Harry Potter and the Candy Factory

"Crack."

A crisp shattering sound came from between Charlie's lips and teeth.

The thin sugar coating shattered, causing the thick, translucent, pale yellow filling to surge out intensely, filling his entire mouth with the refreshing taste of lemon and a slightly sweet and sour flavor that wasn't cloying.

At the same time, a long-lost voice appeared again in Charlie's mind, along with the transparent template.

[Task Blueprint: Snow Lemon]

[Status changed to: Completed]

[Blueprint Description: Provides the consumer with a certain increase in luck and focus for a short period of time.]

[Current Task Item:

Snow Lemon (Excellent)

Buff Effects

Luck: +2

Focus: +4

Attached with a faint lemon fragrance

Duration: 20 minutes

Effects can be stacked with other states (maximum of three stacked states).]

As expected…

Charlie felt the amazing taste in his mouth and simply leaned his head back against the chair.

He exhaled a long breath and half-closed his eyes, unable to help but think.

Not all candies have effects as ridiculously strong as Sniffwind's Violet… However, even so, as a product rated as Excellent, the value of this Snow Lemon is much higher than other candies… Coupled with its unique taste, it would definitely be a very wise choice as the main product of his factory this season.

Moreover, the so-called Luck +2 and Focus +4… might seem a bit useless to him, but they would definitely play an extraordinary role in some special situations.

For example… potions, or alchemy… Charlie was sure that even Nicolas Flamel, the undisputed alchemy master, wouldn't mind eating one of these while working to ensure the quality of his creations.

"Perhaps I can send some to Severus specifically…"

Suddenly, Charlie's half-closed eyes opened slightly, as if he had thought of something, and he couldn't help but murmur to himself.

"Maybe with the help of this Snow Lemon, he can really stably brew Felix Felicis…"

However, just as he was pondering the feasibility of this idea and feeling more and more that it was a good opportunity, a series of violent "bang, bang, bang" knocks on the door forcibly pulled him back from his thoughts.

Based on years of experience and tacit understanding, Charlie could determine in an instant that the person outside was not Russell, but someone else.

After all, Russell always knocked lightly on the door panel with his knuckles in a rhythmic manner, and even in the most urgent matters, he wouldn't bang on the door of his office so violently.

Charlie even suspected whether the person standing outside the door at this moment had some deep-seated hatred for him, or some deep-seated hatred for his door…

He couldn't help but frown, and his expression showed a hint of dissatisfaction.

But he still subconsciously straightened his posture, moved his head from the back of the chair, and then nodded towards the door, asking in his usual loud voice,

"Who is it?"

Hearing Charlie's voice, the noisy knocking outside the door finally stopped, and then, a greasy voice that Charlie found familiar but also very annoying faintly came in.

"It's me, Mr. Black. I'm Umbridge—Minister Fudge sent me over to bring you a letter, saying that I must personally deliver it to your hands."

When Umbridge said that Fudge had instructed her to personally deliver the letter to Charlie, Charlie could clearly hear the pride in her tone that she didn't even bother to hide, and his disgust grew even stronger.

Out of some kind of mental fastidiousness, let alone letting her step into this office that was so important to him, he wasn't even very willing to meet her in person.

Unfortunately, there was no way around it, after all, the time when he would need Fudge was approaching, and if he really offended him now, the extremely proud Minister for Magic would definitely do something outrageous again.

Helpless, Charlie sighed and made a compromise.

He stood up from his seat, straightened his clothes, and then casually put a few Snow Lemons from the table into his pocket, and then walked straight towards the door.

Standing in front of the door, he deliberately rubbed his cheeks with both hands, and then slowly opened the door to the office.

Outside the door, Umbridge solemnly held a small envelope in her hand, which seemed to be what Fudge had instructed her to bring.

Behind her, Russell looked up at this figure that seemed to be made of stacked fat, wrapped in pink plastic wrap, and his face was full of helplessness.

As Charlie's attentive servant, Russell naturally knew how much his master valued this office. Except for close and needed people, all other visitors would be summoned in the special reception room…

Originally, when Russell saw Umbridge visiting, he naturally led her to the reception room and planned to ask her to wait there for a while before going to notify Charlie.

What he didn't expect was that after Umbridge readily agreed, she took advantage of his inattention and followed him without permission.

After arriving in front of Charlie's office, she hypocritically smiled and told Russell that the matter was urgent and had to be delivered to Charlie's hands as soon as possible… Then, without waiting for him to say anything more, she waved her fat hands and began to bang on the office door.

You should know that even though Russell was knowledgeable, he had never met someone with such a thick skin, and he didn't know what to do for a moment.

After all, the banner that the other party was holding at this moment was the personal commission of the Minister for Magic, and Russell, who knew the importance of the matter, did not dare to be rude to her or ask someone to drag her away…

So he could only watch her disturb Charlie in the office.

Soon, the door opened.

Umbridge's narrowed eyes flashed with a gleam as the door slowly opened.

The smile on her face became even brighter, and she raised her leg to go inside…

However, her foot stopped in mid-air and did not continue to step down.

Because in front of her, Charlie Black's tall figure was like a wall, blocking the way to the office.

And his two hands, turned into iron chains, tightly grasped the door panels on both sides, not giving her the slightest chance to squeeze in…

Umbridge had no choice but to give up for the time being, silently retracted her foot, and then smiled sheepishly.

"Mr. Black! Why did you come to open the door yourself?"

Charlie's demeanor remained unchanged, and the smile on his face did not change either.

"After all, it's a distinguished guest from the Ministry of Magic, and personally welcoming you is the only way to show my respect for Minister Fudge."

