In a secret basement of Malfoy's manor, an eleven or twelve year old boy was guarding a crucible. He held his breath, not daring to relax. The square table was filled with unknown materials and all kinds of utensils. The potion in the crucible was bubbling and emitting an intoxicating fragrance.
Suddenly, the bubbling stopped, and the potion turned from a faint gold to a completely golden yellow. Malfoy knew that he had succeeded.
He was brewing the Elixir of Fortune. This was his first success after many failures.
The basement of Hogsmeade was too simple, and the Elixir of Fortune was one of the most stringent potions in terms of environmental requirements. Sometimes, a speck of dust was enough to make one's efforts go to waste. In the dusty basement, this problem was infinitely magnified. Malfoy, who was near Hogwarts, couldn't fully immerse himself in the process. He might be distracted, wondering if someone would check on him. In short, he couldn't concentrate. Even some of the materials didn't have enough medicinal properties. After all, Hogwarts was a wizard school, not a herb shop. Sometimes, for the safety of the students, he had to find herbs with weak medicinal properties. This was part of the objective reason that led to his previous failures.
But now, it was different. Malfoy had the professional laboratory where Lucius studied black magic. He also had the rare materials that he bought at a high price, and perhaps some experience from his previous failures.
And there was an even more important point.
Malfoy looked at the most conspicuous bottle on the table. More than half of the liquid in the bottle had been used. He couldn't help but show a pained expression. This was the dragon's blood that he had extorted last time.
Dragons were all legendary creatures. They were the symbol of power. There were even more exaggerated legends that said that after bathing in dragon's blood, one would become immortal. But it seemed that the dragons in this world weren't that terrifying. Otherwise, Voldemort wouldn't have needed to make a soul tool. He could have just killed a dragon and bathed in it.
But although the dragons in this world weren't as powerful as people imagined, their blood still played a pivotal role in alchemy and potioneering. In addition to Dumbledore's "The Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood", there were also rare books that wrote, "Dragon's blood can increase the success rate of brewing the Elixir of Fortune and speed up the time of the final product. The powerful vitality and magic contained in it play a great role in brewing the potion."
"This is a life-saving item." While thinking, Malfoy slowly poured the 'Spirit Blessing Potion' into a small bottle without spilling a single drop. Then, he sealed the bottle with a stopper and put it into his pocket.
"Luck is also a part of strength." Although this saying was a little biased, it did make some sense. "When the time comes, the heavens and the earth will work together, but when the time comes, the hero will not be free." There would always be some people, some kind of people, who would fall under the malice of fate.
The Spirit Blessing Potion was not omnipotent. When ordinary people faced Voldemort, even if they drank a hundred bottles, they would not be able to escape death. But then again, if Dumbledore really fought with Voldemort at his peak, and Dumbledore took a small sip before the battle, it was really hard to say. Old Deng, who was already able to suppress Voldemort, and with the addition of luck, might really have an unexpected harvest.
"So, I still have to look at my basic attributes." Malfoy made a calm judgment about the potion. The stronger he was, the more effective the potion would be.
As for the side effects? That was a problem only those who drank it like water would have to consider. Malfoy originally only treated it as a necessary means, so naturally, he would not abuse it.
"It's already halfway through the holiday." Malfoy estimated the time and came to this conclusion. During this holiday, he basically did not go out and had been staying at home. Other than the problem with the Spirit Blessing Potion, he still maintained his progress in learning new knowledge. It was worth mentioning that the quality of the dragon's blood seemed to be good. It had been compressed for a very long time, which was beyond his expectations.
"It's time to contact Pan Xi. After all, the holiday mission has been completed early." He thought to himself. Then, he tidied up the various messy utensils and walked out of the basement. He was about to return to his room to write a letter to Pan Xi when he found that there was an extra letter on the table in his room. He opened the envelope and read it, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
In the letter, Pan Xi wrote that she had followed her parents to travel to France. The following were excerpts from the letter.
"You haven't sent me a letter for dozens of days, so I've decided to abandon you. I think the scenery in France must be very good. Maybe there are many beautiful girls, but you won't be able to see them. Of course, to pity you, I should bring you one or two gifts back. You should be grateful to me." She also drew a grimace symbol on the side. Malfoy could imagine what kind of expression Pan Xi had when she wrote this letter.
"So now I'm all alone?" Malfoy silently mocked himself. Other than teachers and students, not everyone could enjoy the summer vacation. Narcissa and Lucius both had their own jobs. Other than the servants and housekeepers in the manor, in a sense, he was all alone now.
"Then that plan can be brought forward. You have to try to know." Malfoy pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from under the table. The words on it were densely written and somewhat distorted to the point that it was difficult to read. It should have been deliberately done by the author. He then put a check mark and a circle behind each of the two lines of writing, which represented one of the completed plans and the next one that needed to be completed.
"Evil capitalists should experience the life of the proletariat. It's necessary to be reeducated by the poor and middle class peasants." Malfoy began to ridicule himself again. He then read a book in his bedroom for a while. When he looked out the window, he realized that the sky was gradually darkening. The setting sun in the west coated the scenery outside with a layer of faint gold. He even saw a few large owls flapping their wings and flying towards the main house, letting out "Coo Coo" sounds.
