"So, just say it straight, what exactly do you mean?"
Fred and George watched Kael warily, while unconsciously retreating back, leaning against the door frame.
They knew Kael too well... as soon as he showed this expression, it definitely wouldn't be good news.
Feeling the touch of the doorknob behind them, the two felt a bit more at ease. This was a good spot, right at the doorway, ready to make a quick exit if things went south.
"Here's the thing."
Kael chose his words carefully, "The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has been facing some trouble lately. When I saw Cedric today, he looked like he'd lost weight — he was so wobbly that he could barely walk straight, looking utterly worn out.
"He really needs help, you wouldn't just ignore him as friends, right?"
"And what about you?" Fred immediately sensed something amiss and asked, "You're Cedric's friend too, why don't you go help him?"
"Honestly, I do want to help." Kael sighed, spreading his hands, "If You-Know-Who weren't giving me trouble, I would have planned to stay at the Ministry of Magic today."
"Sounds a bit fake."
"Doesn't sound real."
Fred and George said in unison.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Mr. Weasley if I spent the whole day in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
Kael pointed towards the door, "If I'm lying, you can come find me, and I'll accept any punishment, even if it means working at your shop."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course." Kael said confidently. "Rest assured, I genuinely want to help Cedric. He's just too busy, and as friends, it makes sense for us to lend him a hand, right?"
"Everything's negotiable, except for asking us to return to the Ministry of Magic... forget about it," Fred said.
"Exactly." George nodded, "No matter what you say, we're not going back to the Ministry of Magic."
"Especially at this time..."
"Just look at Hermione, we don't want to be coming home past midnight every day."
"Don't be so quick to refuse."
Kael took out a golden cup filled with Honey Wine and placed it on the table, "Hermione is busy because there are fewer people where she goes. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is the second largest department in the Ministry of Magic, and even if it's normally a bit busy, it's not exaggeratedly so. This is just an unexpected situation."
Fred and George originally intended to leave without listening to anything Kael said, but the rich aroma of Honey Wine filling the room made them stop.
Even though they weren't big on drinking, the taste of the Honey Wine Kael brought out was too enchanting. Once tasted, it was unforgettable.
They were no exception.
The two exchanged looks, as if engaging in some form of communication, then cautiously stepped forward, speaking first.
"No matter what you say, we won't go to the Ministry of Magic."
"Even if the reasons are good, it won't work."
"Oh, that's fine." Kael laughed and said, "I was just mentioning it. If you don't want to go, then don't."
"By the way, do you have any thoughts on communication items?"
Just as discussed, Kael really didn't bring up the Ministry of Magic again and switched the topic, "I must remind you, efficiency is not a priority; Bones values non-leakage above all."
As he spoke, Kael took out two ordinary cups and poured the Honey Wine from the golden cup. "She won't pay for anything that, if taken by the enemy, they could use."
Seeing Kael not bringing up the Ministry again, the two finally relaxed a bit.
"This is simple, just set up a password." Fred took a small sip of the Honey Wine, "Just like the Marauder's Map, it can only be used with the correct password."
"Or set a string of number codes," George said, "like a Muggle phone. I remember you have to dial a string of numbers to use one."
"How do you know that?" Kael asked curiously, if he remembered correctly, these two shouldn't have come into contact with Muggles.
"Didn't Dad just mention it? He got hold of a telephone once."
"And we've used one before; Ron used it to contact Harry."
"But when we called, it wasn't Harry who picked up, and after just a few words, it went silent."
"It must have been his aunt and uncle's doing, that family is really impolite." George put down his cup and said with slight discontent.
Whenever they tried to reach Harry before, those two blocked them. Naturally, the memory did not please them.
"Passwords and codes..." Kael mused, "Is that all?"
"We can make it more complicated," Fred said, "Like setting a charm that only certain people can use."
"But that would significantly increase the cost," George said, "After all, restrictive charms aren't simple. Applying them on Magic Items is even more challenging. Even if we start researching now, it would take at least half a year to develop one."
"And that's just for one," Fred added.
"That won't do; it takes too long." Kael shook his head, "There're so many Aurors in the Ministry of Magic. Even if each group of one hundred got one, it would still be a year later."
"Then there's no way around it," Fred tilted his head back, finishing his Honey Wine, "In fact, there's nothing truly reliable in the Magic Realm. Even the most complex password can be uncovered with Legilimency, and there are solutions for restrictive magic too.