What Are Your Dreams?

Brook sat down across from the two of them.

The Weasley twins immediately noticed him.

Fred blinked and flashed a sly smile.

"Hey, newcomer? You're... Brook, right?"

George immediately chimed in. "What brings you over to sit with us today? Have you finally realized that we're the two most charming people in Gryffindor?"

Brook couldn't help curling his lips into a smile.

"I was indeed drawn here by your charm."

The twins looked at Brook in surprise, clearly caught off guard by his answer.

"Excellent taste." Fred nodded solemnly.

George raised an eyebrow. "Then you can tell which one of us is which, right?"

Brook put on a show of studying their faces carefully.

How was he supposed to know who was who?

These two twins looked exactly alike.

Forget about not being familiar with them—even if he were, he probably still wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

He pointed casually. "You're Fred, and you're George."

A flicker of surprise passed through the twins' eyes, but they quickly concealed it.

Fred shamelessly said, "You guessed wrong. I'm George."

George immediately added, "I'm Fred."

But Brook had seen the surprise in their eyes.

He waved a hand. "Cut it out. You two are actually pretty easy to tell apart."

Fred immediately clutched his chest theatrically. "We've been recognized."

George asked curiously, "Even our mum can't tell us apart. How did you do it?"

Brook blinked mischievously. "Well, I guessed."

The twins exchanged a glance, then dramatically embraced each other with looks of heartbreak.

"George, we were actually fooled."

"Fred, the two greatest prank masters at Hogwarts were actually played!"

The more Brook watched them, the more amused he became. They were just too entertaining.

Fred suddenly turned serious. "Tell us, what do you want from us?"

Brook smiled. "There is something I wanted to ask you about. I heard you're familiar with every corner of Hogwarts, especially those... less well-known places."

Fred and George looked at each other, then turned to Brook in perfect unison.

Their gazes made it seem as though they were looking at a kindred spirit.

"It's not good for a first-year wizard to be interested in such secrets." Fred said with mock seriousness.

Brook asked, "Oh? You two actually care about that?"

George said solemnly, "Gryffindor only needs the two of us losing points."

Brook said, "Don't worry. I have a way to avoid being discovered."

Fred asked curiously, "Have you already learned the Disillusionment Charm?"

"Or do you have an Invisibility Cloak?" George added.

Brook silently committed the two terms to memory.

So this was what the twins relied on to make mischief without getting caught.

"No and no. But I have my own methods."

Fred lowered his voice. "Alright, what do you want to know?"

Brook naturally didn't stand on ceremony. "Hogwarts' hidden rooms, secret passages leading outside, the location of the kitchens, and so on. I want to know some of Hogwarts' secrets."

Fred raised an eyebrow, wearing an expression that said, You've come to the right people, but he did not respond immediately.

George, meanwhile, was somewhat hesitant.

They did know these secrets, after all. They had the Marauder's Map in their hands.

But they couldn't just tell anyone.

What if Brook was careless and exposed the locations of those secret passages?

Then getting out would no longer be so convenient for them.

When Brook saw that neither of them spoke, he understood their hesitation.

As the one asking for help, they had no obligation to answer. If they did answer, that was a favor.

But in this world, aside from a few exceptions, most things were exchanges of benefits.

If one failed to get the desired result, it was often because the offered benefit was not enough.

He needed to offer more money.

Brook immediately transformed into a Dream Mentor.

"What are your dreams?"

The twins were both stunned, clearly not expecting Brook to suddenly change the subject.

But they quickly recovered and answered in tandem.

"We have a very great dream."

"That is to open the most popular Joke Shop."

"Oh." Brook narrowed his eyes.

Wasn't that convenient?

One of his system missions happened to be [Operate the most popular shop in Diagon Alley].

And he happened to have an unused storefront on hand.

He brushed the ring on his finger, and a piece of parchment appeared in his hand.

Since the Wizarding World had spatial equipment, there was no need for him to hide it.

He handed the parchment to them. "Take a look."

When the twins saw the contents of the parchment, shock flashed in both their eyes.

It was the Deed to a shop in Diagon Alley, and the name on it was Brook Lott.

"How about I use this to make a deal with you?" Brook said.

"Our information isn't worth that much." Fred shook his head.

"What if we sell Ron to Brook?"

"Forget it. He eats too much. We might even have to pay extra."

George nodded in deep agreement.

"We can tell you the information." Fred forcibly tore his gaze away from the parchment.

"But we can't take the Deed." George said firmly.

Though they longed to open a Joke Shop, they would not take such a huge advantage of Brook for nothing.

Not even in exchange for the Marauder's Map in their possession.

Brook smiled slyly.

He had guessed right.

The twins could not be so well liked by so many people through pranks alone.

They must also have been genuinely decent people.

"I'll use this Deed as an investment. And if you lack startup capital, I can provide that too. When the time comes, you'll be the owners, and I won't interfere with anything involving the Joke Shop. What do you say? Shall we be friends?"

"Really?" Beyond shock, Fred was more excited than anything else.

George was comparatively calm. "What if we lose money?"

"Even then, I won't interfere. All I'm putting in is money, while you're putting in your dreams. I believe you'll pour your hearts into it."

Fred slapped the table. "Deal! But we're still preparing, so we won't open the shop that soon. If you want to pull out, just tell us anytime."

George no longer hesitated either. "Wait for me a moment."

With that, he ran out of the Great Hall.

"Brook, I'll take you to see the kitchens first. George will find us."

Fred naturally knew what George had gone to do.

Quite a few little lions nearby were still waiting to watch the excitement.

He had no intention of exposing the Marauder's Map, even if it was about to no longer belong to them.

Brook nodded and followed Fred directly.