Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Under Galleon's enticement, Kyle and the others spent a whole week in that small, stuffy, abandoned classroom. They made over three hundred "Exam-Passing Charms."
Over a hundred of them were handcrafted by the six of them, one stroke at a time, completely handmade.
The remaining two hundred were assembly-line products; the designs were first carved, then transferred to the pear tree branches using a copying charm—quite perfunctory, but they looked quite convincing.
After a week, the group had become very proficient with the copying charm.
It's worth mentioning that this charm was originally meant to be learned in sixth grade.
"The rest is up to you,"
Kyle said seriously to the other five at the pre-school dinner. "You all know the process; just repeat the map-selling method."
Fred and the others nodded seriously as well.
That being said, this wasn't a small-scale map-selling operation; it was a large-scale business for the entire school, and they were still somewhat nervous.
"Kyle, do we have to charge for Hufflepuffs too?" The good-natured Cedric hesitated.
"It's not a necessity, Cedric," Kyle patted him on the shoulder. "But we can give Hufflepuffs a good discount."
"Fifty percent?"
"No, 5%!" Kyle thought for a moment, then added, "But we can round it down, one less Knut."
"…"
Cedric's lips twitched. He wanted to insist on his opinion, but there was nothing he could do. Kyle firmly controlled the pricing, and his opinion was useless.
After a few brief words, everyone dispersed to prepare for tomorrow's plans.
To achieve the desired promotional effect, Fred and George even wrote a large flyer overnight and posted it in the most conspicuous place in the Gryffindor common room.
[Are you still worried about your exams? Are you still worried about not performing well and not getting good grades?
Now, you don't have to worry anymore!
To ensure everyone has a wonderful summer vacation, we highly recommend the "Exam Success Charm."]
It's recorded in *Hogwarts: A History of the School*, and was a sensation at Hogwarts for over a hundred years, the best-selling product of its time. Even Headmaster Dumbledore wore it during exams.
Those interested in purchasing should contact second-year students Fred and George Weasley.
(Note: This product is purely symbolic; it cannot enhance the wearer's intelligence or replace exams. Please purchase at your own discretion.)
The initial version of the flyer didn't actually include this last sentence, but Kyle had them added it after learning about it. The purpose was simply to emphasize "safety" and no returns.
Fred and George were initially worried that adding this sentence would deter buyers.
However, this worry vanished within half a day.
After the first person found the symbolic meaning of the wand and quill in *Hogwarts: A History of the School* and told others, young wizards rushed into their dormitory with Sickles and Galleons, afraid of missing out on the "Exam-Passing Charm" if they were even a second too late.
The dormitory door had been broken several times by the crowds, until Fred was too lazy to even use a repair charm and simply tore the door off.
The situation was similar on the Hufflepuff side, except the badgers were crowding into Cedric's dormitory.
Although the Slytherins hadn't posted any flyers, they naturally sought out Kanna after learning about the situation.
Of the six, only Cho, who was in charge of Ravenclaw, had a slightly easier time; after all, most of the academic high-achievers were confident and didn't need this.
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A few days later, one afternoon, in the same abandoned classroom, the sawdust and knives that had littered the floor were gone, replaced by a square table and piles of gold Galleons and silver Sickles.
"Gulp..."
Fred swallowed hard. "How much is this?"
"It's seven hundred and nine Galleons, fifteen Sickles, and five Knut in total," Qiu blurted out. "I didn't expect so many people to buy the custom-made ones, so it's more than I anticipated."
"Seven hundred Galleons..." George's gaze glazed over. "Am I dreaming?"
Fred sighed beside him. "If so, I hope this dream never ends."
Kyle picked up a gold Galleon from the table and laughed. "You'd better think it over; there are seven such dreams in total."
"Then I'd better wake up quickly," Fred laughed heartily.
But as he laughed, his face suddenly crumpled.
Fred suddenly remembered that he was a year ahead of Kyle, which meant that by the time Kyle was in seventh grade, he would have already graduated, and he wouldn't be entitled to the money that year.
The thought of hundreds of Galleons flying away filled Fred with heartache. He glared at Kyle with a resentful look and said, "Why didn't you enroll last year?"
Kyle felt a chill run down his spine from Fred's gaze and took two steps away in disgust.
"When I enroll isn't up to me. You'll have to ask Dumbledore."
"Uh, it's decided by the Book of Admission," Cedric whispered, "It has nothing to do with the Headmaster."
But Fred and George clearly didn't listen; they were currently discussing how to delay their graduation by a year.
When they left, each of them had a full hundred Galleons in their pockets.
As for the rest, everyone unanimously decided that Kyle would keep them as working capital for the next event.
Kyle agreed.
He had originally planned to invest the Weasley brothers in the money, but they were currently busy finding the complete password for the Marauder's Map and didn't have time to research those joke products.
They'd deal with it next year.
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In the weeks that followed, the professors noticed a peculiar trend emerging at Hogwarts: a particular wooden ornament was being worn by almost everyone.
It wasn't magical; it was just ordinary pear wood, some round, some square.
There was also a smaller variety, adorned with gold paint and waxed, its craftsmanship appearing far more refined than the others, but still not magical.
Normally, the professors wouldn't have cared much about this—just a trendy accessory, something that happens every year, as long as it wasn't dangerous.
But this time was different. They noticed that since this ornament became popular, the young wizards were less tense in class, their attitudes much more relaxed.
Frankly, the professors weren't sure if this was a good thing or not.
[End of the chapter]