"Don't worry, this is an alchemy product certified by the Ministry of Magic. It just shares some stylistic choices with Muggle items. Look, it even has our firm's emblem on it; there's absolutely no problem!" Vivian immediately began to laugh when she saw someone who knew their stuff.
"Is that so?" Mavis thought about it and decided that as a legitimate firm, they wouldn't risk such a thing. After all, misusing magic on Muggle items was illegal. Perhaps they had simply borrowed the aesthetics.
Half an hour later, when Mavis walked out of Alan's shop, there was a hint of confusion in her eyes. "I think I only came to buy equipment..." She looked at the large box of goods she was holding and then carefully recalled her experience, feeling as if a lifetime had passed.
Mavis felt it was truly a wonderful shop. Besides the gear she had originally intended to buy, she now possessed two accessories, a magic phonograph, four records, a decorative lamp, and a mechanical clock. Moreover, the staff was very strange: the sales clerk was a young girl who was incredibly good at bluffing, accompanied by a neatly dressed house-elf. Even more absurd was the one calculating the bill at the counter—a Husky. The problem was that the dog operated the cash register with such proficiency that she couldn't detect a single hint of incongruity.
Dazed, Mavis left Diagon Alley. This experience was being repeated constantly at Alan's firm. After the redesign, the shop's situation was a stark contrast to its previous failure. Customers arrived in an endless stream, and most chose to purchase something. Even if they couldn't afford the expensive alchemy equipment, small decorative items like lamps and music boxes were well within reach.
Alan did a rough calculation: excluding professional equipment, his turnover from civilian products alone amounted to over a thousand Galleons. Even after deducting the most expensive item, the Humanoid Target, there was still a profit of three hundred Galleons. While much of this was due to grand-opening impulse buys, he estimated that once things stabilized, the shop would net several thousand Galleons a year. If he added the tactical equipment and Ministry contracts, an annual income of ten thousand Galleons was not a dream.
Alan nodded with satisfaction. With such resources, many of his research ideas could finally be realized. However, the increase in demand meant production capacity had to surge; not every civilian product could be outsourced. In the days leading up to the start of school, Alan built a magic lathe specifically for processing these items.
Time flew by, and soon it was time to return to Hogwarts. Knowing that foot traffic would decrease once the term began, Alan confidently left the firm in Kiki's hands. Hog would accompany him back to school to assist for a period. He specifically instructed Kiki not to relax her surveillance of Aseria, as he still had suspicions about her identity.
Alan and Hog eventually returned to the castle. Actually, after sixth year, if a student wasn't planning to take the N.E.W.T. exams, academics weren't particularly demanding. Some even applied for early leave for internships. By seventh year, staying at the academy was largely optional. Alan did not plan to stay long; he had a business to run and a financial foundation that allowed for more costly experiments. However, he remembered his promise to Snape to look after Slytherin, so he intended to keep an eye on things for the first few months.
As soon as he stepped back onto the grounds, Alan resumed his role as the stern, serious Slytherin Head. Having witnessed his authority the previous year, students from all houses felt a sense of awe whenever he passed. Of course, Tonks was the exception, maintaining her lively and uninhibited personality.
During the first month, Alan noticed a certain laxity within Slytherin. He carried out an iron-fisted rectification, pulling their minds back from the holiday. By the second month, the atmosphere had returned to normal, and disciplinary incidents decreased. By the third month, even the first-year wizards had developed good habits.
Ready to move on, Alan wrote out his application and sought out his Head of House.
"Do you really think you understand everything this school has to teach? Or are you so arrogant that you completely disregard the institution?" Snape, upon seeing the application, became furious, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
His true concern, however, was that under Alan's management, Slytherin's mental outlook and academic performance were better than ever. Snape admitted he couldn't have achieved such results himself. He didn't want to lose his best tool.
Alan knew exactly what Snape was thinking—the fear that Slytherin would slip without him. "Don't worry, Professor. Even if I'm not physically in the academy, Slytherin won't have any problems. You know I often disappear from their sight anyway, yet their performance remains excellent." Alan spoke in a gentle tone, appearing more like a teacher comforting an exasperated student.
"But..." Snape saw the determination in Alan's eyes and struggled for a way to persuade him.
"Besides," Alan smiled, "I'm just applying for permission to leave early. It doesn't mean I'm leaving Hogwarts this second."