On Saturday morning, Sullivan, accompanied by Lupin, hosted Gemma Farley's parents at the Hogsmeade store to discuss their collaboration.
The preliminary agreement was that the Farley family would receive 100 magic phones from Sullivan each month.
The unit price was set at 40 Galleons, with the condition that they could not be sold within the UK. As for where they sold them or at what price, Sullivan didn't care in the slightest.
The Farleys were extremely satisfied with this arrangement. First, the planned retail price in the UK was 50 Galleons. Even if they sold them at the same price, they would net a profit of 1,000 Galleons a month.
Second, since the product was going overseas, they certainly wouldn't sell it at the base price. Given the product's exceptional performance, it was bound to be a hit. With supply being tight, marking it up was only reasonable.
Finally, their direct-sale stores across four European countries had been lacking a flagship product, which hurt their competitiveness. With the magic phone driving traffic, it would not only boost sales of other goods but also elevate their brand's reputation—killing multiple birds with one stone.
The two parties quickly reached a consensus. Upon learning that Sullivan wanted to take their daughter as an apprentice, the Farleys were even more delighted. They presented Sullivan with a Farley family crest as a token of friendship.
According to them, this crest allowed Sullivan to withdraw up to 1,000 Galleons from any Farley family shop at any time and granted him a permanent 15% discount on all purchases.
After seeing the Farleys off, all preparations for the magic phone sales were finally complete. Sullivan let out a long sigh of relief; he had been incredibly busy these past few days.
For nearly a decade, the Stewart family had handled these matters. Having everything suddenly fall on his shoulders was genuinely exhausting.
So, that afternoon, Sullivan put aside all his work and research. Holding Coal Ball the cat, he and Tonks took a leisurely stroll by the Black Lake, reliving their student days.
Tonks told Sullivan many stories about the funny incidents she caused back in school because she couldn't control her abilities very well.
"What about you? Did you have any fun times back in school? Did you date anyone?" Tonks asked curiously.
Sullivan shook his head vigorously like a rattle-drum. "No. Back then, I thought dating would only slow down my magical studies."
"So I devoted almost all my time to researching alchemy."
Tonks wrinkled her nose. "Didn't that get boring?"
"Not at all. Studying alchemical runes is fascinating. There are infinite permutations and combinations..."
Just as Sullivan was about to launch into a lecture on the wonders of alchemy, he saw the look of resistance on Tonks' face and quickly changed the subject. "But I did have a very good friend—Snape."
"A very good friend? Are you joking? I really can't imagine being good friends with Professor Snape. When I was in school, I didn't even dare look him in the eye," Tonks said, shrinking her neck back a little in residual fear.
"It was because we had common enemies. And back then, Snape was actually kind of cute. He gave himself a nickname: the Half-Blood Prince..."
As they chatted, they sat down on a large rock by the Black Lake. Since Tonks' magic was sealed, Sullivan cast a warming charm around them to keep her from getting cold.
Perhaps because it was so warm inside the charm, or maybe because she was too comfortable, Tonks soon fell asleep with her head on Sullivan's lap.
With the vast lake in front of him, a beautiful girl by his side, and a playful kitten nearby, everything felt peaceful and perfect.
Sullivan took out a wizard's robe and draped it over Tonks. He casually reached for a book to read and suddenly remembered the diary he had gotten from Teemo.
When he first looked at it, Sullivan felt there was something wrong with the diary. The legend of the Hopping Pot and the hidden realm that could erase memories all seemed a bit eerie.
But the timing hadn't been right in front of Teemo, so Sullivan hadn't examined it closely. Now that he had some free time, it was the perfect opportunity to investigate.
This time, Sullivan chose to read it carefully from the beginning. The diary started by recording how the wandmaker, Anthony Jr., accidentally obtained a strange copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard in Knockturn Alley.
This book of fairytales was famous throughout Britain and the entire wizarding world, but the copy Anthony found was different. First of all, it was bound in human skin and pulsated with magical energy.
Anthony guessed it was likely made from wizard skin. The contents were also strange; it contained only one story: The Wizard and the Hopping Pot.
