52. Celia Mystery Shop Is Open!

Wayne ultimately achieved his goal.

Both of them agreed on the shared ratio and returned to the dormitory with the map.

This guy is so terrible; he keeps tempting them with their weaknesses.

Cho wanted to obtain a better broom through her efforts, and Hermione also desired to purchase more books.

Unfortunately, the library only allowed borrowing one book at a time, and some books had to be queued up for borrowing, which didn't meet Hermione's needs.

Despite this, they still fell for Wayne's temptation.

Of course, there was no need to return these two maps. They were Wayne's gifts for their participation.

In her busy schedule, Hermione initially wanted to tell Wayne about Harry's duel with Malfoy and seek his opinion, but she forgot about it.

With plenty of distractions like swords and music in front of them, who has time to attend to a troublesome kid?

The next day arrived.

It was rare for Hermione to wake up early.

On weekdays, Hermione would wake up at half past six every day, freshen up, and read in the common room for an hour before eating.

This kind of behavior is only matched by Percy among the Gryffindors.

To promote the map today, she stayed in bed, waiting for everyone to wake up and take action together.

Her roommates didn't pay any attention to Hermione's abnormal behavior. It was normal for her to sleep in.

After finishing breakfast, the group of people headed towards their first class, Charms. The classroom was on the fourth floor, and the stairs had two different running patterns. One had to observe for a while to determine which one was being used that day.

Hermione knew her chance had come.

"No need to observe; I have a simpler way," she said.

Hermione coughed slightly, catching the attention of Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown.

"What do you mean?" they asked sincerely.

The young witch then took out the map and tapped it with her wand, causing the map to appear. She then clicked on the icon for the Charms classroom.

"Look, you can take the next staircase directly. Number 03 will lead us to a nearby area."

Her roommates were captivated by this magical scene and gathered around to get a closer look.

"Wow, the movement patterns of the stairs are just like in reality."

"Hermione, where did you get this map from?"

"Wayne made it. Look..."

Hermione was very eloquent and managed to explain all the advantages of the map in just a few words.

Now Parvati and the others found it even more intriguing and decided to test the map by going up the stairs with Hermione as their guide.

Since it was breakfast time, the corridor was filled with young wizards.

Seeing their peculiar behavior, others became curious and approached them.

It wasn't until class was about to begin that Hermione rushed a few roommates to the Charms classroom. Since Hermione came with her roommate today, Wayne couldn't sit at the same table with her. He went to the other side of the classroom with his roommate Toby instead.

In class, Flitwick taught the repair spell that the students would be practicing that day and allowed them to practice it freely.

Taking this opportunity, Harry and Ronald intentionally threw a broken wooden stick at Hermione's feet and approached her.

Harry asked softly, "Hermione, does Wayne have another map like this?"

Neville, who was sitting at the front table, turned around and looked at Hermione hopefully. He had difficulty getting up and was often late for classes.

Especially Neville, no one at Hogwarts needed a map more than him. The little chubby man looked at Hermione as if she were his savior.

Hermione replied, "Yes, I bought this one."

Neville exclaimed excitedly, "That's great! I won't be late anymore."

"The only condition is that you remember to bring a map when you go out," Ronald complained, asking the question he was most concerned about: "How much does a map cost?"

"Ten galleons," Hermione replied.

Ronald's voice suddenly became louder, and half of the classroom heard it. "Ten galleons?!"

Professor Flitwick noticed the commotion and approached them. "Gentlemen, we are in class now. If you want to chat, please wait until break time. Weasley, what happened just now?"

"No, it's nothing," Ronald panicked, lowering his head. However, Flitwick had already seen the map that Hermione had taken out.

Looking sternly at Ronald, Hermione apologized, "Sorry Professor, we won't talk about anything else."

"Just be more attentive next time," Flitwick nodded. "But can you explain to me what this is?"

As Hermione proudly explained, Flitwick's eyes lit up.

"Tracking spells, marking spells, and even hiding spells, solidifying runes, and anti-theft spells. What a brilliant idea."

"Miss Granger, you're saying this is Mr. Lawrence's work?"

"Yes, professor."

"Okay, that's fantastic." There was relief and regret in Flitwick's eyes.

Why would a talented wizard like Mr. Lawrence be in Hufflepuff?

"Just for this map, I would also award Hufflepuff 20 points. I can't believe that a first-year student made this."

Excitedly, Flitwick went over to Wayne to discuss the magic spells used on the map, leaving Harry and Ronald stunned.

Neville also admired Wayne greatly and planned to buy a map after class.

Ten galleons was a fair price, and Neville had enough money.

Although Neville's grandmother was very strict with him, she was also kind. For example, she had given him a very advanced alchemical prop, the memory ball.

At noon, as soon as Wayne entered the auditorium and sat down, students from all houses approached him, making a lot of noise and asking about the map. Most of them are junior wizards, but there are also some senior students.

Cho's promotion method differed from Hermione's. During the Ravenclaw break, she took it out directly and showed it to everyone. After class was over just now, she even demonstrated the function of marking Filch. Now more people are tempted.

This is especially true for senior students, as there are no Hogwarts students who do not go out at night.

The curfew starts at nine o'clock in the evening.

Using maps can greatly improve security.

Wayne didn't expect the effect to be so good. Surrounded by students, he could only shout, "Don't worry, everyone! The noon time is too short, and I don't have enough maps with me. If you need them, come to the side hall next to the auditorium after afternoon classes to ensure we have enough supplies!"

After hearing what Wayne said, they left with satisfaction.

At this time, Cedric came over, smirked, and said, "Father, please make it cheaper. Ten galleon is a big deal."

"Get lost!"

"Fine!"

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the side hall in front of the freshmen branch had transformed its appearance, and a huge banner was floating in the air.

