Harry Potter and the Candy Factory

Even if the culprit is dead, the harm has already been done. It won't disappear along with the Blind Pig Bar's sinful end, but will continue to follow Dabu, like a maggot in the bone, forever accompanying him.

After a brief conversation with Dabu, Charlie didn't disturb them further. Leaning against the wall, watching the happy teenagers not far away, he couldn't help but sigh softly.

But soon, Charlie shook his head, took a deep breath, and cheered himself up again.

After all, what's done is done. No matter what, it's impossible to turn back time and return to the beginning.

As the helmsman of the entire factory, he couldn't put all his heart into this matter. Instead of that, he might as well look up and keep moving forward, at least everything is developing in a good direction.

"Let's go, Russell!"

No longer lingering, a glimmer of light flickered in Charlie's eyes.

He tugged at his collar, took one last deep look at Dabu, who was laughing happily not far away, then turned his head straight and walked towards his original destination.

Hearing this, seeing the entanglement and melancholy in Charlie's eyes disappear, replaced by the familiar firmness and confidence, Russell couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief, quickly nodding and following Charlie's pace.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Not long after… …

Dumbledore stood at the gate of Hogwarts, looking at the wooden boxes, each packed neatly and stacked together to form a small mountain, and couldn't help but fall into thought… …

Soon, from behind the pile of wooden boxes, a small elf wearing a Charlie's Chocolate Factory uniform, "swish, swish, swish," dashed out on its short legs.

Standing in front of Dumbledore, a bright smile on its face, it eagerly stretched out its right hand.

Dumbledore smiled, not saying much. He slowly bent down, raised his hand, and shook hands with the elf. They shook hands quite formally.

"Hello! Respected Headmaster Albus Dumbledore!" The little elf spoke, opening its mouth, its slightly high-pitched voice still revealing undisguised excitement. Its face was also slightly flushed, and its huge eyes shone with a strange light… …

"Indeed! Mr. Russell was right! You really are as kind and amiable as the rumors say!"

Hearing its words, Dumbledore's thick, white eyebrows twitched slightly, revealing a hint of surprise.

He subconsciously began to recall the "Russell" mentioned by the elf. Soon, he remembered that the owner of this name had recently corresponded with him, specifically telling him that Charlie was not in the factory at this time, but had gone to the American magical world.

With this thought, the surprise in his eyes turned into understanding. So, he continued to ask softly,

"Thank you for your compliment… … my dear friend. What should I call you?"

Hearing that Dumbledore wanted to know its name, the little elf was even more excited.

It withdrew its hand from Dumbledore's, patted its somewhat sunken chest, and happily introduced itself,

"Dada, Headmaster Dumbledore! My name is Dada! I am a little elf in the research department of the candy factory, and also the main person in charge of the candy vending machine project."

"So… … Dada, are these behind you the candy vending machines that Charlie specially sent over?"

Listening to Dada's words, Dumbledore nodded, straightened up, and turned his gaze back to the pile of boxes, asking his most pressing question with a hint of curiosity.

"That's right! Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Dada replied with some pride, then took a few steps back, nimbly jumped, pulled out a box that wasn't stacked, and skillfully opened the packaging on top, revealing the brand-new machine inside.

Seeing the machine, even Dumbledore's eyes lit up. Beneath his thick beard, it was difficult to hide the change in his expression at this time.

To be honest, at this age, with more than a century of time as Dumbledore's foundation, he had experienced countless stories, big and small. Although his childlike activity and innocence had never changed, there were very few things that could truly arouse his interest. Apart from the faint anticipation in his heart when Charlie sent new candies about to enter his mouth, there were hardly any other changes in his daily life.

But now, looking at this novel thing he had never seen before, Dumbledore had to admit that he seemed to have regained some of his former eagerness.

The square candy vending machine was uniformly painted bright white. The side was printed with the abbreviation and logo of Charlie's Candy.

At the front end, there was a crystal-clear transparent glass. Behind the glass, rows of shelves were divided into small grids, and below the grids, the corresponding candy names were clearly marked.

However, because it had not yet been officially launched, these machines were all empty, and the candies had not yet been placed on them.

Even so, Dumbledore felt that he could imagine what it would be like when it was really full, with each neat grid filled with colorful candies.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore couldn't help but say, "I feel that after so many candy vending machines are placed throughout the school, there could be one left specifically for the headmaster's office."

Of course, Dumbledore's words were just a joke to himself. He didn't really think that a machine solely for his use could be placed in the headmaster's office.

However, to his surprise, after hearing his words, Dada carefully took out a neatly folded list from its pants pocket with a serious expression.

This was what Russell had specifically given it before going to Hogwarts, which listed the locations of these vending machines. Since Charlie had personally decided, the markings above were extremely detailed, even pinpointing certain corners and corridors.

"Wait, Headmaster Dumbledore, let me see," Dada said, quickly unfolding the long list and scanning the position of each machine's corresponding number from top to bottom.

"Machine number one is in the Hufflepuff common room, number two is at the entrance of the dining hall, and number three is in the auditorium."

"Number seven is in the Slytherin common room, and number eight is on the second-floor corridor, next to the potions classroom, under the portrait of that strange old man with the long beard."

"… … … Fifteen, fifteen is… Ah ha! I knew it, I remember there must be this one."

Saying this, Dada's eyes suddenly lit up, and then it happily looked at Dumbledore again, then specially showed the list in its hand to the other party.

"Look, Headmaster Dumbledore! Machine number nine is placed in the headmaster's office, and Mr. Charlie specifically underlined number fifteen in red!"

"What?"

