Rock took the little pouch from the twins without counting the Galleons inside.
Just like Fred said—sure, the Weasley twins loved pranks, but they'd never pull a stunt that would wreck their reputation just for money.
Unless, of course, the person paying them was a truly shady wizard.
"Do you two know alchemy?"
Rock looked at the twins curiously.
"Oh! Our studious little Ravenclaw eagle, that depends entirely on what you mean by 'alchemy.'"
Fred pushed up the imaginary glasses on his nose with dramatic seriousness.
George slid an arm around Rock's shoulder.
"If you lower the standard of alchemy to 'turning junk into dung bombs'—"
Fred stepped to Rock's other side. The two said in perfect sync:
"Then we're the greatest alchemists Hogwarts has ever seen!"
George held out the bronze Knut Fred had given him. Fred tapped it with his wand, and the coin turned into a frog, which hopped into Fred's hand.
He flipped his palm, and the frog turned back into a Knut.
"Strictly speaking," George said as he pulled out a parchment covered in scribbles, "we've never had the time or resources to study ancient alchemical symbols—"
"But if you define alchemy as…"
Fred tapped the parchment with his wand. It burst into flame, sending sparks into the air. The sparks swirled and reformed into a floating smiley-face symbol.
"Taking boring theory and plain materials…"
"And adding a dash of the unexpected—plus a whole lot of fun!"
They hopped back in front of Rock and gave a goofy, exaggerated bow.
"That's our specialty."
"Here—try this. Fat-Tongue Toffee. We added a few extra… surprises."
George placed a candy in Rock's palm.
Fred wiggled his eyebrows. "Go on, try it! We need to know what the final effect is."
Rock examined the toffee. He had zero intention of eating it. Instead, he studied its magical ripple patterns.
Then he lifted it to his nose and sniffed. He frowned.
The sugary scent was strong enough to mask the potion ingredients… but he could still pick out a trace.
"The key ingredients are powdered African Tree Snake skin and a bit of diluted Bubotuber concentrate," Rock said, looking up. "And partial transfiguration too, right?"
"Merlin's bulging boxer shorts!"
Fred clapped dramatically.
"Ravenclaw should get ten points—no, thirty!"
George leaned in, eyes sparkling.
"You should join us at our prank workshop as a research assistant!"
Rock chuckled and ignored the invitation, asking instead:
"There's another spell in it. What is it? Feels like a counter-curse… but not quite."
"Brilliant!" Fred snapped his fingers.
"Partial transformation is the framework—but a timed counter-spell is the safety fuse—"
George pointed at the toffee.
"That one's our own invention."
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder again, both twins said solemnly:
"Safety always comes first."
Then they instantly slipped back into their usual grins.
Rock returned the toffee, amused. The way they spoke just now reminded him of how he imagined Mrs. Weasley would sound—though he'd never actually met her.
A timed counter-curse… no wonder it felt familiar but didn't fit the usual pattern.
Clever. The twins really were smart.
"So? Interested in joining us?"
Fred leaned in again.
George nodded rapidly. Rock's ability to analyze everything so fast was not normal for a first-year.
"Join you…?"
Rock thought about it.
True alchemy was rigorous—too rigid.
But the twins' brand of "alchemy" had creativity, direction, and freedom.
If he joined… he could actually help shape their research. And learn from them.
"…Maybe." Rock lifted the pouch George had given him earlier. "But I've got a better idea. How about an investment?"
"Rock the Magnificent! Our savior!"
The twins shot upright in unison.
Fred stroked his chin and circled Rock dramatically.
"Investment. Never thought I'd hear that from a Ravenclaw—"
"It's music sweeter than a dung bomb going off!"
George shook the pouch seriously.
"To clarify—your investment isn't for Fat-Tongue Toffee. It's for the future products of Weasley's prank workshop."
Rock chuckled and tapped the pouch.
"This is just temporary capital."
Before George could celebrate, Rock added:
"But 'prank workshop' sounds a bit… boring. What about calling it—
Weasley's Magic Prank Shop?"
"Perfect!" Fred slammed his hands together.
"Magic pranks! It fits!" George nodded vigorously, clearly loving the name.
"Weasley's Magic Prank Shop welcomes Mr. Rock to the team."
Both twins held out their hands.
Rock raised an eyebrow and shook them.
---
Late that night, on the first floor of Hogwarts Castle—
Rock watched Mrs. Norris lick the last bit of cat food from the dish. He reached down and petted her head.
"Little one, you're getting chubbier."
She used to be so skinny he could see her bones. Lately her fur looked silky and healthy.
His grandfather's enchanted cat food was great, but the castle owls who delivered it were starting to look exhausted.
After playing with the cat for a bit, Rock stood up.
"Alright, little one. I've got things to do."
"Meow~"
Mrs. Norris mewed softly. Rock smiled and slipped into his Disillusionment Charm.
Time for his third analysis session of the night.
Who knew what surprises awaited this time?
Most importantly—those threads.
What he sensed with mana perception now was just a rough outline, nowhere near as clear as that night.
Rock's footsteps faded into the distance.
Only then did another figure stumble out from around the corner.
Filch, carrying a lantern, nervously scanned the hallways. When he saw Mrs. Norris near the marble staircase, he hurried over.
"Oh! My dear, you've been wandering too much lately."
He picked her up—and froze.
"…My dear, why do you feel heavier?"
"Meow~"