"Hope they're okay," Little Sirius said gleefully.
"They're certainly fine, but they've been heavily penalized. I suppose they won't act so rashly again." At this point, Arthur turned his head and very seriously addressed everyone, "Kids, you must never treat Illusionary Appearance lightly. Many adult wizards don't want the hassle; they prefer to use brooms—slower, but safer."
Are brooms really safe? Compared to Apparition Displacement, they are indeed safer.
After spending a night at the Humble Abode, the group returned to the Black Family Mansion.
This time, the Weasley Twins and Draco tagged along.
As they reached the door, Little Sirius was about to open it but suddenly turned around to remind them, "Right, you—you need to be careful. My mother has solidified her portrait on the wall using the Permanent Stick Spell. I hope you won't be scared; she's just a portrait now."
"Don't worry, Little Sirius," the twins said, chuckling, "Not sure who will scare who."
Though Little Sirius had only been at school for half a year, he had already experienced the whimsical ideas of the Weasley Twins.
Hmm... there's indeed no problem with that; not sure who will scare who.
As they pushed open the door, they saw Walburga Black sleeping in her portrait, wearing a nightcap.
Feeling sunlight on her face, Walburga angrily opened her eyes.
Seeing it was Little Sirius, she just muttered a few words and yawned.
Little Sirius then remembered that his mother's temper had improved a lot; she was no longer the kind of person who fought anyone she saw.
As for the Weasley family's few "Pure Blood traitors," Walburga immediately saw through their identity.
But the thing is, Harry Potter has a good relationship with these Weasleys, so Walburga turned a blind eye.
However, she seemed quite pleased to spot a platinum blonde head among the crowd.
That was too recognizable; it was certainly a Malfoy.
A brief exchange with Draco later, Walburga went back to her deep sleep.
"Alright, kids." Little Sirius said like a leader raising his hand, "Go pick your room — I mean the ones without names on the doors. Some rooms are already occupied, like Harry's, like Ron's—"
"Got it, Little Sirius!"
The Weasley Twins said, glanced at each other, and dashed off.
While running, they also shouted, "Hurry, or the good ones will all be taken!"
Hearing this, Draco panicked too and followed, sprinting.
No one wants what's left over from others, no matter what the task is.
At dinner, Fred and George sheepishly gathered near Little Sirius, pulling out a pile of brightly colored candies from their pockets.
"Are these your prank tools again?" Little Sirius said with interest, picking up a candy. "I remember your Instant Escape Candy was quite impressive... Tell me, what do these do?"
"Tongue-Tying Toffee." The twins glanced at each other and said in unison, "Eating it causes the tongue to swell—"
"Kids, that's not funny." Little Sirius put down the candy, "You should know, an overly swollen tongue can cause choking; the prank itself isn't a problem, but if it involves life..."
"Of course, we know." The Weasley Twins quickly said, "Don't worry, Little Sirius, there's no problem with these candies—at least they won't cause death from a swollen tongue. We test these prank items right next to Madam Pomfrey's hospital wing."
"Being so close to the hospital wing, are you worried about problems for yourselves?" Little Sirius looked at them with a half-smile.
The twins nodded together; joking aside, although they love pranks, they don't want any fatalities.
"These little things are good." Little Sirius picked up a candy, and under the twins' admiring gazes, unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, "The taste is good too; hmm... let's see the effect..."
As he spoke, Little Sirius's tongue quickly swelled up and drooped outside, looking like it had been soaked in water for days.
He couldn't speak, but it didn't stop him from giving a thumbs-up.
After a while, the prank effect wore off.
"I must admit, this little thing is really good." Little Sirius chuckled and praised, "If I didn't know your grades at school, I'd certainly advise you to focus your energy on developing these novel little things, instead of wasting it on studies."
"But Mom thinks we're just messing around with useless things." Fred shrugged helplessly, "Yesterday she even confiscated our materials; if it wasn't for our tacit understanding, hiding some Tongue-Tying Toffees, these candies would have been taken by her."
"Yeah, Mom just hopes we can focus on studying hard, not spending all day researching these useless things." George also nodded in agreement, "She wants us to get a decent job like Bill or Charlie, like being Curse Breakers at Gringotts in Egypt or raising dragons in Romania..."
"But that's not the only path, kids." Little Sirius said, spreading his hands, "Perhaps that lifestyle is what Molly desires, but it's not necessarily what you enjoy—trust me, I know best about being forced by parents to do things you don't like."
Continuing, Little Sirius said, "Actually, opening a shop in Diagon Alley wouldn't be bad, just sell these little things of yours—I know, you were quite popular at school; many people went to buy your products... Maybe after graduation, you can pursue related work in this area?"
"This..."
The twins were clearly moved; pranking is their very soul.
Compared to a monotonous job where they can see the end of life at a glance, they yearn for this kind of unrestrained freedom.
"Believe me," Little Sirius said, "Zoko's Joke Shop hasn't updated its products in ages; I can't even remember the last time they introduced something new. Was it fifteen years ago? Twenty? At least when we were in school, they were already selling these same things, all these years without change."
"Prank products need constant iteration; relying on just a few old things, anyone would get tired of them." Little Sirius concluded, "So the market needs you right now, don't mind Molly's view. As long as you achieve results, show her you can live well without a regular job, that's enough."
"You're right, Little Sirius." The twin's eyes grew determined, clearly convinced by Little Sirius.
Actually, they had this idea before, but Little Sirius's words merely catalyzed their thoughts.
"Now we need to save money." Fred said cheerfully, "Luckily, we've saved quite a bit from selling prank products over the years—thanks to the advice Harry gave us two years ago... At least we have enough for rent; our next goal is the capital."
"Go for it!" George's eyes burned with intense fire, "Maybe we can spread the word about our prank achievements at the upcoming World Cup, what do you say, Fred?"
"Exactly!" Fred patted George's shoulder heavily, "Let the world's wizards witness the magic tricks from the Weasley Brothers of the United Kingdom!"
(A request for monthly votes)