Chapter 259: The Confident Riddle
Despite their well-reasoned excuses, Fred and George were each treated to a sharp ear-twist from Mrs. Weasley. The reason? The ink had nearly splattered onto the plate of sausages. Thankfully, Harry intervened, taking the blame, so Mrs. Weasley only gave Fred and George a light twist before letting them off.
Once she left, Harry explained in a hushed tone, and Fred and George realized they'd misunderstood.
"So, you're saying you don't want this kind of automatic ink-jet quill?" Fred asked, rubbing his sore ear.
"Of course not," Harry replied, wiping the ink from his face. "Why would Hermione ever ask about something like that?"
Fred and George thought it over, and it did seem unlikely that Hermione—ever so prim, proper, and very much the "Professor McGonagall" type—would go after a prank item like that. After all, they'd even dubbed her "Mini McGonagall" themselves.
"She's looking for a quill that writes with ink that flows automatically," Harry clarified, glancing at Ron. "Do you have it with you?"
"No," Ron said, reaching for a sausage. "I mean, who brings a quill to breakfast?"
"Well then, dear brother, could you go fetch it so we can have a look?" George said with a grin.
Ron hesitated, but as everyone stared at him, he finally sighed, setting down his sausage reluctantly and trudged upstairs to retrieve the quill.
"Is this the one?" George asked, taking the quill and scribbling all over Harry's notice. Soon, the paper was covered with neat lines of ink.
"It's perfect for homework," George observed, running his fingers over the nib. "It's probably enchanted with a Refilling Charm, like our waterproof badges."