[195] A Quiet Before Devastation

"Alright, kids, we're in Romania now." Molly stepped in to end the farce. "Let's go buy some local clothes!"

The clothes they'd brought from England looked completely out of place in Romania. Not all countries were like England, where ten out of twelve months were overcast. The weather in Romania was much hotter. Long sleeves and trousers wouldn't do.

Molly led the Weasley family, charging aggressively into a clothing store. Buy, buy, buy.

Romanian Dragon Training Base.

"Mum!"

A very kind-looking young man rushed up excitedly the moment he saw Molly and hugged her tightly.

"Charlie!"

Molly hugged him back, equally excited.

Hall looked at his brother, whom he hadn't seen in so long. He had the classic Weasley red hair, a broad, honest face etched with the marks of years of hardship, covered in sun-kissed freckles, his skin almost deep brown. As Hall hugged Charlie back, he immediately felt the strong, well-defined muscles in Charlie's arms.

"You're hurt..." Molly, tears welling in her eyes, stroked Charlie's left arm, where a large, shiny burn scar stood.

"It's alright, Mum." Charlie flashed a reassuring smile. "Belle is a good girl, but she was badly injured when she was brought to the base, and she was pregnant... She didn't mean to hurt me. We got along very well afterward."

A genuine smile spread across Charlie's face.

Molly, her eyes brimming with tears, wanted to say something. Arthur patted her shoulder. "Charlie truly loves this job, just as much as I love my job at the Ministry. That's more important than anything else."

Only a job you loved could inspire a lifetime of dedication.

Molly wiped away her tears and glared at Arthur. "As if you can decide what your job is at the Ministry of Magic! Can you compare to my darling Charlie?!"

She then ignored Arthur.

Arthur looked at Hall with a frustrated expression. "Your mother is really..."

Hall smiled as he looked at the couple, then at his family... well, except for Bill. But every Weasley was doing well, wasn't he? This was part of what Hall had always strived for — his family happily doing what they wanted, undisturbed by external factors.

Hall wasn't interested in such sentimental projects — well, before he could even finish his thought, Molly gave him a hard slap on the back of the head.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from NovelPhoenix. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Fred and George laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Little Hall, you're not Mummy's favourite anymore! Mummy only has eyes for Charlie now! We're all poor little adopted children!"

Molly, still hugging Charlie, rolled her eyes at the twins. "I would never adopt you! If you really were adopted, I'd send you back right now!"

The twins, despite being scolded, weren't angry at all. They laughed even louder.

Charlie gave a simple, honest smile. "I took two days off specifically to spend time with Mum, Dad, and my younger siblings." Then he looked at his youngest brother and sister. "I haven't congratulated you yet, Hall. The dragon training base was quite busy at the time..."

Hall waved his hand. "Your own work is more important, Charlie. Congratulations — there's always time."

Charlie still looked apologetic. "Is there anything you want? My salary these past two years hasn't been too low..."

Before Charlie could finish, the twins excitedly leaned in. "Charlie, are you going to spend money on Hall? You don't know, Hall is the richest one in our family right now! Invest in us! Charlie, we definitely won't let you down! Come, let us introduce you to our ongoing projects!"

Fred and George wanted to hold Charlie hostage and sweet-talk him into new investors' Galleons. Hall was an excellent investor — rich, generous with research — but anyone who'd done research knew that sometimes the projects you applied for and the projects you actually wanted to do were completely different things. But Hall strictly forbade this. If he found out, he'd withdraw funding.

Charlie, being very honest, neither understood nor rejected the twins' research behavior. He even advised Hall, "Hall, you don't earn money easily. Don't spend it all on Fred and George. Spend more on yourself."

Fred and George looked at Charlie in shock. "Charlie?! I never expected you to be like this, Charlie!" Not only did you refuse to invest in them, but you tried to steal their current investor.

The twins immediately abandoned Charlie and rushed back to Hall's side. "Our cute little brother! Our dearest Hall! You wouldn't treat us like this, would you?"

Hall smiled. "Actually, I think Charlie's suggestion isn't entirely out of the question."

The twins were shocked.

Hall burst into laughter.

Fred and George then realised they'd been tricked. "What can we do? We're the poor things who rely on Hall for funding! Brotherly pride... well, that's not important at all! Hall, after you've finished laughing, don't forget to promise us your investment!"

"The climate in this city is quite pleasant, so there are beautiful flowers all year round." Charlie bought a bouquet for Molly and Ginny. The flowers weren't anything special, but their main feature was vibrant colours — both bouquets were gold and red, very Gryffindor.

Molly happily held them. Ginny seemed happy too, but carrying such a large bouquet on the street made her shy, hiding her face behind the flowers.

"And then there's red wine." Charlie bought gifts for each family member. "Romania may not have many famous wineries, but its unique winemaking methods and homemade smoky barrels give its red wine a truly distinctive flavour. Dad, you can bring some home to entertain guests."

Arthur puffed out his chest. "Whatever you say!"

Charlie prepared cake and flowers for his mother and sister, red wine for Arthur, and new clothes and a copy of the Complete Encyclopedia of Dragons compiled by the Romanian Dragon Training Base for his brothers.

"This book looks quite interesting," Ron muttered, holding the book, wearing his new clothes, munching on cake.

Hall flipped through the book with great interest. Percy seemed satisfied as well. The twins huddled together, seemingly discussing something.

After everyone had gone to rest, Hall found Charlie.

"What's wrong, Hall?" Charlie felt a unique affection for his little brother, who'd been a Squib but suddenly gained magic two years ago. Being born into a family full of wizards must have been painful for Hall. Fortunately, their little brother was strong.

"Charlie, do you have any dragon materials?" Hall asked directly.

Charlie: "?"

Did he hear that wrong? What was Hall asking?