On Thursday and Friday, several wizarding newspapers, including the Daily Prophet, ran small ads for the Feather Phone. Naturally, Sullivan had paid handsomely for the spots.
In addition, Sullivan had arranged for people to plaster physical posters in high-traffic wizarding areas like Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.
The goal was simple: to let every wizard in Britain know that the Feather Phone experience store would officially open in Hogsmeade before Christmas.
This brand-new alchemical product was set to replace the traditional owl post, enabling real-time communication between wizards.
As more people learned about it, Sullivan became increasingly busy. Many who were interested in the product used their connections to reach out to people close to him.
Snape, for instance, cornered Sullivan in the classroom right after class, tossing a bag of Galleons at him. "Your magic phone. Put me down for nine units in advance."
"Hey, you've got the whole 'Prince' act down pat, but I've never seen anyone ask for a favor with that kind of attitude," Sullivan said, crossing his arms with a teasing look on his face.
Snape's expression darkened. With a casual wave of his hand, the money bag flew back into his grasp, and he turned to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey—don't go! What's with you? I can't give them to you in advance, but I can set some aside for you so you don't have to wait in line," Sullivan said helplessly. This Snape... he really was impervious to everything.
Without turning back, Snape tossed the money bag over his shoulder. It landed perfectly in Sullivan's hand. No one noticed the slight upward curve of Snape's lips at that moment.
It turns out that even proud, tsundere boys like Snape appreciate special treatment every now and then.
Aside from Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and even Dumbledore came to see Sullivan. He took deposits from all of them, promising to deliver the phones personally on launch day.
At eight o'clock on Friday night, Sullivan was reviewing the production report Lupin had sent over. After two days of fine-tuning, the daily production rate had increased to 35-38 units.
This meant they would have about 100 to 200 more units than expected before the launch. Sullivan planned to sell this surplus to other European countries through the Farley family's channels.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Tonks, who had been reading on the sofa, got up to answer it and found the group of students Sullivan had arranged to meet.
"Come in, have a seat!" Tonks welcomed them in like the lady of the house.
The students sat on the sofa, their faces a mix of nervousness and excitement. News about the Feather Phone had been flying around for the past two days, and naturally, they knew all about it.
They also noticed that Gemma Farley, who had summoned them, was already using a magic phone. This inevitably led to some speculation, and they looked at Sullivan expectantly.
Sullivan sat opposite the children and smiled. "You are all students I think very highly of. I believe you will all achieve extraordinary things in the future. I'm planning to establish a club-like organization. I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining?"
"We'd love to, Professor Sullivan !" the five students said in unison.
Sullivan nodded. "Don't be hasty. First, let me tell you the main purpose of this organization: to use magic to make wizards' lives better."
"I have always believed that magic should serve people. Take the magic phone I'm about to release, for example. It will change the way wizards communicate and bring them closer together..."
Sullivan spoke at length, mostly about the positive impacts the magic phone would bring in the future, conveniently omitting any negative effects. But young people eat this stuff up.
Sullivan asked again, "So, let me confirm with you one more time. Are you willing to join Raven's Feather?"
"Raven's Feather"—Sullivan had come up with the name just the last couple of days. It was primarily because his Patronus was a raven, and secondly, it incorporated the character "Yu" (feather) from his name.
To the students, the raven was a symbol of London. Legend had it that "if the ravens leave the Tower of London, the Kingdom will fall."
This saying likely originated with King Charles II, who decreed in the 17th century that six ravens (plus one spare) must always be kept at the Tower.
Beyond that, ravens symbolized mystery and wisdom in Britain, and raven feathers possessed a kind of understated, luxurious beauty.
With all this symbolism swirling in their heads, the students became even more excited. In much louder voices than before, they declared, "Professor, it is our honor to join Raven's Feather!"
"I hope that in the future, Raven's Feather will be honored by you!" With that, Sullivan pulled seven raven-shaped rings from his Undetectable Extension Charm bag.
"Whoa, so cool! These are for us?" Fred immediately grabbed one and put it on his right hand.
