Chapter 98

"Cream Muffins!"

The stone sculpture had no reaction.

"Lemon Sherbet!"

Is it really okay to change passwords so frequently?

"Honey Fizzy Candy!"

"Licorice Wand!"

"Pear Candy!"

"Caramel Pudding!"

"Chocolate Frog!"

"Cockroach Cluster!"

As soon as the words fell, the stone statue in front of him immediately split into two halves, revealing a spiral staircase.

He really guessed it right. Who lets Dumbledore have this hobby? The worst thing is having to report desserts.

He knocked on the door, but no response.

Ethan didn't want to wait any longer, so he simply opened the door to the Headmaster's office, and sure enough, Dumbledore was not inside.

Could he take this opportunity to copy some books and take them away?

There was half a wall of books, and they were all books that Dumbledore selected from the restricted section, thinking they were not suitable for young wizards to study.

Only these books are the real treasures of the Hogwarts library.

However, feeling the gaze lingering on him, he gave up the idea.

Is that a Pensieve on the table?

Nico doesn't have one and he wants it!

It would be great if he could pack up the Headmaster's office and take it away.

"Boy, who told you to break into the Headmaster's office without permission?"

A sharp voice came from the wall covered with portraits.

Ethan turned his head, and the portrait of an old man in a silver-green robe with a goatee suddenly came alive and stepped out of the painting into the real world.

When Ethan had come here before, these paintings had been motionless. Why are they not pretending today?

"Headmaster Black, I remember Hogwarts doesn't have a rule that students are not allowed to come to the Headmaster's office, right?"

His name was on the portrait: Phineas Black, recorded in a section of Hogwarts' history as the most unpopular Headmaster in its history.

"You came to the Headmaster's office without permission, without the Headmaster's notice. If I were in office, you would have been expelled."

Phineas shook his head, looking very disappointed with the young people nowadays.

"You expelled students according to your own rules and preferences, which is why you're the most unpopular Headmaster in history, aren't you?"

"That's right, little Ravenclaw wizard!"

"Right, you still talk so much even after you're dead. No wonder you're not liked!"

The Headmaster portraits that had been motionless earlier came to life and laughed at the somewhat exasperated Phineas.

It seems Headmaster Black isn't popular among these portraits either.

Phineas couldn't stand it anymore, turned, rushed into his portrait, and disappeared, leaving only a blank canvas.

Did he run off to the old Black family house in a sulk?

An old witch with long silver curly hair floated down from her picture frame.

"Little guy, you've come to the Headmaster's office, what are you looking for?"

Dilys Derwent, also recorded in Hogwarts' history, but as the opposite of Phineas.

Headmaster Dilys Derwent was quite popular and had a high reputation. Before becoming Headmaster, she was a healer at St. Mungo's and a Ravenclaw graduate.

"I'm here to ask Headmaster Dumbledore to help me apply for a patent."

Ethan had nothing to hide. Nothing could be hidden from them in this office.

"If I remember correctly, you're only in your second year, right?"

Headmaster Derwent was stunned and looked at Ethan in disbelief.

Ethan was a regular visitor to the Headmaster's office, having come twice in a year. Other young wizards didn't get this kind of treatment.

And both times he came were not ordinary. Although Dumbledore didn't introduce him, Ethan had managed to beat five fourth-year students in his first year, won the fight, and still found himself in the Headmaster's office. 

The second time, he had made a deal with Dumbledore as a student, all of which showed his excellence.

But being excellent is one thing. Inventing and creating something worthy of a patent is quite another.

Without sufficient knowledge, strong practical skills, and constant trial and error, it's nearly impossible to reach this step.

"Yes, second year this year."

"I He hope one day you'll be sitting in this office, working together!"

"Headmaster of Hogwarts? That's certainly one of my goals!"

He doesn't know if becoming the Headmaster of Hogwarts would count as an achievement, but it's probably possible.

However, being the Headmaster of Hogwarts is harder than being the Minister of Magic.

You can't just become Headmaster by force. Umbridge, the pink toad, was once Headmistress, but Hogwarts Castle didn't recognize her, and she couldn't even enter the Headmaster's office.

He doesn't know whether this recognition requires the consent of past Headmasters, the will of the teachers and students, or a vote by the Board of Governors.

Just as Ethan was about to talk more with Headmaster Derwent about Hogwarts, the door to the Headmaster's office swung open.

Dumbledore entered, looking at Ethan with no trace of surprise.

The portraits returned to their frames and resumed pretending to be asleep.

"Sit down, have something to eat first!"

Dumbledore skillfully poured Ethan a cup of black tea and took a plate out from the drawer.

The plate was full of moving cockroaches, densely packed.

"Headmaster, black tea is enough for me!"

Ethan didn't even eat chocolate frogs, so how could he eat this?

"It tastes quite good. Why don't you try it?"

Dumbledore pinched one and popped it into his mouth, chewing. Ethan could even see two cockroaches moving outside of Dumbledore's lips.

