In the corridor, Fred and George Weasley stood side-by-side, mirroring each other's stances, eyebrows raised as they watched Sean.
"What will it cost , Fred?" Sean asked, playing along.
"I'm not Fred, I'm George," the redhead on the left replied. "Honestly, it's not your fault. Hardly anyone can tell us apart."
"Understood, Fred," Sean said quietly.
"rlin's beard—" The twin on the left and the twin on the right stared at each other, then zipped around Sean, circling him a few tis before stopping.
"Who am I?" the one on the left asked, crossing his arms and winking.
"You're Fred," Sean stated.
"Whoa!" The redhead looked genuinely impressed. "The one Galleon fee is waived! Just tell us how you knew—"
"How about a trade?" the twin on the right interrupted, striking the sa pose. They both crouched slightly, bringing themselves down to Sean's eye level, peering into his calm green eyes.
"You always speak first, Fred," Sean explained.
"Not even Mum knows that!" Fred exclaid, then quickly clapped a hand over his mouth and made a 'your turn' gesture.
George blinked. "Not even Mum knows that!"
"Truly astonishing!" Fred picked up the conversational thread seamlessly. The two shared a look of pure, unadulterated mischief.
"For this grand contribution to... well, to us," Fred began, his tone shifting to one of mock grandeur, "what was your na again?"
"Sean Green." Sean's eyes drifted to the strange assortnt of items the twins were carrying: quills, a biscuit, a small cage containing a toad...
In truth, telling them apart was simple. Whenever the Weasley twins were involved in significant trouble, Fred was almost always the ringleader. It was Fred who had flown the Ford Anglia to rescue Harry; Fred who had 'rescued' the salamander from class to feed it fireworks; Fred who had 'accidentally' dropped the Ton-Tongue Toffee in front of Dudley; and Fred who had first crossed the Age Line to put his na in the Goblet of Fire.
"The great Green!" George announced, his voice booming artificially.
Sean flinched. That was a loaded title. The last wizard associated with "greatness" had been Grindelwald (For the Greater Good). The most recent had been Tom Riddle (Make Pure-bloods Great Again). The common denominator wasn't exactly... positive.
"The great Green!" George repeated, noticing Sean's discomfort and grinning.
"For your outstanding contribution, Mr. Green," Fred intoned, "we have decided to impart upon you a portion of our great and secret knowledge—"
His voice was so loud that the tie around his neck vibrated. A Sonorus Charm, and a Continuous Charm... Sean analyzed automatically.
"I knew he was a genius!" George yelped. "Quick, show him the thing!"
"So, Green," Fred said, pulling off the enchanted tie, his voice returning to normal, "what do you think Alchemy is? Just a bunch of... magical, wondrous, ancient words from Professor Babbling's class?" He paused. "Oh, right, I forgot you're just a first-year—"
"He's already morized the beginner books, Fred."
"Right, I knew that, George… Or is it..." Fred pulled a biscuit from his pocket and fed it to the toad in the cage. The toad pulsed strangely, then, with a poof, transford into a bright yellow canary.
"Canary Creams! Our own invention!" George announced proudly.
"A few simple charms, applied in just the right places, can produce incredible results!" Fred said. "Now, look at this! I bet you can feel this one!"
He handed Sean a quill. It looked like a normal Quick-Quotes Quill, but Fred had cast so sort of revealing charm on it, causing the runic inscriptions along the shaft to glow with a faint, pulsing light.
Sean took it, and for the first ti, he saw how the runes functioned. A few simple Levitation Charms, a weak Legilincy charm to capture thought... all woven together in a complex, mysterious, and self-sustaining matrix. He could feel the magic flowing through it.
[You have fully observed an Alchemical Creation. The magical branch 'Alchemy' is now available.]
[Unlock Conditions: Adept Potions Title (Not t), Adept Charms Title (t), Adept Transfiguration Title (t)]
"rlin's beard, you felt it, didn't you?" Fred said, grinning at Sean's stunned expression. "If you can build your own Levitating Quill—"
"Using the notes we'll provide, of course," George added. "It's not that hard—only took us half a term!"
"—Then we'll introduce you to Professor Terra!" Fred finished grandly.
"She's a big deal. Hard to even get a eting!" George raised his eyebrows.
"But we," they said in perfect unison, "have our ways!"
In the Room of Hope.
Sean's desk was now covered in strange new items. Ink pots, a helt, a Howork Planner... He stared at the Panel, his mind racing. The unlock conditions for Alchemy were the strictest he'd ever seen.
He recalled Fred's parting words: "You know, to even take Alchemy, you need 'Outstanding' O.W.L.s in Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, and Charms. Most people think 'Exceeds Expectations' in Potions is good enough—but anyone who thinks that is guaranteed to get a 'Troll' in Alchemy!"
Sean's experience told him that the stricter the conditions, the greater the reward. He looked at the quill in his hand, then at the pile of tools and notes the Weasleys had given him. He didn't dive in imdiately. First, he opened the twins' notebook.
(End of Chapter)
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