Time flew by, and before they knew it, the final week of summer had arrived. The small copying workshop wrapped up its last order, officially bringing their book-copying venture to an end.
Although everyone except Lewis had spent the past weeks working hard, the reward made it all worthwhile.
Now came the most exciting moment—
Dividing the profits.
Lewis naturally earned the most, taking in over 300 Galleons.
Of course, compared to the amount he spent on magical materials, it was just pocket change.
But for the Weasley family, that sum equaled two to three months of Arthur's salary.
And Lewis had earned it without lifting a finger.
That alone spoke volumes about the value of knowledge.
The Weasley twins, as the masterminds and primary operators behind the business, worked the hardest—and earned accordingly.
Each of them received over 80 Galleons.
After deducting advertising and logistics costs—parchment, letters, and owl treats—the actual profit was slightly lower, but still far beyond anything they had ever earned in a year.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron were essentially laborers, earning money through sheer effort.
Hermione, having mastered the Copying Charm the best, worked the fastest and most accurately. She earned a full 60 Galleons, having copied over 170 books.
Harry made 40 Galleons.
Even Ron, initially reluctant to study, forced himself to learn the spell and managed to earn over 20 Galleons.
Once the money was divided, everyone returned home, eager to improve their lives with their hard-earned earnings.
"It was great working with you, Lewis," George said before leaving.
"We'll definitely come to you again if we find another opportunity," Fred added loudly.
Even though Lewis had taken half the profits with minimal effort, the twins understood something clearly—
Without the Copying Charm, the business wouldn't have existed at all.
The wizarding world was, in essence, a stagnant economy.
Productivity hadn't fundamentally improved, and most industries were saturated with long-established players.
For newcomers, competing directly was almost impossible.
The only way to succeed—
Was innovation.
New technology. New demand. New markets. Or overwhelming existing ones.
And innovation required people like Lewis—someone who could create entirely new magic on a whim.
Moreover, Lewis wasn't just a technical genius.
During the business process, Fred and George made plenty of rookie mistakes—mismanaged accounts, poor scheduling, overbuying or underbuying materials.
Each time, Lewis stepped in with guidance, preventing serious losses.
To them, Lewis wasn't just a partner.
He was a mentor.
"Honestly, I enjoyed working with you too," Lewis said. "You two have real talent. If you keep this up, you might build something big in the future."
He meant it.
In the original timeline, the twins would go on to build a thriving joke shop empire.
They had vision, technical skill, and creativity.
Excellent investment material.
Hearing his praise, the twins lit up.
"We're actually thinking about starting something new at school," George revealed.
"Still just an idea for now," Fred added.
"But when we have a plan, we'll definitely come to you."
"I'll be looking forward to it," Lewis nodded.
Aside from the copying business, Lewis had made other gains this summer.
He spent time at the Burrow learning from Arthur Weasley how to modify Muggle devices.
Soon, televisions and gaming consoles appeared in his tower.
These modified devices required no electricity—powered entirely by magic—yet could still access Muggle signals.
Paid channels?
Unlocked.
Free channels?
Also unlocked.
Completely free access.
As for computers and the internet—
That was still too complex. Not yet solved.
He also got to know several families in Ottery St. Catchpole.
Including Cedric Diggory's family—
And Luna Lovegood's.
September 1st arrived.
The start of a new school year.
Lewis and Ciri used teleportation to reach Platform 9¾.
Before leaving, Lewis hid his entire demi-plane tower within the void, leaving behind nothing but an empty patch of land.
From now on, no one could find it.
Only Lewis could reopen the path.
The others could only return via Mansion Spell—a spell still beyond Hermione and Ciri.
He was already considering crafting magical items to help them.
At the platform, Hermione soon arrived, dropped off by her father.
Mr. Granger watched his daughter walk away with the boy—
A bittersweet expression in his eyes.
His little girl… wasn't so little anymore.
The three boarded the train and began searching for an empty compartment.
Not easy.
Most compartments were occupied.
Even if only by one or two students, Lewis preferred privacy.
After passing two carriages, Ciri peeked into one compartment and turned back.
"This one's mostly empty. Just Luna."
She slid the door open and walked in.
Lewis and Hermione followed.
"Hi, Luna," Hermione greeted. "Is it just you?"
Luna nodded dreamily.
"I think so. Some people looked in earlier… but they left."
Lewis quickly understood why.
Luna wore a necklace made of Butterbeer corks, her wand tucked behind her ear, and was reading The Quibbler—
Upside down.
A beautiful face, completely overshadowed by… eccentricity.
No wonder others avoided her.
But Lewis and the others didn't mind.
They had already met her during the summer.
Lewis pulled out a thick book—Foundations of Computer Science—and began reading.
His past-life knowledge was too advanced.
To truly integrate computers with magic, he had to relearn everything from the ground up.
Hermione and Ciri chatted.
Their relationship had grown noticeably closer over the summer.
Luna occasionally glanced at them over her upside-down magazine.
Hours passed peacefully.
When the snack trolley came, Hermione eagerly bought a large amount of treats.
It was her first time earning money—
And she was determined to enjoy spending it.
Everything was calm—
Until suddenly—
A burst of hurried footsteps echoed outside.
The compartment door slammed open.
Fred, George, and Ginny rushed in.
Their expressions were tense.
Ginny looked on the verge of tears.
"He's not here either!" she cried.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.
Ginny's voice trembled.
"Harry… Harry is missing."
If you want to read 60 chapters ahead of the public release, head over to: Patreon.com/RedString