The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 494: Zuko's Joke Shop

As the night was quiet, snowflakes began to fall again in Hogsmeade. The moonlight shone on the snow, making the night a little brighter.

Leaving Twilight Cottage, Ada and the twins walked on the path, taking one deep step and one shallow step. The crunching sound under their feet gradually subsided when they turned into the main road of the village.

It was already late, there were almost no pedestrians on the street, and the shops on both sides were closed. Hogsmeade, which was always bustling, was about to fall asleep.

Aida and the twins walked towards Zuko. The joke shop was also closed.

Fred walked up and knocked on the door.

"Who is it? We are closed!" A young voice came from the door. It was the clerk here. He would stay in the store at night, which not only saved the cost of finding a house, but also earned some money for working as a night watchman.

"It's me, Fred Weasley," said Fred, "and George Weasley."

The young man inside the door muttered something and then fell silent. Ada looked at the twins with a little confusion. They came to discuss the transfer of the store tonight, but they were turned away right away. How could they continue the discussion?

George signaled to Ada to be patient and not to rush.

After a while, footsteps sounded from inside the door, and a middle-aged man asked again, "Who is it? We are closed. Come back tomorrow if you want to buy anything!"

"It's me, Fred Weasley. We talked before," said Fred.

There was a sound of bolts, and then a door panel was removed, revealing the face of the owner of Zonko's Joke Shop. He glanced at the twins, and then stared at Ada, who was dressed in bright red, behind the twins for a long time.

"who is she?"

"This is Esmeralda Drizzt, our partner, Mr. Zuko." George said, "Our purpose today is still to..."

Mr. Joko, who looked to be in his forties, raised his hand to stop George and said, "Come in if you have anything to say. It's very cold outside." As he spoke, Mr. Joko removed another door panel and let the three people into the store.

After the three of them entered the store, Mr. Zuko replaced the door panel. He then said, "You came at the right time. If you were a little later, I would have gone home."

At this time, the young man who had spoken to me before came out with a tray with a pot of hot tea and four cups on it.

"We wanted to come during the day, but we were afraid of affecting the business of the store." Fred said, "So we waited until now, but we didn't expect that we would disturb your rest."

Ada looked at the twins beside her. She was a little surprised by the brothers' performance tonight.

Mr. Zuko walked back from the door, asked the three to sit down, and poured tea. Mr. Zuko said, "I'm sorry to bother you two. I like you two brothers very much. Why don't you work with me after graduation?"

After taking the teacup and thanking him, George said, "A long time ago, my brothers and I signed a contract to sell ourselves to this lady, so your invitation is really..."

"Oh!" Mr. Zuko looked at Ada, who had been silent, with interest. "I didn't expect Miss Drizzt to have such a keen eye for talent!"

"Thank you for the compliment." Ada said politely, and quickly raised her teacup to drink tea to hide her embarrassment. She had no insight at all, she just believed in the twins' abilities.

Fred put down his teacup, looked at Mr. Zuko, and said seriously, "Sir, we came here for this shop. We hope to buy it."

Mr. Zuko took a sip of the steaming tea and said after a while, "You have a good eye. This shop is in Hogsmeade, the only pure wizard village in the UK. It is also close to Hogwarts, so there is no shortage of customers. It is indeed a rare and prosperous shop."

"Yes, sir. What we value most is the location of this store." George said, "That's why we brothers bother you again and again. We really like this store."

A look of pride appeared on Mr. Joko's face. In addition to the superior geographical location, the reason why this joke shop is so popular is also inseparable from Mr. Joko's good management.

"But why does it have to be my store?" Mr. Zuko asked, "There are many stores in Hogsmeade. I think you should have other choices besides this one."

Ada also looked at the twins, she wanted to know what the twins would say. In her opinion, in addition to geographical reasons, harmony among people is also very important.

Mr. Zonko has been running the business here for a long time and has built a good reputation. Many people know that there is a great joke shop in Hogsmeade, and foreign tourists come here to visit.

