In the end, Wayne achieved his goal. Both of them agreed to his profit-sharing ratio and returned to their dormitory with the map. This guy was too cunning, constantly tempting them with their weaknesses. Qiu indeed wanted to use her efforts to trade for a better broom, while Hermione wished to buy more books. Since the library only allowed them to borrow one book at a time and some books required waiting in line, it simply couldn't satisfy Hermione's needs. In the end, the two succumbed to Galen's temptation. Of course, the two maps didn't need to be returned; they were a welcome gift from Wayne.
After a busy time, Hermione intended to tell Wayne about Harry's upcoming duel with Malfoy to get his opinion, but she ended up forgetting. With so many distractions in front of her, who had time to worry about a troublemaker?
The next day, Hermione unusually didn't wake up early. Normally, the scholarly Miss Granger would wake at six-thirty, wash up, and spend an hour reading in the common room before heading to breakfast. Among the Gryffindors, only Percy could match her level of diligence.
Today, to promote the map, she decided to stay cozy in her bed until everyone woke up to act together. Her roommates paid no attention to Hermione's unusual behavior; sleeping in was quite normal. After breakfast, they made their way to the corridor for their first class, Charms, which was located on the fourth floor. The stairs here operated on two different patterns, and only after observing for a while could they determine which one would be in use that day.
Hermione knew her chance had come. "No need to observe, I have a simpler way." She cleared her throat, and Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown looked at her. "What do you mean, Hermione?"
The young witch took out the map and tapped it gently with her wand; the map appeared, and then she clicked on the icon for the Charms classroom. "Look, the next staircase that comes will take us right there; it will deliver us to the nearby area."
Her roommates were captivated by this magical scene and leaned in closer. "Wow, the movement trajectory of these stairs is exactly the same as in reality!"
"Hermione, where did this map come from?"
"Oh, this was made by Wayne. See?" The young witch had quite a way with words, briefly outlining the map's benefits.
Now, Parvati and the others found it even more entertaining and were in no rush to get to class, opting to let Hermione lead them in testing the staircase with the map. As it was still breakfast time, there were quite a few young wizards in the corridor. When they saw the odd display, curious observers gathered around.
It wasn't until it was nearly time for class that Hermione pulled her roommates along, hurrying to the Charms classroom. Because Hermione had come with her roommates today, Wayne didn't want to sit at the same table with her and instead went to another side of the classroom with his friend, Tobias.
In class, Professor Flitwick explained the repair charm they were going to learn that day and then let the students practice freely. Seizing this opportunity, Harry and Ron deliberately threw a broken stick at Hermione's feet and approached her. Harry whispered, "Hermione, does Wayne have any more maps like this?"
Neville, sitting in front, also turned to her, looking hopeful. They were all notoriously bad at getting up on time, and being late wasn't new for them. Neville especially needed such a map more than anyone else in Hogwarts; he was staring at Hermione like she was his savior.
"Yes, I have this one because I bought it."
Neville could barely contain his excitement. "That's great! I won't be late anymore!"
"The prerequisite is that you remember to take the map when you leave," Ron quipped, asking the question that mattered most to him: "How much does the map cost?"
"Ten Galleons."
Ron's voice suddenly soared, catching the attention of half the classroom. "Ten Galleons?!"
Professor Flitwick noticed the commotion and came over. "Gentlemen, we are in class. If you want to chat, you can do that during your break. Weasley, what's going on?"
"Nothing, nothing," Ron stammered, lowering his head, but Flitwick had already seen the map Hermione had brought out. He shot a glare at Ron, and Hermione could only apologize.
"I'm sorry, Professor, we won't talk about anything else."
"Just be more careful next time," Flitwick nodded.
"But can you explain to me what this is?"
After Hermione showcased the map, Flitwick's eyes lit up. "Tracking charms, marking charms... Hmm, and also concealment charms, solidification charms, anti-theft charms. Such brilliant ideas!"
"Miss Granger, you say this is Mr. Lawrence's work?"
"Yes, Professor," replied Wayne.
"Good, very good indeed." Filius looked at him with satisfaction, while Wayne felt a bit wistful. Why wasn't such a clever young wizard a Ravenclaw? "With this map alone, I'd give Hufflepuff an extra 20 points. I can hardly believe this is the work of a first-year student." With that, Filius hurried off to discuss the spells used in creating the map, leaving Harry and Ron dumbfounded.
Neville was equally impressed with Wayne and planned to buy a map after class. Ten Galleons was just ten Galleons; she wasn't short on funds. Although Neville's grandmother was quite strict, she treated him well, such as when she had previously given him a memory ball, which was a very advanced alchemical item.
By lunchtime, Wayne had barely sat down in the Great Hall when students began pouring in from all directions, clamoring to ask about the map. Everyone except Slytherin was represented, with most being lower-year students but also some upper-year ones.
Autumn's method of promotion was different from Hermione's; she had simply taken the map out during a break in Ravenclaw's common room, eagerly demonstrating the spell that marked locations. This piqued the interest of even more students, especially the older ones. There practically weren't any students who roamed Hogwarts at night. Curfew began at nine o'clock, and these overly energetic young wizards were hardly going to be idle. With the map, their safety had greatly improved.
Wayne hadn't expected such a good response; surrounded by students, he had no choice but to call out, "Everyone, please don't rush! Lunchtime is too short, and I don't have enough maps on me." "If you need one, come to the side hall next to the Great Hall after class this afternoon, and I'll make sure there's plenty!" Hearing this, they left satisfied.
At that moment, Cedric approached with a cheeky smile, "Godfather, can you give me a discount? Ten Galleons is too steep!"
"Get lost!"
"Alright, alright!"
By four in the afternoon, the side hall where the first-year sorting occurred had transformed with a huge banner floating overhead: [Celestial Mysterious Shop Grand Opening! | Our slogan: Another day full of hope!] Although they didn't quite understand the meaning of the slogan, everyone felt it was impressive enough and obediently paid upfront.
There were three styles of maps, with the majority choosing the standard version, which was sufficient as it showed the moving staircases. However, Wayne had also mentioned before the sale that his craftsmanship wasn't perfect; the magic on each map would only last a school year. It would become ineffective by the next term. While his skills were indeed lacking, there was a sustainability aspect to consider. It was also necessary to avoid overexploitation.
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