Hogwarts: Me? Fight Voldemort?

Number One and Number Two stared at the sign, as if they could see the Statue of Liberty gently lifting her skirt, making their mouths dry with enticement.

Chapter 190 An Encounter with the Neville Family

The following day, Cyber ​​Group employees and Roundtable members, having ended their vacation, returned to their posts and embarked on a bumpy road of business operations.

Thanks to the extensive efforts made by Jimmy and Hermione in the early stages, the employees who had just started their new jobs were not at a loss and were working diligently in accordance with the plan.

The first step was to recruit enough employees. Cyber ​​Group continued production and operations and tried to open branches in France covertly, while the Round Table organization secretly promoted the rules of the Round Table while recruiting people.

Harry's 500,000 Galleons, plus Jimmy's continued investment of 100,000 Galleons, totaling 600,000 Galleons, was enough for the Round Table to seize control of the gray area wizarding market by acquiring intelligence at high prices.

The newly opened second Continental Bar in Hogsmeade will soon become a gathering place for dark wizards. It is a safe place where fighting is not allowed, and where quests can be posted and bounties can be accepted.

Jimmy also had to write combat manuals and research combat equipment, but fortunately, these two tasks were not urgent.

Moreover, you can study combat methods together with Hermione, who has always wanted to learn how to fight in a wizarding way.

Harry, who was already very interested in duels, joined in, still remembering his duel with Malfoy when he first entered his first year.

The three of them have been spending their time in the underground training base of the armory studying how to fight. Jimmy even used alchemy to try to create a pistol with pseudo-unlimited bullets.

When the trigger is pulled, this pistol summons a bullet from its fully sealed barrel. The bullet is propelled out of the chamber by two spells: Fireball and Explosion. It is much more powerful than a normal pistol.

However, wizards can easily block these bullets with armor charms or transformation charms unless their power is increased.

Wizards in the wizarding world are both very strong and very weak. They are not omniscient or omnipotent, and they have no ability to prevent sneak attacks.

A crazed ordinary person wielding a knife could kill a wizard, let alone one using a firearm.

A shot to the head from hundreds of meters away, and the wizard was dead by the time the gunshot rang out.

Jimmy's research focuses on improving wizards' survivability. If spells are not powerful enough, one-time explosives can be used instead. Improving wizards' survivability is the fastest way to enhance their combat power.

The warning watch given to Uncle George was one such attempt. Alchemical items of this type already exist in the wizarding world; Ron gave Harry a miniature spyglass as a birthday present, which could alert him when there were suspicious people around.

Jimmy only needs to issue a warning, identify the source of the danger, and pre-set a protective spell to shield the wizard from harm.

He didn't believe that no one had thought of such protective equipment, but he hadn't yet found any similar security products in the wizarding world.

It took Jimmy more than ten days to create a protective bracelet that could warn of danger and summon four metal walls to block damage based on the distance to the danger.

He gave the bracelet to Hermione, and after the testing was completed, it would be mass-produced. Once the production was successful, he would pass on the production method to Langdon, asking him to lead the alchemists in the armory to make more for the black slaves.

Time always slips away amidst various trivial matters, and on August 26th, they had to start preparing for school.

That day, Jimmy, Hermione, and Harry went to Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley.

With the start of the school year approaching, many young wizards have begun to appear in Diagon Alley. These days, Raccoon Alchemy Workshop is doing the best business, having become a playground for children because of the free chessboards there.

The three of them were walking down the street, having just bought books and were heading to the alchemy workshop.

As he walked through the bouncy, playful magic joke shop, Jimmy's acquaintance immediately appeared before him.

"Jimmy! We just came to your shop looking for you!" Neville's face, now thinner and more radiant, lit up with surprise. He walked over and greeted Hermione and Harry, "Hi, Hermione, Harry, how was your summer vacation?"

Harry smiled and said, "Not bad."

"You're doing great! Neville, you look so different, I'm so happy for you." Hermione couldn't see any trace of the timidity Neville used to have.

The chubby boy from before has now grown into a tall young man.

When Neville's mother, Alice Longbottom, saw Jimmy, she gave him a warm hug, just like Mrs. Weasley did. "Jimmy, you look thinner."

