding Card battle taking place in the window display caught the attention of many passersby. The innovative game quickly captivated the wizards walking by.
"Here's the card I promised you." Upstairs, Ethan took out a legendary shapeshifting card of the highest rarity and handed it to Draco.
"The rarest, highest-level card. When I get back to school, I'll be the coolest guy in the common room!" Draco held the card in his hands, his eyes gleaming.
He already knew how to use it. He drew his wand and pointed it at the card, causing a colorful three-dimensional figure to spring out and recite its lines.
Ethan had tried these cards long ago, so he simply watched Draco change the card's form over and over, making the small figure change its movements and deliver different lines.
Although today was the opening day, the shop had dedicated staff running it. Neither Ethan nor Cyril needed to stay and supervise constantly. So after the opening ceremony, Ethan left.
Yesterday was Christmas, but with the opening imminent, Ethan had spent all day in Diagon Alley with Cyril handling shop business. Aside from having dinner with his parents, he hadn't spent any time with them.
With the opening ceremony concluded and business clearly set to boom, he had no need to worry about anything else. He headed home, feeling at ease, to spend time with his parents, making up for his absence the day before.
Three days after the opening, Fred and George sent a letter.
The letter was mostly about Dumbledore's improvements to their Transformation Card technology.
When the Basilisk was defeated, Dumbledore had promised Ethan he would work out the flaws in the Transformation Cards.
As it happened, Fred and George hadn't gone home for the holidays this year, so after Christmas, Dumbledore met with the two of them in the Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore was indeed a master of alchemy. After hearing their ideas for improvements, he quickly made a series of modifications to the Transformation Card production process based on the existing technology.
After his improvements, making Transformation Cards became significantly easier. Though material costs stayed the same, production efficiency increased. As a result, overall costs dropped, meaning the shop would see higher profits.
The twins quickly mastered the improved technique, which was based on their own original creation. They documented the improvements they'd worked out and sent the details to Ethan in a letter.
A newly made card was included with the letter. Ethan couldn't spot any difference between it and the previous ones.
He forwarded both the letter and the card to the factory handling the printing and production of Wizarding Cards, allowing them to learn the new technique and complete the first technological iteration of the Wizarding Cards.
On the last day of December, Cyril, who had been out visiting friends, shared some news about Hogwarts.
"That new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor of yours, Gilderoy Lockhart, probably won't last the school year either.
"One of the wizards whose stories Lockhart stole before Obliviating them has recovered some memories after treatment. I'd estimate that before your summer vacation, more memories should surface. Then they can lock that thief up in Azkaban."
A hint of satisfaction crossed Cyril's face as he said this.
Ethan recalled that some of those wizards were Cyril's friends. Since he'd gotten this news right after returning from visiting friends, he asked, "Which friend of yours?"
"The one in Armenia. His werewolf story was stolen by Lockhart."
"Werewolves? Does he remember casting the Homorphus Charm?" Ethan asked hurriedly, recalling the spell from the book that could restore werewolves to human form.
Cyril's expression darkened. "Not yet. I hope he remembers it. He spent years tracking werewolves, trying to find a cure for lycanthropy. That spell is likely his life's work."
It was hard to say if Cyril saw his own fate reflected in his old friend, whose days were numbered, but he sat on the sofa in silence for a long time.
Ethan watched Cyril, who remained silent, and felt an urge to tell him about the Salamander potions currently being tested.
After a moment of consideration, however, Ethan held back. It was better to wait for the results. He did not want to raise Cyril's hopes only to deal him another blow.
Ethan sat beside Cyril. Cyril put an arm around his shoulders and patted him.
In the last few days of the holiday, Ethan went to Diagon Alley again and bought some supplies, including stationery.
The two-week Christmas holiday ended quickly. Ethan boarded the Hogwarts Express, heading back to school.
"Ethan, Ethan!" Hermione called to Ethan, who was staring blankly out the window.
"Oh, what's wrong?" He had just been thinking about potions. He had originally planned to write to Snape to ask about the trial results, but later decided to ask him in person once school started.
"We'll be arriving soon. You and Neville step outside first. Lavender and I need to change our clothes." Hermione looked at her roommate sitting beside her.
"Alright, I'm going." Ethan stood up, left the compartment with Neville and waited by the door for the two of them to change.
"Ethan, I read the paper the other day. There was an interview with you in it." Back in the compartment, neither the girls nor Ethan had brought up Wizarding Cards. Neville had also found it difficult to speak up. Now that it was just the two of them, Neville finally said what he had been holding back for a long time.
On the train ride home from school, Neville had mentioned that he really liked Wizarding Cards but didn't have many because he didn't get much allowance.
However, during the holidays, since the Longbottom family had become partners in the Wizarding Cards business, they had given Neville all the Wizarding Cards sent to them for review. Additionally, Algie had bought him a high-level card.
As a result, Neville had been fiddling with a high-level shape-shifting card in his hand ever since they'd boarded the train.
"They were all paid to write that. You can't take it seriously." Ethan waved his hand dismissively.
He knew the report Neville mentioned. It had been an interview with Daily Prophet reporters who'd visited again the day after the shop opened. Of course, it wasn't their ace reporter, Rita; a small interview like that didn't require her services yet.
