Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You said you'd buy me a new wand..."
Ron looked at Fred and George, his eyes filled with a mixture of hope and worry. After the initial joy, he was now afraid this was just another joke.
After all, Fred and George had a history of this; similar things had happened more than once in their family.
"Of course, my dear brother," Fred said with a smile, patting his shoulder. "Are you doubting your own brother?"
George beside him also wore a pained expression.
"Ron, you've broken our hearts."
"I'm sorry... I, I didn't mean that."
Ron's heart tightened instantly. His face flushed, and he stammered, "I'm just... scared, no, not scared. I trust you guys, really, I..."
"Alright, Ron, don't be nervous," Kyle said with a smile. "They're just joking this time. Don't worry, you'll definitely get your new wand today, I promise."
Ron was indeed a little too nervous; he wasn't usually like this... well, not much different.
Compared to Fred and George, Kyle was clearly more trustworthy in Ron's eyes.
"Thank you, Kyle." Ron's flushed face had faded considerably.
Although he was still very nervous, he wasn't as exaggerated as before, and he seemed much more normal.
But Fred and George weren't happy.
"Why are you thanking Kyle?"
"As expected, you still don't trust us."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ron started to get nervous again.
"No, no, thank you too."
Fred and George nodded in satisfaction.
Afterwards, the four of them left the chaotic Leaky Cauldron and headed towards Diagon Alley.
At the entrance, Kyle deliberately walked at the back, casually kicking his leg to the side, intending to move the trash can.
"Thump!"
With a muffled sound, the trash can didn't budge.
"Hmm?"
Kyle turned around and examined it closely for a moment before realizing that the bottom of the trash can had been glued to the ground with a Sticking Charm.
No wonder he hadn't been able to move it.
"It must have been Old Tom..." Kyle's face darkened.
It was too much! Last year he had said he trusted him, but secretly he had fixed the trash can to the ground.
Was trust between people really that fragile?
Kyle grew angrier the more he thought about it. Taking advantage of the other three's inattention, he quickly drew his wand and pointed it at the trash can.
"Engorgio!"
The trash can visibly grew taller.
However, the increase was small, just about the thickness of a brick.
Kyle put away his wand and, as if nothing had happened, caught up with the Weasleys.
George asked, somewhat puzzled, "What are you doing in the back? Why are you so slow?"
Kyle replied casually, "Nothing, I accidentally dropped a Sickle."
"Found it?"
"Yeah, found it."
George nodded, not thinking much of it.
The group had a clear goal and headed straight for Ollivander.
Ron walked in front, while Kyle and the twins lagged slightly behind, whispering among themselves.
"What do you think would happen if we suddenly left now?" Fred said in a low voice.
"Little Ron would be devastated," George said, barely suppressing a laugh. "And then we'd get a beating from Mom."
"And..." Kyle added, "You wouldn't be able to keep the thirty Galleons you just got."
"Alright, let's forget about it then." Fred shrugged. "Consider it for the sake of Galleons."
Ron, who was walking in front, seemed to have heard them and quickly turned around to look. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the three of them were still behind him.
"By the way, do you have any plans?"
After Ron turned his head back, George asked in a low voice, "Ron may not be very bright, but he wouldn't ask those kinds of questions for no reason."
Fred nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's probably thinking about the new wand right now. He wouldn't care if Ollivander's shop is dirty or not."
"If he doesn't ask, we can remind him."
Kyle stroked his chin and whispered a few words to the two of them.
Fred frowned after listening and asked somewhat doubtfully, "Will that work?"
"It should be fine…" Kyle shrugged. "If it doesn't work, then forget it. Anyway, I'm just curious. It's not like I necessarily need to know."
"Tsk, your curiosity is really expensive." George curled his lip. "Seven Galleons."
Kyle just smiled and didn't say anything.
Ollivanders wasn't far from the entrance to Diagon Alley; it was basically just around the corner.
Looking at the small, shabby shop, Ron's excitement grew.
But just as he was about to go inside, Fred walked past first.
He was looking down, seemingly lost in thought.
"Watch out, Fred!" Ron warned with difficulty, "You're going the wrong way, that's not... the door."
"Bang!"
Before Ron could finish speaking, Fred "slammed" into the shop window.
"Oh, damn it, why is this shop so dirty?"
Fred brushed the dust off his clothes, somewhat annoyed. "I should have known better than to wear this robe today; it's brand new."
George joined in to help.
The two brushed off the dust for a while, but the robe still looked very dirty, a dusty mess.
"Fred, you're so careless!" George exclaimed dramatically. "Mom will definitely scold you when she sees this."
"I can't help it, it's too dirty here. I feel like the dust here is hundreds of years old."
Kyle walked over and said seriously, "But I think you can go to Ollivanders for compensation.
Remember my roommate Mikel? He dirtied his new robe at the pet store last year, and the clerk there gave him an extra serving of pet food."
"Too bad… we're not buying wands."
Fred looked a little regretful. "Otherwise, I would definitely go to Ollivanders and ask them for an extra wand care kit."
"Yeah, what a pity." George shook his head. "A care kit costs seven sickles."
"There's nothing we can do about it." Fred sighed. "Never mind, you take Ron inside first."
"Okay…"
George nodded, then opened the Ollivanders door and went inside.
"Ron, come here quickly."
Ron seemed to have been thinking about something, but he ran over as soon as he heard George's voice.
However, Kyle noticed that Ron deliberately rubbed against the door frame when he entered.
"So, did he believe it?"
Fred asked impatiently as soon as the two left.
"I think he probably does."
Kyle took out his wand and pointed it at Fred's robes.
"Clean and shine."
In an instant, all the dust disappeared.
[End of the chapter]