Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 4: Is it wrong to let Dementors use wands made of unicorn hair?

The Nortons' fireplace wasn't connected to the Floo Network, and Edward was a little... unsure about his followers' manifestation.

"I took a make-up exam, and the examiner added a task for me, asking me to Apparate with a chipmunk. Luckily, the examiner didn't notice that the chipmunk had lost its tail after Apparate, otherwise I might have had to take the exam again." Edward spread his hands.

"Then let's take a car. At least I won't lose a tail if I get in a car accident..." Cohen felt an inexplicable chill somewhere and immediately gave up the idea of ​​going to Diagon Alley by magic.

Edward patted Cohen's head with satisfaction. Cohen was more obedient today than usual.

"Since you are going to be exposed to the magical world, your mother and I will go to the Ministry of Magic next month to handle the Floo Network procedures. This will make it more convenient for us to travel around in the future."

In the past, whenever he wanted to touch Cohen's hair, Cohen would always dodge, but this never happened when Rose touched Cohen.

Perhaps Cohen was imagining what the magical world would look like in his little head.

"You may not look excited at all, but in fact you're already anxious to see the fairy tale world right away, right?"

Edward threw Cohen, who had begun taking deep breaths over and over again before getting in the car, into the back seat and thought happily.

Cohen's repeated deep breathing was just a form of self-restraint - entering the social mode meant entering the crowd - and when there were more souls around... Cohen would feel hungry because of the sweet scent of those souls.

In order to avoid being caught by the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic and sent to Azkaban to be with other pure-blooded Dementors for stealing soul desserts, Cohen had to suppress this feeling.

The sweet candies taste a lot like soul, making them a perfect meal replacement, and Cohen always carries a bag of them when he goes out.

On the way, Cohen finally realized that as an eleven-year-old child who knew very little about the magical world, he needed to show his curiosity a little, otherwise it would be too abnormal.

"Are there such families in the magical world?" Cohen pretended to understand nothing.

"Of course there are. Where there are people, there must be aristocratic families."

Edward swerved around a slow-moving car in front of him and ran a red light.

However, the traffic police on the roadside seemed to have not noticed Edward's behavior at all, which made Cohen suspect that Edward had also magically transformed his car like Arthur Weasley - no wonder that with Edward's driving skills, he had not received a ticket in all these years.

Edward briefly introduced some of the more famous families in the wizarding community. There were many families, and Cohen could only remember the names that were often mentioned in the original "Harry Potter" book.

"Do you and your mother have a family? A wizard?" This time it was not a fake question asked by Cohen, but Cohen was really a little curious.

"Us? We all come from wizarding families, right? My parents—your grandparents—are wizards. There doesn't seem to be any wizard bloodline beyond them," Edward replied. "But your mother is a little different from me. She used to be from the Burke family. According to the 'pure-blood theory' of some wizards, she's considered a noble."

"Before?" Cohen knew the "Bock" family. Although it was one of the "Twenty-Eight Sacred Families", it seemed to have declined.

The only place where the surname Borke can be seen now is Borgin and Burke's in Knockturn Alley, but the only owner you can see is Mr. Borgin, and no "Mr. Borke" has ever appeared.

"She was expelled from the family because of her relationship with me," Edward sighed. "But according to her, she wouldn't have stayed there even if she hadn't been expelled."

"That family was involved in all sorts of dark magic, especially when You-Know-Who was in power. They even threatened to throw her, a 'scumbag with no progress,' into the Inferi. No wonder your mother was sorted into Gryffindor. Her courage is something I, a Hufflepuff, will never be able to achieve in my lifetime."

"Although you're a bit lazy, playful, and even forgot me at the zoo for three hours last time." Cohen patted Edward's shoulder in the back seat, "but you're a good father. I unilaterally recognize you - thank you."

No matter how many little flaws Edward has, he truly loves his family and Cohen, the subject of the dark magic experiment.

People should enjoy and cherish the beauty they already have, rather than focusing on some flaws.

Edward was obviously moved by Cohen's sudden gratitude. Cohen could see Edward's bearded face trembling slightly in the rearview mirror.

"We're at the Leaky Cauldron."

The car stopped between a bookstore and a record store, and Cohen could see that between the two brightly colored shops was a low, shabby tavern with a chipped sign hanging on it.

【Leaky Cauldron Bar】

"This is a very famous place in the wizarding world. It's also the entrance to Diagon Alley."

Edward wiped his eyes quietly after getting out of the car, and did not forget to introduce Cohen.

"Back in the day, I was a well-known celebrity in Diagon Alley."

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the noise inside the Leaky Cauldron and the mixed aroma of food and drinks suddenly rushed towards Cohen.

A few old women sat in a corner drinking sherry.

