Chapter 56: Investing in the Twins

BOOM!

Watching the door to the headmaster's office slowly close, Erwin shook his head in dissatisfaction.

Dumbledore wasn't being very fair.

He'd clearly allowed Erwin to choose his reward, so why had the old man's expression changed so drastically when he'd mentioned the Elder Wand?

Still, it wasn't a complete loss.

In the end, Dumbledore had decided to help Erwin contact Nicolas Flamel to see if he could study alchemy with the legendary alchemist for a while.

On his way back, Erwin happened to meet Fred and George, but their frowning expressions made him want to laugh.

"What happened to you two?"

Erwin asked the twins curiously.

"Nothing. Professor McGonagall discovered some of our little inventions," Fred sighed.

Erwin's interest was piqued.

The twins in the original timeline appeared to have developed several prank products.

He wondered what had been discovered this time.

"Can you tell me about it? What kind of gadget?"

Fred and George perked up slightly when they saw Erwin was interested in their invention.

George proudly showed off a pack of chewing gum.

"It's a Quick-Acting Truancy Candy. After eating it, you get a nosebleed for a while, and it stops after about a few minutes," Fred added.

Erwin took one, unwrapped it, and examined it closely.

A minor spell was attached to the candy that could induce weak nosebleeds. However, the enchantment wasn't particularly strong. As Fred had said, the effect typically wore off after a few minutes for most young wizards.

"Then how did Professor McGonagall discover it?"

"It's George's fault. If he hadn't sold this to Angelina, we wouldn't have been caught."

"You're blaming me, Fred? You're the one who sold it to Lee."

"No, it's both their faults. They're the ones who decided to eat the Quick-Acting Truancy Candy during the History of Magic exam."

Hearing this, Erwin understood.

It seemed Lee and Angelina had tried to use the truancy candy to escape the History of Magic exam, but unfortunately, they'd been caught.

After all, there was no way it was a coincidence that two students suddenly had nosebleeds at the exact same time during an examination.

Watching the two argue, Erwin couldn't help but smile.

This was the charm of the twins; they could make people happy no matter the circumstances.

"Forget it, let's not talk about that anymore. Erwin, do you want to buy some of our Quick-Acting Truancy Candies?"

Fred and George quickly adjusted their moods and turned to selling their products.

"Alright, give me some. Also, do you two have anything else that's fun?"

When the twins saw how readily Erwin agreed, they exchanged glances.

This was a major customer.

With smiles on their faces, they led Erwin into an empty classroom.

As soon as they entered, Fred pulled out a bunch of round balls like a magician performing a trick, all wrapped in colorful packaging.

"Is this the same thing you guys used last time?"

Erwin looked at the spheres curiously, guessing their purpose.

"That's right! Weasley's carefully produced, special Dungbombs!"

Erwin nodded, though they didn't really fit his style, and he wasn't planning to buy any.

"Do you only have these two products?" Looking at Fred and George, Erwin was a bit puzzled.

In the original timeline, they'd had countless creative ideas.

Even in Harry's fifth year, they'd used up all their stock before leaving the school, giving Umbridge one final, memorable prank.

"We'd love to have more products, but research requires a lot of money."

The twins' faces fell at Erwin's question.

Fred explained their situation.

"We can only accumulate funds slowly. When we have enough money, we can continue our research and development. Originally, we hoped the Quick-Acting Truancy Candy would bring in some funds," George added with a bitter expression.

"Are you interested in accepting an investment?" Looking at the twins' predicament, Erwin suggested.

"Really?!" The twins' eyes lit up as they spoke in unison.

"How much do you need?" Erwin nodded, not just because of his friendship with the twins, but because he genuinely found the gadgets they developed quite entertaining.

Eventually, they would open a shop in Diagon Alley.

Although Erwin wasn't short on money, he saw no reason to pass up this money-making opportunity.

George spoke enthusiastically.

"Fifty Galleons! No, thirty Galleons. With just thirty Galleons, we'll be able to develop two or three new products, and the products will definitely sell well."

"Is that enough?"

Erwin asked in surprise.

"More than enough. Erwin, you have to understand, George and I only managed to save ten Galleons this entire year. Thirty Galleons is plenty for us to buy lots of raw materials."

Erwin hadn't expected the twins' experiments to be so economical, especially knowing he'd spent no less than two thousand Galleons on materials to practice alchemy this semester alone.

After thinking for a moment, Erwin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch.

He held the small bag in his hand, and it made a pleasant clinking sound.

George and Fred's eyes went wide.

"There are two hundred Galleons in here. That should be enough for you to use for a while."

"This... is this really for us?" Fred stammered in shock.

"Yes, it's all yours. Don't be stingy with it; make as many products as you can as soon as possible. Then you can open a Weasley prank shop in Diagon Alley."

When the twins heard the last part, their eyes lit up with wonder.

Opening their own shop in Diagon Alley was their ultimate dream.

Erwin watched the twins lose themselves in fantasy and nodded with satisfaction.

He had a good relationship with them both, and he knew their talents were considerable.

To be precise, the Weasleys were very talented.

After helping them solve their financial problems, they'd transformed into successful entrepreneurs who could make real money.

It was a win-win situation.

Taking the pouch, George pretended to be serious.

"Sir Gaunt, we won't let you down. You can rest assured."

Fred also patted George mockingly.

"What are you talking about? You should call him 'boss!'"

Erwin smirked.

These two were always joking around.

After confirming a profit-sharing arrangement of seventy percent for the twins and thirty percent for Erwin, Fred and George rushed off to develop new products. (T/N: Believe it or not, the author made the MC get 70 and the twin 30. lol)

Erwin headed back to the dormitory, ready to spend the last few days of the semester in leisure.