Chapter 287: Mr. Wil in Diagon Alley
Chapter 287: Mr. Wil in Diagon Alley
After the meal, the dishwashing task was assigned to the automaton, and everyone sat together to listen to Lupin's story, which he had pieced together from reading old newspapers.
"I don't know much about that person either," Lupin began, "because their story took place in the 1930s in America and France, and there wasn't much coverage in Britain."
"No wonder I've never heard of it..." Sirius muttered, "We weren't even born then!"
He calculated the time and realized that his parents had only just been born around that time. But Sirius disliked his parents and didn't want to mention them.
"Cedric Barrabone was raised by Muggles from an anti-wizard association. Due to the abuse he suffered as a child, he became one of the Silent Ones and was fortunate enough to live to adulthood."
Lupin continued, "The reason I wanted to learn about his story was because I saw a sentence in an old notebook—Cedric Barrabone is the only one who can defeat Albus Dumbledore..."
Lupin narrated the part of the story he knew.
Before, Vold had also seen this portion of the story in the Pensieve, but at this moment, he listened attentively.
The same story, when viewed from different perspectives, could also be fascinating.
Lupin, or rather, the British journalist who wrote the report at the time, was unaware that Cedric was also a Dumbledore.
He was Aurelius Dumbledore, the son of Aberforth Dumbledore, who had been separated from his father at a young age and lost his mother early in life. His life was a tragic tale.
Despite having immense magical potential, Cedric, who had endured a tormented childhood, did not become a wizard. Instead, he turned into a Silent One with dark powers and was manipulated by Gellert Grindelwald, eventually meeting a tragic end.
Unaware of the truth, the British media exaggeratedly described the destruction caused by Cedric in New York and portrayed the atmosphere of terror in Europe during Grindelwald's reign. Their intention was merely to highlight Dumbledore's greatness in ending it all.
For the people of that time, the Wizarding World's Savior had nothing to do with a boy with a lightning-bolt scar. It was Albus Dumbledore who brought glory to the wizarding world, so they did not hesitate to use the most exaggerated words to praise him.
However, it seemed that Dumbledore himself would not have liked such reports.
The achievements praised by outsiders were built upon the bones of his own kin.
Therefore, at least on the British side, there wasn't much coverage of these feats, and it wasn't very detailed either. Even when Lupin deliberately searched for information, he could only find superficial details.
Nevertheless, even this was enough to captivate Harry's imagination.
He had never thought about what Dumbledore might have been like in his youth, but after hearing Lupin's story, he had only one thought in his mind—
This was Dumbledore.
In the treacherous years of war, he fearlessly defeated one powerful enemy after another. No matter how his enemies threatened, tempted, or intimidated him, he always held firm to his principles, protecting countless weak and innocent people.
A secret desire grew within Harry, longing to become a wizard like Dumbledore. But even expressing such a thought seemed to require courage.
As they prepared to go to Diagon Alley, Harry also said to Vold:
"Gellert Grindelwald, Cedric, Voldemort... It's hard to imagine how many evil wizards Dumbledore fought against in his lifetime."
"I once heard a saying," Vold replied, "If the heroes of an era are dazzling, then the era itself is also very dark."
"Huh?" Harry was taken aback, as this was a perspective he had never considered before.
Vold continued, "Peace should be something that everyone who yearns for it should strive for... If the peace of the entire world rests on the shoulders of one person, it's unimaginable how difficult it would be for him."
HARRY fell silent.
For a long time, he didn't say a word, except when he entered the fireplace.
Amidst the flickering green flames, the group arrived at Diagon Alley once again.
The process was the same as before—withdrawing money, purchasing necessities, and then strolling around to buy things they liked or have a drink.
For the past two years, Aslan Magical Workshop had been the busiest shop in Diagon Alley, with many foreign wizards traveling from afar to Britain just to stock up on goods from Aslan Magical Workshop.
Therefore, after buying potion ingredients from the apothecary, everyone headed towards the magical workshop.
From a distance, they saw a crowd gathered there.
"Follow me," said Lupin. "I know of a side entrance used by the employees that we can use."
He often had to represent Vold in communicating with the people at the magical workshop, so he was quite familiar with the place.
The group followed Lupin, winding their way through various paths, and entered through what looked like the back door of a house. Immediately, they saw several people carrying boxes.
"Hey, this is a private residence, please don't... Remus?!"
Just as a staff member was about to shoo them away, he caught sight of Lupin and broke into a delighted smile.
He hurried over and, instead of shaking hands, gave Lupin a tight hug.
"Long time no see! I've been wondering when we'd meet again!"
Vold and the others looked on curiously at this man. He wore the workshop's blue and yellow uniform, tall and slender, with sparse hair, looking malnourished, but his smile was exuberantly enthusiastic.
"Hello, Wil, how have you been lately?" Lupin also smiled and hugged him back.
"Fantastic! I've never felt better! Half a year ago, I wouldn't have dared to imagine I'd be living such a good life!"
Wil spoke with joy, also noticing the few people beside Lupin: "And these are..."
"Oh, let me introduce them..."
"Wait, wait! Don't say it, I'll guess!"
Before Lupin could finish speaking, Wil interrupted him. With his slightly protruding eyes, he looked at the group, starting with Sirius.
Wil studied him intently, then extended his hand, "You must be Mr. Sirius Black! I've always admired you! Your experiences have given me a lot of strength and courage!"
"Er... Thank you?" Sirius shook his hand, feeling a bit embarrassed yet pleased.
Then Wil lowered his head and saw a pair of emerald green eyes and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
He immediately looked astonished, like a surprised frog.
"No need to say it! No need to say it—HARRY POTTER! Our Starstar!"
He bowed deeply and shook HARRY's hand firmly.
HARRY's scalp tingled, and he almost jumped out of his skin, hastily saying, "Hello, Mr. Wil."
"It's an honor to meet you! Can you sign an autograph for me?" Wil continued, still holding HARRY's hand.
"Alright, Wil, you're scaring him," Lupin said, rescuing HARRY from his awkward situation. Wil's gaze turned to the last person.
Vold narrowed his eyes slightly and took the initiative, saying, "No need to guess, I'm Vaid Gre, pleased to meet you, Mr. Wil."
Wil looked at his hand and slowly shook it, bending his waist even lower.
"I'm very grateful to you, Mr. Gre."
"You may not know me... but you gave me a second chance at life."
(End of Chapter)
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