The version of the story was also different from the one in the standard Tales of Beedle the Bard. Curious, Anthony bought the book and took it home.
Back at the wand shop, Anthony tried various methods to uncover any secrets within the book, but found nothing.
Long after he had given up, an accidental mishap caused the book to fall into wand-polishing fluid. Surprisingly, a map appeared inside it. The final destination on the map was clearly marked with a drawing of a Hopping Pot.
So, Anthony gathered a few friends and embarked on an adventure. Sullivan had already read the rest of the story, which meant the key lay with that special copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Thinking back to his search of Anthony's basement, he had scoured almost everywhere but hadn't seen anything resembling a human-skin book. Could it be inside the diary itself?
Sullivan drew his wand and pointed it at the notebook. "Appare Vestigium!"
With his current Level 8 magic control, thousands of silver threads finer than hair erupted from his wand tip, wrapping around the entire notebook. Soon, he discovered its secret.
On the side of the diary's binding, there was a tiny slit. An Undetectable Extension Charm had been cast on this slit, and hidden inside was the copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Sullivan took the book out but didn't rush to read it. Instead, he used his magical tools to examine it. The cover and pages indeed had faint magical patterns and mana flowing through them.
However, judging from the magical circuits, it appeared harmless to humans. It seemed more like a token or proof. Although the diary didn't say so, Sullivan guessed this might be the key to opening the hidden realm.
Additionally, there was a concealment rune on it, which likely hid the map mentioned in the diary.
Confirming it was safe, Sullivan began to read the book. According to the widely circulated version in the wizarding world, The Wizard and the Hopping Pot tells the story of a wizard who owned a Hopping Pot that could brew potions on its own.
The wizard used it to help the townspeople, curing their illnesses and troubles. But when the wizard died of old age, his son refused to help anyone.
Whenever someone asked the son for help, he would refuse, and the Hopping Pot would transfer the suffering of the seeker onto the son.
Eventually, the son had no choice but to follow in his father's footsteps, helping the townspeople and becoming a respected figure.
Sullivan's assessment was that it was a cliché "chicken soup for the soul" story, similar to Spiderman's "with great power comes great responsibility."
But the version in his hand was completely different. It told of a small town with a temple where a Hopping Pot was enshrined.
Villagers would come to the temple every day to make wishes. Some prayed for health, some for happiness, some for love. The Hopping Pot would grant them corresponding potions based on their wishes.
Thus, the townspeople lived happy lives. But one day, a dark wizard arrived, intent on stealing the Hopping Pot.
However, the Hopping Pot's magic was powerful. It not only protected the residents but also drove the dark wizard away.
The dark wizard didn't give up. He discovered that the Hopping Pot's power came from the people's prayers. So, he secretly poisoned the village well, turning all the villagers into Inferi.
Having lost the people's faith, the Hopping Pot's power was greatly diminished. But to stop the dark wizard from doing more evil, it shattered itself to drag the entire town into an alternate dimension, sealing the dark wizard within.
Sullivan put the book away and rubbed his chin in thought. So, the hidden realm was actually the town in that alternate dimension. But who drew the map?
As he pondered, time slipped away. Tonks woke up from her nap. Her eyes were glazed, she looked a bit disoriented, and there was a tiny bit of drool at the corner of her mouth. She looked adorably dazed.
Seeing Tonks like this, Sullivan couldn't resist and kissed her on the forehead. Tonks was startled and practically bounced off the rock.
Her face turned bright red. She felt shy but also sweet. She had taken the initiative to hold Sullivan's hand and admitted to being his girlfriend, but she had never been kissed by a boy before. She was completely flustered.
Sullivan didn't push things any further. After walking Tonks back, he went alone to Snape's quarters.
The guy was the same as always, unable to relax even on the weekend. He was organizing and researching his potion ingredients, paying absolutely no attention to his hair, which was greasy enough to rival an antique walnut polished by hand for years.
"Hey, Snape, can't you just buy yourself a bottle of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion?" Sullivan teased.
