The Return to Hogwarts

Fred plucked the vegetable leaves from his hair and glared angrily at Remus. If Remus hadn't been his former professor, he might have started swearing. After all, Mrs. Weasley had confiscated most of their previous production, and they were short of funds to ensure delivery.

“If this was a prank!” George said angrily, “it was undoubtedly a great success, but there’s only one problem!”

The twins shouted in unison, "You have to compensate me for my losses, Remus!"

"invest?"

Before Remus could speak, Sirius gave him a strange look.

"Are you serious, Remus, that you're going to invest in Fred and George?"

"Why not?" Remus smiled.

Harry, Harry, and his two companions exchanged glances, each knowing what the other was thinking.

Investing is certainly not a problem, but the problem is that investing requires money, and everyone in this house probably knows what Remus's personal financial situation is like!

"So how much money are you planning to sponsor these two little guys?" Sirius and Remus no longer needed to hide anything from each other, and he asked directly.

At this moment, Fred and George seemed to realize that Remus wasn't playing a prank or joking with them, but Remus's own financial situation made them uneasy. They swallowed their anger for the time being and stared suspiciously at the smiling Remus.

“Hmm—” After a slight pause, Remus said in a light voice, “This is business, right? I can’t tell you right away how much money I’m prepared to invest. I need to assess the value of the products you create and their future development, but I estimate it will probably be no less than a thousand Galleons—”

"Did I hear that right?!" Ron jumped up immediately. "How much? No less than a thousand Galleons!"

The two brothers blinked, looking as if they were dreaming.

“A thousand Galleons?” Sirius raised his voice in disbelief, staring at Remus’s face and asking bluntly, “Where did you get so much money, Remus?”

Remus clearly knew his words had confused everyone. He looked at each person individually, finally fixing his gaze on Sirius's face. He pursed his lips and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, speaking of which, well, it's somewhat related to you, Sirius—"

“I don’t recall ever borrowing money from you, Remus,” Sirius said, frowning. “I’m not trying to pry into your finances, Remus, but well, there has to be some explanation, right?”

Remus didn't blame Sirius for meddling. He knew perfectly well that Sirius was just worried that he might do something bad because of his impoverished life.

"This is actually your bounty, Sirius—"

Remus smiled and finally spoke.

"Do you remember, Sirius, when you first escaped from Azkaban, the Ministry of Magic put a bounty on your head in the wizarding world? Back then, nobody knew you were innocent, so, uh... some people were secretly eyeing that hefty reward."

Harry looked at Hermione with confusion, but saw the same confusion in Hermione's expression.

"Some people"—who are they referring to?!

Sirius blinked in confusion at first, but a few seconds later, his face visibly darkened, and he even seemed to be gritting his teeth.

"Okay, okay—"

Sirius stepped forward, glaring fiercely at the smiling Remus, and said in an almost whispered voice...

"So you had this all along... But didn't the Ministry of Magic eventually drop the warrant for my arrest? How could they be so generous?"

“Yes, we all know the Ministry of Magic’s credibility has always been questionable, but the problem is, if they break their promises, you know, Sirius, someone won’t let it go, right?” Remus’s smile faded a little. “And, even though you’re innocent, Peter Fudge still has to pay.”

“Oh, well—” Sirius said ’indignantly,’ “I should get a share, Remus!”

Sirius and Remus never mentioned the person's name, but from their conversation, even Neville should have been able to guess who they were talking about!

Professor Blaine and Remus team up to hunt down Sirius Black, and then, if they succeed, they will share the bounty on Sirius Black's head.

Why does this sound so funny?

Harry, Ron, and George held their breath, their shoulders twitching slightly. But Ron looked at Fred and George, whose eyes were growing brighter, and to describe his gaze as 'faint envy' would be an understatement!

"Alright, Remus, here's your money, you decide for yourself."

Sirius took a step back, crossed his arms, and pouted, but after thinking for a moment, under the disapproving glares of Fred and George, he still asked somewhat curiously,

"But why are you investing in these two little guys? Sure, what they're doing is really interesting, but, Remus, isn't this gold more valuable to you?"

Remus knew that Sirius was subtly reminding him that the wizarding world was still unfriendly to werewolves, and that it was indeed too difficult for him to find a job to support himself. Therefore, he should be more careful in managing his wealth, rather than letting the two little ones squander it.

"As you probably noticed, Sirius, my interview this morning ended in failure again—"

Remus's smile faded, his expression became calm, and even his tone was expressionless.

