The next morning, when he woke up, a light drizzle was falling outside the castle.
In Albert's limited memories of coming to Hogwarts, every new term seemed to begin with rain.
He quickly dressed, prepared breakfast for Tom, then reached out and rubbed the cat's head. He decided he would have a house-elf send Tom to Isabelle later, so the cat could serve its true purpose.
"Where are Fred and George?" Albert asked Lee Jordan, who was putting on his shoes. He had noticed earlier that only the two of them remained in the dormitory.
"They went to the Common Room to put up GG flyers," Lee Jordan said with a smile. "Those two really are full of energy."
After washing up and heading downstairs, they found several students gathered beside the notice board in the Common Room, whispering among themselves. Fred and George were handing out GG flyers with bright smiles. The flyers advertised their latest Joke items.
Rather unexpectedly, the most popular item was Brain-Boosting Candy from Albert's magical sweets—a candy that improved energy, intelligence, and mental acuity.
However, students had to sign up in advance and pay a deposit to place an order.
"I must remind you that Brain-Boosting Candy cannot be used in exams, especially O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. You'll absolutely be caught by the invigilators, so don't count on getting lucky. But it can help you revise more effectively. Whether it's worth the price is for you to decide. Don't say I didn't..." Fred and George were promoting the candy's effects while simultaneously dousing everyone with cold water, but they still could not curb the students' enthusiasm.
They could not cheat in O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s, but that did not mean they could not use it at other times. Ordinary end-of-term tests were nowhere near as strict.