The Burrow.
Around the long dining table, Lucien and several members of the Weasley family sat together, their plates filled with a hearty meal.
"Come on, dear, try another piece of this," Mrs. Weasley, Molly Weasley, said as a spoonful of stew automatically scooped a large portion onto Lucien's plate.
Molly's face was lit with a warm, caring smile. "Does it still suit your taste, child?"
Lucien swallowed the rich, tender stew in his mouth, then looked up sincerely and replied, "Madam, this is delicious. It's a truly satisfying stew."
This was by no means mere politeness. Molly managed the household chores of such a large family with magic every day. Her cooking might not be as refined as that of a restaurant, but it was filled with the magic of "home," simple and warm.
"Oh, that's good to hear!" Molly's face brightened immediately, clearly delighted.
At the dining table, George or Fred was trying to flick a pea onto Ron's nose, but Mrs. Weasley's sharp glance stopped them just in time.
In a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, everyone enjoyed their lunch.
Lucien's gaze occasionally drifted to the clock hanging on the wall.
It was not for telling time. The clock had nine hands, and at the tip of each one was the likeness of a member of the Weasley family.
At the moment, apart from Mr. Weasley, Arthur Weasley, who was at work, and the eldest son Bill and second son Charlie, all the other hands pointed to "Home."
There were also several other spaces such as "School," "Dentist," "Prison," "Missing," and "Quidditch Match."
Prison… Lucien suppressed the urge to complain. At the moment, he was more interested in the principle behind this magical item.
It was clearly an application of alchemy, likely involving contract magic. As long as someone became a member of the Weasley family, they would have a pointer on the clock.
Very interesting. I'd really like to study it and, if possible, replicate one.
In any case, I'm not really short on alchemical materials right now.
Nicolas Flamel's birthday gift a few days ago had been an astonishing package of materials. The sheer variety and the rarity of many of the items demonstrated the accumulated wealth of a wizard who had lived for several centuries.
More importantly, it also came with reliable supply channels, which would make it much easier for Lucien to purchase materials in the future.
Suppliers approved by Nicolas Flamel naturally came with guaranteed quality and reputation.
After the meal, the Weasley twins invited Lucien to their room to play.
The two of them, one on each side, led Lucien upstairs.
Ron followed close behind, mainly because he had noticed that familiar "surprise" smile on his two older brothers' faces, one that anyone who knew them would immediately recognize.
"Hope you like it here."
"We've prepared a 'Weasley-style welcome ceremony' for you."
Fred and George spoke in unison, exchanging a knowing glance before stepping back, clearly anticipating something.
Although his instincts gave a slight warning, Lucien still smiled and stepped into the room.
A kettle fixed above the doorframe suddenly tilted, but what poured out was not water, but a beam of light capable of dyeing someone's hair bright green.
Before the beam could touch Lucien's hair, it was deflected by the faint shimmer flowing across a button on his clothes.
With a pop, the beam bounced off and struck either Fred or George. His red hair instantly became a dazzling bright green.
Behind the door, a seemingly harmless broom suddenly swept toward Lucien's calf.
This time, Lucien did not even turn his head. A bracelet woven from delicate silver threads beneath his cuff flashed.
The broom seemed to strike an invisible soft wall. With a thump, it bounced away, falling into a corner and rattling as it shook.
The entire process began and ended within two or three seconds. Lucien's steps never faltered, as though he had simply taken a few extra steps during a casual stroll.
Ron, following behind, saw everything and his eyes lit up. He both admired and envied how easily Lucien had resolved the twins' prank and even turned it back on them.
Everyone knew that Ron suffered the most pranks in this house, being the youngest boy.
The Weasley twins did not dare prank their sister Ginny, so their mischievous attention was inevitably directed toward Ron.
It could be said that Ron was always the first test subject for those strange gadgets and prank spells.
"Pfft… cough, cough… George, your hair seems to have turned green."
Seeing his older brother flustered, Ron could not help bursting out laughing at the sight of that bright green hair.
"Ronniekins, you're mistaken. I'm Fred."
The other red-haired twin whistled. "Oh, you're Fred? Then who am I?"
Seeing that the twins were about to start bickering, Lucien quickly waved his wand, restoring one of their heads of green hair back to normal. Then he went straight to the point.
"I'd like to ask you for a favor. I have some small gadgets here. After school starts, could you help me sell them?"
Lucien took out several alchemical items. Like the self-activating protective items he had just used, these were also things he had made himself, either alchemical items or potions, but their functions were more suited for student use.
As for the alchemical items capable of triggering defensive charms, Lucien had other sales plans for those.
The reason he asked the Weasley twins for help was that he valued their popularity at Hogwarts.
Even though they often played pranks and teased their classmates, they always knew their limits and brought joy and laughter to the school.
And in the educational environment of Hogwarts, people like the Weasley twins were often the most popular.
Fred and George's eyes darted at the same time. They were quite interested in the items Lucien had just used, but…
"Hmm, your things are great, but do you have the kind that… you know… the kind that…"
"Small gadgets that are more for livening up the atmosphere and making people happy?"
Hearing the twins' hint, Lucien suppressed the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Ah, they were talking about prank items, right?
Fortunately, he had already prepared for this.
Taking out five or six more potions and alchemical items from his pocket, Lucien opened a small box, revealing the "Lemon Snow Sugar Treasure" inside.
Pointing to the yellow hard candy covered in frosting, Lucien explained, "This is a potion that uses transfiguration. It can cause a certain degree of transfiguration in the person who consumes it. The flavor and appearance can both be adjusted. As for the specific effect, why don't you try it?"
Lucien did not explain everything. Instead, he let the twins choose to test it themselves, which would better spark the interest of the two troublemakers.
As expected, eagerness immediately appeared in the twins' eyes. They exchanged glances and grinned.
One of them picked up a candy. "I'm quite curious about its flavor…"
The other quietly moved to someone's side.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ron, who had been watching curiously, was suddenly grabbed. His cheeks were squeezed open, and the candy was shoved straight down his throat.
Ron's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak. "You—"
Just then, Ginny's voice came from the doorway.
"Mum asked me to bring you some tea and biscuits…"
"Ah! Mum! George and Fred have a bear!"
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