Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 160 Fire Arrows

Cornelius Fudge's arrival suddenly turned the previously harmonious atmosphere much colder.

Especially that striker named Barr Wilson... He was probably too eager to improve, constantly talking on and on about how he wanted to help the minister and catch that student who was using magic outside of school as quickly as possible.

This made Harry, who was standing nearby, very uncomfortable, feeling that the other person's words had a hidden meaning... after all, he had just used magic.

Fudge, on the other hand, didn't listen to what he said at all. After quickly putting on his hat, he nodded to him politely.

"That's settled then, Cole. See you in the department."

Fudge didn't even remember the other person's name, but even so, it excited Barr Wilson, who gave another bow that was parallel to the ground.

“If he can catch that Black, Minister Fudge will definitely remember him,” Harry whispered to Siron.

“If he can really catch Black…” Cyril looked at Harry and paused slightly.

"what happened?"

“It’s nothing.” Siren shook his head. “What I mean is, if he can really catch Black, he can probably become an Auror right away.”

Although both Aurors and Strikers are combat forces within the Ministry of Magic, their duties, selection criteria, and treatment are significantly different.

In particular, their compensation is the same as that of most clerical staff, which is ordinary salary, or even slightly lower.

Because ordinary employees don't need to mend their clothes every few days, nor do they need to change their boots every month.

But the Aurors are completely different. Their salaries are higher than some less important deputy directors, and that's just the basics. Their other benefits are even more impeccable.

First of all, their wand repairs and replacements are free, with the department covering the costs.

If you are injured in a battle with a dark wizard, you can receive priority treatment at the St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries, which will also be paid for by the ministry.

In addition, they can also get some free tickets if there are some large events, such as the Quidditch World Cup, Duel Tournament, Wizard Chess Tournament, etc.

It can be said that, in the eyes of most wizards, being an Auror is one of the best jobs. Even though this job involves dealing with dark wizards and is extremely dangerous, a large number of Hogwarts graduates still want to join every year.

Of course, the selection process for Aurors is extremely rigorous, requiring not only excellent NEWT scores but also various training programs.

As for the specific standards, that's confidential, and Xilun doesn't know.

After Fudge left, Harry took Siren to see his room.

The Leaky Cauldron's rooms were much better than Siron had imagined, with a bed that looked very comfortable, several pieces of gleaming oak furniture, and a crackling fire in the fireplace...

Upon seeing this, Xilun suddenly became somewhat hesitant.

It's already August, so why is there still a fire in the fireplace?

However, this was Harry's room, and since he didn't seem to have any objections, Siron didn't bring it up either.

Perhaps the fire in the fireplace wasn't hot enough; who can really say for sure about magic?

For example… the Fire Condensation Spell…

Xiren immediately thought of the history of magic assignment he had written, which only required a simple spell to completely extinguish the heat of the flames.

If that's the case, then lighting the fireplace in August doesn't seem like a problem.

……

In the following days, Siron could always see Harry on the streets. Although he thought Diagon Alley was just an ordinary place with nothing to see, Harry didn't think so. Every day, he would carry an ice cream cone sprinkled with nut crumbs and wander between the main street and the alleys, as if he wanted to visit every shop.

So Fudge doesn't need to say anything... You can only stay in Diagon Alley, you can't go back to the Muggle world.

Harry wasn't in the mood for that right now. In his eyes, any wizarding shop was the most tempting place in the world.

“That’s what I thought too, and then I lived here for five years,” Siron said, shrugging as he looked at Harry, who was visiting him for the third time.

It has to be said that Harry has been incredibly excited these past few days. Plus, Cyril is the only person he knows in Diagon Alley, so whenever he sees something interesting, he runs to Cyril to share it.

But what Harry finds interesting might be just a trivial matter to Siren.

For example, the pea flower from the herbalist shop ran away with its employee in its mouth... and one of the items at the Ee-ra Owl Shop ate its own colleague. The owner of the magic painting shop on the corner got into a shouting match with his own paintings, then broke down in tears in the middle of the road...

These things happen every few days, and Xilun is used to it. He even helped catch that pot of chokers before. The herbalist's shop staff wanted to give Xilun a pot of young chokers to thank him.

However, Xilun felt that the other party was repaying kindness with enmity. That thing wanted to swallow anything it saw to see what it tasted like, and it was of no use other than causing trouble.

Oh, so it can be used to guard the house, but only if you can accept waking up to find your door suddenly gone.

“This time it’s different, you’d never guess,” Harry said confidently.

"Just came out, the latest flying broomstick!" He couldn't hide his excitement. "It's the most impressive broomstick I've ever seen. Come with me, you definitely don't want to miss it."

“I’m not interested in Quidditch,” Siron said. He was about to refuse, but then he thought of something and finally nodded, following Harry to the Quidditch shop.

Surprisingly, the store even set up a platform with a brand-new, shiny broom on it.

Even Celen had to admit that, even though he wasn't a big fan of Quidditch, he was drawn to the broom.

The high-quality ash wood handle was so fine that Xilen could tell from afar that it came from the Enchanted Forest of Kerry in Ireland, and that it was from an old tree over 150 years old—a truly premium product.

The broomsticks are also made of high-quality birch, each sixteen inches long, carefully polished into a streamlined shape, and arranged neatly together.

“These are all good materials for making wands. It would be great if we could take them apart,” Xiren said, pursing her lips.

"What?" Harry asked.

People around also turned to look.

"I mean, they're all made with good materials," Xilun quickly corrected himself, and everyone then looked back at the broom on the table.

"The Irish International Club just placed an order for seven of these high-quality fire crossbows," the shopkeeper told everyone. "They're in high demand during the World Cup!"

Xilun had no doubt about his words.

The sign says that the Firebolt can accelerate from a standstill to 150 miles per hour in ten seconds, a speed that far exceeds the Nimbus 2001's 125 miles per hour in fifteen seconds.

The gap is so large that it can no longer be bridged by the players' own skills.

It is foreseeable that if any team fails to replace their Fire Arrows in time, they will be completely outmatched by their opponents during the match.

Moreover, even the Golden Snitch will likely be modified. It's said that the Golden Snitch's performance was improved once after the Nimbus 2001 was released last year, not to mention the Fire Bolt this time.

If no changes are made, Quidditch could probably be renamed "Who Sees the Golden Snitch First".

……

(End of this chapter)