Andromeda sat at the head of the table in her house. In front of her, scattered across the surface, were various items: cans of different shapes and sizes, glass bottles reminiscent of potion containers, and a variety of dried meats and vegetables.
"And you plan to sell this? I thought you were going to open a bar or a restaurant," she asked me, confused. What she saw on the table didn't align with her idea of her daughter and son-in-law's business.
"Yes, the idea is to serve food and drink, but that's not all. The plan is to create a meeting point, where not only food is served, but also a marketplace for utilities like these," I explained, pointing to the products on the table, "as well as services."
"Wait, I don't think I understand." (Andromeda)
"Look, I have several werewolves working for me," I clarified, seeing her eyes widen in surprise.
"You have werewolves working for you?!" (Andromeda)
"Your daughter can explain that to you later." I stopped her from asking more questions on that topic and continued, focusing on the important part. "What we want with our establishment is to create a place where people can hire services and also offer their own, for a commission. People can request objects, information, or labor. Of course, always within legal limits... or at least after giving it some thought. You have no idea how many people don't have formal jobs and, if they didn't have magic, they'd already be starving."
"And you're going to give them that work?" she asked, somewhat doubtful.
"More or less. I actually have many ways of making money or producing goods, but everything takes time. If we have people available, we can increase our profits and give them a share of the earnings. The jobs I offer the werewolves are just the beginning, and I have many others in mind."
"I see... I'm not sure I like the idea, but I'll keep listening. So, what's the deal with all of that?" She pointed at the cans, bottles, and dried foods.
"This is the second point. Aside from offering services, we can sell products like these at our place. The cans contain food that stays preserved for a long time until opened. The bottles contain juices and liquids extracted from various sources: fruits, vegetables, and even non-plant organisms. And the dried foods are just that—dehydrated products. I can produce all of this at almost no cost, beyond the raw materials, and in large quantities," I explained, showing her the canned goods, juices, and dehydrated products recently added to the [Fief] productions. "I could have also brought processed wood boards, stone bricks, and metal ingots, but I didn't think it was necessary. Wizards don't usually buy things like that, so even though we'll offer them, I don't think there will be much demand."
"I don't think you realize how many permits you're going to need to do all of that in a single establishment. And how hard it's going to be to get them, especially with the complicated reputation you have right now." She said, hand on her chin, as if considering ways to help or convince me not to go through with it.
"Oh, don't worry about that," I responded calmly. "I've been working on it for a while. Having the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as a friend is quite useful. She's been helping me with her contacts to make sure everything goes smoothly. She seemed worried that I wouldn't be able to find work after my incident, so she's been very cooperative on this matter… though she made it clear that I can only continue as long as I stay within the law." I explained before moving on to the products.
I opened several cans and served their contents onto plates for Andromeda to taste, doing the same with the juices and dried foods. I didn't serve much, just small portions so she could sample the products. Tonks was next to me, helping out and also tasting the food I had brought, though with much less delicacy than her mother, not to mention rather brutishly.
It took us some time, but after several explanations and tastings of each product—the most common ones I produced—Andromeda had a clear idea of what we were offering.
"What do you think?" I asked.
"In my opinion, it's not a very profitable product," she commented while holding her fork, with a thoughtful expression. "The nobles won't buy it; your target audience would be the middle and lower classes, and not even the entire middle class. What you're offering is easy to get, in some cases even for free. Although the taste isn't bad, it's not good enough to be worth spending money on something a few spells can provide. Any moderately skilled wizard wouldn't have issues with food, but you might be able to sell it at a low cost to less skilled wizards, those who can't do it themselves." She took a can and stared at it for a moment before continuing. "The products aren't very eye-catching, maybe just the cans and the fact that you have to open them. If you invented some simple but peculiar spell to open them and distributed it for free in your store, you could attract sales and make the act of opening them part of the fun. You could also hide prizes in some cans to make the idea of opening them more appealing," she added, sharing her detailed opinions and suggestions.
"Hmmm... I see. I'll keep that in mind. But what if we also add some more exotic foods? Today I only brought non-magical products, but I have no problem producing magical ones. Plus, once I have the raw materials, there's no additional cost. In fact, with each unit of raw material, I can multiply the production, no matter the quantity. If we get some foods that can't be affected by magic, and therefore can't be easily duplicated or multiplied, we could sell them at a low cost and still make a good amount of Galleons."
"Yes, I suppose that could work, but... how do you get these things? You say they have no cost, but you talk like it's easy to produce them in large quantities," Andromeda asked, intrigued by the way I spoke about those products.
"Let's just say... I have a place, in a location that belongs to me entirely. No one can enter unless I allow it. There, I have several automatic farming fields, magically enhanced to increase productivity and reduce growth time. Plus, there are specialized facilities that prepare products like these, also automatically and with enchantments that increase the quantity produced, even if it should be impossible."