Charlie deliberately emphasized the words "Minister Fudge", as if to emphasize whose orders she had come on this time.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

Umbridge's smile widened, seemingly oblivious to Charlie's hidden meaning. Her eyes, gleaming with shrewdness, still peered through the crack, sizing up the interior of the office behind Charlie, as if she was a thief.

“No wonder Minister Fudge has been telling me that Mr. Black is the most remarkable businessman in the entire British wizarding world… uh, wouldn't it be a bit awkward for us to just stand here and chat? Otherwise…”

As she spoke, she extended her plump fingers, tentatively pointing towards the office, her meaning self-evident.

But compared to Russell, Charlie was much more adept at dealing with this kind of unreasonable person.

So, he wasn't surprised by her audacity. Instead, he thoughtfully nodded, took a step forward, walked directly out of the office, and, with a friendly air, put his arm around Umbridge's shoulder, steering her towards the reception room.

“Yes, yes, I was being inconsiderate. Come, let's go to the reception room. I'll have my staff prepare some refreshments for you… and hot tea, yes, you must try the hot tea from Charlie's factory. The taste is indeed very good…”

“But, actually, Mr. Black, I was thinking your office might be…”

Still unwilling to give up, Umbridge struggled slightly and turned her head, her eyes still fixed on the now-closed door of the office, filled with longing.

“Russell!! What's the matter with you? Is this how we treat our distinguished guests?”

Before she could finish speaking, Charlie's scolding interrupted her once again.

“Hurry up… and prepare hot tea for our distinguished guest! Bring it to the reception room in a moment.”

“Oh…” Russell, who had been standing aside, finally reacted, hurriedly nodding and responding loudly,

“Oh, right! I'm sorry, Master! Russell was negligent… Russell will go right away!!”

With that, he scurried off into the distance.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Not long after, when Russell truly entered the reception room, carrying a delicate silver tray with steaming hot tea, he was surprised to find that Umbridge had already vanished.

Only his master remained, casually lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed, leisurely reading the letter that she had been holding just moments before.

“Master, that fat… Mrs. Umbridge? I prepared hot tea for you both.” Russell blinked, unable to resist asking.

“She left.”

Charlie didn't even look up, still engrossed in the letter, replying matter-of-factly.

“Left!?” Russell's expression turned surprised, scratching his head in confusion.

“Of course, she left… What else could she do if she didn't leave? Really wait for you to bring her hot tea?”

Placing the letter on the coffee table in front of him, Charlie chuckled, shaking his head and beckoning to Russell.

Russell naturally understood his master's intentions, quickly and carefully handing him a cup of hot tea from the tray.

Gently sipping his hot tea, the unpleasant mood he had felt due to Umbridge's arrival instantly brightened.

He smacked his lips, unable to help but nod. At least, in this matter, he hadn't lied to her—the hot tea from our Charlie's Factory really is delicious. Since you didn't get to drink it yourself, it's not my fault.

“Then what about this cup, Master?”

Russell asked, glancing at the other cup on the tray.

Charlie didn't think much of it, in a good mood, he casually said,

“You drink it, then just sit here with me for a while.”

Hearing this, Russell nodded, put down the tray, and respectfully held the remaining cup of hot tea with both hands, sitting down opposite Charlie.

“Do you know what Fudge wrote in this letter?”

“Is it… about the matter you mentioned before, regarding the Third Class Order of Merlin?”

Russell took a sip of his hot tea, carefully pondering for a moment before giving his answer.

After all, considering Fudge's conflicted feelings towards his master, Russell couldn't think of anything else that would make him proactively reach out.

Charlie nodded.

“He said that in three days, it will be the day of the Order of Merlin investiture ceremony, and the ceremony will be held in the Ministry of Magic's special hall. Some media and authoritative figures from the wizarding world will also be specially invited to attend… even Headmaster Dumbledore will be there in person to witness this moment, so he hopes I will make the appropriate preparations in advance.”

Upon hearing this, Russell, who had been drinking tea, immediately couldn't sit still.

He jumped off the sofa beneath his bottom, excitedly saying,

“There will be that many people!? Then Master must have the most presentable attire! That awful Fudge, why is he only telling you now, at such an important time he should have specially tailored a suit… Never mind, trust me, Master, I can find the perfect solution!”

“…”

Charlie was silent for a moment, his eyebrows twitching slightly, but in the end, he didn't say anything, choosing to remain silent.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

“Minister Fudge, I have delivered the things you asked me to deliver.”

Not long after, Umbridge returned to Fudge's office, reporting with a flattering expression.

“Hmm, how did it go? … I mean, Charlie's reaction.”

Fudge's expression remained unchanged, only nodding and asking faintly.

“Mr. Black was very pleased!”

Umbridge replied gleefully,

“He even walked to the door of the office to greet me personally!”

“What?”

Hearing this, Fudge's expression softened slightly, then he looked at his subordinate in front of him incredulously.

Obviously, he was well aware of the unwritten rules regarding Charlie's office.

So, his tone suddenly became serious, quickly continuing to ask,

“He personally went to the door of the office to greet you? So… you entered Charlie Black's office?”

Hearing these words, the flattering expression on Umbridge's face became faintly unnatural, the fat on her cheeks trembled, she opened her mouth and hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she shook her head.

“No… but Mr. Black personally escorted me to the reception room and even made me hot tea.”

“…”

Fudge didn't say anything more, only silently glancing at her, seemingly blaming her for getting his hopes up for nothing.

“Alright… Since the letter has been delivered, you can leave first, I have a meeting to attend in a moment.”

“Good… Good, Minister Fudge.”

Although filled with disappointment and regret, Umbridge still nodded, silently retreating from the Minister of Magic's office…

It was so close… so close, and I would have been inside.