Sullivan explained, "That's right. This will be your symbol as members of Raven's Feather. These aren't just simple rings. You can infuse them with magic to trigger a Shield Charm that will block one attack for you."
"Additionally, you can use magic to shatter the gem in the raven's claws to send me a distress signal. The ring will tell me your location."
Ever since Tonks was captured by the vampire, Sullivan had been researching this tracking system. Currently, it couldn't be integrated into the magic phone, so he had to make separate rings.
The students happily took a ring each. Sullivan put one on himself as well. Finally, everyone's gaze fell on Tonks.
"Can I join too?" Tonks asked, pointing to herself.
"Don't you want to?" Sullivan countered.
"Of course I do!" Tonks snatched a ring. She was still wearing the anti-curse ring Sullivan had given her on her right ring finger. Since the curse was broken, she swapped it out for the new one.
"Alright, let me explain the recruitment requirements for our organization. Each of you can recommend two students per school year, but they must pass an assessment, and more than half of the members must vote to approve them."
"As the President, I have the right to assess and admit new members independently, and I also have veto power over anyone you recommend..."
Sullivan briefly outlined the recruitment policy. It seemed the President held a lot of power, but no one objected. After all, Sullivan was the one founding the organization.
Sullivan continued with his instructions: "Gemma, Alice, you two will be in charge of new member assessments. I'll discuss the standards with you later, and you can draw up a specific protocol."
"Fred, George, and Cedric, you three will be responsible for project development. As for what project, I'll get to that in a moment."
Sullivan looked at Gemma Farley. "Gemma, take out your magic phone."
"Yes, Professor." Gemma took out her phone and placed it on the table.
Sullivan drew his wand and chanted a spell. The phone screen lit up, and countless silver threads sprayed from the tip of his wand, wrapping around Gemma's phone.
Eventually, the threads converged on the screen to form a new icon: a pattern resembling a raven's head, with the words "Raven's Feather" written below it.
After doing this, Sullivan took out four more magic phones and handed them to George, Fred, Cedric, and Alice.
Once the students had added each other as friends under Gemma's guidance, Sullivan created a group chat named "Raven's Feather."
After everyone had familiarized themselves with the basic functions, Sullivan explained, "I call these icons on the phone 'apps'—application software designed to work with the magic phone to perform various functions."
"For example, FlyChat enables real-time communication, Camera accesses the phone's lens to take photos, and Gallery allows you to view images and videos stored on the phone."
"I achieved these using basic runes to guide magic power through the phone's magical circuits."
"And this 'Raven's Feather' app, I call it 'developer software.' Only members of Raven's Feather have permission to use it. With it, you can arrange these basic runes to develop other different apps."
"There are instructional guides inside on how to operate it. You can study them on your own when you go back. I believe with your intelligence, you'll master it quickly. If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask me anytime."
He turned to look at George and the other two boys. "Your first development project—and Raven's Feather's first official project—is to port Wizard's Chess onto the magic phone."
"Imagine this: what would it be like if you could use your magic phone to play Wizard's Chess with a friend thousands of miles away?"
"I'm giving you until the end of this school year for this project. That's about seven months. Gemma and Alice will assist you."
"This is my test for the five of you. If you pass smoothly, I will take you on as my apprentices. So, do your best!"
Hearing Sullivan's hypothetical scenario, the three boys' eyes lit up. Although they didn't love Wizard's Chess that much, developing it was a completely different concept from playing it.
And regarding becoming Sullivan's apprentices, the five students were all extremely excited. The resources available to an apprentice of an alchemy master in the wizarding world were immense.
Seeing their eagerness, Sullivan quickly added, "Of course, this project must be completed in your spare time."
"If any professor complains to me that you haven't finished your homework on time, or if your grades fall out of the top 20% of your year in the end-of-year exams, I will suspend your access."
"Aww~" The students' heads drooped instantly.
Sullivan's first condition wasn't hard; there were plenty of ways to finish homework. But the second condition was tough. It meant their free time would be very limited.
Sullivan clapped his hands to draw their attention back. "Finally, a benefit for Raven's Feather members. Starting today, you can pre-sell magic phones at school. For Hogwarts students, we can offer a discounted price of 45 Galleons per unit."
