"Very well..."
Lucius Malfoy stood up, as though about to deliver some harsh words. But after clearing his throat, he said stiffly:
"Thank you for your leniency, Dumbledore... I... I think I need to have a word with my son."
"That would be appropriate," Dumbledore replied. "There is an empty classroom on the seventh floor. I believe Severus would be willing to escort you there."
"Of course."
Snape flicked his robes and left the room, throwing a glance at Wade as he passed.
His expression seemed to say—"You! Wait for me!"
Malfoy followed with a rigid expression, clearly unwilling to exchange any more words with Dumbledore.
He cast a cold glare at Draco and barked, "Come with me!"
Draco flinched, but Narcissa had already stood up.
She took her son's hand and led him out of the headmaster's office.
Having his mother by his side seemed to bolster Draco's courage. As they reached the corridor outside, Wade overheard Draco's soft murmurs:
"I really didn't mean it, Mother... Please help me explain to Father..."
Narcissa responded gently, "You shouldn't have done that, Draco. Vincent has been your friend since childhood."
"He's changed!" Draco retorted angrily. "He's been speaking ill of me behind my back..."
Wade winced as though in pain.
Wasn't Draco just passionately defending himself a moment ago?
Now his explanation sounded far too intentional.
Perhaps he felt safe enough to complain and whine openly, thinking he was alone with his mother.
However, the spiral staircase structure of the headmaster's office acted like a natural echo chamber, amplifying their voices so that those inside could clearly hear their low conversation.
Inside the office, Mr. Crabbe's eyes suddenly turned exceptionally fierce.
Noticing Wade looking at him, he quickly hid his anger, stood up, and bid farewell.
"I should leave too, Dumbledore," he said hoarsely. "Vincent and his mother are still at St. Mungo's."
"I am deeply sorry that such an incident occurred at school..."
Before Dumbledore could finish his sentence, the door, which had been left slightly ajar, was abruptly pushed open with a bang.
Standing in the doorway was Lucius Malfoy, his pale golden hair almost shimmering with an icy chill.
"Ah, Lucius," Dumbledore said warmly. "Is there something else you need?"
Malfoy maintained his polite demeanor with difficulty.
"Apologies... for the interruption."
His gaze shifted to Wade. "I want to buy that set of mirrors—name your price."
After leaving earlier, Lucius had suddenly realized that although they had reached an agreement with the Crabbe family, the images recorded by the Streaming Mirror were still a potential liability. They could cause trouble for Draco at any time.
So Lucius had rushed back in a hurry, not even bothering to exchange pleasantries with the others.
Wade hesitated.
The Streaming Mirror had entered production, but its price hadn't been firmly set.
According to Marchionne, the Streaming Mirror was a revolutionary invention, and a market survey was needed to determine the appropriate initial price.
Regardless, due to production limitations, it wasn't going to be cheap.
And that was just the sub-mirror.
As for the master mirror, they had no intention of selling it at all.
During Wade's brief two-second hesitation, Lucius seemed to have come to his own conclusions. Without waiting, he named a price himself.
"Six thousand Galleons."
He said decisively, "For that set of mirrors, along with the images inside—I'll pay six thousand Galleons!"
"Deal!"
Wade agreed promptly. Under the watchful eyes of Dumbledore and Mr. Crabbe, he shrank the enlarged sub-mirror back to its original size and nested it together with the master mirror.
With a flourish, as if performing a magic trick, Wade pulled a palm-sized box from his pocket. He placed the two mirrors inside, locked the box, and handed it to Malfoy.
"This is your mirror, Mr. Malfoy."
Lucius Malfoy gave him a long, piercing look and said, "I'll send the payment via owl."
"No need," Wade replied. "Transfer it directly to my vault—number 317. You can contact Gringotts' goblin Kuller. I expect to see the Galleons credited in Monday's ledger."
By next Monday, Gringotts would send Wade the customary account statement detailing every single Knut's movement in his vault.
It was already Saturday.
This meant that Malfoy had best transfer the money as soon as he returned home.
In most people's minds, teenagers might complain about not having enough pocket money, but they rarely demanded payments this blatantly.
Malfoy shot Wade a peculiar glance, took the box, and left without looking back.
Shortly afterward, Crabbe also took his leave.
"The Streaming Mirror is an impressive invention. In the future, every wizarding household might want to own one. But at six thousand Galleons, only the wealthy could afford it," Dumbledore remarked with a smile.
"Professor, if you'd like to buy one, a single sub-mirror costs only 30 Galleons," Wade replied, pausing before adding, "That's the internal price."
"And what's the standard price?" Dumbledore asked, curious.
"About 100 Galleons, I think? It depends on Mr. Marchionne's decision," Wade replied after some thought.
Dumbledore, recalling Malfoy's extravagant offer of 6,000 Galleons earlier, fell silent for a moment.
When Malfoy finds out the standard price, who knows how furious he'd be!
Of course, considering the previous rarity of two-way mirrors, that price didn't seem entirely unreasonable.
Wade coughed lightly and explained, "You see, he bought a set... and the master mirror isn't for sale. It's significantly more expensive."
"If you sell at 100 Galleons, can you turn a profit?" Dumbledore asked.
He rarely concerned himself with matters of business and economy, but since Wade was involved, he found himself curious.
Wade explained, "We'd make a small profit, but not much. If it were priced higher, many people wouldn't be able to afford it. For a device like a Streaming Mirror—or as I sometimes call it, a 'television'—the more users it has, the greater its value."
A price of 100 Galleons might sound steep, but in reality, most people could afford it.
Take Filch, for example—he earned 15 Galleons a week, with room and board provided at the school. If he saved for two months, he could easily purchase a "television" for himself.
Even the Weasleys, known as one of the poorest wizarding families, could afford one with a few months of careful saving, given Arthur Weasley's salary.
The Weasley family's tight financial situation primarily stemmed from the couple's complete lack of a savings habit. They spent almost every Galleon they earned each month, leaving their vault nearly empty when it came time for the children to return to school.
In fact, most wizards, owing to their strong self-sufficiency, valued money far less than Muggles. If they wished, they could go years without spending anything.
Take Dumbledore, for instance. While he didn't give himself a particularly high salary as headmaster, he had still managed to save a considerable amount of money.
Upon hearing Wade's price, Dumbledore immediately purchased a sub-mirror from him.
As he fiddled with the mirror, he noticed some switches on the side. After pressing one, he asked curiously, "Why is there no picture?"
"This will only display content once the broadcast begins," Wade explained as he leaned in to demonstrate to the centenarian headmaster.
"For non-magical users, they can adjust the sound using this dial on the side," Wade added.
"Currently, sub-mirrors can only display identical content, but within a year, we plan to offer viewers at least three different programs to choose from at the same time."
Dumbledore immediately understood. "Like Muggle television... channels you can switch between?"
"Exactly."
"And this mirror can do that?"
"Of course not," Wade replied with a capitalist's signature smile. "This model doesn't have that feature yet!"
Dumbledore gave him a knowing smile. "...Wade?"
"Yes?"
"You're aware that magic can be quite dangerous, aren't you?"
"Of course," Wade replied, blinking.
"And do you know how many attacks Mr. Marchionne has faced?" Dumbledore asked.
After a brief silence, Wade said, "Perhaps, at that point... we could offer a service like exchanging old for new?"
Dumbledore nodded, satisfied.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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