Chapter 132: Teaming Up to Deceive

"You said you were going to buy me a new wand..." Ron's gaze shifted between Fred and George, his eyes a mixture of hope and worry. After his initial excitement, a nagging fear crept in—what if this was just another one of their pranks?

After all, Fred and George had pulled stunts like this before. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Of course, my dear brother," Fred said with a grin, clapping Ron on the shoulder. "Do you doubt your own flesh and blood?"

Beside him, George put on a pained expression. "Ron, you're breaking our hearts."

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that." Ron's face turned crimson, and he stammered, "I just... well, I got a bit nervous. No, not nervous. I have complete faith in you—really, I..."

"Don't worry, Ron," Kyle said with a reassuring smile. "They're not joking this time. You will definitely get a new wand today, I promise."

Ron let out a sigh, visibly relaxing. Normally, he wouldn't be this jumpy... Well, maybe just a little. But when it came down to trust, he found Kyle more reliable than his mischievous brothers.

"Thank you, Kyle," Ron said, some of the redness finally fading from his cheeks. His nerves still showed, but at least he looked a bit more at ease.

Fred and George, however, looked decidedly unimpressed.

"Why are you thanking Kyle?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Guess you still don't trust us," George added.

...

Ron started to feel nervous again. "No, it's not that. Thank you too," he mumbled, glancing at his brothers.

Fred and George exchanged satisfied nods. With that settled, the four of them left the chaotic Leaky Cauldron and headed toward Diagon Alley.

As they approached the entrance, Kyle, who was lagging behind on purpose, extended his leg to kick a rubbish bin out of the way.

"Thud!"

The bin didn't budge an inch.

"Huh?" Kyle turned, examining the bin more closely. To his annoyance, he saw that the bottom had been glued to the ground with a Fixing Charm.

'It must have been Old Tom...' Kyle's face darkened. 'How could he do this? Just last year, he said he trusted me, and now he's glued the trash can down.' The more Kyle thought about it, the more his irritation grew. Glancing at his friends to make sure they weren't watching, he quickly pulled out his wand and pointed it at the bin.

"Engorgio!"

The bin expanded slightly, growing about the thickness of a brick taller. Satisfied, Kyle stashed his wand and caught up with the Weasleys.

George glanced at him curiously. "What were you doing back there? Why so slow?"

Kyle shrugged casually. "Oh, I accidentally dropped a Sickle earlier."

"Found it?"

"Yes, found it."

George nodded, not thinking much of it.

Their destination was clear, and they headed straight for Ollivander's. Ron led the way, looking excited, while Kyle and the twins trailed slightly behind, whispering amongst themselves.

"What do you think would happen if we just walked off right now?" Fred muttered with a grin.

"Little Ron would collapse," George replied with a chuckle, "and Mum would tan our hides."

"Not to mention," Kyle added with a smirk, "you wouldn't be able to keep those thirty Galleons."

"Fine, fine, forget it," Fred shrugged. "For the sake of Galleons."

Ron, walking ahead, seemed to catch a snippet of their conversation. He glanced back quickly, then relaxed when he saw they were still there.

"By the way, do you actually have a plan?" George asked in a low voice once Ron turned back around. "Little Ron might not be a genius, but he wouldn't ask about Ollivander's for no reason."

Fred nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, he's probably so caught up in getting a new wand that he wouldn't even notice if Ollivander's was covered in dirt."

"If he doesn't ask, we can give him a little nudge," Kyle suggested, stroking his chin as he whispered.

Fred frowned, uncertain. "You think he'll go for it?"

"Worth a shot," Kyle replied with a shrug. "Even if he doesn't, I'm just curious—doesn't have to work out perfectly."

"Tsk, your curiosity comes with a price tag, you know," George snorted. "Seven whole Galleons."

Kyle just smiled, saying nothing.

Ollivander's was just around the corner. As the group reached the small, shabby shop, Ron's eyes shone with excitement. He moved toward the door eagerly, but Fred stepped in front, head down, as if lost in thought.

"Careful, Fred!" Ron warned, "You're going the wrong way—that's not the door."

"Bang!"

Before Ron could finish, Fred walked straight into the shop's grimy window.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Why is this shop so dirty?" Fred muttered, brushing the dust off his new robes, clearly annoyed. "Knew I shouldn't have worn these today—they're brand new."

George hurried over to help, patting at the robes, but the dust only seemed to settle in deeper.

"Fred, you're so careless," George teased. "Mum's definitely going to scold you when she sees this."

"There's nothing I can do! This place feels like it hasn't been cleaned in centuries," Kyle added, coming over with a serious expression. "But you know, you could ask Ollivander for compensation. My roommate Mikel once got his robes filthy at the pet shop, and they gave him an extra bag of pet food to make up for it."

"Unfortunately... we're not here to buy wands ourselves," Fred replied with a disappointed sigh. "Otherwise, I'd be asking Ollivander for a free wand maintenance kit."

"Yeah, what a shame," George chimed in, shaking his head. "Those maintenance kits go for seven Sickles each."

"Nothing to be done about it, I suppose," Fred sighed. "Anyway, let's just get Ron inside."

"Right." George nodded, pulling open the door to Ollivander's and stepping in. "Come on, Ron!"

Ron, who seemed lost in thought, snapped back at George's call and hurried over. Kyle noticed that as he walked through the doorway, Ron rubbed his robes deliberately against the frame, as if hoping to pick up some dust.

Once they'd gone inside, Fred turned to Kyle eagerly. "So, do you think he fell for it?"

Kyle grinned. "Looks like it." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Fred's robe. "Scourgify."

With a swift flick of his wand, the dust vanished instantly from Fred's robes.