"You two shut your mouths! Nobody's going to think you're mute just because you stop talking!"
Mrs. Weasley was the first to react. After scolding George and Fred, she turned to Link with a smile. "Don't take what those two say to heart. They always speak without thinking, but they don't really mean any harm."
"Of course, I know George and Fred quite well, we're old friends. I know exactly what they're like."
"But I should explain, Mrs. Weasley, your pastries are absolutely delicious. The only reason I didn't eat any isn't because I look down on them, but because Emily and I just finished a long lunch with my mother."
"You know how mothers are, they're always worried their children aren't eating enough, so they make a mountain of food and insist on stuffing you full. So honestly, we really can't eat another bite."
To be honest, Mrs. Weasley had at first thought that Link and Emily didn't think much of her homemade snacks, but after hearing his explanation, she suddenly understood.
As a mother herself, she could completely relate to the situation Link and Emily had faced.
After exchanging a few more polite words with her, Link finally turned his "kind" gaze toward George and Fred.
Using his passive Legilimency, he could easily sense the faint trace of hostility coming from the twin brothers.
He didn't know where that hostility came from, but Link had never been one to be generous about such things.
"George and Fred are about to graduate soon, right? I wonder if they've thought about what they want to do afterward?"
Link smiled at Mrs. Weasley as he asked.
At his words, Mrs. Weasley's expression turned a little awkward.
Their family's financial situation simply didn't allow her to arrange good opportunities for her children. Just like their eldest son, every one of her children had to fend for themselves after graduation, and sometimes they even had to hand money back to help the household.
Link's question was basically meaningless to her.
Perhaps noticing her discomfort, or maybe for other reasons, George and Fred quickly stepped forward and said, "We're planning to open a magical joke shop after graduation!"
"That's right! We've already saved up some start-up funds, we'll definitely make it work!"
Link nodded slightly at that.
That was in line with the events of the original story. If nothing unexpected happened, George and Fred would eventually develop their joke shop into the most popular prank store on Diagon Alley, using their inventive magical products, and later even open a branch in Hogsmeade.
Of course, Link figured their eventual success had a lot to do with the housing market slump caused by Voldemort's second rise, and the "war hero halo" benefits that followed.
Otherwise, two guys with no background and just a bit of startup capital would never have survived the competition.
After thinking for a moment, Link smiled and said to Mrs. Weasley,
"That's one possible path, but as you know, my family, the Flamel family, has been in the business and trade world for generations, so I know a bit about this sort of thing."
"From what I can see, the domestic wizarding market here in Britain is actually quite small, given how few people there are."
"With such a limited market, shops like Zonko's in Hogsmeade and Gambol and Japes on Diagon Alley already have it cornered. In other words, the magical joke and prank market here is pretty much saturated."
"Now, I won't deny that George and Fred are geniuses, their magical fireworks and gadgets are all fascinating."
"But compared to the hundreds of officially licensed products accumulated by those two long-standing stores, what they've got just doesn't hold up."
"So what I mean to say is, opening a shop might not be such a good idea."
The entire sitting room went silent.
Sirius was one thing, after being locked up for over a decade, he barely understood what Link was talking about and just stared blankly.
Harry and Ron wore similar confused expressions.
Hermione, on the other hand, was looking at Link with sparkling eyes, unlike those wizards with no common sense, she had some understanding of basic business. From her perspective, what Link said made perfect sense, and even gave her new insight.
George and Fred's faces had gone pale. Their mouths opened and closed repeatedly as though they wanted to argue, but no sound came out.
As for Mrs. Weasley, after the initial shock, she looked flustered and asked anxiously, "Then… then what should they do?"
Link's lips curved upward. That was exactly the line he'd been waiting for.
"You don't have to worry too much, Mrs. Weasley," Link said with a smile.
"George and Fred are good friends of mine. Perhaps I could recommend them to work at my grandfather's potion factory in Germany."
"By the way, how are their Potions grades?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Snape let out a low, derisive laugh.
Link instantly understood.
Those two Gryffindor troublemakers were sworn enemies of Snape. If their Potions grades were any good, it'd be a miracle.
Link even suspected they hadn't taken any of Snape's advanced classes at all.
Mrs. Weasley's expression turned uneasy, but clinging to a shred of hope, she said, "Uh, Link, George and Fred actually do have some talent in potion-making. For example, they came up with something a while back, what was it called again? Instant… something?"
"Instant Skiving Snackbox! That's a brilliant invention, it makes you suddenly ill or get a nosebleed, so you can skip class!"
Ron said excitedly, thinking he was helping his brothers find a job.
Unfortunately, George and Fred looked like they were about to explode.
Snape was sitting right there. If he found out about the Skiving Snackbox, how were they supposed to sell it later?
Sure enough, Snape's expression turned to one of sudden realization, and the twins' faces went ashen.
"I've heard of that, it's quite a clever invention," Link said with a smile.
"In that case, perhaps George and Fred could work as potionists after graduation. Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley, they're my friends. My grandfather won't demand NEWT-level Potions certificates from them."
"As for pay, you don't need to worry either. The average weekly salary at that factory is about one hundred Galleons, with steady raises and promotions over time."
"George and Fred might not make that much at first, and it'll be hard work, but there's a clear path upward. Whether as a temporary job or a long-term career, it's a great opportunity."
Emily clearly understood what Link was up to by now, and added with a bright smile.
"Really? That's wonderful! I don't even know how to thank you two!"
