The Return to Hogwarts

The day after they emerged from the Chamber of Secrets at the end of their second year, Professor Dumbledore had a private conversation with him. When asked why he and Voldemort both spoke Parsley, Professor Dumbledore replied that on the night Voldemort scarred him, Voldemort had inadvertently transferred some of his magic to him.

Therefore, Ron's guess was not without basis.

Sirius noticed the resistance hidden beneath Harry's silence, and after thinking for a moment, he comforted him.

"It's just a possibility, Harry. In fact, it might not be as serious as you think!"

Voldemort suddenly appeared and killed a Muggle, and Harry, who was on Privet Drive, witnessed this horrific scene. Isn't that serious enough?!

Seeing the puzzled looks on the three little ones' faces, Sirius smiled and said...

“When I spoke to Dumbledore about you, Harry, he seemed calm, only slightly surprised, but I didn’t see much worry in his expression, you know, Harry. If Dumbledore isn’t worried about this, then I don’t think you need to be too worried either.”

This is indeed a convincing explanation, although it cannot completely dispel Harry's doubts.

Remus returned just as lunch was beginning, looking much more tired than Sirius, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

They all knew that Remus was there for a job interview, and they could roughly guess what the outcome would be.

Unlike Sirius Black and Harry, Remus's vault wasn't filled with the large sums of Galleons left by his ancestors. In fact, it's uncertain whether Remus even had access to the vault at Gringotts.

Remus had to fend for himself, but who, apart from a wizard like Professor Dumbledore, would risk hiring a werewolf?

"Mother--"

Although a group of people were still gathered in the living room, everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and the atmosphere at the dinner table was somewhat subdued. Ginny glanced at the empty seat opposite her, blinked her eyes, and asked,

"Fred and George are still in the room. Can I bring them some food, or call them down?"

"do not go!"

Mrs. Weasley rarely lost her temper with the Weasleys' youngest daughter, but this time, she shouted without hesitation,

"If they're willing to starve, then let them starve!"

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and unconsciously lowered their heads even further, while Hermione sat upright and ate her food. On the matter of Fred George, her opinion was actually closer to that of Mrs. Weasley.

"I think you're being a bit extreme, Molly—"

The little ones were too afraid to speak. Sirius frowned and said...

“You saw what Fred and George made, and it’s quite interesting. I’ve taught young wizards at Hogwarts, and I know those kids would enjoy these things. Since they both have a talent for this, why don’t you let them give it a try?”

"talent?"

Mrs. Weasley, usually so kind, glared fiercely at Sirius Black.

"This is a waste of time, Sirius. If they were willing to put half of their intelligence into studying, their OWLS exam results would definitely be much better than they are now!"

Chapter 455 Investment

2023-09-02

"OWLS grades don't tell the whole story, and not every junior wizard who goes on to work at the Ministry of Magic after graduation is considered successful, Molly."

Sirius said dismissively,

“If you don’t understand what I mean, think of Amostella. He seemed to be unemployed for a few years after graduation, but look, now he’s almost as famous as Dumbledore.”

In Harry's view, Sirius Black was undoubtedly a good example, but unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley didn't buy it.

"If you're teaching me how to raise children, then, Sirius, I'm clearly more experienced. Bill and Charlie never went astray. And look at Percy, why do so many role models fail to have any effect on them?"

“That’s not fair to Fred and George, Molly—”

Remus also said gently,

"To be honest, I think Sirius is right. At least, what they made was not simple. It's not something you can just grab any little wizard at Hogwarts and make. Before you burned those things, I examined their creations, and every single one of them was extraordinary. I can assure you that even the kids in the Newts class couldn't have made any of them."

"That just proves my point, Remus!"

Mrs. Weasley, still furious, said angrily.

"They're not unintelligent, they're just not doing their job properly! The number of complaint letters we've received from Hogwarts in recent years is more than all the others combined. I just can't figure out what's wrong!"

Harry tried to explain to Fred and George that their products were very popular among the young wizards at school, but Hermione's timely warning look silenced him.

"This stalemate can't go on—"

After lunch, Ginny helped Mrs. Weasley wash the dishes in the kitchen. In the living room, the rest of the people were still whispering about the conflict between Fred, George, and Mrs. Weasley. Perhaps feeling obligated to repay the kindness shown to them over the past few days, Remus frowned slightly as he watched Mrs. Weasley's retreating figure.

"One of them will always have to compromise first."

“It’s impossible to expect Mom to apologize,” Ron said firmly.

Why didn't you let me speak just now, Hermione?

Harry glanced at Hermione, who was unusually silent, and said with some dissatisfaction.

Because I think—

Hermione knew that everyone in the living room sided with Fred and George in this matter, including Sirius Black and Remus, her former professors. However, Hermione took a deep breath and spoke her mind.

