Chapter 13: Stephen Cumberbatch (Edited)

Slughorn was brought to Malfoy Manor by a house-elf, where Lucius Malfoy was already waiting in a high-backed chair.

"What's this about in your letter? Someone's trying to steal your business?"

"Yes, sir. In the past two months, someone has been buying large quantities of materials from the shop every so often, most of all Dittany, but other potion ingredients as well. I've had to restock several times to keep up."

Lucius's gloved fingers tapped on the table beside him, "Let me get this straight—you're saying we're selling a lot of potion materials, but you don't think it's a good thing? Even though it's made us thousands of Galleons?"

"Yes, sir! It's not the Galleons that bother me, it's that someone is buying so many materials but not our potions. It's strange."

"I'm listening."

"Ordinary wizards needing potions would buy our finished products, given that the average wizard's potion-making skills are not as good as our potion experts in the shop," Slughorn explained.

"Even if some wizards are skilled enough to want to save money by making their own potions, they would only need to buy a few materials."

Lucius nodded.

Slughorn and Jiggers' Apothecary was part-owned by him. Though he rarely got involved in the shop's operations, he occasionally looked at the accounts, and what Slughorn said matched what he knew.

"Normally, only Hogwarts professors buy large quantities of potion materials at once, usually to supply students for a term's worth of practice."

"But the buyer this time isn't any professor I know. Although they've used different appearances each time, due to the similarity of their purchases, I have reason to believe they're all connected."

"What do you think they're doing with so much material if they're not professors?"

Lucius thought but had no leads, "Tell me your thoughts, don't make me guess!"

"Yes, sir. I suspect they're planning to open a potion shop! Only someone opening a potion shop would need so many materials! They're probably stockpiling now. Moreover, by doing this, they can make it difficult for us to gather enough materials in time, preventing us from supplying our customers with the potions they need, thus damaging our reputation."

Lucius understood, "You mean we're about to have a competitor?"

"Yes, I'm quite certain!"

Lucius was skeptical, "Is there a shop in Diagon Alley for sale? Do you know where they plan to open their shop?"

Slughorn shook his head, "No, I haven't found their target yet."

"Maybe Knockturn Alley?"

Lucius gave up guessing, "This isn't good news. Investigate! I want to know who is buying our materials. If they're preparing to compete with us, find out where they plan to open their shop and what potions they specialize in!"

"Yes, sir. If they come to buy materials again, should we sell to them?"

Lucius hesitated for a long while, "Sell, but raise the price, say the materials are scarce."

After all, it was a significant amount of Galleons he couldn't bear to lose.

"But make sure we keep enough for our own needs." Lucius added another instruction.

"Yes, sir."

...

"This is the key to your vault." Locke handed a small golden key to Murphy, "You can use it to withdraw money at any counter, just like a regular vault."

Seven days after receiving Locke's coin, Murphy summoned the special goblin.

He had no choice; the orders for Dittany Medicine were growing too quickly, and he needed to continue buying materials.

Murphy handed a briefcase to the goblin, "There's £150,000 inside. I only need an additional 28,000 Galleons in the vault, and you can keep the difference as your commission."

Exchanging pounds for gold and then into Galleons was a last resort. Now with Locke, an inside man at Gringotts, there was no need for such hassle.

And this exchange rate was much more favorable than Gringotts'.

"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Murphy. But under what name would you like to withdraw money? I suggest it's best not to use your real name."

Murphy hadn't planned to use his real name anyway.

After a moment's thought, "Call me Stephen Cumberbatch."

"Let's use that name when we meet in the future."

Murphy was somewhat resigned to the necessity of using an alias for his actions, which were somewhat shady.

"Very well, Mr. Cumberbatch, your Galleons will be ready in two days."

"Now we are allies." Having settled the matter of obtaining wizarding currency, Murphy was in a good mood and extended his hand.

Locke, surprised, hesitated before shaking hands with Murphy.

"Pleased to cooperate, Mr. Locke."

Locke seemed somewhat flattered, "Pleased to cooperate, Mr. Cumberbatch."

It wasn't until Murphy had Apparated away that Locke finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As a goblin, especially one not accepted by his own kind and involved in shady dealings, he rarely received any kindness.

This was the first time Locke had seen something other than contempt or disdain from a wizard.

Stephen Cumberbatch, no, Murphy Darkhome.

This wizard seemed different.

...

"When can we start building the research institute?" Murphy asked again in Patrick's room.

This was his third time asking this question.

Although Patrick talked about setting up a vertical farm, Murphy automatically envisioned it as a research base integrating production and research. After mentioning it twice, Patrick went along with it.

"I know you're eager, but let's not rush," Patrick said, "We have a lot on our plate lately. We need to move, hire people, market, buy equipment, buy materials..."

"Umbrella Corporation is no longer a small workshop; we can't always operate out of my house. Honestly, Audrey is starting to worry about all the strangers coming over."

Audrey was Patrick's wife, a very elegant Latin-American designer.

"Uh, sorry."

Murphy felt somewhat guilty for disrupting their life with his work.

"And we need to hire staff for HR, finance, marketing, at least twenty people to set up the structure... so, we don't have that much money to spare."

"Aren't we making a lot of money?" Murphy asked.

"Indeed, but our expenses have also been high lately. Setting up a research and development base... we're not there yet."

"Alright." Murphy was a bit disappointed.

After all, selling potions to make money was just a means to an end. He was interested in magical research.

But Patrick was right; Umbrella was just starting out, and they hadn't even set up their basic structure yet. It was premature to think about a research center.

"However, we can start with preliminary design, planning, site selection, and determining the needs for research personnel as preparatory work, which can be outsourced."

"Great!" Murphy nodded, "Let's do that."

After finishing their discussion, Murphy prepared to leave, but Patrick stopped him, handing him a package.

Murphy opened it to find a brick phone.

"You disappear all the time, making it impossible for me to contact you. Carry this with you, and I'll call you if there's anything."