With the help of Arthur and his friends, they carried the unconscious—or perhaps just embarrassed into fainting—Draco back to his compartment.
A grumpy Percy cleared the remaining students from the hallway, and William and his friends returned to their seats.
With the commotion finally over, they settled in.
Soon, Fred and George arrived, bringing along a hefty stack of orders from their summer sales.
There weren't many potion orders; William had only accepted medium to high-end requests since lower-grade potions were unprofitable and took up valuable time.
Besides, he could make far more just by selling a few vials of Polyjuice Potion on the black market. But the demand for Hogwarts maps was off the charts.
William even noticed several upperclassmen among the buyers.
The enchanted Hogwarts staircases seemed to have frustrated many students for years. The maps had a shelf life of one year before becoming unreliable—essential, of course, to keep demand steady.
After all, if a single map lasted seven years or became some kind of heirloom, where would they find customers? If it was poor quality, that wouldn't work, but too good was also no good!
William's official explanation was that Hogwarts' powerful magic caused frequent disruptions in the maps, an unavoidable "act of magic." Any complaints? Go see the Headmaster!
The scene with Malfoy and Pansy earlier had sparked an idea in William's mind. Currently, the maps were limited to showing the buyer's own location, but William could develop a "couples edition" that displayed both people's names so they could keep track of each other's locations at all times.
He already had the tagline ready: "A Map for Eternity."
And then: "If you truly love them, buy a couples map today and always know where your loved one is."
Naturally, the price for these would triple.
And for parents, there could be a family edition with a class schedule attached, allowing them to monitor their children's whereabouts and activities remotely.
Parents who wanted to keep tabs on their kids would love it, helping bring families closer and bridging the gap between generations. William considered it a true act of genius.
He could also use Transfiguration and Permanent Sticking Potions to change the shape of the maps. The simplest, cheapest ones would be plain paper maps, easily damaged.
Slightly more durable would be those made with resilient parchment. Then there were premium maps bearing the Hogwarts crest or each house's emblem.
And finally, an ultra-luxury edition—customized, limited to just fifteen copies. This version would feature each family's coat of arms. At that level, it would become less of a map and more of a status symbol.
He knew many wealthy Slytherin students would be eager to flaunt them. After all, pure-blood families valued appearances, especially in their teenage years.
Want a quality map? Pay up! No money, no honey!
After William shared his ideas, his friends gaped at him, stunned.
"I've never seen someone so shameless—uh, I mean, William, you're brilliant," Fred said, laughing.
"So, would you two like one yourselves?" George asked, glancing at Hermione and Neville.
Hermione crossed her arms, looking unimpressed. "No thanks, I trust my memory."
"A Hogwarts map?" Neville looked uncertain. "Are the stairs really that confusing?"
George draped an arm around Neville, nodding knowingly. "Let me put it this way. How do you feel about William here?"
"Pretty amazing," Neville admitted.
"Exactly," George replied. "And even he was lost for ages. Think you'll do better than him?"
Fred added, "Just so you know, if you're late, the professors won't just dock points…"
"They'll give you detention," George chimed in.
"Or even send letters home!"
"If you run into Professors Snape or McGonagall…well…"
Neville gulped, looking convinced. "Okay…I'll take one."
Fred quickly pulled out a scroll. "One map, thank you!"
"Actually," Neville said hesitantly, "I'll take five."
Everyone turned to Neville, surprised.
"Wow, planning ahead for your roommates already?" Fred asked with a grin.
"Uh, not quite…" Neville scratched his head awkwardly. "I lose things easily, so I figure I'll keep one by my bed, another in my bag, and maybe one in each textbook."
After a moment of stunned silence, George clapped Neville on the shoulder, grinning. "I like your thinking! Tell you what, as my new best friend, you'll get a five percent discount on anything you buy from us."
"Oh, we also spotted Harry Potter earlier," Fred mentioned.
"But he didn't look much like someone who defeated the Dark Lord. Couldn't even get his trunk onto the train without our help," George added, disappointed.
William nodded. Harry was just another student, after all. But he was curious about meeting the "chosen one" of this world.
Just then, the compartment door opened again, and Cedric and Cho walked in.
After a summer apart, Cho seemed to have gained a bit of weight, though it only enhanced her athletic figure.
Cedric looked like a man carrying the world's weight—or rather, several bags full of gifts that Cho had brought back from China.
Showing off his strength, Cedric carried the oversized load himself rather than using magic, his face red with exertion.
Hermione started to stand, ready to help him, but William quickly pulled her back into her seat, rolling his eyes at Cedric's theatrics.
As Cedric struggled to heave the heavy load onto the table, William calmly reached over and lifted it with one hand.
The truth was clear: Cedric had secretly used a Featherweight Charm to lighten the load but had still wanted to show off.
When William caught him out, the room fell into an awkward silence.
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