Chapter 11: Goodbye, My Tomato and Egg Flavor Ice Cream
Chapter 11: Goodbye, My Tomato and Egg Flavor Ice Cream
After a summer apart, the Hogwarts Trio finally met again in front of Gringotts.
"Guess who I saw at Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as they climbed the steps to Gringotts.
Without waiting for his friends to guess, Harry eagerly provided the answer.
"Malfoy and his father!"
Before Hermione and Ron could say anything, Mr. Weasley became alert.
"What did he buy there?"
"He wasn't buying; he was selling."
"The Ministry has been cracking down lately. He's scared", Mr. Weasley said through gritted teeth. "I'll catch him red-handed!"
"Be careful, Arthur", Mrs. Weasley warned, as a small goblin bowed and led them into the bank.
"That family is not to be trifled with. Don't bite off more than you can chew."
They chatted as they walked into Gringotts, withdrew the necessary funds, and the Granger family, the Weasleys, and Harry prepared to go their separate ways.
Just as Mr. Weasley was about to enthusiastically invite the Grangers to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink, Mrs. Weasley suddenly clutched her husband's arm tightly!
"Arthur!"
She looked unusually agitated, her eyes fixed on something ahead as if she had seen something unbelievable.
Mr. Weasley was puzzled by her reaction.
"What is it, Molly? What did you see?"
Following Mrs. Weasley's gaze, Mr. Weasley's words trailed off, his mouth hanging open in shock, his eyes nearly popping out!
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys—Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny—curiously followed the Weasleys' line of sight.
There was a young man's back, straight and slender, a figure that instinctively made one think that he must be a handsome man, or there would be no justice in the world.
Sherlock had no trouble withdrawing money from Gringotts.
The goblin-operated bank's verification process was quite simple.
As long as someone brought the key to their vault and was confirmed to be the owner, the goblins would lead them to the designated vault.
So, the vaults here were more like named safety deposit boxes. With the key—this special token issued by Gringotts—the owner could deposit or withdraw money from their vault.
The original owner's wealth in the magical world was not substantial. Even without asking the goblin who led him there, Sherlock could see at a glance that this vault contained at most a few hundred Galleons.
Not much, but not insignificant either.
If used sparingly in the magical world, this amount would last at least a decade for daily expenses.
Sherlock withdrew about fifty Galleons, placed them in a magic bag provided by Gringotts, and left the goblin bank.
The items he needed to buy were not particularly complex. Primarily, he needed ink, quills, and parchment—common stationery items.
He also planned to visit Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to order a custom set of robes, buy an owl at the Magic Pet Shop for sending messages, and purchase some basic books on Dark Magic defense from Flourish and Blotts.
Despite maintaining his usual aloof demeanor, the affairs of Diagon Alley were equally fascinating to Sherlock, who was experiencing the wizarding street for the first time.
Children flying toy brooms low in the air, the magic puppet outside the joke shop constantly attracting customers, and the Mind-Flavored Ice Cream sold at the sweet shop—all of it was endlessly intriguing.
Sherlock, of course, was not like the original owner in being a loner; he was more outgoing and cheerful.
Pretending to be aloof in this place had finally become too much for him to bear.
According to the description, this Mind-Flavored Ice Cream could change its taste based on the person's thoughts. Whatever flavor you imagined in your mind, that's what you would taste.
What a brilliant idea!
Sherlock marveled to himself.
Since the original owner had virtually no acquaintances in the magical world, he decided to give it a try. Tomato and Egg Ice Cream should be harmless, right?
After eating English meals for two months, he was truly desperate for the taste of fried tomatoes and eggs with rice from his hometown.
This magical ice cream seemed to be the perfect solution to his craving.
He gave himself a resolute nod and walked up to the small ice cream cart, flashing the first friendly smile he had shown to anyone since arriving in this world to the vendor.
The vendor was a young witch who was immediately stunned by Sherlock's smile.
That handsome grin made her feel as if she were in a garden filled with blooming flowers, everything was so beautiful and perfect!
"Y-You, you, would you like an ice cream, sir?"
The witch stammered.
Sherlock was about to eagerly pull out a Sickle from his pocket when a voice suddenly called out behind him.
"Bang!"
"Sherlock!"
Sherlock first froze, then his face immediately stiffened.
Damn!
They called out his first name, not his last!
A familiar face!
Reacting quickly, he instantly put away the smile that had mesmerized the witch, reverting to his usual cold and distant demeanor.
"No, I don't need one."
Sherlock inwardly mourned the loss of his tomato and egg ice cream as he stiffly declined the witch's offer.
Then, he turned to face the group of people who had called out his name.
Indeed, it was a group.
Tall and short, fat and thin, there were about a dozen people, most of them children.
Sherlock immediately recognized Harry Potter, standing inconspicuously among the group, and the "tool" family that had helped him enter Diagon Alley.
The one who called out Sherlock's name was a middle-aged wizard with red hair. His expression was filled with joy and excitement, as if he had just seen a long-lost relative.
Upon recognizing these people, Sherlock's heart sank to the bottom.
Harry Potter, a little girl with Muggle parents, and a large family with all red-haired children.
Even if he wasn't familiar with the original story, he knew exactly who these people were.
The Weasley Family and the Granger Family from the Hogwarts Trio!
And the wizard who looked as if he had just found his long-lost son was likely the head of the Weasley family.
Sherlock couldn't remember his name, but he could call him Mr. Weasley.
Seeing Sherlock's face, Mr. Weasley became even more excited, and the witch beside him was even more so.
Mrs. Weasley's face lit up with a delighted smile, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She stepped forward and grabbed Sherlock's hand.
"Child! You've finally come out. You know, we haven't seen you in almost two years since you left the Ministry of Magic. It's so wonderful to see you, thank you, Merlin."
She wiped away her tears and choked out.
"How have you been recently?"
(End of Chapter)
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