"You two are so busy, how come you have time to come back?"
Mrs. Weasley came out of the kitchen carrying food, and looked at Fred and George sitting in the dining room, her brows slightly raised. She remembered that Fred and George had just moved to Diagon Alley the day before, and were said to be living in a makeshift tent.
"We recently received a pamphlet from the Ministry of Magic."
“It’s a bit of a special idea.”
Fred and George looked at each other and said in unison: "We think the things in those pamphlets distributed by the Ministry of Magic are all rubbish and are of no use at all, so we plan to do it ourselves..."
"What are you going to do?" Ron and Ginny came down from upstairs.
"We plan to compile some pamphlets that can help everyone, so we need the help of Linus and Moody." George talked about the reason why the two came back for dinner.
"Didn't Anderson publish a book called 'Self-Defense Guide'?" Ron really didn't understand what Fred and George were trying to do.
"Yes, but we don't need that kind of thing. We need something that is easier to understand and more reliable..." Fred suddenly turned his head and looked at Ron, "Why should I explain this to you?"
"It's none of your business." George picked up the barrel of butterbeer and poured himself a glass.
"You guys..." Ron was very angry.
"Is it really necessary to do that?" Ginny was very confused. Sirius's "Defense Express" was actually of a similar nature, teaching everyone how to protect themselves and their families in this turbulent era.
"It's necessary. Defense Against the Dark Arts items are very popular right now. People are desperate for protection. Many wizards have created a bunch of messy and useless garbage to confuse those poor fools."
"The least we can do is help them spend their Galleons on the right things instead of buying a bunch of useless junk."
"Aren't you planning to open a joke shop?" Ron asked suspiciously. From what Fred and George said, it seemed that they were planning to enter the Defense Against the Dark Arts field and open a store specializing in selling Defense Against the Dark Arts props.
"We have our own plans."
"It's none of your business."
Ron's cheeks turned red with anger at Fred and George, and he sneered angrily, "Are you sure anyone would be willing to buy that pile of junk?"
"The Ministry of Magic has ordered a bunch of the crap you mentioned." Fred ignored Ron who was stunned and turned to ask Ginny: "Are they still on duty?"
"I don't know. They won't tell us that, you know." Ginny shook her head and asked about what Fred said: "Did the Ministry of Magic really place an order with you?"
"It's an order worth thousands of Galleons."
"Thousands of Galleons." Ron muttered with his eyes wide open.
"It's urgent. We need it soon. It seems to be for the Aurors." George said to Ginny, "We actually came back to find Lemus."
"What do you want to see Lemus for?" Mrs. Wesley asked with a frown as she put the soup on the table.
"Ask him if he'd like to work part-time with us."
"Are you planning to hire Lincoln?" Mrs. Weiss was surprised and obviously did not hear the conversation just now.
"Yes, the salary will definitely satisfy him."
"Isn't your store not ready yet?" Mrs. Weiss asked in confusion, "Besides, you have four people, so why are you still short of manpower? You're spending money lavishly. Do you really have enough start-up capital?"
"Mum, they just received an order from the Ministry of Magic worth thousands of Galleons," Ginny reminded her, also impressed at the speed at which they were making money.
"Thousands of Galleons." Mrs. Weisley's eyes widened in disbelief.
Thousands of Galleons are roughly Mr. Weisley's annual income.
"There will be more orders coming, so we need wizards who are good at Defense Against the Dark Arts as consultants and helpers." George explained, "Remus is obviously also good at these, and he also needs Galleons to improve his life, so we want to ask him if he is interested in working part-time with us."
"I remember Albert was better at these. He's also an international dueling champion." Ron asked in confusion.
"He has been busy lately, and it was his suggestion to hire Lemus. The store is just starting out, and there are many things to do. Albert asked us to find some more help so that we can handle it."
"Are you planning to hire Lambs?" Sirius dragged his tired body and appeared at the door of the living room.
"Yes, we want to see if James is willing to find a part-time job in his free time. He should be able to make magical items!" They still remember that the Marauder's Map was created by Sirius and his four companions.
"I think it should be no problem for Laimus. What are you going to make?" Sirius became interested. "By the way, isn't your shop not ready yet?"
"The store is almost ready, and we've already received a large order." George explained, "However, we've been very busy lately. It would be great if Lemus was willing to come to our place to earn some extra money and help us relieve some of the pressure."
"A joke prop?" Sirius asked tentatively.
"No, we plan to make defense against the dark arts items. If Lemus is capable of doing it, we can offer this price." Fred gestured, "I'm sure the salary is much higher than that of ordinary jobs. Of course, the requirements are also much higher. After all, we have to consider the quality of the product and be responsible to the buyers."
