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In his view, the eye drops were just a toy, and the function of making the eyes shine was very useless.
"Perhaps," George stroked his chin, looking every bit the shrewd businessman, "if the price is low enough… how about a Sico?"
"Forget it." Morris shook his head. "That's not enough to cover the costs. Let's talk about it after I figure out how to reduce the costs."
"What a pity," Fred said.
Afterwards, Maurice followed the twins for a long tour of Hogmodry.
As darkness approached, the twins returned to Hogwarts through a secret passage, while Maurice went back to the Three Broomsticks.
He intended to ask Mrs. Rosmerta if they offered accommodation, but instead saw several Hogwarts professors in the lobby.
Chapter 76 The Professors' Gathering
Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and a witch whom Morris didn't recognize but seemed vaguely familiar with, probably the professor of one of his elective courses.
Morris didn't want to disturb the professors' gathering, but Professor Flitwick spotted him in the crowd immediately.
"Mr. Black!" Professor Flitwick shouted in a high-pitched voice.
The volume was so loud that guests at several nearby tables looked over curiously.
Morris had no choice but to step forward and greet him, "Good evening, Professor."
He could feel Professor McGonagall scrutinizing him with a stern gaze.
"Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall asked sternly, "what are you doing here? Where is your guardian?"
She knew that Maurice was living in an orphanage, and his appearance in Hogsmeade at this time was clearly unusual.
So Maurice explained how he had taken the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley and then used Floo Powder to get here.
This is not some secret that cannot be told.
Harold, as his guardian, also knew that he had always lived in Diagon Alley.
Incidentally, the caregivers in those orphanages didn't care at all about losing a child—it was common for children in those orphanages to stay out all night.
Professor McGonagall sighed. "You really are a restless fellow, Mr. Black."
"Thank you for the compliment, Professor."
"I'm not praising you," Professor McGonagall said, frowning with concern in her eyes.
She felt that, given Morris's current behavior, he was very likely to become a problem student in the future.
Just like those red-haired twins.
Thankfully, the twins didn't cause too much trouble during the Christmas holidays; the most outrageous thing they did was use magic to manipulate snowballs and chase Professor Quirrell all over the castle.
At that moment, the unfamiliar witch next to him looked up and said, "Are you Maurice Black?"
"Yes, Professor." Morris nodded. "May I ask who you are…?"
"Bastida Babrin," Professor Babrin said with a smile, her voice gentle. "I think you should have seen me before. I teach ancient runes, an elective course that begins in the third year."
Morris replied politely, "I've seen you a few times at lunchtime; you often sit with the other professors. I plan to take your class in my third year; I'm very interested in ancient runes."
Rune is an ancient script imbued with magic, often used in advanced spells and magical items.
However, Morris hasn't studied it in depth yet, since he already has enough to learn right now.
He understood the principle that "you can't bite off more than you can chew."
Professor Babling smiled and her eyes narrowed after hearing this. "You'll enjoy this course. I'm looking forward to seeing how you do."
"Oh, by the way, Professor Flitwick told me that you are incredibly skilled in spells, even capable of dealing with a troll on your own. Is that true?"
Morris turned and glanced at Professor Flitwick, who was sitting in a raised chair.
Professor Flitwick blushed slightly, coughed twice, and said, "Maurice is indeed very outstanding."
Who wouldn't be happy to see their students excel?
Although there might be some exaggeration in the description, it's normal to praise one's own child a bit more after all.
And that's not wrong either. While other students were still trying to make the feather float, Maurice was already able to lift the desk and smash it on his toes!
Oh, it still hurts a little when I think about it.
The casual conversation came to a temporary halt, and Professor McGonagall's expression turned serious again. "So, Mr. Black, where do you plan to go next? Hogsmeade doesn't have any accommodations."
"It's alright," Maurice waved his hand. "At worst, I'll use the Floo Network to get back to Diagon Alley. There's something there—"
"Bang!"
Something exploded.
All eyes turned to the source of the sound.
Thick smoke billowed from the fireplace in the corner, and a couple nearby were caught in the fumes, their faces blackened and looking disheveled.
Morris was somewhat relieved that he hadn't sat in that seat.
Immediately afterwards, a bald man coughed as he crawled out of the fireplace. His clothes were tattered, almost exposing his private parts, making him look like a mole that had crawled out of the chimney.
"No!" Mrs. Rosmerta screamed as she ran forward, "My fireplace!"
The scene immediately descended into chaos.
"There are always some fools who try to make Floo Powder themselves," Professor Bablin sighed, her voice filled with helplessness. "A few Sickles could buy a whole bag of it."
Morris did not respond.
In fact, when he first saw Floo Powder, he was also curious about the composition and principle of the silver powder.
It's important to know that although Floo Powder is very cheap, the daily consumption is extremely high.
If it could be replicated, it would be an enormous fortune.
But what he was more concerned about at the moment was... whether this smoking fireplace was still usable?
The chaos gradually subsided.
Soon after, several male witches rushed in and took the culprit away.
Before leaving, the bald man kept shouting, "I'm almost there! Just a little bit more! Ah, don't pull me back, at least let me change my pants!"
Yeah, you idiot.
Because of the chaos, Ms. Rosmerta gave all the guests a complimentary butterbeer and put up a "Under Repair" sign next to the fireplace.
Morris turned to Professor McGonagall: "Professor, may I return to Hogwarts early?"
Professor McGonagall agreed.
...
That evening, Maurice returned to Hogwarts.
He had successfully obtained the raw materials for the Water of Life and Death and even earned some extra Galleons, so there was no need for him to linger outside.
Lying on his warm bed in the dormitory, listening to the howling wind outside the window, Maurice was planning his next move.
First, the brewing of the Water of Life and Death is necessary, and the advancement rituals for the canned goods and fireworks should ideally be carried out as soon as possible.
Secondly, spell practice cannot be neglected, nor can potion learning be relaxed.
Oh, and there's also the investigation into Grindelwald; to this day, he still knows nothing about Nurmengard.
Information about that prison is scarce, and even if you ask Dumbledore directly, he probably won't tell you...
"Meow--"
A meow interrupted Maurice's thoughts.
He turned his head and found the canned food squatting not far away.
"Oh, it's you."
Looking at his cat, Maurice suddenly realized that he must have forgotten it at the orphanage.
Why are you here?
Never mind, as long as nothing happens, that's good.
Morris stopped investigating, got up, set up the crucible, and prepared to start brewing the Water of Life and Death.
Canned Food sighed softly, then leaped onto Morris's bed.
While at the orphanage, its careless owner accidentally packed it up with a pile of odds and ends while it was sleeping and sent it back to Hogwarts.
Fortunately, the fireworks were discovered in time, allowing them to see the light of day again.
Chapter 77 Strength Test
Hogwarts was unusually quiet during Christmas.
The following afternoon, Maurice found the twins wandering in the courtyard.
"You want to practice combat with us?"
Upon hearing Maurice's request, Fred immediately asked with concern, "Has someone been bullying you?"
"Or did you suffer some kind of shock?" George also cast a questioning glance his way.
Morris weighed the wand in his hand and explained, "I just want to know my true strength."
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