I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 337 The Weasley Twins' Greatest Work

In the second week of June, Hogwarts held its final exams for the semester.

Hermione was exempt from the exam because she was one of the Hogwarts Champions.

This is undoubtedly good news.

After a week of racking their brains, everyone didn't feel relaxed as they walked out of the classroom for their last exam; instead, they felt a sense of loss.

Even the air was filled with the smell of parting.

The young wizards from other schools took advantage of this last week to go on a shopping spree in Hogsmeade.

It's as if they're trying to empty out the entire town.

Get a serving of all the snacks you wouldn't normally buy or the milk tea you wouldn't normally drink.

Also, prepare gifts for relatives and friends, such as some British specialties.

Of course, Irving would never let go of this lucrative opportunity.

His little milk tea shop has moved into a larger store.

The product line has also been updated and iterated, evolving into more than a dozen different products.

Many of these are very popular varieties.

In addition, the Weasley workshops of the Weasley twins have also begun to exert their strength.

Every day, a steady stream of young wizards would walk into their shop to buy all sorts of pranks and trendy alchemical gadgets.

For example, the surfboard that Hermione used in the competition that shone brightly.

Actually, it was a flying skateboard; George and Fred planned to create a more "cool" flying device.

And Hermione's mask.

In addition to providing breathing, its appearance can also move; if you wear a lion mask, it can grow a lion's head, which is quite interesting.

And in this shopping frenzy.

Owen and Hermione were also present.

Given Hermione's thrifty nature, she wouldn't normally spend all her money on toys. Of course, she's not old-fashioned and sometimes buys herself some fun magical gadgets, but only once a year.

But who can blame her when she just won the championship?

In addition to the Goblet of Fire, she also received a generous prize of three thousand Galleons.

This is a huge sum of money, in every sense of the word.

Three thousand Galleons is enough to cover the expenses of a wizarding family for five years.

This has to be a large and prosperous family like the Ron family.

Keep in mind that Mr. Arthur's annual salary was less than seven hundred gallons, and he had to support a large family.

This shows just how substantial the sum of money was.

------

On the central street of Hogsmeade.

Two figures suddenly emerged from an unnamed alleyway at the street corner.

Those were Owen and Hermione.

A bustling crowd passed by them, most of them looking up in amazement at the street scenes on both sides, so different from the wizarding world.

So they didn't notice the two of them.

This feels more like a Muggle pedestrian street in London.

Streets paved with asphalt.

The flowerbeds along the main street were decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, and small flags from the four magic schools fluttered in the wind.

On both sides, most of the shops use huge floor-to-ceiling windows instead of marble for their facades.

The vibrant colors on these glass panes shone brightly.

The light gradually wove into fixed shapes, whether they were words or photographs.

Those are mostly shop signs, or GG (Girl).

Standing on the street, looking ahead.

The neon lights illuminated by magical interactions have brought unprecedented and tremendous changes to this ancient land.

For a moment, I felt a bit of a cyberpunk vibe here.

"Regarding Rita Skeeter, her latest reports don't seem to have caused much of a stir."

Hermione glanced at the Daily Prophet in her hand, then folded it up and put it in her pocket.

"This is the third report already."

"Of course it won't work. Your writing method is wrong."

Irving took her hand and they walked openly down the street.

Since they released Rita Skeeter, Hermione has written several articles about Dumbledore herself, mostly about his life and achievements, and then had Rita Skeeter publish them in the newspaper under her name.

They wanted to use this to win back the public's increasingly misled hearts by the Ministry of Magic.

But the effect was minimal. The fact that people in Hogsmeade were beginning to criticize Dumbledore shows that her carefully prepared article had absolutely no effect.

"Method?" Hermione frowned, not understanding Owen's meaning. Her articles were already detailed and moving enough, and she had even consulted several professors to ensure the authenticity and rigor of the stories. What problems could there be?

"Who is Rita Skeeter's audience?" Owen sneered, tightening his grip on Hermione's hand to remind her that what he was about to say was important. "They only want to see sensational things, the dark side of heroes, the debauchery behind loyalty, loyalty stemming from betrayal, and so on. The more you try to write something serious, the less people will want to read it."

Few people are interested in understanding the turbulent inner world of a wizard; they'd much rather see the romantic entanglements of the eccentric sisters, and how many girlfriends he's had with lead singer Myron Wagtel—like Kruger, who's already had four or five rumored girlfriends, hasn't he?

As he spoke, Owen chuckled softly, his tone full of mockery, and continued, "Before we have complete control over the media that controls public opinion, although these conspiracy theories and sensational news are very repulsive, they are indeed the best way to attract the attention of wizards."

You could try writing a conspiracy theory about the Ministry of Magic, such as implying that the Minister colluded with Voldemort and secretly handed Azkaban over to the Death Eaters, or write about a lesser-known side of Professor Dumbledore, such as his love story with my grandfather.

