"Ha, Scouring Charm."
Fred looked at his newly cleaned robe and sighed dramatically, "Mum uses this charm three times a day, why can't Ron remember it?"
"Who knows." Kai shrugged.
His plan was pretty much made up on the spot; it was almost full of holes.
The biggest issue was the Scouring Charm, which was the main reason Fred and George thought Ron wouldn't fall for it.
In a wizarding family, this charm is one of the most commonly used household spells. They thought there was no way Ron wouldn't know it.
Kai thought the same.
In fact, when he saw Ron's cautious look at the Leaky Cauldron, he already began contemplating whether or not to let Ron off the hook.
But since he was already there... doing nothing wouldn't be fun.
So he came up with this plan, lowering the difficulty for Ron as much as possible.
Otherwise, he could have just straightforwardly asked Ron, given Ron's eagerness for a new wand, he surely wouldn't refuse.
Kai's idea was simple. As long as Ron said, "Why don't you use the Scouring Charm?" he would abandon the plan and directly spend the money to buy the wand.
But... Ron didn't.
Not only did he not say it, he even believed it!
Unbelievable.
"Looks like Olivander is coming out..."
Fred raised an eyebrow and said, "We should head in; I can't wait to see the show."
"Hey, is it alright to say that?" Kai teased, "Ron is your little brother after all."
"Thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot."
Fred gave a sly smile, then opened the shop door and walked in.
As Kai was about to follow, he suddenly noticed a familiar face at the corner not far away.
A black cloak billowed without wind, greasy hair glistened slightly, and a sinister gaze darted around, looking just like a bat in the night, completely at odds with the bustling surroundings.
It seemed someone was following him from behind, but they were blocked by the robe, with only a pair of short legs visible.
"Long time no see, Professor Snape."
Once the person walked over, Kai took the initiative to greet, "What a coincidence, Professor, are you out shopping with your daughter... oh, it's Conna."
As they got closer, Kai realized the person behind Snape was Conna.
Snape's eye twitched, as if he had been forced to swallow a Dungbomb, and his face instantly turned dark.
"Stop talking nonsense, Kai." Conna peeked out, "Uncle Snape hasn't..."
"Shut up, Conna!"
The little girl hadn't even finished her sentence when Snape interrupted her harshly.
Kai's eyes flashed with a strange expression. He noticed Conna's way of addressing Snape had changed.
But before he could think more on it, he heard Snape's slightly mocking voice.
"Why are you here, Olivander... is your wand broken?"
"Not at all, Professor. I take very good care of my wand."
Kai replied without a change of expression, "I'm here with Fred and George, to help buy a new wand for their little brother.
Ron Weasley, a new student this year."
Snape looked slightly disappointed.
"Also, I wanted to buy some potion materials." Kai continued, "I've been looking forward to attending your Potion Class."
"Huh～"
Snape let out a short, ambiguous sound, his face turning even darker, like he had been fed a second Dungbomb.
But for some reason, he held back, only giving Kai a thoughtful glance without saying anything.
"We're leaving, Conna."
Snape didn't look at Kai again and turned to continue walking forward.
Conna clearly wanted to stay a bit longer; this summer, too many strange things had happened around her, and the past two months had been more exciting than the previous two years.
She was eager to share it all with Kai.
But Snape didn't think the same; he glanced at Kai with some disdain, grabbed Conna by the collar without explanation, and whisked her away.
Conna kept gesturing something, but he was unmoved, even explicitly saying, "Don't interact with Kai anymore; he's not a good person."
Kai watched them as they turned into the Cauldron shop nearby and then turned into Olivander's Wand Shop himself.
Snape's interruption had Kai worried he'd miss the most exciting scene, but as soon as he entered, he heard Olivander's somewhat urgent voice.
"The shop never gives free wand maintenance kits; they must be purchased separately."
"I remember you're from the Weasley family; how could you not know the Scouring Charm."
By this time, the dust Ron had deliberately smeared on his arm was gone, and he stood there, blushing, looking down for something on the floor.
Kai thought he was probably searching for a hole to crawl into.
"As for why I don't clean..."
Olivander paused, maintaining a straight face as he said, "It's for the balance of gray magic. Those dust particles help isolate magic power and protect the wands in the shop from external magical influences.
This involves complex matters that only we wandmakers understand, so you wouldn't get it!"
"So... which hand do you use to hold your wand!"
Ron shakily extended his right hand.
Immediately, a tape measure flew over from the counter and began to rudely measure him.
Next to them, Fred and George were bent over, clutching their stomachs, shaking uncontrollably.
If not for Olivander's presence, they would've burst out laughing already.
After recording the measurements, it was time for the wand trials, which weren't exactly smooth for Ron.
Trying the seventh... possibly the eighth wand, it rejected Ron completely. As soon as he held it, the end of the wand spouted a fast stream of water, drenching him.
This left him soaked from head to toe, shivering whenever a breeze blew by.
...
An hour later... the boxes on the counter were piled nearly to the ceiling.
George and Kai sat cross-legged nearby, bored and playing Wizard Chess, while Fred watched and occasionally chimed in with his opinion.
But neither of them paid him any attention.
"A great combination."
At that moment, Olivander's voice sounded suddenly.
"Fourteen inches, willow wood, with a Unicorn hair core. It's perfect for you, Mr. Weasley.
Now... seven Galleons."
Finished, then?
Kai immediately stood up, drawing dissatisfaction from George.
"Hey, I was about to win!"
But Kai ignored him and took out his wallet, pulling out a handful of Galleons.
Just as he was about to hand them to Olivander, Fred hooked an arm around Kai's shoulder and grinned, "Kai, do you have anything else to buy?"
During this moment, George quickly stepped forward and handed the seven Galleons to Olivander.
"Ginny will also get a new wand or a new robe next year from her brothers," Fred winked.
Kai laughed, "Not worried about the Galleons now?"
"Still worried." Fred sighed, "Ron's too dense, it feels like a waste giving him a new wand."
...
After coming out of Olivander's, they all unconsciously stretched a bit.
"Kai, we better hurry," Fred said, "Mom's probably getting impatient, and if we're any later, she might come here to find us."
"What else did you need to buy?" George asked.
"Some parchment," Kai replied, "and a bottle of Potter's Speedy Shampoo."