Chapter 40: Spreading Influence, and Important Customers
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The link is also in the synopsis.
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Katie Bell and her friends were walking in the corridors, walking back to their common room after classes, when they were stopped by a voice,
"Bell!"
The Gryffindor Chaser looked back to see Quinn West wave his hand as he weaved through a crowd of students.
"Yeah, what is it?" asked Katie when the Ravenclaw walked near her.
She saw Quinn put his hand into his bookbag and take out a stack of notebooks. She could see the thin colorful spines of the notebooks with the violet notebook on the top.
"What are these?" she asked as Quinn handed them to her. Katie read the topmost violet notebook, "Charms, year two?"
"Yup," said Quinn, popping the 'P' at the end.
"These are my examination notes for all seven subjects for our year," smiled Quinn.
Katie frowned and uttered, "But, the exams aren't for another couple of months..."
Quinn nodded, replying to the Quidditch athlete, "True, but I am giving these to you because I am going to sell these notes from now on."
He tapped the corner of the notebook, directing the attention of Katie and her friends to the words A.I.D written in the box.
"You can buy them at the A.I.D office for five (5) sickles a subject. No need to buy the entire set."
He looked at Katie's two friends and raised his hand to show an A.I.D card. He shifted his thumb to reveal that he had two cards in his hands, showcasing sleight of hand.
"These are for you ladies," said Quinn as he gave the cards to them. "If you want to buy my notes. You can come to this room. As I said, you don't have to buy the complete set, and you can pool money among a group to buy the entire set and share the notebooks."
He turned back to Katie and spoke, "This set is free. But, I want you to do something for me."
When Katie nodded, Quinn continued, "Spread the word that I am selling these notebooks among the Gryffindor house. I have notes for all subjects of the first and second year. Tell them the cost and say that the price is negotiable."
He placed his hand on top of the notebooks, and when he removed it, there was another black and gold A.I.D card sitting on the top of the notebook.
"They can come to visit at the A.I.D office. I will discuss prices with them there," finished Quinn.
Katie looked at the card sitting on top of the notebook, "How many of these do you carry?"
Quinn waved his empty hand and shook it for another card to suddenly appear in his hand. He held the card with his other hand and revealed a whole deck of contacting cards in his hand, spreading them like a deck of playing cards.
"A lot of them," smirked Quinn, enjoying the look on their faces at the show of simple sleight-of-hand 'magic.'
"Do this for me, will you? Remember, first and second-year subjects only, and the prices are negotiable," said Quinn as he walked backward and waved them goodbye before disappearing among the students.
'Gryffindor seed planted,' thought Quinn.
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- (Scene Break) -
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Megan Jones stood near the Hogwarts kitchen with a dozen sheets of paper in her hands.
"Ms. Jones, as per our agreement, I want you to take these flyers and stick them on the Hufflepuff notice board, entrances of both the girls' and boys' dormitories, and all the places you think these flyers would stick out," said Quinn
Megan Jones was Quinn's very first client. She had come with a simple task of fixing a gift from her mother, Quinn had fixed it without even blinking, and now he was cashing the favor.
A simple task for a small favor that she owed.
She nodded, showing her understanding.
"You just have to place these flyers on the surface, tap them with your wand while saying stick. I have charmed them to stick when you do that. No mess, no fuss," explained Quinn.
"Okay, I will do it," replied Megan.
He waved her goodbye as she ran towards the Hufflepuff common room.
Quinn didn't give anyone in Hufflepuff a free set because he didn't know any first-year and second-year students on a personal level. So he decided to use flyers for marketing the exam notes.
He charmed the flyers with animation charms that really made them stand out and were catchy to look at.
'Heck, they even glow in the dark,' thought Quinn.
He waited for Megan to return to give him a confirmation, and after ten minutes, she returned.
"I did it. I pasted all the flyers on the walls." Her face was a little red as she came running from the Hufflepuff common room.
"Excellent. Thank you, Ms. Jones," replied Quinn, smiling, hoping the flyers would garner some traction in Hufflepuff.
As he was about to leave, Megan suddenly asked, "Will I be able to get your notes later when I start preparing for the exams?"
The exams were still a couple months away, and other than the majority of Ravenclaw students and some studious students in other houses, no one else had started studying. So, Megan didn't want to buy them now and wondered if they would be available later.
Quinn grinned in reply, "You can come to the office on the day of the exams, and you would still get the notes. So, drop by when you are in need."
He waved her goodbye and walked away thinking,
'Hufflepuff is a go.'
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- (Scene Break) -
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Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis sat under the shade of a tree, doing homework in peace. They were sitting on a checkered sheet, with all their things laying comfortably on the cloth.
