Chapter 347: Magical Candy
Chapter 347: Magical Candy
An hour later, Albert, Fred, and George returned to the Leaky Cauldron with their purchases, but Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Percy were not back yet. However, their books had been delivered and were piled on the floor next to Mr. Weasley and Mr. Hobbs' table.
Upon seeing Albert, Hobbs heaved a sigh of relief and asked, "Did you get everything?"
"Yes, I think so, assuming all the books are here," Albert replied, picking out a marked package from his stack of parcels. "And here's a little something for all of you."
"Mrs. Weasley has taken care of getting all the books you needed," Hobbs said, pointing to the packages beside them. "Well, I'll be off now. Take care of yourselves."
"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Mr. Weasley assured him with a smile as he helped with the parcels.
Fred and George had been wanting to invite Albert over to their place for a few days, feeling that he had greatly helped them. And this time, they had finally succeeded.
"Mr. Anderson is certainly unique compared to the Muggles I've met," Mr. Weasley said with a sigh as he watched the car disappear.
Whenever he discussed certain Muggle appliances with others, they would look at him as if he were crazy.
It was rare to find a Muggle like Hobbs, who patiently explained the functions of those appliances to him, and he appreciated the other man's tone of voice.
It was clear that Hobbs cared about his son, as he had asked a lot of questions about the wizarding world.
Communication and understanding were important.
"Yes, he's quite open-minded about certain things," Albert agreed casually, knowing that Hobbs didn't have much patience. "After all, his son is a wizard."
Back at the Leaky Cauldron, Mr. Weasley ordered three butterbeers for the trio and prepared to continue their chat about Muggle appliances with Albert.
However, Albert soon steered the conversation toward the recent Gringotts break-in.
"Everyone suspects it was the work of a powerful Dark wizard," Mr. Weasley shared what he knew. "It's not good news. The goblins are furious, and they still haven't found any clues about the intruder."
"The Prophet said nothing was taken, but it looks like someone had removed something beforehand," Albert suddenly said. "It must have been something valuable."
"I don't know," Mr. Weasley replied, not wanting to discuss the topic further.
"Those goblins are actually quite stupid," Albert said, lowering his voice.
Mr. Weasley opened his mouth to speak, but Albert continued, "Since they can't find the culprit, they could try asking the owners of the vaults. Maybe one of them knows who broke into Gringotts."
"Why?" Mr. Weasley asked, taken aback.
Fred also spoke up, voicing the confusion they all felt. "How would that help? The goblins haven't revealed what's in the vaults, so not many people would know what the item is."
"Exactly," Albert said in a low voice. "And the fact that the thief targeted that specific item suggests they knew what was in the vault. Otherwise, why steal nothing else of value and go straight for that? They must have had a good idea of what was inside."
"Makes sense. The thief must have had some knowledge," George agreed.
"So, the wizard who had that item stored in Gringotts wouldn't be clueless about this, right?" Albert continued his analysis. "They must have known or sensed something, which is why they took the item out beforehand. There are no such things as coincidences in this world."
Mr. Weasley had to admit that Albert's reasoning was sound.
However, their conversation was interrupted by the return of Mrs. Weasley, who was carrying a stack of parcels with Ron in tow, followed by Percy carrying an owl.
They borrowed the fireplace from Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, to use Floo powder to return to their home.
Albert was the first to climb out of the fireplace, and as soon as he moved aside, quick footsteps could be heard from upstairs.
"Mom, did you get me..."
A red-haired girl appeared at the staircase landing and paused upon seeing the strangers in her home. She eyed Albert warily for a moment before relaxing when she spotted Fred and George emerging from the fireplace.
"This is our sister, Ginny," Fred introduced her. "Albert, as I mentioned, will be staying with us for a few days."
"Hi, Ginny," Albert greeted her with a smile. She was a cute girl with red hair.
"Hi!" Ginny said, eyeing Albert curiously before running over to her mother, who had just come out of the fireplace.
"The wizarding homes are indeed incredible," Albert commented, looking at the self-cleaning pots with a smile. "It's so magical... By the way, where's Charlie?"
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons," George said with a hint of frustration. "We saw him off at King's Cross Station a few days ago."
"King's Cross Station?"
"There are trains to other countries from there," George explained.
"I thought wizards used Portkeys or Floo powder for travel," Albert said.
"Most of the time, only smugglers use Portkeys," Mr. Weasley said as he climbed out of the fireplace. "You'll be staying in Charlie's room tonight."
"Of course, Albert will be staying in our room. George, you go and sleep in Charlie's room," Fred immediately said.
"Why can't you sleep in Charlie's room?" George complained.
"Come on, I'll show you our bedroom," Fred said, ignoring George's grumbling. He picked up his parcel and said to Albert, "By the way, we've made some progress on that thing you mentioned last time."
"That thing?" Albert asked, puzzled for a moment before remembering what Fred was referring to.
As they climbed the shaky stairs, George said regretfully, "Unfortunately, it's still a work in progress."
Fred and George's room was in disarray, with various items scattered around.
"Initially, we wanted to enchant the toffees, but we found that it wasn't feasible. So, we had to work on the potion, which isn't easy," Fred said, sitting on the camp bed and tossing a toffee from the table to Albert. "This is our half-finished product."
"It looks like you need a proper laboratory; you could try using the Extension Charm. Also, no one will want to eat this; the potion taste is too strong," Albert said as he unwrapped the candy and frowned slightly at the faint taste of Engorgement Potion in the toffee.
"Dad won't agree to it," George said glumly. "He gave us an earful the last time."
"Why?"
"The Ministry of Magic doesn't allow wizards to use that spell casually," Fred explained.
"As long as we don't let the Ministry know," Albert said, picking up a book and flipping through it. "Are you planning to improve the Engorgement Potion?"
"Yes, we've tried Swelling Solution, but that was a nightmare. Fred couldn't taste anything for several days afterward," George said with a look of disgust. "So, we tried the Engorgement Potion, but the toffee ended up with a strong taste."
"The one in your hand is the latest improved version. We're going to test it on the gnomes downstairs," Fred said quietly. "Of course, we can't let Mom know. Maybe you can help us perfect it."
The twins looked at Albert expectantly.
"Let's test the candy first. Where are the gnomes you mentioned?" Albert asked, winking.
(End of Chapter)
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