Chapter -110.
The speaker was a lady with exceptional grace, her long hair cascading like a waterfall over her milk-white, slender shoulders. With an S-shaped curvy figure, she was graceful and alluring, especially with the two 'big terrors' in front that would leave an unforgettable impression on anyone who glanced at them inadvertently.
If one word were to describe her, it would be "charming."
Madam Rosmerta.
The owner of the Three Broomsticks.
She exuded a unique charm known as 'maturity,' which had a fatal attraction for many young people aged 17 or 18.
For instance, Dudley had noticed more than once that carlo was secretly sizing her up, his gaze seemingly casual as it swept over the low neckline of her dress, his prominent Adam's apple occasionally bobbing.
The clear action of swallowing saliva—so repressed.
It was obvious that Carlo was attracted to Madam Rosmerta, but he was the only one in the group who was.
Hermione was a girl, and Harry was still young; as for Dursley...
Dursley had little interest in Madam Rosmerta. She appeared young, but she was at least over 40 years old.
According to the information Dursley had, she had been running the Three Broomsticks since the 1970s, which was over 20 years ago.
He didn't like mature women.
He preferred someone younger, like... a certain age?
"Two butterbeers, two cherry juices, and one small soda, please."
Seeing Carlo staring at her in silence, Dursley had no choice but to speak up.
"You only have four people, why order five drinks?" Madam Rosmerta casually asked.
"Because I'm having two."
He and Carlo would each have a butterbeer, as it was a specialty drink of the wizarding world that he wanted to try. If it turned out to be bad, he could always drink cherry juice with Hermione. The small soda was for Harry.
The soda had a little umbrella in it, which Harry wanted.
Men remain young at heart until death, especially since Harry was just a little boy.
In fact, even if Dursley ordered three butterbeers, Madam Rosmerta wouldn't agree. Although she would sell butterbeer to young wizards, first-years were clearly not included.
Dursley's physique was quite deceptive; as long as he didn't speak, no one would think he was just a first-year.
After Madam Rosmerta left, Carlo returned to his gentlemanly demeanor.
In truth, he had only indulged in a few glances, and even if he liked her, pursuing her was impossible. Setting aside the age issue, Carlo's family would not agree either.
He started at a higher point than others, so he would have to sacrifice some things in return.
For example, free love and marriage.
Before long, the five drinks were served.
The taste of the butterbeer was surprisingly refreshing, while the cherry juice was overly sweet, prompting Dursley to secretly share a bit of butterbeer with Hermione.
Under the dim light, the group sat around a small round table, sipping drinks and chatting. They quickly got to the main topic of their meeting: a new money-making plan.
A simple game, or rather a unique board game.
He pulled out a well-prepared plan from his bag and handed it to Carlo. Under Dursley's explanation, Carlo's eyes grew brighter.
Dursley's genius idea, combined with his family's resources, gave Carlo confidence that this thing called 'board game' would become a sensation throughout the wizarding world.
As for Galleons, there was no need to mention; they would definitely make a fortune.
Indeed, face-to-face discussions were the best. Sending messages by owl could lead to forgetfulness about what was previously said, and the confidentiality level was low.
'No wonder Mr. Dursley is exceptional; both in ability and ideas, he is not something ordinary people can compare to.'
Soon, they began discussing some detailed issues, such as how to launch it and how to distribute profits.
Having had a previous collaboration, it didn't take long to finalize the agreement.
The result was—profits split 50/50.
In fact, Carlo could have gotten more; Dursley's bottom line was 70/30, with him taking three and Carlo taking seven. After all, he only provided the plan, while Carlo would handle the operations and production, making their time costs unequal, yet he could still take half.
Taking too much.
'How optimistic is this guy about me?'
With Dursley's intelligence, how could he not see that Carlo was trying to curry favor?
Dursley gave Carlo a deep look, and the latter raised his glass to him. The glasses clinked, and they both downed the yellow liquid in one go.
No one would refuse money that came knocking, especially when it was very clean.
The only thing left was to sign a contract, with the timeframe set for a week later.
Looking at Carlo, who was even more anxious than himself about the contract signing, Dudley couldn't help but marvel again. With ambition, vision, shrewdness, a sense of honor, and the ability to assess the situation, Carlo perfectly embodied all the qualities of Slytherin.
Don't think that only the flower-growing families value human relationships; in fact, it's the same everywhere, just that they have a different name for it—investment.
His goodwill was a form of investment.
Soon, Carlo bid farewell to the three and went to the front desk to settle the bill. He had many more things to do, and making money was, of course, best done as early as possible. However, just before leaving, he stared at Madam Rosmerta's back, especially her backside, for quite a while before finally moving on.
Dudley glanced at his watch and realized it was getting late. Suddenly, he thought of something and said to
Harry, "Harry."
"Do you want to go to your house for a visit?"
"?" Harry was puzzled. "Are we going back to Privet Drive?"
"No, I mean the Potter family's old home."
———
Godric's Hollow, also known as Godric's Valley, is where the Potter family's old home is located. It is also the home of many wizards, including where Professor Dumbledore lived as a child.
Similar to Hogsmeade Village but somewhat different, it is not purely composed of wizards; rather, it is a village mixed with half wizards and half ordinary people. Of course, the ordinary people have no idea that the legendary wizards stand beside them.
Hogsmeade is not too far from Godric's Hollow, at least much closer than Privet Drive to Hogsmeade. This time they used Floo Powder to get there, traveling through the fireplaces of three broomsticks.
Although it wasn't as dizzying as riding a Knight Bus, the process was still not comfortable, leaving them covered in soot and dirt from the fireplace.
With a clap of their hands, the three of them instantly looked fresh and clean.
Dudley still felt it necessary to create a mode of transportation suitable for the wizarding world.
The three emerged from the fireplace of a small shop and walked to the monument in the center of Godric's Hollow Square.
The original obelisk had transformed into statues of three people in a fleeting moment: a man with messy hair and glasses, a long-haired woman with a kind and beautiful face, and a baby boy sitting in his mother's arms.
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Note : Guys, some power stones will be really motivating.