Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

Chapter 365 The Twins Have a New Business

Ignoring George's reaction, the girl patiently asked again, "Fred, do you know if Dylan is free right now? I'd like to talk to him for a bit."

George wasn't angry at all when his name was called wrong; instead, he chuckled.

“Yes, of course there is? I don’t really know either, you should ask him yourself.” George was about to answer for Dylan, but seeing the latter’s look, he immediately shut his mouth.

“I…I don’t know if he’s available right now.” Fred slowly shook his head.

Dylan was right next to them, so why did it seem like no one else could see him?
"Okay." The girl left.

After Fred realized what was happening, he immediately turned to Dylan, his tone full of suspicion: "Dylan, you didn't use a Confusion Charm, did you? Otherwise, why were so many people looking for you before, but suddenly fewer are coming?"

“Yes, I did use a little magic.” Dylan nodded frankly, his tone tinged with helplessness. “It’s just that these past few days have been too troublesome—when I go to the library to look up information, people come up to chat with me and invite me to balls. I’ve already been ‘asked’ to leave the library by Mrs. Pince three times already.”

“You actually got kicked out by Mrs. Pince?” George couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this. “I can imagine how noisy it must have been—Mrs. Pince values ​​the quiet of the library so much, you must have disturbed the other students who were reading.”

It's worth noting that at Hogwarts, Mrs. Pince and Mrs. Pomfrey are quite similar in some ways.

They all possess absolute authority in their respective fields. They might occasionally give students small favors, but if anyone violates the rules, such as making loud noises in the library or causing trouble in the infirmary, they will absolutely follow the rules without making any concessions.

As soon as Dylan stepped out the door after lunch, he was stopped by Harry, who rushed over.

"Dylan, you invited Ginny? How did you manage to get her?" Harry rubbed his hair in frustration, his once neat hair now a mess, just like his current mood.

"There were just too many girls. Yesterday, I just wanted to say something to Hermione, and as soon as I took one step forward, several pairs of eyes were staring at me. I was too scared to move—even dragons only have a few eyes, and they're not this scary!"

He sighed, his tone full of helplessness: "Honestly, if I had to choose, I think dealing with the fire dragon would be easier—at least the fire dragon would sometimes keep an eye on Malfoy and wouldn't focus all its attention on me."

"I'm afraid I can't give you much advice on inviting a dance partner," Dylan said with a light cough, somewhat embarrassed. "Because I spoke to Ginny alone, there was no one else around, and I didn't encounter the situation you described."

"What should I do... I can't really go to the ball alone, can I?" Harry sighed again, looking completely listless.

Just then, a melodious musical instrument sound suddenly rang out.

Then came Fred and George's familiar voices: "Oh, looks like our warriors are in trouble? How about considering us?"

"What are you considering? Inviting you two to be my dance partners?" Harry frowned, his tone full of doubt.

“If this is your wish, we might be willing to grant it.” George deliberately tilted his head slightly, puffed out his cheeks, trying to make his face look red and mimic a shy expression, and said in a drawn-out tone, “I wish…”

"I was just kidding!" Harry interrupted George before he could finish, quickly changing the subject, "What kind of good method are you talking about 'thinking about'? Tell me!"

Upon hearing Harry's question about the method, George and Fred immediately shook the instruments they were holding—two small four-stringed lyre with bright orange-yellow bodies that gleamed in the sunlight.

“Dylan, you must have seen this instrument before, right?” George asked, raising an eyebrow with a hint of pride in his voice, as if he were showing off some treasure.

Dylan's gaze fell on the instrument, and he quickly recognized it: "Is that a ukulele?"

Fred and George nodded simultaneously, with Fred speaking first: "That's right, it's a ukulele! We specially ordered one from a music store in Diagon Alley. Its tone is perfect for creating a romantic atmosphere, making it ideal for inviting someone to dance."

As he spoke, George plucked the strings, and a light and cheerful melody immediately flowed out, breaking the tense atmosphere from before.

“Think about it, Harry,” he explained as he played, “when you find the girl you want to invite, and you no longer have to be nervously speechless alone—at that time, we will be right beside you, accompanying you on the ukulele, using the music to create the atmosphere for you, we will definitely not steal your thunder, but will only make you look more sincere.”

Fred immediately chimed in, his fingers lightly plucking the strings, creating a harmonious duet with George's melody: "That's right! With the support of music, even if you can't say anything nice right away, the atmosphere won't be awkward. And the playing skills of my brother and I will definitely impress the other party."

Just as Harry was starting to get interested, George suddenly stopped playing, raised his left hand, rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, making a "take money" gesture, and said with a hint of slyness, "But, we're providing such great 'assistance service,' so we definitely have to charge a little fee—not much, just two Galleons, consider it a friendly price."

"Can this method really work?" A skeptical voice suddenly came from behind a pillar. Ron stepped out from behind the pillar, frowning as he examined the ukulele in George's hand. "It sounds so unreliable. What if you make a mistake while playing, or the other person finds it strange? Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?"

Upon hearing Ron's words, George immediately dropped his joking expression, deliberately put on a stern face, and said in a "heartbroken" tone, "Ronald! How could you say that? Don't you trust your two incredibly intelligent brothers? We've done countless experiments; this method is absolutely effective!"

“Since Ronald doesn’t believe it, let’s show him right here!” Fred said, then suddenly turned to look at the entrance of the auditorium. His eyes lit up as he saw several girls chatting and laughing, preparing to enter the auditorium. Among them was Angelina Johnson.