"You guys are really rich. Are Defense Against the Dark Arts items really that profitable?" Ron was very surprised. He thought their father's monthly salary was not that high.
"James will definitely be able to do the job. I'll go find him right away. I'm sure he'll be willing to help you." Sirius drank the butterbeer in the cup in one gulp, stood up and walked quickly outside. He was very happy that his good friend could get a good job.
Because of his werewolf identity, Lupin's life has always been difficult. It is quite difficult for him to find a normal job. Although "Defence Express" has been selling well recently, the actual profit is just so-so. Most of the little profit every month is used to pay Lupin's salary. Sometimes it is even paid out of Sirius' own pocket, and Lupin is naturally embarrassed to ask for salary.
"Where's Sirius?" Mrs. Weisley asked puzzledly as she came out with the food.
"Sirius went to see Lemus," Fred explained.
"Do you think Sirius can convince Lemus?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Of course I can. I can earn Galleons for you. Are you willing?"
"Of course I would." Ron was a little envious, because the Galleons Albert gave him were so many that he wanted to help in the store.
"That's right."
After a while, Lupin arrived, looking a little helpless, obviously being dragged here by Sirius.
Fred and George briefly talked to Lupin about his work, and after Lupin agreed to help, they agreed to find time to go to the store and try it out tomorrow.
Of course, making defense against the dark arts is not the point; the point is Albert’s proposal.
"I thought Anderson was pretty good at it himself," Sirius asked suspiciously.
"He's not available!" Fred shook his head.
"Getting married," George added.
"Married? I remember Anderson seemed to have just graduated from school?" Ginny was stunned by the news.
"Yes, we will get married by the middle of next month at the latest. The details are not clear yet." Fred shook his head and said, "This matter will be kept secret for the time being. Albert seems to be targeted by the mysterious man and the Death Eaters now."
"How come?"
Mrs. Wesley was stunned by the news; she had a good impression of Albert.
"It seems that Albert embarrassed them." Fred actually didn't know the details.
"The Death Eaters always like to spread the word that pure bloods are superior, and Albert's existence is undoubtedly a slap in the face to them." Sirius said sarcastically, "Not to mention there's a snotty guy. I dare say he will tell Voldemort that Albert is a great prophet."
"Sirius..." Lupin frowned slightly.
"Don't say I'm prejudiced against Snotlout. It is said that he is the only professor in the whole school who didn't receive an invitation." Sirius interrupted Lupin and reminded, "Albert obviously doesn't trust Snape. He knows that guy is not reliable at all."
"Dumbledore believes Snape can be trusted," Lupin reminded.
"I know, he always reminds me that he has unbreakable reasons to believe in Snotlout." Sirius said self-deprecatingly, "But when all the professors in the school are invited, I don't think Albert would deliberately miss Snape. The only possibility is that Snape is not trustworthy."
The atmosphere on the scene became a little weird. As everyone knew, Albert was a prophet, and there must be other reasons for his prejudice against Snape.
"Let's eat first." Mrs. Weiss changed the subject. "The food will get cold if you don't eat now."
"Not waiting for Dad?" George asked.
"He has to work overtime today, so let's eat first," Mrs. Wesley explained.
During dinner, Fred and George talked to Sirius and Lupin about their plan, or rather Albert's plan. Just as Albert expected, Sirius did not refuse. They were even very interested in the Defense Against the Dark Arts props made by Albert.
"Are these the defense tools against the dark arts that Albert is researching?"
"Yes, he predicted the coming of the Second Wizarding War very early on and began to research and manufacture these things." Fred recalled, "His predictions were really powerful and very accurate. In my impression, all his predictions came true."
“One of them didn’t come true.”
"Which one?"
"Umbridge didn't enter the Forbidden Forest, so the prophecy didn't come true," George reminded.
"That's not..."
"Don't be silly, do you really think that old liar Trelawney can make those predictions?" Fred curled his lips.
"It's over."
"What?"
"It looks like Amelia Bones is dead." Sirius sighed softly.
"She is still alive," Lupin reminded, "and the Ministry of Magic Aurors have also stepped up their protection of Amelia Bones."
"It's useless." Sirius said softly, "You should know that it's useless. Unless Amelia Bones is willing to hide, there is a chance of survival."
"Don't talk about these things in front of the children." Mrs. Weasley glared at Sirius unhappily.
"Tell me about your Defense Against the Dark Arts gadgets," Lupin changed the subject. "The Ministry of Magic really..."
“A really big order was placed.”
Fred pulled a bag out of his pocket and took out the Defense Against the Dark Arts items they had prepared in advance.
"Can't you finish your meal before talking about these things?" Mrs. Weisley couldn't help complaining.
Under pressure from Mrs. Weisley, everyone had a quick dinner before starting to talk about Defense Against the Dark Arts props.
