"HP: Too Late, System!"Chapter 355: Wolfsbane Potion Sales Plan
The daily lectures at the Quidditch pitch carried on as usual.
Meanwhile, Remus Lupin sat in Douglas Holmes' office, poring over the thick stack of parchment titled New Wolfsbane Potion Sales Plan.
It was midday when Douglas returned from invigilating exams. He found Lupin eyeing him with a look of deep suspicion.
"Douglas, are you taking advantage of my ignorance of Muggle economics?" Lupin asked, arching an eyebrow.
Douglas paused mid-toss of his noodles, looking genuinely surprised. "You understood it?"
Rolling his eyes, Lupin replied, "A few years back, I accidentally got involved in a Muggle pyramid scheme. Shame I couldn't cough up the three thousand pounds they wanted, nor did I have any relatives or friends to rope in. After a few free meals, my 'mentor' lost interest in me."
Douglas nearly choked on his noodles, coughing as he laughed. "So you've got some experience! That means this plan should be a piece of cake for you, right?"
Lupin flipped through the proposal, tapping one page. "This sales model is clearly designed to make werewolves feel like they're joining some organization, not just buying a potion. As far as I know, Britain has about 120 to 150 werewolves. If you run it this way, you'll quickly attract those hiding elsewhere and end up with a massive network."
Douglas shrugged. "Isn't that a good thing? The werewolves gain a sense of belonging, the Ministry gets an effective management system, potion sales soar—everyone wins."
Lupin fixed him with a serious look. "Have you considered the consequences? What if Fenrir Greyback sneaks in? Or worse, someone uses this network for criminal purposes?"
With a sigh, Douglas set down his noodles and pulled a sheet of parchment from his drawer, handing it over. "That's exactly why we need the Ministry's cooperation. Take a look—this is my design for a werewolf registration and management system."
Lupin read carefully. The parchment detailed a step-by-step process: first, proof of identity and confirmation of werewolf status; then, a mandatory three-month trial of the new Wolfsbane Potion at designated locations, with regular Ministry check-ins; only after passing evaluation would one receive an official work permit.
"So you want to turn them into Ministry auxiliaries?" Lupin said, a little helpless.
"More accurately, I want to make werewolves legitimate citizens of the magical world," Douglas answered earnestly. "Moony, what's life like for werewolves now? Hiding, shunned, denied even basic rights. My plan at least gives them a choice—a chance at legitimacy."
Lupin fell silent for a moment before asking, "But what about Greyback and his lot? They'll never accept this kind of regulation."
"Let the Ministry handle them," Douglas replied, raising an eyebrow. "We'll gather all the moderates together, and what's left will be Greyback's extremists. At that point, it'll be crystal clear who's who."
Seeing that Lupin was about to protest, Douglas cut him off. "I know what worries you, Moony. But think about it—if a group of werewolves gets used to receiving the new Wolfsbane Potion every month, to holding steady jobs and incomes, and someone suddenly pops up saying, 'Come with me, let's go back to being beasts'—do you really think they'd go along with it?"
Lupin blinked, then caught the drift. "You want the werewolves to form a community of shared interests, so they won't be so easily swayed."
"Smart as ever!" Douglas grinned, giving him a thumbs-up. "People are creatures of habit—even werewolves. Once they get used to a decent life, who'd want to go back to hiding in the shadows? Besides, we can cultivate some opinion leaders within the werewolf community to help shape their values."
Lupin turned to the final pages of the plan, his brow furrowing deeper with each one. "Douglas, this 'Werewolf Mutual Aid Society' structure of yours... why does it look like a paramilitary organization?"
"How so?" Douglas feigned innocence. "It's just a normal membership group—president, vice-president, regional leaders, that's standard, isn't it?"
"Standard, my foot!" Lupin jabbed at a line in the document. "'Seven days of group training around the full moon to improve physical fitness and magical proficiency, with internal subsidies for certain members'—this is clearly troop training!"
Douglas chuckled. "The full moon sessions are there to make sure no one misses their potion. As for the training, it's called rehabilitation. Think about it—werewolves have suffered discrimination for years, with psychological trauma and physical deterioration from constant transformations. We're helping them recover, and maybe learn a bit of self-defense so they don't get bullied by other wizards."
"Self-defense?" Lupin shook his head. "You've got 'tactical coordination drills' and 'team combat exercises' written here—this is self-defense?"
"Of course it is!" Douglas replied, perfectly straight-faced. "What if dark wizards attack a werewolf settlement? Or some other dangerous creature shows up? They can't just sit around and wait for disaster. They need to be able to protect themselves."
Just then, the office door burst open and Sirius Black strode in, waving a stack of parchments.
"Doug, I did it!"
He brandished the documents triumphantly. "The Ministry has agreed to purchase the first batch of magical devices. Scrimgeour was stubborn, but in the end, he signed the contract."
Douglas took the contract and scanned it.
Sirius winked at Lupin, then dropped into the chair Lupin had pulled out for him. "You won't believe how big today's haul was, Doug."
He grinned, stretching out. "Scrimgeour applied for the Ministry's procurement funds this morning. The initial order: fifty sets of Tactical Communication Earrings, thirty Badge Shields, and a hundred Stunning Flash Bombs."
Lupin looked astonished. "They placed an order that fast?"
"Of course!" Sirius said, puffing up with pride. "This is about boosting Auror combat power. More importantly, the Ministry probably wants to show off at the Quidditch World Cup."
Douglas nodded. "That proves our products have real market value. But, Sirius, did you give them a discount?"
Sirius gave a sly grin. "Naturally—I offered them a friendly price: two percent off."
Lupin nearly choked on his tea. "Two percent? That's your idea of a discount?"
"Moony, you just don't get it." Sirius waved a hand airily. "It's called scarcity marketing. The higher the price, the more valuable it seems. Besides, I told Scrimgeour this batch is a limited edition. Next time, it'll be mass-produced."
Douglas couldn't help but laugh. "You're getting pretty good at this sales stuff. What about Fudge—how did he react?"
Sirius's expression turned complicated. "He didn't say much, but I can tell his attitude toward us has changed. Last night made him realize Hogwarts is no longer under his total control."
"Looks like he's about to make his move," Douglas mused. "At least it means we've got a seat at the table. That'll help with your plan, Lupin."
He finished reading the contract and smiled. "Not bad—the first order's worth ten thousand Galleons. Last night's demo really did the trick."
"More than just a trick!" Sirius said gleefully. "Fudge sees you in a whole new light now. Especially after the Daily Prophet painted him as a 'brave reformer'—he's practically floating. He'd love to make you the Ministry's pet expert."
Lupin could only shake his head with a wry smile. "So, all of this was part of your plan?"
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