Chapter 20.
This summer vacation was very fulfilling and enjoyable for Soren.
With the Philosopher's Stone and the Flamel contact list, Soren immersed himself in absorbing all knowledge related to alchemy like a sponge whenever he had time, and he would not hesitate to consult Nicolas Flamel whenever he had questions, which allowed his alchemical skills to soar rapidly.
His first creation was a wizard's robe; he had been envious of the multifunctional robe that Nicolas Flamel wore that day. After he figured out the underlying principles, he had Dobby buy over a dozen pieces of fabric, which he placed in the laboratory to try to use alchemy to imprint magical effects on the material.
After a month of hard work and countless failed attempts, with the help of the time-turner (hourglass), Soren finally succeeded in imprinting the magical effects he desired onto the fabric.
Soren hurriedly took out the snake-skin fitted wizard's robe he had purchased from Madam Malkin and began to slowly improve it according to his original design: First, he added the "Appearance Transformation" function, allowing the robe to change color, pattern, and style according to his wishes;
Then he imprinted some protective spells on it, such as the Shield Charm, Anti-Disruption Charm, Shock Absorption Charm, Stopping Charm, Safety Charm, Total Protection Charm, and many others. Although it couldn't defend against truly advanced dark magic, it was sufficient to handle most curses, particularly useful when ambushed.
Next, Soren added a "Charm Aura" to the robe, allowing the wearer to exude an enchanting quality at all times, increasing their attractiveness to the opposite sex. Following this, he added a "Weight Reduction" function, which improved Soren's running speed and agility in dodging and manoeuvring. Lastly, he used a powerful Water-Fire Resistance Charm to give the robe a degree of burn and moisture resistance, providing some resistance against water and fire spells.
Soren named this laboriously crafted wizard's robe with a catchy name—"Merlin's Robe." It currently boasted nine functions: Pocket Space, Spotless, Waterproof and Moisture-Proof, Constant Temperature and Breathable, Appearance Transformation, Charm Aura, Defence Against Curses, Weight Reduction, and Water-Fire Resistance.
Soren's ambitions did not stop there; he also wanted to add invisibility and concealment functions to the Merlin's Robe. However, the only known true invisibility item in the magical world was Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak. Other invisibility items were imperfect—when faced with highly skilled wizards like Dumbledore and Voldemort, they could easily be seen through. The alchemical techniques involved in the Invisibility Cloak had long been lost, and even Nicolas Flamel's extensive knowledge could not replicate a second perfect invisibility alchemical product.
Soren kept this thought to himself, believing that if he had the opportunity to study Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak, he would one day create a Merlin's Robe that was flawless, beyond any criticism!
[Merlin Robe (Nine Functions) Obtained!]
Another thing that made Soren very happy was that he ranked first in his year, which greatly enhanced Lucius' prestige at the pure-blood family gathering where he could show off, rewarding Soren handsomely with almost four digit Galleons.
Then Soren handed over the dragon egg he had stolen from Quirrell to Lucius, asking him to help sell it. To his surprise, this dragon egg fetched him another four digit Galleons, indicating that Quirrell had invested heavily to get past the three-headed dog, while Soren ended up benefiting instead.
Soren did not adopt the wizarding world's habit of hoarding Galleons. As a Muggle in his previous life, he understood that only money that generates value counts as wealth; simply storing money collects dust at most and can only be regarded as collectibles.
Soren took some time to carefully recall the developments of the European magical world in the coming years as described in the original work. He decided to invest this sum—four digit Galleons—through Lucius' connections into a small flying broomstick company located in the Black Forest of Germany—Eberly and Baddock Broom Company.
It is well-known that the market share for flying broomsticks is mostly dominated by the Nimbus Broom Company, with the Nimbus 2000 and Nimbus 2001's sales combined being three times that of all other top flying broomsticks.
Following closely are the Comet Trading Company and the Cleansweep Broom Company, both of which have captured the low-end consumer market with their low prices and stable performance. The Gryffindor Quidditch team predominantly uses the Cleansweep Company's Cleansweep Five or Cleansweep Seven, while the Slytherin Quidditch team prefers the Comet Trading Company's Comet 260.
Compared to these three industry giants, the Eberly and Baddock Broom Company appears rather obscure. One of its founders, Aberforth Baddock, is a talented broom design engineer who created the Tinderblast in 1940 and the Swiftstick in 1952, both of which are practical but have not gained widespread fame.
