Chicken Soup's Here

Ever since some unknown point, the physical condition of Hogwarts students had begun to decline. Students were always getting dizzy and vomiting in class, with nosebleeds gushing nonstop.

"I have to remind you that professors won't refrain from testing you on this material just because you took sick leave and missed it."

After class, Hermione looked disapprovingly at Ron and Harry, who had escaped Transfiguration Class with Skiving Snackboxes.

"What does it matter? Everything taught in Transfiguration Class is pretty much the same anyway."

Ron said righteously, hands on his hips.

"Hermione, we've been exhausted lately. Let us rest just once. Just this once."

Harry was much more sincere. Between Nicolas Flamel and Quidditch training, he had barely found time to do his homework. He truly could not keep going.

Sold out by his teammate and left alone to bear Hermione's death glare, Ron had no choice but to say stiffly:

"Fine, but I couldn't afford to buy another one anyway. This was only a sample."

"Aren't they your brothers? You still have to pay to buy these?"

Hermione clearly knew who had made the Skiving Snackboxes.

"That's because it isn't their own business!"

Ron's face reddened.

"They opened the shop with Adam. Adam spent two thousand Galleons to buy eighty percent of the Magical Trick Emporium's shares. Otherwise..."

Ron did not continue.

"I remember them saying last time that they planned to ask Adam to work with them on their startup."

Hermione's expression turned slightly strange.

"So... they found themselves a boss?"

They had given away eighty percent of the shares. The twins had practically become employees.

Ron shrugged. He did not really understand it either.

"Actually, we prefer to call it risk transfer!"

"Adam handles the funding, venue, packaging, promotion, and everything else. We only do what we're best at, and we still hold the operating rights. What's the problem?"

Fred and George happened to pass by with a batch of freshly made products and explained it to them.

Hermione turned toward them curiously.

"Then how do you guarantee that your operating rights won't be taken away? Of course, I'm not doubting Adam. I'm just curious."

"Adam is someone who truly understands our great cause. He wouldn't do that."

"But Adam said that, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he signed a magical contract with us. Beautiful lady—would you like a piece of candy?"

Hermione understood. Magical contracts in the wizarding world carried far more weight than laws. She then glanced at the candy in Fred's hand and declined.

"No, thanks. I don't like candy."

"Mm, what a pity."

Fred popped it into his own mouth.

After waiting several seconds, Ron looked at him in confusion.

"What does that candy do?"

"Actually, it's just a piece of candy. If I had to say what makes it special—"

Fred and George exchanged a look.

"It's durian-flavored."

"Durian?"

Harry had never heard of that flavor.

"It's a fruit with a very distinctive taste. Some people love it, while others can't stand it. So Adam made it into candy where only the person eating it can taste it. But we still don't know whether people will accept it, so we're testing it out here first."

George explained to Harry, casually taking a piece from the box in his arms and offering it to him.

"Want to try one? Free sample~"

At the word "free," even Harry, who was not short on money, could not help feeling tempted.

It was made by Adam, after all. How strange could it possibly be?

So Harry carelessly unwrapped the candy and tossed it into his mouth.

The next instant, Harry's entire face scrunched up.

"Oh... so... so sour... slurp—"

The moment Harry opened his mouth, saliva streamed down from the corners of it, but he had no attention to spare for wiping it away—it was far too sour!!!

"Hm?"

George froze, then carefully examined the wrapper in Harry's hand. It was yellow, but it seemed a little paler than the durian candy's packaging.

"Ah! I think I gave you an Acid Pop by mistake..."

George looked awkward. This time, he had been promoting Adam's products. He really had not meant to prank anyone!

"Pop?"

Hermione and Ron froze, while Fred and George had already retreated far away.

Boom—

A cloud of smoke rose. Hermione and Ron coughed as they waved it away, then saw Harry standing there with an exploded afro.

"Pfft—cough cough... pfft—cough..."

Hermione tried several times to hold it in but failed. She hurriedly slung her bag over her shoulder and stood up.

"I'm going to do my homework... pfft—you two, cough, carry on..."

As Hermione hurried away, Harry's resentful gaze fell on George.

"Cough cough! I really didn't do it on purpose! Um... how about I have my little brother apologize to you?"

Ron, who had been laughing: "???"

George set down the box in his hand, took out another Acid Pop, and stuffed it into Ron's mouth without warning.

"Mmph—?!!!"

He shoved Ron, curled into a ball from the sourness, toward Harry, then slipped away with Fred.

"If you enjoyed them, remember to visit Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes next time~"

Boom—

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes quietly began spreading its business throughout Hogwarts. It could not be helped; unlike Adam's little shop, their products clearly could not be displayed openly for even professors to browse.

Though their business methods were discreet, the quality of their products was strong enough, and every mischievous student was well-connected. The twins' Skiving Snackboxes quickly became popular throughout Hogwarts, earning rave reviews.

"We never should have sold them to those Slytherin bastards. That bastard Marcus even tried to bring Filch along to catch us last time!"

At one of Adam's new-product tasting events, Fred could not help complaining.

That idiot had not stopped to think—if they did not have some skill, could they have gotten away with it until now without being caught red-handed by a professor? The professors could not possibly have failed to notice the students' strange conditions, and not everyone who bought Skiving Snackboxes could keep their mouth shut.

"In that case, why not swap the Skiving Snackboxes you sell him next time with something that gives him diarrhea?"

Bernard suggested, stroking his chin.

"Though I don't know whether that would work..."

"That's a brilliant idea!"

Fred and George exchanged a look, seeing familiar excitement in each other's eyes.

"We'll go back and try it right away!"

Xiu silently moved her chair a little farther away from the three of them.

"Chicken soup's here~"

Just then, Adam walked over with a huge pot floating behind him.

"Whoa! That smells amazing! The new product is chicken soup? What's so novel abou—"

Klon could not help standing up to look, then immediately froze.

Inside the pot, pale blue broth rippled in layers. Even the chicken skin, which should have been yellow, carried a greenish tint that made it seem distinctly inedible.

Thud—

As the pot landed on the round table in the center, it seemed to land heavily on everyone's hearts as well.

"Come on, give it a try. This is old hen soup!"

After Adam spoke, everyone at the table remained silent for a long time. In the end, Eugene was the first to pick up his chopsticks and reach into the pot.

"What is this?!"

Eugene's pupils shook violently as he hurriedly tossed what he had just picked up back into the pot.

"Mandrakes."

Adam said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.