HP: Hogwart's Journey

"Mr. Ollivander said these are the most interesting pair of wands he's ever made. Do you know? He said they are twins!" Fred said proudly. "This sounds pretty awesome, doesn't it, George?" 

George bumped fists with him. "You bet, mate. It means we get double the fun no matter what we do." 

The two of them chuckled to themselves. 

Robert was a bit curious about the special characteristics of their wands, but he didn't ask. The materials and cores of wands were deeply personal matters—sometimes even life-threatening—and the fewer people who knew, the better. 

After some playful moments, time flew by, and before they knew it, it was half past twelve. 

"I think I'm a bit hungry. Did you bring any food?" Robert rubbed his stomach. At this point, Elsa should already be preparing the meal. 

Since Robert had started school, Elsa's work had become at least once a week, giving her plenty of time to do her own things. Though Robert felt a little guilty about it, the Foundation wouldn't pay a hefty sum to someone who had such an easy job. Of course, there wasn't much money to begin with. 

Cliff was the one footing the bill. Considering the need for secrecy, he had readily hired Elsa. 

However, Robert had lived at the Leaky Cauldron to practice magic, which meant he hadn't been able to receive lunch from Elsa, who lived all the way in Yorkshire. 

As for Elsa and Cliff, well, Merlin help them—if they sent him a letter to apologize for not being more thoughtful, Robert would truly feel embarrassed! After all, this was the first time his inexperienced parents had sent their child to school, and it was easy to overlook small details. 

The twins seemed a little embarrassed as they pulled out a bag of sandwiches. The sandwiches were packed in paper boxes, filled to the brim. 

"Mom made these for us," Fred said, his face a little red. "Uh, you might not like them—they're a bit dry." 

Robert pretended to be surprised. "Mrs. Weasley made these herself? That's fantastic! I really envy you guys!" 

"Could I have one?" he asked, looking directly at Fred with sincerity. "You know, Elsa doesn't cook, so I'd love to know what a mother's cooking tastes like, if you don't mind." 

His tone was genuine, and the twins were touched by it. 

"I think Mom would be really happy to hear that," George said as he handed over the box. "Try it out, I washed the lettuce myself!" 

Robert happily took one of the sandwiches, which, as seen in the films, looked more like a giant rice ball than a sandwich. He took a big bite, and instantly, his mouth dried out. 

Thanks to the Weasley family's financial situation, this sandwich wasn't exactly delicious. Mrs. Weasley had been so busy, it seemed she hadn't pressed the sandwich properly before stuffing it in the box, which meant Robert had to be cautious to keep the filling from falling out as he chewed. 

Lettuce leaves, tomatoes, and what might have been some red sausage—Robert had to chew quickly to swallow it before it fell out. 

"This actually tastes pretty good," Robert said, his words muffled. Then, he pulled out something he had brought with him—sparkling fruit soda. 

"Here, try this. I made it myself," Robert said, recalling the blender at the inn, which had worked overnight to help him perfect the recipe. 

He poured the soda into the cup Cliff had given him. According to Cliff, it was a pre-sale product, and he wanted to see if wizards would accept such a thing—sort of a market survey. 

Robert felt justified accepting it. After all, he was planning to open a convenience store in the wizarding world—after all, Cliff had even left him two storefronts! Right in Diagon Alley. 

He planned to get serious about them next year after finishing his market research. 

The twins clearly had never had sparkling fruit soda before, but they unanimously agreed that it tasted sweet. It seemed that people from the "Land of the Brits" were all fond of sweet things. 

"You can't drink too much of this—it's bad for your teeth and it makes you burp," Robert added. 

Before he could explain further, the twins began their performance. 

"Oh my Merlin, *burp*, are you sure this is just a Muggle drink and not some kind of curse?" Fred laughed while burping, looking completely silly. 

Robert facepalmed, feeling embarrassed. But he explained, "This is a Muggle drink, and it contains a gas called carbon dioxide. Since the body can't absorb it, the gas is released through your mouth, causing you to burp." 

"Cool! Merlin's beard, this is Muggle magic!" Fred shouted. 

George was beet red, seemingly trying to stop himself from burping. 

"In the summer, a little bit of this is really refreshing," Robert said, raising an eyebrow. "By the way, once I learn the Freeze Charm, just imagine—gentlemen, this would be the perfect summer cool-down." 

"Oh, okay, okay, *burp*." George seemed to be feeling better. "This might need to be paired with a hiccup-breaking spell." 

Robert really wanted to tell him that this had nothing to do with hiccup potions, but he held back. 

Come to think of it, mixing a hiccup potion with the Freeze Charm to make a crunchy, icy drink would probably sell really well in the summer—especially among friends just playing pranks on each other. 

In the middle of their playful banter, the large box of sandwiches was gone. Fred rubbed his stomach and said with a frown, "I think I'm full." 

George nodded in agreement. 

"That's just a trick of your mind. Once you make a trip to the restroom, you'll be hungry again," Robert said, taking his time to look through his luggage to see if there was anything to eat. Hmm... nothing. 

He felt a little down—he'd forgotten to bring any snacks! It was almost unthinkable! 

Oh well. He was in the magical world now, so forget science! 

Just then, the sound of squeaking wheels reached the aisle. 

Robert looked toward the door of the compartment, then asked curiously, "What's that?" 

"What?" Fred asked, confused. 

"Well... it sounds like a trolley. Wait a minute, do we have snack carts on the train?" Robert suddenly realized—it was the classic sound of a trolley witch pushing the snack cart. 

This was a rather important role on the Hogwarts Express, as she was in charge of making sure all the students' stomachs were well taken care of before the start of school. 

"It's definitely not a poltergeist," Fred said. 

George added, "And it's certainly not our family's ghoul." 

Just as the two of them were wild with speculation, the door to the compartment opened, revealing a smiling woman with dimples. "Would you like to buy something to eat?" 

Robert looked at the snack trolley with curiosity. It was filled to the brim with all kinds of snacks and sweets. 

In the center were pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes, and there were also some chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans in fancy boxes. 

(End of chapter)