Hogwarts Night Roaming

"You two want me to invest?"

Luke looked at Fred in surprise. He truly had not expected that answer.

He had indeed anticipated that the Twins were short on money. After all, the Weasley Family's financial hardship was well known throughout the Pure-blood Families.

And the Twins also enjoyed tinkering with little inventions. Their inventions would later become wildly popular at school, and they would even open a fairly large shop with them. But one had to remember that every little invention went through failures in its early stages.

Failure cost money for materials too.

The current Twins were not just poor beyond measure—they were practically penniless.

Luke had already prepared himself to be taken for a hefty sum by the two of them.

Money was merely a number to him. If spending a little could buy the friendship of the Twins, or even the entire Weasley Family, Luke thought it was more than worth it.

Honestly, after the war ended in the original story, if the Weasley Family had wanted to, they could have become the new leaders among the Pure-blood Families.

But he had not expected Fred to bring up investment. That was an entirely different matter from selling the Marauder's Map for cash.

That left Luke somewhat puzzled.

George knew that although he was about as good as his brother at pranks and little inventions—and even better at handling certain details—he could not compare to Fred when it came to major decisions.

So though he was puzzled, he simply stood to one side and watched the conversation between the two.

Fred looked at Luke and nodded seriously.

Luke met Fred's resolute gaze, fell silent for a moment, then said, "If you're willing to sell me the map, I can offer a price that satisfies you. That way, you won't have to share any profits with me, and you'll have complete control over your business."

Luke reminded Fred once again. He had always liked this pair of Twins in the original story, and from their earlier conversation and meeting, they had also left an excellent impression on him.

So he was willing to give them another reminder, lest they later fall out or develop a rift over something as trivial as money.

After all, if they later unreasonably asked him to withdraw, Luke could not be sure what he might do.

"I've already thought it through. I believe bringing you in will be the wiser choice." Fred was equally straightforward and immediately explained, "First, you have enough money. Even if you say you'll offer us a satisfactory price, we ourselves don't know how much money we'll spend before we produce a finished product. Second, the influence of the Gaunt name alone would spare us a lot of trouble from business competition. Of course, that's something we'd only consider after graduation."

Fred knew perfectly well what kind of reputation his family had in their circle. If they truly opened a shop, some families would already be giving the words "pure-blood" enough respect simply by not sabotaging them behind the scenes.

"And besides," Fred said with a smile as he looked at Luke, who was a head shorter than him, "I think you're someone we can trust."

That made Luke feel rather flattered, and quite thankful for the speech he had improvised at dinner.

Those words might really have struck something in Fred's heart.

The main purpose of that speech had been to make his position clear to the professors and lure Draco onto his side. But now, it seemed that its secondary goals—winning people over, improving impressions, and finding like-minded people—had also been achieved to some extent.

"Of course I have no problem with that. It's just a little money. Nothing major."

Luke did not decline again and continued, "If you really invent something popular, there's no need to wait until graduation to open a shop."

"In a few days, the Lans Family will send me some properties. There should be several shops in decent locations in Diagon Alley. We can clear out one of them to sell your inventions."

"If you're interested, you can manage the shop long-term after graduation. If not, you can hire someone to run it while you focus on inventing."

Luke's words instantly delighted George and Fred. Decent storefronts in Diagon Alley charged outrageous rent, let alone being bought outright.

And what Luke said meant they would not need to wait until graduation to start making money on a large scale. As long as they came up with something decent, they could put it on the shelves and start earning immediately. Their family's financial situation could improve very quickly that way.

George looked at his brother with admiration. His own idea had been to sell the map and use the money as funding for inventions. Yet Fred's move of seeking investment had unexpectedly settled nearly all the follow-up matters, even allowing them to advance their plans by several years.

Even Fred himself had not expected Luke to offer such substantial terms.

Only then did he suddenly remember that the boy before him was not merely the heir of the Gaunt Family. The Gaunt Family had only him left. All that money—piles and piles of it—was his to use freely. He did not need to worry about whether any adults would approve.

"As for the later distribution, the three of us will split it equally." Luke did not care much about the share allocation, but it still needed to be made clear.

Fred instinctively wanted to object, but Luke cut him off. "Don't refuse. I trust the two of you to make money, and besides... having a little more or less money means nothing to me."

Fred and George were left speechless by that.

"Fine, then it's settled." Fred did not intend to keep being polite with this rich backer. His family truly needed money. It would be best if they could produce results within this school year. Then when Ginny started school next year, she would not have to use their old things, nor would Dad and Mom have to squeeze their already meager savings again.

Leaving everything else aside, a wand costing seven Galleons was pocket change to Luke, but for the Weasley Family, it meant gritting their teeth.

"Later, we'll sign a Contract. Let me borrow the map first—I want to take a look in the Forbidden Forest."

Luke did not stand on ceremony with them either. He was their financial backer now. He could be a little more assertive!

Fred stuffed the map in his hand into Luke's and explained how to use it.

In truth, Luke already knew. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. And Mischief managed. were already etched into his memory.

Then he looked at the Twins and asked in confusion, "Where were you two planning to go play originally?"

The Twins exchanged a glance, then turned back to Luke. "Now we're planning to go to the Forbidden Forest."

Luke laughed silently, then said,

"Then let's go together."