"Itâs just a prank, thatâs all. Besides, heâs a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Fred shrugged. "If heâs competent at his job, he shouldâve spotted something off about these biscuits, donât you think?"
"Youâve got a point," Harry agreed with a nod.
The thought of Dudley crossed his mind again. If he hadnât been to Hogwarts a century ago, perhaps he wouldnât mind taking a few biscuits home now and letting Dudley have a couple.
Dudley?
Thinking about his gluttonous Muggle cousin, Harry also remembered Smeltings, the private boarding school Dudley attended. That school was a haven for the wealthy, as attending it meant one came from a well-to-do family.
If these prank items were handed to Dudley to sell at Smeltings, would they become a schoolwide sensation?
The Weasleysâ family finances werenât great, and if the twins could make some money with their creations, it might help ease the burden at home. At the very least, Ron wouldnât have to wear second-hand robes anymore.
Besides, the Potter family wasnât sitting on an endless pile of gold. That fortune would run out someday, and it was only prudent to explore other avenues for income.
Hmm, no. Canary Creams were too eye-catching. They should think of subtler prank items that wouldnât raise suspicion among Muggles.
With this thought, Harry looked up at Fred and George. "Fred, George, I just thought of something even more interesting."
"What is it?" the twins asked in unison.
"Do you have any other ideas?" Harry tapped the Canary Cream. "I mean, besides this biscuit."
"Donât tell me you think the Canary Cream isnât enough and want to give Professor Quirrell something more exciting?" Fred and George exchanged a glance and clapped their hands together. "Cool! We knew our Gryffindor lion wouldnât settle for mediocrityâ"
"No, I mean something less..." Harry picked up the biscuit. "Less magical. Something more subtle that Muggles wouldnât notice."
"We havenât really thought about that," the twins said together. Then they asked, "What are you planning to do?"
Harry glanced at them, tapping his fingers on the table. "You know Iâve been living with my auntâs family, right?"
"Yeah," they nodded in unison.
"My Muggle cousin goes to Smeltings," Harry continued. "If he could introduce your products to his school..."
He trailed off, giving the twins ample time to imagine the possibilities.
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The twins exchanged another glance, still not quite grasping Harryâs idea.
"Youâre suggesting your Muggle cousin sell our products at his school?" Fred asked. "But theyâre Muggles..."
"Thatâs where your creativity comes in, gentlemen." Harry tapped the table with his fingers. "Muggle money can be exchanged for Galleons. If Iâm not mistaken, five pounds can be converted into one Galleon. And my cousinâs school, Smeltings, is full of students from wealthy families."
"Rich families?" Georgeâs eyes lit up, clearly intrigued by the prospect Harry was painting.
"Very rich," Harry said earnestly. "Maybe not as wealthy as the Malfoys, but not far off."
Harry was comparing them to the Malfoys of his era, who were immensely influential in the wizarding world. Cassandraâs father, Septimus Malfoy, wielded significant power in the Ministry of Magic. Many even believed that the then-Minister, Archer Evermonde, was merely a puppet, with Septimus pulling the strings.
As for the current Malfoys... well, they were more like a shadow of their former glory.
Even so, a fallen giant was still larger than most. The Malfoy familyâs wealth and lifestyle were beyond what the Weasleys could imagine.
Harryâs suggestion lit a spark in Fred and Georgeâs mindsâMuggles had money, so why not make some from them?
"Weâll start brainstorming right away!" Fred and George dashed off with their newfound inspiration.
Harry opened his mouth to offer some modifications, but they were already gone.
Well, thatâs fine, he thought. Let them figure it out.
--
To Harryâs surprise, Professor Quirrell didnât show up for Defense Against the Dark Arts for two weeks straight. Instead, Professor Snape took over the class.
This spelled disaster for Gryffindor students. Except for a select few who received "special treatment," everyone else had points deducted left and right.
Even the "special" few werenât spared entirely. While they avoided major deductions, Snape still found minor faults to penalize them for.
In a way, Snape achieved a form of equality. He wouldnât let anyone off the hook, no matter how well they performed in class.
When Neville demonstrated a perfectly executed Disarming Charm, Snapeâs face turned even darker.
It wasnât the quality of Nevilleâs spellcasting that irritated himâit was the fact that Neville showed some talent in Defense Against the Dark Arts while remaining utterly hopeless in Potions.
The stark contrast only deepened Snapeâs disdain for him. "Mr. Longbottom..." Snape said with a meaningful tone. "A commendable Disarming Charm. Gryffindor will gain... two points for your effort."
The entire class collectively gasped.
Professor Snape? Giving points to someone other than Potter? And to Neville Longbottom, of all people?
Neville looked up in disbelief, his expression screaming, Professor, did you take the wrong potion this morning?
Snape wasnât offended in the slightest. He smirked coldly and said, "In light of Mr. Longbottomâs performance, you will join Mr. Potter in the Potions classroom every Wednesday and Saturday for private instruction."
Nevilleâs face fell instantly. He hadnât expected his excellent Disarming Charm to land him in troubleâprivate tutoring sessions with Snape felt like a death sentence.
Private instruction?
Donât be ridiculous. Everyone knew that Snapeâs "private instruction" was just a euphemism for enduring his scathing criticism one-on-one.
After class, Neville looked utterly dejected.
"Whatâs wrong, Neville?" Ron asked, concerned for his roommate.
"I..." Neville shivered. "Iâve been sentenced to detention with Professor Snape. Oh, Merlin, I hope I live to see another sunrise..."
"Relax, Neville," Seamus said reassuringly. "Maybe it wonât be so bad. Look at Harryâheâs still alive and kicking!"
"Yeah, Neville," Harry added. "Honestly, Professor Snape is quite kind and approachable. Iâve learned a lot during my detentions with him."
Neville, Seamus, and Ron all stared at Harry as if heâd gone mad.
Seriously, mate?
Not everyone can handle what you can!
----
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