A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts C.361: The Bankrupt Weasley Twins

"Shall we?" Fred turned his head and said to George, his tone as relaxed as if he were asking if they should have breakfast together.

"This is the first step of a true hero," George said smugly.

The Weasley twins were just below the steps, surrounded by pairs of eyes fixed on the black floating door and on them. They exchanged a smile and stepped onto the black, mirror-like steps

"I thought it would be slippery, but it's surprisingly stable. A good start, George," Fred exclaimed boastfully, intentionally loud enough for those around to hear.

They ascended the seven steps and stood in front of the black door, a bit puzzled.

"How do we go in?"

"Should we push it open with our hands?"

"Oh, that's not very magical." George said, but Fred had already reached out and pushed the center of the black door forcefully, surrounded by swirling black mist.

"No reaction" Fred said, but he suddenly widened his eyes, his whole body fading like a phantom, and George immediately grabbed his shoulder. The two of them were pulled inside together.

The people around held their breath, waiting in silence

"Did they succeed?" Ron asked uncertainly, hesitating.

"They've only gone in; they still have to face unknown challenges," Hermione said. She posed a question, "Are they together or separated now?"

"Does it matter?" Dean asked nervously, "I hope they're together, right, Seamus?"

"Yeah," Seamus mumbled, taking out a badge of the Irish Quidditch team from his pocket and nervously putting it on himself. "This is my lucky charm."

Harry glanced at the shamrock badge, knowing that Seamus and his mother were staunch fans of the Irish team. Their victory in the Quidditch World Cup finals during the summer had made them ecstatic. Actually, he and Ron had bought the same badge; it could even shout out the name of every player on the Irish team. But now, with magic weakened, the voices had become feeble, so Harry stuffed it into his sock.

Neville's round face was tense, one hand gripping his wand tightly.

About half a minute passed

The quiet black door began to show movement; the entwined black mist boiled up like a kettle, pouring out a large amount of black mist. Snarling and clawing, it covered the entire door. Two figures were thrown out forcefully, the Weasley brothers, somersaulting and tracing a crooked and irregular arc. At the moment of landing, they were lifted by an invisible force, reducing some of their speed, and they fell to the ground.

"Ouch!" George was pressed onto Fred, and the two of them rolled on the ground, covered in mud and leaves.

The young wizards were first taken aback, then burst into laughter.

"Brilliant! Thanks to Fred and George for the entertainment, though it's not exactly a spectacular entrance" a voice suddenly cut through the laughter, loud enough to make the people's ears ring. The crowd instantly made way, revealing a wizard with intimidating long locks.

He was Lee Jordan, one of the troublemaking friends of the Weasley twins. After failing to make it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team in a certain selection, he became a Quidditch commentator. Lee Jordan had a humorous and witty personality, fond of exaggeration. His most outrageous recent statement was openly expressing in the common room that he intended to use his skin color advantage to infiltrate the inner workings of the Wizengamot to gather secrets for Hogwarts' champions.

"If I could learn a couple of new fancy spells, that'd be even better," he said with anticipation.

...

Now, Lee Jordan walked out casually, tapping his wand against his throat, casting the "Sonorous Charm" to amplify his voice. He shouted, "Next up, by meLee Jordan, the soon-to-be unemployed Quidditch commentator for a whole year, presenting you with an exciting commentary!"

The other students were a bit bewildered, but the Gryffindor students generously applauded.

"Cough, thank you, thank you! You're really enthusiastic..." He mockingly bowed to the surroundings, "Let's first interview the two protagonists and get firsthand information. You all must be curious about some inside scoop, right?" Lee Jordan said.

This time, the students quieted down; a few restless older students even stopped in their tracks, hoping to hear some useful information.

Fred and George got up from the ground, their faces still startled. Upon hearing Lee Jordan's words, they laughed mischievously.

"Oh dear, we can't reveal too much"

"Especially the tough parts!"

"Was a bit of a struggle, you know?" Lee Jordan interjected.

"Uh..."

"That's right, it was quite challenging."

"But you both look clean, the dirt on your robes seems to have been acquired when you were thrown out." Lee Jordan gave them a skeptical look, though it could also be just an act; he and the twins were always in sync.