Hearing this, the surprise in Dumbledore's expression was even greater, so he walked forward and carefully took the clearly marked list from Dada's hand. After carefully identifying it, he couldn't help but smile.

Although he wasn't involved in business like Charlie, his innate extraordinary wisdom allowed him to discern that the locations Charlie had designated for these vending machines were all in areas with high foot traffic or a stable customer base. Only the last one was different, placed directly in his office.

Almost without thinking, he understood immediately that Charlie was expressing his care for him as a student.

He didn't decline too much, as Charlie often sent him candies.

Since his student opened a candy factory, he hadn't spent any money on sweets, even having enough to share with other professors each month.

This was just a different way of doing things, and Dumbledore was already used to it.

So, he simply nodded and handed the list back to Dada, saying gently,

"Please express my gratitude to Charlie when you return, and thank him for his kindness."

Taking the list, Dada carefully folded it and put it back in his pocket, then smiled and said,

"Returning… I probably won't be able to for a while."

Then, he turned to the side and pointed to the mountain of boxes behind him.

"Although, after modification, these candy vending machines can use magic instead of the troublesome circuits of the Muggle world, it's the first time they're being deployed, so many areas still need specific adjustments. And the later maintenance will also require frequent attention."

Hearing this, Dumbledore nodded understandingly.

He took out a candy he always carried from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and said with a smile,

"In that case, I'll find some time to write him a letter then."

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Soon, as the first candy vending machine began to be installed at Hogwarts, the young wizards of the entire school were in an uproar. The news spread like wildfire, and in less than half a day, everyone had accurately received the information.

Inside the Hufflepuff common room, a group of Hufflepuff badgers wearing yellow uniforms were gathered together, their eyes shining with anticipation. Each of them pursed their lips, intently watching Dada, who was squatting beside the huge machine, constantly tinkering and debugging.

They waited eagerly for the first machine to be successfully installed.

Occasionally, a few students couldn't restrain their excitement and whispered to each other in the crowd, but they were quickly interrupted by those around them.

They made a shushing gesture to the speakers, afraid that these few words would delay Dada, who was working intently, and cause some unexpected errors.

In this way, an unexpected and peculiar calm was achieved in the originally noisy and lively common room.

Filch leaned against the door connecting the common room to the outside, arms crossed, and curled his lip, clearly expressing his disdain for the ignorant young wizards.

Just thinking about this thing being a product of Charlie Black, that demon, made goosebumps rise all over his body. If Headmaster Dumbledore hadn't told him that the demon wasn't coming this time and asked him to maintain order at the installation site, he would have run far away!

Who knew what Charlie Black would do in this candy vending machine? Perhaps a dead toad, perhaps a pile of dense spiders, or even some kind of special potion that harmed people invisibly?!

Every time he thought about it, he couldn't help but shudder, and his heart seemed to form a subconscious habit of beating "thump, thump, thump" non-stop.

Finally, under Filch's constant fantasies, Dada, who had been tinkering with the machine, took a long breath and took a handkerchief from an unknown student to wipe the sweat from his head. Then, he stood up and faced the young wizards, grinning with a sense of accomplishment.

"Okay!!! Debugging complete!!!"

These words were like a switch, and the young wizards, who didn't know how long they had been waiting, cheered enthusiastically.

"Oohh!!!!!"

Without letting them wait any longer, Dada turned to the side and placed his hand on the button next to the vending machine, which was engraved with "Refill."

With a "Bang!" as his hand slammed down, behind the glass, the originally empty compartments began to shake faintly and shimmer with light. The next moment, all kinds of colorful and dazzling candies filled all the spaces to the brim.

From left to right, classic Charlie's Chocolate, various flavors of fruit gummies, as well as the best-selling Ice Plum Sweet Candy, Peanut Butter Sandwich Brittle, and the newly launched Violet Candy, etc., etc., all came into view.

Even the young wizards who were still cheering couldn't help but be stunned by the scene, which almost encompassed the entire Charlie Candy Factory since its inception.

Even Filch, who had a disdainful expression, couldn't help but widen his eyes, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Now, it belongs to you!" Dada's words fell, and for a moment, all the young wizards fell into turmoil. Compared with the original quietness, it was no exaggeration to say that it was a direct reversal of 180 degrees!!

"Hurry!!! Let me go first!!!"

"I want licorice sticks!!!"

"Chocolate!!!!!"

The students crowded together, almost trying their best, squeezing towards the candy vending machine. Often, the person who had just bought and hadn't had time to count the candy in their hands was "sent" out of the innermost circle by the crowd, and came to the periphery. The scene can be said to be chaotic to an unprecedented state.

It wasn't until this time that Filch, who was still looking at the vending machine in surprise, realized his task. He hurriedly grabbed the students who were still preparing to rush inside, one in each hand, and shouted at the top of his voice,

"Order!!!!! Pay attention to order!!!!! Do you want to write detention reports??"

However, the threat that had been invincible in the past lost its due effect at this moment.

After all, Filch was now facing not individual students, but a group of students. At this time, how could he know who was who? Anyway, it was impossible to punish them all together!

Under this mentality, the Hufflepuff badgers were tightly united. Not only did no one pay attention to Filch, but a few naughty guys took advantage of the chaos to kick him hard on the butt, and then left contentedly, deeply hiding their merit and fame.

Dada, who had barely squeezed out of the "riot", stood in a place that would not be affected, looking at the scene in front of him with some disbelief.

His fists clenched. He seemed to see the scene where this candy vending machine, developed and improved by himself, would be all over the wizarding world in the near future, and couldn't help but murmur with emotion,

"Truly worthy of being Mr. Charlie!!!"