Chapter 349 Main Purpose
Della arrived at Leah's house in the evening, just in time for the start of work for this young cadre who worked day and night. Before, Leah would have arranged for Della to rest, but last time Maggie had just given her a tavern in Diagon Alley, so after enthusiastically taking over the cages of the snake and the bird, Leah invited Della to have a little nightlife.
"Okay, it's a good opportunity to see how business is going." Della suppressed the urge to go to the basement of Leah's villa and immediately start her series of alchemical needs, and accepted her friend's invitation with a smile.
"Your smile," Leah, who had been struggling for a while over whether to make a joke about her boss while holding the motorcycle, finally spoke, "It's becoming more and more difficult to tell whether you want to laugh or not, Della."
"At least she's still smiling," Della said, pulling the corners of her mouth again. "Since she's still smiling, let's take it as a good thing."
Hearing this, Leah paused, lingering on the movement of the helmet pressing down her regrowing brown hair. She stared at Della, instinctively feeling that something was wrong, but Della's flawless smile prevented her from finding fault. In the end, she just laughed at her own overthinking, put on her helmet and called Della up.
If they wanted to go to Diagon Alley, it would actually be fastest for Della to Apparate her there, but Maggie had already told her about Della's physical condition, so they had already excluded Apparate as a means of transportation.
In a flash, the two arrived at the back door of the tavern that Leah didn't care about at the moment. The rumbling motorcycle was parked and gradually died down. Leah lowered her head helplessly and joked to Della, "Want to make a bet? One galleon, I bet there are no customers inside."
"Okay, but I don't have any money on me. Let's keep a record, Leah." Della agreed casually, without any anxiety about the poor business in this industry.
It's not that she doesn't care about money. Della knows that this tavern is not opened for the purpose of making money. What is valuable here is not the drinks but the flexible and recognized account books. It is good enough to do the job well and there is no need to make more demands.
Della's attitude gave Leah a reassurance, and Maggie's attitude also showed that Leah felt a little relieved. At this moment, she was completely satisfied with the "no need to add unnecessary details" strategy she had made early in the morning, and she was even happier that she had almost figured out the magic boss's psychology.
The Piazza family’s criterion is “Why should I employ you if you don’t do better?”, while Riddle’s first priority is “do your job well”.
Leah's bar has never made as much money as Barrios' casino, and this newly-established place is not the family's main source of funding, but there will always be pressure.
If you are hit, you have to be smart. Are you being hit on trivial things of yours?
Is the attack about dissatisfaction with you? Did he embezzle something? Did he do a favor for others? Or is there any sign of him secretly developing important connections?
Well, it is enough to be aware at all times that every knock may be a reason to replace you in the future.
As she opened the door for Della in a gentlemanly manner, Leah briefly thought about the dangerous business of wearing a belt over one's head on the Muggle side, and had to admit that even if she didn't like Maggie Riddle's arrogant and polite elitist style, the wizarding world was less troublesome.
Dim lights and soothing music came through the open door. Leah was not very particular, but her taste in the environment for pairing wine was surprisingly good. This tavern had quite a good atmosphere.
"I've got it for you," Leah looked at the empty seat, snapped her fingers in Della's ear, and led her to the bar, "Come on, I'll make you a drink with juice, sparkling water, or something."
"There are no carbonated drinks in the wizarding world," Della noted, "and wouldn't milder cocktails be more popular with the younger crowd?"
"It's better to do something practical than something so inexpensive," Leah smiled. She cheerfully greeted the house-elf Ice Ball she bought at the bar. "Bring both books here, Ice Ball," she ordered, and then asked, "Where are your sister Snowflake and your sister Frost?"
Ice Ball kicked the drawer at his feet neatly, pushing the menu inside and the menu on the bar over together. He looked at his kind host with sparkling eyes, "There are not many customers today. Snowflake and Frost went to check the warehouse and the account books!"
"Comparing the types and prices, I have to tell you first that your consumption today will be recorded as more than 1000 Galleons. In theory, a batch of wine will be delivered to your manor, and tomorrow I will use the postage from this bill to treat you to a meal," Leah smiled and passed on her job. After she finished speaking, she looked at the ice ball and hissed, "Snowflake and Frost are both working? I remember that someone of you should have a break today, right?"
"We've all had enough rest during the day!" Ice Ball shouted, his eyes as big as tennis balls were visibly moist, and he was grateful that the master noticed their labor.
"Well - you still need to rest..."
Della looked at the two menus amid the casual discussion between the man and the elf. It was obvious that Leah had done some research when she opened this pub. The regular menu on the bar listed common drinks in the wizarding world, such as "Butterbeer". However, the Butterbeer here was twice as expensive as the Three Broomsticks, which was reasonable considering that Diagon Alley had a higher land price due to the large flow of people.
The other book was about cocktails from the Muggle world that Della knew about, including carbonated drinks. Judging from the various new names, the updates were probably quite frequent. What caught Della's attention even more was that there seemed to be some kind of regular symbol behind each type of wine.
"Give it a try. No matter what you order, you won't be able to touch alcohol tonight." Leah came close to Della.
"Actual consumption?" If there is actual consumption in this step, then where should the funds that were originally supposed to go?
"Of course you are not, some people are." Leah's tongue rolled in her mouth, making a frivolous sound, and she raised her eyebrows at Della, "Yours is a demand, while others are just a cradle fee for the watchdog to sleep."
A dual-purpose menu can be very confusing, especially when Leah's identity as a watchdog is confirmed.
A place involving financial transactions between multiple parties cannot indeed demonstrate its function so obviously.
A watchdog that appears to be lining its own pockets also reassures all parties.
Della finally smiled with appreciation, realizing that Leah had seen through Maggie's arrogance and disdain for arguing with these insignificant minions. "It's an eye-opener," she praised, pointing to the menu and choosing a red wine. "You did a great job, Leah."
"And you spent 2800 Galleons here tonight," Leah walked to the bar, holding the ice hockey, and began to perform cocktail mixing, throwing the cocktail shaker like a juggler. "In a world without the Mafia, many ways of doing things and human relations have not yet been determined. It's like a blue ocean for me."
However, for Blue Ocean, simply relying on a fixed commission from fake transactions is not enough to satisfy those who see opportunities.
The bright red liquid was poured into the wine glass. Della stared at the bright red that created a psychedelic color. The numbness of life and the relief for Leah in her eyes were dispersed along with the light that refracted the liquid. She heard Leah's test and smiled more appreciatively, "Don't be impatient. There will be more turbulent times in the future."
Della raised her glass and toasted Leah, congratulating her in advance on the more opportunities she would gain in the chaos.
What she had to do was to give the protection she should give to Leah, who was dragged into the magical world by her. This was also the main purpose of leaving Hogwarts.
Della has to fulfill her responsibilities before leaving everything.