https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-320-Grey-s-Residence-on-Spider-s-Tail-Lane-/12946194/
Chapter 319: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Chapter 319: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Compared to the rapidly changing Muggle cities, the magical world always seemed to lag behind.
In recent years, except for Aslan Magical Workshop introducing new items and trends annually, the rest of Diagon Alley remained almost unchanged, as if they were NPCs with fixed refresh points.
Consequently, Vaid and Harry's routine was much like every other time; they went to the Robe Shop to order new robes, restocked ingredients at the Apothecary, and bought books at the Bookshop.
In the bookshop's window, a large iron cage held hundreds of copies of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Inside, the books viciously tore and fought with each other, resembling a group of clawing and snapping crabs.
- Who has ever seen books fighting each other?
Paper scraps flew everywhere, and hoarse growls rose and fell. The wizards seemed accustomed to this, walking by without a second glance.
But Vaid and Harry, despite already having the book gifted by Hagrid, paused to watch.
Just then, a student with a book list was buying books. The manager, wearing thick gloves and holding a scarred staff, was shouting and waving it like he was driving away a pack of hungry dogs.
Seizing the moment when the Fantastic Beasts books retreated, the manager quickly grabbed the nearest book.
As he pulled back his hand, another book suddenly leaped up without warning, its pages opening to reveal sharp teeth that bit into the manager's arm!
"Careful!"
As Harry shouted, his wand instinctively trembled, and a red light struck the book, sending it flying backward with a bang.
Harry himself was stunned, staring at the flying book and then at his wand.
While he was dazed, the manager quickly retracted his hand, relieved. Before he could thank Harry, another young wizard drew his wand and waved it—
All the Fantastic Beasts books instantly froze, then fell to the ground with a clatter, only to be bound one by one by ropes that appeared out of thin air, finally forming a neat stack.
The books continued to struggle and shake, their covers slapping loudly, but they couldn't bite or run amok anymore.
The manager froze as well, staring at the books, now quiet but still wild, and then at the two seemingly young wizards. He stood in a daze, unable to speak for a while.
"Vaid, Harry!"
The student buying books emerged from the bookshop, and it was none other than Rolf Scamander.
"You're here to buy books too! I never thought I'd run into you here!" he said happily.
"Hey, Rolf," Vaid said, puzzled. "Are you buying Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them too?"
"Yes," Rolf replied. "I didn't expect it, but I realized there's no copy of this book on our bookshelf at home—in fact, there were two, but they ended up in the fireplace during one of their fights. Grandpa was very sad and didn't buy new ones."
"Oh..."
Vaid thought to himself: ...Could Scamander be treating these books as unique magical creatures as well?
"Here, your book."
At this moment, the manager also snapped out of his daze and handed the Fantastic Beasts book he had managed to grab to Rolf, securely bound.
"Thank you," Rolf said, paying for the book and leaving to buy other things. He waved goodbye with the book in hand.
"Did you see that, Vaid?"
Only then did Harry contain his excitement, his face showing a mix of surprise and disbelief. "I just... for a moment... suddenly..."
"Congratulations," Vaid said, his eyes curving in a smile. "Your first successful Silencing Charm."
Harry, now certain, burst into a pure joy.
He turned to share his joy with Sirius and Remus, but only Sirius was there.
The slightly haggard man paid little attention to them, his gaze like a spotlight on everyone passing by, especially children with pet rats. Sirius's stare was enough to scare them to tears.
Seeing this, Harry sighed softly, and the joy in his heart suddenly diminished.
Once again, he keenly realized that although he was James Potter's son, Sirius's pain ran much deeper than his own.
Harry had never owned one, so he didn't feel that heart-wrenching pain.
"Um... are you also from Hogwarts? Here to buy books?"
The manager observed for a moment, then approached gratefully and said, "Thank you for your help earlier. What year are you in? Let me see your book list."
Harry hurriedly handed over the list and said, "Third year."
"Alright, just a moment."
The manager glanced at the list, quickly pulling out several books from the nearby stacks and packing them.
"Wait, we already have Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!" Harry said.
"Oh..." The manager seemed a bit disappointed as he put the book back, then quickly finished the packing.
Then he saw Vaid's list and raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You're taking all the electives? That's quite a challenge."
Vaid nodded, "I thought it through before making the choice."
"Alright, I expected as much..." The manager said enviously, "Not everyone can calm down over a hundred magical beasts with such ease."
Vaid smiled but didn't respond.
In fact, the manager of a magical bookshop couldn't even manage this level of control and had to rely on physical means to prevent being bitten, which surprised Vaid.
It was clear that not every librarian could wisely draw enough nourishment from the books they managed.
Vaid usually interacted with the best of the wizards, and seeing this manager made Vaid realize that many adult wizards, after graduating, did not gradually improve their magical skills but instead regressed to a point where they were even worse than students.
For example, this manager, apart from the spells related to running a bookstore, had forgotten most of the spells and knowledge about potions, herbs, astronomy, and history through the repetitive and monotonous work.
In front of him, any words of modesty from Vaid would seem like a mockery.
Soon, the manager finished organizing Vaid's textbooks and even gave them a fifty percent discount when it came time to pay.
The two left the shop with their books, but still saw no sign of Lupin.
"Where's Remus?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"He seemed to have seen an acquaintance. He'll be back in a bit," Sirius said.
...
"Remus, something seems to have happened to Will."
The slender blonde girl said sorrowfully, "I can't reach him. I went to his house, but there was no trace of him... The workshop said he hasn't been to work and has been fired... He would never do this. I know, he must, he must be..."
The girl sobbed, covering her face and crying softly.
Lupin was speechless for a moment.
He knew that a missing werewolf could have many reasons, and even reporting it to the Ministry of Magic wouldn't be of much help.
Many people believed that werewolves didn't deserve to exist.
"Claire, do you have any clues about his disappearance?" Lupin asked after a pause, not holding much hope.
But Claire said, "Yes, there is... Before he disappeared, he had just taken on a commission... I heard him say before that such things were dangerous. I always tried to persuade him not to go, and even offered to take his place... but he refused..."
"What kind of commission?" Lupin asked.
"I don't know... he never told me anything..."
Claire said sadly, "But I think the person who gave him the commission must be connected to Hogwarts..."
"Hogwarts?" Lupin was taken aback, "How do you know?"
"A while ago, didn't Hogwarts kill a Basilisk? They even allowed students to visit the Basilisk's skin..."
Claire wiped away her tears and said.
"That's true," Lupin said.
Claire continued, "My sense of smell is extraordinary. Even after several days, even after a bath, I can still detect the smell of the Basilisk. And that day... I smelled that same odor on the person who came looking for Will..."
I have some matters tonight, so there's only one update.
Currently, I owe two chapters.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