Mrs. Weasley said joyfully.
She was genuinely happy, for George and Fred's sake.
But the twins looked worse than if their pet had died.
They knew better than anyone what kind of people Link and Emily were. Those two sly schemers weren't offering this out of kindness.
"We're not going to work in potion-making! We're opening a joke..."
Their voices stopped abruptly.
Mrs. Weasley clamped both hands over their mouths, threw an arm around each of their necks, and dragged them into the next room for a "talk." As she left, she gave Link an apologetic look that said, Sorry, the kids don't know better.
Moments later, George and Fred's miserable cries echoed from the next room.
Ron looked delighted, sneaking over to the doorway to peek and snicker. Clearly, he'd been holding a grudge against his brothers for a while.
Link was all smiles.
His plan had been to sign a contract and drag George and Fred off to the German potion factory, making them "enjoy" a nice 9-9-7 work schedule as payback. He hadn't expected to collect a little "interest" through Mrs. Weasley first. Truly delightful.
"Those two brats didn't mean any harm."
A rough, gravelly voice suddenly came from the corner of the room. Everyone turned to see Mad-Eye Moody limping out from behind a hidden door.
He took a swig from his flask and said, "They just overheard our meeting and got annoyed when they found out you deliberately showed up two days late. That's all. No need to go that far to get back at them."
Link didn't answer. He just tilted his head slightly and said, "Where's Dumbledore? He's the one who invited me, why isn't he here?"
"Dumbledore's busy. We can talk with you instead."
Sirius began, frowning, but Moody raised a hand to stop him.
"Everyone who's not essential, out."
Moody's magical eye glared fiercely as he spoke.
Seeing his menacing expression, Sirius clenched his jaw but eventually left with a bewildered Harry and Hermione, slamming the door behind him.
Snape was clearly one of those "nonessential" people Moody meant, but no matter how hard Moody glared, he refused to move.
Eventually Moody gave up. He took a deep breath, drew his wand, and traced a glowing silver rune in the air.
The rune dissolved, and flames suddenly flared up in the room. Out of the fire, Dumbledore appeared with Fawkes the phoenix at his side.
"It's been a while, Link."
Dumbledore greeted him with a smile.
His long, snowy beard looked messy, as if he hadn't groomed it in some time, he seemed a bit disheveled.
"Mm." Link replied coolly. "So, what did you call me here for this time?"
At Link's question, which was clearly rhetorical, Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
He knew full well that Link's trip to Germany had made him wary, if not outright distrustful.
Link was asking only to make him say it, to make him lower himself.
But Dumbledore wasn't one to care about saving face, especially since there were no outsiders present.
Calmly, he said, "I believe you already know about Harry's situation. I think it's time to set your arrangements in the Ministry into motion."
Link's face stayed cold; he didn't answer right away.
As Dumbledore had said, he had indeed made certain arrangements within the Ministry.
Mrs. Flamel had stayed behind in Britain during his trip to Germany specifically to oversee those operations, and by now, they'd developed enough power to unleash considerable influence.
Someone of Dumbledore's level naturally knew as much.
But the key issue was this, Dumbledore had enough power to handle Harry's current situation himself. Calling Link here now seemed like an attempt to force him to openly take sides.
And that didn't sit well with him.
"Sorry," Link said coolly, "but those arrangements of mine have other purposes. Besides, they're not ready yet, it's not the right time to use them.
And most importantly, I'm not your subordinate, am I? As a partner, I don't see why I should take your orders."
"Don't be like that, Link. You and I both know this is also an opportunity for you," Dumbledore said, shaking his head.
"Your piece on the board could use this chance to further weaken Fudge's authority and climb higher."
Link knew he was right, but still said indifferently, "I don't want him rising too fast. That makes him harder to control."
Dumbledore looked helpless.
He pulled out a chair and sat down, saying earnestly, "Link, I know you're upset with me, but enough is enough. The one who needs help now is Harry. Whether out of friendship or future strategy against Voldemort, you need to help him."
"It's like Severus here, he may dislike Harry, but when the boy's in danger, he still protects him."
As he spoke, Dumbledore glanced at Snape. The latter flushed in discomfort at being dragged into the conversation but said nothing.
Under Link and Emily's odd stares, Snape finally looked away.
"By the way,"
Dumbledore added with a small smile, "the International Confederation of Wizards is very displeased with your takeover of the Beckman family's industries in Germany. They're in talks with the German Ministry about how to respond. I'll take care of that for you, as a peace offering."
"As for whether you'll help Harry, that's up to you. Oh, and one more thing, what are you planning to do next?"
Link's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Who knows? Maybe I'll learn Apparition and get certified."
"That's a fine idea. Once you've mastered Apparition, it'll greatly enhance your combat mobility!"
"In that case, I'll take my leave. Fudge has been causing quite a mess lately, and I must handle it before term begins."
With that, Dumbledore summoned Fawkes again, and the phoenix prepared to Apparate him away in a burst of fire.
"By the way, your OWL results were withheld by the Ministry for a while, but I've just retrieved them. Since you're here, I'll hand them to you directly."
As the phoenix fire engulfed him, Dumbledore tossed a rolled parchment toward Link and nodded in satisfaction.
He knew perfectly well that Link had already agreed to help Harry.
After all, for a still-ungraduated student to quickly obtain an Apparition license, the only way was to pull some strings within the Ministry.
Link's casual remark about "learning Apparition" was his way of saying exactly that, he'd be reaching out to his contacts soon.
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