Thankfully, these weren't the flying cockroaches from the south. Otherwise, Dumbledore would have had to use magic to catch them.

Perhaps it wasn't that there were no flying cockroaches, but that they'd been eliminated.

If a swarm of flying cockroaches was zooming around the room, and someone cast a flying spell while a few real cockroaches were hiding in the corners, can you imagine what the outcome would be?

Thinking of this, Ethan immediately asked:

"Headmaster, if someone plays a prank and mixes a few real cockroaches into the cockroach pile you bought, what would you do?"

Dumbledore stopped chewing.

He put down the pile of cockroaches in his hand.

"These desserts were bought outside. If someone were determined, it might not be impossible to succeed. Think about those Gryffindor students; they may have the courage to try."

"You've already told me your purpose."

Dumbledore put down the dessert and got straight to the point. "So, is that all right?"

Ethan placed five sets of "Wizard Mailboxes" and the Baruffio's Brain Elixir on Dumbledore's desk.

The set included a cover and ten sheets of parchment.

"To apply for a patent, it must be tested and approved. Leave it to me."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded in agreement.

The appearance of this invention had two sides.

It sped up communication between wizards.

Even if a family was separated, they could still communicate, greet each other often, and feel the warmth of family.

It could also provide convenience at work, especially for those engaged in dangerous jobs.

Intelligence is always the most important thing.

However, this might also make dark wizards harder to deal with.

But Dumbledore was more interested in the benefits than the potential risks.

As for Baruffio's Brain Elixir, there wasn't much to say.

It was a potion that assisted with learning.

He could allow Ethan and the others to sell it at Hogwarts, which would show his support.

"Sorry to bother you, Headmaster."

"Whether as the Headmaster of Hogwarts or Nico's friend, I have no reason to refuse, right?"

Dumbledore smiled, looking at Ethan.

All right!

Ethan now realised that Dumbledore had already figured out why he hadn't given him the formula for the Baruffio's Brain Elixir to apply for a patent last year.

In the end, it was because Ethan didn't fully trust Dumbledore.

"Then, Headmaster, could you give me some Phoenix Tears?"

Ethan thought that, as Headmaster, Dumbledore should help his students!

The Purification Potion could potentially cure Nagini's blood curse. If Ethan could get the Phoenix Tears, he could begin preparing the other ingredients.

Judging by its effects, the curse was also a negative state, and Phoenix Tears might also be effective against the curse in the Resurrection Stone.

Dumbledore didn't say anything, but opened the drawer and pulled out a small glass bottle containing a little transparent liquid.

"Thank you, Headmaster!"

Ethan happily accepted it.

Then, before he left, Dumbledore stuffed a bag of cockroaches into his hand.

He didn't know if Dumbledore had been influenced by his earlier comment, but he was only joking.

Ethan took out a cockroach from the bag; it was still moving in his hand. Thinking about Dumbledore's love for it, could it really taste good?

It's not impossible to try.

He popped it in his mouth and chewed. It was surprisingly smooth and rich, with the bitterness of cocoa beans combined with milk and honey.

If it didn't look like a cockroach, Ethan would actually recommend it. But made to look like this, it was off-putting.

After putting the bag away, Ethan planned to use Transfiguration to change their appearance later so he wouldn't have the psychological hurdle to eating them.

Using the Wizard Mailbox, Ethan successfully asked Cassandra to meet him outside the common room.

"Does your family have a factory?"

There were companies and factories in the wizarding world, although most were small workshops. Wizard productivity was much higher than that of Muggles, and the wizarding world wasn't very large, so they didn't need much production capacity.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"My family has a dragon farm and a processing plant for potions and tents."

Cassandra was a little confused by the sudden question but answered honestly.

"So, I just applied for a patent with Dumbledore, for the Wizard Mailbox and the Baruffio's Brain Elixir. Now, I'm looking for someone to partner with."

Her family also owned a dragon farm, which explained why she could offer Ethan a certificate for dragon-rearing.

Although Bruno didn't have a wanted notice, if he appeared in public, wizards from his hometown would certainly recognize him, making it impossible for him to lead.

Dennis and the others could only hide in Knockturn Alley, with no chance to sit at the table.

To produce and sell products worldwide, you needed significant capabilities and strong backing.

At this point, only Cassandra's family could meet those requirements.

"You want to partner with my family? That's no problem!"

Cassandra agreed without hesitation.

"Great! Then can you talk to your father about this? How does that sound?"

It was much better for a daughter to discuss it with her father than for Ethan to get involved.

Ethan was confident Cassandra wouldn't let him down.

While he wasn't sure if starting a factory would earn him achievements, he knew it would earn him plenty of Galleons.

The Potter family made their fortune with shampoo, and Ethan's plan wasn't bad either, with two flagship products.

"Just leave it to me. I'll make sure you're satisfied."

-----

Pls checkout my friend SenatusAlpha's fic - "Marvel: Gwen is My Neighbour"

Want to read more advanced chapters ? Check out my p**reon to read 45 advanced chapters for just 5$. Link is in the description.