The Return to Hogwarts

"You're trying to steal business from Joko's joke shop."

“Ah, yes, that store is indeed a strong competitor!” Fred nodded. “But—”

"We'll beat him to a pulp sooner or later!"

George added.

"This sounds really interesting--"

Harry grinned and said, "If I wanted to invest in you, would you be willing to accept?"

"No, Harry—"

The voice of refusal didn't come from Fred and George, but from Remus, who said very seriously,

“I know James and Lily have deposited some gold for you at Gringotts, but that money is currently only to ensure you graduate from Hogwarts smoothly. I don’t want you to use that money for anything else before you come of age.”

"But Fred and George are also minors, yet you're willing to help them!"

Harry said defiantly.

"Hey, don't ruin our business, Harry!"

Fearing Remus might change his mind, George quickly declined Harry's offer. His eyes darted around, and then George gave Remus a shrewd smile.

"So, Remus, we're partners now, right? Perhaps we should discuss our respective shares?"

Sirius Black, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were all kicked out of the room because the twins believed that what they were about to discuss was a core business secret that outsiders had no right to know.

"I'm going to tell Mom!"

In the hallway outside the door, Ron was shouting angrily.

"Trade secrets. Oh, who would want to know that? If I wanted, I could make their plans fall through right now."

Sirius smiled silently as he watched Ron's indignant expression, while Harry sulked over Remus's interference in his use of his wealth.

“I advise you not to do that, Ron--”

Hermione wholeheartedly agreed with Remus's suggestion that Fred and George stop secretly engaging in production at Hogwarts and instead spend more time accumulating knowledge. However, she still felt that Remus shouldn't have dragged Fred and George, who were still students, into business.

Even knowing Ron was just saying it in anger, Hermione still gave him a rational warning.

"Unless you want to become complete enemies with Fred and George, are you willing to see that happen?"

Harry and Ron went out to play Quidditch in the open field again, which was the best way to cheer them up, while Hermione went back to Ginny's room. It was her tradition to memorize all the textbooks for the next year before school started.

Sirius sat in the yard, watching Harry frolicking on the hillside, a faint smile on his face, until Remus entered the yard through the back door.

"How did the chat go? Those two kids are no pushovers."

"It really isn't easy—"

Remus sighed, his face showing little joy, and like Sirius, he looked at Harry not far away.

"What are you plotting, Remus?"

A refreshing breeze brushed against Remus's cheek, revealing some of the wrinkles hidden under his bangs. Perhaps because he had just gone through a difficult negotiation, he looked a little tired.

Suddenly, Sirius asked a question.

"Just like I said, Sirius—"

Remus seemed completely unfazed by Sirius's question; his gaze never left Harry, and his voice sounded slightly weary.

"Fred and George are just as talented at joke production as Harry is at Quidditch, and they deserve my help. And coincidentally, I also need a paid job."

"anything else?"

Sirius tilted his head and looked at Remus, asking seriously.

"We all had that feeling, Sirius—"

After a brief silence, Remus met his friend's gaze.

"Voldemort is coming back, and the first thing he'll do when he gets back is to deal with Harry. Of course, Hogwarts has Albus and Amosta, and I believe they can protect Harry. But I also have to do what I can, don't I? I'll stay in Hogsmeade and be able to hear the news at any time. This will not only help Albus, but also allow me to get to Harry's side immediately if anything unexpected happens."

Lily and James gave their lives for Harry, and you made a sacrifice too, Sirius. I couldn't just do nothing, could I?

"You've suffered no less than anyone else, Remus—"

Sirius pursed his lips.

The Hogwarts quartet, once so full of vigor and glory, has seen a stark contrast: one died as a hero, another perished as a traitor, one was imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve years, and the last struggled to survive in the wizarding world. The strangeness of life and the cruelty of reality are truly heartbreaking upon reflection.

“I can help you, Remus-”

After a moment of melancholy, Sirius smiled and said...

“Those two kids still have to go to school. If you work with them, you'll have a lot to worry about. I can show you around the shop or manage the workshop.”

"These jobs aren't for you, Sirius."

Remus chuckled.

“These things are too boring for you. If you want to find something to do while still fulfilling your responsibilities as Godfather, I suggest you consult Abu Amosta. He will have some ideas.”

Chapter 458 The night before departure

2023-09-04

Fred and George eventually apologized to Mrs. Weasley and made some assurances. This was certainly not because they deeply realized their 'mistake' and decided to mend their ways, but rather because it was an additional requirement that Remus had placed on their agreement.

But in any case, the atmosphere in the house has improved quite a bit as a result.

