A few days later, Adrian bit into his breakfast bread and spoke up. "Mum, what about moving the shop to Diagon Alley?"
"What's wrong? Isn't it fine here?" Irene paused, giving him a puzzled look.
'Of course not! Who would want to live here?!'
Adrian kept complaining internally. Since coming back, he'd encountered a werewolf riot. He'd had another inexplicable fight in the Wizarding Market within days. Now he had to watch for dark wizards who'd been hit by the Ministry crackdown seeking revenge.
"I'm just worried. We're selling things to the Ministry. What if the dark wizards we've hurt retaliate against us?" Adrian swallowed his bread and sighed.
"They'd have to have the ability first!" Irene said with an indifferent expression.
However, seeing Adrian's worried look, Irene thought for a moment, then continued. "Going to Diagon Alley isn't impossible, but shops there aren't cheap. One store costs at least ten thousand Galleons. We can't afford it right now."
"That expensive?" Adrian said in surprise. He remembered in the original timeline, George and Fred had taken the thousand Galleons Harry gifted them and opened their joke shop in Diagon Alley.
"Of course, and that's relatively cheap. If you want a good location, it costs over twenty thousand Galleons." Irene rolled her eyes at him. Diagon Alley was the commercial center of the entire magical world. Many shops had been inherited for centuries. Few people were willing to sell.
What's more, they'd need to buy a larger space for research and rest, or else buy another house to live in.
Adrian nodded. The original books hadn't mentioned whether the Weasley twins' shop was rented or bought.
Now it seemed it was probably the former.
Thinking of this, Adrian felt somewhat depressed. His moving plan needed to be postponed.
Twenty thousand Galleons was a huge sum!
Never mind that the Ministry had just ordered three thousand Galleons worth of magical items at once, after deducting materials and research costs, earning half that would be good.
"The Philosopher's Stone..." Adrian muttered. If only his Philosopher's Stone hadn't been taken by Professor Dumbledore.
Then he could have as many Galleons as he wanted!
Unlike now, he'd just mastered the method of making the Philosopher's Stone but didn't have the ability to create it.
Since he couldn't count on the Philosopher's Stone, Adrian remembered the Wolfsbane Potion rewarded by the mission. With a thought, he asked about the current situation of werewolf wizards in Knockturn Alley, especially where they usually lived.
"Those werewolves should be hiding in the ruins on the east side," Aysia thought for a moment, then gave Adrian a puzzled look. "Why are you asking about this?"
"At school, I heard Professor Snape occasionally mention Soothing Flowers and Sage rhizomes, these potion materials might restore some degree of sanity to werewolves in their transformed state."
"So I think if I study it more deeply, I might be able to make a special potion to solve the problem of werewolves rioting after transformation. I'm calling it... the Wolfsbane Potion!"
Adrian spoke freely, borrowing Snape's name in the process.
Otherwise, a first-year student making a Wolfsbane Potion without any research on werewolves would be really suspicious.
Of course, this was the internal explanation. Externally, Adrian thought he might have Dougt take the credit.
After all, no one knew what the former Deputy Dean of St. Mungo's Hospital, who'd been in Knockturn Alley for so many years, had done besides fighting, drinking, and gambling.
Even if people said Dougt usually lurked at home concentrating on werewolf research, and had taught a potion genius who made the Wolfsbane Potion, it would be believable.
"Developing a potion? That's not easy..." Hearing Adrian's words, Irene would have shaken her head to object, but she suddenly remembered the surprises and shocks Adrian had brought her recently. An inexplicable confidence rose, and she said with a light laugh, "If you really can research it, werewolf wizards will definitely rush to buy it."
"I'm worried the werewolves are too poor and can't afford the medicine. Will I have worked for nothing?" Adrian shrugged helplessly.
"Let's see you finish this so-called 'potion' first…" Irene said, fighting a laugh. She made to rap Adrian on the head with her spoon to sober him up, but he slipped out of reach.
The so-called Wolfsbane Potion hadn't even been seen yet, and someone was already worrying about whether werewolf wizards could afford it.
"Anyway, I can make it within a week at most," Adrian said casually.
Aysia wasn't so optimistic, but she didn't want to damage Adrian's confidence. Instead, she said seriously, "If you really can develop a potion to keep werewolves conscious, how much money you earn is secondary. More importantly, it would help the magical world solve a major problem. You could even get the Order of Merlin!"
"The Order of Merlin, what's the use of that? Like Muggle titles, do they give out Galleons every year?" Adrian said suspiciously.
"The third-class Order of Merlin comes with a hundred Galleons when it's awarded. Don't expect more." Aysia couldn't help but laugh. The Order of Merlin was the highest honor in the magical world, and someone was just thinking about whether there were Galleons involved.
Adrian curled his lips in disdain, thinking the Ministry and the Order of Merlin were stingy. Just giving that much money, was that worthy of his upcoming contribution to the magical world?
But through the award ceremony, maybe he could advertise or something. Adrian felt better thinking about that.
Seeing Adrian's expression, Irene felt amused. At the same time, she stopped talking about the Order of Merlin. After all, she didn't know if the so-called Wolfsbane Potion could be developed. She turned to remind him instead.
"The werewolves in Knockturn Alley are very dangerous. If you want to contact them, it's best to have Dougt take you. It'll be safer."
'Are you sure it'll be safer?'
Adrian looked at Aysia with a strange expression. He felt Dougt was a complete liability. At the Wizarding Market, if the guy hadn't suddenly gotten agitated, how would there have been so many messy problems?
"That was just an accident last time. You just watch, don't let Dougt drink. You're a young wizard, it's too dangerous outside alone. I don't feel comfortable." Irene explained.
Because of the Ministry's order, she couldn't leave at all, or she'd follow herself.
"Actually, my Polyjuice Potion is finished. I can become someone else when going out," Adrian tried hard to avoid the troublesome ex-Dean. He felt safest by himself.