Chapter 256: Conflict in Flourish and Blotts
Chapter 256: Conflict in Flourish and Blotts
After the photo, Lockhart continued to boast to everyone that he would soon become Hogwarts' new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...
"Whether it's Harry Potter or his classmates, they will all get a real, magical me on September 1st when Hogwarts starts!"
The crowd burst into applause and cheers.
A few middle-aged witches, fans or hired, were so excited that they burst into tears.
It was as if with Lockhart going to Hogwarts, the students there would be safe.
As long as Lockhart went... the curse on the Dark Arts class would be lifted!
Amidst the cheers, Harry suddenly felt his arm sink as he realized he was now holding the complete works of Gilderoy Lockhart, so heavy that he was swaying as he walked.
But the good news was that he finally didn't have to stay any longer.
Harry struggled out of the center of attention to the wall.
Kyle was there, chatting with Ginny.
"These are for you... I'll buy my own," Harry dumped the books into Ginny's new cauldron, then looked at Kyle and asked, "Where did you go just now?"
"Oh, I saw you guys were having a good chat, so I went to buy other textbooks first." Kyle pointed to a stack of books on the side table.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, when Lockhart called out Harry's name just now, he took the opportunity to melt into the crowd.
He had intended to avoid Lockhart, but unexpectedly, he had also avoided Harry's backstab...
This old guy was getting too cunning.
"Did you look for me for something?" Kyle asked, his expression unchanged.
"No, it's nothing!"
Harry was now stunned by the stack of thick books. He counted, and there were seventeen in total.
Although he knew that there would be two more elective courses in the third grade, this was still an exaggeration.
"It's just two more classes... do you need to buy so many books?" Harry asked with difficulty.
"Normally, no, but I chose quite a few courses."
Kyle explained, "And Ancient Runes alone requires five books, plus the seven for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Just these two courses take up two-thirds of the stack."
"Ancient Runes..." Harry silently vowed that he would never choose this unfriendly-sounding course next year.
After a brief chat, Kyle went to the counter with the books to check out.
Due to the signing event, Flourish and Blotts had reassigned most of its staff to assist Lockhart with book selection, signing, and checkout, all in one go.
However, this service was only for Lockhart's books, and other purchases still had to be made at the counter.
With limited staff and the rush of students before the start of term, Kyle had to wait in a long queue before he could finally pay.
When he returned with his books, he saw Mr. Weasley confronting a middle-aged man with golden hair.
His expression was grim, and he looked extremely serious.
"If you truly aren't afraid of inspections, as you claim, why did you sneak into Knockturn Alley?"
"Speak with evidence, Weasley," drawled Lucius Malfoy. "I merely accompanied Draco to Flourish and Blotts to purchase his textbooks for the upcoming year, and I never set foot in Knockturn Alley."
"On the other hand, with all those raids, they must be paying you overtime."
Lucius Malfoy reached into Ginny's cauldron and pulled out a tattered copy of 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration'.
"Obviously," drawled Lucius Malfoy. His eyes shifted, landing on Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching the confrontation with wide, fearful eyes. "Look at the company you keep... fraternizing with Muggles, Weasley. I thought your family couldn't sink any lower."
With a clatter, Ginny's cauldron went flying.
It happened so fast that Kyle barely saw whether it was Mr. Weasley or Ginny herself who had thrown it.
But that didn't matter anymore, because the cauldron had lit the fuse on a powder keg, and chaos erupted.
Lucius Malfoy dodged the cauldron, only to be shoulder-barged by Mr. Weasley into a bookshelf. Dozens of hefty spellbooks toppled onto him, momentarily stunning him.
"How dare you lay hands on me!" Lucius roared, scrambling to his feet and brandishing his serpent-headed walking stick at Mr. Weasley.
But the next second, a large hand clamped down on his wrist.
Hagrid, stepping over the scattered books, strode forward and hauled Lucius up by his robes.
Lucius Malfoy seemed intent on continuing the altercation, but he couldn't break free from Hagrid's grip, and could only glare malevolently at Mr. Weasley.
"This isn't over!"
"Let's go, Draco..."
Shaking off Hagrid's hand, Lucius turned and strode toward the exit. As he passed the cauldron, his eyes glinted with malice, and he tossed the tattered copy of 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration' he had been clutching into it without breaking his stride.
"There you go, little girl, keep your father's precious book safe..." With that, he swept out of Flourish and Blotts with Draco Malfoy in tow.
"Good thing Kyle called me over." Hagrid reached out to smooth Mr. Weasley's robes, nearly lifting him off the ground in the process. "You shouldn't have engaged him, Arthur. That man's rotten to the core, the whole family is. Their words aren't worth listening to."
Mr. Weasley said nothing.
The cauldron had been thrown by Ginny, so he had had to make his move then, drawing all attention to himself.
And to be honest, he'd been wanting to do that for a while... After taking a swing at Malfoy, he felt a whole lot better.
It was like drinking a hot butterbeer in winter, a warm, satisfied feeling spreading through his body.
With Hagrid's help, Mr. Weasley straightened his robes, and they all left Flourish and Blotts.
"Let's get out of here!"
The bookstore staff seemed inclined to stop Mr. Weasley, but their tallest barely reached Hagrid's waist, so they thought better of it.
As they walked down the street, Mr. and Mrs. Granger were still shaking with fear, and Hermione was doing her best to comfort them.
Mrs. Weasley was also upset about what had transpired.
"Setting a good example for the children... brawling in public... what will Gilderoy Lockhart think..."
"He'll be delighted!" Fred chimed in. "He even asked the reporter from the Prophet if they could include the fight in the article..."
(End of Chapter)
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