However, the well-read Soren knows that at some point in 1993, one year later, Abelforth Baddock's son, Randolph Baddock, will surpass his father's achievements by producing a globally shocking work—the Firebolt. According to Soren, after its release, the Firebolt will dethrone the Nimbus as the champion in just twelve months and become the broom of choice for international Quidditch teams.
As a little-known small workshop, the Eberly and Baddock Broom Company has a market value of merely four thousand Galleons. Soren exchanged these four digit Galleons for half of the shares and felt quite pleased with his decision. Although the original stroy does not explicitly mention the price of the Firebolt, it can be inferred from the conversation between Harry and Ron that the Firebolt is worth at least five hundred Galleons. It could even rise to a thousand Galleons later due to reduced production from a goblin strike. Soren's acquisition of half the company's shares for the price of just two brooms could be considered a significant gain.
However, Soren's family holds a different view.
Lucius, with years of business experience, has never considered such an obscure small enterprise worthy of attention. He felt that Soren's investment was merely a display of childish wealth; owning shares in a broom company could indeed become a topic of bragging among classmates, but he refrains from commenting further.
Partly because Soren is using his own earned money and partly because Lucius wants to take the opportunity to impart some business wisdom to Soren, he thought early exposure to the business world is a good thing. He considered the two thousand Galleons as Soren's tuition as a beginner!
No one could have imagined that just a year later, everyone in the family would be shocked by Soren's foresight.
[Acquisition of half the shares of the Eberly and Baddock Broom Company!]
Half of the summer vacation has passed, and it is now August.
On this day, two unexpected guests arrived at the house.
The visitors were Arthur Weasley from the Ministry of Magic and an Auror named Kingsley Shacklebolt. The Weasley family, known as "pureblood traitors" among pureblood families, has always had a hostile relationship with the Malfoy family. Soren had heard many bad things about Mr. Weasley from Lucius. Lucius's gloomy expression made it clear that the two had come from London with ill intentions.
Mr. Weasley displayed the authorisation signed by Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, at the entrance of Malfoy Manor.
The document explained that the Ministry had received anonymous reports from reliable intelligence sources regarding the Malfoy family, claiming that Malfoy Manor contained contraband and dark magic books that violated British wizard laws. Therefore, Arthur Weasley, the head of the Office for the Prohibition of Muggle Artefacts, was sent to conduct a search, hoping for the cooperation of the Malfoy family.
Lucius's face was icy, but he didn't dare to openly defy the Ministry. He could only allow his nemesis to search his estate, with only the visible veins on his hand, which was gripping his wand tightly, revealing the immense rage within him.
Mr. Weasley seemed to relish the feeling of making his adversary uncomfortable, thoroughly searching the manor several times, but unfortunately found nothing.
This was inevitable, as these contraband items were hidden in the family's secret chamber, which was protected by a maze of concealment charms. Without knowledge of its location, it would be quite difficult to find the entrance. Even if someone found it, they would have to face the severe protective magic at the entrance; attempting to open it without the correct unlocking spell would only reveal a room filled with cleaning supplies and ordinary brooms.
Until evening, after the two Ministry of Magic officials left, lucius angrily smashed his favorite teacup, slamming his palm hard on the coffee table, cursing Mr. Weasley fiercely, vowing to make him pay a heavy price.
Soren, who was well aware of the plot, knew that his father's so-called revenge plan was to frame the young girl from the Weasley family as the heir of Slytherin, damaging Mr. Weasley's reputation, and it might even lead to him losing his job at the Ministry of Magic. Unfortunately, he did not know that his former master was not dead; his act of sending away his former master's precious horcrux would bring disaster upon himself and his family.
Then, Lucius called the old butler to the study, probably to discuss how to deal with some of the restricted items his family had in their possession by getting them to the black market first—this was merely a way to put on a show for some people in the Ministry to prevent them from relentlessly pursuing the Malfoy family.
In fact, Lucius had a good personal relationship with Minister Fudge; the Malfoy family played a significant role in Fudge's election as Minister of Magic. However, Fudge's talent and reputation were insufficient to allow him to firmly control the entire Ministry, which led to events targeting the Malfoy family.
As long as Lucius showed a certain attitude, combined with Fudge applying pressure on his subordinates, the storm targeting the Malfoy family would gradually dissipate into nothingness.