A few days later, Ivan was eating breakfast, nibbling on his bread and trying to find out what was going on.
"Mom, how about we move the shop to Diagon Alley?"
"What's wrong? Is this a bad place?" Alicia paused and gave him a puzzled look.
Of course not! What's so good about this place?
Ivan grumbled to himself about the werewolf riot he had encountered on his return, the inexplicable fight he had had at the Wizarding Market a few days later, and the need to keep an eye out for any stragglers who had escaped the Ministry's wrath.
"I'm just a little worried, that's all. What if the Dark Wizards we're dealing with get back at us for selling to the Ministry?" Ivan asked, swallowing his bread and sighing.
"They'd have to be able to do it, too!" said Alicia, looking indifferent.
However, seeing Ivan's worried expression, Alicia thought for a moment before continuing.
"It's not impossible to go to Diagon Alley, but the shops there are quite expensive. One shop costs at least ten thousand Galleons. We can't afford it now."
"That's a lot of money!" Ivan exclaimed. He remembered that in the book, George and Fred used Harry's gift of a thousand Galleons to open the shop in Diagon Alley.
"Of course, it's cheaper. If you're looking for a good location, you'll need at least twenty thousand Galleons." Alicia rolled her eyes at him. Diagon Alley was the commercial hub of the wizarding community, and many of the shops there had been around for centuries. Few people were willing to sell.
Not to mention, they would have to buy a bigger place to rest and research, or they would have to buy another house to live in.
Ivan nodded; the book did not mention whether the Weasleys rented or bought the shop.
It now appeared to be the former.
Ivan was more or less depressed at the thought. He would have to postpone his move.
Twenty thousand Galleons was a huge sum of money!
The Ministry of Magic ordered three thousand Galleons worth of magical items at once, but after deducting the cost of research and materials, they were lucky to make even half.
"The Philosopher's Stone… the Philosopher's Stone…" Ivan muttered to himself. If only his Philosopher's Stone hadn't been taken by Professor Dumbledore.
He could have as many Galleons as he wanted!
Unlike now, when they only knew how to make the stone, but did not know how to make it.
Since he couldn't count on the Philosopher's Stone, Ivan thought of the Wolf Venom Potion he had been given as a reward for his quest, and asked about the status of the werewolf wizards in Knockturn Alley, especially where they usually lived.
"The pack of werewolves must be hiding in the ruins on the east side," said Alicia, giving Ivan a questioning look. "Why do you ask?"
"When I was at school, I overheard Professor Snape talking about calming flowers, sage roots, and other potion ingredients that might allow a werewolf to regain some semblance of sanity during their transformation."
"Therefore, I think that if we study it in depth, we might be able to create a special potion that can solve the problem of riots after a werewolf transforms. I call it…wolf venom potion!"
Ivan spoke freely, borrowing Snape's name.
Otherwise, it would be highly suspicious for a first-year minor wizard like him to brew a potion that contained wolf venom without having done any research on werewolves.
This, of course, was for the benefit of the inner circle. To the outside world, Ivan thought he might be able to use Doggett as a scapegoat.
After all, no one knew if the former Deputy Director of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries had been involved in anything other than fighting, drinking, and gambling for years.
Even though Gert usually lurked at home to research werewolf problems, it was reasonable that she taught him how to brew the Wolf Venom Potion.
"Making a potion? That's not easy…" Hearing Ivan's words, Alicia instinctively wanted to shake her head and retort, but she suddenly remembered the surprise and shock Ivan had given her these past few days and felt strangely more confident.
"Werewolf wizards will be all over you if you manage to develop one."
"I'm worried the werewolves will be too poor to buy the potion, and I'll be wasting my time," Ivan said with a shrug.
"Let's talk about this after you've developed the Wolf Venom Potion…" Alicia almost choked on her laughter. She pretended to use the spoon to wake Ivan up, but Ivan dodged it.
There was no sign of the so-called Wolfsbane Potion, and someone was already wondering if a werewolf wizard could afford it.
"I can get it out in a week at the most," Ivan said casually.
Alicia wasn't so optimistic, but she wasn't trying to undermine Ivan's confidence.
"If you can really develop a potion that can keep werewolves awake, earning as much Galleons as you can will be secondary. More importantly, you'll be helping the wizarding world solve a huge problem. It's not impossible to win the Order of Merlin!"
"Merlin's Order? What's the use of that? Do they give out gold Galleons every year, like Muggles do?" Yvonne wondered.
"A third-level Order of Merlin will receive a prize of one hundred Galleons. Don't even think about getting more than that." Alicia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The Order of Merlin was the highest honour in the wizarding world, but someone was only thinking about getting a gold Galleon.
Ivan curled his lip disdainfully, thinking to himself that the Ministry of Magic and the Order of Merlin were being stingy. Would he be worthy of his contribution to the wizarding community if he only paid them this amount?
However, he thought that he might be able to use the awards ceremony to advertise, which made him feel better.
When Isiah saw Ivan's reaction, she was amused and stopped talking about the Order of Merlin. After all, it was unknown if the so-called Wolf Venom Potion could be developed, so she reminded him.
"The werewolves in Knockturn Alley are very dangerous. If you want to get in touch with them, you'd better ask Dougett to take you with him. It'll be safer."
'Are you sure it would be safer?'
Ivan gave Alicia an odd look. He felt that Doggett was a complete liability. If it hadn't been for Doggett's sudden outburst at the Wizarding Market, how could there have been so much trouble?
"It was an accident last time. Just watch Doug and make sure he drinks. It's too dangerous for a young wizard like you to be out there," Alicia explained.
She could not get away due to the Ministry's orders, or she would have gone along herself.
"Actually, my Polyjuice Potion is ready. I can transform into someone else and go out." Ivan tried to get rid of the black-hearted Head of House. He thought he would be safe on his own.