About twenty minutes later, the owner and Daphne finally came out from inside.
"We'll make the changes as discussed, deliver to Hogwarts tomorrow, no problem." Daphne, walking in front, said.
"No problem." The owner said with a smile, "I'll make sure to deliver the dress to Hogwarts on time."
"Alright." Daphne nodded, turned and walked towards the door accompanied by the owner, "We're leaving, Astoria."
As they passed Kael and Conna, Astoria greeted them politely, but Daphne just snorted coldly without saying a word.
Kael shook his head helplessly; this wasn't the first time it had occurred.
Since the start of the school year, some Slytherins had drastically changed their attitude towards him.
Take Malfoy, for instance.
Previously, although Kael's relationship with him wasn't particularly great, it wasn't bad either, and with the other's financial power, their interactions were quite frequent.
But this year was different; they hadn't exchanged a single word despite being in school for quite a while, and hadn't even seen each other much.
Kael felt Malfoy seemed to be deliberately avoiding him—probably on instruction from Lucius Malfoy before the school year began.
Besides Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent, and Malcolm, who once contributed Galleons to him as big customers, also uncharacteristically distanced themselves.
Under their influence, other Slytherins gradually became more indifferent towards him, and Daphne was one of them.
Being friends with Pansy and Millicent, it was only natural.
Despite his initial intention to say something, Kael chose to remain silent, watching them leave the clothing store.
After seeing them off, the owner came over and asked, "Would you like to buy something?"
"I'd like to get a new winter school uniform." Kael replied.
This place, like Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley, also offered bespoke Hogwarts uniforms, and the prices were similar.
"Just a uniform?" the owner asked, "How about a cloak, a Dragon Skin Cloak, to keep warm?"
"No need." Kael glanced at the most expensive cloak on display, three hundred Galleons.
While not overly expensive for a Dragon Skin Cloak, it was a complete set.
But this one was pieced together using magic; the upper part had a hint of blue, probably Swedish Short-Snout, and the lower part had the distinctive grayish-white of Ukrainian Iron Belly.
The cloak maker handled it well, using unique patterns to cover it up, making it hard for most people to notice.
"How about a Durmstrang cloak?" The owner persisted, "Only twenty Galleons."
Kael shook his head again, "Just the school uniform will do."
Upon hearing Kael say that, the owner slowly withdrew his smile.
Hogwarts uniforms were transparent in pricing; unless in bulk, they weren't profitable at all.
"Alright." The owner said.
Then, a measuring tape flew over automatically, began measuring Kael's height, while the owner returned to the counter to tidy up, having lost his previous enthusiasm.
But Kael didn't mind.
A few minutes later, the tape snapped shut, and he walked to the counter, reaching into his pocket to pay.
Perhaps due to too many items in his pocket, Kael unintentionally pulled out some small items along with the money.
A few silver-white short hairs, and an irregular Ruby.
"Too many things," Kael said, quickly putting them back into his pocket, and asked, "How much?"
The owner blinked, pondered for a moment, then said, "One Galleon."
"That cheap?" Conna blurted out, thinking she must have misheard,
She wasn't unfamiliar with shopping,
One Galleon—forget Madam Malkin's Robes, not even a secondhand shop in Diagon Alley sold uniforms that cheap, especially a thick winter robe.
"Yes, one Galleon." The owner said, "It's the special offer for the shop's thousandth Hogwarts uniform sold."
Kael smiled, placed a Galleon on the counter, "How long will it take?"
"Very soon, about half an hour."
...
"Pretty lucky, huh?" Conna remarked happily as they left the shop, "Exactly the thousandth."
"Maybe not exactly," Kael said thoughtfully.
"Remember the dress robes we discussed earlier?"
"The one for three hundred Galleons?"
"Yes." Kael said, "If my guess is correct, the Unicorn Tail Hair color is off; it's likely mane magically pieced together and disguised as tail hair, and the Fire Crab Ruby is actually a shattered gem re-carved...
"I dare say those materials combined are worth no more than twenty Galleons—not nearly as good as claimed."
"Mane and shattered gems?" Conna asked curiously, "How did you figure that out?"
"After seeing many, you just naturally know." Kael shrugged, then took out the short hairs and Ruby from earlier.
"These wouldn't be what you were talking about..."
"That's right." Kael nodded, "The original materials for the dress robes: mane and shattered gems, it appears the owner recognized them too."
To be precise, Kael considered himself somewhat of a peer with this owner.
He had previously crafted similar items, the most expensive custom maps that also used Unicorn Hair and Fire Crab Ruby for decoration.
Given they were the same materials, there was no way he couldn't recognize them.
However, this owner was far more cunning than he was.
Kael added a thought to himself—a point of pride was that he never sold a map for two hundred Galleons.
After leaving the shop, it was almost ten o'clock, yet Kael didn't rush to Hog's Head Pub; instead, he found a window seat at Three Broomsticks and leisurely sipped a cup of Pumpkin Juice.
Looking out the window, students began appearing in increasing numbers, yet their paths were oddly consistent, clearly heading towards Hog's Head Pub.
The once-deserted path was now bustling with people.
"That looks like more than thirty people." Kael murmured softly.
Conna glanced out the window, "Are we not going over?"
"If you're curious, you can go take a look." Kael said.
"You're not going?" Conna asked.
"No." Kael nodded, "With so many attending, someone is bound to spill the information—Umbridge will eventually find out.
"Given my current status, I'm supposed to oppose Professor Dumbledore; I shouldn't be there."
"Can't they sign a Secrecy Contract?" Conna pondered, "Sign one at the start to keep the news from Umbridge."
"Won't help much," Kael said, "Even if it's not intentional, friends chat... someone might accidentally let it slip, so it can't be kept secret."
"I see," Conna replied, "Could a stricter contract work? Like preventing any discussion whatsoever?"
"It's possible, but not now," Kael said while sipping Pumpkin Juice, "Most people are resistant to such contracts, unwilling to sign without knowing the details.
"So, for real confidentiality, it'll have to wait until they've truly decided."
"That's true," Conna glanced out the window again, "Then I won't go either."