Chapter 736: Weasley
Chapter 736: Weasley
The elevator opened in the central area of the Sky Island, and the merfolk spilled out. Ron laughed heartily, "Sky Island, I'm back." Behind him was a short-haired witch, holding the hand of a little red-haired girl.
"Cut it out", Collins smacked Ron on the arm. She looked around and asked, "Should we meet up with the family first?"
"It's fine", Ron rubbed his shoulder and whispered, then picked up the red-haired girl. "Percy won't be here until this afternoon. We can wander around for a bit, then head to the hotel. I heard a lot of old friends are staying there, and there's a party tonight."
The three of them stood on the bustling street, watching the passersby.
"It's a shame Hugo couldn't come, but one is enough for now", Ron said happily. "Take lots of photos and tell him all about it when we get back."
"Didn't you say it might be dangerous?" Collins said irritably. "That's why I left him with Mom."
"That's what I said, but we're not the ones in danger", Ron puffed out his chest. "You can go anywhere you want, just don't forget my nickname."
Collins rolled her eyes.
"Can I go to Knockturn Alley?" the little red-haired girl asked, sucking her thumb.
"Rose, Knockturn Alley is thousands of kilometers away, but... of course we can", Ron said without hesitation. "Next time the department searches for contraband, we can sneak into the Auror team—wait, your mom is in charge of that." Rose looked at Collins hopefully, searching for any sign of favoritism, then quietly withdrew her gaze and said nothing.
"Can you two stop talking about illegal activities? It makes me sound like a bad mom", Collins complained.
"Alright, Rose, let's talk about something else. What can you do when your mom is the head of the Auror Office?" Ron said. "Your uncle recently conducted a raid on the Malfoys—our family's longtime rivals. Merlin, Harry must have wanted to make a big splash in his career by bringing down the Malfoys, but in the end, they only took a few minions. But I bet old Malfoy was scared stiff... and he has a son who was always at odds with us at school. Your dad always outperformed him in exams—"
Collins glanced at Rose, who was listening intently, her face full of admiration, and at Ron, who was vividly recounting the story.
"Are you sure? It's convenient to ask about..."
"Cough, in certain subjects", Ron quickly amended. "Absolutely true, Harry can vouch for me!"
The three of them wandered aimlessly through the winding streets. The streets were interconnected, and sometimes they would suddenly find themselves facing a wall, requiring magic to create a narrow stone path. On the island, it was easy to distinguish which plots belonged to wizard buildings, government agencies, and research institutes. From a Muggle's perspective, it appeared to be poorly planned, but Ron and his companions found these obstacles quite amusing, fitting well with the eclectic houses and shops.
"Square and spotless, everything must be symmetrical, like old Crouch's beard, measured with a ruler. It's actually quite intimidating."
This was the central area of Sky Island, where the bonfire parties of old were said to have taken place. Some landmarks of historical significance were preserved, such as the statues in the center of the pond, each holding a burning, unextinguishable torch. Magical creature-themed trash cans were everywhere; just tap their heads, and they would open their mouths to eat the trash, with some even burping comically.
Besides the shops and street scenes, there were also mobile vendors pushing carts. Ron stopped at one stall and eyed a set of simple scuba gear. "Your grandpa will love it, though he might already have it. His personal garage has expanded fourfold since he retired!" Along with diving equipment, they also found products from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
"Do they sell well?" Ron asked the vendor.
"Very well, especially these two. There's a discount if you buy them together, sir, madam", the vendor enthusiastically promoted two items: underwater fireworks and a smokescreen cloak, the latter seemingly a collaboration between Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and Diggory. Ron paid and asked Collins as they walked, "I heard Fred and George Weasley talking about researching underwater fireworks a long time ago, but when did Cedric get into the prank market?"
Being fellow Triwizard Tournament champions, Collins and Cedric, along with Roger Davies, had maintained a good relationship, and she was more aware of their recent activities.
"They didn't, it's him and Cho Chang", Collins said. "They've focused on philanthropic efforts in recent years. Cedric's Transforming Smoke has broad applications in the medical field, and magical automatons with various functions are equally invaluable. However, he joined the Sky Island Business Safety Protocol to ensure his research isn't used for military or illegal purposes, with the International Confederation of Wizards' 2,000 investigators worldwide ensuring this."
"Inside are goblins!" their daughter Rose shouted.
"There are a hundred goblins", Collins explained to her daughter. "You know, they take their property very seriously. Many Muggle doctors are proud to own a set of goblin-enchanted surgical knives, though they are quite rare..."
"Why?" Rose asked.
"Well, it's a matter of ownership disputes. The Confederation allows goblins to maintain their racial traditions, but they must sign a disclosure document when trading with other races, or the transaction won't be protected. Goblins are known for their stubbornness."
"Don't be fooled, those goblins are shrewd", Ron interjected. "I investigated a batch of contraband that included several pieces of goblin-crafted silver jewelry, but the goblins refused to admit it, claiming the items were unsigned!"
Collins was surprised. "That goes against goblin principles. Are you sure they were goblin-made?"
