A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

They emerged from the training room, passing by the room where the members of the Phoenix Society were having a meeting. Fred casually pulled out Extendable Ears to eavesdrop, "No, they've gotten clever—"

Back in the living room, Penelope brewed tea for them.

"Aren't we calling Percy down?" Hermione asked.

"He's upstairs rushing his report," Penelope replied.

"That sounds a bit familiar," Ron scratched his chin.

"Change it to 'he's upstairs rushing his essay,' and doesn't it sound much smoother? We've heard that for a good seven years," Fred said somewhat wistfully. "I kept feeling something missing this month, now it's finally filled in."

Neville chuckled, "Sorry, couldn't resist."

At that moment, Penelope directed the teapot and cups onto the table with her wand.

"You know, the Department Head he's under hasn't been settled yet, and he's quite eager," she mentioned.

"He's that confident? Is that possible?" Harry asked, intending to use the word 'ambitious' but it didn't quite feel right—Percy was in the International Magical Cooperation Department, and the previous Head was Barty Crouch. After Crouch was sent to Azkaban, the position remained vacant, temporarily filled by former Minister Fudge.

"About as probable as him suddenly receiving the Order of Merlin," Penelope joked. "But he remains hopeful."

"Not that difficult, is it?" Ron half-seriously remarked. "Just get hit by a Killing Curse from some mysterious bloke."

Penelope shot him a reproachful look.

"What do you think earned you the medal? Just because of a Killing Curse?"

"Um—"

"Just to set examples?" Harry recalled something Mrs. Bones had mentioned to them.

"The Order of Merlin isn't that cheap," Penelope stated.

Harry felt a bit indignant. If someone like Lockhart could get the Order of Merlin, what couldn't happen?

"Just because we're alive?"

"Just being alive is enough," Penelope asserted. Harry looked at her in confusion, and she explained quite rationally, "You disrupted the plans of the mysterious man. He probably didn't count on finding three—oh, sorry, four witnesses."

She tapped her wand on the teapot, and it immediately released wisps of white steam, followed by a delicate amber swirl streaming into the cups, "Not bad, right? I learned it during the holidays with my mum."

"Why? I mean, yeah," Harry said, still pondering the previous topic. "But why?"

"Just shows you didn't pay much attention to what Mrs. Bones was saying," Hermione pointed out, not very pleased.

"Did she do anything apart from stalling for time for the journalists to take photos?" Ron asked.

"Of course," Hermione straightened up, cleared her throat, almost signaling a forthcoming lengthy discourse. As expected, she began to imitate Mrs. Bones' manner of speaking—

"In the past month—oh, this is for all witches and wizards, let me continue—there hasn't been much saddening news. No mysterious deaths, no Dark Marks hovering over your neighbors. In fact, all the unrest is due to new initiatives from the Ministry. I've heard some complaints, the Ministry has to allocate a team to handle all the sharp and angry letters, but more worrying than these is the reason behind this phenomenon: many still doubt the news of the mysterious man's return..."

"...On this occasion, the Ministry, in conjunction with the Wizengamot and the Anti-Dark Arts Alliance, solemnly declares: the mysterious man has indeed returned, lurking in the darkness, gathering Death Eaters where we cannot see, rallying his former minions. If we continue to remain oblivious, the contributions of the four individuals sitting on stage waiting for awards today will be greatly diminished. The time they fought for us will be wasted, also a huge blow to the Ministry staff who acted promptly, the Aurors, the Hit Wizards, and pioneers from various fields..."

"...We must hold onto our confidence and courage—before the enemy reveals himself, for the more challenging days yet to come. Fortunately, we already have examples, those who showed resilience in the face of darkness, telling us not to fear or cower, walking out with wounds but raising the alarm for war."

"I hope we can remain positive and optimistic. Even though the road ahead is shrouded in mist, I still wish to envision the joy of victory. Looking back at this time in history, people will realize the seeds of victory were planted long ago..."