[Soul Strength: 27]

With very high soul strength, these old ladies don’t look like people who are easy to mess with.

But Cohen didn't understand why the mother-in-law among them could drink and smoke at the same time. Did she have two esophaguses?
Behind the bar, Tom, a middle-aged man with almost no hair and a face like a shriveled walnut, was wiping the cups and chatting with the customers next to him.

[Soul Strength: 19]

It seems that Boss Tom needs more practice. His soul strength is not as high as Rose, who has always lived in Muggle society.

The arrival of Edward and Cohen attracted a few glances, but none of them recognized Edward, thinking he was just an ordinary wizard passing by.

This made Edward a little embarrassed at first.

"Ha, it seems like it's easy to become a stranger after not coming back for ten years..." Edward pushed Cohen to the other end of the bar, "Let's go buy your school things first."

Cohen was led past the long, noisy tables to a brick wall in the bar's backyard.

However, Cohen had almost figured out the problem that had been puzzling him through his observations just now. The soul strength of an adult wizard was approximately between fifteen and forty, and all the wizards in the Leaky Cauldron were no exception.

Edward's soul strength of 10 points was abnormally low. There might be some special reason behind it, but if Edward and Rose were unwilling to reveal it, Cohen didn't intend to get to the bottom of it.

Let everything develop normally first. It will take some time for me to grow and gain a firm foothold in this magical world.

Fortunately, Dumbledore tacitly allowed Cohen, a dark magic experiment, to continue to exist, otherwise Cohen might have to worry about his identity.

"... two bricks horizontally, and three bricks upwards..." Edward muttered to the note Rose had given him, and tapped another brick three times with his wand.

The corners of Cohen's mouth twitched twice. Who on earth designed this stone door in Diagon Alley that required a gesture code to open it?

Could it be that Muggles were allowed into the Leaky Cauldron? Was there a need for a secondary security door?

"Because there are always drunk people from the Leaky Cauldron coming into Diagon Alley to cause trouble." Edward put the small note back into his pocket. "Luckily Rose remembered it, otherwise I would have almost forgotten how to get in after not being here for ten years."

The brick he knocked on shook and began to move. A small hole appeared in the middle, and the hole grew larger and larger.

In a few seconds, a wide archway appeared in front of Cohen, leading to a winding cobblestone street with no end in sight.

"Oh oh oh~"

Although Cohen had imagined walking on such a street when reading novels and watching movies in his previous life, he still couldn't help but exclaim in amazement when he actually entered Diagon Alley.

The morning sunlight was shone on any surface that could reflect dazzling light: crucibles, gold-stamped shop signs, lenses, various metal instruments... The street was bustling with people, the sounds of hawking from shops and the laughter of wizards, and the whole world seemed to be contained in this street.

The bustling crowds of people came and went, and the streets were filled with sweet souls. Cohen couldn't help but peel a toffee and hold it in his mouth to avoid the little wizards passing by and taking a sip. Under Edward's guidance, Cohen passed through Prince's Potion Shop, the Flying Broom Shop, and Eeylops Owl Shop.

"Do you want an owl?" Edward stopped for a moment in front of the Eeyore Owl Shop.

"Is it a fairy?"

Cohen actually has no idea about raising animals:
"I mean, can it eat and not poop? Or can it not eat and not poop—"

"What are you thinking..." Edward was a little confused by Cohen's sometimes erratic thoughts. "Of course it can eat and poop - but you don't have to think so much about raising an owl."

"There's an owl shed at Hogwarts. You just need to go there and feed it some snacks from time to time to build up your relationship with it."

"It depends on what kind of animals you like. If you like kittens, puppies, salamanders, etc., we can go to the Magical Animal Shop next door to pick out other pets." Edward felt that Cohen didn't seem to have much interest in raising an owl, so he quickly changed his words.

"Once you have an owl, you won't have to go to the post office to deliver letters to me... Let's take an owl. Compared to other animals, it seems easier to raise."

Cohen considered his own experience in pet breeding and felt that the probability of raising an owl at Hogwarts was greater - after all, Hogwarts had an owl shed, but no cat sheds or dog sheds.

Actually, animal souls are of no use to Cohen. Although he can inhale them, they taste like chewing wax.

Cohen had once tried to absorb the soul of a small gray mouse that appeared in his bedroom, but gave up after taking just a small sip - it was no different from drinking plain water, and it did not help improve the integrity of his soul at all.

Owls are probably the same, they can't be used as soul repairers.

"Let's go buy a wand first, and then we'll come back here to pick one you like." Edward ruffled Cohen's hair. "If you see anything you like on the street, just tell us. Your mother left us a shopping fund of seventy-seven Galleons plus a bag of Sickles—"

"Maybe I'll buy a few more books. It's always good to learn more knowledge."