In short, you need to write some conspiracy theories and little-known, sensational stories to create a sensation.

"Hmm—you could ask Luna to write one for you, and then you can revise it."

"Luna?" Hermione blinked. That was indeed a good idea; she had a knack for it.

The two walked to the very center of Central Avenue, and their destination was on the opposite side of a beverage shop called MIX Ice Cream & Tea.

On the signboard, colorful lights formed several huge gears, which were interdependent and constantly turning.

Every now and then, fireworks would shoot out from the signboard.

The dazzling light could be seen from dozens of feet away.

The flames revealed words in the air.

—Weasley's Alchemy Workshop.

The constant flow of people in front of the door makes it impossible for you not to know where the entrance is.

The two squeezed into the store with the flow of people.

Suddenly, a pink fountain appeared before my eyes.

Under the fountain are various bottles and jars, including products from the Wonder Witch series.

Aphrodisiac.

Daydream Spell. (By reciting this spell, you can enter a high-quality, incredibly realistic 30-minute daydream—side effects include a blank expression and slight drooling.)

Dwarf cattail.

A miracle cure for laughing so hard you'll get boils in ten seconds.

Of course, the first two of the above four products are not sold to wizards under the age of sixteen.

In addition, there are items such as boxing binoculars, dung balls, telescopic ears, headless hats, and automatic quill pens.

The place was full of strange and wonderful things. There were also all sorts of flying paper butterflies in the air, which would take out the things the little wizard needed from the dazzling, ceiling-high cabinets and hand them to him.

The little wizard only needs to stand still and shout once.

Of course, the consequence of doing so was that the whole store became a mess.

"Give me a magic surfboard."

"It's called a flying skateboard, thank you!" A fourth-grade wizard, whom the twins had somehow found, was working as their shop assistant.

"So, can it surf in the Black Lake?"

"Sure!" the tall, dark-skinned, dark-haired boy said with a forced smile.

"That's a surfboard! I saw Granger emerge from the water!"

"Sorry, we don't sell surfboards here."

"Fine—" the boy said, somewhat annoyed. He pointed to a metal plate on a cabinet and said, "Whatever your name is, give me that."

"That one?" the shop assistant asked.

"you!"

Irving approached.

They discovered that the shop assistant was Dean Thomas, a half-blood wizard born in the Muggle world. His father was a wizard, but was killed by Voldemort in the First Wizarding War. His mother then took him back to the Muggle world to live a Muggle life.

If it weren't for the letter from Hogwarts, he probably would never have known that his father was a wizard.

Dean Thomas, still with a cold expression, said stiffly, "Which one is that? I don't know what you want."

"You!" The boy's face turned red, and he gritted his teeth, probably already thinking of biting Thomas to death.

"It's that flying skateboard."

"What flying skateboard? We don't have such a product."

"you--"

As they were talking, the two were about to start fighting.

Unfortunately, how could that little wizard possibly defeat Dean?

As Harry's classmate, he naturally knew many spells as well.

Basic petrification spells are relatively easy to cast.

Then—the poor young wizard froze, and with a thud, fell to the ground like a stone.

"Next!" Dean said with a forced smile, having put his wand away.

This was naturally observed by Owen and Hermione, who came in with him.

Miss Granger, with a cold expression, lifted the spell for the young Slytherin wizard.

The little guy probably started school this year.

She's only in first grade.

Seeing this, he was completely at a loss, especially looking at the bow tie that Granger wore, which represented Gryffindor.

A wave of grievance suddenly welled up on that chubby face.

Then he gritted his teeth, his cheeks twitched, and large tears streamed down his nose, dripping onto his clothes and wetting his undershirt.

The sobs grew louder and louder.

It eventually turned into wailing and sobbing.

The crying grew louder as it faded into the distance, eventually attracting the attention of all the wizards in the shop.

He tugged at the corner of Miss Granger's blue and white dress adorned with silk trim.

The tears just wouldn't stop.

The kid—Irving glanced at him.

He was also a Muggle-born wizard.

Yes—Slytherin House does have Muggle-born wizards, though they are quite rare.

Given the beliefs upheld by the Slytherin wizards, it's hard to imagine how miserable these Muggle wizards must have been.

Most importantly, Snape would definitely not get involved in such matters; he wouldn't waste his energy on a few Muggle wizards.

This is a magic school, heaven knows what kind of bullying and psychological abuse he will experience.

As for Dean—he was merely displaying the arrogant attitude that Gryffindors typically have towards Slytherin.

But for this little guy, this might be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Irving went up and patted Dean on the shoulder.

Then she looked at him with a meaningful gaze.

"Gryffindor deducts ten points," he said.

Dean Thomas's expression gradually turned awkward.

When Miss Granger wiped the tears from the little boy's cheeks, helped him up, and looked at him with her brown eyes, Dean trembled as if he had been electrocuted and took a step back.

