HP: Hogwart's Journey

"What did you say?!" Robert was genuinely shocked. Ever since the twins mentioned setting up a counter at Zonko's Joke Shop, it hadn't even been a month, had it? The Pumpkin Banquet hadn't even started yet, and they had already earned 70 Galleons?

"We earned two months' worth of Dad's salary in one month!" Fred seemed to be at a loss for words. "What should we do now, Robert? Should we give the money to Mom?"

Robert took a sharp breath. "Wait a minute... Have you told Percy about this?"

"No, we wouldn't tell him!" George said angrily. "He actually wrote to Mom about our pranks at school just because we didn't want to sell him our quick-acting candies! And he even gave the problematic candies to our classmates!"

"What?!" Robert was truly surprised. "That's... too much, isn't it? Your candies actually work!"

"If I hadn't missed catching that owl, that letter wouldn't have been sent!" Fred was still fuming, clearly very upset.

"I suddenly think the name 'Scottish round-faced fat chicken' is perfect for that owl!" George said, puffing up with anger. "Next time, we'll hang that sign on it! No! I'll carve those words into its feathers!"

"Wait, you actually followed him to the West Tower?" Robert was impressed.

"He suddenly went on a night stroll, which really surprised us. You know, Hogwarts Castle can be dangerous at night. Out of concern, we followed him," Fred said, pouting. "Turns out, he was just going to tattle to Mom."

Well, that's the difference between a novice and an expert. Although Percy had been at Hogwarts longer, the twins were clearly more skilled when it came to sneaking around at night. At the very least, they could handle Mr. Filch.

"Ah, right, I almost forgot. How's Mr. Filch this semester? Is he still chasing after you?" Robert suddenly realized he hadn't seen the caretaker in a while.

Fred made a strange face. "Uh, he should be fine, right?"

"Huh?" Robert was confused. "You two haven't been caught by him this semester?"

"No..." George was also puzzled. "Well, I guess we were so caught up in making quick-acting potions that we forgot about sneaking around at night?"

Robert looked serious. "Gentlemen, that's not a good sign."

"Exactly," Fred said, equally serious. "As prank experts, how could we forget something so important!"

"Galleons can be earned anytime, but if pranks stop, that would be terrifying!" George also spoke gravely.

As they spoke, the three of them burst into laughter.

"So, shall we continue our adventure tonight?" Fred said with a wink. "You haven't joined us in a while. Lee Jordan is quite talented at pranks, but when it comes to finding secret passages, he's still a bit lacking."

Robert made a face. "I'll definitely find a new secret passage before you!"

Just then, a large group of owls flew in, and Robert instinctively pulled his oatmeal back.

His instincts were right, as one of the owls flew down, landed on the table, tilted its head, squinted at him, and then extended its claw.

Robert quickly untied the letter. It was a reply from the shop owner, informing him that the materials he needed were available, but each download would cost 3 Dragon Coins. If he wanted to load them into his electronic dictionary, he would need to send it back.

"Hmm, Dragon Coins," Robert scratched his head. He had only learned during the exchange that Dragon Coins were a general term, actually divided into gold, silver, and bronze, similar to the currency in the UK.

Fortunately, he had anticipated this situation and had some coins on hand, but 3 Dragon Coins still felt too expensive!

After some thought, Robert decided to add alchemy-related materials to his request, unsure if the shop owner could get them.

He packed the reply, the electronic dictionary, and the Dragon Coins into the owl's small pouch, fed it some food, and the majestic eagle owl flew off again.

Only after it left did other owls dare to approach the table. Robert's eye twitched, thinking, "Boss, what kind of divine owl did you send over? Its presence alone was enough to intimidate everyone."

At that moment, a bright red envelope landed next to Robert. The twins were surprised when they saw it.

"Who would use red paper to write to us?" Fred raised an eyebrow. "Oh, its color is really eye-catching."

George reached over and opened the envelope. "Let's take a look..."

Seeing the fiery red color, Robert's face turned pale. "Hey! Wait, that's..."

"FRED! GEORGE!!!!!" A loud voice echoed through the Great Hall, causing the glass on the walls to tremble. The sound was so piercing that even the professors at the staff table turned their heads.

"How dare you sell expired magical candies at school! Do you know how serious that is? Mrs. Bones was visiting when Percy sent the letter." Robert covered his face, realizing things had escalated.

"Your father now has to go to the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes..."

"They will investigate all the candies you've sold at school!"

"This is so shameful! We worked so hard to raise you, and we never expected you to do something like this. This behavior is akin to that of a dark wizard!"

"If you don't start behaving, we'll take you back home immediately!"

The shouting stopped, but the sound still buzzed in their ears. The red envelope tore itself into pieces, then burned up, curling into ashes.

The twins sat at the table, stunned, as if they had been frightened out of their wits.

Sighing, Robert stood up. This matter had truly gotten out of hand, and he needed to explain things clearly, or the twins' venture would surely be ruined. With that in mind, Robert walked over to the staff table.

"Professors, good morning. I apologize for interrupting your meal," Robert bowed to the professors, though it didn't seem to improve their expressions.

Knowing what they were thinking, Robert quickly pulled out the candies made by the twins from his bag.

"These are the works of the two Mr. Weasleys," Robert handed each professor a candy. "In fact, we haven't just been selling candies at school."

"Mr. Leslie, what do you mean by that?" Professor Snape said coldly. "You've been selling these expired candies to others?"

"First of all, these are not expired candies. Mrs. Weasley made a mistake. Secondly, yes, we have a counter in Hogsmeade, where Mr. Zonko helps us sell most of the candies," Robert replied softly, staring at Professor Snape. "Lastly, I believe this is the best work we've done so far."

(End of Chapter)