[Celia Mystery Shop Grand Opening!]

[Our slogan is: Today is another day full of expectations!]

Although no one understood the meaning of this slogan, everyone still paid the money and received their goods.

Most people choose the ordinary version of the maps, as it is sufficient with just the stair trajectory.

However, Wayne, before selling the maps, mentioned that he was not skilled in the craft and that the magic on the maps would only last for one school year. It will expire next semester.

Indeed, one may not excel in their studies, but it is also important to reap sustainable benefits.

This calculated rate of loss was intentional on Wayne's part. If he hadn't considered the limited funds of the young wizard's wallet, the maps would have become a consumable item that goes bad every month.

Wayne is responsible for delivering the goods, Cho collects the money, and Hermione handles the accounting.

After more than an hour of work, no one came to buy a map.

"Quick, let's tally up the money," Hermione exclaimed.

Excitedly, Hermione exclaimed, "I have been counting, and we have a total of one hundred and twenty galleons and 650 Sickles."

"Wayne, you're amazing! You made so much money in just one afternoon!" Cho looked at Wayne with admiration. Her annual pocket money was only twenty galleons, which was about the same amount her parents earned in a month.

"That's not how the expenses were accounted for," Wayne corrected, not as pleased as the two women.

"I have been working on these maps diligently for a week. The materials cost money too. More importantly, in the future, fewer people will buy our maps."

"You're right," Hermione agreed, acknowledging the truth of Wayne's words. However, she still felt elated. Looking at the account, she exclaimed:

"The Slytherins haven't bought many yet. They must be wealthy."

Out of the maps sold, only six were bought by Slytherins. And all of them purchased the premium version. Apart from them, only two other people bought the most expensive version.

One was Harry and the other was Neville.

After making a lot of money from the Slytherins, Hermione started to think that they weren't so bad after all.

For affluent, pure-blooded wizards, money was not a concern. Standing out and highlighting the difference in their status was what they sought.

"Come on, let's share the money."

Wayne waved his hand and led the two young witches into an abandoned classroom. More than a hundred Galleons and hundreds of Sickles were poured onto the table, glittering with gold and silver and dazzling their eyes.

"Six hundred and fifty Sickles, let's convert it into 40 galleons. It's easy to calculate. That makes a total of one hundred and sixty galleons. Come on, let's keep twenty-four each," Wayne said, quickly doing the math and pushing a handful of gold coins towards the two little witches.

"Is it appropriate to take so much?" Cho hesitated. "I feel like I didn't contribute much."

"This is what we agreed upon earlier, and we can't go back on it," Wayne replied, refusing to debate and stuffed the money into their pockets.

"There will be more products in the future, and I'll need your help when the time comes. I can't handle it all by myself."

Wayne didn't care about the money; his points were calculated based on the selling price of the items. Every galleon the little witch spent earned him five points.

Seeing his determined attitude, Cho and Hermione looked at each other and had no choice but to agree.

In the Slytherin lounge, freshman Blaise Zabini was showing off a newly purchased map.

"Did you see this? This map shows Filch's location. Why is that stupid squib wandering around the third floor like a headless fly?"

A group of students gathered around him, finding it very interesting.

"Zabini, where did you get it?"

"Bought it from Lawrence," Zabini proudly replied. "It wasn't expensive, only ten galleons."

"It's not expensive," the others confirmed.

It was unclear whether they genuinely believed it was inexpensive or if they were just pretending. Even if they did think it was expensive, they couldn't show it. They had to uphold the glory of purebloods.

"Snort."

Malfoy snorted with envy and jealousy as he watched Zabini being surrounded by the crowd. He believed Zabini deserved that kind of attention.

Malfoy, the unseen prefect of the first years, muttered and cursed, "What the hell, didn't you just spend some money?"

"It's that Lawrence again," he replied.

Unlike his simple dislike for Harry, Malfoy held pure contempt and jealousy towards Wayne. Despite being a mudblood, Wayne was much smarter than a pureblood like him and was praised by the professors every day.

The questionable map created by Wayne had once again become the topic of discussion among the students. Even the young heir of the Malfoy family didn't receive much attention.

"Let's go!" Malfoy stood up angrily.

Crabbe asked blankly, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to Lawrence to buy a map!"

The Slytherin lounge, like Hufflepuff, was in the basement, but they were closer to the Black Lake. To reach the Hufflepuff lounge, one had to go through the auditorium and then go down again.

Before curfew, Malfoy wanted to buy a map. Although he didn't want to give money to Wayne, he felt compelled to have what others had. Otherwise, what if others perceived the Malfoy family as being inferior?

Malfoy located a Hufflepuff student and asked him to fetch Wayne. He waited with his two followers until Wayne appeared.

Wayne happened to be engaged in conversation with Cedric in the lounge. Cedric found the manifestation spell on the map intriguing, as it differed greatly from what he had previously learned. Wayne had discovered an improved version of the spell in the forbidden book area and generously shared it with Cedric.

"Malfoy, do you have an issue with me?" Wayne asked.

"Um," Malfoy hesitated.

Though Malfoy was slender and raised his chin, he was unfortunately shorter than Wayne, forcing him to look up at him. 

"Do you still have the maps you sell? Give me the most expensive one available in the country," Malfoy demanded.

"The Promax version?" Wayne clarified.

Malfoy impatiently waved his hand. "It's the one that can mark Filch's whereabouts. Hurry up."

"Yes, of course. Just wait here while I retrieve it," Wayne replied.

Wayne returned to the lounge and came back with the map five minutes later.

Upon seeing the map, Malfoy decided he didn't want to engage in any further conversation with Wayne. He simply paid the money and prepared to leave.

At that moment, Wayne sneered from behind, stating, "The Malfoy family is nothing special. They can only possess the same things as everyone else."