Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 162 Crook Hill
Because he forgot to buy anything, Siron had to temporarily put aside his research on rune formulas and go to Diagon Alley with Harry and the others.

The closest bookstore to the wand shop is Flourish and Blotts. It's a short walk from the alleyway after you turn the corner.

However, Flourish and Blotts is a little different this year compared to before. The thick, large, gold-embossed magic books on display are gone, replaced by a huge iron cage containing dozens of wild books.

The books looked strange, with four small, shiny black eyes embedded on the cover and sixteen sharp teeth the size of beans in two rows on the sides.

Like some kind of strange crab, they crawl sideways quickly in the cage, and will pounce on and bite any of their own kind without mercy.

The scraps of paper inside the cage were flying everywhere, and the shop assistant outside was almost torn to pieces as well. His eyes were vacant, and he mechanically poked a stick into the cage, trying to break up the fight.

However, the results are unlikely to be ideal.

Xilun glanced to the side, where a dozen or so chewed-up sticks lay scattered haphazardly.

After the group went inside, the shop assistant came forward.

"Hogwarts?" he asked. "Here to buy new textbooks?"

"Yes, we want three copies of 'The Monster Book of Monsters'..."

"Oh, three books..."

Before Hermione could finish speaking, she saw the clerk's facial muscles twitching uncontrollably, and his lips and fingers trembling uncontrollably, as if he was about to cry.

"Alright, move aside... you'd better stand further away." He shooed the group aside, put on a thick pair of gloves, picked up a large cane, and walked resolutely toward the cage.

“Please wait a moment,” Xilen called out to him. “I have this book, so two copies will suffice.”

He suddenly remembered that Hagrid had sent him a large package. Although he hadn't looked at it closely, judging from its shape and size, it should be "The Monster Book of Monsters".

It seems that even without Riddle's evidence, Hagrid has been exonerated.

It must have been Dumbledore who did it during his vacation. Even without the diary, the dead basilisk was enough for him to handle many things.

Hermione and Ron didn't think much of it, assuming that Siron had already bought it... He lived in Diagon Alley, so it was convenient for him to buy anything.

However, the shop assistant breathed a huge sigh of relief and was visibly much happier. So much so that after Xilun bought a few more books, he even got a small discount.

It's not much, but the money saved is just enough to buy four single-scoop ice creams.

However, Siren felt that if Hermione could get this discount, they could probably get three balls instead.

Hermione bought so many books that they filled a large bag to the brim.

For convenience, Siren suggested they leave the books at the wand shop and retrieve them on their way back. Everyone readily agreed; carrying such heavy books was quite tiring.

After that, they bought the materials needed for the Potions class.

Snape would help prepare some special materials during class, but more common materials like lionfish bone powder, double-eared grass, and sneezing root grass would need to be prepared by the students themselves.

However, these things were not expensive. Xilun bought a big bag and it only cost six silver shikes.

The Madam Malkin's Robe Shop is also a must-visit. After this holiday, the trousers and sleeves of his school uniform suddenly became much shorter, and he had to buy new ones.

While Siron was having his height measured, Harry and the other two didn't just wait around. Instead, they went to the nearby Eeyore Owl Shop.

Hermione is planning to buy herself an owl as a gift.

That's what she said, but when Celen arrived at the pet store with his new school uniform, he saw Hermione squatting there, staring intently at a large ginger cat.

Harry and Ron are not here; I don't know where they went.

“I’ll take it.” Hermione suddenly stood up and said, “How much is it?” “Are you sure you want to buy Crookshanks?” The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement. “I mean, it’s been here for a really, really long time, and nobody’s ever wanted it.”

However, after hearing the shopkeeper's words, Hermione became even more determined and nodded, saying, "Yes, I like this cat."

“Three Galleons.” As if afraid Hermione would regret it, the shopkeeper said quickly, “You have a good eye. Crookshanks has a quarter cat-raccoon bloodline. This price is a great deal.”

"Hmm?" Hermione paused, not because she thought it was too expensive, but because it was too cheap.

Before this, they had looked at the prices of other pets in the store. Even a cat with only one-sixteenth of the pedigree would cost five Galleons.

Those with a quarter bloodline cost more than ten Galleons, and are only slightly cheaper than owls.

Two Galleons wouldn't even buy a decent toad.

“Okay…” Although she didn’t know why, saving money was always a good thing, so Hermione immediately agreed.

Then things went very smoothly. Both of them were afraid that the other would back out, so the whole transaction was incredibly fast. It seemed like only a blink of an eye, and the big ginger cat appeared in Hermione's arms.

She turned around and just then saw Xilen walk into the store.

“Silen, you’ve come at the perfect time.” Hermione happily lifted the cat up. “It’s Crookshanks.”

It's clear that this move is a bit difficult for her... The cat is really big, and it's very strenuous to lift it up.

“I know it. I saw it a long time ago.” Xiren looked at the familiar persimmon-shaped face.

Honestly, it's flatter than the last time I saw it, like a soda can that's been stomped on.

“Oh, right.” Hermione exclaimed, “You live here, so you must have been to this pet shop before.”

“No, not normally, it was two years ago.” Celen shook his head and explained, “Tom was already here when I bought him, but back then he was just a kitten.”

“Tom,” Hermione exclaimed in surprise, “didn’t you… So, Crookhill has been here for two years already?”

She picked up Crookshan and rubbed against him, but Crookshan was staring at Siron.

“Just like you thought, I bought Tom.” Celen went over and patted Crookshank’s head.

He knew the cat could understand what he was saying, just as Tom, who also had cat-like blood, could. Sometimes it would pretend not to understand, then stare innocently at Celen after making a mistake.

“So, your Tom and Crookshanks have been friends for a long time, right?” Hermione said excitedly, as if she had just realized something. “Great! They’ll be able to see each other again when they get to school.”

"To be honest, I don't think this is a good thing," Xilun muttered to himself.

Tom has a penchant for eating his colleagues, and judging from Crookshank's size, it probably has a similar history.

If they were to meet, Celen wasn't sure if Tom would still behave as before.

After all, the words he used to scare Tom were becoming less and less effective, and he couldn't actually turn Tom into a cane core.

The clever Tom must have figured it out long ago; the reason he hasn't started a massacre in the castle yet is simply to give Siron face.

Another advantage is that the food in the Forbidden Forest is more abundant, and the meat is more tender.

But if you add Crook Mountain to the mix, things get complicated.

Xiren glanced at the flat-faced cat again, silently worrying for the small pets in the castle.

……

(End of this chapter)