The train moved steadily forward as Rhys rested his chin on one hand, staring absentmindedly at the scenery outside the window.
Beyond the glass stretched an endless meadow, and farther away flowed a river, forming a peaceful and harmonious pastoral scene. Yet for some reason, Rhys felt a faint unease in his heart.
This ominous feeling had been with him for quite some time, but he still could not identify its source.
Fortunately, there was nothing much to do on the train, so he decided to carefully examine his own thoughts. Rhys began reviewing his memories, trying to find the source of the abnormality.
He closed his eyes, looking as though he had drifted off from drowsiness.
His memories flipped by like pages in an album, until Rhys paused at one particular memory: a crystal ball glowing with red light.
'Rowena Ravenclaw…' Rhys had found the source of his unease.
Everything about that crystal ball "telephone" of hers felt strange. First of all, how had Rowena, trapped in the dungeon, learned that the Daily Prophet had mistaken him for the new generation's Dark Lord?
Aries had not even had the chance to read that day's newspaper before he brought her to Hogwarts.
Theoretically, Rowena should not have known about it, unless Helga had later visited the dungeon with a fresh copy of the Daily Prophet. But the probability of that happening was extremely low.
Rhys understood very clearly what this implied. He simply did not wish to touch upon the answer.
"Hogwarts is about to enter a troublesome year," Rhys could not help but remark.
"Hm?"
"What?"
The Greengrass sisters, who had been drowsing in the corner of the compartment, instantly woke up.
"In the coming year, many things will happen at Hogwarts. There will be many new challenges… are you two prepared?" Rhys's voice echoed through the compartment.
"Of course!" Daphne replied excitedly. Just moments ago, she had been worried that the new school year would be too boring, leaving her with no way to improve her domain. Now, hearing from Rhys that there would be "major changes" in the next term, how could she not be excited?
Astoria was somewhat calmer, but she also nodded confidently.
She now possessed the power of a domain. The current her was terrifyingly strong!
"Is that so? That's very good then." Rhys said no more, but deep inside, he asked himself a question: was he prepared?
Rowena Ravenclaw's challenge was waiting for him at Hogwarts, not far away.
He still had time to jump off the train.
Clack—!
At that moment, the compartment door was pushed open, and two red-haired young men squeezed inside one after the other.
"Fred, George, what are you doing here?" Rhys was somewhat curious about their purpose, though he still shifted closer to the window to make room for them.
"We're here to tell you a shocking secret—"
"Starting this term, Fred and I are no longer going to study at Hogwarts!"
The three people in the compartment all raised their heads at once to look at Fred and George.
"May I ask the reason? Although Hogwarts does not forbid students from withdrawing, such cases are still extremely rare." Rhys's expression became unusually serious.
Students leaving school was no small matter. He had to properly ask about the reason. After all, he was one of the founders of the school and thus had a responsibility to improve its shortcomings.
Rhys believed that human observation had its limits. A person might keep everything before them in perfect order, but there would always be blind spots where filth and ugliness could breed in the shadows. At times like this, sincere suggestions were extremely valuable. They could become the best cleaning agent, sweeping away the grime entirely.
In theory, students could graduate from Hogwarts and seek work after completing their O.W.L.s, but in reality, very few did so. Almost everyone stayed the full seven years and only graduated after going through the N.E.W.T.s. Only a small number left early due to involvement in major incidents, such as Hagrid or Newt. But Fred and George clearly did not belong to that category. Though the two loved pranks, they truly knew where the line was, constantly making small mistakes but never committing major ones.
That was also why Rhys wanted to understand why they intended to leave school.
"It's a leave of absence, not withdrawal," Fred corrected Rhys's wording first. "George and I are only temporarily stopping our studies here. As for how long… at minimum a year, at maximum indefinitely."
"Oh?" A trace of approval flashed through Rhys's eyes.
Unlike dropping out, what Fred and George were doing now aligned extremely well with Rhys's educational philosophy.
Unlike ordinary teachers, Rhys had always adhered to the belief that "students need practical experience." In other words, knowledge should be learned at school, but students should also learn how to apply that knowledge in society. That was also why he always tried to prepare some form of training and experience for Daphne and the others every school year.
Fred and George's decision to pause their studies midway and go gain experience fit Rhys's tastes perfectly.
"It's the joke shop, right?" Astoria guessed the reason Fred and George had decided to take leave.
"Exactly!" Fred snapped his fingers. "George and I simply can't wait another day!"
Ever since obtaining sufficient funds from Astoria that day, the two of them had been in a constant state of excitement.
According to their original plan, they had intended to spend another two years at Hogwarts, saving money while gradually building up the reputation of their products. But the sudden windfall had completely disrupted their arrangements.
They truly could not resist the temptation of owning their own joke shop.
So they secretly sent a letter to Headmaster Dumbledore, applying for a year's leave to start a business in Hogsmeade. Of course, in the letter they specifically mentioned that if Dumbledore disagreed, then forget it. They would obediently return to school, and under no circumstances should their parents be informed.
Even though he already had a mountain of letters to reply to, Dumbledore still found time to write back to them, faithfully keeping his promise not to tell Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
After communicating with them, Dumbledore approved Fred and George's leave application. The reply arrived at the exact moment the Hogwarts Express departed.
"That's wonderful." Rhys wore a sincere smile. "I hope your business prospers."
Fred and George burst into gleeful laughter.
"But opening a shop in Hogsmeade means you'll have a very obvious competitor," Astoria said, thinking further ahead and already considering the problems and challenges they would face.
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI