Draco had long wanted to establish a presence in Hogsmeade; he had always loved the place in his previous life.
Hogsmeade is the only wizarding village in Britain without Muggles. It is home to a considerable number of wizards year-round, and its prosperity is second only to Diagon Alley in London.
This is a paradise for Hogwarts students. Every time Hogsmeade village is open, Hogwarts Castle becomes empty early in the morning.
On a cold winter's day, sipping mead or, more robustly, Firewhisky in that cosy Three Broomsticks pub is a memory that brings a smile to Draco's face.
Draco knew almost every sweet in Honeydukes, stacked to the ceiling. In his past life, he had tasted them all with Crabbe and Goyle.
The Shrieking Shack is considered by some Slytherin boys to be the best place to test their courage; whoever gets closer can gain more respect from others to some extent.
Each landmark here is unique and linked to some of Draco's "happy" memories.
Not to mention, Zonko's Joke Shop is always packed. One can imagine how popular it would be if the Weasley twins opened a shop in Hogsmeade.
"I have to open a shop in Hogsmeade," Draco thought, watching his twin brothers' faces gradually light up.
This decision was made not only because of emotional affinity, but also because of many practical benefits.
The two brothers were very enthusiastic about developing new products, and the quantity of raw materials and new products was increasing day by day, so they needed a safe place to store them.
Placing it in a crowded boys' dormitory would inevitably disturb others; moreover, the process of developing new products is full of risks, and if the two brothers are not careful, they may turn "Filibuster's Fireworks" into "demolishing the Gryffindor Tower".
Those dangerous pyrotechnic materials should not be in that area—a little girl lives in the Gryffindor Tower, Draco thought worriedly.
Opening a shop in Hogsmeade would provide a stable and secure place to store goods, offer the twins a well-equipped product development facility, and attract more customers.
In this way, their market is no longer limited to Hogwarts—any wizard who comes to Hogsmeade village to shop can be a potential customer.
There is also a bit of Draco's personal motive involved.
Having a place to stay in Hogsmeade is very important. If Hogwarts were to fall to the Death Eaters again someday, there would be a place nearby where we could catch our breath.
"In my memory, all the shops in good locations are already taken." George rolled his eyes and said with interest, "The remaining empty shops are either in remote locations or have too high rents."
"It is all right. Hogsmeade village is a small village, so we do not have to choose the busiest street. I am worried that a place that is too lively would be too conspicuous and attract the professors' attention—Professor McGonagall probably would not want to see you doing business in your spare time, would she?" Draco said.
The two brothers stuck out their tongues at him, agreeing with his guess.
"As long as we can establish brand awareness in the early stages, things will be much easier later on—good wine needs no bush," Draco mused.
"Regarding brand awareness—when we open, we can target our advertising and flyers on main streets, and even expand our brand awareness through word of mouth among wizards. Over time, customers who are interested in our products will naturally come by the smell," George said confidently.
George Weasley does have a good business sense, Draco thought with a bit of surprise, and nodded approvingly at him.
Fred picked up the thread, "If we are not so concerned about the location on the main road, I do have an idea. A while ago, we found an empty shop near the Shrieking Shack."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
"Although it is a bit far from the main road, there are clothing shops and teahouses nearby, so there is some foot traffic and it is not exactly desolate. The exact location is on the road behind the Three Broomsticks pub..." George perked up and began to analyse the feasibility of the idea.
On the road behind the Three Broomsticks pub... Draco rummaged through his mind and retrieved a few vague memories.
Yes, that is true.
In my past life, there was indeed a dilapidated house standing there, which had remained empty and unopened for many years.
Opening a shop here is not out of the question. Draco remained silent, his eyes fixed on the countryside rushing past the window, listening to George's incessant analysis, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table for a while.
"It should be feasible." After a pause, Draco finally said, "Next time you go, you might as well double-check the location, advantages and disadvantages, and rent."
"Of course." George rubbed his hands together happily.
"Ah, I really did not expect this," Fred said happily. "My dream came true so quickly, it caught me completely off guard..."
George also wore a look of readiness to go all out. "Actually, we have had this idea for a while, but we were afraid of moving too fast. Having our own shop, researching these interesting things every day—what could be better than that—"
"You need to understand one thing. We have enough funds to hire staff, and you will still need to go to school before you graduate," Draco reminded them.
