Despite Fred and George's best efforts to argue their case, insisting the time was too short—
They were still no match for their client.
In this case, Vaughn.
Fred and George, as suppliers, still had to bow to the Party A—Vaughn—who held the purse strings.
What Vaughn truly hoped for, though, was that they would eventually figure out a way to replace electricity with magic. That was the real long-term goal.
Unfortunately, that project was complex—far beyond the scope of their current research. He wasn't sure if the twins, with their wild and playful personalities, could remain focused long enough for such a dry and rigorous undertaking.
That's why he started them with something more hands-on and immediately engaging: modifying Muggle video cameras with magic.
It was something almost no one in the wizarding world had ever seen.
So far, it was working. The twins were hooked.
Once they'd reported their progress and received new instructions, Vaughn didn't send them off right away. Instead, he sat silently, frowning in thought.
Fred and George glanced at each other.
He looked serious. Unusually so.
After a long pause, Vaughn finally asked, "Can I ask you two a question? It might be difficult, but I just want your instinctive answer."
The twins immediately puffed up and declared:
"Difficult? Difficult? Since when do we use words like 'difficult' between brothers—oh no!"
"You're right, George. This must be about money!"
"Merlin's beard! Don't tell me… even after we offered him half of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, it still isn't enough to satisfy his greedy appetite?"
"Wait, what?" Fred turned, scandalized. "Half the company? When did we decide that? What gave you the right to make that decision?"
"What do you mean what right? Obviously—"
They broke into identical grins.
"Because he's our benefactor!"
Then they looked at Vaughn with sparkly eyes, as if waiting for applause.
Vaughn stared back, utterly unmoved. "Are you two quite finished?"
"…Aren't you even a little touched?"
"Yeah! We thought about that plan for ages. Not just Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes—also Weasley Power Solutions, Weasley Pictures, any company we create in the future—you get half!"
Both of them leaned in. "Surprised? Touched? Humbled by our generosity?"
Vaughn gave them a tight-lipped smile. "Honestly? No. I've always thought a more reasonable cut would be… 80 to 90 percent."
Fred and George: "...Why don't you just rob us outright?"
"Too much effort," Vaughn replied mildly. "I find blood-sucking far more efficient."
They shared a few more jabs, but in the end, the twins turned serious.
"Look, we're not joking," George said. "All our future businesses—50% is our baseline offer. If you're not satisfied, we can negotiate further. You're family. Fred and I will always prioritize your benefit."
Fred nodded. "You're the only one who's supported us all these years. Even though you always say it's a fair investment, we know better. You could have invested in anything else—but you chose us. That means something."
"Yeah," George said quietly. "No one else believed in us. No one else encouraged our crazy ideas, let alone supported us when we wanted to branch out into… filmmaking, of all things."
Fred leaned in, eyes serious. "So… Vaughn, are you in trouble financially?"
George added, "You said you'd earn back the 2,000 Galleons in under two months, but come on—we've done the math. You're not selling Wolfsbane. Just beauty potions. Who the hell pays that much for beauty potions?"
Vaughn was stunned.
This wasn't where he expected the conversation to go.
He'd just wanted to ask them a theoretical question about alchemy—how they saw the world, how they understood the relationship between the Aether and physical reality.
But now… George's eyes were red. Fred looked close to tears.
He couldn't bring himself to say it.
He couldn't tell them that, just a few days ago, an apothecary offered 6 Galleons for a single bottle of "Vaughn's Beauty Formula."
Or that Knockturn Alley—through Professor Snape, of all people—had been trying to recruit him for months, offering 50 Galleons for a single bottle of his high-grade brews.
These kids had no idea how many fools there were in the world willing to pay for vanity.
He glanced at them—moved, maybe a little guilty. Perhaps… just maybe… he could pretend to be strapped for cash?
He gave the tiniest of nods—so small it could've been mistaken for hesitation.
But to Fred and George, it was clear confirmation.
"So that's it…" George muttered. "That's why you've been pushing us so hard lately…"
"Bloody hell, we called you a capitalist this morning," Fred said guiltily. "And here you are shouldering everything on your own. Don't worry, mate—we've got your back!"
"Yeah! We'll pull all-nighters if we have to! We'll finish the camera mods no matter what!"
They bolted off like men possessed, all previous grumbles about artistic direction and technical setbacks completely forgotten.
Vaughn leaned on the table and blinked.
That… had not gone as expected.
He hadn't even gotten around to Dumbledore's assignment. But somehow, hearing those heartfelt words from the twins…
That wasn't so bad either.
From that day on, Fred and George became increasingly elusive.
If it hadn't been for the looming end-of-term exams, they might have skipped classes entirely just to work on their research.
But skipping class at Hogwarts was nearly impossible, especially not during exam season.
And not just because of classes—Quidditch demanded their attention too.
Their deep-dive into magical tech only lasted two days before Oliver Wood stormed up to the Astronomy Tower and publicly threatened to jump if they didn't show up to practice.
Draco Malfoy, ever helpful, pointed out that they were surrounded by wizards capable of casting Cushioning Charms and Arresto Momentum, so Wood was unlikely to die.
Still, the twins couldn't just let their captain break a few limbs.
Besides, they were responsible for installing the new camera equipment on the team's brooms. McGonagall and Snape had both signed off on it.
And Vaughn's "financial crisis" was depending on them.
Eventually, they rejoined the team.
That was also when Harry finally found them again—after weeks of failed attempts to hunt them down for more filming.
Unfortunately, training kept them too busy for private conversations.
And time flew by.
Before anyone realized it, Sunday arrived.
The second Sunday of May. The final Quidditch match of the school year.
Gryffindor vs. Slytherin.
And it would decide the House Cup.
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