Snow blanketed the fields outside, and the crooked little house stood proudly against the winter wind.
The windows were glowing with magical warmth.
Inside, however, peace was about to be shattered.
Thanks to one red-haired tattletale.
It started at breakfast.
Ron, who had been unusually smug all morning, finally dropped the bomb.
"Mum… did you know Fred and George have loads of galleons?"
The kitchen went silent.
Fred froze mid-bite.
George choked on his pumpkin juice.
Alexander was present.
He slowly lowered his teacup, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Mrs. Weasley turned… very… slowly.
"Excuse me?" she asked, voice dangerously calm.
Ron puffed his chest slightly, "Bags of Galleons. They are hiding it in their room!"
Fred laughed nervously. "Ron, you must've been dreaming."
George nodded rapidly. "Yeah... terrible imagination."
Mrs. Weasley's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, really?"
Before either twin could react—
YANK.
She grabbed both of them by the ears with frightening maternal precision.
"OW—MUM—"
"CONFESS!"
"We didn't do anything!"
"THEN WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?"
After ten seconds of ear-pulling torture, the twins cracked.
"ALRIGHT!"
"WE CONFESS!"
They pointed dramatically at Alexander.
"We were holding it for him!"
"Yeah, the money belongs to Alex!"
Mr. Weasley lowered his newspaper.
Mrs. Weasley turned to him.
"Alex dear… is this true?"
Without missing a beat, he smiled.
"No. It's their money."
The twins' heads snapped toward him so fast it was a miracle their ears didn't tear off.
"TRAITOR!"
"BETRAYAL!"
"MUM, HE IS LYING!"
"DON'T TRUST HIM!"
Alexander only sipped his tea, enjoying the chaos.
After another few seconds, Mrs. Weasley released their ears.
But her expression didn't soften.
"Now hand it over. All of it!"
The twins looked like men walking to execution.
Slowly… painfully… they walked upstairs.
The entire Weasley family and Alexander waited at the table.
A few minutes later, the twins returned carrying two heavy sacks.
They placed it on the table with trembling hands.
Fred wiped fake tears.
"Our life's work…"
George sniffled dramatically.
"All gone..."
Mrs. Weasley opened both sacks.
Gold spilled into view.
The room froze.
Even Alexander raised an eyebrow.
That… was a lot.
It was a small fortune.
Mr. Weasley coughed. "That's… more than my yearly salary…"
Mrs. Weasley looked utterly stunned.
"Boys… where did you get this?"
Her eyes sharpened again.
"You didn't steal it, did you?!"
Fred gasped, offended.
"Steal?!"
George pointed immediately.
"It's all his fault!"
They both pointed fingers at Alexander.
"He's the mastermind!"
"He made the ideas!"
"He ran the operations!"
"He's the investor!"
Instead of anger, Mrs. Weasley beamed.
She turned to Alexander with pride shining in her eyes.
"My dear, you're brilliant! Such business sense at your age… You should run a company one day."
Alexander chuckled softly, saying nothing.
The twins stared at him in disbelief.
We get our ears pulled…
He gets praised?!
Ron slammed his hands on the table and laughed.
"Now there is money… I need a new wand."
Mrs. Weasley sighed.
"Ron dear, I'm only holding onto it for Fred and George's future… and Ginny needs new supplies for next year."
Ron looked like his soul left his body.
He groaned dramatically, collapsing onto the table.
Ginny, sitting beside him, smiled brighter than ever.
Later that evening…
Revenge arrived.
The twins dragged Alexander into their room the moment the house settled down.
The door slammed shut.
Fred pointed accusingly.
"You traitor!"
George nodded.
"All our hard earnings… gone!"
Alexander sat on their bed, unbothered, and said.
"You still have more, don't you?"
Silence.
Then—
The twins grinned.
Fred smirked. "Nope."
George folded his arms. "Completely broke."
Alexander burst out laughing.
"You're terrible liars."
They tried to hold straight faces… failed… and laughed with him.
Fred flopped onto his bed.
"Still hurts though. That was a lot."
George added, "We were building capital!"
Alexander got up, walked over to the desk, and sat in the chair.
"Relax. Valentine's Day is coming."
Both twins froze.
Slowly… their heads turned.
Eyes gleaming.
Fred whispered, "You're thinking what I'm thinking?"
George already pulled out a parchment from the drawer.
"Seasonal demand."
Alexander nodded.
"Emotional spending peaks. High profit margins."
Fred grabbed a quill and started to write.
"Love potions?"
George countered, "Too risky. School rules."
Alexander smirked.
"Not real ones. Novelty versions. Harmless.
Fred's grin widened.
"Couple Packages."
George added, "Secret admirer kits."
Fred: "Self-writing love letters!"
George: "Perfumed parchment!"
Alexander: "Enchanted photographs, romantic editions."
The twins gasped.
"You genius."
Parchment filled quickly with ideas:
Singing chocolates
Heart-shaped fireworks
Temporary tattoo charms
Love confession delivery owls
Courage Potions
The brainstorming went deep into the night.
Laughing.
Arguing.
Calculating profits.
By midnight, the desk was buried in plans.
George said with excitement.
"We're going to be rich again!"
Fred added, "And this time… Mum won't see a single Knut!"
Alexander laughed.
"Next time, find better hiding locations. Don't let Ron find out again."
They quickly agreed, and Alexander got up and left.
Time passed quickly after that.
The final days of break were filled with preparation, secret crafting, and quiet excitement.
Then came the last evening.
One final dinner at the Burrow before returning to Hogwarts.
The long table was packed.
Mrs. Weasley cooked enough food to feed a small army.
Laughter filled the house.
Even Ron had recovered from his wand despair… slightly.
Mr. Weasley shared stories from work.
Ginny talked about the excitement for next year.
The twins kept exchanging knowing looks with Alexander.
Business partners to the end.
As the night wound down, Alexander stepped outside briefly.
Snow crunched beneath his boots.
The Burrow glowed warmly behind him.
Chaotic.
Loud.
Full of life.
He smiled faintly.
This place… messy as it was… felt enjoyable.
Behind him, the door creaked open.
Fred and George stepped out, scarves half-on.
"Tomorrow we head back."
"Big term ahead."
Alexander nodded.
"And a profitable one."
They all grinned.
Fred extended a hand.
"To Valentine's domination."
George stacked his hands on top.
Alexander placed his last.
"To profit."
Snow began to fall again as they laughed under the winter sky—
Already planning their next empire inside Hogwarts' walls.