You Have to Find Some Fun on the Journey
All in all, British and Chinese people had different ideas of beauty.
For example, most Chinese people just couldn't get the outrageously S-shaped figures of the Kardashian family, hailed as the "strongest all-defensive first team."
And yet they really were the world's number-one internet celebrity family, attracting countless basketball players.
If their tastes differed that much when it came to Westerners, the gap was even wider when it came to people of Chinese descent.
Cho Chang, for example...
Clearly, Cedric thought she was pretty: exotic, with twin ponytails, a doll-like face, and delicate skin. All right... she really was good-looking.
But by William's Chinese standards, Cho didn't stand out that much. At least, she wasn't so beautiful that he'd call her "my picture-perfect Cho," much less say she had divine looks.
Especially since she was only eleven.
Cedric cradled the unconscious rabbit like a caring gentleman. All that was missing was mouth-to-mouth.
"It was just badly frightened," he reassured her. "It's nothing serious."
William let out a breath. Thankfully, the rabbit wasn't dead.
Otherwise, wouldn't Cedric have killed him?
That was why you should never keep a rabbit. The creature's place on the food chain was too low, perhaps only a tiny bit higher than a mouse's.
The advantage of rabbits as a species was their ability to breed, with little regard for the quality of individuals.
A lot of the time, they didn't care how their owners felt, either. They just up and died!
They were so timid that of course they could be scared to death.
Seeing that her little pet was mostly fine, Cho let out a breath too. She snorted and paid the two of them no further attention.
Cedric, who had opened his mouth to say something else, felt terribly uncomfortable.
Should he give the rabbit mouth-to-mouth to ease the tension?
He gave William a look, hoping his good friend would be his wingman and create an opportunity.
William rolled his eyes. Pursuing girls was a technical skill, and he definitely hadn't equipped that precious skill pack. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been a single dog all through his previous life.
He said nothing, but gave Cedric a look that conveyed the message: Bro, pretend I'm not here. Do whatever you want! Don't hesitate!
Cedric was speechless. He glared back: Wouldn't that get me sent to Azkaban and killed by Dementors?
William: I meant you should boldly pursue her. Who told you to do something against the "criminal code" and "wizarding law"? Wait...
Cedric, what exactly were you just thinking of doing that would get you sent to Azkaban?!
Cedric cleared his throat, cutting off their exchange of looks.
William glanced at Cho. The girl was still playing with her little rabbit, blissfully unaware that she had just escaped a crisis in her life!
William picked up his spellbook and hid his face behind it, trying his best to make himself inconspicuous.
Cedric sighed and had no choice but to pull Ollivander's notebook out of his pocket.
The whole compartment fell utterly silent. Everyone was reading, making for an exceedingly bizarre scene.
After an unknown amount of time, the door opened again.
It was the twin brothers and a Black boy with dreadlocks.
"Oh, sorry, wrong compartment," Fred apologized, preparing to close the door.
But George stopped his hand. "No, it's the right one."
Fred put on an exaggerated expression. "With an atmosphere like this, I thought I'd ended up in the library."
Fred sat down next to Cedric, while George and the Black boy sat in Cho's row.
"Come on, guys, we're on the train to Hogwarts. Studying is something you do in the two weeks before exams... William, what are you reading-"
"-The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2? Are you crazy, or are you planning to skip ahead to second year?"
George snatched William's book away. Fred stood up, glanced warily out the window, then drew the curtains.
Cho was squeezed into the corner, staring in bewilderment at the group acting so sneakily in front of her.
George tapped the table and lowered his voice. "It all started over the summer holidays," he said seriously. "Fred and I contacted top students in every year, copied their homework answers into booklets, and sold them in batches."
William nodded. He knew about this.
The twins had even borrowed Cedric's homework. Cedric hadn't agreed at first, but after William's persistent, clear and thorough persuasion, he had finally consented, albeit reluctantly.
Of course, the twins had to pay a buyout fee, and William, as the one who had persuaded Cedric, naturally got a decent share.
But he hadn't taken the money. He had left it with the twins as an investment!
That was what they called expanded reproduction, the primitive accumulation of capital.
Fred looked extremely serious. "Because it was our first time doing this kind of business, George and I decided to let people inspect the goods first and pay afterward, so we could break into the market in every year and build our reputation."
"Today was supposed to be the payment deadline, but a small handful of students actually refused to pay!"
The Black boy scratched his backside, then reached up and scratched his flushed face. He couldn't help feeling that the twins were hinting... no, outright pointing at him.
He was one of that small handful!
The Black boy suddenly slapped the table. "Those people have gone too far!" he said angrily. "I'll definitely help get the money back!"
"Lee, don't get so worked up." Fred hurriedly glanced out the window. "Careful, you'll attract a Prefect."
George continued, "This is money we earned through blood and sweat over the whole summer. How can we let them do this?
"So I suggest we take action immediately and retaliate!"
"Let's show them what Gryffindor's wrath looks like!" Lee Jordan shouted again, like a hot-blooded (idiotic) youth.
The rabbit, which had already woken up, was frightened unconscious once again.
Cho glared fiercely at Lee Jordan, giving him a death stare.
Cedric glanced at Cho. He felt his image could still be salvaged somewhat, so he prepared to stand up righteously and voice his opposition.
But William waved a hand and spoke first. "We're not Gryffindor students, so as for the fee... you know!"
"William, aren't we good friends?" George put his right hand on William's shoulder.
"Don't bring feelings into it. That's bad for business!"
After some persuasion, the twins decided to hire William and Cedric for two cups of Fizzing Whizzbees each.
Fizzing Whizzbees were honey-flavored jelly balls that could make people float in the air, and they were sold only at Honeydukes in Hogsmeade.
Hagrid had sent William some over the summer. Although Anne had eaten most of them, they really did taste good.
Lee Jordan wasn't getting paid at all. He simply couldn't afford to pay for the homework and was working off his debt.
Now that was a true master of making something out of nothing!
"So, who's our target?" William asked.
"A bunch of Slytherin students," George said casually, as though they were merely a bunch of annoying caterpillars.
"Evil Slytherins," Lee said through gritted teeth.
Just as he'd thought...
William had heard about the feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin from Cedric and knew a little about it.
He therefore had reason to suspect that the twins had been setting a trap when they sold the answers to the Slytherin students.
Perhaps the Slytherin students were right. There really was something wrong with the answers!
But George and Fred were determined to make money and screw people over at the same time... If the Slytherins were willing to pay, great!
If they weren't, that was fine too. The answers given to the Slytherin students were wrong anyway, and the twins could play a prank on them for some fun during the boring journey!
William suddenly felt he had asked for too little. Two cups of Fizzing Whizzbees... he ought to get at least two buckets!
----The boring journey divider----
The Weasley brothers reminded all witches and wizards that all they had to do was cast a recommendation vote to receive two buckets of fat-free, zero-calorie Fizzing Whizzbees and get their lives high.