As lunch came to an end, Molly found herself quietly observing Victor.
She had arrived at several conclusions the moment she heard the surname Malfoy.
She had known Lucius for years — the man cared deeply about blood status, family prestige, and social standing. Naturally she had expected his son to be similar.
Instead, Victor seemed almost indifferent to those things. Throughout lunch he had spoken to everyone normally, never once mentioned blood status, never looked down on the Weasleys for their lack of wealth.
The only thing he appeared interested in judging was competence. Still irritating in its own way, but a far cry from Lucius.
Molly wasn't foolish enough to completely trust someone after a single meal. Still, Victor was not what she had expected.
At the other end of the table, Fred and George had cornered Victor. Luna sat beside him while Ginny listened with obvious interest.
"So, Victor," Fred began, "George and I are thinking about opening a shop in Diagon Alley one day. A proper joke shop with our own products and inventions."
Victor glanced at them. "Do you want my opinion?"
The twins nodded immediately.
"First, you need money. Without it, forget about opening a shop."
That earned a groan. "Why does every good idea begin with money?" Fred complained.
"Because reality exists."
"We'll earn it eventually," George said.
"I know." The confidence in Victor's voice surprised them.
"You're both among the most talented inventors at Hogwarts. You create products people actually want, and more importantly, you understand your customers."
The twins straightened slightly. Unlike most adults, Victor wasn't dismissing their dream as childish nonsense. He was treating it like an actual business.
"I assume you'll be selling prank items and various things designed to cause chaos."
"Now you're speaking our language." George immediately reached into his pocket with a wicked grin and tossed something toward Ron before anyone could stop him.
The object exploded with a loud bang. A cloud of bright yellow feathers erupted around Ron's head.
For several seconds everyone stared. Ron looked like an extremely confused chicken.
Fred and George burst into laughter. Even Ginny started laughing.
Victor watched the scene, then slowly nodded. "The product works."
Ron glared at him from beneath the feathers. "You are not helping."
"If you can consistently create products that get that reaction, you'll make money."
Fred and George looked pleased. Ron looked betrayed. The twins were already discussing improvements while Ron picked feathers out of his hair and muttered darkly about siblings.
After a while the conversation drifted toward the Quidditch World Cup. Ron's entire face lit up immediately.
"So, Victor, are you coming for world Cup?"
"As luck would have it, I'll be there."
Ron's eyes brightened. Then he noticed Victor's expression — or rather, the complete lack of one. "Wait. You're not excited?"
"Not particularly."
Ron almost dropped his drink. "Not particularly? You get to watch the World Cup!"
Victor shrugged. Ron looked personally offended.
"Then why aren't you excited?"
Victor couldn't explain the real reason — that he already knew Ireland would win, Krum would catch the Snitch, and afterward would come the Death Eaters, the Dark Mark, and the beginning of a chain of events leading to Voldemort's return.
The match itself wasn't particularly important compared to all that.
So he simply said, "I enjoy Quidditch. I'm just not the type to lose my mind over it."
Ron looked horrified. Fred nodded thoughtfully. "He's got a point." George agreed. "You did spend three hours talking about Viktor Krum yesterday."
"That was different."
"It really wasn't."
Ron turned back to Victor. "I don't understand how someone can watch Krum play and not be excited."
"I don't understand how someone can spend three hours discussing a single Seeker."
Ron opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. No words came out.
Luna watched quietly. "I think you're both excited." Everyone looked at her. Ron pointed at Victor. "He clearly isn't."
"You're excited before something happens," Luna said. Then she pointed at Victor. "He's excited after deciding whether it's worth being excited about."
The table fell silent.
Fred looked impressed. George nodded slowly. "That actually makes sense."
Which was unfortunate for Ron, because now he had no argument left.
The conversation moved on naturally after that.
"So is Harry coming to the World Cup too?" Victor asked.
Ron immediately nodded. "Yeah. Harry and Hermione are arriving a couple of days before the match. They'll stay here for a bit, then we'll all head there together."
Luna turned toward Victor. "How long are you staying this time?"
"A week or so."
Ron looked surprised. "A whole week?"
Victor shrugged. "There isn't much to do at home."
That earned several confused looks. The idea of being bored inside Malfoy Manor sounded ridiculous.
"Having a large house doesn't magically create entertainment," Victor said.
Fred nodded. "Fair point." George grinned. "I've seen rich people. Most of them are boring."
Victor continued as though nobody had interrupted.
"Most days it's the same routine. Read, practice magic, listen to Father complain about politics, listen to Mother complain about Father's politics, then watch Draco convince himself he's the greatest wizard of our generation."
*****
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