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Chapter 15: Another Deal
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 13:14:52 +0000 UTC“Not a game—it's a materials trading market, Mr. Van Der Boom.”
“There are extensive trade exchanges in the magical communities across nations, and materials trading is one of the most critical aspects. If you could predict the precise timings of price drops and hikes, Gringotts could stock up—oh, no, I mean prepare the necessary supplies in advance to ensure wizards never run out of magical materials.”
“And if that's not feasible, even second-best would work. If you'd be willing to help us forecast trends in the Muggle stock market, we'd be eternally grateful…”
The goblin’s words grew increasingly far-fetched, but its enthusiasm only mounted as it delved into various financial terms like "bottom fishing" and "venture capital." Its gaze toward Victor turned progressively fervent, almost reverent.
Victor interrupted after listening for a while.
“You think I can actually do these things?” He looked at the goblin oddly. “If I could, why wouldn’t I just invest myself and make money?”
The goblin’s stream of chatter came to an abrupt halt. It took a moment to return from its utopian daydream, stammering:
“Uh… because of your noble character? You wouldn’t exploit divination for profit?”
“If that's your reasoning, consider this: the cost of precise foresight into the future isn't financial. The price might be an essential part of you—like emotions, desires, or even a part of your body.”
“Moreover, not all goblins or wizards qualify for such transactions. Only those with exceptionally strong desires or unique talents could even attempt it.”
The goblin sat frozen in its chair.
After Victor finished, he picked up the account details the goblin had hastily prepared earlier and gave it a brief glance before pocketing it. He nodded to the goblin and said softly,
“My address is 7 Wisteria Road. If you have further ideas, feel free to contact me…”
As he turned to leave, the goblin suddenly stood up and bowed deeply.
Draped in crimson and gold attire, its movements exuded genuine sincerity. The goblin's head dipped so low that its nose nearly touched the table. Under the illumination of hundreds of white candles burning on the gilded ceiling, the gesture carried an air of solemnity.
In a formal tone, the goblin declared:
“No need, Mr. Van Der Boom. We accept your terms.”
“Every goblin is willing to part with their hair, eyes, even liver or heart, in exchange for wealth. Whatever you desire is negotiable—even the very desire we have to acquire wealth itself.”
“If you’re willing to proceed with this deal, please meet with our supervisor. He has been waiting for you for quite some time.”
At 3 PM, the Grangers, who had just exchanged their currency for Galleons, waited in the main hall but saw no sign of Victor. After inquiring with a nearby goblin, they were told, “Please wait a bit longer.”
Mrs. Granger sighed anxiously, glanced at her husband, and couldn’t resist counting their Galleons again.
“Five pounds to a Galleon, but there’s a maximum exchange limit. Hermione, you’ll need to spend wisely.”
“It’s alright, Mum,” Hermione replied cheerfully. “Professor McGonagall mentioned that Hogwarts is a boarding school, so there aren’t many opportunities to spend money on campus.”
“I hope that’s true. I just feel like the system isn’t exactly fair…”
“Enough, Mary,” Mr. Granger interjected, stopping his wife. He shook his head, leaving Hermione puzzled and unaware of what her parents wanted to discuss.
As a child, Hermione wasn’t perceptive enough to notice subtle emotions, but the Grangers had clearly felt the goblins' impatience toward them during the currency exchange. While wizards might not overtly discriminate against Muggle-born wizards, prejudice against Muggles was palpable.
Had it not been for the relatively kind attitude of the Hogwarts professors, the Grangers might have reconsidered sending Hermione to the school.
Ten minutes later, Victor finally emerged from one of the rooms, accompanied by a goblin who bowed repeatedly, treating Victor with an almost shocking level of respect.
The Grangers were taken aback.
Was this really the same goblin who had been so dismissive toward them?
“Thank you for waiting,” Victor said as he approached them.
“It’s no problem, Professor,” Mr. Granger replied. “Was everything alright?”
