A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

call!

Harry and Ron both breathed a sigh of relief, but then they met Hermione's resentful gaze: What do you mean by this? Is it so difficult to prepare a gift for me?

Noticing the death knell in Hermione's eyes, Harry immediately chuckled and led the way, saying, "The Fantastic Beasts Shop is just ahead; I know it very well."

Ron also mentioned his mouse, Scabbers, "I was just about to take it there for a check-up. Scabbers seems to have had some trouble adjusting to Egypt. It's gotten even thinner since we got back and can't even eat."

Hermione rolled her eyes in disdain, silently lamenting her poor choice of friends, and then pulled Aaron along behind her.

"Where did you go for summer vacation?" Hermione asked curiously. "When I called you, your mother said you went on a trip."

"It was indeed a meaningful trip," Aaron remarked, but then he quickly realized something, his heart skipped a beat, and his expression became somewhat unnatural. "My mom didn't say anything else, did she?"

"No, she was just a little too enthusiastic. She even asked about my preferences," Hermione said, counting on her fingers. "Including my favorite foods, colors, scenery, and..."

As she spoke, she noticed Aaron's expression was quite interesting. "Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all." Aaron was on the verge of tears. He thought of the fiancé his parents had arranged for him before he left. He had firmly refused at the time, but he didn't expect Lisanna to be so unethical. But he was more worried that his mother had contacted more than one girl. She was capable of such a thing.

Chapter 294 Bargaining, Cat and Mouse

Magical Animals Shop.

The walls of this shop are covered with countless cages, each containing a different kind of animal.

Mice, owls, cats, newts, turtles, toads, highly poisonous snails, rabbits, and ravens are all available.

However, this shop does not carry powerful magical creatures such as dragons, snakes, birds, phoenixes, or thunderbirds. Even if it did, they wouldn't dare sell them, as the magic department could come and confiscate them in a heartbeat.

As soon as the four entered the store, the witch behind the counter focused her gaze on Abe and couldn't help but swallow.

She's seen hundreds, if not thousands, of cats, but she's never seen this one before.

Are you here to examine the animals?

“Yes,” Ron said immediately, then placed the smudges on the counter.

A hint of disappointment flashed in the witch's eyes, but her professionalism compelled her to put on a pair of dark glasses and examine the object carefully.

How old is your mouse?

"I don't know, my brother gave it to me."

The witch picked up Spotted, looked at its damaged left ear and missing toe on its front paw, and clicked her tongue. "I suggest you get a different mouse. We have healthy and intact ones here."

Ron glanced at the large group of lively black rats in the cage, then turned his face away in disgust. He didn't think these smug, inferior rats could compare to his Bruins.

“Alright!” The witch pulled a small red bottle from under the counter. “You might find this rat tonic useful.”

"how much is it?"

Just as the witch was about to speak, an orange shadow jumped onto Ron's head, baring its teeth menacingly at the spotted creature in the witch's hand.

"No, Crookshanks!" the witch cried out hastily, but the orange figure did not give her any face.

Banban sensed a deadly danger and immediately darted out of her grasp, frantically trying to escape through the door.

Ron and Harry saw this and chased after them.

"Is that a cat?" Aaron looked at Crookshan jumping on the counter. "You should keep an eye on it. There are so many mice to catch, but it's targeting a customer's pet."

“Sir, Crookshan is usually quite well-behaved,” the witch said apologetically.

“It’s so beautiful.” Hermione looked at Crookshanks, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Beautiful?" A series of question marks flashed through Aaron's mind. "Hermione, are you sure you're not seeing things? I wouldn't believe it unless you said her face had been hit with a brick."

“But I just think it’s beautiful.” Hermione said dismissively, then looked at the witch. “I’ll buy it. How much?”

"Five Galleons."

Hermione was about to take out her wallet when Aaron stopped her.

"Five Galleons is too expensive, can you make it cheaper?"

"This is already very cheap," the witch said sullenly. "If you don't believe me, you can go to other stores and ask; cats are priced the same way."

"It scared my friend just now, so you can tell this cat isn't very obedient."

The witch hesitated for a moment, then said, "Four Galleons will do, won't they?"

"Excuse my bluntness, but this cat's appearance is just too unique. I doubt it would sell if it were kept in the store normally."

The witch's eye twitched slightly, then she gave a forced smile. "Three Galleons, nine Sikor."

"I hate to say it, but this cat seems a bit old, don't you think?"

"Three Galleons, that's the most I can ask for."

Before Aaron could speak, the witch interrupted, saying, "I'm just running a business; making money isn't easy."

"Sigh! Okay, then, that bottle of rat stimulant?"

"Two Westcos, no bargaining."

"Actually, this cat's fur..."

