The Weasleys II
Astra had taught Mrs. Weasley her recent discovery in Gringotts that for one Galleon, they get a huge amount of Muggle Money. They can then get shopping en masse for their needs in Muggle London such as all that's needed in a home but for magical wares, they still need to go to Diagon Alley for it.
Indeed, they got a full pantry for the first time in the years they were alive, for a few Galleons. Mrs. Weasley even said that they'll go on a shopping spree for clothes, shoes and things needed in the house next after the World Cup.
The World Cup was fun, but it ended in bad taste.
Death Eaters attacking at the wee hours of night, anyone?
Astra had flung mini potion bottles using a slingshot she 'juiced up' before she left the Burrow.
And then BOOM! With a flash of shocking pink light and smoke!
'Merlin's balls!' Fred? or George? exclaimed. 'What's that?!'
'My special Irritant Bomb!' Astra grinned viciously. 'That should blindside them a bit to stop setting fire to the camps! And we run again!'
That, they did!
'But that's just like the Blasting Curse!' Ron choked out. 'It went boom really loud just like it!
'Not really! Sure it does make a boom but the lights and smoke are actually a nasty powder with the explosion a spreading mechanic! They'll have severe itchy blisters that will scar very ugly even if they paid a top-class Healer so we'd know who these masked jerks are if Percy and your dad sees people with ugly blister scars. If they were dumb enough to inhale it for smelling good? They'll have a swollen throat!'
'Isn't that bad?' Hermione squeaked.
'Who cares?!' the younger Weasleys looked pretty vindictive.
'Say, Astra, you think you can teach us that wonderful bomb of yours?' one of the twins asked, and both twins sported an unholy gleam in their eyes.
'You do know that if you have it in your house, your mother will have your guts as christmas decor?' Astra smiled a little too mischievous. 'The ingredients are accessible in both the Apothecary and a Muggle Chemistry supplies store...'
'It's worth it!'
'I can't believe you guys.' Ginny snarked half-heartedly before they took the Portkey home.
'They're unbelievable since the beginning.' Hermione sighed before the Portkey took effect.
xxx
Next morning...
Its understandable that Mrs. Weasley, was upset that they all had a brush with danger when early that morning, she got startled with the kids going home WAY too early in the wee hours of the morning, and a good reason why.
Breakfast was Chicken Arroz Caldo with Turmeric, giving a warm feeling and tea that morning, was also different.
The early risers were the Weasley parents, three eldest sons, and Astra herself.
Mr. Weasley was mentioned in the newspaper with Bill having his own remarks about the Journalist, being once called a 'long-hairer pillock' by her. Percy was also upset with her articles of his department focusing on Cauldron Bottom thickness instead of stamping out vampires to which he was told 'just shut up' by an exasperated Bill.
'To be fair, cauldron bottom thickness isn't that important in potions making nor an excuse as to why potions seep through.' Astra would tell him.
'But we get so many accidents, most of which, fatal.' said Percy. 'That's why they thought to focus on research about it.'
'There's flaws about that matter.' said Astra. 'One: lousy potions education. You know full well what I mean by that. Lousy education plus volatile ingredients, its only natural the magically-nasty chemical reaction can do nasty wonders to cauldrons no matter what research you do for Cauldron Longevity.' Percy choked on his chai. 'Had we have a COMPETENT and NON-BIASED professor we wouldn't worry about melting cauldron bottoms in the first place. Anyone who graduated Hogwarts with HIM for a teacher naturally gets melting cauldrons then he has the nerve and balls to call us incompetent dunderheads. Do you really call writing a recipe on the board with that sorry-ass excuse of a penmanship and telling us to get on with it, teaching? I've had better education from my Healers in America when I asked how a proper Potions class should be like!' Bill and Charlie snorted into their coffee while Percy twitched, and trying hard to ignore that reality and end up looking constipated.
'Second, product adulteration. Research and recommend all you like, but do you seriously think funding will go to where it should for your Cauldron project? And are you sure the ones forging the new cauldron standards won't cheat on you by mixing cheap and weak metal alloys to make it look like this and that material yet when it fails, blame the researcher while looking innocent? That happens a lot you know and as one who researched that ideal alloy of yours, you naturally will take the axe and you and your colleagues are cluelessly being scammed out on.'
'That's incredibly morbid of you!' Percy exclaimed, eyes popping at her.
'And that's why we don't care about Cauldron Thickness issues Perce.' said Bill airily with a hand wave. 'Because that does AND will happen just to slip more gold for oneself while screwing you over, think on it. The only way to avoid cauldron mishaps in the end, is that you're a good potioneer who learned from a good teacher.'
