However, Alan did not greet George and Fred directly; instead, he walked behind Percy Weasley.
The visitor is not good! George and Fred thought instinctively as they watched him approach.
"Good morning, Mr. Prefect. Did you really come to have breakfast in person?" Alan said with a smile, calmly activating the new ability he had just acquired.
[Curse Body D] – When activated, this ability allows Alan to release a curse through physical contact, causing the target to fall under an unfortunate curse effect lasting three days.
After acquiring this skill, Alan had spent his strengthening points to upgrade it to D-level. The ability consumed far more points than Alan had anticipated. The first upgrade required 100 points—the same amount needed to power the material shuttle. Though the curse only lasted three days, that was more than enough. Alan could easily replenish it anytime. After all, he saw Percy "Six-Five" every day.
"Humph! You really should learn more manners and read more books. Who eats in person?" Percy Weasley, with his usual lack of humor, failed to catch the subtle mockery in Alan's tone.
"Ah, yes, you're right," Alan replied, calmly taking a seat next to Percy, opposite George and Fred.
Percy, clearly embarrassed to be in Alan's company, picked up his breakfast without hesitation and began to move away. But, for some inexplicable reason, as he stood, his left foot stepped on his right. He tripped, spilling milk and oatmeal all over himself.
The spiced milk oatmeal instantly made Percy look even more ridiculous than the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
George and Fred exchanged subtle glances, realizing Alan hadn't needed to interfere; Percy had simply fallen on his own.
What bad luck, they thought, shaking their heads as Percy Weasley made a fool of himself in front of his love rival.
Mortified, Percy scrambled to his feet, glaring at his stained clothes. He didn't want to linger any longer and bolted from the auditorium with his head down. As he exited, he collided with a Slytherin student. Refusing to apologize, Percy and the student immediately began fighting.
"Wow, everything is really going wrong for Percy today," George muttered, shaking his head, though he didn't dwell on it.
"By the way, Alan," Fred said excitedly, "Hagrid came looking for you just now, and he seemed pretty angry. Didn't you see him?"
"I did," Alan replied calmly. "But he met Professor McGonagall before he saw me. Now, he's being trained not to scare the students."
"It seems Percy's luck isn't great, but I'm curious, Alan. How did you do it?" Fred asked, eyes wide. "How did you paint Hagrid's face like that?"
"Cough!" George interrupted, coughing sharply. Fred snapped back to reality. "Right, we should get to the point," he said awkwardly.
Alan leaned back, amused. "You're not here to help me deal with Percy's mess, are you?"
George opened his mouth to answer, then froze. Alan continued, "I don't treat you as fools, nor do I consider you villains. Naturally, I know the choices you would make. But it doesn't matter—I don't mind either way."
George and Fred exchanged relieved glances. It was a blessing in misfortune to have Alan's understanding.
"Although Percy is a bit boring, selfish, and overly serious… and he does like to complain and is biased against us… forget it," George said with a sigh. "I just want to help you."
"Forget his affairs for now," Alan said. "I have something I need your help with."
"I knew it," Fred said with a grin. "You came to the auditorium to eat, didn't you? Wait until we finish eating; we'll come."
"No need to eat," Alan replied. "Otherwise, you'll regret it. I doubt your stomach could handle a second meal."
George and Fred's eyes widened in anticipation.
"Could it be…?" Fred rubbed his hands together in excitement.
"That's right. Come with me," Alan said. He led them out of the side door of the auditorium, down the stairs outside the castle, toward the dock.
This area, where the Newborn ship docked, was usually deserted—perfect for privacy.
"This is for you," Alan said, handing a satchel to George. Neither George nor Fred had noticed he was carrying it. It was another application of his [Aura Masking] ability, which could hide items from notice.
"What is it?" George asked, puzzled.
Fred leaned over. "Why don't you open it and see?"
George opened the satchel, surprised to find it was much larger inside than it appeared—at least the size of a small room.
"It's the Invisible Extension Spell!" George exclaimed. "Is this the prop you prepared for transporting candy?"
Alan nodded. "I'm borrowing it temporarily. Once you graduate, consider it a gift from me."
"This is too expensive…" George hesitated, even Fred fell silent.
"Consider it my sponsorship," Alan said with a smile. "I believe your future will be more than just an ordinary candy business."
"Don't be foolish—don't forget why I asked you to come," Alan added.
"Yes, you want us to try your new dishes," Fred said, snapping back to reality. "Where are they?"
"In the bag. Pour them out," Alan instructed.
George turned the satchel upside down while Fred held it underneath. Two enormous cooked soft-claw land shrimps fell out.
"Lobsters?" George asked, scratching his head. "Wait… these look familiar."
"The soft-clawed land shrimp is in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," Alan said. "They're poisonous, but I've treated them; they're safe to eat."
"Then eat them!" Fred said eagerly, peeling the shrimp meat. Poisonous or not, after their countless experiments, this was nothing new to them.
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