The exams are over, which means all the students can freely play on the grounds, and of course, they did just that.
During the wait for the grades to come out, many people didn't want to stay in the castle, preferring to be outside until it got dark before returning.
Like Kael and Cedric and a few others.
After lunch, they sat around by the Black Lake, discussing their upcoming holiday plans.
"Are you all going to watch this year's Quidditch World Cup?" Cedric asked excitedly, "I can't believe they actually decided to have the final here... Don't forget, we haven't hosted a match in thirty years."
"Of course, we're going." Fred looked equally excited; for the past month, he had been immersed in textbooks, and that kind of boring life was driving him crazy.
The Quidditch World Cup came at just the right time.
"Dad should be able to get tickets," George said, "If there are extras, I can save them for you, so you won't need to spend money on them."
Quidditch World Cup tickets are quite expensive.
Before second-year started, Cedric had seen a match once. According to him, they only bought two seats on the outer edge, and it cost a hundred Galleons.
And from that position, players on the field could only be seen through a telescope.
Yet even so, tickets are still in high demand.
Fortunately, this year they are hosting the event, and as employees in the Ministry of Magic, there's always a bit of privilege.
"My dad should also be able to get tickets," Cedric said, "He has a good relationship with people in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. At that time, I can try to ask him for two extra."
"Kael, you should be able to... Hmm, what are you thinking about?"
"What?" Upon hearing his name, Kael suddenly looked up and said, "Oh, nothing, give the extra tickets to Conna and Cho. I'm fine."
"What were you thinking about just now?" Cedric asked.
"Thinking about how to make money." Kael rubbed his chin and was about to continue when he suddenly saw Professor Lupin walking towards them.
He seemed to have just returned from outside and looked quite serious, preoccupied, not even noticing there were people in front of him.
"Professor Lupin!"
Kael shouted, startling him. He quickly looked up, visibly tense.
But soon, Professor Lupin noticed Kael and the others, and Cedric, who was just inches away from his toes.
If Kael hadn't called out, he might have kicked Cedric.
"Sorry, Mr. Digory," said Professor Lupin quickly, "I was thinking about something and didn't notice there were people ahead."
"It's alright, Professor," Cedric said nonchalantly, "Are you here to relax by the Black Lake too?"
"Ah?"
Professor Lupin was startled, only then realizing that the path he was on did not lead to the castle; he had gone the wrong way.
"Yes... Yes, you're right, I came to relax," stammered Professor Lupin. "But I must go back now; I have many things left to do..."
With that, he turned and headed back towards the castle.
"So strange..." Cedric murmured softly, "I feel like Professor Lupin's acting a bit off; he wasn't like this before."
"Who knows, maybe he's a bit scared," Fred shrugged, "Don't forget the Defence Against the Dark Arts curse, and now that the school year is ending, it's normal for him to be nervous."
The others also found it reasonable, so they didn't pay much attention.
Once he left, George eagerly asked, "So, Kael, tell us about your plan. How are we going to make money?"
"Okay, here's the deal..."
Kael withdrew his gaze from the castle and continued, "Remember those fan gear we sold to the various house members earlier?"
"Of course," Fred chuckled, "Those things made us quite a lot of money."
"That's exactly what I want to talk about."
Kael said, "The Quidditch World Cup, the number of spectators at the match will be far greater than the number of students in the castle... If we make some fireworks that explode into clovers, Irish flags, badges, and stuff in advance..."
"They'll definitely sell like crazy!" Fred and George's eyes grew brighter as they regrettably smacked the grass.
Tied up in their anticipation of the game, how could they have overlooked something so crucial?
The Quidditch World Cup is one of the largest events in the Magic Realm, and surely those attending wouldn't mind spending a little money on mementos.
If their products were attractive enough, it would almost be like picking up money.
With these thoughts, their eyes seemed to take on the shape of Galleons.
"What ideas do you have?" Cedric asked,
And Cho and Conna looked over with interest.
Watching the game while making some pocket money is something no one would want to miss.
"Start simple, like fireworks that can be launched continuously, moving flags, and such..." Kael said, "There's only a little over a month left until the match starts, we need to make as much as possible."
"Leave the fireworks to us," George assured, pounding his chest, "That's our specialty."
"I think a badge that can amplify sound might be nice too," Fred added, "We learned that magic text formula last month in Ancient Runes class, just perfect for this."
Cedric nodded beside him; they learned it together.
"Definitely add that, but don't make it too complicated; that would waste too much time," Kael said.
"What about hair clips and hats?" Conna suggested, "They're simple enough and quite noticeable, likely to attract a lot of people's attention."
...
They sat by the lake, enthusiastically discussing, not even noticing how much darker it had become.
Until a splash of water suddenly drizzled onto them.
"Is it raining?" George asked, standing up with wet hair.
But when he looked up, although the sky was dark, it was clear, stars visibly shining, no hint of rain.
Yet Kael noticed a long tentacle retracting on the serene lake, indicating that the giant squid was reminding them it was time to return to the castle.
"Wow, is it that late?" Cho instinctively said.
"Did we miss dinner..."
"We shouldn't have, right? I wasn't paying attention..."
Quickly, they got up and rushed back to the castle.
Fortunately, dinner had just started, the auditorium gleamed with lights, packed with people, and because it's vacation time, everyone looked happy, the hall was lively.
...