David muttered in frustration, "It was you who told me to go into the warehouse to restock..."
But when Fang shot him a sharp look, he quickly fell silent.
He hurriedly set down the box he was carrying and turned to Dumbledore.
"Sorry, Principal, I wasn't in the store just now, so I didn't see you come in. Please, follow me."
Flustered, David led Dumbledore up the stairs.
Dumbledore couldn't help but smile a little at the sight of the former prefect being scolded by a dog.
"David, haven't you been with the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica Firm for about two years now? Has it really been more than a year? Why are you still doing odd jobs like this?"
David scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Well, it's not quite like that," he explained. "I usually handle operations for the entire British head office. Recently, since Alex and Fang came back from overseas, I've only been helping out at the store when I have free time. Don't mind Fang's fierce attitude, he's just stressed because the store's been super busy. Honestly, if it weren't for his help, I'd be even more overwhelmed here."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"So you usually run such a big shop all by yourself? Aren't you busy?"
From what he knew, the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica had grown into a large business, so it seemed unlikely one person could handle everything, especially managing the store.
David scratched his head with a smirk.
"It's not just me," he explained. "Wimzy, Vivian, and I usually take care of the headquarters. But since Wilson's Arcane Alchemica has become a multinational company, Wimzy handles the overall operations, finance, and production. She doesn't have much time to look after the store anymore."
"As for Vivian," he continued, "she used to be in charge of product design and helped me out with some store work. But after she started the 'International Poker Club' a year ago, she's thrown herself completely into the poker business."
Just then, they passed by the second floor, and David gave Dumbledore a knowing wink before heading upstairs.
Curious, Dumbledore followed his gaze and peeked inside.
The second floor, which had once been a living room, was completely transformed.
Although smaller than the first floor, the space was still quite large.
The room was packed with poker tables, nearly a hundred wizards crowded around, heads bent over their tiles.
The air buzzed with shouts, cheers, and occasional frowns, an energetic and lively scene.
At one table, a player had slapped down a big card, sending poker tiles flying into the air with a burst of dazzling fireworks.
Nearby, onlookers turned their heads or stood up to offer congratulations.
Amid the noise, Dumbledore spotted Vivian, her curly hair bouncing as she laughed freely.
Thanks to soundproofing magic, he couldn't hear much, but the lively atmosphere was unmistakable.
Dumbledore turned to David, trying to hide a smile.
"Well, I didn't expect you to have a secret poker den on the second floor."
David chuckled.
"Told you, Headmaster, it's more than just a shop."
David shrugged helplessly and said, "Thanks to Vivian's efforts over the past few years, poker has really caught on in various wizarding communities. Our magical poker tables and tiles are selling like hotcakes.
Because of Vivian's constant requests, Alex finally agreed to convert the second floor into a poker room."
He sighed and continued, "Now, every day when Vivian comes to work, she organizes card games up there. She even pretends it's some kind of company promotion.
I've heard she's planning a poker tournament that will cover the whole UK. And she's got the nerve to ask Alex to apply for extra funding as a bonus."
Dumbledore chuckled, clearly amused by Vivian's antics.
"And Alex agreed to that? Letting Vivian's club take over the entire second floor? That sounds like a big loss for you."
"Of course not," David replied, pointing to the metal gate. "You see that soundproof magic he had installed at the entrance? That's because he thought the noise was too much. But Vivian found a way around it. Even though playing poker is free, the daily sales from drinks are quite impressive. She's using that money to fund the games herself. I wouldn't be surprised if we see something about it in the papers in a few days."
Dumbledore laughed again, thinking how odd it was that the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica firm, which should be a serious multinational company, had this sort of quirky side to it.
As they chatted, they reached the third floor, which had just been renovated.
The old bedrooms were transformed into one large office, four smaller offices, and a shared living room.
The biggest office belonged to Alex, while the others were assigned to Wimzy, Vivian, and Fang respectively.
Yes, Fang had his own office too.
Besides David, these people made up the senior management team of Wilson's Arcane Alchemica Company.
At that moment, Shalltear, who was sitting at the secretary desk outside Alex's office, stood up as soon as she saw the two visitors.
With a professional smile, she greeted, "Hello, Principal Dumbledore. Are you here to see your lord?"
"That's right," Dumbledore replied. "I wanted to talk to Alex about something, and I heard he was still seeing other guests. Do you want me to wait?"
"No need," Shalltear replied with a caring smile, leading Dumbledore inside. "The other two visitors just arrived as well, and you should know them. I also have a few letters to report to your lord."
Since it was Dumbledore's first time visiting Alex's office, he was taken aback when he stepped inside.
The room was called an office, but it looked more like a medieval aristocrat's armory.
A row of metal armors stood side by side, some full-body, some half, and the walls, tables, and cabinets were covered with various melee weapons: axes, longswords, broadswords, wands, and shields.
The decorations around the room spoke of wealth and power.
Beautifully crafted magical portraits and murals adorned the walls, and the furniture, tables, chairs, sofas, tapestries, was made from high-quality materials and embellished with precious metals.
In a display cabinet, there were numerous finished alchemical items, some familiar to Dumbledore, others completely mysterious.
And the carpet beneath their feet? It looked like it was made from the hide of a Mooncalf.
Dumbledore glanced down, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
It was obvious just how rich Alex was.
On the sofa in the office's living room sat three people: Alex, who hadn't changed much over the years; Bagnold, the retired former Minister of Magic; and the current Minister, Fudge.
"Albus, I didn't expect you today, what a surprise," Bagnold said, smiling warmly at Dumbledore.
"Millicent, I didn't expect to see you here," Dumbledore replied with a smile, nodding at her before turning to the two men. "Good day, gentlemen."