"Of course", Ron said confidently. "Just look at their expressions. Think about it—when the love of money clashes with tradition... the result is a group of goblins choosing to remain anonymous and selling to the black market. Sly devils! But sometimes, goblins deliberately engrave sarcastic messages. I remember reading about a doctor in the paper a while back whose scalpel was inscribed with 'miser'... or maybe it's just a change in their naming style. I only know that Longbeard is Longbeard, and Shaggy is Shaggy", he added.
Collins and Rose burst into laughter. Suddenly, Ron was distracted by something, and Collins followed his gaze to see a tall, broad-chested man at a nearby hat stall.
Ron looked away, muttering, "Maybe I was mistaken. I don’t even remember much..."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Harry’s cousin! He sent a gift to Harry and Ginny’s wedding."
Collins immediately understood, glancing back at the hat stall. The man had already disappeared into the crowd. They walked in the opposite direction and stopped at a theater entrance, where they saw a large poster. "Francois Krytoi’s Special Concert", Ron read aloud. "Want to give it a try?" Rose nodded eagerly.
Collins pointed to the concert date on the poster, which was yesterday.
"Oh, darn." Ron and Rose said in unison. Ron added, "Actually, it’s better this way. We can save our energy for the mascot performance. It’s a shame there are no Veela this year. I saw one a long time ago, and the feeling—"
"Ron!"
"Um, nothing much to see", Ron said seriously to Rose, who was blinking curiously. "You’re a girl, if your brother comes—"
"He’s only three." "—Oh, right, you reminded me... Want some ice cream?" He quickly changed the subject, as Collins’s eyes were practically shooting fire.
The family of three stood impatiently in front of a mobile ice cream cart.
"Business good?"
"Decent."
While Collins and Rose chose their ice cream, Ron chatted with the vendor. Within two minutes, they were discussing the price of the ice cream cart. "I’ve always wanted one", Ron said enviously. The vendor replied, "Five hundred Galleons. But you can rent it for two Galleons a day, and register it on the island."
Ron’s eyes lit up. By then, Collins had made her choice. "A strawberry peanut butter ice cream and a Sky Island chocolate nut ice cream. What about you, Ron?"
"I’ll have chocolate", Ron said. Collins pouted and glared at him, and he quickly added, "We can share."
The vendor got to work, pulling out his wand. Ron couldn’t help but exclaim at the row of gems on the wand. "I’m a low-magic wizard", the vendor said, somewhat unhappily. The gems on the wand began to glow, and he waved it, quickly creating three ice creams. The strawberry one looked like a flowing volcano, and the chocolate one was flattened, sprinkled with colorful candy pieces. But the key feature was a chocolate Slytherin, its tongue flicking and eyes staring at them.
"I get it, a chocolate Slytherin, but it doesn’t bite its tail—what’s that?" Ron pointed at the colorful pieces.
"Sky Island houses", the vendor explained. "The Slytherin doesn’t bite its tail because it has other functions. It will try to—” He abruptly stopped.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked, handing a chocolate ice cream to Rose and biting off the Slytherin’s head.
The vendor was speechless.
Noticing the vendor’s distress, Collins asked, "Is your wand custom-made? I mean, the magic on it. Your casting is very smooth and fluid..."
"Ah, yes", the vendor sighed with relief. "Future World Company provides custom services, but they’ve now outsourced this to a few other companies. There are wizards who specialize in this, they call it... Magic Path Design. They use limited magic to achieve a series of complex effects. Not just for making ice cream, but in all kinds of industries. It’s quite impressive."
Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the street, and a large crowd gathered.
"There’s a fight!"
The ice cream vendor casually pressed a red button on his cart and said, not without pride, "This is a tracking and alarm device. Within twenty seconds, an officer will—what are you doing?"
Ron and Collins simultaneously raised their wands, ready for battle. But after a few seconds, it turned out to be a typical drunk brawl.
"Let me handle it", Ron said confidently, lowering his wand. In his hand, a black chess piece appeared. He aimed and threw it into the crowd. The 'knight' piece came to life in mid-air, growing larger and larger—“Bang!” The knight and horse landed heavily, creating a deep pit. The obsidian horse pawed the ground, half its body protected by the knight’s steel armor, standing over twelve feet tall. Everyone was stunned by the sudden appearance of the massive figure.
"Unrelated personnel—stand back!" the knight commanded from his horse. His armor gleamed with a metallic luster, and the mask on his helmet popped open to reveal a face that looked just like Ron’s. The crowd parted, and two drunk men stared in disbelief at the black knight approaching them, trembling on the spot. The knight’s broadsword, like a massive door, seemed capable of crushing them in one blow. He moved slowly, but no one doubted the explosive power he would unleash when he charged.
The troublemakers sobered up and released their grips.
"See that", Ron said smugly. He was about to speak when two wizards descended from the sky.
"What happened here?" one of them asked sternly. The tourists were silent, silently pointing behind him. The wizard turned stiffly, "Sss!" He stepped back, fumbling for a device similar to a walkie-talkie, preparing to call for backup.
"No!" Ron and the other wizard shouted in unison.
A few minutes later, the knight vanished with a loud thud, reverting to a chess piece. Ron and Tonks walked over, but Ron looked somewhat dejected.
"See if you keep showing off like that", Collins scolded.
"He did help, though", Tonks said objectively, causing Ron to beam with joy. But then she continued, "At least he didn’t throw the entire Wizard Chess set. From that perspective, it could have been worse."
(End of Chapter)
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