When Jane returned to the Weasley camp, she found Harry and Sirius already there.
"Yu! You're finally back!"
Their cautious gazes lingered behind her for a moment, ensuring that Dumbledore wouldn't suddenly appear, before they excitedly rushed over to greet her.
"We went to pick up Hermione—she's helping with the fire right now!"
These were two wealthy and easy-going customers!
Jane immediately shot Fred and George a meaningful look.
The twins, sharp as ever, caught the signal and flanked Harry and Sirius on either side, seizing the opportunity to lighten their pockets:
"How about some trick wands, Harry? Or perhaps some Ton-Tongue Toffees?"
Harry curiously examined the items in their bag, seemingly interested in picking something out.
But Sirius acted far more straightforwardly. He pulled out a fake wand from the bag, gave it a wave, and the wand let out a loud squawk before transforming into a rubber parrot.
"That's brilliant! I'll take four! And some candies too!"
He laughed heartily, his eyes regaining the rebellious glint of his youth.
He unwrapped the bundle of trick wands, stuffed one into Harry's pocket, and handed another to Jane.
"What are you all up to—? Yu! You're back!"
Hermione entered, clutching a matchbox. Her eyes lit up with delight as she tossed the matchbox onto the table and came over to hug Jane.
"Thank you for sending me the tickets! I never thought I'd have the chance to watch the match! These tickets were impossible to get!"
"Oh—and thank you too, Sirius!"
She also received a trick wand from Sirius.
Soon, Mrs. Weasley arrived with Percy and the others, and the tent quickly became lively.
"Care to place a bet on the match?"
Ludo Bagman came to visit. The head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports tried to get them to bet on the outcome of the match, and the Weasley twins seemed tempted.
"What if you lose? And you still need to sell your goods. If you bet all your money, you won't have any Sickles or Knuts left to give change to your customers."
Jane reminded them sternly, feeling exasperated.
Cherish life, stay away from gambling—didn't they know that?
The twins shivered at her words, successfully restraining their desire to make a fortune overnight and fund their shop.
What if they lost the bet? They might not even have enough money to start their shop by graduation!
"Let's go! We need to get to work—time to sell our joke products!"
Fred and George stood up, dragging their investor, Jane, along with them.
Seeing the trio leave, Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed along.
They weaved through the small vendors and visited different camps to sell their goods.
The trick wands were a huge hit, almost selling out completely.
Even Jane was surprised at how well the fake wands were selling.
Sitting cross-legged, she counted the Galleons in the bag, quickly calculating the funding gap.
"One more batch of the same quantity, and you'll have enough to open your shop."
Hearing her words, Fred and George exclaimed in surprise, their eyes turning into Galleon shapes.
"We need to go back home! We didn't bring enough stock."
They never expected the sales to be this good!
But when they returned to the camp and opened their mouths to make a request to Mr. Weasley, they were immediately shut down by their mother.
However, the twins were prepared. They calmly opened the bag full of Galleons.
Mrs. Weasley stood there, her mouth agape, her scolding stuck in her throat.
"Bill—Charlie—" she called out loudly to her two eldest sons. "Take your brothers—grab what they need and come straight back. No wandering off—and if anything happens—watch out for your ears!"
...
The Quidditch World Cup stadium could hold up to a hundred thousand spectators, and every inch of it was enchanted with Muggle-repelling spells.
"Seven first-class tickets, three second-class tickets—Arthur, you'll need to distribute them!"
The witch at the entrance called out.
"We're going to sell our products!" Fred and George shouted. "Dad, the ticket class doesn't matter to us—"
Mr. Weasley gave them an approving look, his gaze continuing to scan his sons before finally settling on a target:
"Ron—"
The named Ron froze completely, his spine slowly bending under the weight.
"Five Galleons!"
He instantly revived, fully energized.
Jane entered a small box. Her seat faced the field, flanked by the towering goal hoops. On her right was a massive blackboard flashing golden text. She noticed it was an ad placed by Lucius.
[Gaming Consoles: Bringing Joy and Happiness, Enhancing Magical Power...]
Jane felt her face scrunching up.
This? Just a few lines of text?
How outdated!
Where were the short videos?
Was this how you advertised?
She quickly spotted other ads:
[Cornflower: A family-friendly broomstick—]
[Elegance Wizardwear—London, Paris, Hogsmeade...]
She had wronged her business partner.
Turns out other shops advertised this way too.
She turned her head and found herself staring into a pair of enormous brown eyes and a tomato-shaped nose.
It was a house-elf who looked very much like Dobby, sitting behind her and curiously observing her.
But Harry had already called out "Dobby" first.
"I'm not Dobby. I'm Winky, sir—"
It covered its face with its hands, its voice high-pitched, yet it continued to curiously glance in Jane's direction, its large eyes peeking through its fingers:
"But Winky knows Dobby—Miss, Winky heard the gentleman call your name just now. You must be Yu Jane!"
Jane nodded.
"Oh my, you helped Dobby." Winky's expression was full of reverence. "We've known each other for a long time—you helped him settle down, kept him from seeking too much fun, which is unsuitable for house-elves—"
"You gave him wages." Its eyes widened. "He's free now, and he has fun—but Dobby is not quite proper. House-elves shouldn't have wages or fun—we must obey our masters completely. Even though I have a fear of heights, Winky is a good elf and obeys orders."
Terrified of heights, Winky glanced fearfully at the edge of the box, then covered its eyes completely and fell silent.
The box gradually filled with people: Cornelius Fudge, the British Minister of Magic... the Bulgarian Minister of Magic...
The Malfoy family entered. They nodded slightly and smiled at Jane, then frowned as they surveyed the Weasleys.
Another round of verbal sparring ensued between the Weasleys and the Malfoys. Thankfully, for the sake of appearances, it didn't escalate into physical combat.
After the chaos, the World Cup finally began.
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