The moment Fred and George appeared, Leo stopped walking.
The twins grinned mischievously before each throwing an arm around his shoulders as though they owned him.
Fred spoke first.
"Little Leo!"
His face radiated excitement.
"Tell us quickly!"
George immediately continued without missing a beat.
"What exactly exploded near the Forbidden Forest earlier?"
Then his eyes suddenly brightened as though remembering something far more important.
"Oh! Right!"
He leaned closer eagerly.
"Do you still have those talismans from last time?"
The instant George mentioned talismans, both twins completely forgot about the mysterious explosion.
Clearly—
This was their real objective.
Leo laughed helplessly.
"So that's what you actually wanted."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't I already give you several before?"
Then suspiciously:
"Don't tell me you've used them all already?"
Ever since witnessing one of Leo's talismans temporarily trap Peeves, the twins had become obsessed with them.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival break, Leo had specifically asked his father to purchase proper materials from the magical district back home.
Afterward, he had produced an entire stack personally.
George immediately began counting dramatically on his fingers.
"You only gave us five."
Then he looked deeply aggrieved.
"Fred and I each used one for research purposes."
Naturally.
Fred nodded solemnly.
"For science."
George continued,
"Then one night while sneaking into the kitchens, we ran into Peeves and had to use another."
"So now," Fred concluded sorrowfully, "we're nearly out."
Then both twins leaned forward simultaneously with identical pleading expressions.
"Could you give us more?"
George even rubbed his hands together shamelessly.
Fred patted Leo's shoulder emotionally.
"We still owe you for the last batch!"
Then he declared heroically,
"This time, we'll pay properly."
Lowering his voice dramatically, he whispered:
"One Galleon."
Leo nearly laughed.
The twins genuinely behaved like travelling merchants haggling in some ancient market square.
Unfortunately, Leo understood something very clearly.
Giving the twins a few talismans was probably harmless.
Giving them a large supply?
That sounded like a direct path toward Dumbledore visiting him personally.
Before Leo could answer, however—
Ron suddenly exploded.
"You're lying!"
Everyone turned.
Ron pointed accusingly at his brothers.
"You absolutely still have talismans!"
His ears turned bright red with outrage.
"You stole the two Leo gave me!"
Fred and George immediately looked away with exaggerated innocence.
Hermione frowned thoughtfully.
"Actually..."
She nodded slowly.
"I remember that."
Harry rubbed his forehead while thinking back.
"Wait, yeah."
Then realization struck him.
"You traded Ron a single silver Sickle for one!"
Rose stood quietly nearby while silently thanking Merlin she had refused earlier offers from the twins.
After all, anything capable of restraining Peeves possessed tremendous value inside Hogwarts.
Draco looked deeply unimpressed.
Honestly, he thought everyone except himself was behaving stupidly.
Something capable of trapping Peeves—
An entity most professors couldn't reliably control—
Was obviously valuable.
Yet Harry and Ron had practically handed theirs away for nothing.
Ridiculous.
Leo finally sighed.
"You two are a disaster."
After several minutes of exhausting negotiation, Leo ultimately sold the twins eight additional talismans.
Unfortunately, despite being raised by a mother from Great Xia, Leo somehow still lost the bargaining battle against Fred and George.
Pure humiliation.
As compensation, he also gave Harry, Ron, and Hermione replacement talismans free of charge.
Naturally, this was also a subtle act of revenge against the twins' outrageous negotiation skills.
Harry accepted the talisman gratefully.
This time, he swore he would never trade it away.
Hermione examined hers with intense fascination.
How exactly did paper, ink, and magical symbols manage to restrain something like Peeves?
She absolutely intended to find out.
Ron, meanwhile, nearly cheered aloud before remembering his brothers had robbed him blind earlier.
Still—
He immediately felt safer knowing Peeves could be stopped.
Fred and George exchanged deeply suspicious smiles after noticing Leo replace Ron's talisman for free.
Clearly, they were already planning something.
George casually sat beside Ron afterward while happily patting the bag full of talismans.
Then suddenly he remembered the original topic.
"Oh right."
He looked toward Leo eagerly.
"What actually happened near the Forbidden Forest?"
Fred immediately leaned forward too.
"Yeah, everyone heard it."
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Were you testing magical explosives?"
Leo paused briefly.
Then calmly answered:
"Just experimental magical equipment."
The twins leaned closer instantly.
"But it's unfinished," Leo continued firmly. "So I can't explain more."
Obvious disappointment appeared across both their faces.
Still—
That only made them more curious.
George immediately switched targets.
He sat directly beside Ron.
Meanwhile, Fred focused entirely on Leo.
"Just a tiny hint?"
Then he placed a hand dramatically over his chest.
"I swear on Merlin himself that I won't tell anyone."
Leo looked entirely unconvinced.
"I really can't."
Fred groaned loudly.
"You're killing us, little Leo."
Ron finally experienced the rare satisfaction of watching his brothers suffer from curiosity.
"You really want to know, huh?"
His grin looked deeply smug.
Even if Ron couldn't reveal the Equalizer's secret himself, watching Fred and George desperately beg for information already felt incredibly rewarding.
Unfortunately for them, Leo remained completely unmoved.
Eventually, both twins gave up.
"For now," George added ominously.
Fred nodded in agreement.
"We'll figure it out eventually."
The confidence in their voices was deeply concerning.
Because everyone present knew one thing:
When Fred and George became curious about something, they rarely gave up.
And when they worked together?
They became even more dangerous.
Harry suddenly felt a flash of sympathy for Leo.
Draco did not.
Instead, he looked almost excited.
Part of him wanted to see the twins try.
The other part wanted to see Leo outsmart them.
Either way, it promised entertainment.
Hermione, meanwhile, looked worried.
"Please tell me you aren't actually planning to investigate."
Fred smiled.
George smiled.
Those smiles answered the question perfectly.
Hermione groaned.
"That's not reassuring at all."
"Good."
"That means we're doing it correctly."
The twins stood simultaneously.
Then, before anyone could stop them, Fred suddenly pointed toward the ceiling.
"George."
"Yes, Fred?"
"I've just realized something important."
George gasped dramatically.
"No."
"Yes."
Both twins slowly turned toward Leo.
"The mysterious experiment."
"The Forbidden Forest."
"The secret equipment."
"The Headmaster showing up."
"The point deduction."
"The refusal to explain."
Their eyes gleamed.
Then both spoke together:
"It's definitely something incredible."
Leo immediately regretted everything.
Because now the twins looked more determined than ever.
And determined Weasley twins were among the most terrifying creatures in Hogwarts.
Even more terrifying than Peeves.
Possibly more terrifying than Fluffy.
Fred suddenly snapped his fingers.
"George."
"Yes, Fred?"
"We should begin an investigation."
"A proper investigation."
"With evidence."
"Suspects."
"Secret surveillance."
"And snacks."
"Investigation snacks are essential."
Ron buried his face in his hands.
Harry laughed helplessly.
Hermione looked one step away from developing a headache.
Rose was openly enjoying the chaos.
Neville watched with fascination.
And Leo quietly realized something very unfortunate.
The Equalizer's first real challenge would not be magical stability.
Or ammunition production.
Or even Professor McGonagall.
It would be surviving the curiosity of Fred and George Weasley.
And somehow, that felt much more difficult.
....
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