"..." Andromeda remained silent, clearly surprised.
"..." Tonks, for her part, was also stunned.
"And that's not all, there are some other things too, but they don't matter right now. There are a few residents there, only a handful, but they're completely trustworthy," I added.
"Are you serious?" Andromeda asked, incredulous.
"Yes." (Red)
"And why didn't I know about this before?" Tonks complained.
"Well... the moment never came up. In fact, you're both trustworthy people I'd like to show that place and its benefits to, but, Andromeda, I want to take Tonks there first. That place holds many of my most important secrets, and some of them not even Tonks, or anyone else, will ever know."
"Like a lover?" Andromeda asked sarcastically.
"No, Tonks already knows about those," I replied playfully. "Once I've shown Tonks the place and we discuss a few particular things, then I'll take you there as well," I promised Andromeda.
"Then let's go, show me already!" Tonks said, excited, both to discover something new and incredible—as everything related to me usually was—and to learn more of my secrets.
"Sorry, Tonks, I'd love to, but I'm busy right now. And speaking of that... excuse me, lovely ladies, but I must leave. I have a date with a ghost," I said before my clone disappeared.
Both women were left confused, trying to figure out what or who I was referring to. The situation was puzzling, until Tonks suddenly seemed to realize.
"Wait! He's not busy! He has clones! He can take me anytime!"
...
Looking at the castle in front of me, I smiled. It felt strange to come to school during the break, but the reason justified it. Using my invisibility skill, I moved forward, hoping it would be enough to avoid detection.
First, I went to retrieve the wine I had left to brew some time ago. When I arrived at the room where the ritual circle with the bottle in the center should have been, surrounded by animal carcasses, I found a lot of dust. The circle had lost its original color, and where there had once been bodies, only disintegrated remains were left. However, the bottle was still there, a little dusty, and the liquid inside had changed color to a shade between blue and aquamarine, emitting a strange vapor.
I took the bottle and set out to find a suitable room in Hogwarts for my date, something private enough. Eventually, I found the perfect spot: a round room with hidden access, making it seem like only ghosts could reach it. It was ideal.
I set it up simply: a round table with two chairs, a white tablecloth, and a candelabra with lit candles. The paintings, suits of armor, bookshelves, and furniture, all old and worn by time, were arranged around the room. The tall gothic windows, though darkened with age, let in some light through the glass. I cleaned some cobwebs but decided to leave a few since they seemed fitting for a date with a ghost. Finally, I turned on an old music machine, though it emitted no sound. The real music would come through my [Music] skill, audible only to ghosts. I chose something between romantic and somber, blending terror and passion into the atmosphere.
With everything ready, I sent a [Message] to my date. As I did, I remembered another commitment with a ghost and used my skill to send Myrtle a few gifts she had requested: adult magazines, lubricants, and several sex toys. I wasn't sure if she could use them given her ghostly condition, but I'd find out later.
...
The Grey Lady passed through the castle walls until she arrived at the peculiar hidden room. Having received the directions, it wasn't hard for her to find; she had explored every corner of Hogwarts, both in life and in death.
Upon entering, she was slightly surprised, though her ghostly expression hid it well. She took in the decorated table, the lily and carnation petals scattered on the floor, the moonlight filtering through the windows, and me, standing next to the table, waiting for her.
"Welcome. I hope this beautiful lady is ready for our date," I said, extending my hand toward her.
"Hmmm..." She nodded with a faint sound. After looking at my hand for a moment, she extended hers. Though her hand passed through mine, I leaned in to try and kiss her. My lips also passed through her, giving me a cold sensation, like kissing icy water, but I didn't mind. I asked her to follow me, not letting go of her intangible hand, and led her to her seat at the table. It was tricky to coordinate my movement to make it seem like I was holding her hand.
Once she was seated, I sat across from her, observing her expressionless face. Her eyes wandered around the room, stopping at every detail, including me in my eccentric attire. I had done my best to find clothes reminiscent of the noble wizard fashion from Helena's time, which was relatively easy, given that magical fashion had changed little over the years.
"I must say, of all those who once tried to seduce me for my beauty or wanted something from me, you're the one who has put in the most effort," she said in a monotone voice. "Not that I haven't seen more impressive scenes when I was alive, but after my death..." She paused, and I could almost sense some sadness and anguish emanating from her being. "I don't understand what you hope to gain from me. Everything I once possessed is gone, and the little I had was stolen... although you yourself recovered it."
"I seek nothing but you and your happiness. I go to such lengths because I want to show that my worth is almost as great as that of the beautiful lady accompanying me tonight."
"Hmmm..." She responded again, with that soft but... was it uneasy? Flustered? Happy? Nostalgic? It was hard to tell.
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1st additional chapter
Thank you Jack BurlyHat for being my first donor