"Well, you see," Fred sighed, "that was Professor Harp's magic, coming from a Memory Charmer, just think of the Pensieve Professor uses..."

"Oh, I get it!" Lee Jordan exclaimed, "You were fighting in the realm of thoughts!"

Both of them couldn't help but suppress their laughter. "You're absolutely right!"

"So, what did you encounter?" Lee Jordan asked with great interest, "I think others would like to know too." The young wizards listened more attentively, speculating on the dangers they might have faced, seeking insight for their own potential journeys.

"We, well, we encountered a snake!"

"A snake?" Lee Jordan asked.

"Yeah, a really big one, tall enough to reach the ceiling... George, you explain!"

"Alright, I think... it had three heads and was covered in patterns."

Among the crowd, Hermione muttered to herself, "Three heads and covered in patterns, does it sound like a Runespoor? But those usually are only about six or seven feet long, which doesn't match their description."

Other students also felt the same, as if Fred and George's descriptions were somewhat inconsistent.

"Maybe Professor Harp altered them privately." Ron speculated, and Harry and Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "That's a possibility."

Meanwhile, Lee Jordan saw Fred and George off and then discussed in hushed tones. "What do you think the professor's challenge is?" Fred said.

"By striking us and pushing us into a low point to see how we react." George said without hesitation.

"I thought the same. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gone bankrupt seventeen times in a row..." Fred shivered, "It's a terrifying feeling, so real that you're completely immersed and unaware of any issues."

"Wait a moment, did you say seventeen times? But I failed fifteen times!" George widened his eyes.

Fred hesitated and looked at him, "Could I have miscounted?"

"Definitely not, it's vivid in my memory!" George said with a lingering fear, "I suspect I'm going to have nightmares tonight."

"So, what you're saying is, we experienced different illusions?"

"Seems so."

"Good then," Fred nodded, "Let's exchange reasons for our respective failures and jot them down when we get back! These are lessons learned."

A seventh-year student climbed the steps and touched the black door, being drawn in.

Lee Jordan commentated, "The third person is in! Knowing they're about to face a three-headed giant snakeoh, the insider info tells me it's possibly a variant of a Runespoor, thanksyet they still stood up! Amazing courage! One more question, is he a Gryffindor senior?"

Gryffindor students erupted with cheers, and Lee Jordan panickedly said, "Uh, seems not..." He quickly changed the subject, "The third volunteer has gone in; let's guess if he'll hold onoh, Merlin!"

A figure was hurled out immediately after, tumbling several times in midair before landing lightly on the ground. This seventh-year student sat paralyzed with a terrified expression, his right arm flailing behind him as if waving a wand, and he shouted, "Obstacles everywhere! Obstacles everywhere!" Even Lee Jordan, who came close, took a punch to the face; half of his face immediately swelled up.

"Hiss~ Stay calm, stay calm! Merlin's beard, get a few people to take him away!" Lee Jordan covered his face and yelled.

After a while, this somewhat hysterical student was led away by his friends, looking completely dazed. Lee Jordan refrained from asking him what he had experienced, but everyone had their own thoughts.

"He might have been eaten by a giant snake," a Hufflepuff student, Ernie Macmillan, said to his friend Justin Finch-Fletchley.

"Don't listen to him," Susan Bones chimed in, "He said last year that Sirius Black turned him into an orange and was bought by Fudge..."

"I was just joking!" Ernie Macmillan said defensively. He was tall and imposing, seemingly quite authoritative. "Besides, I got the idea from Hannah, she said Black could turn into a flowering shrub!"

Hannah Abbott frowned and looked at him disapprovingly.

"...He also said two years ago that Harry Potter was the Heir of Slytherin," Susan Bones continued without hesitation.

Ernie grumbled in frustration, "I've already apologized to Harry! Publicly apologized!" Justin tugged at him; his sleeves were nearly rolled up, revealing short, chubby hands.

Ernie grumbled discontentedly, "Just because he's got an aunt who's a head of the Magical Law Enforcement..."

Susan Bones glared at him, but they didn't escalate the argument. At that moment, Cedric Diggory took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I'll give it a try!"

I'll finish writing this scene and send it out. I didn't manage to finish it all. There's one more chapter after this.

>

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