“Yes, I do have some gold, but I can't put my future on it. It'll run out eventually, won't it? I need to find a job to support myself. I really believe in Fred and George's jokes, and they need support and guidance right now, which is an opportunity for them, honestly.”

Remus took a breath, and his expression finally turned slightly bitter.

"Besides Fred and George, outsiders might not be willing to accept an investment from a werewolf. Oh, I suppose you are willing, aren't you?"

Fred and George exchanged a glance, and the next second, their expressions suddenly turned fanatical, and they jumped up in unison.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I'd love to!"

"Of course, who cares about that, dear Remus!"

Fred grabbed Remus's arm and pulled him to sit on the edge of the bed, staring intently at him.

"You really want... I mean, at least a thousand Galleons?"

Remus had traveled extensively for many years, and in terms of vision and knowledge, Sirius Black, who had wasted more than ten years of his life in Azkaban, could not compare to him. When it came to doing business, he was not an outsider who knew nothing about it.

"An investment of one thousand Galleons is the minimum --"

Remus smiled and said, "Let them hear the accounts."

"This won't work, Fred and George. You need to understand that if you want your products to be popular, you need a shop. Shop rent isn't cheap. And your products—I mean mature, safe, and harmless ones—must be mass-produced in workshops."

“We’ve thought about the shop!” George said excitedly. “We’ve even come up with a name.”

"Weasley's Magical Tricks Studio!"

Fred's eyes gleamed with a pilgrimage-like devotion that had never been seen in Hogwarts classrooms.

"This name won't work, you two—"

With his arms crossed, Sirius Black, watching the spectacle with a mocking laugh,

"If Molly finds out that Remus owns a shop with that name, she'll sue him for copyright infringement."

"Oh, Mom. I forgot about it—"

Fred slapped his forehead in frustration.

If Mrs. Weasley knew that not only had they not restrained themselves, but had instead become even more outrageous, then their mother-son relationship would probably really be over!

Chapter 457 True Purpose

2023-09-03

"We can talk about the store name later—"

Remus changed the subject and began to speak eloquently.

"As I just said, we need a shop and workshop to mass-produce those harmless jokes that can be approved by the Ministry of Magic. My suggestion is to open a shop in Hogsmeade, which is the only village in all of Britain inhabited by wizards. It is also very close to Hogwarts. Most importantly, the rent there is much cheaper than in Diagon Alley, and it is cheaper to hire the villagers than to hire full-time employees."

I will be responsible for the store's operation and the workshop management, and your task is...

Remus spoke with a drawn-out accent,

"--Study hard at Hogwarts."

"Oh, what does that have to do with anything?"

The twins looked resistant when the topic of studying hard came up.

"A shop needs to constantly update its products to maintain its popularity, but sooner or later you'll find that your knowledge base can't support the brilliant ideas that keep popping into your heads, so--"

Remus looked at Fred and George gently.

"You must enrich your minds as much as possible. Since I am in charge of production, you can make good use of this time."

This explanation wasn't so hard to accept, and the twins nodded thoughtfully.

“I also have another suggestion—” After thinking for a moment, Remus continued, “I suggest that we invite Amosta as well.”

“Professor Blaine?” Hermione, who had been listening to the plan with a frown, exclaimed, “Why do we need him to join?”

"You want to exploit... I mean, you want to leverage Amosta's connections with the department, right, Remus?"

Sirius Black was right; he immediately understood Remus's plan.

"That's true--"

Although he was no longer teaching at Hogwarts, Remus was still willing to take this opportunity to teach the young wizards in the room a lesson.

"Doing business is not a simple matter, Fred, George. First, you must obtain the relevant legal qualifications, your products must pass the Ministry of Magic's test, and you must ensure that your competitors do not cause you trouble."

In short, we cannot do without the support of the Ministry of Magic. You are still minors, and Molly cannot know about this for the time being. Therefore, you cannot use Arthur's connections. However, Amosta's senior advisor at the Ministry of Magic, Wizengamo, is a prominent wizard with good personal relationships with some high-ranking officials, including the Minister of Magic. If he is willing to protect our cause, many problems will be easily solved.

After all, they were underage wizards, the oldest wizards in the room. Fred and George were also a little confused, but at least they knew that Professor Blaine could help them solve a lot of troubles.

"Alright, let's think of a way to drag that gentleman into this!"

George slammed his right fist into his left palm.

“I will find an opportunity to talk to Amosta. If he is willing to get involved, then I can really start preparing for the store.”

"Opening a joke shop in Hogsmeade"

Ron stared blankly at Fred and George, feeling like he was dreaming. Just moments ago, when they walked into the room, they were planning to mend their relationship with their mother; how had things turned out like this?