When the word "discount" was mentioned, the wizards watching from the sidelines visibly perked up.
Huddled in the corners of the hall, they whispered excitedly to their friends, recalling the balance of their vaults and calculating whether they could afford to take one of these dolls home.
"May I ask if there's a price list?" came a familiar voice from the crowd. Everyone turned to see that it was Bartemius Crouch, the former Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Although Crouch had been stripped of all Ministry positions, he remained the patriarch of the Crouch family, in control of all the wealth of that old pure-blood line.
Clearly, he intended to purchase one of the autonomous combat dolls for his own household.
[The base model of the doll is priced at three thousand Galleons. It comes with patrol and guard modes by default. Additional modes or special functions require separate purchase of upgrade modules.]
The doll not only answered Crouch's question but also courteously pulled a stack of pamphlets from its robe and handed them out to the surrounding wizards.
Even though most had mentally prepared themselves, a collective gasp swept through the hall when they learned that even the basic model cost three thousand Galleons. A regular Ministry employee earned only fifty Galleons a month—it would take five years of saving every coin, without eating or drinking, just to afford one doll.
Fortunately, Smith White accepted installment plans for up to fifty years, so even ordinary Ministry staff could, with some determination, manage to pay for one eventually.
After all, there was no official retirement age at the Ministry of Magic; as long as one wished to work, one could continue indefinitely.
For instance, Griselda Marchbanks of the Wizarding Examinations Authority had personally tested Albus Dumbledore's Transfiguration and Charms mastery during his N.E.W.T.s—her length of service was estimated to be close to a century.
Of course, such wizards were exceptions. Most people preferred to retire once they had saved enough and go on to enjoy their own lives.
Thinking along those lines, many people were already tempted. But the moment they opened the pamphlet, they were stunned—the doll couldn't possibly be purchased for only three thousand Galleons!
That was merely the starting price for the basic model, which came with an embarrassingly limited set of functions.
The incredible "magnetic field magic," the immensely powerful "explosive spell," and the combat-use "Apparition" were all excluded. The basic model only offered patrol and enemy recognition features—even the palm sword and arm shield were additional accessories.
"Bloody hell!" "What a rip-off!" "Merlin's beard!"
Realizing that the base model was basically an empty shell, the wizards couldn't help cursing aloud. Was Smith White completely obsessed with money?
"May I ask, how much would your model cost?" one of the wealthier wizards asked, deciding that he wanted to buy the same version as the one before them.
[The model I am equipped with includes every available mode module and functional accessory listed in the booklet. In total, I carry seven primary modules, seventy-two auxiliary functions, and one advanced intelligence core. Total cost: one hundred thousand Galleons.]
Wealthy wizard: "…"
"Never mind, forget I asked."
And what did one hundred thousand Galleons mean? A small shop in one of the quieter corners of Diagon Alley wouldn't even cost a thousand Galleons per year to rent. In a bad year—say, during a wizarding war—you could outright buy a shop for that amount!
A fully equipped top-grade doll could easily bankrupt an entire wizarding family.
[Currently, during the Christmas season, there is a twenty percent discount. The price is only eighty thousand Galleons, and Professor White guarantees lifetime maintenance for all top-spec dolls.]
The wealthy wizard hesitated—then suddenly felt tempted.
A twenty percent discount meant saving twenty thousand Galleons right away, and with the option of installment payments, it worked out to just 133 Galleons per month…
When he thought about it that way, it didn't seem that expensive—after all, 133 Galleons couldn't even buy three Aurors.
"I'll take two top-spec dolls, paid over fifty years in installments."
Mr. Crouch's sudden declaration shocked everyone around him—including his former Ministry colleagues.
So this was what a pure-blood family looked like? That was too much money!
[Understood. Order generated—]
"Wait a moment!" Mr. Crouch interrupted the doll's voice. "Remove the service module and the household magic package. My family already has house-elves."
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, he had skimmed through the booklet beforehand and seen the "service module" listed on the last page. The spells included were indeed convenient—but why should he spend tens of thousands of Galleons on domestic magic? That would be pure foolishness.
Following Crouch's lead, several other pure-blood patriarchs also placed their orders with the doll. Among them, Lucius Malfoy went even further—ordering four fully equipped dolls without the service mode.
Once he was told that his dolls would be prioritized for delivery, he let out a long breath of satisfaction—then quietly began calculating which old family heirlooms he could sell off to cover the cost.
Lucius's eagerness to purchase the autonomous combat dolls—spending such an enormous sum without hesitation—had a clear reason behind it: recently, the Dark Mark on his arm had begun to show faint signs of returning, and that terrified him.
He knew all too well what he had done back then to escape punishment.
If the Dark Lord truly returned, he would undoubtedly be severely punished. Having four of these dolls at home would at least give him a last line of defense—enough to go down fighting if things turned dire.
If the Dark Lord showed him no mercy…
Lucius steeled his resolve.
The commotion in the Ministry hall finally reached Bones. She hurried to the scene and immediately invited the doll to her office.
During that time, she learned about what had happened earlier—that the doll had completely overpowered two senior Aurors, leaving them no chance to fight back and forcing them to flee in disgrace.
Upon hearing this, she made up her mind to purchase the autonomous combat dolls in bulk.
Determined to make a grand move, Bones decided to order ten dolls at once, also through a fifty-year installment plan. The additional monthly cost would only be a few hundred Galleons—about the same as hiring a few extra employees.
At one point, she even considered dismissing all Aurors entirely to save on the budget, but she eventually gave up on that thought—the consequences would have been far too disastrous.
Soon, orders began flying toward Hogwarts like snowflakes, each accompanied by hefty sums of gold. According to Helga's terms, once the contract was signed, payment would begin immediately—whether or not the customer had yet received the goods.
Of course, not every wizard planned to pay in full—some intended to trade magical items as partial payment. But that was a matter for later.
Helga's previously empty Gringotts account suddenly flooded with gold. In the blink of an eye, she had become a wealthy witch.
Looking at the balance and transaction notice sent by Gringotts, Helga made a decision: Christmas was approaching, wasn't it? She ought to think carefully about what gifts to prepare for the children.
As for those piled-up orders, Helga wasn't in a hurry. She could work overtime with Salazar during the Christmas holidays to handle them together.
Of course, she'd first have to find a way to appease that old snake.
_______
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