'No kidding, I had to save up money while juggling my job and getting supplementary classes.' said Charlie miserably. 'So how did American Healers teach you Astra?'
'Well, they told me that First Years in Ilvermorny are taught about Ingredients, their Muggle and Magical Properties, Ingredient Preparation and Interaction combined with water temperature and mixing techniques, as well as Safety and Hygiene in a laboratory for one straight year with emphasis on what happens if you don't take potions seriously.' Astra explained.
'Then through that one year lecture for first years, teachers screen out students who are ready to actually brew, to students needing remedial lessons and disciplining before they can be trusted with potion-making. Sometimes, students are permanently trapped in First Year, or ahem, expelled from that one subject out of necessity due to their mentality, as well as being a threat to oneself and others through irresponsibility and dubious intentions. Sure its a Core Subject but that's their system.'
'Well, that's something we could use early on but thanks to Snape, I had to do remedial classwork, giving me no breathing room to even rest from work that doesn't involve eating, bathing and sleeping.' said Charlie wryly.
'They were shocked to hear from me how Snape teaches us actually, I ended up socially-axeing Hogwarts' Potions Classes as well as Defense in the hospital I'm pretty sure all of magical america knows by now and I've been in self-study since.'
'Well, my goblin employers used a Time-Turner on me so I had no such problems!' said Bill cheerfully and shamelessly with a beaming smile on his face that annoyed the other two second-eldest.
'That's not fair you berk!' Charlie yelled unhappily.
'Laugh it up Bill, laugh it up.' Percy grumbled in a huff. 'We don't have the luxury of time-turners!'
'Well, that's one thing to be concerned about kids.' said Arthur worriedly since he's paying for sub-standard education he thought to mail the Headmaster about it. 'Percy we need to go and smooth out the trouble Skeeter brought us.'
'Oh, just a minute, I'll get my paperwork upstairs!' Percy quickly got off his seat to dash upstairs just as when the twins, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were sleepily coming downstairs for breakfast.
'Hey, you're early Astra.' Ron yawned sleepily, taking a seat on the table to her left with Hermione beside him since Astra was clearing out the table of empty bowls and cups.
'Ingrained habit.' said Astra succinctly. 'Breakfast is Chicken Arroz-Caldo, nice and warm with a good wake-up kick.'
'That's cool, we could use that.' said Fred as Astra went to the kitchen to get new bowls of food when Percy got downstairs with his large bag and armful of papers in a file case after which, he and his father left via Floo.
'Hurry and eat kids, because you need some more resting before we go shopping at ten o'clock!' said Mrs. Weasley, aiding in bringing breakfast over.
xxx
After breakfast, was shopping for new clothes and shoes, much to Ginny's delight as well as Ron's since their clothes, for the sake of cheapness, were hand-me-downs and in Ginny's case, 'utterly unflattering'. Astra's cheat code greatly helped and with a big amount of money obtained from having four Galleons' worth of money, could buy the younger brood new clothes...from high-end muggle shops at that to Hermione's disbelief and slight envy that the perk of the Cheat Code is only available to wizarding folk she arranged to get Astra's help about the matter, with her parents exchanging for Galleons and Astra exchanging it for her so she too, could do her own shopping and aid her parents financially so at some point, they had to go back to Gringotts to exhaust the goblins' supply of much-disliked 'useless paper'.
For twenty galleons exchanged for 4.95 each Galleon, purchasing Muggle Money got Hermione's family 10000 pounds. Big. Money. The Grangers were baffled but just as happy with the massive returns, just that, the parents gave up on how magical brains work in fear of going insane, thank you very much. They decided to do this every three months with the Weasleys as mediators for extra income. Yeah. Income.
They also got their first experience in Fast Food joints, and last, was shopping for Dress Robes and custom-making designs, shoes and accessories.
It was an exhausting venture, but worth it.
What was mentally-stressful, was teaching the important of Fashion Coordinating to clueless wizarding families. What color or what style goes to what. Astra had to use her Telepathy just to drill it in their brains when they got home!
'...and that's what happened.' said Astra, story-telling to the Marauders.
'That's a rather nice thing you did since that family financially struggled for ages.' said Sirius approvingly, beaming with pride at his goddaughter.
'Well, it was that easy. Besides, muggles live classier lives than magicals.' Astra quipped. 'Its only natural Mrs. Weasley would go on a shopping-whirl. The guys were happy to get new and stylish things for a change too but the tough part was coordination since they can't match colors and styles even if a pig suddenly learned how to dance.'
