When it came to acting, Qin Yu hardly had anything to boast about.
Especially compared to Snape—that master of double lives, the true "Mission: Impossible" agent of Hogwarts. Next to him, Qin Yu was nothing but a novice.
Truth be told, Lucius had harbored some doubts about Qin Yu's story. But Snape's timely entrance had neatly diverted Lucius's attention. Then, with effortless nonchalance, Snape offered to fetch some Veritaserum, as if the matter was beneath him. Lucius, confident in his own discernment, decided not to trouble Snape and chose to accept Qin Yu's account.
—And honestly, Qin Yu was sure that even if Snape actually went to get the Veritaserum, he'd find a way to tamper with it. You could always count on Severus Snape's loyalty.
Of course, the real reason was that, as a scion of an ancient pure-blood family, Mr. Malfoy simply couldn't be bothered to waste his energy quibbling with a child.
And so, Qin Yu passed the test, and Malfoy had no choice but to accept Dumbledore's explanation and leave, disappointed.
…
"Hagrid is the Keeper of Keys and Grounds. Didn't Mr. Malfoy ask him to explain what happened?" Qin Yu asked, puzzled.
Snape's performance had been reassuring, but the whole time, Qin Yu had been worried that Hagrid might suddenly show up.
You could always trust Snape to keep his cool—but you could never trust Hagrid's mouth.
Luckily, Qin Yu hadn't seen a trace of the big man before Malfoy left.
"Because Hagrid happened to be away that day, he didn't need to be questioned… As for the Acromantula venom, I was the one who asked Hagrid to handle it, and I've already explained that to Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore replied. Then, fixing Qin Yu with a gentle gaze, he continued, "So, little Qin Yu, it's only right that you and your friends contribute a portion of your earnings from selling the venom to the school. You should discuss this among yourselves."
Dumbledore had expected the boy to balk at giving up any profits. To his surprise, Qin Yu nodded without hesitation. "No problem! I'll give you my word right now—we'll contribute ten percent of our profits to the school!"
Both Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall looked at him in mild astonishment.
Ten percent was no small sum, especially for a student. For a child, it was downright generous.
But then they saw Qin Yu's sunny grin as he added, "So, Professor Dumbledore, that means when we sell these things, we can advertise them as genuine Hogwarts specialties, right?"
"Of course you can…" Dumbledore began, then paused as realization dawned. He chuckled and shook his head. "You sly little fox."
With his years of wisdom, Dumbledore was no stick-in-the-mud—he understood exactly what Qin Yu was up to.
"Heh, it's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Headmaster!" Qin Yu said, laying it on thick.
"All right, that's settled then. Off you go—get back to class," Dumbledore said, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Will do! I'll just stop by to let Hagrid know I'm all right, then I'll hurry back to the castle for lessons!"
With that, Qin Yu said his goodbyes to Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall and jogged off toward Hagrid's hut.
"Professor Dumbledore, what did he mean just now? Why did he agree so easily to give the school a share of the profits?" Professor McGonagall asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
Her mind was always on her students' education, not business. She couldn't quite figure out what Qin Yu was after.
"Ah, Minerva, you don't see it—he wants to use the school's name to, well, make a little extra. With the Hogwarts brand behind him, he can bump up the price," Dumbledore explained with a twinkle in his eye.
Professor McGonagall sighed, understanding at last. "He really is a resourceful child."
"He's good at spotting opportunity in a crisis, and he knows how to ride the tide. That's a rare talent. There's an old Eastern saying by a sage named Xun: 'A gentleman's nature is not different from others; he is simply good at using external things.' And Qin has just that knack," Dumbledore said, smiling.
"That does make sense…" Professor McGonagall mused, then added, "But, Professor Dumbledore, you seem to be quoting Eastern sages much more often lately. I've heard you do it more than once now."
"Have I?" Dumbledore looked momentarily surprised, then laughed. "Perhaps it's because this child from the East has made me curious about Eastern wisdom. I must say, those ancient philosophers have some truly enlightening ideas. Minerva, I suggest you give them a read sometime—you might find them inspiring."
"All right, I will," Professor McGonagall replied, taking the advice to heart.
The two old friends strolled back to Hogwarts, chatting amiably as they went.
…
Meanwhile, Qin Yu made his way to Hagrid's hut, partly to reassure the gentle giant that he was safe, and partly to discuss the sales of Acromantula venom and other assorted parts.
"Our marketing can be even bolder—we'll label everything as a genuine Hogwarts product. We could even say it's been personally processed by Professor Snape; after all, he's famous in the potions world," Qin Yu outlined his plan.
It was exactly what Dumbledore had guessed—except the headmaster hadn't expected Qin Yu to pull Snape into it as well.
"Eh? Is that really all right? Isn't it against school rules?" Hagrid asked, worried.
"Don't fret—I've already sorted it out with Professor Dumbledore. As long as we give ten percent of the profits to the school, we're allowed to use the Hogwarts trademark openly!" Qin Yu flashed him a bright, reassuring smile.
"Oh, well, in that case, that's grand," Hagrid said, breaking into a grin of his own.
From small-time peddlers to "school-backed enterprise"—the thought gave Hagrid a newfound confidence.
Of course, this was just Qin Yu taking advantage of the situation, and it wouldn't last forever.
But for now, let's make the most of it.
"All right, I'll be off. I just wanted to let you know: if our previous customers want to buy more, let's not rush. We'll wait until we've agreed on a good price before selling," Qin Yu said as he stood.
"Right, I'll do as you say," Hagrid replied, nodding earnestly.
…
Leaving Hagrid's hut, Qin Yu dashed back to the castle.
He made it just in time—arriving in the classroom before Professor Binns drifted out from the blackboard to begin History of Magic. (A note: Professor Binns is a ghost, and often materializes from the blackboard without warning.)
That day, Qin Yu made history—becoming the first first-year (maybe even the first student ever) to voluntarily raise his hand in History of Magic. After delivering a detailed account of "the historical significance and far-reaching impact of medieval Muggle witch burnings," he earned rare praise from Professor Binns, and even won a point for Gryffindor.
When he heard Professor Binns announce the award, Qin Yu was nearly moved to tears.
Merlin's beard! After losing so many points, he'd finally clawed one back!
(Thank you to everyone for your encouragement, gifts, and comments! I can't list every reader ID here, but I truly read each and every message and appreciate all your support. I'll keep working hard—deep bow, curtain call!)
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