After finishing his lunch, Harry made his way toward the public library to acquire knowledge for his Diamond hunting excursion and the public library was the only place he could acquire all the knowledge without raising suspicions. It wasn't unusual for students to look up stuff like that for essays.
Harry arrived at the library after a long bus ride and then he made his way straight toward the current affairs section. After grabbing a few magazines, he made his way toward the recent discoveries section. After grabbing a few magazines from that section too, he found himself a comfortable spot to read.
|Howard Stark is finally dead… I am surprised that he didn't go off with a bang| Lily muttered inside his mind as she read the headline plastered over one of the magazine covers. |I was expecting him to be assassinated or something| Lily wondered thoughtfully.
His mom knew the man, it piqued his interest, so he decided to start with that magazine. Apparently, Howard Anthony Walter Stark was an inventor, scientist, engineer, businessman, and movie director. He was also the founder of Stark Industries, the man also worked on various projects during World War II. The man was also involved in the creation of Captain America.
After that, most of the things written about him were useless… Harry's interest was piqued when he read that the man was involved in the creation of Captain America, the first Superhero. He would have loved to know more about the said process, but the man was already dead and he suspected that the man wouldn't have revealed the process to him anyway.
After reading about all of his accomplishments, Harry agreed with his mom, it was simply way too mundane for a man like Howard Stark to die in a car crash along with his wife. He was sure that the man has probably accomplished a lot more, but they were never revealed to the public… Harry simply shrugged before placing the magazine at the side.
Then he grabbed one of the recent discoveries magazines and started to read… It didn't take him much time to find his target, Diavik Diamond Mine. The mine was only discovered a month ago and they haven't even started digging yet… Yes, Harry would need to invest a lot of time since he would probably need to dig out diamonds on his own, but it was alright.
This was probably the easiest way to make money without risking too much… Yes, guards are going to be posted around the premises, but he was confident that he could avoid all of them and get his hands on some precious stones. Though, he would need to train a lot. He needed to become extremely proficient in using Disillusionment Charms and Scent-Masking Charms. From the same magazine, he was also able to find the location of the said mine.
Now, he simply needed to make his way to the mine after he became proficient in Disillusionment Charm and Scent-Masking Charm…
Harry grabbed all the magazines and returned them to the shelves before leaving… |It is going to be quite risky, you know?| Lily pointed out as she knew that the mine was being guarded by armed personnel.
|I am sure. I simply need to avoid the guards and go digging| Harry pointed out and Lily couldn't help but scoff at her son's words.
|It won't be that simple… You don't even know where to start digging| Lily huffed and Harry started to grin smugly.
|I am sure I can find a Spell to locate diamonds, after all, I am probably not the only one who decided to dig a diamond. Wizards and Witches have been using diamonds since ancient times and I already know a Spell to dig| Harry argued back in a sing-song voice.
Lily hummed thoughtfully… |You are probably right, but don't bet on it. Even if there is a Spell to locate diamonds, you can't be certain that you will find the Spell| Lily chastised Harry condescendingly, but she didn't have any actual heat in her voice.
|We shall see| Harry stated firmly as he made his way toward the bus stop…
<Line Break>
|I told you, I will find the Spell| Harry declared smugly after he finally found the Spell to locate diamonds. It has been five days since Harry decided to dig up some diamonds and since he returned from the public library he has been pouring through the Potter library without a break. Well, he only took breaks to sleep, but meh… He did find the Spell, so it was probably alright.
|I am so proud of you, Hadrian| Lily beamed at Harry, feeling extremely proud. She wasn't enraged due to Harry's gloating, in fact, she only felt pride… She felt proud over the fact that her son didn't give up and decided to prove her wrong.
|I know, mom. I know… Now, I need to start practicing the Disillusionment Charm and the Scent-Masking Charm| Harry mused as he stood up and started to stretch his body. He was already quite good at Silencing Charm, Muggle Repelling Charm, and Notice-Me-Not Charm, so he didn't need to practice those Spells.
Harry could have gone without the Disillusionment Charm, but he didn't want to risk it with all the CCTV cameras. The Diavik Diamond Mine was probably littered with those blasted things… He didn't want the MACUSA to come after him for stea… *ahem* borrowing some diamonds from non-suspecting Muggles.
Most of the time, Magical Ministries would ignore minor crimes like that, but if he ended up getting caught while breaking the Statute of Secrecy, his punishment will be very serious. He might even get sentenced to prison and he was the Boy-Who-Lived… He didn't want to imagine about the headlines.
|Good, you will be able to learn them pretty easily| Lily praised him softly.
Harry cracked his neck as he made his way toward the desk… A couple of unopened letters were lying on his desk. He was quite busy these last few days and he completely forgot about the letters. He grabbed one of the letters and saw that it was from Brittany. He quickly opened the letter and a smile appeared on his face as he read the contents.
He felt slightly bad for not reading the letter sooner, but he completely forgot about everything else when he started to research. Harry closed the letter and placed it on the desk before grabbing the next letter. The next letter was from Headmaster Kent. He tore the letter open and couldn't help but smile as he read the contents, but unlike before this smile was predatory.
Just like he expected, Carlson gave him the room he wanted, and not only that, but he also decided to provide Harry with a Ritual room. Harry didn't know what to think about that, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. According to the letter, Carlson wasn't sure what Harry thought about Rituals, but he still decided to provide him with a Ritual room.
|What do you think, mom?| Harry asked his mom as he closed the letter and placed it on the table.
|I think before deciding anything else, you should probably inspect the room| Lily answered after pondering his question for a few seconds. To be honest, Lily still couldn't understand why it was rude to ask someone if they perform Rituals or not. She could understand the 'keep your cards close to your chest' philosophy, but it didn't make any sense to her.
After all, her son was planning to buy so many ingredients which were usually used in Rituals. So, anybody with a good head on top of their shoulders would know what Harry was planning to do with all those ingredients… Lily took a deep breath and decided to clear her mind. Maybe it has something to do with a person's insecurities. That was the best Lily could come up with at this moment.
|Okay…| Harry said while nodding his head as he agreed with his mom's suggestion.
He grabbed the last letter, and as he was already expecting, it was from Jacklyn. He quickly opened the letter and started to read. She was asking him to visit on Saturday… Harry was already planning to visit her on the weekend as he wanted to ask her if she could help him prepare for the Under Thirteen Tournament. He also needed to ask her help to acquire the Basilisk Venom.
Basilisk Venom was one of the ingredients he couldn't find… Apparently, Basilisk Venom is an extremely regulated substance and only a few suppliers are allowed to sell them. Jacklyn could probably get him the required amount with extreme ease due to her Family connections. At least, that is what Harry was hoping for, or he would have to go with Basilisk Blood, which was also a regulated substance, but much easier to acquire than Basilisk Venom.
Harry took a deep breath and plopped down in his chair. He decided to answer Brittany's and Jacklyn's letters before he started to practice the Disillusionment Charm and the Scent-Masking Charm…