HP: Hogwart's Journey

Robert looked at the two of them and asked with some amusement, "So, did Mrs. Weasley lecture you two again during the holidays?" 

Fred and George hung their heads, looking as if they didn't want to revisit the past. "Don't bring that up again..." 

"Percy told Mum we were making a lot of noise in the room, disturbing his reading..." 

"Mum thought we were up to mischief again and gave us a good scolding!" 

"Our bottoms are swollen! Both sides are equally high!" 

"We weren't making that much noise! We were just banging candy to shape it!" 

"And now he's acting like nothing happened, trying to get candy from us!" 

Robert covered his face. They might not think they were making much noise, but the sound of shaping syrup was quite loud, especially in the Burrow, which had the peculiar property of "never being soundproof when you want it to be." 

"Of course, that's not all..." 

"He bought a lot of books, books we couldn't understand." 

"Yeah, because of those books, we had to keep Errol around. Poor thing nearly drowned himself in the milk jug delivering this year's book list. He's so old, even older than Scabbers!" 

"Those books are only for weird wizards. I remember one was called... what was it?" 

"How to Become a Prefect." 

"Right, right. We all know he wants to be a prefect, but how boring is that!" 

"Only idiots want to be prefects!" 

"Hehe!" Robert couldn't help but interrupt. "Don't forget Bill and Charlie were prefects too! Don't lump them in!" 

"No, you don't get it, Robert," Fred said, pursing his lips. "Bill and Charlie were natural choices! They were meant to be prefects! But Percy's different!" 

Robert scratched his head. He didn't see much of a difference. 

"Before, he even tried to convince Charlie to give up being the Gryffindor Quidditch captain! He thought it would interfere with Charlie's studies, and Mum worried about it for ages." 

"But Charlie was amazing! He was both captain and got the prefect badge!" 

After venting about Percy's misdeeds, the twins finally remembered that their friend seemed to have something to discuss. 

"So, Robert, what brings you here?" Fred asked curiously. "Just to clarify, we had no idea about tonight's party. In fact, Eloise Midgen found us because she heard we had a quick-acting acne candy." 

"You might not believe it, but she ate the candy right in front of us," George added, raising an eyebrow. "And then, the miracle happened." 

"Her acne vanished instantly, and her skin became smooth and clear," Fred said with a grin. "She's a pretty girl, must've been suffering from those nasty pimples for a long time." 

"Then she invited everyone to a party to celebrate getting rid of her teenage woes?" Robert glanced at the witch who was laughing one moment and crying the next. "Well, I guess those pimples really were a big deal for her." 

"Stubborn acne still needs potions to treat. We just added a bit of diluted pus, so the effect is only temporary," Fred explained with a smirk. "And acne sticks around throughout puberty—it's not something a single potion can fix." 

"But at least our quick-acting candy can save her from embarrassment at the party," George said cheerfully. "Only three Sickles!" 

Robert shrugged. "Speaking of acne, I have a friend here who's been struggling with it too." 

He pushed Stebbins forward. "This is him. He bought your candy this morning and seems to think it works well." 

Stebbins grinned. "Hey, Fred, George. Nice to see you." 

"Ah, it's Stebbins!" George waved at him. "I think tonight's party just got another star." 

With that, he dragged Mr. Honeybadger away. 

Robert turned to Fred and asked, "So, did you need something from me?" 

Fred scratched his nose sheepishly. "Well, we were thinking of selling the quick-acting candy at Zonko's Joke Shop." 

"What?" Robert was shocked. "Did you buy Zonko's shop?" 

"No, no, we don't have that kind of money. We thought of renting a counter instead," Fred said quietly. "It's not too expensive, and since we don't have many products, Zonko could help us sell them. That way, we don't have to limit ourselves to school sales." 

Robert nodded. "That's a good idea. Hogsmeade is close to Hogwarts, and there's plenty of potion stock there. If you run out of ingredients, you could ask Zonko to buy them for you." 

"Exactly what we were thinking!" Fred said happily, then added with a hint of embarrassment, "But we had originally planned to open a shop in Diagon Alley, and now that might not happen." 

Robert frowned. "Why not?" 

Fred sighed. "We underestimated how hard it would be to develop products. To make the right kind of candy, George and I spent almost all our pocket money. We even had to agree to pay Zonko's rent after selling this batch of products." 

Robert understood. "That's mainly because your knowledge base isn't strong enough. You should spend more time reading potion books when you're free!" 

Fred gave a sad look. "Merlin, George and I have no talent for potions. I'm decent at Transfiguration, though, and George likes Herbology. Charms are just so-so." 

"But you have to admit, if you were better at potions, you wouldn't have wasted so much pocket money. In fact, you might've earned more if the products were more effective," Robert said quietly.

"You know, at Hogwarts, the richest professor is definitely Snape, because he's a potions master!" 

"So potions are actually profitable?" Fred's eyes lit up, as if he could see a flood of Galleons heading his way. 

"Of course," Robert nodded. "It's the most talent-dependent subject. Mistakes in Transfiguration and Charms can be fixed with potions, but drinking the wrong potion is no simple matter. You might never even know what you drank." 

Fred sighed dejectedly. "Ah, I guess George and I just don't have much talent for potions." 

Robert patted his shoulder. "Don't be discouraged. Unless it's for something special, no one really drinks potions. But prank products are different—everyone needs them!" 

Fred immediately perked up. "You're right! George and I will definitely make more products! We'll open our shop in Diagon Alley for sure!" 

Robert nodded, deliberately putting on a lazy expression. "Then I can just be a laid-back landlord!" 

"Hmph," Fred said with a haughty look. "We're not working for a landlord! If you want to join, you'll have to start as a porter!" 

With that, the two of them burst into laughter, clearly full of confidence for the future. 

(End of Chapter)