"So, what should we sell?" Fred frowned. He thought Tom had come with a plate of food specifically to console them, right?
"Some harmless little items," Tom said discreetly, taking out a small box. "The products I bought from you before... I'm really glad I didn't bring the Skiving Snackboxes."
Facing Mrs. Weasley's indiscriminate Summoning Charm, Tom was sure that if he had brought the Skiving Snackboxes, they would have been discovered. The situation would have been very embarrassing.
Seeing the box in Tom's hands, Fred and George's eyes lit up.
"I'll pay you the initial price."
Fred, George: ???
"I need the money to buy some souvenirs," Tom shrugged. During this time, he had invested too much money in alchemy, which had quickly depleted his cash reserves. Without an option, he needed to get some money from Fred and George.
But the way to get money was not through these small items in the box. The contents of the box weren't even worth two Galleons. What interested Tom was the future development of the Weasley brothers.
"You surely have other intentions with us," Fred and George were very shrewd and perceptive people, and at a glance, they understood Tom's intentions.
"That's right," Tom snapped his fingers. Talking to intelligent people was much easier. He explained his idea of surprise boxes to Fred and George.
"It's just an idea, an immature idea. Right now, we probably don't have a chance to make it happen, but when we return to Hogwarts, the possibilities will be great..."
After hearing the idea of surprise boxes, Fred and George were amazed by Tom.
"Brother, you're a trading genius," Fred put his hand on Tom's shoulder and said seriously.
"Great boss, please have some tea," George raised a cup of tea over his head, offering it to Tom as a sign of respect.
While the three of them were conversing in hushed voices, they had already caught Hermione's attention. She approached behind the three and suddenly leaned towards Tom, asking in a whisper, "What are you talking about?"
Hermione's sudden appearance startled Tom, but Fred and George had "strong hearts" and smirked at Hermione.
"Dear Miss Granger, haven't you heard a saying? A secret makes a man a man."
Not only did she not get a response, but she also felt bad, and Hermione walked away in a huff.
"What I envision goes beyond surprise boxes," Tom showed a devilish smile. Next year, Hogwarts would welcome many visitors, and the wealthy ladies from Beauxbatons would be an ideal group of consumers. This would be the opportunity for him, Fred, and George to shine.
Magical prizes, surprise boxes, limited-edition toys, customized action figures, and even a casino based on test scores... Tom could do it all.
Tom loved making money. But it wasn't Tom's fault; it was because alchemy was a bottomless pit, and Tom couldn't even gather enough money for materials. Plus, the pressure from a certain weird bald guy forced him to find ways to enhance his power.
Next year, he would focus on making money. Tom set his goal for the upcoming semester.
While Tom chatted with Fred and George, Bill, Charlie, and Percy approached them from the forest. Since they could all use Apparition, they could sleep in and come when it was already bright.
"What a feast!" Bill sniffed a couple of times and sincerely praised. Percy quickly approached and took a slice of tortilla and put it on his plate.
Fred and George were devouring the food they had brought. They were eager to do business and sell the items they had retrieved from Tom at a good price.
But the appearance of a special guest interrupted their plans.
"Ludo!" Mr. Weasley jumped up, smiling and waving to a conspicuously dressed man.
The person who appeared was Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He was wearing a long Quidditch robe in the colors yellow and black, with a large bee emblem on the chest. It was the uniform of the Wimbourne Wasps team he had played for in the past.
Since Quidditch was a sport, it naturally fell under the jurisdiction of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, but Bagman seemed exceptionally idle. That was his way of managing his department: delegating all the work to his subordinates.
"What great weather! All the preparation work is going smoothly, I have nothing to do," Bagman said as a group of exhausted Ministry of Magic officials ran past behind him, and in the background, there were more problems that required the Ministry's attention.
He had only had a brief encounter with him, but Tom had already noticed that this individual was untrustworthy.
But even if Bagman was untrustworthy, he was still the head of a department, and Percy was eager to get along with him. When Bagman appeared, Percy quickly stepped forward, extended his hand, and shook his.
Unfortunately, Harry stole Percy's spotlight, and Bagman was completely drawn to the "boy who lived."
After chatting for a while, Ludo Bagman revealed his true intentions by seeking out Mr. Weasley: he wanted to involve him in a betting game!
Mr. Weasley wasn't interested in the game, but Fred and George were excited about it.
Tom watched as they pulled out their money bags and prepared to bet. He sincerely admired the twins' bravery.
They weren't reckless; their bet of "Ireland winning and Krum catching the Golden Snitch" was the result of careful calculation. Although it sounded very risky, they were actually betting that Krum wouldn't catch the Snitch in time.
Suddenly, the bet didn't seem so far-fetched. On the contrary, they had good odds of winning.
Fred and George had no other choice. They were desperate for money, needing to save enough capital before graduating to support their dream: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. That's why they were willing to take risks and use gambling to expand their funding.
If they won, they would have enough money to open the shop. If they lost, it would only be thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, and three Knuts.
That was their entire net worth, but they didn't care. Because the money, whether they lost it or not, wouldn't be enough to back their shop.
So why not take a little risk?
That's what characterized Fred and George: their gambling spirit.
They had confidence because they now had enough new products for steady production. If they managed to open a market at school, the money would come back quickly.
Tom watched indifferently from the sidelines. He had no intention of stopping the twins, as Fred and George's failure would simply be bad luck: they won at the gaming table, but the casino collapsed, which was truly disappointing.
In any case, he was there to support them. If the two brothers were only technical investors, he might even increase his influence.