Chapter 137: The Unexpected Knock at the Door
Chapter 137: The Unexpected Knock at the Door
Mrs. Weasley gave Fred and George's ears a light twist, watching their antics. "If you two win the Special Award for School Service, I won't stop you from parading your trophies in Diagon Alley."
Then she turned to Percy, "Well, dear, have a good term. Send me an owl when you get to school." She kissed Percy's cheek, and he walked away.
"Now it's your turn, you two." Mrs. Weasley looked at the twins and warned, "Behave yourselves this year and don't lead Kieran astray."
Fred's tone suddenly rose sharply, "Lead Kieran astray? Mom, are you joking?"
"Of course not," Mrs. Weasley said.
A whistle blew, and the train began to move forward slowly.
"Get on quickly, and remember to look after Ron."
"Don't worry, Mom. Ron will be fine with us," Fred said as he climbed onto the train with George and Ron in a hurry.
Kieran waved to Mrs. Weasley from the window.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley!"
"Goodbye, dear," Mrs. Weasley shouted back, "Write to me if they cause any more trouble."
Whoosh!
The train started, and Ginny ran alongside it, waving continuously until it picked up speed and she was left behind.
Houses flashed past the window, and as the train turned a bend, she was out of sight.
Kieran withdrew his gaze and started a game of Wizard's Chess with Cedric, who was sitting next to him.
Conner and Autumn huddled together, mysteriously reading a magazine.
After the game ended, Cedric leaned over curiously, but Autumn pushed him away with a slap on the back of his hand.
Helpless, he could only turn his attention back to the chessboard.
After two more games, the twins returned.
They slid open the door, a little excited, and said, "Hey, guys, guess who I just met on the train?"
"Who could you possibly meet on the train?" Cedric asked casually. "It's not Harry Potter, is it?"
"How did you know!" Fred stared, "Yes, it's Harry Potter."
Cedric paused with the chess piece in his hand and exclaimed, "Are you sure?"
"I asked him, and I saw the scar. It's right there, like a lightning bolt," Fred replied.
"Now that you mention it... I remember," Cedric said, tapping his forehead. "Based on his age, he should be starting this year. It's been ten years since the fall of the Dark Wizard, and the timing matches."
"Never mind that," George said curiously. "Do you think he'll remember what the Dark Wizard looked like?"
"I doubt it," Cedric said. "He was just born then. How could he remember?"
"That's true," they agreed.
Kieran laughed, "What? Are you guys curious about the appearance of Vol... the Dark Wizard?"
"A little," Fred leaned against the compartment, "It's the Dark Wizard, aren't you curious what he looks like?"
"No!" Kieran shook his head, "He's just a powerful wizard. There's nothing curious about it. Maybe he doesn't even have a nose."
"Ha! That's impossible," Fred let out a strange laugh.
Kieran, you never disappoint... The Dark Wizard having no nose? That's the funniest thing he's heard all year.
The others felt the same, and they didn't believe such an absurd idea.
"Exactly," George agreed, glancing at Kyle. "As seniors, how could we bear to see those adorable freshmen get lost? We have to help them out."
Kyle raised an eyebrow.
This was obviously his line, yet George had taken it.
"Do you guys have plans later?" Cedric suggested. "If not, why don't we just make the maps here before we arrive?"
The train had just departed, and it would be several hours before they reached Hogwarts, giving them ample time to create a batch of maps.
Autumn and Connor readily agreed. They had nothing else planned and weren't fond of playing Wizard's Chess, so finding something productive to do was welcome.
Fred and George thought about it for a moment before nodding their assent.
Although they had just promised Lee Jordan that they would go to the Slytherin compartment to show off their spiders, earning Galleons took priority over such minor matters.
Thus, all eyes turned to Kyle.
"I have no objections," Kyle shrugged. "Since you've decided, let's get started. First, clear the table; we won't have space for the parchment with all these snacks lying around."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone quickly cleared the table of snacks.
Kyle turned and took out two stacks of parchment from his trunk.
The thicker stack was ordinary parchment, ten sheets for a sickle, with discounts for bulk purchases. Kyle had brought along about seventy or eighty sheets.
The other stack was much smaller, containing only about a dozen sheets.
However, these were premium parchment scrolls, with soft, clean surfaces adorned with special patterns traced in golden thread at the top and bottom.
The gold was real, not the gold paint they had used last year.
Naturally, this type of parchment was quite expensive—one Galleon per sheet.
Kyle placed both stacks of parchment, along with the original map, on the table.
"What are we waiting for? Let's begin."
In unison, everyone reached for the ordinary parchment, each taking a dozen or so sheets.
Seeing their actions, Kyle rolled his eyes. "You guys sure know how to make things easy for yourselves."
Although the replication process was the same, Kyle's parchments required additional embellishments and decorations, making them more tedious to produce.
He had only been making a polite suggestion, but these people were taking it too literally. If he had known, he would have chosen first.
Kyle sighed.
He never would have guessed that under the influence of the Weasley twins, even Cedric and Connor would learn to be so sneaky.
Those two brothers were a bad influence.
Kyle sighed again and silently took out his wand, pointing it at the parchment.
"Gemino," he whispered, and the intricate lines of the map began to appear on the blank sheets.
This time, Kyle estimated that the replication charm would last for an entire semester.
Soon, the compartment buzzed with activity as everyone set to work.
The stack of blank parchment dwindled while the finished maps piled up.
Suddenly, a loud knock reverberated through the compartment, interrupting their focused casting.
Someone was banging on their door.
(End of Chapter)
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