The Weasley twins looked exactly alike. Their red hair, freckled faces, bright eyes, and matching grins were so perfectly mirrored that even their own mother sometimes had trouble telling them apart.
"Oh, why are you two here?" Ron asked as soon as he saw them. His tone was not exactly welcoming, mostly because he still remembered the so-called spell they had taught him earlier. Thanks to them, he had just embarrassed himself in front of his new friends.
"Hey, Ron, is that any way to talk to your brothers?" one twin said, looking deeply wounded in a way that was obviously fake. "We came all this way to check on our dear little Ronniekins, and this is the thanks we get?"
"Exactly," the other said, sliding into the compartment with the same dramatic expression. "Do you have some kind of complaint against us, little brother?"
The two of them squeezed in on either side of Harry and Neville, instantly making the already crowded seats even tighter. Harry and Neville were forced to shrink pitifully toward the corners, while the twins reached across to ruffle Ron's hair and poke at his sides until he turned red and loudly demanded mercy.
The compartment seats were comfortable enough for three people, but four made them cramped. With the twins forcing their way in, the carriage suddenly felt much smaller, and Ron looked as if he were being attacked by a pair of cheerful red-haired Bludgers.
"You always trick me," Ron complained, trying to smooth his hair back down. "That thing you gave me earlier wasn't magic at all."
"Oh, so that's what this is about," one twin said, clapping a hand over his heart. "Our little Ronnie still remembers."
"Haha, little Ronnie is still so easy to fool," the other added.
The twins laughed together, speaking one after the other with such perfect timing that it was almost a performance. They truly were the kind of twins who seemed to share one soul between two bodies, or at least one sense of humour.
"Don't mind us," one of them said, turning to the others with a grin. "We're always like this with little Ronnie."
"We're his brothers, Fred and George Weasley," the other continued. "The question is, can you tell which of us is Fred and which is George?"
"Forget it," Ron muttered. "Even Mum can't always tell which one is which."
"Even if we guessed correctly, you could just swap identities afterward," Tyler said with a smile. "I imagine you play that game all the time."
"Huh!" the twins said together, their faces lighting up with exaggerated shock. "How did you know?"
"A lot of twins play that game," Tyler said. "Some twins are still easy to tell apart because there are small differences in height, expression, or habits, but the two of you…"
He looked at them carefully for a moment, studying their faces with genuine seriousness. "In terms of appearance alone, it really is difficult to tell."
"Yes, exactly," the twins said proudly. "We look completely identical. Even our own mother can't always separate us."
"Still, even with twins, there are no two truly identical people in the world," Tyler said. "If it's hard to distinguish you by appearance, then your habits, gestures, and reactions should give you away if someone observes closely enough."
The twins leaned forward, suddenly much more interested. Tyler's tone was calm, but what he said did not sound like something an ordinary first-year would think about.
"And besides," Tyler continued, "we are wizards. Everyone's magic feels different. If someone masters magical perception, they should be able to tell people apart by the difference in their magical signatures."
"Oh, Merlin's beard," one twin said, staring at him. "Are you really a first-year?"
"That doesn't sound like something a new Hogwarts student says," the other added. "We've never even heard of magical perception."
"Tyler's magic is brilliant," Ron said at once, puffing up slightly as though he had personally trained him. "Jamie too. He just gave Malfoy and his two cronies a lesson."
"Cool," the twins said together.
They did not look shocked. They did not look disapproving. If anything, they looked delighted, which made Hermione's eyes widen in disbelief. Was this what Hogwarts was like? Did older students hear about fights on the train and react as if someone had pulled off a clever joke?
"We didn't manage anything like that our first time going to Hogwarts," one twin said, sounding genuinely impressed. "We were very well-behaved back then."
"Very honest, very innocent," the other said solemnly. "Practically model students."
"You've already surpassed us," they said together.
The twins turned toward Jamie with bright, worshipful expressions and clasped their hands dramatically. Their act was so overdone that even Neville, who had been quiet, could not help smiling.
"So, for the record, I'm Fred Weasley," said the twin sitting closer to Ron's left.
"And I'm George Weasley," said the twin on Ron's right. "Pleasure to meet you."
Everyone introduced themselves properly after that. The twins had already known of Harry, of course, so they did not make too much of a fuss about meeting him. Instead, they were far more interested in what had just happened with Malfoy.
The Weasleys and Malfoys had never got along. Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy had clashed more than once, and the dislike between the families had clearly been passed down to the younger generation. To the Weasley children, hearing that Draco Malfoy had been frightened off was excellent news.
"Oh, you should have seen it," Ron said, his face glowing with satisfaction as he retold the whole scene. "Malfoy and his two bodyguards looked completely miserable."
He described Draco's entrance, his arrogant speech, and the way he had mistaken Tyler for Harry. He did not forget to mention Malfoy's insult either, though Hermione looked uncomfortable when that part came up again.
"Wow," Fred said when Ron finished. "Sounds like your magic is already powerful."
"Maybe you're a genius," George added, looking Jamie over with interest. "Hogwarts is getting another one."
"Maybe two geniuses," Fred corrected, glancing at Tyler. "George, I think our position may be in danger."
"Oh, two great geniuses," George said, placing one hand over his heart. "Please accept us as your humble followers."
The twins bowed toward Tyler and Jamie with ridiculous seriousness, making everyone in the compartment laugh. Even Hermione, despite still being uneasy about the earlier conflict, could not keep her lips from twitching.
"Fred, George," Jamie said once the laughter faded. "We just thought of something interesting. Maybe you'd like to try it with us."
"Oh?" Fred's eyes lit up immediately. "What kind of interesting?"
"If it involves trouble, experiments, or annoying someone in authority, we may already be interested," George said. "Strictly for academic reasons, of course."
The Weasley twins were clearly fond of pranks. Anything that sounded unusual, forbidden, or potentially entertaining was enough to catch their attention.
"I heard there is a village near Hogwarts called Hogsmeade," Tyler said. "Only students in third year and above are allowed to visit it during school weekends."
Fred and George exchanged a glance. Their expressions did not change much, but that look alone gave away far more than they intended.
"With your personalities," Tyler continued with a smile, "I imagine you've already been there secretly."
Hogwarts Castle had many hidden passages, and some of them led all the way to Hogsmeade. With Fred and George's love of mischief, Tyler had no doubt they had discovered at least one of those secret routes, and probably more than one.
The twins immediately put on the expressions of two people whose deepest secret had been uncovered. It was dramatic, exaggerated, and not remotely convincing.
"Tyler Blake," Fred said gravely. "You are a frightening person."
"Far too perceptive for a first-year," George added. "We may need to keep an eye on you."
"So," Jamie said, leaning back with a faint smile. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade today?"
.....
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