Chapter 119: Flourish and Blotts
Since Rolf was a first-year student, he had quite a lot to buy, so the group had set off early. Upon arriving at Diagon Alley, they split up as planned—Rolf’s mother took him to pick out a suitable wand, while his father went to buy a cauldron and other essentials. Steven Mor and Wade headed straight for the apothecary.
Wade needed to pre-order some potion ingredients, to be mailed to him once he arrived at Hogwarts. Diagon Alley’s shops had long-standing relationships with Hogwarts students, and their letters of credit had accumulated over years—there was no worry they’d default.
Steven Mor, meanwhile, bought some flea-repellent powder for his cat fox, then sold off some ingredients he’d collected from the farm, such as Mortra Rat Juice.
After a quick round of shopping, they agreed to meet at the ice cream parlor. Wade and Steven Mor sat at a table outside, resting and sipping drinks, waiting for Rolf, who had just finished getting his new school robes.
“Mom, please, just one Flibbertigibbet Fireworks!” Rolf tugged at Professor Scamander’s sleeve, pleading. “Even just one!”
“No,” Professor Scamander replied gently. “The school doesn’t allow such things.”
“I won’t bring it to school,” Rolf insisted. “I’ll just set it off at home. I want to see what it looks like when it blooms in water!”
“Let him have it,” Rolf’s father interjected, pleading on his son’s behalf. “A child needs toys, doesn’t he?”
On their way to Flourish and Blotts, they stopped by the Magical Joke Shop first. Rolf stared wide-eyed at the dazzling array of magic fireworks. Wade bought a few of everything, while Steven Mor handed him a jar of colorful candy.
“This is fun,” Steven said, popping one into his mouth. “Eat it, and a little plant grows out of your head. It lasts a few minutes, then vanishes—no harm done.”
He grabbed two jars for himself. There were also Self-Shuffling Playing Cards, a Feather Quill that suddenly turned into a giant spider, and a realistic frog that emitted a foul odor. Wade wasn’t interested in any of the pranks—he glanced at them and set them aside.
Flourish and Blotts was far more crowded than expected, though most of the crowd was gathered outside. The majority were middle-aged witches, standing in a winding line at the entrance, each holding one or two books, occasionally adjusting their hair or smoothing their skirts.
Several adults hesitated at the edge of the crowd. Wade pulled Rolf by the arm and slipped them both through the narrow gaps with ease.
Most people were there for the signing event, so the store itself was relatively quiet. After telling the young clerk their year, he quickly handed them two neatly wrapped parcels.
“Are you sure you want new books?” the clerk asked, kindly, noticing they were both children. “Second-hand ones are cheaper.”
“New books, please,” Wade said, and Rolf echoed him. They each pulled out a few Galleons and placed them on the counter.
Gilderoy Lockhart’s books weren’t cheap—two heavy bags of Galleons sat on the table.
Carrying their new books, they squeezed back out of the shop—just in time to see Gilderoy Lockhart shaking Harry Potter’s hand for a photo shoot. The crowd buzzed with excitement, but Harry looked utterly desperate to escape.
“Harry Potter? He’s here?” Rolf, hearing the name, strained to stand on tiptoe and crane his neck.
But the sea of backs was too thick. He couldn’t see the black-haired boy at all.
Just as Rolf nearly got knocked over by the surge of people, Wade pulled him back and asked, “You’re curious?”
“Of course!” Rolf exclaimed. “I grew up hearing about his stories! I heard he recently foiled the Dark Lord’s conspiracy again—true, right?”
“Yes, it’s true. But you don’t need to crowd now. Once you get to school, you’ll see him every day.”
“Can I take a photo with him?” Rolf pressed. “I want to hang his pictures on my wall.”
Wade smiled. “I’ve got a camera. But whether you can take a photo—well, that’s up to him.”
Wade tugged Rolf away, still hearing Lockhart’s voice behind them:
“I am utterly delighted and proud to announce that this September, I will be joining the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Professor of Defensive Magic Against the Dark Arts!”
Thank Merlin I’ve already found a real teacher for that subject, Wade thought bitterly. Otherwise, I’d have to go through the trouble of getting rid of this man myself.
He safely returned Rolf to his parents, who were already waiting. The boy immediately burst into excited chatter.
“Dad, Mom, guess who was there?”
“Lockhart?” Mr. Scamander guessed.
“No! Harry Potter! He was posing with Lockhart, and reporters were taking pictures!”
Rolf bounced with joy. “I’m going to be his classmate!”
“Stay calm,” Professor Scamander said, wiping the sweat from his son’s forehead as she instructed. “And remember—don’t ask about his scar. Don’t bring up his first defeat of the Dark Lord. Got it?”
“Why not, Mom? I’m so curious!” Rolf whined.
“Sweetheart,” she said gently, “he lost his parents when he was just a baby.”
Suddenly, the crowd erupted into chaos. Someone inside screamed. Others scrambled to get away.
Wade heard one of the Weasley twins shout, “Hit him, Dad!”
And Mrs. Weasley cried out, “No, Arthur, stop!”
Malfoy’s voice rang out clearly: “Try this, Ron Weasley!”
Wade froze. “That sounds like someone I know.” He shoved his other purchases into Steven Mor’s arms. “Hold these for a sec—I’ll be back.”
He pushed back into the throng, just in time to see Hagrid step between two furious men—Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy—easily separating them with one hand each.
Ron and Malfoy, locked in a fight, were pulled apart by Harry, who subtly adjusted his glasses, giving Malfoy’s eye a hard, black-and-blue bruise from Ron’s punch.
Lucius Malfoy, his pale golden hair dusty, struggled free from Hagrid’s grip and shoved his tattered Transfiguration textbook into Ginny Weasley’s hands.
“Here,” he sneered. “This is the best your father could afford.”
Wade kept his wand hidden in his sleeve, gave it a subtle flick.
Ginny suddenly staggered backward, nearly falling.
“Lucius Malfoy!” Arthur Weasley roared. “You dare lay a hand on a child?”
He lunged forward again, but Hagrid caught him firmly.
“Enough!” the half-giant growled, glaring at Malfoy. “If this is all you’re capable of, stay out of my sight.”
(End of Chapter)
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