Hermione finished. Everyone in the room stared at her, captivated.

"You memorized the Minister's speech?" Ron asked, wide-eyed, as if witnessing some strange creature suddenly invade the kitchen, like a Exploding Snail.

"The complete speech is in the newspaper, I read it several times, and if you're up early enough and willing to help in the kitchen, you'll find this speech playing repeatedly on the magical wireless," Hermione informed them.

"So, you did memorize it," Ron persisted.

Penelope looked at Hermione with shining eyes, "I should've known you earlier—we'd have so much in common. How about joining 'Future World' after graduation?" She was already recruiting talent.

"Hey, we've had our eyes on Hermione for a while, planning to invite her to join 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes'," Fred pretended to complain.

Harry almost choked on his water. He couldn't quite imagine Hermione connected to prank items.

"You're already thinking of recruiting?" Ron asked, baffled.

Fred and George sighed together.

"First come, first served. Look, Penelope's doing the same thing, isn't she?"

"But it doesn't have to be this early; you two haven't even graduated—" Harry said, then saw the twins share a knowing look. A bold idea struck him, and he blurted, "You're not planning to drop out, are you?"

"Why would we?"

"You're overthinking—"

Both of them said simultaneously.

"You can't fool even Valen with that, can you, Valen?" Ron said, and Valen, upon hearing its name, lifted its head from the sofa—holding a small fishing rod with a ball of yarn tied to the hook, playing a game with Crookshanks lying on the carpet.

"You've gotten smarter, my dear brother—" Fred said gloomily.

"But not smart enough," George added.

"So, you're really planning to drop out?" Harry said, a voice inside him screaming that Mrs. Weasley would never agree, even if they were both duct-taped and stuck to the luggage rack of the Hogwarts Express. She wouldn't hesitate for a moment.

"Shh, keep it down," Fred said anxiously. "Let's put it this way, we're not planning to drop out; we're just getting our brand out there early."

"There's a better option, using 'Future World's' stores," George said dejectedly, "But we got turned down by Leims."

"But why—"

"Different philosophies," Fred shrugged, mimicking an 'old-fashioned' gesture, "We believe people will need some fun as emotions continue to plummet. Prank items will have a market."

George nodded, "This is where we'll shine."

"We're planning to open a store, not in Diagon Alley but

in Hogsmeade," Fred shared his plan.

"So, we're not really planning to drop out; Mum will hang us by our ears," George grumbled, "or drown us in the sink, pretend we never existed."

"Great," Ron said, "What products have you prepared?"

"Plenty," Fred and George grinned, "Except for the Extendable Ears and the Anti-Jinx series, those will stay with 'Future World' until after the war."

"Security-wise—"

"We picked a spot next to 'Future World,'" George winked at the inquiring Neville.

"We'll hire staff later; we'll inspect when Hogsmeade opens and use owls for communication. It's a shame; all the secret passages out of the school are sealed," Fred clicked his tongue, "But since we only have one more year... we can endure."

"I might join the Ministry after graduation," Hermione said, "But I don't want to give up my study of Ancient Runes." She seemed troubled.

"You want to be an Unspeakable?" Fred asked in surprise, looking at Harry and Ron.

"Hermione wants to be the Minister for Magic," Harry blurted without much thought.

Hermione glared at him but didn't refute.

"I just believe certain things need someone to do them," she said calmly.

Fred and George gave her a thumbs-up.

Just then, there was commotion in the hallway. Fred glanced downstairs, "The meeting's over." He turned back to them.

So, when Felix, Sirius, and the others entered the living room, they saw a group of people calmly sipping tea. "I thought you lot might be eavesdropping; the door opened several times," Tonks grinned as she sat among them.

"I'll talk to Amelia about it tomorrow," Sirius said to Felix, referring to Bode's situation.

"Give this talisman to him for me," Felix retrieved a snail-like pendant from his ring and handed it to Sirius.

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