Chapter 4: [Philosopher’s Stone] – Mr. Weasley Preparing Before Enrollment
Another peaceful day at the Burrow.
The Weasley family had gathered here, and…
“Alright! Alright! Once you pick a card, there’s no going back!”
“Out of the 7 cards, you can win a new wand, a broomstick, an owl, or both a wand and an owl! The rest are duds!”
“Remember, it’s just a game! No hard feelings, and we all agree to accept the results gracefully, right?”
To celebrate the New Year, today was the day when the Weasley family would decide on the Hogwarts entrance gifts for Ron and me, as we both turned 11 this year and would be entering Hogwarts soon.
Unfortunately (?), there was a slight difference from the original story.
“If you pick wrong, say goodbye to a new wand!”
“Hah… A broomstick! Please let it be the broomstick!”
The financial situation of the Weasley family had somewhat improved. Huh? You’re asking why the family’s financial status improved just because they had another set of twins? Well, let me explain how it came to this.
***
Flashback
The New Year’s family dinner with Mum, Dad, and the whole Weasley Family was still as warm and pleasant as ever…
“Hooray! We’re going to Hogwarts this year!”
“Ron! Don’t shout while we’re eating! Oh dear, this is already making me anxious!”
“Hahaha, what’s the big deal? I can’t believe the day has come when our Ron and Pell are heading off to Hogwarts!”
A few days ago, Ron and I had received our Hogwarts acceptance letters via owl.
With Bill having graduated and gotten a job, Charlie graduating this year, and Percy, Fred, and George still in school, the whole family had gathered, and Ron was thrilled to finally join the magical academy. I, too, was excited, though I didn’t show it much.
I was about to experience the real magic world—wearing a cloak, wielding a wand made of wood, and casting spells, just like in the novels, games, and movies.
‘Wow, how can I not be excited about waving a wand and casting spells?’
I remembered how, in both my past and present lives (yes, I’m still young now), I would wave around a stick and pretend to cast magic spells. Owning a wand that suited me was my small (or maybe not so small) dream in both lives.
But…
‘…Now that I think about it, our financial situation is a bit tight, isn’t it?’
In both the original story and real life, the Weasley family’s finances were precarious, though it was hard to call them desperate.
We couldn’t afford to buy everything new for the incoming first years, but we could still buy a few things brand new.
‘Well, I guess it makes sense with such a big family. Even though Charlie recently moved out and Bill got a job and started sending some money home, Mum and Dad still tried to stop them from doing that.’
We had enough to live on, but we couldn’t afford fancy gourmet food that nobles might eat.
We could afford some new items, but most things would be hand-me-downs from my older brothers, and if something couldn’t be used anymore, it had to be thrown away.
In short, our financial situation was just ‘awkwardly tight.’ But…
“Ahem! I have an important announcement to make as we welcome the New Year!”
Contrary to my worries, Dad, Arthur Weasley, had some hopeful news to share.
“…I won the lottery! Dear! Kids!”
“Oh my! Honey, winning the lottery means… What did you say?”
-…Huh? –
That’s right. He said he won the lottery.
Yes, there’s a lottery in the wizarding world, too. The kind you’d see in the regular, non-magical world in both my past and present lives.
You scratch a ticket or pick some lucky numbers, and if they all match, you win a huge cash prize.
It’s a legal, state-run form of gambling, unlike betting money to win more money.
And apparently, my father, Arthur Weasley, had won the wizarding lottery.
That too—
“You know, I bought two tickets using the numbers Pell picked a while ago, and guess what? I won both first and second place! Ahahaha!”
“…Are you talking about the numbers you had me pick while saying it was just a number game?”
I have no idea what kind of luck this is, but it’s hard enough to win first place, and he says he hit both first and second.
And to make things more unbelievable, there was no first-place winner in the previous draw, so the prize money for both first and second place had gone up.
“The first prize is a whopping 900 Galleons! Second prize is 480 Galleons! Hahaha!”
“My goodness! So that’s 1,380 Galleons in total!?”
“That’s right! We won’t have to worry about money for a while! Hahaha!”
Not only was Mum dumbfounded, but Bill and Charlie were sincerely congratulating Dad with smiles on their faces. Fred and George were grinning, clearly excited about the possible benefits coming their way, and Ginny, as well as Percy, were quietly hoping they’d get something too.
And most of all—
“Wow! That means I won’t have to inherit my brothers’ old stuff and can actually get new things! Wow!”
“Heh, that’s some great news!”
For me and Ron, who are starting Hogwarts this year, this was the best news possible.
Honestly, I wasn’t too thrilled about using hand-me-downs, and Ron wasn’t set to get his own wand until third year, so this announcement was full of hope for all of us.
But—there was one thing we didn’t know…
“Ahem! I think it’s too soon to celebrate, everyone.”
—Huh? –
Mum cleared her throat and gathered everyone’s attention before delivering a shocking revelation.
“Bill may have gotten a job, and Charlie may have moved out, but the house is in such bad shape that we’re going to need some major repairs. And of course, certain people are to blame for that.”
“Come on, Mum, you’re overreacting.”
“Yeah, it was just a harmless prank!”
“…That ‘harmless prank’ upset the earth spirits, which caused them to smash one of the house’s support beams. You call that harmless!?”
It turns out that our infamous prankster brothers, Fred and George, had caused a disaster recently, and it looked like a huge amount of money was going to be needed to fix the damage.
Bill and Charlie, who hadn’t known, exchanged looks that said ‘I should’ve known,’ while Ginny, Percy, and Ron glared at the twins angrily.