Tracy was thinking about an answer in her homework when a butterfly caught her attention. The butterfly was no ordinary one, and Tracey tugged on Daphne's clothes, getting her attention.
"What?" asked the blonde in annoyance.
Tracey pointed at the butterfly and exclaimed, "Look! The butterfly changes color with every flap of its wing."
Daphne frowned but followed Tracey's finger and saw a butterfly flapping its way towards the trunk of the tree they were sitting under. She noticed how with every flap, the butterfly's wings would change color.
"You are right," murmured Daphne as she and Tracey turned their heads toward the trunk, following the butterfly as it moved upwards and eventually went behind the trunk of the tree.
The girls waited for the butterfly to reemerge, but it never came back.
"Aww, I should've followed it," whined Tracey. Daphne just shook her, but she too wanted to see the color-changing butterfly.
When they turned back to the front, both noticed something completely unexpected.
"Eep!" shrieked Daphne, shocked at the sudden scare she just felt. While Tracy didn't squeal, she too was shocked and had a hand on her chest, breathing deeply.
The thing that scared them was actually a person. A person both were quite familiar with.
Sitting in front of them was Quinn, sitting there like he had always been with them. He was reading Tracey's homework parchments.
He looked up at Tracey and pointed at the parchment. "Wormwood doesn't have a taproot but a fibrous root. We add wormwood to the Draught of the Living Death because it eliminates the side-effect. You missed it here."
Both of them looked on as Quinn pointed at things in Tracey's homework with a smile.
"... so, we learn that by drying the leaves of the Nettle plant, we can get the desired effect and use it in the potion for a cure for boils. Neat, right?"
He passed the parchment to Tracey, who took it from Quinn and then threw a fresh roll of parchment in his face. Daphne followed and threw her own roll at Quinn.
"Prat!" thundered Tracey, glaring at Quinn. A new look on her usual smiling face.
"Oh, come on. It was an innocent joke. I didn't jump out to scare you and silently sat here helping you out," said Quinn, busting out his best innocent look.
The two girls just gave a deadpanned look to Quinn.
"How did you get here? I didn't see you walking," asked Daphne.
Quinn smiled widely, took out his fake wand, and casted a spell. The girls saw Quinn's other hand disappeared from sight.
"A Disillusionment charm to make myself invisible coupled with that butterfly to distract your attention was enough for me to sneak up on you," answered Quinn, conjuring two of the color-changing butterflies that fluttered around the two girls.
He skipped the details that it wasn't a simple Disillusionment charm but advanced light magic to make himself invisible and erasing the surrounding sound.
"Magic with simple misdirection. Quite simple really," said Quinn.
"So, what brings you here?" asked Tracey, as she wrote everything Quinn had said about her homework. She might have been angry, but she was listening. While Daphne admired the butterfly that landed on her finger.
"Oh, I come bearing gifts for you two," said Quinn as he took out two sets of exam notes and handed one to each of them.
"I present to you my notes for all first-year subjects. They have everything you will need to pass your end-of-year examinations. Explained every topic in easy words with diagrams for explanations. Tips and tricks for practical usage. These notes have everything and will help you greatly for your end-of-year exams," explained Quinn, putting on his best salesman smile.
The two Slytherin girls undid the binding on the notebook set, picked the first notebook from the stack, and started reading.
Quinn patiently waited while the girls read the material in the notes. He looked at the grass on the ground and had a sudden urge to pull on it but abstained from doing it.
After a while, Tracey spoke, "These are amazing. They have so much in so fewer words." She looked at Quinn and asked, "You wrote these?"
Quinn smirked, "Of course, I did. And, I am going to sell these." He tapped on the A.I.D symbol on the cover of the notes.
"For that reason, I am going to need a little help." Quinn took out another set of flyers that he had given to Megan Jones and placed them on the picnic blanket.
"In return for these notes, all I am asking from you two is a little promotion in the Slytherin house. You can post these flyers in the common room, and a little word of mouth would also be helpful."
"I thought these were gifts," asked Daphne.
Quinn chuckled and responded, "You can treat my request as a return gift from you two."
Tracey picked up a flyer and said, "Of course, we will help. These notes are going to be a great help."
"Thank you," smiled Quinn. He also handed them a few A.I.D cards for distribution and explained everything about selling first and second-year subjects and how the prices were negotiable.
'With this, Slytherin is locked in too.'
Quinn was going to do the promotion in Ravenclaw on his own, and he was absolutely sure that Ravenclaw students would be his first customers and most extensive buyers.
'As long I am top, Ravenclaw students will buy whatever I sell.'
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- (Scene Break) -
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It took a couple of days before the orders started pouring in, and as Quinn had expected, the first batch of orders were all from Ravenclaw students.
The first one to visit his office was Terry Boot, first-year Ravenclaw.
