Hearing Ron's angry rebuke, Fred shrugged and said, "It's not a big loss even if we lose!"
Then he put his hand on Draco's shoulder, smiled at Draco, and said:
" Draco, from now on, I'm entrusting my brother to your protection. If he misbehaves, feel free to beat him up; we have absolutely no objection."
"Of course, if they could offer a higher salary, the level of protection would have to keep up."
George immediately chimed in, "And another thing, if our Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes ever runs out of materials, can the Malfoy family storeroom make an exception? We'll give you 30% of the profits!"
Draco looked at the two clowns. "So you two are here to rip me off?"
"Not at all, this is just adding to my brother's path to becoming a powerful ally!"
Fred smiled sincerely, then his gaze returned to Ron.
" Little Ronnie, work hard and try to be a good underling. You'll live a life of luxury with the boss, which is much better than messing around with us."
Ron was speechless after being betrayed by his own brothers, clenching his fists and glaring at them.
Draco leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over George and Fred, and teased:
"I've noticed you two change your tune pretty quickly. Just a few days ago you were waiting for me at the corner of the hallway, plotting how to prank me, and now you're calling me 'brother'?"
Upon hearing Draco's question, George and Fred exchanged a glance, showing no fear whatsoever, but instead their smiles grew even more sly.
Fred raised his hand and scratched the tip of his nose, saying:
"Things have changed. Before, you were competitors, but now you're Little Ronnie's boss, so you're on our side! It's no fun playing tricks on your own people."
"Exactly," George immediately replied.
"Besides, you must have something to offer to make even our stubborn Little Ronnie willingly call you boss."
"It's always better to follow someone capable than to trip each other up, right?"
The two of them, singing in unison, were utterly shameless. Ron, listening from the side, turned green with rage and muttered under his breath, "Who said I did it willingly! I lost the bet!"
Fred completely ignored his explanation and leaned closer, winking and making faces at him.
"Boss, look at us, we're quick-witted and know a lot of tricks. If anything happens at Hogwarts in the future, we'll lend you a hand and make sure it's handled beautifully."
"This guy is way more reliable than that hothead Little Ronnie. Why don't we take us in? We can talk about wages, just enough for jokes and prank props!"
George nodded in agreement. "And while you're at it, try to get some supplies from the Malfoy family's inventory. Our Trick Shop will definitely reserve some exclusively for you, the kind that others can't even buy!"
Everyone was taken aback by George and Fred's theory of opportunism, and for a moment no one responded.
Only Olivia was laughing so hard she was rubbing her stomach, tears welling up in her eyes, while she was leaning on the table.
" Draco, this is a steal! You've gained one minion and gotten two all-around helpers for free."
Ron, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but expose her:
"I think you two only came to curry favor because Malfoy has latched onto Professor McGonagall and now nobody in the school dares to mess with him! You weren't like this before."
Hearing Ron's disdainful tone, George and Fred were not annoyed at all; instead, they laughed even more freely.
"You found out!" Fred shrugged. "That's part of the reason."
" Little Ronnie, you just don't understand." George immediately put on a stern face and lightly patted Ron on the back of the head, pretending to be serious.
" Draco is your boss now, how dare you call him by his first name? You have no respect for your elders, no manners at all. I'll have to teach you some manners later."
Ron's face turned red with anger after being slapped, and he immediately retorted, "I don't want to learn any rules! You two are just snobs!"
"So what if I'm a snob?" Fred said with complete self-righteousness.
"We're doing this for your own good. If you stay with Draco, who will dare to laugh at the Weasley family being poor?"
These words struck a nerve with Ron, and he immediately deflated.
Seeing this, Hermione immediately frowned and spoke, retorting earnestly yet gently:
"Don't talk nonsense. Self-deprecation is one thing, but no one has ever really laughed at Ron for being poor."
Her words were soft and gentle, yet they dampened the laughter around the table.
Parvati chimed in, "Exactly, we never thought of it that way, Ron, don't take it to heart."
Lavender patted Ron on the arm. "Yeah, everyone has times when they're short on cash. What's so funny about that?"
The two sensed the awkward atmosphere, scratched their heads, and became more serious.
Fred said sheepishly, "Hey, I was just saying it offhand, Little Ronnie, don't take it to heart."
George waved his hand, saying, "We're just bad with words, don't take it to heart."
Ron silently shoveled some rice into his mouth, but didn't argue back, which was taken as tacit acceptance of forgiveness.
Olivia quickly smoothed things over, waving her hand and smiling as she changed the subject:
"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on this anymore. Everyone, eat and drink your fill and get some rest. Quirrell has that grueling Dark Magic Defence Class this afternoon, and we need to be well-rested to deal with that garlic smell."
Upon hearing Olivia's words, everyone instantly recalled the lingering smell of garlic, and the slight embarrassment from before vanished immediately, replaced by pained expressions.
Ron chewed on his chocolate, frowning and muttering, "Don't even mention it. If I hadn't learned the Odour-Blocking Charm, I would have pretended to be sick and skipped class."
Harry nodded in agreement, his head throbbing at the thought of the morning's classes, "Hopefully he won't be telling those outrageous vampire stories this afternoon, gesturing with those garlic cloves."
Fred patted Ron on the shoulder and said quickly, "Alright Little Ronnie, we have class this afternoon, so we won't chat with you guys anymore. We're off!"
After George and Fred left, everyone packed up their things and went back to the common room for a midday rest.
Just like yesterday, Hermione sat on a soft chair in the downstairs common area, spreading out her magic notebook to review her lessons.
Draco sat quietly beside her on a single sofa, his elbows propped on the armrests, casually twirling a quill pen as he watched her.
After writing for a while, Hermione suddenly put down her pen, looked up at Draco, and frowned as she said:
" Draco, Professor Quirrell doesn't teach anything at all, he just spouts useless nonsense. We can't just brush off Defence Against Dark Magic like this, what should we do?"
Draco put down his quill, leaned closer, and said, "I'll teach you."
Startled, Hermione looked around, then remembered Harry, Olivia, and the others, and asked softly:
"What about the others? Harry and Ron, and Lavender Parvati, we can't just leave them behind, can we?"
Leaning back on the sofa, Draco tapped the armrest and said helplessly:
"I can't be perfect in every aspect. I can't exactly go and suggest changing professors to Dumbledore, can I?"
"Those who are willing to learn, I'll give them a few pointers in future classes and teach them some real skills. Those who aren't willing to learn, well, that's just how it is for them."