"And for every unit you sell, you get a commission of 5 Galleons. However, each student can only use this discount once."
"Yeah! Long live Professor Sullivan!" The gloomy mood vanished instantly, reignited by the news. The children left happily.
No one could have guessed that "Raven's Feather," which would later hold immense sway in the global wizarding community, was established so casually in a professor's office at Hogwarts.
"Sullivan , there's something I must remind you of," Tonks said suddenly after the children had walked away.
"What is it?" Sullivan asked curiously.
"Back when we were in school, if you wanted to start a new club or society, you had to report it to the school in advance, usually to your Head of House." Tonks pointed to the raven ring on her hand.
Sullivan slapped his forehead. "There's been so much going on lately, I completely forgot. I'd better go see Headmaster Dumbledore directly."
Sullivan chose this route because Old Man Dumbledore was simply too suspicious. Although he had handled the troll incident and temporarily secured his standing, it would be troublesome if Dumbledore suspected him of forming a clique to conduct dark magic experiments like Voldemort.
Arriving at the entrance to the Headmaster's office, Sullivan recited the names of every product from Honeydukes to the gargoyle, but the password was still incorrect.
Just as he was about to take out his phone to message Dumbledore, Sullivan had a flash of inspiration. "White Rabbit Creamy Candy."
The next moment, the gargoyle moved, revealing the staircase behind it. It seemed the Headmaster had really enjoyed candy he gave him last time. Next time, he'd bring back some "Fat Nerd Happy Water" (Cola) so the Headmaster could experience some joy from the Muggle world.
The moment the password was spoken, Dumbledore knew someone had arrived. When Sullivan entered, he smiled and asked, "Sullivan , are you here to bring me a magic phone this late at night?"
Sullivan rolled his eyes. "No, Professor. I must keep my promise. The magic phones for sale won't be delivered to customers until Christmas Eve."
"But as far as I know, some students in the school already have them." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, as if to say, You can't fool me, kid.
Sullivan explained, "Those aren't for sale. I'm planning some cooperation with the Farley family, so I gave a few phones to that child."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful and asked uncertainly, "The Farley family? So you want to sell magic phones to other European countries? But why not partner with a more powerful family?"
Sullivan waved his hand. "You mean the Sacred Twenty-Eight? We're just a small workshop right now. With the way those old aristocratic families operate, they'd definitely want the lion's share. I'd prefer they come to me."
Dumbledore gave Sullivan an appreciative look. "A wise choice. So, what brings you here today?"
"I've established a club at school called Raven's Feather. Our main purpose is..." Sullivan repeated the spiel he had given the children.
But clearly, this old man wasn't as easily fooled as those youngsters. He tapped his finger lightly on the desk and asked a key question: "You said you have established it, not that you plan to establish it?"
Sullivan had to grit his teeth and explain, "Sorry, Professor. I've been so busy lately that I forgot I needed to report it to the school. Tonks reminded me just now, and I remembered."
Dumbledore nodded, seeming not to suspect anything, and asked, "Who is in the club currently?"
"Gemma Farley, Alice Lavia, Cedric Diggory, and the Weasley twins," Sullivan answered truthfully. After all, these kids would be wearing raven rings later, so it would be easy to spot.
"You have a good eye. Have you considered recruiting Harry Potter into your club?" Dumbledore suddenly changed the subject and suggested.
"Can I?" Sullivan didn't object. Harry's talent was actually quite good, especially in combat.
"Of course, if you are both willing," Dumbledore said.
Sullivan's mind raced. Dumbledore suddenly trying to shove Harry in likely meant he had accepted Sullivan's identity and wanted him to be part of Harry's protection detail.
This was beneficial to him, at least for the next few years. Not only could he get Dumbledore's help, but he could also use Harry's fame to expand his own reputation.
However, in the long run, he would have to stand against Voldemort. But since he was already against Voldemort, what was there to hesitate about?
So Sullivan said, "Alright. I'll test him as appropriate. If he's willing, I'll admit him into the organization."