Late at night, 93 Diagon Alley.
Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and Shanna had just finished dinner and were frowning at the letter on the table. A few hours earlier, they had received bad news from Arthur.
The owners of Honeydukes and Zoko's Joke Shop had actually claimed that their shop was engaging in monopolistic practices and demanded that the Ministry of Magic investigate them for monopoly?
The most ridiculous part was that the so-called monopoly referred to patents they had developed themselves, while the other side shamelessly wanted access to that technology to ensure everyone could "compete fairly."
"That really is surprising." It was Shanna's first time seeing people so utterly shameless.
"We probably pushed them too hard." Fred did not seem bothered. "Still, I think they picked the wrong time. The Ministry of Magic obviously won't pass such an absurd bill."
"Hard to say. Who knows whether Zoko and the others might bribe Ministry officials into making laws that favor them?" George said with a frown. "Politicians aren't known for their integrity. Otherwise, why do you think Albert would rather give the Ministry a discount than let them delay payment?"
"I think we've made too much money lately, and a lot of people are getting jealous," Lee Jordan said, frowning. "That's why they've joined forces against us."
"We should tell Albert about this," Shanna suggested. "He'll definitely have a solution."
"That bloke's probably still on his honeymoon. Damn it, I'm so jealous." Fred took a huge swig of Butterbeer and could not help complaining. "When I get married, I'm definitely going traveling for a year or two before coming back."
"First, you'll have to convince Angelina to marry you." Lee Jordan shook his head repeatedly. He did not think Fred would get married within the next two years.
Just