The business of selling experimental equipment didn't last long. Just a week later, Dudley received news from Malfoy. "Dudley," he said, his voice unusually serious, "someone reported you for misusing Muggle Artefacts."
It's quite interesting to note that within the Ministry of Magic, there's a peculiar, or one might say, rather dull department called the Department for the Regulation and Control of Muggle Artefacts. Based on the name, many people instinctively assume this department prohibits wizards from using Muggle items. In reality, that's a misunderstanding based on the literal meaning; their primary responsibility is to deal with instances where wizards have improperly enchanted Muggle items. Some wizards, with too much time on their hands, would cast spells on items used by ordinary people and then sell these items back to them. This behavior could lead to many ordinary people getting hurt and severely violates the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Ron's father, Arthur Weasley, works there, specifically confiscating these enchanted items. However, these 'prankster wizards' are ultimately few in number, and most of the time, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Muggle Artefactsis quite idle.
"What? What should we do? Brother D won't get punished, will he?" Hearing the news Malfoy brought, Harry immediately stood up, his face full of worry. Harry was even more concerned about Dudley's affairs than his own.
Hermione calmly put down the book in her hand and said, "Don't worry, Harry. There's no problem at all." In fact, the Ministry of Magic doesn't prohibit any wizard from using Muggle items; it's just that most wizards either can't use them themselves or aren't willing to learn. That's why Muggle items are rarely seen in the wizarding world. These wizards don't attribute the reason to themselves but instinctively believe the Ministry of Magic prohibits the use of Muggle items, shifting the blame onto the Ministry. Over time, this has formed the current custom where wizards subconsciously avoid using Muggle products. In reality, even if you use them, you'll at most be stopped; it's certainly not against the law.
Just as Hermione said, there was no problem.
"Yes, Miss Granger is right. Brother D won't have any trouble," Malfoy said. When Harry heard Malfoy call Dudley 'Brother D', a flicker of displeasure crossed his face, but his attention was quickly diverted. The fight they had before was quite useful; at least their relationship hadn't worsened, though they still occasionally exchanged verbal jabs.
"But it's possible we won't be able to continue selling those experimental equipment," Malfoy continued. However, since someone reported it, the Ministry of Magic would still go through the motions, just without imposing punishment. Furthermore, since Dudley is only a young wizard, there might not even be a verbal warning.
"What? Why?!" Ron exclaimed loudly. He had made a small fortune from selling the equipment and was still in the state of 'I've made money, I've made money, I don't even know how to spend it'. He was planning to use this money to buy things for his home and family, and now they were saying the business was stopping. You should know, before this, let alone Galleons, if Ron could pull out a single Sickle from his pocket, I'd lose.
"Who could be so despicable?" Ron said fiercely. He had only just tasted a little bit of the joy of money, and before he could start enjoying it, it was gone.
"Who else could it be? It must be those stupid Gryffindors." Malfoy spoke almost through his nose: "Besides them, who else would be so bored?" Their method of making money was almost pure profit, so naturally, some people would be envious. No one on the Slytherin side would dare offend Dudley, Ravenclaw wouldn't be that bored, Hufflepuff wouldn't think of it, so it could only be Gryffindor. However, as soon as Malfoy finished speaking, he realized there were three Gryffindors present.
Harry didn't care if it was Gryffindor or not; he only knew someone in this rotten house had messed with his brother, but he didn't know who, so he just sat aside sulking. Hermione's expression was indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with her; she had never gotten along well with the other young wizards in Gryffindor. Only Ron looked a bit awkward; he truly considered himself a member of Gryffindor.
"It's okay, if we can't do it, then we'll stop," Dudley said. "I didn't plan to do it for long anyway." He had only wanted to make a quick wave of money to get through this period. Recently, the content Snape was teaching was getting more and more difficult and profound. Even Dudley had to put in his absolute best effort, as the cost of ingredients was simply too immense.
But I can stop doing this business, but not because I was reported, he thought. I won't give it to you, you can't snatch it. I'll keep this debt in mind, we'll take our time. Anyway, there are still several years left.
As a side note, because almost all the young wizards had switched to using the experimental equipment, the result was that Snape had accelerated his teaching pace. He had finished the first-year curriculum in just a few lessons and was now starting on the second-year Potions content. It's imaginable that the year he was teaching would definitely have the highest pass rate for Potions in the O.W.L. exams. It was a WIN-WIN for both Dudley and Snape.
When Dudley was reselling the experimental equipment, he already had another project in mind: writing novels. Compared to ordinary people, wizards' entertainment activities are truly scarce. Basically, apart from the pitifully small number of board games, there's only Quidditch. Otherwise, they can only read newspapers or books; in short, it's quite dull. This is also why Quidditch matches are exceptionally popular. Dudley planned to start from here; it's well known that entertainment is the easiest way to make money.
Step one: Integrate into the wizarding circle and build his reputation. Novels are the easiest way. As far as Dudley knew, there was a wizard named Gilderoy Lockhart, a famous wizarding novelist. How famous? Almost all adult witches were his fans, and he himself was a holder of the Order of Merlin, Third Class. Although this medal could be obtained through special channels, such as donating a large sum of Galleons to the Ministry of Magic, it was still quite difficult to obtain overall. For this novel, he tentatively titled it 'Dragonlance Chronicles' and had already written a part of it in his spare time. All that was left was to find a suitable wizarding publisher. Let these wizards experience the shock of the D&D worldview.
Since Dudley planned to stop, the others naturally wouldn't say anything; after all, he was the one who obtained the items and came up with the idea. Ron and Malfoy were just doing some promotion and sales. Malfoy himself wasn't short on money, and while Ron was, he was a generous and easily satisfied person; the money in his pocket was already enough for him to 'splurge' for a long time. Only Harry remained seated, muttering incessantly, saying he would definitely find the 'villain' who reported Dudley.
[Chapter Complete]
***
Want more? Check out my Patreon for:
✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories
✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics
✓ Early access content www.patreon.com/meowthtl
💪 Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter!
Thanks for reading and supporting the story!