"I'm sorry!" Suddenly he lowered his head and bowed solemnly in the direction of Miss Granger.

Staring at the girl's brown knee-high leather boots, Dean felt an immense pressure.

He only felt this pressure when he was facing Professor McGonagall.

And now.

He felt it even more intensely.

"Alright," Irving quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

They pulled Miss Granger over there.

Then, with a flick of his finger, a skateboard fell from the counter. "Here you go, take it."

He handed the skateboard to the Slytherin boy, then ruffled his hair. "Like a blue man, you know? Start practicing your spells properly next term and get your revenge yourself. This guy—" Owen pointed at Dean.

"One of the worst students in fourth grade."

The boy, holding his skateboard, gave a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Tears were still welling up in her eyes.

The boy in front of me had a stunningly beautiful face, and he looked very much like the principal of Durmstrang.

Her long, silver-black hair had covered her ears and neck.

He had a small braid tied behind his back with a black ribbon.

Beneath the wisps of hair on her forehead were a pair of emerald green eyes, like those from an afternoon forest, with slightly trembling eyelashes, giving people a strong sense of amazement and tranquility.

He possesses a strong sense of approachability, much like the Veela warrior from Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, making it impossible not to feel a sense of goodwill towards him.

The boy naturally recognized the young man in front of him.

He's the Hogwarts student council president, and he's reprimanded them several times at dinner parties. How could I not recognize him?

That said, when this student council president was in power, his life was quite comfortable. Back then, most Slytherins vented their resentment on the person in front of them, and few people bothered him.

But after he fell ill and disappeared for three months, his life began to plummet. The older students, who couldn't find any "fun," started to harass him. Although they were all non-lethal pranks, they caused him great harm.

What happened today was simply an emotional outburst resulting from pent-up emotions reaching their limit and collapsing.

"Hmph—I'll tell Professor McGonagall about this," Miss Granger said seriously, glaring at Dean before looking away.

Her loose hair, styled into a bun and tied with a deep red ribbon, with wisps of hair brushing past her eyes, further accentuated her imposing presence.

Then, with Irving's help, he pushed open the counter's partition, went inside, and opened the door with a sign that read, "Internal work, no outsiders allowed."

Behind the shop is the Weasley twins' studio.

They will develop all sorts of alchemical artifacts here.

This studio was planned while he was still alive.

Harry later told me that Victor had helped out during the final construction phase.

This is his first time stepping into this place!

"Wardfa?"

As soon as he stepped into the studio, Irving couldn't help but let out a surprised exclamation.

Everything in front of him almost blinded him.

Above their heads, on the ceiling, ancient blue Runic script floated like stars.

Complex magic circles coiled on both sides of the wall and continued to spread downwards.

In addition, there are many metal tracks installed on the wall, with several metal platforms, each large enough for two people to stand on, constantly moving along them.

He and Hermione were standing on a metal platform with a staircase leading down to their right.

The staircase is embedded in the wall and spirals downwards.

This house must have been enchanted with an infinite stretch spell.

Although the Ministry of Magic forbids the misuse of this spell, the Weasley twins probably wouldn't take such a trivial matter to heart.

The entire room had turned into a huge crater, more than thirty feet (ten meters) deep. He and Hermione held onto the steel handrail and looked down, where there stood a massive, towering steel behemoth.

Owen could vaguely make out that the beast's shell looked somewhat like an ancient magical puppet, but—damn, it was huge!

It was twice the size of the original puppet.

Hermione's face was also filled with shock—she remembered that when she came more than a month ago, this thing was not there.

"Holy crap!" Owen's eyes lit up as he quickly walked down the stairs.

The silver hair on his forehead fluttered in the wind, like a child seeing a large toy.

When he reached the point where he could obtain the steel behemoth, he reached out and tapped and pounded on it. The cold, icy touch of his palm was exhilarating.

He noticed the enormous blue cube at the core of the steel behemoth's chest.

Isn't this the core of the ancient magical puppet he gave to the twins?

"How about it, isn't it cool!" At this moment, the twins also noticed the two who had barged in. The two stood on the lowest experimental platform and shouted loudly.

"Damn! That's so cool!"

Irving looked down and gave them a thumbs up.

As he descended layer by layer, he finally saw the entirety of this steel behemoth.

It is about twenty to twenty-three feet long (about six or seven meters).

Its body was covered with all sorts of ferocious spikes, and it was slender. The contents inside were unknown, but it didn't seem to be filled with blue magic like an ancient magic puppet. Instead, it consisted mostly of metal components.

Its spine was enormous and slightly convex, as if a sword were inserted inside, and its entire body emitted a faint, dim, silvery-white light.

Extremely impactful!

For a moment, Owen thought he had entered the world of Pacific Rim, and the magnificent behemoth in front of him was a steel mech used to fight sea monsters!

(End of this chapter)