"Are you joking?" Fred widened his eyes. "Such a simple spell—anyone can learn it, right? I think with just a bit of practice, I could master it."
Robert raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Want to make a bet?"
"What kind of bet?" Fred was intrigued.
"We make some accessories with counter-curses and sell them to Ministry staff to test the market. Of course, we'll keep the price low—how about 10 Knuts? Don't look at me like that. We're not selling hats, but bracelets!" Robert rolled up his sleeve, revealing a red string tied around his wrist.
It was a gift from a peculiar old man, with unknown effects, given as a congratulatory present for joining the family registry. Though it looked a bit feminine, he usually hid it under his robes.
Robert thought it might be similar to the red underwear worn during one's zodiac year, as this year was indeed his zodiac year.
"Would anyone even buy such a simple thing?" Fred was skeptical. "And 10 Knuts is too expensive. I'd say it's worth 1 Knut at most."
"Fred, where's your business sense?" Robert exclaimed dramatically. "These are accessories imbued with powerful counter-curses. They don't involve alchemy, so their effects are short-lived, but they can block at least one malicious attack."
Fred thought for a moment, stroking his chin. "Now that you mention it… this could actually work…"
The two began discussing how to turn an ordinary red string into a magical item.
As for the bet?
What else would interest Robert besides washing socks?
After chatting for a while, Robert changed the subject. The younger students started discussing the next spell, while the older ones had already exchanged notebooks and were quizzing each other on textbook content.
Although the club was open to the entire school, only a few stayed. After all, not loving to study was the nature of young wizards. Robert was surprised to see so many studious wizards gathered together.
The club's atmosphere was relaxed, focusing mainly on homework and reviewing key points while expanding social circles. For example, Percy had taken the opportunity to meet a Ravenclaw witch and was deeply infatuated.
"Alright, everyone, our next meeting will be after Christmas. The main focus will be practical exercises.
I'll borrow some harmless magical creatures from Hagrid, like gnomes, for practice. Those interested can sign here." Robert clapped his hands to get the members' attention and pulled out a sheet of paper that read, "To enhance magical learning, we request to borrow non-lethal magical creatures."
"Future practical sessions will be similar. Keep that in mind. If you're particularly averse to such activities, you don't have to participate, but I can't guarantee you'll pass the practical exam at the end of term.
Take a look at the parchment and give me your answer before the Christmas break. I'll need to discuss the details with Professor McGonagall, and we might even have a professor overseeing the session." Robert tapped the parchment, and instantly, over 30 copies appeared in the members' hands.
The members chuckled as they tucked away the parchment. Then, Percy, as if finally breaking free from the witch's charm, turned to Robert. "By the way, did you know the Magic Snowball Fight is starting again this year?"
What!
Robert was shocked. Such an embarrassing event—why would anyone remember the schedule?
Having not grown up in the wizarding world and with a complete worldview of his own, Robert couldn't grasp the excitement of the wizards. He thought the snowball fight was fun but ultimately silly.
Most importantly, after the last match, he had to take cold medicine for a week, with smoke literally coming out of his ears.
It was so humiliating that he had selectively forgotten how much fun he had during the Magic Snowball Fight.
On second thought, while the event didn't offer tangible benefits, it could boost house pride.
"By the way, I heard…" Percy continued, "Professor McGonagall said she's requesting Headmaster Dumbledore to award 50 points to the winning house."
I love the Magic Snowball Fight!
Robert's interest was immediately piqued. "Is it still five players per house this year?"
"Exactly, but there's a new rule this time: substitutes can only enter if at least one team member is still conscious." Percy smiled. "Slytherin is doomed! We're definitely winning this!"
In truth, the rule was almost unnecessary because…
Everyone joined just to have a legitimate reason to hit Slytherins.
Professor Snape would probably be very frustrated. Such chaos was too unfriendly to Slytherin, as they were determined to be enemies with all the other houses.
In one-on-one matches like Quidditch, Slytherin could dominate with their wealth, but in a snowball fight?
No matter how powerful an individual's magic was, they couldn't withstand a group attack.
That said, this might actually be an opportunity for the other houses to bridge the gap with Slytherin. If Slytherins stopped insisting on pure-blood supremacy, perhaps they could even become partners.
This world had Hogwarts, Dumbledore, the savior Harry, the dark lord Voldemort, and also the spirit realm.
The trendy term was "spiritual resurgence."
After a period of spiritual decline, the power structure of the wizarding world had settled, only to face a resurgence of spiritual energy. This terrified the pure-bloods, who became even more determined to maintain their dominance.
In the eyes of pure-blood families, Voldemort was nothing more than a pawn who couldn't escape their control. His crude and flawed methods of seeking immortality were almost laughable.
Naturally, they suppressed all opposition under the banner of preserving pure-blood supremacy.
The only thing they miscalculated was that even in his old age, Dumbledore was no match for a novice like Voldemort.
For years, pure-bloods maintained their rule by restricting access to the spirit realm. But with spirit realms opening worldwide, could they really keep their grip on power?
If Voldemort opened a spirit realm abroad, he might obtain a grimoire suited to him. Who could stop him then?
Though it might not be entirely accurate, the era of Death Eaters' rampage was the time to reestablish the wizarding world's order. No one knew what would happen then.
Thinking this, Robert suddenly felt a deep concern for the future of the wizarding world. He feared it might become extremely dangerous, even threatening his family's safety.
Perhaps it would be wise to convince his adoptive parents to move to Flower Country for a while to avoid the chaos.
(End of Chapter)