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The eight-year-old child, a naive fool, boarded the Hogwarts Express. As he absentmindedly gazed out the window, the compartment slowly filled with people.
"Captain? Harry? Meal's ready!"
"Sedd, didn't you say that Hufflepuffs can never resist the temptation of food? How come it doesn't work on the Captain?"
With a confused expression, Qiu pulled back her hand and tugged at Cedric, who was sitting beside her.
"Because I'm full already~"
Harry's lazy voice drifted over as he propped his chin up and turned to look at the others in the compartment.
"Oh, I guess my little snack was a waste of money then."
The snack trolley had already passed through the compartment. Qiu had bought several snacks, which now piled up on the table in a small mountain. Her pocket money wasn't a little sum—she had twice as much as Cedric, a whopping ten Galleons a month.
"Eat, who would pass up free food?" Harry grabbed a pumpkin pasty filled with honey and took a big bite. It tasted just as familiar as ever—comfortingly familiar, with the familiar recipe and flavor.
"Why do I feel like you've changed a bit after Christmas, Captain?" Qiu hugged her knees, her eyes widening with curiosity. She had a gossiping look on her face. "Is there some secret you're hiding?"
"To prevent the girls at Hogwarts from missing out on their beautiful youth while pining for me, I decided to date someone."
Harry spoke casually, as though it was no big deal, as if he had merely done something trivial.
"Wow! Who is it? From Hogwarts or another school?" Qiu's eyes lit up with excitement as she leaned forward. Meanwhile, Cedric and the twins perked up their ears. To them, their captain had been living like a monk since the start of the school year. That course schedule, which was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle, was just too extreme.
Now that there was some juicy gossip, how could they not be curious?
"She's at Beauxbatons. We'll meet up during the summer break. We can see each other then. Oh, and by the way, you should prepare for the exams at Durmstrang next year."
"Ced helped me with Transfiguration, so don't worry, I'll pass."
As long as Hogwarts didn't undergo full reform, this place really couldn't be endured for much longer. While there had been some changes, they weren't drastic. After all, overhauling an entire system wasn't a simple task. The Ministry of Magic had always been opposed to it. They'd been trying to get their hands on Hogwarts for years. The wizarding exams that Dumbledore abolished previously were a result of the Ministry's long-term influence.
Dumbledore wasn't as decisive as Grindelwald. His personality wouldn't let him turn magic into a dictatorship. Although he had the power to do so, he couldn't bring himself to make a clean break. Thus, the process of reform was always tied up with compromise and concessions.
Dumbledore wasn't a good leader—a conclusion that both Harry and Grindelwald agreed on.
"By the way, Fred, George, have you made any progress with your television modification project? Did Mr. Weasley teach you any useful tips?"
Harry's twins were basically left to their own devices, but now that they were all gathered together, he was curious about their latest research.
"Well..."
The twins looked a bit embarrassed. When they first took on the task, they had been full of confidence, but the harsh reality had quickly set in.
"We've made a little progress, but..."
"The progress might not be what you expect."
"We personally tested the fact that 'technology and magic are incompatible' during the holidays."
"Almost all Muggle technology operates based on electricity and magnetism. The more advanced the technology, the more precision it needs, and the magical fields will subtly interfere with this precision in the physical realm. For less precise, simpler electronic products, like radios, the modification is still doable, but for something like a television, or any other high-tech electronics, there's almost no hope of salvaging it."
"Maybe in the future, we'll find a way, but for now..."
The twins shrugged helplessly, shaking their heads. "We can't do it."
"But!" After about three or four seconds of feeling dejected, Fred's face lit up with a smug grin.
"Although the straight path doesn't work, we're really good at the crooked ones!" George crossed his arms smugly, puffing out his chest.
"Thanks to Dad, we paid a visit to the Ministry's confiscated items warehouse, which was filled with all sorts of Muggle objects that wizards had tried to modify."
"Though it was a mess and looked like a pile of trash, our genius still led us to find a bit of inspiration!"
"We haven't made a physical prototype yet, but the design concept is ready. Once we're back at school and have the proper equipment, we'll have a finished product soon."
"While we can't modify a television, the main purpose of a television is to watch those really interesting things... what's it called again, George?"
"Cartoons!"
"And movies and TV shows!"
"We can't modify the television, but we can bring the TV programs back!"
"Harry, think about it. Who could resist watching those interesting shows while snuggled in a warm bed?"
