Ivan's mouth twitched. He had been under the impression that Madam Moon had been planning to purchase the potion because of his outstanding brewing skills.
Madam Muen's acting skills were so good that even he could not tell.
However, unbeknownst to Ivan, Madam Moon had originally intended to simply purchase one or two potions to get by, but after learning that they were brewed by a potion master, she decided to purchase them in bulk.
However, Ivan was able to see the dark side of the Ministry through this operation.
No wonder, despite being the official body of the wizarding community, it was no match for the rising ranks of the Death Eaters.
From this purchase, Yvonne could see the difference…
The Ministry of Magic was doomed!
Ivan, however, did not want to be bothered with such nonsense.
"By the way, Mother, what should we do about the Ministry's order?"
"You have a plan, don't you?" Alicia asked, suspicious. She had expected Ivan to have a plan for the shop when he suggested it.
Why else would he be thinking about large orders from the Ministry of Magic?
Then, the two of them fell silent and looked at the deposit on the table, dumbfounded.
Ivan felt a headache coming on. When they signed the agreement, they promised to deliver everything in two weeks…
With just the two of them, it would be impossible even if they worked themselves to death in ten days!
"Why don't we set up a magical factory?" suggested Ivan, inspired.
"A magical factory?" asked Isiah.
"It's like your wizarding kitchen…" The more Ivan thought about it, the more convinced he was that it would work, and he began to popularise the Muggle technology of mass-produced objects.
As for the source, Ivan stated that he had heard it from Muggle family wizards at Hogwarts.
The more Ivan talked, the more Alicia's eyes lit up. Having created the Wizard's Kitchen, she could understand what Ivan was saying.
While the creation of magical objects was a delicate task, and required the use of magic to inscribe them, other tedious steps could be accomplished by means of the magical version of the machine.
"Where can I get one of those things you mentioned? I'll get it for you," said Alicia enthusiastically.
"It's usually found in the factory where Muggles make their gloves, or at the Muggle market." Ivan rubbed his chin. There were only ten rings in total, and they could be made in a matter of time, except for the anti-curse gloves, which required mass production.
Ivan then realised something was wrong.
Get a machine for reference? How?
Seeing that Alicia was about to use Disapparated, Ivan quickly warned her.
"Muggles don't take Galleons!"
"Don't worry, if I can't handle it, I'll use the Memory Charm!" Alicia added, and with a flick of her wand, she vanished with the incantation.
Memory Charm?
Ivan put his hand to his forehead in exasperation. It was not very expensive, nor was it a secret. One could buy it in the market for a little gold Galleon.
Couldn't they just follow the procedures?
After Alicia left, Ivan turned his attention to the bag on the table and opened it. There was a lot of room inside, presumably because of the Traceless Extension Charm. The deposit was around a thousand Galleons.
However, the construction of a magical factory was costly, and various materials required gold Galleons, so there were not many left, not to mention some of the Weasleys.
Yvonne smiled at the thought, thinking that George and Fred would be thrilled to know that their Extendable Ears and Quills were selling so well.
Yvonne touched her right thumb to her index finger and whistled.
A few moments later, a snowy-white owl swooped down from upstairs, a quill dangling from its curved beak and an envelope hooked from its talons.
"Good for you, Marka!" Ivan said as he removed the quill and envelope from her mouth and paws.
He felt that he was becoming more and more talented as a beast tamer.
"Coo-coo!" Marka flapped her wings and flew to Ivan's shoulder, pecking Ivan's cheek as a sign of affection.
After opening the envelope, Ivan picked up his quill and began writing a reply, including the Ministry's purchase of Extendable Ears and Quill-Stealing Quills.
After writing the reply, Ivan took out fifty Galleons from the deposit, which would have been too much for George and Fred to afford.
However, to avoid being intercepted midway, Ivan did not dare to give too much at once.
When they were done, Ivan stuffed them into his bag.
It was the same package that George and Fred had sent the last time, enchanted with a weight-reduction spell, that could be reused.
"I'll have to trouble you again, Marka…" Ivan said as he tied it to her feet.
The snow-white owl cooed in response, then flapped its wings and soared high into the sky, gradually turning into a white dot under Ivan's gaze.
Not long after, the space in the middle of the hall distorted, and Alicia appeared in front of Ivan, bringing nothing back.
"Where's the stuff, Mom?" Yvonne asked.
"There's so much equipment in there, I don't know which one to take." Alicia blushed; she had thought Muggles had the same machines.
Ivan rolled his eyes. He knew this would happen.
However, Alicia did not give him a chance to complain. She waved her wand and closed the shop, then used Apparition again and disappeared with Ivan.
At the same time, he did not forget to hold the deposit on the table…
…
A few hours later, in George and Fred's bedroom at the Burrow
A stout, middle-aged witch stood with her hands on her hips, pointing angrily at the pile of joke merchandise on the floor.
"No wonder your History of Magic grades are so bad. You've been pulling pranks all day. I wouldn't be surprised if you failed your OWLs in your fifth year!"
George and Fred trembled under the spray of spittle and felt a pang of frustration. If they had known this would happen, they would have been more cautious and waited until they returned to their studies.
They really didn't expect to find it in their mother's cleaning…
George and Fred looked at each other with expressions worse than tears…