'Ah, I know that type of pain and suffering.' Remus chuckled. 'Even if I'm poor, I knew how to dress well I remember helping James dress to impress your mother.'
'Yeah, he was really pushy and naggy about it too.' said Sirius. 'He managed to get James in order but hey, it wowed Lils real good.'
'Heee...'
The rest of the summer was spent in rehabilitation improvements, traveling between countries for medical needs in different hideouts...and on the final day, got Astra's gown and uniform, as well as casual clothing re-adjusted at Madam Malkin's due to size and height changes despite remaining as slim and slender as ever, with shape in the right places.
She would be the envy of every belle in the ball as Remus got information about goings on in Magical Britain.
Hermione wanted the Hormone Potions but she has to be on a strict diet otherwise it would have little results, and its 30 Bezants every 8 oz bottle or 10 Galleons as she stated before. And Hogwarts' Diet isn't exactly healthy she would end up wasting money on little results. The only way she can compensate, was rightfully pigging out when she goes home on holidays, on very specific recipes and ingredients with NO CHEATING whatsoever! That, and she would need the help of a Hogwarts House Elf to maintain that diet as her temporary personal chef. Hers was Dobby but since Dobby needs to stay for the Marauders as well as him being supplier of necessities, they would have to find temporary helpers in the Hogwarts' Kitchens.
As for the Nutrition Potion, they can make it themselves. Hermione's shocked that Astra possessed a much better Nutrition Potion recipe from America. The Hormone Potion was from France, and the Skincare from China as asians excel in skincare and other beauty stuff that anyone who can afford it, look like Snow Whites and younger than they look, no wrinkles outside but clearly aging inside as they get older. To put it to example, a near centenarian would look half their age, and no wrinkles. And white skin and 'eternal youth' is a symbol of wealth and prestige that in East-Asia, if you got darker than acceptable skin color and you look your actual age as an adult, they'll look down on you as darker skin and visible aging is a symbol of poverty! In fact, its not blood status there, its ahem, eternal youth status!
That, was to Hermione's chagrin and bafflement.
Which was why Astra is now very healthy, very feminine in looks that enhanced her inherited beauty from her parents and looks like a porcelain doll. Given how Cho Chang was not white, perhaps to avoid Chinese Social Stigma, her parents chucked her to Hogwarts, unable to afford the skincares. She had confirmed it judging by the jealous looks Cho shoots her lately as of Third Year.
She had to tell what House Elves are and how they roll before she could make a black-and-white judgment about the matter. Food aside, they were also brewing the potions in the girls' stead.
xxx
Upon getting to school, she was noted to have blossomed even more as a maiden she was easily the most attractive girl in school even more now.
At the end of the first night, the girls employed two volunteer House Elves, with Astra explaining why their food had to be different and cooked in a certain way, and preventing others from noticing them eat different food.
Upon getting them to agree, things are arranged at last.
Every after dinner, Ron Weasley would know that his two friends would 'pig out' in the kitchens. Astra's maintenance, and Hermione wanted to improve her looks just in time for the Yule Ball since she had Astra be her mediator in buying the needed potions. She would take what results she can get within three months.
However, just one bottle of the Skin Care is sufficient for her as she felt she would not look good if she was 'too white' unlike Astra to whom, white skin suits best somehow since not everyone looks good in 'very-light, fair skin' even if they took great skincare stuff to look young. Hermione was fine with looking two-shades fairer than she was now.
Just that, Hermione realized Astra would speak from experience when the girls talked to Ron about it.
'It. was. horrible.' Hermione choked. 'Constantly-changing from nauseatingly-queasy from eating too much, to quickly getting extremely hungry as soon as you down that Potion!'
'You think its just four hours before bed if we have no homework is bad? Try every single hour of it from waking up till bed!' Astra sputtered. 'Now that, is hell!'
'I don't think I want to know.' Hermione whimpered, hands over her head.
However, even Hermione saw the benefits yet wondered why Astra wasn't helping Ron out.
'I know he's our friend too but he's clearly not interested as is Ginny even though results are obvious.' Astra shrugged. 'They're not asking me as are the twins! If they asked me to, I'd help them in the Health Department. Maybe they're focusing on other improvements right now.'
'Probably...' Hermione mused as Ron would tell her that 20% of Bill, Charlie and now Percy's salaries go to the family to help with finances. Now thanks to the Cheat Code, they could improve their home, being able to buy enough supplies to build a bigger space. Buying new furniture can wait.
Such was the power money brought by Cheat Code.