"I want to buy a complete set," asked the boy.
"Are you sure? It will cost you two (2) galleons and one (1) sickle. It is a sizeable amount. Can you afford it?" asked Quinn, retrieving a set of notes from below his desk.
Terry took out one galleon and the remaining amount in sickles and set them on the table. He looked pained as he did it.
Quinn faintly smiled and placed one finger on the galleon and one sickle and slid them towards himself.
"I am willing to give you a fifty percent discount if you just owe me a favor in the future. You just have to do some work for me in the future. How about it?" asked Quinn.
Terry, with no hesitation, said, "I will do it!" He picked up the remaining sickles from the table and placed them back into his pocket.
"Good," smiled Quinn. He took out the buyer's sheet and asked, "Sign your name here, tick under the subjects you took, which means tick under all of them, and finally, write the amount you paid; in your case, it is seventeen (17), sickles."
Terry picked up the quill that Quinn offered and excitedly wrote on the buyer's sheet.
Quinn pushed the note set towards Terry and smiled, "Thank you for doing business with me. I hope you will like the notes and come back next year."
After Terry, the damn broke, and all of Ravenclaw's first-year and second-year students came running to the A.I.D office for the exam notes set.
All of them asked for a fifty percent discount, and Quinn gladly gave them the deduction in return for a favor.
'Damn, all of them bought full sets,' thought Quinn, smiling at the buyer's table.
After the Ravenclaw wave came, two people, who Quinn had forgotten about, visited the A.I.D. office for the exam notes.
Quinn was working in the workshop when he heard the door chime and walked to the office with a small glass vial in his hand. He was drying it with a cloth because he didn't want magical residue on the vial from using a drying spell.
"Welcome to A.I.D. How may I help you today," greeted Quinn as he walked into the office with the vial and drying cloth in his hand.
He had his eyes on the vial, and when he looked up, Quinn found two Gryffindor looking at him. Not any two Gryffindor, but Ivy Potter and Hermione Granger.
Quinn was surprised but didn't show a change in expression and calmly wrapped the vial in the drying cloth and set it down on the ledge in the wall behind his desk.
Sitting down on his chair, Quinn gestured both of them to sit down and spoke, "Please take a seat. Make yourselves comfortable."
After the Gryffindor brunette and redhead sat down, Quinn asked, "Now, how may I help you two?"
After the Troll incident, Ivy and Hermione had gotten close. Now hung out together all the time and rarely could be seen away from each other.
So, it wasn't a surprise that they came together.
'But, damn, I forgot about these two because of the Icy vault,' thought Quinn as he waited for them to speak.
Hermione took the lead and questioned, "We are here because we were told that you are selling exam notes for first-year subjects."
Quinn put on his sales smile and answered, "You have heard correctly. I am selling exam notes for all first-year and second-year students." He took out a flyer and asked, "Have you seen these?"
Quinn had given Katie the flyers to make her job a little easier. He also wanted to increase his footprint in the Gryffindor common room. When the time for the exams arrives, those flyers would still be there, and they will attract the eyes of panicking students.
Hermione glanced at the flyer and nodded, "Yes, we have seen them."
"Good, then you are familiar with the deal. I sell the notes for five (5) sickles a subject," explained Quinn.
This was a great opportunity if he could have the Potter princess and the future smartest witch of her age owe him a debt.
'Let's not rush things,' thought Quinn. He didn't outright say anything about the negotiability of the prices.
And it seemed that the Ravenclaw students had dipped their toes in the Hogwarts rumor mill, and Ivy Potter had heard something.
"What about the fifty percent discount that you have been handing out?" asked the redhead Potter.
Quinn internally smiled, but on the outside, he shrugged and responded, "I give a fifty percent discount if you are willing to owe me a favor. In the future, you will have to do something for me to get this discount. As simple as that."
Then he waited, waited for them to either reject the offer or accept it.
The answer came immediately.
"No, thank you. We will pay in full," replied Ivy. She was the child of the Potter family. She knew better than to owe someone a favor for something so minor.
Quinn shrugged. He felt a little disappointed, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"So, are you going to buy the entire set, or do you want individual subjects."
"We want two entire sets," answered Hermione.
Both girls took out two (2) galleons and one (1) sickle each and placed them on the table.
Quinn took out two sets and slid them towards the girls.
Picking up the coins off the table, Quinn said. "Please, sign your names here, tick the subjects and write the amount you gave." Giving them the buyer's sheet.
He picked them coins and placed them in his pockets.
After the two completed the form, Quinn said, "Thank you for doing business with me. If you have any problems that you need to get solved or want to gain any information, just come here, and I will help you out." Placing two A.I.D cards in front of them.
