The Twins Join the Team

"Harry, Eli, I didn't see either of you all day!"

After finishing their practice for the day, Eli and Harry went looking for Ron. He was not in the common room, but they happened to run into him in the Great Hall.

"Ron, we were just looking for you!"

Harry ran over to him. In truth, they wanted to pull Ron in to study magic with them.

It had been Eli's suggestion. After all, who knew what dangers these stubborn fools would face in the future? It was always safer to improve their strength.

"Looking for me?"

"I've been learning magic with Eli, and I've really improved a lot! So I wanted to ask if you'd like to join us!"

Harry was truly an enthusiastic person when it came to recommending things, but Ron's head started aching the moment he heard the word "study."

Ron's reluctance was practically written all over his face. It was clear just how much he resisted studying.

"Well... I'd better not..."

Eli knew Harry would never be able to persuade Ron like this. He needed both threats and incentives!

"Ron, do you want to end up with a bunch of P's in your O.W.L.s? Especially in Potions. Snape isn't someone to be trifled with. One slip, and you'll get a terrible grade."

Eli sounded like a bad uncle frightening a child.

Ron really was scared silly. The thought of being thrashed by his mother after failing his exams, then mocked by Fred Weasley and the others, immediately made his face fall.

Seeing Ron begin to waver, Eli quickly struck while the iron was hot. "Look, if you study with us, you won't have to put up with Snape's nasty looks, you won't have to worry about embarrassing yourself in class, and you won't have to fear getting bad exam results. Even Harry joined!"

Now Eli looked even more like a bad uncle, and poor little Ron quickly fell into his trap.

Ron simply did not like studying; it was not that he did not value his life. He knew perfectly well what would happen if he failed his exams.

His brother Percy Weasley, as a prefect, was often held up by Molly Weasley as an example whenever she lectured him.

He was still carrying Molly Weasley's instruction to become a prefect himself!

"Then... all right."

Ron agreed, though he looked utterly reluctant. He really did hate studying!

Wasn't Quidditch much more fun?

Eli revealed a triumphant smile.

Harry stared from the side in amazement.

You could do that? Harry might have been awakening a rather remarkable talent.

"So you were plotting something behind our backs!"

"Unforgivable!"

The twins made their grand entrance while trading lines like a comedy duo.

"Come on, tell us. Did you just reach some sort of shady agreement?"

"Or form a secret organization?"

Eli listened to the two of them taking turns and felt black lines fill his forehead.

What nonsense was this? How had it become a secret organization?

"Actually, it's not some earth-shattering secret."

Eli deliberately played it up, and the twins really did fall for it.

"What secret?"

"Tell us, tell us!"

Eli put on a mysterious expression. "Want to know? You have to agree to one condition."

The twins exchanged a look. "What condition?"

"You have to keep it secret. You must promise never to reveal our secret to anyone else."

The twins loved this sort of mysterious atmosphere. Their curiosity was practically jumping out of them.

"We promise to keep our mouths shut!"

Eli nodded in satisfaction and lowered his voice. "Our secret is..."

"What is it?!"

"Harry and Ron are going to learn from me!"

The twins froze, then their faces filled with disdain.

They had thought it was something important. That was it?

"Well? Do you want to join us?"

The twins looked as though they had just heard a joke. "Eli, although you're the hero who bravely fought a Troll, you're still no match for us third-years."

To put it bluntly, although the twins believed Eli had dealt with the Troll, they had always thought he had simply gotten lucky. They did not believe he could truly fight a Troll head-on.

In fact, most other people thought the same way.

Eli heard that and raised an eyebrow. Oh? They did not believe him?

He slapped the table. "I, Eli, am a respectable man. Since you don't believe me, let's have a match."

The twins laughed even louder. They suddenly felt like teaching this little first-year a lesson.

"Of course, but don't cry when you lose. Your big brothers will go easy on you."

Eli felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced at Ron. Were they always this disgusting?

Ron's pained expression told a story of its own.

The group headed to the Room of Requirement. When the twins saw this perfect secret base for pranks, they were so delighted they nearly jumped for joy.

Eli did not mind letting the twins know about this place, because he was confident he could make them join.

He conjured a dueling area, with Eli on one side and the twins on the other.

Harry and Ron acted as both referees and spectators.

The twins were rather casual, clearly not taking this little first-year seriously at all.

"Fred Weasley, you go first."

"George Weasley, you might not even get a chance to step in."

Eli watched the two of them discuss things as though no one else were there, paying him no attention whatsoever.

He had to teach them a lesson!

"Stop discussing it. Come at me together!"

The twins were stunned. Were kids these days all this arrogant?

"What are you looking at? Are you scared?"

Eli continued provoking them, acting outrageously arrogant.

How could the twins possibly keep their cool now? "We should teach this arrogant little brat a proper lesson!"

As the twins came at him together, Eli remained calm and unconcerned.

Last time, he had suppressed the entire first-year Slytherin group by himself.

Dealing with two people was easy.

"Densaugeo!"

"Locomotor Mortis!"

The two fought with remarkable coordination, one attacking high and the other low.

They were using spells students often used for pranks, since this was only a friendly spar.

After casting their spells, both wore smug expressions. They did not believe a first-year like Eli could break either curse.

Eli did not move at all, and they thought he had been frightened stiff.

The spells flew quickly, reaching Eli in the blink of an eye.

Harry and Ron widened their eyes as well, eager to see how Eli would handle them.

"Finite Incantatem!"

With a flick of Eli's wand, the two spells vanished without a trace.

"What?!"

The twins stared in shock. They had never imagined Eli would so effortlessly dispel their spells.

"Losing focus in a fight isn't a good habit. Expelliarmus!"

The twins stood close together, so Eli's Expelliarmus targeted both of them at once.

In truth, this was also proof that Eli's magical skill had improved.

The twins did not react in time at all. They were thrown to the ground, and their wands flew into Eli's hand.

They had both been disarmed. They had lost completely!

"Well? Do you admit defeat now?"

Eli looked utterly smug.

The twins were also rather bedraggled. "We admit it."

"You have to teach us!"

And just like that, the twins boarded Eli's pirate ship, while Eli revealed a triumphant smile.