Cohen thought about it and felt that he needed to compare the magic books that were easily available in bookstores with the books he could buy in the Goodwill Shop to see if there was any overlap. This way he could save some goodwill points - after all, in addition to books, the shop also had some rare magical creatures and magic props.

Ollivander's shop, which sells wands, is a small and shabby "shop". It was not until Cohen walked in that the narrow and deep structure inside dispelled the stereotype that "this shop is very small".

Thousands of boxes, almost reaching the ceiling, are arranged on both sides of the wall. The long room is so quiet that even the sound of breathing can be heard in the corridor, as if someone has walked into a strictly managed library.

"It's bigger inside than outside..." Cohen raised his eyebrows.

A certain blue telephone booth comes to mind.

"'The Application of the Traceless Extension Charm in Architecture' is a very good professional book," a gentle voice said. "If you are a child who likes research, this book may be very suitable for you."

An old man slid down from the roof on a lift that could move left and right. Only then did Cohen notice that even the ceiling above his head was filled with wand boxes - there was even an archway made of boxes.

"Good morning." Ollivander's eyes were very light in color, very different from Cohen's dark pupils.

"Good morning, Mr. Ollivander." Edward greeted politely, "This is my son, Cohen, Cohen Norton."

"Edward! Nice to see you again. The last time I saw you was thirty years ago... It's made of alder wood, unicorn hair, thirteen and a half inches, and has the right amount of flexibility. Are you still using it?"

"Ah, yes, yes." Edward showed his wand, indicating that he had been taking good care of it - but Cohen saw Edward secretly cast a silent cleaning spell on the wand behind his back.

"Hmm..." Ollivander obviously saw through Edward's little trick, but did not point it out. Instead, he turned his gaze to Cohen, "Come on, young Mr. Norton, let me see... which arm you use to use the wand?"

"Right hand."

Cohen smelled a sweet scent in the air, the scent of a soul, but it did not come solely from Ollivander in front of him.

The smell became stronger and stronger, and a large number of souls were approaching where Cohen was.

Cohen understood the reason instantly.

It was the wands, selecting the wizards who came into the shop. It must have been some kind of tradition—but Cohen didn't seem like a good target.

Oh my god, does the magic wand really have a soul?
Cohen swallowed his saliva, as if someone had stuffed a delicious cake under his nose...

But doing so would definitely scare the wands out of their souls - because Cohen clearly felt that the souls of those wands all shrank back after just approaching him.

I haven't done anything bad yet.jpg
Besides, some of these wands were overreacting. Cohen found that they did not have the "soul strength" label, and even if they smelled delicious, he seemed unable to eat them at the moment.

After Ollivander skillfully introduced to Cohen the composition of wands and the axiom that "the wand chooses the wizard", he began to move between the shelves, busy selecting some long boxes and moving them down.

"Try this one first, young Mr. Norton."

Ollivander selected a box and was about to open it.

"Made of beech wood and dragon heart nerves, nine inches, very flexible—"

"Crack!!!"

Before the wand could be pulled out of the box, there was a crackling sound and a blinding red light, and then the box snapped shut by itself.

"I didn't do anything."

Seeing that Ollivander and Edward were looking at him with strange eyes, Cohen immediately raised his hands to clarify.

"Strange...strange..." Ollivander muttered, "Not this one, maybe this one?"

The next victim of the fright was a seven-inch maple wand with a phoenix feather.

"Tear!"

This one reacted even more violently. The moment the box was opened, it pierced through the cardboard seal like an arrow and flew towards the back of the store.

Until it nailed itself to the deepest wall.

"No, not this one either..."

Cohen suspected that Ollivander had no effective way to identify the connection between wands and wizards. Perhaps every young wizard would have to try almost all the wands in the store like Harry or himself before finding the one that truly belonged to him.

After an unknown amount of time, Cohen and Edward were already sitting in the store, drowsy.

Yes, Mr. Ollivander only needs to run around to change wands, but Coin and Edward have a lot to consider. When is lunch, when is Coin going to pick up the owl, when can Edward rush to attend the DND (Dungeons and Dragons) board game meeting of the Hellfire Club...

at last.

"call……"

Ollivander breathed a sigh of relief when he opened the last wand box and heard no wands whistling inexplicably and escaping.

"Elderberry, unicorn hair, twelve inches long—give me a break—a strange combination..."

Cohen stood up curiously and looked at the wand that seemed not to be afraid of him.

Weird... is it because the elderberry, which represents death, and the unicorn, which represents kindness and purity, are paired together?
No, what's wrong with letting a Dementor use a wand made of unicorn hair?!

(End of this chapter)