Hermione picked up the card and asked, "Any information, you say?" She looked at Quinn and asked, "Then tell me you are utilizing this room, but do you have permission for using it?"
Quinn smiled and answered, "Two galleons, and I will give you the answer. Five more galleons, and I will give you the proof."
Hermione narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Quinn for a while before shaking her head, "You are asking too much money for that information."
Quinn smiled while shrugging, "The information is always available. Come whenever you think the price is acceptable."
Ivy, who had been silent for a while, looked up and asked, "Do you know who Nicolas Flamel is?"
"Ivy!" hissed Hermione, not wanting to reveal that they had been looking for Nicolas Flamel, or they had been to the third-floor corridor. If news leaked, they would be in deep trouble.
Unknown to Hermione, Quinn had just heard all her fears through Legilimency. He had activated the moment Hermione had asked him the question.
He turned his eyes towards Ivy, but here he could only sense emotions and no thoughts or memories.
'She has decent shields,' thought Quinn. If Quinn wanted to hear her thoughts, he would have to spend some time poking around her shields, finding a crack, and gain access, or he could force through the shields, but Ivy might feel a little pain, and that might tip her off.
Right now, he had business to do.
"Of course, I know about Nicolas Flamel," answered Quinn, watching as both Ivy and Hermione snap their heads towards Quinn.
"You do?" inquired Ivy.
Quinn nodded and showed her seven fingers, "For the price of seven (7) galleons, the information would be yours."
He leaned back in his chair, giving them time to think as he peered into Hermione's mind, getting a feel of her thoughts.
'She is worried but wants to know about Nicolas Flamel. Hmm... oh my, the time she spent in the library looking for Flamel.'
Quinn turned his eyes towards Ivy and could sense that she wanted to proceed with Quinn's offer.
After some whispering, Hermione sighed, and Ivy turned to Quinn and asked, "I will pay, so tell me about Nicolas Flamel."
Quinn stood up from his chair and said, "Excuse me for a couple of minutes. I would return with the information."
He walked into the workshop, and the moment he was out of their sight, a wide grin appeared on his face.
'I got in,' thought Quinn. If Quinn could provide them with the information, then it would create a positive impression and return if they have problems in the future.
Quinn took out a sheet of paper and summoned a fountain pen. Quinn manipulated the fountain pen through magic to write every piece of information he could recall about Nicolas Flamel.
He wrote about his personal history, schooling, achievement of being the only known creator of Philosopher's stone and a grandmaster in Alchemy, and his connection with Albus Dumbledore. He mentioned everything that would point to them that a Philosopher's stone was behind the door on the third-floor corridor.
He took the sheet of paper and slipped it into an A-4 size document envelope.
"Here you go; information on one Nicolas Flamel," said Quinn as he put the envelope in front of the two girls.
Ivy tried to pick up the envelope, but the envelope didn't budge from the table.
"What is this?" demanded Ivy, a frown marring her face.
Quinn took out a galleon from his pocket and said, "Pay up, and you will be able to pick it up."
Ivy huffed while she retrieved five galleons from her pocket and looked at Hermione, "Do you have two? I will return them to you later."
The girls pooled the money and gave it to Quinn, and Quinn tapped his fake wand on the envelope, releasing it from the table.
Ivy swiped the envelope and hurriedly read the papers inside it. Hermione joined her, and both read the contents, their eyes widening as they realized what Fluffy the Cerberus was guarding.
The two girls looked at each other, communicating with each other, and nodded. They stood up and looked at Quinn.
"Thank you for this," said Ivy, Hermione nodding in affirmation.
Quinn stood up from his chair and said, "I am glad that you liked my services. Please do come back if you have other problems."
He followed them to the door, and when they were out, Quinn spoke to them, "Ms. Potter and Ms. Granger, the restricted part of the third-floor corridor, is dangerous. The headmaster wasn't joking when he warned about a painful death."
Both the girls turned back with wide eyes and saw Quinn with a mysterious smile on his face.
"Wha-!" exclaimed Ivy, but the door was shut closed before she could finish.
The two girls stood in shock as they looked at the closed door, not knowing what to feel about the unexpected warming from the person who had given them valuable information that they were looking for months.
On the other side of the door, Quinn was grinning widely.
'Mysterious vibe established! Oh~ that felt good. Yeah, that was perfect,' thought Quinn, feeling great about his performance.
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[
A/N [1]: Aaah~ Man, this chapter was long, really long.
*
A/N [2]: I contemplated if I should add the last part. But, in the end, it went like most of my decisions; I was like... meh, and thought if I have it then it would go in.
]
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Quinn West - MC - Going through a magician phase.
Ivy Potter - Potter princess - Got what she asked for.
Hermione Granger - Smartest Gryffindor - A little miffed because of the time spent searching for Nicolas Flamel.
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