If they can successfully take over this shop, the twins' Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes can be said to have a catapulted start and will have a good start with the help of Mr. Zonko.

It's easy to say, but it doesn't sound good! What's the difference between saying it and blatant robbery? "We have been troublemakers since we were young and love to play pranks." Fred said, "The best gift we have ever received is the product of Zonko's Joke Shop."

"Our brother gave it to us, and we developed a fondness for this shop even then," George continued. "After we came to Hogwarts to study, we fell in love with this joke shop even more."

He lied with his eyes open. Except for the sentence "I have been a troublemaker since childhood and love to play pranks", the rest of his words were all false. Ada didn't believe even a single punctuation mark!

Mr. Zuko didn't believe it either, but he didn't expose it or ask any more questions. He said, "I understand your feelings, but this shop is also my hard work... I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley."

Hearing this, the twins' eyes darkened at the same time. This was not the first time that Mr. Zuko had rejected them.

Although what they said just now was false, the brothers' feelings for this shop were real. It was also because of the existence of this joke shop that the twins came up with the idea of ​​the Magic Trick Shop.

Fred and George would like to keep running the store their way.

"Sir, we sincerely want to run this store." Fred pleaded, "If the price we offered last time doesn't satisfy you, we can negotiate again."

Ada raised her teacup again, and while drinking tea, she carefully observed Mr. Zuko's facial expressions and movements.

Mr. Zuko shook his head and said in a deep voice: "To be honest, I have been moved by your sincerity, but this is not a matter of money. I have run this store for half my life, and it is like my child."

Fred and George looked at each other, feeling very disappointed.

Having said that, it would be difficult for them to reach an agreement on the transfer of this store tonight.

At this time, Ada put down the teacup and said bluntly: "Mr. Zuko, we know that this shop is very important to you, so we can double the price. Or you name a price and we won't bargain."

Ada never asked about the twins' business, so she didn't know the specific price the twins proposed, but she had an estimated number in her mind.

Even if this value doubles, it is still within the acceptable range, and it will only increase the operating costs. Unless Jokowi asks for an exorbitant price.

But what Ada said was too direct, not tactful enough, and it sounded like she was trying to pressure someone with money. The twins looked at Ada in surprise, wondering why she suddenly said such a thing.

Mr. Zuko's face turned ugly instantly, and Fred quickly stood up and pulled Ada out of the store while saying sorry. George stayed in the store to comfort Mr. Zuko who was shaking with anger.

It was not until he dragged Ada outside the store that Fred said, "You're crazy! I've never seen you talk business like this! What do you mean you can name the price at will? Aren't you just throwing money at people?"

Ada gave Fred a reproachful look and slowly put on her red hood.

She replied, "I just want to help you! Zuko is obviously tempted, but he doesn't mean what he says. He thinks the price you offer is too low. In that case, I'll give him a price he can't refuse, so we don't have to waste time arguing back and forth!"

Fred pointed at Ada with his finger, and thousands of words of "spendthrift woman" flashed through his mind.

"I told you about this a long time ago. You can't spend money carelessly. Where is Ada, who used to tie Nat to her ribs?"

Before Ida could say anything, George shook his head and walked out of the store. Behind him, Zorko slammed the door shut.

"The talks completely broke down. Mr. Zuko almost threw tea in my face."

George walked away and said, "Ada, this is not how business is done. It should be negotiated. What you did just now humiliated Mr. Zuko. Even if he wants to agree now, he is embarrassed to say it."

"Then I will use Galleons to build a staircase for him tomorrow!"

Ada said something in anger, and then left angrily. Her bright red cloak soon disappeared on the main road. She was angry at herself for making things worse, and also angry at her impatience. She really couldn't stand people who were dilly-dallying.

"It seems we can only think of a solution in Diagon Alley."

"Yes, I'm afraid we can't afford the price Zuko has in mind."

(End of this chapter)