"You can also take some and use them. Although they can't resist dark magic, they are still quite effective in resisting stunning spells and disarming spells."
"I remember Hermione also got a similar pocket watch." Ron picked up the pocket watch in the box and asked, "How much is this thing?"
"Twenty Galleons," Fred said without hesitation.
"Twenty Galleons, are you sure you're not robbing?" Ron almost spit out the butterbeer he had just drunk.
"It's cheap. It allows you to sense danger in advance." Fred said without hesitation, "Isn't your life worth twenty Galleons?"
"How much is a spyglass?"
"The looking glass thing is unreliable."
"This thing only targets dark wizards and dark creatures. It can point out their approximate location. Moreover, it is a pocket watch, and the reminder method is also quite secret. You can't carry a spyglass in your pocket when you go out." George explained, "Even if you really bring it, once the spyglass rings, you will be exposed."
"If it's really as you described, the effect is really good." Sirius had already smelled the business opportunity. He felt that many people would be willing to pay for one, or at least buy a large detector to put at home. As long as they could detect the enemy in advance, they could take timely countermeasures. If there was really no other way, they could also cover themselves with an invisibility cloak and hide themselves quickly.
As Fred and George said, at least there was a chance of getting away with it.
As long as you can survive, any amount of Galleons spent is worth it, not to mention the price is not expensive. Sirius believes that many insecure wizards would be willing to buy a set and keep it at home just in case.
As for using Apparition to escape? Or using Disillusionment Charm to hide
It’s really hard to say. What if I get a little nervous and the spell fails
Most wizards can't even use the Shield Charm properly, let alone the Disillusionment Charm. The number of wizards who can use Apparition is definitely not as many as imagined.
"Actually, I'm a little confused. Do Aurors really need these things? I mean, these defense against the dark arts items can't really help them resist the dark arts." Ron expressed his doubts.
"Of course they are needed. Their purpose is to prevent sneak attacks and buy time to escape, rather than to fight the enemy." George shrugged. "That's why they are called dark magic defense items."
"Of course, we also have magic props specifically for combat." Fred opened the next compartment of the box, which contained nine round spherical objects.
"Oh, what is this?"
"A flashbang for sneak attacks." Fred took out a grenade-like grenade and introduced it to everyone. "When you throw it out, it will emit a dazzling light that can temporarily blind others, giving you an advantage for a short period of time."
"Blinding people?" muttered Ron.
"You can experience it yourself." Fred said with a smile.
"Forget it."
"This is a smoke bomb, also known as the Peruvian stealth smoke bomb." Fred took out a black ball and continued to introduce it: "When you throw it out, it can create a dark area that even light cannot penetrate. It can be used for strategic retreat. It is a very practical thing. It is recommended to always have two."
"There are also decoy bombs used to attract the enemy's attention." George took out another ball with a clown's face painted on it and said, "It will make a loud noise when thrown out. The principle is similar to that of a howler letter."
"This is a laughing bomb. When you throw it, it will spread an extract of Arioth leaves. Once inhaled, it will make people laugh uncontrollably." Fred slowly introduced the various dark magic defense props in the box to Lupin and Sirius, just like an arms dealer introducing his weapons to their employer.
"Are you going to sell these things?" Mrs. Wesley asked suddenly.
"No, we only sell Peruvian cloaking smoke bombs," Fred shrugged. "We thought you might need them, so we brought them along."
"I'm sure Moody will be interested in these things of yours." Sirius said with a smile, "By the way, how many Galleons are these? Give me a few."
He planned to get some Peruvian stealth smoke bombs for everyone to protect themselves.
"No, we will provide you with two boxes for free." Fred smiled and took out two boxes of Peruvian invisible smoke bombs from the box and handed them to Sirius. "After you use them, remember to tell us the actual combat effect."
"How many of these are there?" Ron asked curiously.
"You definitely can't afford it anyway."
"Albert is very good at using these things. He used the Mandrake root to easily subdue Barty Crouch Jr. last time." George reminded, "Peeves also used the crying of the Mandrake to subdue a dozen Aurors from the Ministry of Magic."
"But isn't that stuff deadly?" Ginny asked puzzled.
"Unripe Mandrakes are not lethal," Fred explained. "When you encounter a large group of Death Eaters, you can consider summoning a pot of Mandrakes and throwing it at the Death Eaters. If you are lucky, you can easily subdue them. As far as I know, Albert has planted a large number of Mandrakes."
Everyone looked at each other, and suddenly felt that this trick seemed to make sense. If they were attacked unexpectedly, it might be possible to kill the enemy in one go. Although the method was a bit... but it was indeed very practical.
Of course, throwing mandrakes at enemies is obviously not an option for members of the Order of the Phoenix, but the idea is a good one.