"Can we?" Harry looked at Fred and George.
He had long heard about the love-hate relationship between the Weasley Twins and the Castle caretaker, Filch. Although he wasn't entirely clear what Fred and George's trick props were this time, he imagined it must be quite interesting.
Perhaps this was a good practical project; he wasn't the type to sit still.
The Weasley Twins exchanged glances, then shrugged, "If the Captain says so."
"Then we can try it; let's research it together. I'm Fred, Fred Weasley; you should know my brother, the other Weasley."
"I'm George."
Harry shook their hands, and just as he was about to introduce himself, he was interrupted.
"Of course, we know you," Fred said with a smile.
Howl looked at the three of them: "Alright, what problem have you run into now? Tell me."
"Oh, right." Fred stopped his rambling chatter and pulled a mask from inside his clothes.
The mask was wooden, off-white, and not finely carved; it was just a roughly curved wooden board with holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth, barely fitting the facial contours.
For Fred and George, the research and development cost of Potions was still too high. After being inspired by Howl, the two decided to use the form of a mask.
This mask was made of fir wood. Among woods suitable for Transfiguration, ebony and fir have always been prominent, even often used for wand cores. Professor McGonagall's wand is made of fir.
At the same time, fir was also cheaper, which Fred and George could completely afford.
"After your inspiration last time, we successfully made a finished product."
"So what's the problem you're facing now?" Howl looked at them curiously.
George smiled, "We'll give you a demonstration."
Turning to face everyone, he clapped his hands lightly: "Everyone, everyone, sorry to interrupt for a moment, I wonder if I could bother you for a minute."
There weren't many rules in this reading room; most people treated it as a place to relax. The rare few students who were studying looked up, and seeing that it was Fred and George, they didn't mind much.
Their reputation among students outside of Slytherin was consistently good; they were always very lively.
"George, what trick have you two come up with now?" Someone asked curiously.
"Of course!" George said, spreading his hands and pointing at Fred: "Next, I will proudly introduce the preliminary version of the animal mask—the Lion King Mask."
Harry looked at Howl curiously, his eyes wide.
Howl returned his smile.
As George was introducing it, he suddenly felt a weight in his hand.
Fred placed the mask in his hand and quickly retreated two steps: "Yes, next George will give everyone a demonstration!"
"No, Fred, I know you really like this thing, you do it," George said with a smile.
Fred quickly waved his hand, "Don't decline, George, everyone's looking forward to it."
The two pushed it back and forth twice more, and finally, George could only nod with a helpless smile, while below, there was a chorus of boos, urging them on with laughter.
Harry could guarantee he heard George mumble, "Damn it, I didn't think to bring Ron."
Fred suppressed a smile and whispered a reminder, "Remember to hold it in, don't let everyone get a bad first impression of our new invention."
"Fred, don't sleep too soundly tonight," George said with a sneer, resolutely putting on the mask.
Harry quietly asked, curious, "Does this mask have any side effects?"
"Nothing much, just that your face will be sore and itchy," Fred whispered. "It's probably like someone is pricking you with needles."
Harry felt a little creeped out and looked closely at George.
As George put on the mask, the mask suddenly began to squirm, enveloping George's entire head, like something out of a horror movie.
Then, hairs began to sprout from the mask, and the entire face started to protrude forward.
The Little Wizards, seeing this scene, constantly gasped in surprise, their faces full of anticipation.
At the same time, Harry also saw George's body trembling constantly, clearly, the so-called soreness and itchiness were not simple.
Before long, George's entire head transformed into a perfectly fitted lion's head, with a thick mane draped over his shoulders, looking incredibly majestic.
"Merlin's beard!! George, can you still talk?" The Wizard who had spoken earlier called out softly.
"Of course!" George's voice came from inside the lion's head.
But Harry noticed that the lion's mouth didn't move at all. This also made George's voice muffled.
"Is the current problem dynamic capture of facial features?" Harry said. "It's because the mask is transforming, not truly turning the head into a lion's shape."
"Exactly," Fred nodded, looking at Harry with some surprise.
"Oh, George, can I try it?" Someone came forward curiously.
"Sorry, the research isn't complete yet. But we're working hard to have the finished product ready by Halloween Eve," George quickly said, then, unable to bear it any longer, quickly took off the mask.
He put his hands behind his head, peeling off the mask as if shedding skin. After the mask came off his face, it quickly reverted to its wooden mask appearance.
And he carefully rubbed his face.
"This is our new creation," Fred introduced.
"Can it be made into other shapes? Like an eagle?" A Ravenclaw asked.
"Of course!"
"Can it have shapes more beyond human imagination?" Someone asked curiously.
"Is there a cat one?"
The gazes of the three people and one cat immediately fell upon the person who spoke. It was a Hufflepuff girl. Noticing the stares, her face instantly turned crimson.
"Uh... no... sir!" she quickly explained.
"I think that's a good suggestion, as long as Madam Norris doesn't mind," Howl said with a smile.
Madam Norris was Filch's old cat; she was thin, mostly hairless, and her meow was particularly grating. Many people in the Castle disliked her intensely.
The girl heard this and understood that Mr. Jones didn't mind, so she smiled awkwardly.
After a good while of commotion, Fred and George finally turned back, handed the mask to Howl, and explained the two problems they were currently facing.
Inability to synchronize expressions and facial stinging and itching.
Howl looked at it. After his explanation last time, the Weasley Brothers chose to make the masks by engraving runes.
In the past, their method of making magic props was to cast spells on items and then solidify the spells. Or, they would brew special joke Potions into candies.
And the current engraving technique was actually equivalent to Alchemy, and one should know that this was not a mainstream discipline. George and Fred had gone to great lengths to produce such a finished product.
After a couple of glances, Howl handed the mask to Harry: "Look at the spells inside."
The Weasley Brothers' engraving technique wasn't very good; rough runic grooves were plainly visible all over the mask.
Harry took a look; there were many circuits he didn't quite understand, but he still vaguely recognized some.
"Hmm... I can only make out the facial detection, fluid encapsulation, and solidification spell runes inside the mask. This one on the outside of the mask should be the directional Transfiguration rune for the lion shape."
The Weasley Twins exchanged glances: "It seems our Mr. Potter is quite capable; he truly lives up to being the man who can split House points with Miss Granger."
"Are you going to change our minds about Slytherin?"
Harry gave an embarrassed smile, somewhat overwhelmed by such words, then said, "I think the facial stinging problem might be related to the engraving technique. The wood's natural grain and the magical circuit pathways might have overlapped, causing the runes not to flow smoothly."
"No way, we tried our best, after all, our hands aren't that obedient," George said, spreading his hands.
"Can I try?" Harry asked.