"Going to school is nothing compared to running a shop! This is totally our cup of tea," the twin brothers said in unison.
"I know your ambitions do not lie in a Hogwarts diploma or Ordinary Wizarding Level certificates. However, your brilliant ideas need a solid foundation of magical knowledge." Draco looked out the train window at the rows of trees rushing by, and could vaguely make out a corner of the Black Lake in the distance. "Many of your inventions currently have room for improvement, which means that your application of magical knowledge is not yet perfect, is it not? Why not take advantage of your studies to absorb the wisdom of the Hogwarts professors? Free, high-quality resources are never wasted."
Once you leave Hogwarts, you will not be able to talk to those professors casually, nor will they be able to impart knowledge to you so easily.
Can you imagine a Potions Master like Severus Snape casually agreeing to mentor children who are not particularly gifted?
If it were not for this teaching position, he probably would not even glance at some of his clumsy students.
Neville Longbottom, I am talking about you. You stupid student who is always trying to blow up Hermione! Draco thought bitterly.
"That is true." Fred made a face at him and said with a grin, "So we are still going to school."
"All right, all right, we know you are the top student in your house, and you have been dragging our top student to the library every day... Do not worry, we have not fallen behind in our studies much." George chuckled. "Of course, we have to admit, some courses are more to our liking..."
How did George know? Their joint academic pursuits in the library were always kept secret—George might be cheating.
Ignoring one of his remarks, Draco continued with a stern face, "If you only focus on opening shops and do not get your Ordinary Wizarding Level certification, Mr and Mrs Weasley might think you are neglecting your duties..."
"That is true. I can already imagine the look of utter despair on Mum's face if she knew we were determined to go into business, instead of having grand ambitions like Percy... she might even kick us out of the house," Fred said, spreading his hands innocently.
"Without the understanding and support of family, it is not good for the long-term development of the shop," Draco said.
"All right, we shall learn from this. Do not be so serious like an old man, always lecturing people," George said lazily. "We shall also check out that shop first, do some research."
"Very good. If only I could go to Hogsmeade village." Draco sighed. "I really want to see that shop in person."
Draco is not allowed to set foot in Hogsmeade village yet. Only students in their third year or above, with the signature of their guardian, are permitted to visit Hogsmeade village on specific open days.
Draco, a second-year, is helpless in the face of this. For the Weasley twins, however, it is no obstacle at all—they are about to enter fourth year.
"We know a way," the Weasley brothers said in unison, exchanging a glance.
"What?" Draco was completely bewildered.
"Behind the mirror on the fourth floor of Hogwarts, there is a secret passage that leads directly to Hogsmeade village..." Fred said mysteriously.
"There is a lot of space inside, you could even throw a party in there." George winked at him. "We have hidden a lot of products in there."
The train was slowly pulling into Hogsmeade Station—the final stop on the Hogwarts Express. Students would disembark here and walk along the lakeside path into Hogwarts.
"A secret passage? Why have I never heard of it before?" Draco was extremely surprised.
If there is a secret passage that leads from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade village—we must make good use of it!
In a critical moment, how many students' lives can be saved?
However, the twins gave him a mischievous smile, deliberately keeping him in suspense. When the train arrived at the station, they patted Draco on the shoulder and left the compartment arm in arm.
After a two-second pause, Draco opened the compartment door and chased after him, finally abandoning his usual composed demeanour. "Wait... Fred, George, say a few more words, give me another hint... Which mirror?"
Ron, who was about to step out of the compartment, was startled when he opened the door.
He watched as a figure with platinum blond hair swept past him, as swift as the wind.
He followed the boy a few steps and looked out of the train door at the platform, where he discovered something even more astonishing.
"Merlin's beard! Harry, Hermione, look, is that Draco?" He pointed to the boy on the platform who was jumping around chasing the Weasley twins and asked, "He can be so flustered? I have to admire Fred and George... they did what I wanted to do but could not."
Harry jumped off the train, shrugged at Ron, and smiled silently. He turned to Hermione, whose eyes were wide with surprise, and said, "I told you, you did not need to worry about him at all. See, they are getting along just fine..."