Chapter 122: Fat-Tongued Toffee
George left in a rush.
Since Kyle's family wasn't connected to the Floo Network, he needed to return to The Burrow first, and then travel to Diagon Alley via their fireplace at home.
Fred initially wanted to go with him, but as they passed a mirror, he reconsidered and headed back to the attic instead. Although usually easygoing, Fred wasn't completely indifferent to his appearance. Going to a crowded Diagon Alley with his face like this? He'd definitely end up as the first joke of the new school year.
Back in the attic, Kyle began examining the results of the twins' recent work. A large box held more than a dozen types of candies, all popular varieties on the market—Fizzing Whizzbees, cream fudge, toffees, and chocolates.
Kyle picked up a piece of cream fudge. As he brought it closer, he caught a faint bitter smell, oddly out of place with the candy's sweetness.
"Ooooo...."
"This one's a flop. We found that only toffee can really cover the smell of Swelling Solution," Fred explained.
Kyle nodded, lifting a piece of toffee to his nose. The bitterness was much milder; you wouldn't notice it unless you were really paying attention. However, their method of infusing the solution seemed crude—just poking a hole in the candy and stuffing the Swelling Solution inside. With a bit more care, they could probably conceal the scent entirely. Then again, maybe they hadn't bothered. After all, until they perfected the dosage, it wasn't even halfway complete.
Fred handed Kyle a notebook containing all their previous experiment records, with detailed notes on each failure and its adverse effects. The journal spanned nearly ten pages, surprisingly thorough.