It was time for dinner. The family gathered around the table and enjoyed the usual dinner.
"Baby, why do you always have such strange thoughts?" Narcissa shook her head at the dining table. She couldn't understand Malfoy's words.
"My child, if you are willing, I can even arrange for you to go to the Ministry of Magic to gain experience. But those Goblins in Gringotts aren't easy to deal with." Lucius also gave his own suggestion. He took a sip of strong tea and also couldn't understand his son's thoughts.
"I feel that I need to train myself. If I go to the Ministry of Magic, all the people there will be acquaintances of Father. What's the point of training?" Malfoy began to talk nonsense. In short, he said everything that made sense.
Lucius's pale face frowned, but he still said, "Alright, but I'm not familiar with those Goblins. Tomorrow, I'll bring you to Diagon Alley. If it doesn't work, you can either go home or come with me to the Ministry of Magic."
"Our family's baby is too promising." Narcissa seemed to be moved by her son's words. She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of her moist eyes.
During dinner, Lucius explained to Malfoy some things to pay attention to when dealing with Goblins. The several Goblin rebellions in history showed that the relationship between Wizards and Goblins wasn't very good.
The next morning, Malfoy and his son arrived at Diagon Alley through the airship network.
Walking slowly on the cobblestone paved street, Malfoy could feel the hustle and bustle that he hadn't seen in a long time. Some wizards were yelling loudly to attract customers, even though the items in their stalls were obviously fake. For example, it was hard to imagine that one could buy a phoenix egg here, not to mention that the egg had a hole in it. Some Wizards kept haggling for a few copper coins. Their faces were red, and they even raised their wands.
When they passed by Slager's Jiggs Pharmacy, the father and son both covered their noses at the same time. Not only in the pharmacy, but also in front of the door, they could smell a mixture of rotten vegetables and rotten eggs.
Some shops were cold and cheerless, with only a few worn-out brooms covered in dust outside. This was Lihen Bookstore. There were only a few customers flipping through the books on the tables. Even the manager and the staff were a little absent-minded. Of course, in a few days, they would be so busy that their feet wouldn't touch the ground. Of course, it was more likely that it was because of a certain Mr. Peacock's signing event.
After walking for a while, a towering white building appeared in front of them.
"Child, although you're here to train, we Malfoys can't do such lowly manual labor. If you're going to guard the warehouse, I think we can go back now," Lucius said in front of the door.
"Of course, father. Even if I want to guard the warehouse, the Fairies won't let me. Father, do you think I can beat a dragon?" Malfoy answered his question.
"I think so." Lucius nodded, a satisfied smile appearing on his pale face.
The two then stepped onto the marble steps of the bank and walked towards a shining bronze door. Outside the door stood a Fairy guard in scarlet and gold. They bowed as they entered.
They passed through a second door. The door was silver, but it was unknown whether it was plated with silver or the material itself. There were words engraved on it:
"Enter, stranger, but be careful,
What will happen to those who are greedy,
Blindly demanding, reaping without sowing,
Will receive the harshest punishment,
Therefore, if you want to take from our underground vault,
A fortune that never belonged to you,
Thief, you've been warned,
Beware not of treasure, but evil retribution.
After passing through the warning door, the father and son came to a spacious marble hall. About a hundred Fairies sat behind a long counter, jotting down notes in a large ledger. Some used scales to weigh coins, while others used eyeglasses to examine gems.
A Fairy came to the father and son's side. He had a bright head, a long nose, and pointed ears. He said in a shrill voice, "Lucius, it's been a long time. Your family's little guy's ideas are really strange. He actually thought of working here."
"You don't have to worry about that." Lucius's voice deepened.
"Then what can you help us with? Gringotts doesn't accept useless people, although I have a good relationship with your father. " The Fairy stared at Malfoy and then added, "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ring Pull. You can call me Mr. Ring Pull." He said as he adjusted his collar, as if it would make him more elegant.
Malfoy had memorized two lines of a poem. Oh, no, he had memorized a multiplication table.
"This only proves that your calculation ability is not bad. But our staff can still do it with a little more time." Ring Pull tried not to look shocked and nitpicked.
Malfoy walked to a Fairy who was in the middle of accounting. He glanced at the ledger and said, "On the fifth line of this page, the last number seems to be off by a decimal point, Mr. Fairy." The goblin adjusted his spectacles and hurriedly looked in the direction Malfoy had pointed out. He then added a little bit with a quill, looking around as he wrote, to avoid being seen by the people around him.
For a former student of finance, the simple accounting method of the Wizard World was full of flaws in his eyes.
"Lucius, your son is really outstanding. Aren't Wizards a bunch of people who lack logic? It seems that your son is an exception. "Ring Pull praised, obviously acknowledging Malfoy's ability.
"Of course." Lucius's voice was full of pride.
"Next, let me express my welcome to our new staff, Mr. Draco. You should have a fulfilling holiday here." Ring Pull extended his hand, and Malfoy had to bend down to shake his hand.
Thus began a certain someone's working life.