"Here you go, sir." The witch immediately shoved the small red vial into Aaron's hand, then looked at the stunned Hermione beside her, "Miss, could you please pay for this?"

"Oh." Hermione realized what was happening, readily placed the three Galleons on the counter, and happily hugged Crookshanks to her chest.

"Just a heads up, you're going to buy an owl," Aaron said, speechless.

"I won't buy the owl; this cat is enough," Hermione said. She couldn't possibly keep two pets.

"Whatever." Aaron shrugged and prepared to leave the Magical Beasts Shop.

"Wait, sir." The witch chased after him. "Excuse me, but could you please take a picture of your pet? I can pay you ten Galleons for publicity."

"Hehe!" Aaron decisively refused, not wanting everyone to know that he was raising a dragon.

The two had only been out of the Magical Creatures shop a short while when they ran into Harry and Ron.

When the shivering Spot saw the cat, it quickly hid in Ron's pocket.

"You bought this monster?" Ron said, his eyes wide. "It almost ripped my scalp off just now, and what about Scabbers?"

"It's a mouse! Why did you have to buy a cat of all things?"

"Don't worry, Crookshan is in my dorm and Banban is in your dorm. As long as we don't run into each other, there won't be any problems."

"Is it a matter of whether we meet or not?" Ron said, somewhat annoyed. "Look at Abe, how come it..."

Ron's voice abruptly stopped halfway through his sentence.

I almost forgot, Abe is a dragon, catching mice is beneath him.

"Um... don't misunderstand."

"My dog, Abe, doesn't like your mouse either. He didn't like it from the first time he saw it, but I managed to suppress it," Aaron said calmly, and Abe responded with a low growl.

Ron instinctively clutched his pocket because he noticed his rat was trembling violently.

"Don't scare it, Banban's condition is already bad."

Aaron shrugged, then patted Abe's head, and it quieted down.

“Oh right, you forgot about this.” Aaron handed the rat tonic to Ron. “It might be of some use to your rats.”

"how much is this?"

"It was from that witch," Hermione said excitedly. "You weren't here just now, but Aaron managed to cut the price of Crook Hill by forty percent and even got the witch to give him a bottle of rat tonic."

“It could have been even lower.” Aaron said with some regret. He was confident he could have bargained the price down from five Galleons to less than two Galleons, but the witch was too sensible, and he couldn’t continue to haggle.

Upon arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, Arthur Weasley was sitting at the bar reading the Daily Prophet.

He smiled when he saw Harry. "Harry, you're back?"

“Mr. Weasley,” Aaron extended his right hand, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

"me too."

Harry glanced at the newspaper in Arthur's hand. "Hasn't Sirius been caught yet?"

"No, the ministry has mobilized most of its resources, but there has been no progress so far."

"How much is the reward for catching him?" Ron asked with interest. "Is it enough for us to go on another trip?"

“Don’t even mention once, ten times would be enough.” Arthur was also recalling the joy of his trip to Egypt, but his face darkened as soon as he finished speaking. “Ron Weasley, I’m warning you, put away your unrealistic ideas. Black can’t be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard.”

“We have Aaron,” Ron said immediately.

Aaron silently took a step back; he wasn't going to get involved in this kind of thing!

Sirius Black was no ordinary wanted criminal. He could laugh out loud after killing thirteen people, which shows his mental instability. He survived twelve years in Azkaban and still managed to escape, which shows his strong will.

Combining these two traits results in pure madness, and Aaron has always kept his distance from such people.

Seeing Aaron take a step back, Ron said nothing more and instead placed a newspaper on the table.

"I have something to show you."

The three of them huddled together and looked at a black-and-white photograph in the newspaper. The Weasleys were dressed in local clothes and chatting and laughing in front of several pyramids.

"Egypt is a magical place with many ancient artifacts."

Mummy, ancient tomb.

“How enviable,” Hermione said. “The history of wizards in ancient Egypt is very interesting to explore.”

"Aaron, where did you go this summer?" Ron asked. "Did you go traveling too?"

"Ah...this has to be kept secret," Aaron chuckled.

Was that tourism for him? It was adventure, risking his life.

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley came in carrying large bags and small packages, accompanied by Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny.

Upon seeing Aaron and the others, they all greeted them warmly. Mrs. Weasley even asked Harry several questions, worried that he might forget something when he boarded the train the next day.

Percy's greeting made them feel a little flattered; he shook hands formally and spoke in an exceptionally polite tone, as if it had been rehearsed.

However, his two twin brothers, George and Fred, imitated his greeting, but added seven parts humor and three parts wit, which made him look less than pleased.

Percy was elected president of the boys' council, and a silver badge was pinned to his chest, which was wiped quite clean.