Afterward, Kain asked Phil and Isaac if he could learn the magic of house-elves. Logically, since his magical power originated from magical creatures, he thought he might be able to use their unique magic without a wand.
Phil tried to teach him six or seven times, but Kain failed to even Apparate. He couldn't channel any magical power using their methods. Frustrated, Kain gave up on the idea and instead planned to send an advertisement to the Daily Prophet.
Leaving the house, he walked less than 100 meters to his shop. However, to his surprise, what was supposed to be a sign for a grocery store now displayed a signboard for "Magical Materials."
Pushing the door open, he immediately understood why.
Inside, piles of magical materials filled the space. Even the shelves were overloaded with magical items, leaving only half the counter stocked with potions.
"What do you want? Oh, boss, you're finally back!"
Guy, the shopkeeper, exhaled in relief upon seeing Kain. With a flick of his wand, he levitated the magical materials piled on the counter into the air.
After stepping out from behind the counter, he lowered the items carefully. Kain noticed the material appeared to be some kind of tree root.
"Guy, what's going on here?"
Kain asked curiously, trying to figure out how the shop had changed so drastically in the past year.
"All of this was an accident. I didn't expect the store to develop into a magic material shop," Guy explained as he poured two cups of black tea. He cleared out the chairs meant for guests, allowing Kain to find a place to sit.
"Boss, since you needed magical creature materials, I initially bought a large supply. But some of them are hard to preserve, and when you didn't come back for a while, the materials started losing their magical properties. To avoid wasting them, I decided to sell them off.
"After that, wizards started coming here, introduced by their friends. Many of them began selling their own magic materials to us."
As Kain listened, he understood how the shop had unintentionally evolved. It was all due to a misunderstanding. Guy had followed his orders, but other wizards assumed this was a shop specializing in potion materials.
What had started as a grocery store had now become a magic material trading shop. The potions still occupying half of a cabinet seemed to be Guy's last attempt to stick to the original business.
Unfortunately, the Slug and Jiggers Apothecary in Diagon Alley wouldn't buy in bulk, and Hogwarts was already abundant in potion ingredients. Despite selling some, the store's stock of potion materials had only increased over time.
"Boss, this is my fault," Guy said guiltily. "More than half of the shop's running Galleons have been converted into these magical materials. If we can sell them, we'll make thousands of Galleons, but right now, they're difficult to move."
"It's not your fault, Guy," Kain reassured him. "I just think the shop feels a bit cramped. If possible, buy the two street-facing shops next to us."
"By the way, do all the fire dragon materials in Europe come from Romania?"
Although Guy wasn't sure why he asked, he still answered, "Yes, boss. Because of the dangers posed by fire dragons, it's illegal to keep them privately. This law was jointly established by several European Ministries of Magic. Romania has the largest dragon reserve in Europe."
"So, all the fire dragon flesh and blood materials circulating in the European magical world come from Romania?"
"Yes, boss, including dragon meat, although only a few people can stomach eating it."
Kain nodded and instructed, "I'll give you more Galleons. Buy the two shops next door. Then, organize the potion ingredients in the shop according to the preparation ratios required for finished potions. After that, go to the Daily Prophet and post a job advertisement inviting a wizard to teach magic—someone strong."
"Is that all, boss?"
"Yes, that's enough. I'm not sure if it will work, but I need to consult an expert."
Kain was about to leave, as he wasn't needed at the shop for now. Before he left, Guy handed him some of the rarer potion ingredients as a parting gift.
After Kain returned home, he found the letter Newt Scamander had sent him previously, which included Newt's current address.
Kain didn't know anyone at the Romanian dragon reserve, but the only person he was acquainted with who had a connection to the place was Newt. Although they had only exchanged one letter, Kain could tell that Newt was a friendly and approachable wizard.
Soon, Kain received a reply. Newt lived not far from London, and at an owl's speed, it would take just half a day for letters to go back and forth.
In the letter, Newt invited Kain for afternoon tea and thanked him for his previous donation. Newt explained that he had given all the Galleons to some of his friends who shared his passion for magical creatures. He noted that they were still busy with their work.
Upon receiving Newt's reply, Kain felt a glimmer of hope. If Newt could help, his plan might go smoothly. And if everything went according to plan, Kain could become a leading magic material tycoon in Europe in the near future.
After settling the matter with Newt, Kain found another letter—this one from Hermione. Since she didn't know where Kain had gone, she had sent it to Phil at Diagon Alley.
Although Kain had prepared Christmas presents for her before leaving, according to Phil, Hermione had come to Diagon Alley during the Christmas holidays. Disappointed that her godfather wasn't there, she left after staying for a while.
Kain wrote her a reply, including some knowledge he had gained during his time in the United States, and sent it to Hogwarts via owl.
….
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