"We could make a fortune! The wizarding world doesn't have Muggle television shows or cinemas for watching movies."
"For our first batch of products, we plan to record some... heh heh heh... entertaining videos."
"Hogwarts has no shortage of lonely boys who toss and turn at night."
The twins laughed in a particularly sleazy manner, chuckling nonstop. Harry was slightly taken aback when he saw them so smoothly transition into their new roles as 'movie dealers.'
"Is this really bringing progress to the wizarding world?" Harry hesitated before speaking. He had a nagging feeling that something about this plan wasn't quite right.
"Yes, we're bringing progress to the magical community!" Fred eagerly embraced the idea, realizing just now how brilliant it was.
"Exactly! We're going to be legendary billionaires!" George's mind was entirely consumed with the thought of making money.
"Your investment won't go to waste. Just wait a little, and we'll definitely—"
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Harry quickly cut off their increasingly ridiculous chatter. "If, from now on, whenever people hear the name of our faction, they think we made our fortune from selling movies..."
Harry cracked his knuckles with a sharp sound and spoke in a dangerously calm tone, "Then you two are finished."
"Ah?!"
The twins immediately deflated, their faces falling in realization. They hadn't considered this possibility. Harry didn't lack money, and neither did the faction. A bit of extra gold was nothing compared to ruining their reputation.
"So... we can't do it?"
"Why not start a separate business and cut this off from the faction? Something like Imperial Films or something? A fool doesn't make money when it's right there for the taking. Our faction only has money coming in, not going out. I've already invested over a hundred thousand Galleons in it. Do you think gold falls from the sky?"
"Oh!" The twins immediately understood and their faces lit up with renewed determination. "Don't worry, Captain, we'll make sure to sell the films all over England and then take them global!"
"Make it big, make it strong!"
"Create new glory!"
With their strange ambitions now set, the twins seemed to have found their life's purpose. Their first step was to become legendary 'movie dealers.'
"You two... good luck."
Harry's lips curled into a slight smile, but then he quickly shifted his gaze forward.
"Hey, Ced, you and Qiu both got a bit tanned. Where did you go during the break?"
Cedric didn't say anything. Instead, he gave a mysterious, knowing smile.
"Oh, I get it now," Harry immediately understood, "Sunshine, beaches, bikinis... good taste."
Seeing Harry give a thumbs-up, Qiu shot a cold glare at Cedric, who had just moments ago been grinning mysteriously. The handsome young man stiffened, his face now frozen as he tried to suppress the sharp pain in his waist.
"Captain, do you really like sunshine, beaches, and bikinis?" Qiu asked sweetly, a faint pink blush coloring her cheeks.
"Of course, I love them," Harry admitted frankly. "Girls in bikinis are like angels, glowing and shining."
"Boys who act sleazy are the worst," Qiu smiled sweetly and then glared at Cedric.
"Huh?"
Cedric, still confused, widened his eyes. "Why am I considered sleazy just for smiling? The Captain can do no wrong!"
"Men should be open and straightforward." Harry coughed lightly and gave Cedric a knowing look. "Some people enjoy it."
Cedric flashed a grateful glance at Harry, and just like that, the compartment was filled with a pile of unclaimed "dog food."
The little train, a bit filthy and stained, rumbled through the fields and valleys. The increasingly familiar landscape signaled that Hogsmeade Station was just ahead.
What would the young wizards think when they returned to school and found that the aloof Slytherin princess had vanished without a trace? How much regret would they feel?
Harry didn't concern himself with Nagini's issue, though. Dumbledore, who was responsible for handling it, would likely come up with a perfect solution.
However, after that matter was settled, Harry remembered another task that he had to handle.
When Moaning Myrtle died, Hagrid was stripped of his wand rights, a punishment almost as severe as being deprived of one's citizenship—almost like being exiled.
Even though fifty years had passed and delayed justice might not be considered justice anymore, bringing the truth to light was always far better than doing nothing.
But how could he get the Ministry of Magic to restore Hagrid's honor?
Voldemort was gone now, and there were no criminals left to confess the truth of that past event.
"Maybe I should find a chance to stab Fudge in the back? Put a puppet in power?"
After his North American trip, Harry, who had never been fond of the Ministry of Magic in England, had grown bolder.
"But who should I choose as a puppet?"
With his mind spinning with possibilities, he followed the crowd off the train and onto the Thestral-drawn carriage heading back to the castle.
(End of Chapter)