"Actually, I've been eating quite a lot lately." Jimmy felt a little uncomfortable as his face was stroked, but Mrs. Alice's intimacy was so obvious that it was hard to refuse.

“Hey kid! That’s a remarkable achievement. You should come to Longbottom Manor more often.” Frank Longbottom patted Jimmy on the shoulder and invited, “Want to chat over there?”

Jimmy said, "Of course."

The two then went to a corner where there weren't many people around.

Frank Longbottom's smile faded, and he said solemnly, "I heard you were attacked. Four dark wizards. It's quite an achievement to take them down. Do you know who did it?"

“Bock.” Jimmy was not surprised and blurted out a surname.

Frank Longbottom looked surprised, then relieved. "I should have known you weren't an ordinary person! Yes, they put a bounty on your potion in the dark wizarding world."

"Oh, I know about that, and I've made some preparations for it."

"It's really good to hang Professor Dumbledore's portrait in Diagon Alley. The Burkes are now mindful of Professor Dumbledore's relationship and haven't made things difficult for you anymore."

At this point, Frank Longbottom's face showed a distressed expression. "I don't know what happened while Alice and I were unconscious, but I feel... Professor Dumbledore seems to have changed. I respect him, but he seems different from before, and you have to notice that."

Frank Longbottom's impression of Dumbledore was still based on his state before he went mad. He and his wife had been in seclusion for ten years, and this summer they visited Dumbledore.

As a result, they vaguely felt that Dumbledore was not quite the same as before. They didn't know what had happened in the past ten years, but they learned from their conversations with Dumbledore that he seemed to be delegating power.

The British wizarding community, the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts, and even other things, including the Order of the Phoenix, don't really care.

Frank Longbottom could clearly sense the subtle changes in Dumbledore's thinking compared to more than a decade ago, and that he had become like a riddle-maker, always hiding some secrets he didn't want to reveal.

When Frank asked about Jimmy, Dumbledore made it clear that he would not interfere with Jimmy's freedom, and he neither approved nor opposed Jimmy using his image for advertising.

Even though he explicitly stated that the Burke family wanted to obtain the formula for the Drowned Spring through illegitimate means, Dumbledore still adopted a "let them do whatever they want" attitude, which completely robbed Frank Longbottom of the sense of security he once had with Dumbledore by his side.

Chapter 191 The Magical Animal Shop

“I know, Uncle Frank, I’ve been preparing for threats ever since someone started following me.”

Jimmy was touched by the Longbottoms' concern for him. The Round Table is currently gathering information on the Burke family, and once the information is collected, they can launch a revenge attack on the Burke family at any time.

He wasn't the kind of person who would stand up for himself or be insulted. Given the size of the British wizarding community, the Burke family's influence couldn't possibly be that great.

Compared to the Burke family's slight threat, the Longbottoms' enthusiasm was much harder to handle.

"It's safe to stay at school. Alice and I will also help you with the shop's problems. Focus on your studies at school, even though you don't need any work..."

Frank Longbottom's earnest teachings were as if he truly treated Jimmy as his own child.

Just then, a commotion came from Alice Longbottom's direction not far away. The two looked over and saw a family of red-haired people appear.

"The Weasleys are here." Jimmy saw Molly Weasley hugging Alice Longbottom and thought, "Is this conversation over?"

Frank Longbottom smiled happily at the sight and patted Jimmy on the shoulder, saying, "Alright, let's go back."

Back in the crowd, Jimmy spotted the mouse in Ron's pocket and casually bumped fists with him. "How was your time in Egypt?"

Ron, whose tan in Egypt was even darker than Hermione's, excitedly said while carrying a bag of books, "It's amazing! I was just telling Harry about it. There are so many antiques there, like mummies, pyramids, and even Scabbers loves them!"

Harry was busy dealing with Ginny, who kept getting closer to him, and probably wasn't paying attention to what Ron was saying.

Hermione looked at the mouse with its head drooping and slumped in Ron's shirt pocket and said, "But it doesn't seem very energetic."

The mouse's eyelids remained half-closed, like a dying mouse that had no strength left to breathe.