On the first night, the sky over the village of Autri Saint-Cachipol was still a clear, deep blue. The starlight was obscured by the moonlight. Under the bright moonlight, a cool evening breeze roamed the boundless wilderness, and the knee-high green grass swayed in the breeze like undulating waves.

Even after living here for more than half a month, Harry was still captivated by the leisurely and pleasant scenery before him. He stood at the window, gazing at the scene for a long time, until Hermione and Ginny returned from their morning exercises and walked into the yard, at which point he slowly withdrew his gaze.

The room was a mess, with Harry and Ron's summer homework, clothes, and shoes scattered everywhere. Ron was trying to pack his luggage. Although there was still some time before school started, they couldn't be sure how long the Quidditch World Cup would last. If it lasted a whole week like last time, it would be too late to do these things.

"They're back."

Harry carefully folded the Gryffindor uniform into a square and said casually.

"Who?" Ron was so confused that he didn't react for a moment. It took him several seconds to realize who Harry was talking about.

"How incredibly boring--"

Ron crumpled several pairs of socks into a ball and stuffed them into the box, looking sullen.

"I don't understand why they have to do this during summer vacation."

“Because Professor Blaine ordered that we have to run for half an hour every day,” Harry said. “Hermione is the teaching assistant for this class, so she definitely wants to excel in it.”

"That's why it's boring. I don't understand what good running and dodging dung balls can do. Yes, Professor Blaine is indeed good, there's no doubt he's a great guy, but that's the problem, Harry, great people are always a bit eccentric, like Dumbledore."

Harry did not answer.

Ron's statement wasn't entirely accurate. Most of the young wizards who persisted with the course had already seen the value of their current training. Professor Blaine had them dodge dung balls, probably so that they could also dodge spells effectively when facing attacks.

Ron has dropped out of the course, and he's been sullen these past few days, probably because Fred and George received a large investment.

Ron is always very sensitive when it comes to money, a fact that Harry and Hermione are well aware of, but this shouldn't be criticized. Put yourself in Ron's shoes; they might be even more easily provoked than him.

But neither Harry nor Hermione knew how to persuade Ron, so whenever this happened, they would change the subject or simply keep quiet.

"Your progress is really slow."

A while later, the door to the room suddenly opened, and Hermione walked in.

She looked like she had just come out of the bathroom; her hair was still wet, and Hermione was drying it with a damp towel.

Hermione was wearing a new sky-blue nightgown with white lace trim on the cuffs. Perhaps because she had grown taller during her time at the Weasleys' house, her pale ankles were exposed. After entering the room, she looked around, then jumped over Ron's trunk on the floor and sat down on Harry's bed, intently drying her hair.

A faint, pleasant fragrance suddenly filled the air in the room, and even the light seemed to brighten a little.

Ron's expression immediately turned strange. He avoided eye contact and buried his head in the clothes that had already been packed in the box.

"You're all packed, Hermione?"

Harry pulled the robe that had been pinned down from under Hermione's bottom, shook it in the air, and then hastily stuffed it into the box.

"I was cleaning up this afternoon when you were trying to get information out of Sirius and Remus about what was going to happen at Hogwarts next semester."

"Oh, why aren't you curious at all?"

Ron's cheeks weren't as red anymore, having calmed down a bit, but he still didn't dare look Hermione in the eye. So, he went to the desk to tidy up his homework, glancing sideways at Hermione.

“Percy spent the whole summer trying to coax us into asking about it, but when we actually did, he brought up the rules of the Ministry of Magic. But I don’t think there’s any need to keep it a secret, is there? The only people in this house who probably don’t know about it are the three of us.”

“Ginny doesn’t know either. I asked her, and she couldn’t find out from Fred or George either.”

Hermione stretched her waist, and her already precocious body, enhanced by continuous exercise, became even more vibrant, like a budding flower.

“If they wanted to tell us, they would have done so already, Ron,” Hermione said casually. “I’m more curious about who will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next year. Sirius was going to tell us, but then we started talking about Harry’s scars and he forgot about it.”

“If it weren’t for that wretched cow Parkinson’s doing something stupid,” Harry exclaimed indignantly, “Sirius would be the professor of this course!”

"This is a good thing for him, brother—"

Ron seemed unable to bear the sweltering air in the room, so he went to the open window and took a few deep breaths.

"Quillot, Lockhart, and Remus, look at their unfortunate experiences. Only Professor Blaine is an exception, but you can't compare him to him, right? Nobody can see how capable he is. At least, Sirius is still safe. He wasn't sent to Azkaban or St. Mungo, and he's still alive and kicking and can go to the World Cup with us. That's good enough."

It has to be said that Ron sometimes has very insightful things to say, and after thinking about it carefully, Harry felt that he really had nothing to complain about.