The atmosphere in the Great Hall was livelier than ever. Since the Potions Exchange began, the young witches and wizards of Hogwarts hadn't been this relaxed in a long time.
Every day, they had to pay close attention to etiquette. Their speech and behavior had to be proper and polite, their robes couldn't have a single stain, and even during lessons, they had to keep their desks tidy.
McGonagall was far too strict. She wouldn't allow anyone to do anything that tarnished Hogwarts' image.
Although everyone had to behave the same way at the ball, it was at least a rare chance to relax. Even if someone accidentally slipped up and McGonagall saw them, she wouldn't reprimand them on an occasion like this. She might not even deduct house points in front of everyone.
Of course, even with that hopeful thought in mind, the students didn't let themselves run wild-except for Fred and George.
Those two hadn't gone around causing trouble in quite some time. They devoted most of their time to researching alchemy technology.
Only when something major happened would they seize the "business opportunity" and peddle information.
Recently, Hogwarts' internal news and the few major things Vaughn had done were enough to earn the twins a tidy sum.
Although that pocket money was nothing compared to their backer's investment, the twins agreed that his investment could only be used for research. It belonged to the "Weasley Company's" accounts, not their personal funds.
As for why it was called the "Weasley Company"?
That was entirely because the company, which still existed in name alone, changed names almost constantly. They always liked attaching all sorts of labels to it. Of course, if they could follow the rules, they wouldn't have become the troublemakers who gave Hogwarts' professors the worst headaches.