CH67: Stupid Gryffindor and Slytherin

Fred and George couldn't find a reason to refuse, so they retrieved a dark knife and handed it to Harry.

Harry reached out and accepted it, using his fingers to attempt adjustments to the magical circuit pattern on the mask.

However, as he began practicing, he realized the difficulty of the task. If his touch was too gentle, the incisions might lack precision. Conversely, applying too much force made guiding the knife easier but risked damaging the delicate mask.

"From a novice's perspective, your control might be lacking. It's a matter of skill and proficiency," Felix remarked slowly. "But don't forget, besides these two hands, you possess another—"

"A hand capable of materializing your thoughts as long as it's powerful enough," Harry finished the thought, his eyes brightening with understanding.

"Why not make use of it?" Felix replied with a smile. "However, let me address the issue first."

With that, Felix took the mask from Harry's grasp. "The discomfort in wearing the mask, as Harry mentioned, stems from the conflict between the magical circuit seal and the wood's texture. In alchemy, material preparation is crucial."

"For the wood, if we cannot seamlessly integrate the circuit with the grain like in your wand, then we must minimize the wood's influence on the pattern," Felix explained.

Upon hearing this, Fred and George inspected their wands closely, each squinting to discern the intricate patterns.

"Wow!" George exclaimed. "I've never noticed these tiny magical circuits before!"

"I always thought they were just wood imperfections," Fred admitted.

After examining their wands, Felix suggested, "For wood preparation, you might seek advice from our Forbidden Forest Warden, Mr. Hagrid. He should possess ample experience in craftsmanship."

"As for facial expressions," Felix continued, "since you've chosen the flowing rune circuit, theoretically, the mask should capture every smile and frown accurately. The issue lies in synchronizing these expressions after deformation."

"At this point, segmenting the transfiguration circuit into independent components could help. Eyes to eyes, nose to nose," Felix proposed.

"We attempted this method, but..." Fred hesitated.

"But with limited success, or negligible effects. So, you're uncertain if this is the optimal approach," Felix concluded.

George nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We thought there might be a simpler way."

Felix shrugged, smiling. "Segmenting the transformation runes might be straightforward for me, but perhaps not for you."

The brothers exchanged a helpless smile. "Well, having the right research direction is satisfying enough, isn't it?"

"We should be able to make progress by Halloween," Fred reassured Harry, giving his shoulder a pat.

Their visits to Felix rarely yielded direct answers but provided valuable guidance.

"It's much better to guide them to the answer than to simply give it to them," Felix mused as he watched them depart. Turning back to his book, he noticed a boy approaching.

It was the same boy who had first ventured into the reading room, gradually turning it into a hub for study.

"Mr. Peregrine, why do they call you Captain?" the boy inquired.

"You may call me that too; it's my former name," Felix replied, turning to face him. "Cedric, what's on your mind?"

The boy smiled sheepishly. "I have a question about Charms class. I hope it's not inconvenient since I overheard Fred and George coming to see you..."

Felix sighed inwardly. Another question after they'd left the room? 

With a resigned smile, he nodded. "Alright, go ahead. Consider it a review for myself as well."

//////

Five days later, with Harry's participation and Felix's guidance, Weasley's new product was successfully launched on the day before Halloween.

On Thursday morning, Halloween day, after finishing his classes, Harry hurried to Weasley's private workshop—an abandoned classroom.

Fred enchanted the masks to conform to the wearer's face shape, then carefully cut out holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Lee Jordan meticulously polished the masks, ensuring their smoothness.

Meanwhile, George skillfully traced the optimal magical patterns on the masks, aligning them with the wood grain.

Harry focused on carving the seals with his Mage's Hand spell.

"Potter, are you sure you don't want a snake-head mask?" Fred teased, a mischievous grin on his face.

Harry shuddered at the thought of a snake-head mask; it seemed too menacing for his taste.

Lee Jordan, grimacing, remarked, "George, don't tease Harry like that."

"But I reckon Potter wouldn't be himself without a mask," Fred countered, shaking his head.

Despite their teamwork, they hadn't produced any snake-head masks. While Slytherins weren't their typical clientele, Harry was their partner.

"No, I think I'll pass," Harry declined firmly. The idea of wearing a snake-head mask unnerved him.

"Alright, but you'll need a mask. We're a team, after all. How about a lion mask?" Lee suggested.

Fred interjected, "Stop with the daft suggestions. We can't have a Slytherin wearing a Gryffindor mask; it'll cause a stir."

Lee Jordan nodded apologetically. "Sorry, Potter. I spoke out of turn."

Harry reassured him, "It's fine. I just wonder what Gryffindor would say."

George, engrossed in his task, spoke up without looking up, "Potter, you know the Gryffindor-Slytherin dynamic... There's plenty of animosity in our school, not just among Slytherins."

"I thought the animosity was worse in Slytherin," Harry frowned. "They seem to look down on everyone from other houses equally."

Fred disagreed, shaking his head. "The Sorting Hat doesn't judge houses that way. Gryffindor is the exception. We treat everyone fairly—except Slytherin."

"Generally speaking," George added.

"The hostility between Slytherin and Gryffindor is foolish and unfounded," Lee Jordan grumbled.

"Tenali stopped talking to me because she's isolated within her Slytherin circle just for conversing with a Gryffindor," he explained bitterly.

"That's ridiculous!" Harry exclaimed, incredulous.