"It's… it's that fifth-year textbook…" Percy stammered, lowering his head guiltily as though he were confessing to a crime. His ears had already turned bright red, and he looked too embarrassed to meet anyone's eyes.
"That's right, Argus!" Fred jumped in before Percy could force himself to continue. "We don't have enough Galleons to replace your fifth-year textbook right now, so you'll have to wait a few days until Mum and Dad send more money."
"If you need it urgently, you can use mine first," Percy hurriedly added. "We can swap once I buy the replacement."
"Or we can put up collateral!" Fred said with a grin, winking at Argus as though he were offering priceless treasure. "Our products are extremely popular with first-years!"
George immediately joined in. "We've got Fat Tongue Toffee that'll swell someone's tongue until they can barely speak, and Premium Dungbombs strong enough to stink up an entire classroom for a week!"
"And besides—"
"Shut up, Fred," Argus said with a helpless laugh, shaking his head.
He looked toward Percy and spoke calmly. "There's no need to replace the book. It isn't damaged badly enough to stop me using it."
"Besides, all my notes are inside it. Switching to another copy would just be troublesome."
"But—"
"It's fine, Percy," Argus interrupted gently. "If you really feel guilty, then let me borrow your old notes sometime."
Percy blinked. "My notes?"
"Of course," Argus replied with a smile. "The notes of Gryffindor's top student aren't exactly easy to borrow. If anything, I'm the one benefiting here."
Percy's chest visibly puffed up at the praise. "No problem, Mr. Grindelwald. Leave it to me."
"Just call me Argus. Fred and George do."
"Oh, listen to that, Fred," George said dramatically. "Our dear top student has finally found a place where his achievements matter."
Percy shot him an irritated glare while Fred snickered beside him.
"Alright," Percy muttered. "I'll take these two idiots back first. I'll bring the notes tomorrow morning."
"No rush," Argus replied. "I can collect them whenever you're free."
Percy thought for a moment before nodding. "Then I'll give them to you in the Great Hall tomorrow morning."
After a brief farewell, Percy grabbed one twin under each arm before dragging them toward the stairs like an exhausted parent hauling away two troublesome children.
"Good night!"
"Good night," Argus replied.
He didn't return to his room immediately. Instead, he leaned casually against the corridor wall and waited in silence for nearly ten minutes.
Eventually, two sneaky figures poked their heads out from the stairwell again.
"The generous investor secretly summoned us back with a coded message," Fred whispered theatrically. "Could it be he's finally interested in our products?"
"We've got loads of good stuff," George added. "Let me guess what you want—"
"No need to guess," Argus interrupted dryly. "I'm interested in more than just your products."
The twins froze.
George slowly covered his mouth in exaggerated horror. "Merlin save us…"
"It's over," Fred sighed dramatically. "Half the girls at Hogwarts are about to have their hearts broken."
Argus stared at them in silence.
Was this some uniquely British sense of humour? Even thirteen-year-olds joked like this?
Fred patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Argus. We're very open-minded."
"Yes," George agreed solemnly. "We'll keep your secret."
Argus took a deep breath before forcing himself back to the actual reason he'd called them over. "I asked you here because I want to discuss a partnership."
"Partnership?" Fred repeated.
"Investment," Argus corrected.
The moment that word left his mouth, both twins went still.
For years, nobody had taken their inventions seriously. Molly constantly complained about their experiments, and most professors treated their prank products like contagious diseases. Even the students who bought their creations only saw them as entertainment.
No one had ever treated what they did as a real business.
The excitement in their eyes was impossible to hide.
Argus observed their reactions before calmly continuing. "I think your products have enormous potential. The only thing limiting you right now is money."
"With proper funding, your ideas could become extremely profitable."
Fred immediately wrapped an arm around Argus's shoulders. "George, do you hear this? Our investor is a genius."
"A visionary," George corrected emotionally.
Argus almost laughed at how quickly the twins had accepted him as one of their own.
"So," Fred asked carefully, "how much are our future shareholders planning to invest?"
George's fingers nervously twisted the hem of his robes while both boys stared at him with anxious anticipation.
No matter how talented they were, they were still only teenagers gambling on a dream nobody else believed in.
Argus slowly raised one hand.
"Five Galleons?" George guessed hopefully. "That'd actually last us quite a while."
"There's one more zero," Argus replied.
The corridor fell silent.
"Fifty?" Fred croaked.
"Fifty Galleons?" George repeated blankly.
Before they could recover from the shock, Argus casually handed over a heavy pouch filled with gold.
The twins nearly dropped it from sheer disbelief.
"These fifty Galleons are only the first investment," Argus said. "From now on, I'll cover all your materials and experimental expenses."
"In return, I want copies of every product you develop, and we split future profits fifty-fifty."
The twins stared at the money pouch for several long seconds before simultaneously slapping themselves across the face.
"Ow!"
"That hurt!"
Then they immediately hugged each other.
"George," Fred whispered emotionally, "this isn't a dream."
"The generous Mr. Grindelwald really wants to invest in us!"
"We don't have to hide our experiments anymore!" George practically shouted.
The two looked like they'd just been handed the keys to Gringotts itself.
"And that's not all," Argus continued calmly. "After graduation, you can work directly for Saints."
The twins turned toward him in unison.
"I'm planning to build a dedicated joke shop for you," Argus explained. "You'll be responsible for running the entire thing."
"Merlin's saggy underpants…" Fred breathed.
George looked seconds away from fainting.
The enormous promise nearly overwhelmed them completely. If Argus had asked the twins to kneel and swear loyalty right then, they probably would have done it without hesitation.
Argus merely smiled quietly.
He had no intention of making a losing investment.
In his eyes, the Weasley twins' inventions had limitless commercial value. Once Saints' future commercial district was fully developed, their joke shop could easily become one of its biggest attractions.
Forget fifty Galleons.
Even five thousand would be worth it.
The three spent the next hour discussing product ideas, future development, and possible improvements. By the time they finally stopped, the castle had become deathly quiet.
Argus stretched lazily, his joints cracking softly as he yawned. "It's getting late. Maybe we should—"
"How about a thrilling midnight snack?" George interrupted with a grin.
"A midnight snack?" Argus rubbed his stomach thoughtfully. Now that George mentioned it, he realised he actually was hungry.
Then something clicked in his mind.
"The Hogwarts kitchens?"
Fred gasped dramatically. "Another cultured soul!"
The twins immediately dragged Argus through a maze of hidden passages and secret stairways.
Halfway through the journey, Argus began regretting his decision slightly.
Sneaking across half the castle in the middle of the night for food really did feel absurd.
Still, they were already committed.
Eventually, the three arrived at a brightly lit stone corridor. At the end hung a large painting of a fruit bowl.
Fred stepped forward confidently and reached out to tickle one of the pears.
The pear immediately wriggled and burst into giggles before transforming into a green doorknob.
Fred grabbed it and twisted.
The painting swung open.
Fred bowed dramatically toward the entrance with a flourish.
"Welcome to the Hogwarts kitchens, our esteemed investor!"
....
Join my exclusive P@treon community for 60+ thrilling chapters!
Link: pa*treon.com/MidnightWonder (Remove the *)
If you join now you will get 2 Chapters for free as well.
Don't miss out, join now!