George's exaggerated expressions left Ian quite helpless.
"Of course, it's just simulating symptoms. I wouldn't be able to find a real virus even if I tried."
He thought the alchemy skills of the two brothers still needed improvement.
"That's good, that's good, after all, he's our little brother. It wouldn't be great if he really got sick..." Fred was still reminiscing about the discomfort when experiencing smallpox symptoms with lingering fear.
"Yeah, yeah, we still expect to use him for more prank product experiments." George's agreement made Ian swallow back the words "What if I pay you more?" that were already on his lips.
He didn't even ask.
The twin brothers had already proven to him how unique the brotherly love in the Weasley family was. Of course, Ian thought the two brothers were likely just joking. However, unless it was a real life-and-death crisis, their claim about using their brother as a test subject likely wasn't entirely false.
The Gryffindor twins were people who didn't even spare themselves.
"I heard you have a sister?"
Ian tried to change the subject.
However.
This topic instantly caused George and Fred to be on alert.
"What are you trying to do! Ian! I'm telling you! Don't even think about going after our sister! You already have all the underage witches in the academy!"
Fred's gaze was exceptionally sharp.
George also displayed a vigilant and ready-to-defend expression.
"..."
Ian never expected such a strong reaction from the two brothers, especially since they had just been talking about their little brother as if they could hand him over in the name of prank business.
"I was just asking casually."
Ian helplessly patted his forehead.
"Even asking casually is scary... Or should we give you Ron? We're sure we can develop a transformation candy, and once Ron eats it, he can become a little witch."
George's words were shocking.
His statement immediately received Fred's approval.
"Oh! Brother becomes sister! That's fantastic!"
He even clapped and cheered.
"..."
Ian somewhat regretted choosing to stay in a compartment with the two brothers—his expression turned peculiar as he looked out the window, silently mourning for their younger brother Ron for three seconds.
"It can be made! This candy can definitely be made!"
"It'll be a huge hit!"
The two brothers continued discussing their newly emerged idea fervently.
Ian quietly ate his breakfast, admiring the beautiful scenery outside the window.
As the legendary Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in London drew closer, fields continuously swept past, lush trees, occasional villages, and endless mountains in the distance—all indicating to Ian that he was on his way back to his world.
After some time.
"Prophet Daily..." Ian still didn't join the brothers in their transformation candy planning and research; he looked toward the daily newspaper of the wizarding world being delivered into each compartment.
The headline was very eye-catching.
"The Rising Star of Tomorrow: A Child Who Saved Hogwarts"
It had to be said, some of Aurora's viewpoints might not be without reason. The Prophet Daily, now under Grindelwald's control, began to heavily broadcast Ian's feat of defeating a Dark Wizard during his time at school.
The praises were extraordinarily lavish, and although it didn't mention who the Dark Wizard was, it painted him as a formidable Dark Wizard who killed many adult wizards. Ian glanced through its contents and felt his ears burning slightly, showing that the exaggerated descriptions of him were genuinely over the top.
"I heard my dad talking about this! He said you might get the Merlin Level 2 Medal because of it!" George and Fred also paused their research to take a look at the newspaper story.
"Your dad thinks so?"
Ian was somewhat surprised. Frankly, getting a Merlin Level 2 Medal for defeating a Dark Wizard was rare, even among adult wizards.
Especially for an eleven-year-old like Ian, if the Merlin Level 2 Medal were awarded to him, he would refresh the record for the youngest Merlin Medal recipient. An eleven-year-old Merlin Level 2 Medal recipient would undoubtedly be extraordinary, causing quite a stir and skepticism in the wizarding world.
For the sake of stability.
The Merlin Order likely wouldn't make such a decision.
"It's a deal between the Ministry of Magic and Headmaster Dumbledore; they'll recommend you to the Merlin Order. I'm sure you'll get that medal."
Despite George's young age, he was obviously quite wise in some aspects, and Fred beside him nodded with a determined expression.
"Honestly, we still don't know how you managed to beat a Dark Wizard." Fred seemed to want Ian to recount the specific process of defeating the Dark Wizard.
"Uh."
Ian started deliberating on what he could and couldn't say.
And at this moment.
"Hoo~"
Suddenly.
There was a ripple in the space.
The Black Phoenix appeared in front of Ian. The two brothers, who were previously engrossed in discussing the transformation candy, were startled and almost fell out of their seats.
"What kind of Fantastic Beast is this!?"
"It's a bird! And it can Apparate!"
Obviously.
The two could recognize the Black Phoenix's mode of appearance, but failed to recognize it as a Phoenix, possibly due to the stark difference in appearance between the Black Phoenix and a regular Phoenix.