Thanks to Cyril's little token of appreciation, the reporter, eager to please a Shafiq family heir, certainly hadn't held back, praising Ethan to the skies.
Finally, Ethan couldn't stand it anymore and had the reporter tone down the wording; otherwise, the article would have been even more exaggerated.
Ethan kept his explanation simple. The two girls finished changing.
They opened the compartment door and swapped places with the two boys so they could change.
Shortly after everyone had changed, the train arrived at Hogwarts. The four of them climbed into the Thestral-drawn carriages and arrived at the castle entrance.
Winter nights fell early. The castle was already brightly lit.
After their first dinner back at school, Ethan sent a message to Fred and the others on the Communication Card: "Nine o'clock tonight, meet in the Room of Requirement."
"No problem." The reply came quickly.
Ethan slipped the card into his pocket and, rarely one to linger by the warm common room fire, settled into a chair, watching the Black Lake through the window.
Though it was freezing cold now and the lake's surface had frozen over, the various aquatic creatures in the Black Lake were still swimming happily. Fish and shrimp swam past the window from time to time.
At eight thirty, Ethan returned to the dormitory and retrieved a book from his trunk.
This book's cover was almost identical to the one titled Blood found in the library. At the very least, it would fool anyone at a cursory glance. He had commissioned this replica from a printing factory during the holidays.
Next, he took the Secrecy Sensor from his bag and slipped the book into it.
After leaving the common room, Ethan made his way to the eighth floor.
He paced back and forth three times, yet the door didn't appear. He sent a message to the two of them using the Communication Card.
The door opened promptly. Ethan had come to meet them not only to give them part of the Galleons they were owed but also to show them photos taken at the time.
"As I mentioned in my letter, your share comes to thirty thousand Galleons, but that's a rather large sum. I couldn't bring it all to school with me.
"So, I brought a portion for now. You'll have to wait until the holidays to go to Gringotts with me so we can withdraw the rest." Ethan shrugged, pulling out bundles of Galleons from his bag.
Thirty thousand Galleons weighed several hundred pounds. While Undetectable Extension items could mask the weight, by volume alone, Ethan's small bag could not hold a single coin without being expanded.
Besides, even if Ethan could bring the gold to school, the twins lacked Undetectable Extension items and couldn't take it home themselves. It would be better to go to Gringotts and transfer the funds from one vault to another.
Ethan took out one hundred bundles of Galleons and placed them on the table. "This is five thousand Galleons."
Now the twins had a problem. They couldn't possibly carry that much money.
Ethan had anticipated this problem and came prepared with a solution. "I'll cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on your pockets later. Take the money back to the dormitory first and store it in your trunks. Then take it with you when the holidays start. It'll be easier if you split the load between you."
Seeing the twins exchange surprised glances, Ethan warned, "The Undetectable Extension Charm I cast will only last a few days. If you use it later, make sure not to overfill it. Once the spell wears off, everything inside might spill out."
"Understood, understood." Despite their agreement, the twins were already plotting ways to take full advantage of these massive pockets while the magic lasted, planning to create some surprises.
The twins pressed for the exact duration of the Undetectable Extension Charm, their minds racing with possibilities.
Ethan could do nothing more than offer a warning, so he simply let them be.
George patted Fred on the shoulder, interrupting his daydream. "We'd better look at the photos. Even with the pictures in the Daily Prophet, there weren't enough."
"All right, I'll show you. I had the reporter take plenty of shots." Ethan pulled out a thick stack of photos and showed them one by one.
Besides the opening photos, many were shots of the shop interior that Ethan had let the reporter take during the interview.
Unlike the black-and-white photos in the newspaper, these were all in color, capturing the scene much more vividly.
Thanks to the Projection Spell, the scenes in the photos made them feel as though they were actually there. They couldn't help but express their admiration from time to time.
"The decor is truly beautiful! There are so many people!"
"There's a space set aside just for the two of you inside. Just wait for the holidays, and I'll take you for a proper look."
"Take a look at this one. This is a studio on the second floor set up just for you. Once you graduate, you can use this room as your office right away." Ethan continued to show them the photos.
As they gazed at the spacious, bright, and beautifully decorated room, they wished they could drop out of school right then and go there to develop their own products.
"You'll still be responsible for sales at school later on. I've already spoken to the shop manager, and I'll give you his contact information. He'll send someone to Hogsmeade to deliver the goods to you." Ethan took out a note he had prepared.
There are also a few new faces you should get to know this semester. They are all relatives of the shareholders I mentioned.
John Stephen, a first-year Ravenclaw, represents the Fudge family.
Hannah Abbott, a second-year Hufflepuff, represents the Abbott family.
"You should know the representative for the Longbottom family, Neville Longbottom."
"You likely know him already, as he is Ron's roommate. I'm not very familiar with Hannah Abbott either. I've only met her once at the Leaky Cauldron during the holidays."
"I've only met John Stephen at the Dueling Club. I will introduce him to you next time I see him."
"There is also the Malfoy family representative, Draco Malfoy. You have seen him, so there's no need for an introduction."
When Ethan mentioned that last name, a look of disgust appeared simultaneously on both their faces.
After casting the Undetectable Extension Charm on both of them, Ethan left the Room of Requirement. He wanted to take advantage of the first day of the school term, when the castle was relatively empty, to make the switch and finally retrieve the blood he had coveted for so long.
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