Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye in the midst of a fulfilling study and discussion.
By the time Ivan had finished crafting the anti-spell items, there were only three days remaining until the Ministry's patrols arrived.
The shelves of the shop were once empty, but now they were filled with exquisite magical objects, most of which Ivan had worked on with Alicia and Tom Riddle.
A few others were sent by the brothers George and Fred…
As early as the study of the anti-curse gloves, Ivan sent a letter to them asking about ancient magical texts.
However, due to the small number of runes they knew, which overlapped with Professor Tom Riddle's portion, they did not have much use for it.
However, Ivan considered the fact that their products were selling like hot cakes in the book, so he sent another letter a few days ago, asking them to send some finished products to the shop for sale.
This morning, two owls arrived at the wizarding shop with a package and a reply letter…
[To Ivan Hals:
Thank you for remembering us during the pleasant summer holidays,
As we have read your letter, George and I, as owners of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes (though it is not officially open for business yet), have given you the authority to sell on our behalf.
We would like to introduce you to our latest invention, Puffskins, an alchemical creature based on a magical creature of the same name. It may be weak and harmless, but it is very cute, and we believe it will sell well!
There are also fake wands, clever quills, Extendable Ears, Dungbombs… I've written how to use them:
Note: In order to avoid being intercepted, a protective spell has been placed on the accompanying page, so breaking the spell should not be difficult for you… Finally, I hope the address we filled in is correct, if… you really live in Knockturn Alley…"
Ivan picked up the package. It was very light, as if he had cast some sort of weight-reducing spell on it.
No wonder it was delivered by owl.
"They're not exactly idle these days, are they?" Yvonne exclaimed as she opened the package and examined its contents.
He recalled that George and Weasley had only produced Dungbombs and Quills before leaving school, and had not expected to have produced so many interesting things in their first month off.
I wonder how they managed to do their research under Mrs Weasley's nose…
Ivan smiled and turned his attention back to Puffskein, intrigued by this supposed alchemical creature.
It looked like a pink stuffed ball, about the size of a wizard's fist, and when Ivan tried to place it in his hand, he found that it was very light.
The Puffskin sat quietly on Ivan's hand, its body arching up and down, its pink hair rubbing against Ivan's palm, surprisingly soothing.
[Alchemy Creature: Puffskin]
Magic: Low
Description: This is possibly the weakest alchemical creature ever created, with abilities that include, but are not limited to, acting cute, rolling, jumping, and spinning… It absorbs the magical energy of its owners at an extremely slow rate, which it uses to maintain physical activity.]
Ivan was left speechless by the system notification.
However, it was good enough that it was cute. What more could one ask for?
After placing the Puffskins on his shoulder, Ivan held the note that came with the package, but it was blank and there was nothing on it.
"Well… let's see." Ivan rubbed his chin, trying to think of a code word they could use, then realised something and pointed his wand at the blank page.
"I swear I didn't do anything good!"
The ripples of magic spread through the center of the page, and lines of text appeared on the surface.
"That's it," Ivan said with a smile. He had seen similar protective spells on the Marauder's Map, and was surprised to learn that the pair had managed to cast one.
In contrast, the accompanying pages were not as special as the Marauder's Map, and were made of the most common parchment, rather than a magical instrument.
After a few glances, Ivan was surprised to find that the Weasleys had included instructions on how to make each item on a piece of paper.
Ivan made a mental note of this trust and proceeded to examine the method of making Puffskins.
After reading it, Ivan realised that the alchemical version of Puffskein was actually similar to some intelligent (retarded) robots in the Muggle world, only capable of performing simple actions based on planned procedures.
Arthur Weasley, the father of George and Fred Weasley, was a Muggle who worked for the Ministry of Magic's Muggle Misuse of Goods Bureau.
Ringing …
Just as Ivan was about to study the Puffskin, the bell at the door tinkled. He turned around and saw Dougett.
"What can I do for you, Dean Doggart?" Yvonne asked as she put down Cutie's Puffskin.
"I've got word that Ministry patrols will be here in two or three days," said Dagget urgently, frowning.
When he entered the room, he noticed that there was something different about it, but he did not look at it closely.
"It's been so many days. Why haven't you gotten rid of these Dark objects? Where's Alicia?"
"Headmaster Dougett, this is a proper wizarding shop. There are no such things as dark magic…"
Ivan interrupted Doggett with a stern expression, then continued.
"Although we set up shop in Knockturn Alley, we have a strong desire for light. Therefore, we have been working on the study of the prevention of dark magic. Now that we have some results… let me introduce you to the main product of our shop, the anti-curse gloves!"
"Do you need a pair, Superintendent?" Yvonne asked, indicating the shelves that stood out in the back.
Doggett looked confused. Was he in the wrong place, or had the boy taken the wrong medicine?
"Save that for the Ministry," said Alicia, who had appeared behind Ivan and was ruffling his hair.
Alicia was quite frustrated, as she had no idea why Ivan had so many strange ideas at such a young age.
What exactly did the current Hogwarts professors teach in class?
However, when Alicia thought about it, Ivan did have a point. Perhaps she could use it to her advantage…
"I'm just rehearsing. What do you think of the effect, Dean Dougett?" Ivan asked, shrugging and looking at the dazed man.
(PS: Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. I'm very touched. There will be at least four new chapters today! Also, it's not a bug for Alicia to hang a golden bell upside down. It will be explained later. Finally, Puffsloin is a low-risk magical creature. I'm afraid you've misremembered it, so I made some changes to it. I guess you could call it a bug.)