Chapter 40: The Weasley Twins

Apart from Charms and Transfiguration, Wade spent most of his time on Alchemy. While studying Alchemy, he continually deepened his understanding of other subjects. The book Professor Murray lent him, Learning Magical Artifacts Creation from Scratch, was entirely different from other books on Alchemy. It contained almost no dry history or complex theories, nor did it delve into the relationships between the four classical elements. Instead, from the very first line, it focused on how to create various magical items. From common magical items like self-inking quills, moving photographs, flying brooms, and howlers, to rarer and more powerful items like pensieves, enchanted mirrors, invisibility cloaks, and guardian armors — nearly every magical item Wade had seen or heard of could be found in the book. It even mentioned the Sorting Hat and Time-Turners, though the latter was only discussed through speculation, without concrete methods of creation. However, just reading about these magical items didn't mean one could create them. It's like trying to build a computer without understanding electricity or programming — even if you had all the instructions, it wouldn't be enough. The complexity and danger of magical items far exceeded that of a computer. Without the proper foundational knowledge, even the simplest steps would be incomprehensible. After several weeks of studying with Professor Murray, Wade often listened to him critique the assignments and creations of sixth and seventh-year students. He even helped the professor as an assistant in crafting a teaching tool for one of his lessons. After some training, Professor Murray suggested that Wade try creating his own simple magical item — with just three to five spells properly combined, one could create some fascinating effects. Self-inking quills and howlers were examples of such creations. Ideas started forming in Wade's mind. He thought about making a quill that could automatically change ink colors while writing, or adding a distance-measuring function to a pair of glasses, or perhaps crafting a little dancing puppet. Almost as soon as these ideas appeared, the spells and the precise steps to create them formed in his mind as well. The spells and runes involved were quite basic, all of which Wade had already mastered. With just a few practice runs, he was confident he could succeed. But should he really go ahead with this? If he did, his creation would be no different from the student projects Professor Murray had called "trash." It would be just another recycled idea, fulfilling the assignment without much inherent value. This would be Wade's first Alchemy creation. He didn't want to approach it so casually, nor did he want his work to eventually end up in the garbage heap after submission. That night, his mind was full of ideas, preventing him from falling into a deep sleep. In that half-awake, half-dreaming state, he suddenly heard a faint rustling sound. Sitting up in bed, Wade grabbed his wand and waved it. The oil lamps in the dormitory lit up, casting a soft orange-yellow glow. The dormitory was eerily quiet, and from outside the window came a barely audible noise. Wade put on his cloak, got out of bed, and walked to the window, where he discovered that it was snowing outside. Large snowflakes were gently falling, covering the entire castle in pure white. The thick snow blanketed everything, creating a serene and expansive atmosphere. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Wade—he realized exactly what he wanted to do. Compared to this new idea, all his previous thoughts seemed flashy and superficial. In high spirits, he returned to bed and slept soundly until morning. ... Originally, Wade thought he had been bold by causing Quirrell to fall and injure his face, but that turned out to be nothing compared to what the Weasley twins soon pulled off. They enchanted several snowballs to chase Quirrell around, eventually hitting him on the back of the head. Professor McGonagall was furious. She stormed out of the Great Hall and deducted thirty points from her own house, Gryffindor! She also gave the twins a month's worth of detention—half of which they'd serve before the Christmas break, and the other half after. The twins pretended to be repentant and offered sincere apologies, but the moment they were out of McGonagall's sight, they were grinning with pride. "Why are you targeting Quirrell?" Wade asked curiously as he stood in the hallway. To someone like him, who knew the truth, what the twins had done seemed like playing with fire. The Weasley twins enjoyed pranks, but they'd never gone as far as to provoke a professor. After all, Gryffindors valued the House Cup points, since being behind in points meant being mocked by Slytherin. If Professor Quirrell had deducted two hundred points, no one would have been able to complain. Wade was puzzled—when did the twins become so reckless? The Weasley twins stared at him for a moment, their faces lighting up as if they remembered something. "Ah, you're—" "—From the library" "What was your name again?" the brothers asked in unison. "Wade Grey, from Ravenclaw," Wade replied. The twins immediately understood—this was a name they'd heard countless times from their youngest brother, Ron. After every class with Ravenclaw, Ron would enviously talk about a boy named Wade, who was admired by the professors and was supposedly destined to be the next Percy. But from what they'd seen, Wade Grey was nothing like their older brother Percy. In fact, like them, Wade was also an Alchemy enthusiast, which made them like him even more. The Weasleys twins exchanged a glance and leaned in closer, saying, "Aren't you curious?" "Quirrell is always wearing that big turban—" "—No matter how the weather changes, he never takes it off—" "—We even asked the house-elves in the kitchen, and he hasn't let them clean it either" "So there must be some secret hidden under that turban, something he doesn't want anyone to know!" Fred Weasley said with certainty. "Maybe it's some kind of Dark Magic weapon that messed up his brain." "Or maybe it's a hideously ugly bald spot!" George Weasley couldn't help but laugh. "Just imagine that—it's hilarious!" "Don't pick on Professor Quirrell just because he's easygoing," Wade tried to offer a gentle "Hermione-style" suggestion. "Do you dare to mess with Professor McGonagall's bun?" "Don't say such terrifying things!" Fred, acting overly familiar, threw an arm around Wade's shoulder. "But I also noticed something strange. Do you know what it is?" "What?" George asked in a sidekick's tone. "I realized—" Fred looked at Wade and said in a long tone: "that we've been pointing out all these strange things about Quirrell's turban, but you don't seem curious at all!" Wade's heart skipped a beat, suddenly realizing that beneath the twins' playful demeanor lay incredibly sharp intuition. His expression shifted slightly, and George immediately noticed. George raised an eyebrow and asked, "So you already know?" Wade crossed his arms, took a step back, and leaned against the wall as he squinted at the Weasley twins. "So... is this an interrogation?" Fred and George exchanged another glance, then laughed together. "Of course not!" "You figured out the answer before we did, so that's our loss," Fred said seriously. "But as for interrogating you—no way! We'll figure out the answer ourselves!" George flashed a bright smile. -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! Your support is greatly appreciated! 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