“…Niget, go peck them.”
“Wait, what?”
“Tweet! Tweeet!”
“Aaaagh!”
Niget, who had been quietly pecking at his honeyed beans, suddenly let out a fierce cry and began furiously pecking at Fred and George’s necks.
“Sigh, I knew I heard strange noises around the house recently…”
“The repair cost for the house’s support beams in Diagon Alley is at least 500 Galleons. And the top experts quoted a minimum of 700 Galleons.”
“…So roughly 1,000 Galleons are as good as gone.”
Even Dad, who had probably wanted to buy something nice for himself, sighed deeply, realizing that 80 percent of the lottery winnings were as good as gone.
Mum, along with the rest of the family (except the twins), let out a collective sigh.
Meanwhile, Niget was gleefully pecking away at the twins’ necks, and with a shriek, they ran out of the house into the cold winter wind.
“Sigh, well, it can’t be helped. Ron and I will just have to use our brothers’ hand-me-downs, so make sure to take care of Percy and Ginny first.”
“Hey, Pell! What are you saying?”
“I know it’s disappointing, but we don’t have a choice. The house could collapse if we don’t fix it. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll have enough left to get some new books.”
“But… but still! This is our first year at Hogwarts!”
“…Don’t act spoiled. Look, Percy’s the Head Boy this year, and Ginny’s been using our old stuff for long enough. Let’s give them something new for once.”
Honestly, a part of me wanted to chase after the twins and knock some sense into them.
But thinking about it realistically, this was the only choice.
Percy had indeed become the Gryffindor prefect, and Ginny had been using her brothers’ old clothes and things for years, repairing them to make do.
Of course, I understood how Ron felt.
It was his dream to attend Hogwarts, and no 11-year-old would want to start their first year with hand-me-downs. His pride would take a hit.
‘Not to mention the Weasleys already have a reputation for being poor…’
Ron’s disappointment was completely understandable.
But it wasn’t our parents’ fault. The Weasley family had always been honest and kind-hearted, refusing to get involved in political games, which is why we didn’t accumulate wealth like the other pure-blood families.
That’s why, even though other families became wealthier over time, we struggled financially.
“As for me, I don’t mind using my brothers’ old things… there’s a certain charm to it, you know? Don’t worry too much. A new wand costs about 7 Galleons, so we can probably get Ron a new one.”
“Pell! What are you saying!?”
Even after the house repairs, about 400 Galleons would still be left. So—
“Well, what’s the big deal? We still have Niget, who joined our family two years ago. And considering how much it costs to feed him, it’d be selfish to ask for more, wouldn’t it?”
“This is not your concern, Pell! Don’t speak out of turn!”
“Isn’t it? After the repairs, we’ll have 380, maybe 400 Galleons left. Even if we use that to buy Percy’s, Ginny’s, and Ron’s school supplies, it won’t be enough.”
“You really—!”
I spoke coolly to Mum, who was getting angry.
In the end, someone in the family had to make sacrifices, but since I was mentally more mature, I could bear it calmly.
And besides, with Niget, a protected species, already in my care, it would be selfish to ask for more new things.
However, from a parent’s point of view, my words may have felt like a dagger to their hearts.
“This isn’t something for you to worry about, Pell. I know you’re trying to be mature and not burden us, but this isn’t your place.”
“O… older brother… I can just get my things later…”
The heavy atmosphere affected everyone. Even Ginny, still so young, tried to comfort me, her expression stiff. Bill, Charlie, and even Ron, who had been excited moments ago, sat down quietly, looking guilty. But—
“…Sigh. What a mess, all because of those two…”
Percy, though, couldn’t hold back his irritation. He was clearly displeased, openly showing his frustration.
The twins, having just returned from being chased around by Niget, noticed the tension in the house and seemed remorseful—
“Uh… well, we’re sorry about everything.”
“Yeah… we’ll even chip in from our secret stash… How about that?”
They offered a whopping 30 Galleons, hoping to smooth things over.
Of course—later would come Mum’s scolding and everyone’s questioning of how third-year Hogwarts students managed to save up 30 Galleons.
***
“Alright, Ginny will get new pajamas and a hand mirror, Percy will get a brand-new quill, and with the remaining amount, we’ll buy three brand-new essential textbooks.”
“Sigh… Fine. So that just leaves the broomstick, owl, and wand.”
In front of Ron and me were seven cards.
The entire family was gathered around, and Fred and George were laughing, cheerfully laying out the cards as if they hadn’t just been pecked by Niget.
Of course—
“Please! Please! Please!”
“…This doesn’t feel right.”
Ron was practically praying for a broomstick or a wand, while I sighed, relieved things had worked out but still unsure whether it was really wise to leave this decision to a card draw.
And then—
The result of the card draw—
“…Nooo! Not a dud!”
“…Sorry, Ron.”
Ron got a dud.
I got a wand.
Sorry, Ron. But let’s not hold grudges over this.
“Squawk! Squawk! (Foolish boy, of course my master deserves something new!)”
Niget sat on my shoulder, puffing out its chest and squawking triumphantly. Why are you so proud, Niget?
Authors Note:
Ron is left with nothing. No wand, no broomstick, and no owl. The only thing left (spoiler) is a rat.
As for the protagonist’s wand, it will appear in the next episode. I’ll even post a custom wand image, handmade by the author.
Look forward to it.
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Preview
Ollivander: My goodness… the most ill-tempered wand in existence has chosen you.
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