"Yes, that's right, Fred and George's joke products are indeed very popular with young wizards, I've seen it too, but you're overlooking the fact that their stuff is all illegal!"

Ron raised an eyebrow, as if to say something, but Hermione, who had already started talking, persisted.

"You've heard the noise Fred and George have been making in the room these days. There are certain dangers in making these things, and they can't guarantee that their products are without side effects, can they? They experiment on themselves, and sometimes they use young wizards as test subjects. Do you think there's no problem with that?"

Most importantly, they've been selling these joke products to students for some time now, but their products haven't received any approval from the Ministry of Magic. If anything goes wrong... and I must say it bluntly, Ron, your parents probably won't have enough Galleons to compensate you!"

Hermione's words always hit the nail on the head, leaving Harry and Ron speechless, and even Sirius was momentarily speechless.

“You’re right, Hermione,” Remus said approvingly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you become an excellent professor or a fine official in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the future."

"Oh, I just—"

Hermione's differing opinions put her under considerable pressure, yet she was exceptionally vulnerable to praise. Hermione's cheeks flushed crimson, and she smiled shyly and reservedly.

"Yes, please share your opinion."

“Staying true to your own opinion is the most valuable quality.” Sirius looked at Hermione with admiration. “Well, I now also think that we do need to give those two unruly little ones some advice.”

"We're going now."

Remus was surprisingly interested in this matter; he stood up from the dining table and invited them to come upstairs together.

When Sirius used magic to unlock the two brothers' room, they expected to see two dejected figures lying on the bed, but the scene before them was completely unexpected.

Fred and George moved the bed and all the furnishings to the wall, carving out a small space in the cramped room. The floor in the middle of the room was covered with a jumble of herbs, dried insects, and ground animal entrails, and Fred and George sat amidst this clutter, munching on bread and muttering to themselves while watching the bubbling solution in the crucible.

"Hey, ladies and gentlemen!"

It took the two brothers several seconds to realize someone had pried open their door. Thinking it would be Mrs. Weasley, they instinctively pulled the jars on the floor behind them. But when they saw it was this group of people, Fred relaxed his shrugged shoulders and said unhappily,

"Can I file a lawsuit against Wizengamo for trespassing?"

"There's no need for that, F."

Sirius stared intently at the solution in the pot, unable to immediately discern whether it was Fred or George speaking, and mumbled something indistinctly.

“You can write a letter to Amosta directly and say that I tore down your door. He is a member of the Wizengamo Tribunal and he will surely put me back in Azkaban for your sake.”

George wasn't in the mood for jokes. He rolled his eyes and then focused his attention on the product that was about to be completed. "We don't have time to entertain our guests right now. We need to hurry up and get production going!"

"Have you still not given up on your career or dreams?"

Remus emerged from behind Sirius, glanced at the solution in the crucible, sniffed the aroma in the air, and then his gaze fell on a cardboard box the twins had placed on the bed. It contained many canary cookies and some firework-like objects.

"You've produced so many again?"

Remus said with a hint of surprise.

"Oh, of course, nothing can stop us from pursuing our dreams, sir, not even the woman in the kitchen who might be doing chores!"

Fred raised his eyebrows smugly.

"These have already been sold. We need to make sure that customers who have paid can receive their goods as soon as possible after the summer vacation. To be honest, we don't welcome outsiders to visit here, as it involves some trade secrets."

Well, at least judging from Fred and George's enthusiasm, the earlier fear that they would be listless was a joke.

A brief silence fell over the room. Hermione frowned, staring at the solidifying solution in the cauldron, finding herself unable to determine what it was despite her knowledge. Harry and Ron, firmly on Fred and George's side, stared intently at the cardboard box on the bed, their faces filled with eager anticipation.

Where should we begin?

Watching the two brothers intently focused, Sirius pondered. He didn't want to dampen the enthusiasm of the two very talented young wizards, but he also had to subtly remind them that their current behavior was indeed inappropriate, or at least, they couldn't control the danger it posed.

A moment of silence fell. Hermione observed everyone's expressions, her pursed lips mirroring Professor McGonagall's. Just as she was about to step forward and express her opinion, Remus, who had been silently pondering, suddenly noticed something. He glanced at Harry without making a sound, and his next words stunned everyone in the room.

"So, Fred and George, I'm here to ask if you accept investment?"

Chapter 456 Remus's Reason

2023-09-03

boom!

A sudden, unexpected explosion rang out, and the resulting gust of wind knocked Fred and George off their feet. The others in the room were also affected, staggering backward, while scattered materials flew everywhere.

Because of Remus's unexpected words, Fred and George, who hadn't been able to control their magic, messed things up again. Fortunately, they learned their lesson and managed to contain the explosion within the room; otherwise, they would have really had to consider living on the streets.

Once everyone had regained their footing, Hermione immediately glared angrily at Harry and Ron, and the two young wizards clearly understood what Hermione meant, and at the same time shrank back.