"Sleekeazy's? I will never use a product invented by the Potter family!" Snape huffed.
Sullivan really couldn't agree with Snape's stubbornness. He explained, "But the Potters sold the company ages ago!"
"But it was still invented by a Potter!"
"Then can't you invent your own shampoo potion?" Sullivan asked curiously.
Snape glared at him. "Do you think I haven't tried?"
"So you failed?"
"No. In fact, I formulated five similar shampoo potions... but none were as effective as Sleekeazy's," Snape admitted somewhat grudgingly.
Sullivan could understand the feeling. Before he figured out the Marauder's Map, he felt the same way about Sirius. But the fact that Snape refused to wash his hair because of this... Sullivan could only give him a thumbs up for commitment.
Small talk over, Sullivan steered the conversation back to business. "I came to find you for a reason today."
"Heh, then spit it out. Were you expecting me to ask you?" Snape sneered, clearly having guessed as much.
Sullivan calmed himself down to avoid getting angry and handed the diary and the human-skin book to Snape.
Snape didn't ask questions. With the understanding between him and Sullivan, he knew Sullivan wouldn't waste his time with these items if he could explain it directly.
Snape read very carefully, his expression growing increasingly grave. Finally, he looked up and asked, "Where did you get this?"
"That new shopfront I bought. I found the Anthony family's house-elf, Teemo, in the basement. He gave me the diary, and the human-skin book was hidden inside it," Sullivan explained.
Snape looked thoughtful. "The incident mentioned in the Daily Prophet a couple of days ago? So, the reason the Anthony family disappeared from history is because of this book!"
"If I'm not mistaken, the legendary Hopping Pot should be hidden in that realm. What do you think? Interested?" Sullivan asked.
Snape shook his head without hesitation. "Not interested. The Hopping Pot is just a legend, a fairy tale. It doesn't exist."
Sullivan countered immediately, "Is that so? What about the Deathly Hallows? They're also from The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Since the Deathly Hallows are real, why couldn't the Hopping Pot be real?"
Snape was left speechless. Both he and Sullivan knew about the Deathly Hallows and had seen James Potter's Invisibility Cloak with their own eyes. He truly couldn't argue with that logic.
Sullivan pressed his advantage. "It's the legendary Hopping Pot! A magical cauldron that can produce potions out of thin air. As a Potions Master, don't you want to figure out how it works? Don't you want to brew a potion in it yourself?"
Snape remained unmoved, saying coldly, "All gifts of fate come with a price marked in the shadows."
"I refuse to believe that any Hopping Pot can create potions out of thin air. Even if it could, you would have to pay an equal price. Rather than trusting a cauldron with a mind of its own, you're better off improving your own potion-making skills."
That actually made a lot of sense. But as an alchemist, Sullivan really wanted to understand how a cauldron could have its own thoughts and what unknown alchemical techniques were involved.
His research on the server had hit a bottleneck. Aside from the power supply issue, he was stuck on how the server would identify and distribute requests.
It needed a brain. Sullivan felt that the technology behind the Hopping Pot might be the key to solving this problem. Since reasoning wasn't working, he decided to abandon reason. "I don't care. I'm going to see what this Hopping Pot is all about regardless. It's dangerous in there. Are you coming with me or not?"
"No!" Snape refused heartlessly.
"Snape, think carefully. If I never come back, you'll lose your childhood best friend. Are you sure you want to do this?" Sullivan said with dramatic sorrow.
"I'm sure. Go die quickly and stop bothering me!" Snape refused again, just as heartlessly.
"Two thousand Galleons!" Sullivan suddenly changed tack and threw out a number.
Snape hesitated. "Three thousand!"
Sullivan smiled and held out a fist. "Deal! Say it with me: The Serpent and the Eagle..."
Snape covered his face with his hand. He wasn't really after the three thousand Galleons. He just knew that when Sullivan offered money, it meant he was serious about going alone if Snape refused.
Thinking about Anthony's fate, Snape's heart softened in the end. He extended his fist and bumped it against Sullivan's, finishing the sentence just like in the old days: "...Always Triumphant!"