“Oh, nothing troublesome,” Victor said briefly. “Just some discussions with the goblins about financial investments. They seemed one hundred and twenty percent satisfied with the potential side effects of our deal.”
“Side effects can be a good thing?” Mr. Granger asked, somewhat confused. “I suppose it must have been a mutually beneficial agreement?”
“Exactly.”
After a bit more small talk, they didn’t press the matter further. Instead, they followed Victor to purchase school supplies.
Before leaving Gringotts, Victor discreetly slipped a small package into his pocket.
When he exited the bank, the goblins stationed at the doors seemed already informed, bowing respectfully as they said in thin voices:
“Gringotts always welcomes you, sir.”
Outside, the bustling street of Diagon Alley instantly swept away the somber atmosphere from moments before.
Directly opposite Gringotts stood a Quidditch store, its window display featuring two crossed broomsticks with a sign that read, “Nimbus 2000 – Maximum Speed.”
However, as first-year students were not allowed to bring broomsticks, Victor led Hermione to Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions first. There, they ordered three custom black cloaks for each of them before heading to Flourish and Blotts.
Flourish and Blotts was a bookshop crammed with towering piles of books that reached the ceiling, making the already-small space feel even more compact. Wizards filled every available corner.
“Let me see… we still need The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 and Intermediate Transfiguration. Merlin, I wish school would never start.”
“Fred, no swearing!”
At the entrance, a pair of red-haired children bickered while holding a book with a cover that constantly changed. Hermione found herself intrigued.
One of the red-haired boys caught her looking and gave her a friendly smile.
Hermione, startled but pleased, smiled back. For the first time, she felt welcomed.
Once inside, she carefully read from a handwritten list, retrieved the pre-packaged first-year books, and approached a young clerk.
“Excuse me, sir. Do you have books on history, culture, and magical artifacts?”
Her earnest expression immediately caught the clerk’s attention.
“We do,” the young clerk replied kindly. “For history, the most popular choices include A History of Modern Magic, The Rise and Fall of Dark Arts, and Great Magical Events of the Twentieth Century. There’s also Hogwarts: A History, but that’s available for borrowing at the school library.”
“Ah, which one would you like?”
“All of them.”
“All… of them?”
The clerk froze for two seconds before his eyes widened.
“Yes, all of them,” Hermione confirmed with a firm nod.
“I want to master all magical knowledge by the first semester’s end to ensure I can ace my final exams. That means I must fully grasp magical history and spells at least a month before then. Additionally, to match the magical knowledge of wizard-born students, I need to understand fundamental magical events and concepts before school starts.”
Having delivered this lengthy explanation in one breath, Hermione blinked at the clerk with genuine sincerity.
Both Victor and the clerk inhaled sharply.
Victor looked at Hermione with newfound respect.
“I… I’ll get the books for you,” the clerk stammered, retreating stiffly.
Hermione noticed the odd reaction and turned to Victor for reassurance.
“Professor Van Der… Van Der Boom, did I say something wrong?”
“Just call me Professor Victor, Miss Granger,” Victor said, shaking his head. “You didn’t say anything wrong. You’re just very… thorough. But perhaps consider balancing hard work with rest.”
Hermione looked at him in surprise. “Don’t you work as hard, Professor?”
Victor paused, contemplative.
How could he respond? He didn’t, not really.
He was lazy, evident in the fact that he hadn’t even finished the books Hermione was about to buy despite being in the magical world for so long.
Still, after his moment of silence, Victor regained his composure and replied matter-of-factly:
“Let’s put it this way, Miss Granger.”
“Where I come from, working too hard tends to make others… uncomfortable. For the sake of harmony, I think it’s better if I don’t push myself too much.”
After all, if Victor exerted himself fully, countless magical organizations would lose sleep trying to handle him.
Any further effort on his part might even earn him a new title:
The Overlord of Overachievement.
