章節 7: Secrets and Shadows
Because it takes time to make a new robe, Mrs. Weasley agreed to let them buy other items from the school supplies list, then they went to Flourish & Blotts together.
Of course, it was mainly Evan who was doing the shopping.
Ginny had many hand-me-downs from her brother, Percy Weasley received top grades in all of his 12 O.W.L.s, so Mrs. Weasley bought him new school supplies and gave Ginny his old things.
"Evan, thank you, this is the best Christmas gift I've received!" Ginny blushed as she thanked Evan.
"Don't be silly, it was just an excuse to get Mrs. Weasley to agree, I'll give you something else for Christmas." "I think I'll give you a red diary," Evan was thinking about what would happen to Ginny this year.
"Well, that's not a bad idea, I'll give you a black one."
"That's what I need!" Evan thought it would be perfect if it had Tom Riddle's autograph on it.
They walked along the cobbled streets, the shops called out to Evan, and the money in his pocket sounded happy, demanding to be spent out loud.
But after browsing through several magical shops, looking at the prices, Evan became melancholic. In comparison to what he wanted to buy, the money in his pocket was too little.
But for a Hogwarts student, Evan definitely had a colossal sum of money. He wanted to buy many things, but they were not on the supplies list.
"It seems I need to find a way to earn money!"
Although Evan could get more money from his parents, they wouldn't give a lot of money to a child, especially if he wants to buy many things that a student shouldn't have.
He had an excellent idea of how to make money, but he had to wait until he went to Hogwarts.
Led by Ginny, Evan bought a cauldron, glass jars, a telescope, and a brass scale. At Slug and Jiggers' Apothecary, the two of them bought a standard dose of herbs used in first-grade potion class. They also bought a Magic Quill, ink, and parchment.
When they passed by the Magical Menagerie, neither of them went in.
Evan thought he wasn't ready to buy a pet because his mother was allergic to birds, and other pets are a bit useful but also need to be taken care of in turn, so it's too much hassle.
However, he collected almost all the mailing lists from the Diagon Alley store. He might need to buy additional supplies here while attending Hogwarts.
Evan knew exactly what he would be facing in the coming years. He couldn't afford to learn slowly from textbooks, especially because he's a year younger than Harry.
It was terrifying to think of staying at Hogwarts and suffering under the Death Eaters while the trio walked into their seventh year.
Evan and Ginny chatted happily along the way, and soon they became good friends.
At Gambol and Japes, they met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who bought many "Fabulous Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, No Heat Needed Fireworks."
Percy was looking into a shop full of worn wands, old scales, and capes stained while reading a boring book, "Attaining Power as a Leader."
Without bothering Percy, they passed by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, Evan bought himself and Ginny two large chocolate and lemon ice creams, and then they saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron coming out of Knockturn Alley.
Behind them was Hagrid, who was shouting at the three of them, "You know Knockturn Alley is not a place to run around, and I don't want to see you there again!"
"You went to Knockturn Alley, you know Mom doesn't let us go there," Ginny said.
"Leave it, Ginny!" Ron said impatiently.
"Wait, Ron," Harry looked at Evan and hesitated before explaining, "we saw Draco go to Borgin & Burkes with his father, it's a shop specializing in Dark Magic objects."
"Harry!" Ron raised his voice. Evidently, he didn't want his younger sister to know about such things.
"Oh, what did you do?" Evan asked curiously, disregarding Ron's exaggeration.
"Nothing, we watched them for a while, but they left without buying anything!" Hermione turned to Hagrid and asked, "Hagrid, we were following Malfoy, but what were you doing in Knockturn Alley?"
章節 8: Knowledge is Power
"I was looking for Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent to get rid of them in the school's cabbage patch," Hagrid glanced at Evan and said in a low voice, "You must be Evan Mason, thank you for helping Harry escape from that house, cursed Muggles, if only I had known..."
Before Hagrid could finish speaking, Mrs. Weasley was approaching quickly with freshly made robes, followed by Mr. Weasley, and Hermione and Evan's parents.
Upon seeing them, Mrs. Weasley knew they had been in Knockturn Alley.
"You went to Knockturn Alley! Thank you, Hagrid!"
"Well, I must be off," Hagrid was embarrassed as Mrs. Weasley held onto his arm, "See you at Hogwarts," he said to the children.
By the time Hagrid disappeared from view, Mrs. Weasley turned and scolded Harry, Ron, and Hermione, while Mr. Weasley was intrigued by what Harry was saying.
"It seems he was about to sell something but backed out at the last minute," Mr. Weasley said solemnly but with a hint of satisfaction, "I really want to get evidence against Lucius Malfoy."
"Careful, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley warned, "the Malfoy family should not be offended, don't get into more trouble than you can handle."
"Do you think I can't handle Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley said angrily, but his attention was soon drawn to a large crowd outside Flourish & Blotts' door.
Most of them were around Mrs. Weasley's age, all gathered at the entrance, trying to get in, and through the crowd, they saw Gilderoy Lockhart in blue wizard robes, sitting in the center of the store, signing books.
Around him were large photographs of himself everywhere, and all the faces in the images winked at the crowd while displaying bright white teeth.
Although Lockhart was a fool when it came to magic, Evan had to admit he was a successful writer.
As expected, Harry was spotted by Lockhart and dragged into a photo with him while announcing he was going to teach at Hogwarts. By the time Harry returned, Mr. Weasley and Lucius Malfoy were fighting, while Lockhart stood close by without interfering, but they were separated by the sudden appearance of Hagrid.
"Young lady, are these the best things your dad can give you?"
Lucius Malfoy pulled away from Hagrid's arm, gestured for Draco to follow him, and stormed out of the store.
"You shouldn't associate with him, Arthur," Hagrid straightened and adjusted Mr. Weasley's robes but nearly lifted him off the ground while doing so, "that man is trouble, his whole family is, and everyone knows it. The Malfoy family is not worth it."
Everyone's attention turned to Mr. Weasley, while Evan observed Ginny's cauldron holding a broken copy of "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration" and, if all went as planned, there should be a black diary in it.
After Lucius left the store, Evan set aside the fight as soon as he saw the impressive collection of books.
"Evan, what are you up to? Are you trying to buy the entire bookstore?" Ron looked at the list of books in Evan's hands, Flourish & Blotts probably has over 8000 books.
"That would not be possible, I am not that wealthy, I am selecting what I need." Evan could not afford to buy everything at once, so he will first pick the books he needs and then slowly purchase the rest.
"Oh, that's rather splendid!"
"Acquiring more knowledge is never a bad thing, Ron!"
"That sounds like Hermione," remarked Ron as he watched Evan pick up 'Advanced Potion-Making' by Libatius Borage. I've heard that it's a N.E.W.T. level book used in Potions class; students who achieved 'Outstanding' or 'Exceeds Expectations' in their Ordinary Wizarding Levels move on to N.E.W.T. and have the opportunity to study advanced potions, hence this book.
"I believe Evan is right, and one can never go wrong with expanding one's knowledge!" Hermione glanced at Evan's list and happily added some magical books to her own list as well. She said, "Evan, I think we should review the list later to avoid duplicates."
"Of course, Hermione," Evan replied.
"Harry, you two are both mad!"
"You're right, Ron," Harry hesitated for a moment before selecting "A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counteractions," a book he wanted to buy last year but Hagrid wouldn't let him. "Nevertheless, continuous learning is essential, especially when dealing with someone like Malfoy, isn't it?"
.....
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