"I don't know. Maybe it hasn't adjusted yet, or maybe it's just old. It was already quite old. Spotty has been with us for twelve years. I've never seen a mouse live that long. Maybe it needs some supplements. Oh, did you buy the books?"

Ron seemed to have endless things to say; it looked like he was going crazy from not seeing his friends all summer.

Jimmy chuckled and patted his trench coat pocket. "My and Hermione's are all here. Where are George and the others?"

"They're rich at the joke shop now. Percy's at the Leaky Cauldron, and he's got a real ego."

Ron pointed to the bouncing and frolicking magic joke shop on his right, which was packed with people, and then, as if remembering something, took a long, thin box out of the bag in his hand. "Look at this, this is a new wand I bought with the money I earned from you. I have to thank you!"

The cardboard box was opened, revealing a new magic wand that still smelled of wood.

Even stronger than the scent of the wand was the smell of Ron's boasting, which was truly amusing.

Jimmy laughed and said, "You deserve the fruits of your labor. Thank yourself."

"Jimmy, it's nice to meet you!"

Molly Weasley seemed to only just discover Jimmy, letting out a surprised exclamation, her enthusiasm no less than Alice Longbottom's.

She stepped forward, grabbed Jimmy's hand, and said seriously, "You shouldn't have given George and Fred so much Gallon. I know all too well what they're capable of. Once they graduate and start looking for jobs, I'll make them pay you back, I promise!"

George and Fred received money every month, and although they tried to hide it, Molly Weasley, who knew the family inside and out, discovered their little secret.

She had little idea about Jimmy's business and remained skeptical of the compensation George and Fred had mentioned.

George and Fred, who had just come out of the bouncy, playful magic joke shop, exchanged a glance and gave Jimmy a helpless look.

Reaching into his pocket, Jimmy pulled out the contract he'd signed in first grade and handed it to Molly Weasley, explaining, "Mrs. Weasley, we signed an agreement. This is their share, and Ron's too."

Molly Weasley took the contract with suspicion and looked at its contents carefully. She was now somewhat skeptical. "This is too much. Their combined income is higher than Arthur's!"

"That's not much. My products have been sold to other countries, and my income is very high."

Jimmy wasn't wrong. With its growing popularity, Auto Chess has become a more popular puzzle game than Wizard's Chess. Every wizarding family's little wizard wants to have a set of Auto Chess!

Seeing that Molly Weasley's attitude had softened, George and Fred quickly stepped forward to agree.

"We've said this before, haven't we? Your distrust has hurt us deeply!"

"Making joke products is really profitable, and we can open our own store in the future."

Molly Weasley, feeling a little embarrassed by George and Fred's words, said, "Fine, I don't care about you anymore! But you have to pass your exams! That's the bottom line!"

After saying that, she returned the contract to Jimmy and said, "You guys go buy things, I'm going to the Leaky Cauldron to meet up with Alice."

George and Fred high-fived each other in celebration, then winked at Jimmy, who had solved a big problem for them.

Neville, who hadn't bought all the books yet, said to the crowd, "I haven't bought all the books yet. See you later, guys."

"See you."

Jimmy finally escaped the adult world and walked with Hermione and the others toward the Magical Creatures Shop not far ahead.

Now that George and Fred have money, they've decided to retire their old owl, Errol, and buy a new kitten.

Ron also wanted to buy some rat tonic for his pet rat, Spotty, hoping it would help it survive the winter.

As the de facto overseer of the Roundtable, Hermione insists on seeing monthly reports, so she also wants to buy an owl for daily communication.

Stepping into the Magical Animals Store, the influx of people immediately made the small space feel crowded. The cages hanging densely on the walls emitted chirping sounds, and the air was filled with the stench of animal feces.

There were all sorts of animals in there. Jimmy saw two huge purple toads eating dead flies, their mouths drooling.

A huge turtle was sunbathing by the window, its shell sparkling like a jewel.

Hermione followed Jimmy's gaze and explained, "That's a fire crab, native to Fiji, and it can breathe fire from its tail."

Before the customers who had come to buy the two-tailed salamanders left, Ron immediately went to the witch at the Magical Beasts Shop and pulled out the sickly rat Scabbers.