Dumbledore had considered that Argus would open many shops, but in his mind, given the acolytes' current assets and the resources at hand, it was not feasible.
There were at most five or six stores.
After all, shops in Diagon Alley were very expensive, and the supplies needed to operate a shop could not be found in a short time.
But there were at least twenty or thirty shops in front of him, densely packed together.
Look closely, and you would find shops selling potions and magical creature ingredients—items almost exclusively monopolized by pure-blood families!
This was practically digging up the ancestral graves of the pure-blood families!
He was not asking Dumbledore to help resolve future troubles; he was forcing them to risk their lives against him!
Dumbledore looked at Argus with a complicated expression.
Even with his strength and reputation, he could not help but feel a headache when he saw these shops.
He was indeed the strongest wizard at the time, but that did not mean that these pure-blood families would let him do as he pleased.
Especially when their most fundamental interests were touched!
Seeing Dumbledore's face turn pale and then red, Argus's smile grew even brighter.
"Headmaster, you wouldn't be thinking of backing out, would you?"
"You're the greatest white wizard of this century; you can't possibly be lying to a kid who's just started school!"
Dumbledore opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he hesitated several times before speaking.
With a long sigh, he picked up the parchment and disappeared from Argus's sight.
...
At the opening ceremony.
Arthur Weasley and Mrs. Molly were showing their youngest daughter, Ginny, around the area.
"So many shops opened at the same time, and there were quite a few important people involved."
"I really don't know who would have such a big budget."
Looking at the bustling crowd and the dazzling array of goods around him, Arthur could not help but sigh.
"Look, that's Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement!"
"The person next to her is the UK regional head of Lightwheel!"
"And that one..."
"Fudge is here too!"
Mrs. Molly looked somewhat displeased: "Alright, Arthur, we've finally come out; let's not talk about these unpleasant things. Let's go over there and look at some clothes."
"Ginny will be a young lady next year and will be going to Hogwarts."
We need to prepare some beautiful new clothes for her!
As she spoke, she led Ginny toward the clothing store.
Arthur followed reluctantly.
The highest-ranking member of the Weasley family was Mrs. Molly, who held all the power.
Even he would not dare disobey Madam Molly's orders.
When the group arrived at the clothing store, they were met with a sea of people.
Many women looked at the exquisite clothes in front of them with delight.
Ginny could not help but gasp and reached out her little hand to touch the clothes next to her.
"Mom, these clothes are so pretty!"
"The material feels very comfortable to the touch!"
A young witch who was standing nearby heard Ginny's words and moved closer to the group.
"Oh, sweetheart, you have such good taste!"
"This robe is one of our best-selling items. It's not only beautiful, but it also keeps you warm and stretches."
"Perfect for a pretty girl like you."
Ginny's eyes sparkled.
No matter what, she was just a ten-year-old girl.
They had an innate love and longing for beautiful clothes.
"Are you... are you the store manager? Did you design all these clothes?"
"Although I really want to say yes, I'm sorry, my dear, I'm just a sales assistant in this store. There are many others like me here." The young witch shook her head.
"But you're right about one thing: these clothes were designed by our boss himself."
"Merlin's beard, what a brilliant idea; I really want to meet him someday."
"You've never even met the boss?" Arthur interjected in surprise.
"It's not just me; I don't think anyone here has seen him before, but today is the opening ceremony, so he'll probably come."
"Do you like it, baby? If you do, shall we buy one?" Mrs. Molly noticed Ginny's longing and whispered in her ear.
Ginny hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
The saying "children from poor families mature early" applied equally to the wizarding world.
She really liked the dress, but it was also clear that it was quite expensive.
Given the Weasley family's financial situation, buying this dress would likely put them in a tight spot for quite some time.
"Could you please wrap this up for me? Thank you."
A gentle male voice sounded from behind her, and Ginny turned around abruptly, meeting Argus's sky-blue eyes.
"Mr. Grindelwald, no, this is too much of a burden for you!"
Arthur reacted the fastest and immediately stopped Argus.
Argus smiled and replied, "Just call me Argus."
"George and Fred got along well with me at school, and Percy helped me a lot too, even lending me his notes."
"Ginny is their sister, so naturally she is my sister too."
"It's just a piece of clothing, nothing expensive."
Argus waved his hand, signaling the young witch to wrap up the clothes.
Arthur wanted to say something more, but seeing his daughter's joyful expression, he finally let out a sigh.
Mrs. Molly did not say anything, but she secretly decided that when she got back, she would prepare more yarn and knit a few sweaters for Argus as a return gift before Christmas.
"Ginny, did you forget to say something?"
Arthur gently reminded her.
Ginny's pretty face flushed red, and after glancing at Argus, she shyly lowered her head.
"Thank you, Argus!"
"You're welcome."
Argus reached out to pat Ginny's head, then suddenly realized that he was only a year older than her.
Such actions were a bit too intimate.
His hand froze in mid-air for a moment.
Unexpectedly, Ginny took the initiative to step forward, stood on tiptoe, and rubbed against Argus's hand.
She then burrowed into Mrs. Molly's arms and dared not look up again.
The group walked out of the clothing store and, seeing that the ceremony had already begun, headed toward the stage.
With Argus providing the topics, the four of them chatted happily.
"By the way, Argus, I remember that Hogwarts freshmen aren't allowed to leave the school grounds except during holidays, right?"
Arthur asked the question he had always wanted to ask.
Mrs. Molly realized this as well and looked at Argus with a questioning gaze.
"I had something to do today, so I asked Headmaster Dumbledore for leave in advance."
Argus lied.
Mrs. Molly and the others did not suspect anything.
In their eyes, Argus was a good boy.
He excelled in his studies, was gentle and polite, and possessed the air of pure-blooded nobility, yet lacked their arrogance.
Sometimes Mrs. Molly even thought that if she had another child, she would raise him to be like Argus.
As Fudge and other high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic took to the stage, the emotions in the room gradually reached their peak.
The shop owner's delayed appearance aroused everyone's curiosity.
"This shop owner is really mysterious; he hasn't shown up yet."
"I'm really curious what kind of important person it could be."
Arthur stared at Fudge on the high platform.
"Maybe he's chatting with a friend!"
Arthur smiled slightly, taking it as a child's joke and not taking it seriously.
But the next second, a single sentence from the host on stage made him unable to laugh anymore.
Thank you all for coming!
"Next, please give a warm round of applause to welcome our shop owner, Mr. Argus Grindelwald!"
Follow on p@treon/Ren_Saga for more FREE advance chapters