He immediately said to George, "George, I've decided to invite Angelina! Get ready!"

"Understood!" George immediately adjusted his posture, placed his fingers on the ukulele strings, and gently plucked them. A melodious and lively tune flowed out, instantly attracting the attention of those around him.

Fred, clutching his ukulele, strode forward and stopped in front of Angelina, blocking her path.

He cleared his throat and, in time with George's music, asked sincerely, "Angelina, would you like to come with me to the Christmas ball?" Hearing this, the girls who were with Angelina couldn't help but laugh and all looked at the two of them.

Angelina herself smiled, but her smile was full of joy, and she said without the slightest hesitation, "Okay, I'm willing."

"Huh?" Not only Harry and Ron exclaimed in surprise when they heard Angelina agree, but even the students who had gathered around to watch the excitement stared wide-eyed at Fred in disbelief. No one had expected that this seemingly unreliable "musical invitation method" would actually succeed!

"Oh! That's wonderful!" Fred immediately straightened his back, his face full of pride. He raised his hand and plucked the strings of his ukulele, playing a few notes along with George's melody. "Then see you at the Christmas ball!"

"See you then!" Angelina's cheeks flushed slightly as she smiled at Fred, then chatted and laughed with the girls she was with as they walked into the auditorium, leaving a group of people still in surprise.

Fred and George exchanged a glance and then, in perfect unison, began playing the ukulele again.

This time the melody was shorter and more cheerful. As the two played, they walked around the boys who were watching the spectacle, as if showing off their "victories".

When George reached Ron, he stopped playing, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a teasing tone, "Dear Ronald, now you see? How does it feel? Want to hire our 'assist service' too? We'll guarantee to find you a dance partner."

Fred immediately chimed in, adding enthusiastically, "We can tailor-make a backing track for you, cheer you on when you make your invitation, and offer all sorts of emotional support to help you relieve your tension!"

“That’s right!” George nodded vigorously, then suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Fred, asking, “Speaking of which, we’ve succeeded a few times using this method before?”

Fred frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "If we only consider cases where we personally invited them, this should be the only one."

However, others have succeeded using our method.

Ron immediately pressed on with curiosity, "What do you mean? Are there other people using your method?"

George explained, "Yesterday, a young man from another school took our advice and went to invite Fleur Delacour with his ukulele."

Ron's eyes widened, and he eagerly pressed, "So he succeeded? Fleur agreed to be with him?"

“No, he failed.” Fred shrugged, then changed the subject with a smile. “But what’s interesting is that another girl from Beauxbatons, after seeing his invitation, went up and asked the young man to be her dance partner. You see, that’s another kind of success, isn’t it?”

Ron raised an eyebrow, his face still full of suspicion: "There's such a thing? You failed to invite your target using your methods, yet you were invited by someone else?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the boys watching the commotion erupted, discussing the matter. Some found it unbelievable, while others were intrigued and wondered if they should try the method themselves.

Seeing this, George gently plucked the strings a few more times to attract everyone's attention, and said in an exaggerated tone, "My friends, this is the magic of music! It can break the ice and bring good luck!"

Harry, who had been standing silently to the side, finally couldn't hold back any longer. Seeing Fred's successful invitation and hearing that others had also been invited because of it, he was truly tempted.

He stepped forward and asked, "How exactly do you plan to charge for your 'assistance service'?"

Fred held up one finger and said "sincerely," "Not much, just a mere three Galleons!"

George then held up three fingers and added, "For just three Galleons, we'll firmly support you with three invitations, providing full accompaniment and guidance each time!"

"We can also offer you advice and help you analyze which girl is more likely to accept your invitation."

"Three? Didn't you just say two?"

"Hey, you're really good at bargaining. Two Galleons it is!" Fred patted Harry on the shoulder, his tone urging him on. "But you'd better hurry and seize the opportunity!"

George nodded in agreement: "That's right! The Christmas ball is just around the corner. If we hesitate any longer, all the good girls will be taken! Then you'll be going to the ball alone."

Fred and George's "Ukulele Companionship Program" has caused quite a stir among the boys at Hogwarts, becoming a "lifeline" for many to ask for dance partners.

Clearly, the two brothers carefully studied the psychology of boys before launching this plan. Nowadays, girls in the castle are always in groups, and if boys want to invite a girl alone, they have to endure the scrutinizing gazes of a group of people as soon as they get close. That pressure is enough to make many people back down.

With Fred and George by their side, the situation was completely different. Their ukulele accompaniment easily eased the awkward atmosphere of the invitation, making the originally tense conversation more relaxed. Their presence also relieved the pressure on the boys when facing a group of girls. More importantly, with the music as a backdrop, the boys' tone was much more natural when they made the invitation, no longer stammering like before.

Even if an invitation fails, it's okay. Fred and George will immediately help analyze the reasons, such as whether the timing of the invitation was wrong or whether the way of speaking needs to be adjusted. They will also give targeted improvement suggestions, which greatly increases the probability of a successful invitation next time.

As the Christmas holidays approach, thanks to the "Ukulele Companionship Program" and the many students who have seen the results and followed suit, more and more students in the castle are successfully forming dance partners.

However, a new problem soon arose: many people found that they didn't know how to dance, even though they had found dance partners. After all, most students were focused on learning magic and had hardly ever been exposed to formal ballroom dance steps, which became a rather tricky problem.

Just as everyone was asking around for ways to learn to dance, a timely announcement appeared on the bulletin boards of the four college common lounges, which read:

(End of this chapter)