Since Harry received the hint from Eisen and learned more about Nicolas Flamel, the sense of urgency among Harry, Ron, and Hermione had diminished slightly.
"While I'm away, you two keep searching, and if you find anything new, send me an owl!" Hermione instructed Harry and Ron before parting ways.
"You could also ask your parents if they know anything about Nicolas Flamel," Ron nodded, adding, "It's safe to ask them."
"Yes, it's perfectly safe since they're Muggles and dentists!" After making their arrangements, Hermione departed with her luggage.
However, after Hermione left the school, Harry and Ron became like unbridled wild horses, frolicking and playing around Hogwarts. Not only could they freely use the dormitory, but they could also occupy the more comfortable armchairs by the fire in the common room.
Essentially, Harry and Ron had barely given Nicolas Flamel a second thought. In their eyes, with Hermione on the case, that was enough.
That day, when Eisen entered the Gryffindor common room, he found Harry and Ron sitting by the fire, eating anything they could spear with a roasting fork while playing Wizard's Chess. It was evident that Ron was teaching Harry how to play.
Eisen knew that although Ron didn't have any particularly outstanding qualities among the trio, he was exceptionally talented at Wizard's Chess. In Eisen's memory, when the trio traversed the life-size chess set during their quest for the Philosopher's Stone, it was Ron's strategy and sacrifice of his pieces that allowed Harry to pass through successfully.
Of course, Eisen also knew that Wizard's Chess wasn't much different from Muggle chess. The only distinction was that the chess pieces in Wizard's Chess were alive, providing a more immersive experience of commanding troops during gameplay.
"Harry, Ron, are you two playing Wizard's Chess?" Eisen approached them directly and took a seat in an armchair.
"Yes, Professor Eisen," Harry responded without any discomfort upon seeing Eisen.
"Are you both planning to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas?" Although Eisen already knew the situation, he still asked.
"Yes, the Dursleys are dreadful, and I don't want to go back there for Christmas," Harry explained briefly how awful his living conditions were with his aunt and uncle, making Hogwarts a better choice for the holidays.
"My parents are going to Romania to visit Charlie, so Fred, George, and I have to stay at school!" Ron added his reason for remaining at Hogwarts when Eisen looked his way.
"Speaking of Fred and George, do you know where they are? I need to discuss something with them," Eisen inquired, having mentioned the Weasley twins.
"Professor, you're looking for Fred and George?" Ron put down the soldier chess piece in his hand, exchanged a puzzled glance with Harry, and then looked perplexed.
"Yes, you know, they're quite gifted when it comes to pranks, so I want to discuss something with them," Eisen nodded. Indeed, since the Weasley twins had a knack for pranks and could create magical artifacts, collaborating with them seemed like a viable option.
However, during their conversation, Eisen unintentionally brushed his hand over the chessboard and pieces between the two boys. Logically, magical artifacts should possess extraordinary properties, but strangely, Eisen's golden fingers didn't react at all upon touching the Wizard's Chess set.
Surely, it couldn't be that some magical artifacts lacked supernatural qualities? Impossible, all magical artifacts should possess extraordinary properties. Then why didn't his golden fingers react?
Could it be that vague supernatural qualities couldn't be replicated? This speculation suddenly flashed through Eisen's mind. For instance, a wand's spell-casting ability could be integrated into the body, allowing wizards to cast spells freely.
But what quality did the Wizard's Chess set possess? The ability to play automatically? Obviously, the quality couldn't be clearly defined. As he considered this, a pensive expression crossed Eisen's face.
"Did they prank Professor Eisen?" Ron's face suddenly took on a mischievous look, as if he assumed Eisen intended to settle a score with Fred and George.
"No, I just want to discuss something with them. Have you seen them around?" Pushing aside the thoughts in his mind, Eisen clarified that he had legitimate business with the twins. Of course, it was unlikely that the Weasley twins could pull a prank on him at their current skill level.
"Er, you could try Hagrid's hut, Professor. Fred and George might be there," Ron suggested, the mischievous look on his face fading after hearing Eisen's explanation.
"What would they be doing at Hagrid's?" Eisen was genuinely curious about this, unable to imagine the twins mingling with Hagrid.
Pfft—
As if they had heard something hilarious, Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Professor Eisen, it's Fred and George. A while ago, during a snowball fight, they enchanted some snowballs to chase after Professor Quirrell, even hitting the back of his turbaned head. Afterward, Fred and George were punished and given detention. Now, whenever Hagrid needs help with physical labor, he calls on them!" After a good while, the two finally stopped laughing and Harry explained the situation.
"Ahem—Well, I'll go check at Hagrid's then!" Upon hearing Harry's explanation, Eisen nearly couldn't suppress his laughter and quickly feigned a cough to cover it up. He nodded at the two boys and headed outside.
Come to think of it, the Weasley twins were certainly capable of such antics. Unfortunately, they didn't know that Voldemort's face was hidden beneath Quirrell's turban. Otherwise, they would have considered the detention well worth it.
As Eisen reflected, they might have been the first to dare directly defy Voldemort. It was fortunate that Voldemort's purpose in possessing Quirrell was to find the Philosopher's Stone; otherwise, in a fit of rage, he might have killed Fred and George outright.
After descending the stairs, even before reaching Hagrid's hut, Eisen spotted Fred and George walking in his direction from a distance. Upon closer inspection, their clothes were covered in snow, as if they had rolled around in it, and even their brown hair appeared damp and disheveled.
"Fred, George, what have you two been up to?" Eisen greeted them as they approached.
"Oh, that, Professor Eisen, we were just—" "Yeah, we were having a snowball fight—" The twins seemed surprised that Eisen had addressed them, but their manner of speaking and tone still conveyed a sense of mischief to Eisen.
"So, Professor Eisen, what did you need to see us about?" After explaining their activities, the Weasley twins inquired about Eisen's reason for seeking them out.
"Well, I've heard you two are quite gifted at pranks, so I want to commission you to create two magical artifacts," Eisen revealed with a meaningful smile. "One is a Punching Telescope that, when you look through it, a fist comes out and punches you in the eye."
"Wow, that idea is—" "Simply brilliant!"
"An excellent prank artifact!"
"Professor, can you license it to us for manufacturing and selling?"
"Yeah, how about we split the profits fifty-fifty after production?"
The twins spoke in rapid alternation, and if Eisen hadn't lived nineteen years in this life, with all his physical attributes enhanced by over twofold, he might not have understood what they were saying.
"Of course, no problem. But what about the other magical artifact?" Giving the Weasley twins an idea that was originally theirs was part of Eisen's mischievous nature.
"Alright, what's the other prank artifact?" The twins had just received a new idea and were eager to learn about the other one after hearing Eisen's words.
"Here's the deal: without altering its basic function, I want you to add an actively controlled X-ray vision feature to my telescope!" Eisen took out his brass telescope from his storage ring and handed it to Fred.
Upon hearing Eisen's request, Fred and George were momentarily stunned, but their eyes soon lit up with understanding.
"No problem, we'll give it back to you next term," the twins exchanged a glance and flashed peculiar grins at Eisen, winking knowingly like seasoned veterans.
"Sounds good, next term is fine," Eisen calmly agreed, fully aware of the implications behind their strange expressions but choosing not to acknowledge them further. Such matters only grew more awkward the more they were discussed.
(end of chapter)