Vivian reached out and playfully pinched Harry's cheek.
"Make sure you eat well when you get back, and don't be picky. Otherwise, once you enter school, you'll have a hard time."
"Ouch, that's enough!" Harry's voice sounded a bit muffled from the pinch, but he could tell she genuinely cared about him.
"Alright, that's settled. I'll help you pack your things. Next time you come back, if the store isn't too busy, Auntie will even teach you how to play poker!"
She carefully packed all the teaching materials.
"Thanks," Harry replied gratefully.
"By the way, do you know about the 'Garden Symphony' set outside the door? Does getting close to those flower fairies really bring good luck? Like, if you try your luck with the blind box, will you win something big?"
"You mean those shadow lamps? They're all fake," Vivian said, rolling her eyes and waving her hand dismissively. "The only real good luck is if a flower fairy actually notices you. I think that rumor was spread by some troublemaker on purpose."
"Huh? Then why did that flower fairy come over to me and blow on me? I was so far from the cabinet," Harry said, still holding onto a little hope.
He had a feeling the flower fairy was something special.
"Ah, you don't get it," Vivian said, leaning close to Harry and whispering with a smile, "The 'Garden Symphony' set in that cabinet is specially enchanted. You've cast the 'Gold Smelling Curse,' so those flower fairies only come near people who have Galleons on them. She likes you... which means you're rich!"
Harry was stunned by Vivian's words, feeling as if his whole perspective had been turned upside down in an instant.
'Those cute little flower fairies were paying attention to me... just because I had money?'
'Was the adult world really that cold?'
"It's absolutely true," Vivian said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Otherwise, how else do you think we get kids to spend so much money in the store? It's a little secret here, but you have to keep it to yourself."
She lowered her voice and added, "The boss of the store is pretty ruthless, so watch out if you ever meet him!"
Harry sat there, trying to process what she'd told him.
It took a moment before he finally nodded and said, "Oh, I see."
"By the way," Vivian leaned in like she was sharing something special, "here's another little secret. You know those blind boxes? They come in all sorts of bright colors, right? Well, if you pick the least popular color, the one everyone avoids, you're more likely to get something good inside."
"Really? That's a thing?" Harry's eyes lit up with excitement, and he looked at Vivian eagerly.
"Of course! Just remember, the uglier and dirtier the blind box looks, the better your chances. Auntie wouldn't lie to you."
Vivian smiled warmly and ruffled Harry's hair.
Of course, it was only a higher chance, not a guarantee, but Vivian secretly thought Alex's business sense was sharpening fast, he was coming up with all sorts of clever ways to make money.
Thinking back, Alex had spent thousands of Galleons to create these blind boxes at first, and Vivian had teased him for wasting money.
But ever since the blind box business took off, sales were booming, and the initial investment was paid off in just a month.
After hearing all this, Harry couldn't resist trying again.
Slowly, he made his way to the counter where the blind boxes were sold.
Hagrid stood beside him but didn't stop him, chatting casually with Vivian about homework.
When Harry finally pushed through the noisy crowd to the front, he was surprised to see that the shopkeeper behind the counter was... a big dog!
At that moment, the dog was moving around swiftly, helping the little wizards trade the blind boxes they liked.
These boxes were stacked one behind another in the cupboard, some even pressed down on the floor or under the dog's rear.
The square boxes were colorful and almost all different from each other.
Some featured simple geometric shapes or animal designs, while others looked like colorful graffiti patches.
Of course, there were also plain-colored boxes, but even those came in many subtle shades, and Harry noticed that just the reds alone had seven or eight different variations.
"Hey, boy, which one do you want? If you're sure, pick quickly, don't just stand there zoning out in the middle of the aisle!" Fang called out as he caught sight of Harry staring blankly at the boxes.
"Ah! Oh!"
Harry was surprised that the dog not only helped with the work but could also talk.
However, seeing that no one around seemed fazed by this, he pushed his curiosity aside for the moment.
"Uh, I want to buy four blind boxes!" Harry said loudly, pulling a handful of coins from his pocket and stacking them on the counter.
"Alright, that's two Galleons and six Sickles in total. Which ones do you want? Hurry up and tell me!" Fang quickly counted the money and, noticing the growing crowd and some impatient customers, urged Harry to decide soon.
"Um, can I take the one you're sitting on?" Harry asked nervously, pointing to a dark blue box the dog was using as a cushion.
Fang grinned slyly.
"Like someone's trying to steal from me. You think there must be something good under my butt, huh?"
Without hesitation, he pushed the box aside, placing it in front of Harry, then casually grabbed another box to sit on himself.
Did he really just pick a box to sit on?
Ever since talking with Vivian, Harry had a feeling there might be some trick hidden in all this.
In the store, items were usually arranged nicely in the corners, but Fang's reaction didn't match what Harry had expected.
"Then help me with the gray one, the half-black and half-green one, and the khaki one," Harry said, pointing to three blind boxes he found rather ugly.
After a moment of hesitation, Fang picked them up and gave Harry a teasing look.
Harry didn't say anything else; he just nervously grabbed the boxes and quickly ran off.
"Phew, I'm not sure if that fast-talking lady was right, these blind boxes look really ugly," Harry muttered as he spread them out on the ground.
He then took out the first box Fang had hidden, a dark blue one shaped like a stool.
Pulling off the lid eagerly, Harry peered inside, only to find it empty.
The bottom was covered in a swirling black mist that looked like smoke.
Scratching his head in confusion, Harry flipped the box upside down and shook it hard, but nothing happened.
"Empty? That can't be right," he mumbled, still puzzled.
Before Harry could figure things out, a voice beside him spoke up.
"What are you doing? Why isn't there any smoke after you bought the blind box? Is this some kind of new luck ritual?"
Startled, Harry looked up and saw a boy about his age standing there.
The boy had red hair and freckles, his eyes wide with curiosity.
He was holding several blind boxes too, probably just bought and ready to open them.
"Luck ritual?" Harry repeated, confused.
"Yeah, lately it's been popular to chant a spell before opening these boxes, it's supposed to increase your chances of getting something good. I even carried a four-leaf clover once," the boy said, pursing his lips and shrugging.
"I tried it, but honestly, it didn't seem to help much. So, isn't this the latest 'luck ritual' everyone's talking about?"
"Let me give it a try too," the little boy said.
He spread the blind boxes out on the ground just like Harry had and started opening them one by one.
Shaking the box upside down, he reached in and pulled out a bottle of owl soda.
Making a face, he said, "Ugh, just a bottle of owl soda. Looks like your transfer spell isn't working very well."
Without missing a beat, he grabbed another blind box and muttered, "Praise Wilson's Arcane Alchemica!"
Then he stuck his hand in again and pulled out a small handheld cosmetic mirror, holding it up in front of Harry.
Seeing the mirror, the boy's face lit up with excitement.
"Haha, it worked! It's a 'children's mirror'! George was right, mantras really do help."
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Children's mirror? What's that?" he asked, watching the boy pull the object out after chanting the spell.