Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

While we were queuing to pay, a commotion broke out outside.

Looking out the window, it seemed something was happening over there—someone was shouting.

Faint sounds could be heard.

"Dad, beat him up!"

Screams followed: "Arthur, no, don't hit him!"

The crowd scattered and fled, knocking over many bookshelves.

"Gentlemen, please—please stop!" a man who looked like an assistant shouted from a high place, then he yelled in a voice an octave higher, "Smash it, there it is, gentlemen, yes, smash it—"

All I can say is that calling for a halt is our duty, while hoping for a fight is human nature—the desire to watch a spectacle.

"What's going on over there?" Hannah stood on tiptoe to look outside.

Xavier could vaguely see a few strands of red hair.

"Looks like there's a fight going on."

Ernie had already pulled Justin to the door, and Xavier followed suit, stuffing his change into his pocket and peering out the door.

"It's that Weasley guy! Ron Weasley from our grade!" Ernie poked his head out. "And Malfoy—they're fighting!"

"And our savior, Potter!"

Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy were wrestling at the entrance of the bookstore.

Ron's nose was bleeding, and Malfoy's left eye was swollen, but neither of them showed any sign of stopping.

Ironically, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy were also shoving each other, with Lucius Malfoy already drawing his cane and Mr. Weasley raising his fist.

Fred and George were cheering them on, occasionally throwing in a few punches or kicks.

Hagrid was struggling to wade through a pile of books and squeeze into the middle.

"It's Weasley and Malfoy again," Justin said. "How many times has this happened?"

"It seems like their families have always been at odds," Hannah said. "It might be their tradition."

Hagrid immediately separated Malfoy and Weasley.

Mr. Weasley cut his lip, and old Malfoy got hit in the eye by an encyclopedia of poisonous mushrooms.

Xavier's gaze passed over Harry, Ron, and Malfoy, landing at the end of the Weasleys' line.

A little girl with red hair stood there awkwardly.

Ginny Weasley.

He was not tall, had genuine Weasley red hair, wore a faded long robe, and carried an old crucible and a stack of old books.

Like her brothers, the Weasleys, in contrast to the "refined" Malfoys, exuded an air of "poverty" from the inside out.

Given that Mr. Arthur Weasley is from a pure-blooded traditional wizarding family and works for the Ministry of Magic, it shouldn't be like this.

Lucius Malfoy had shaken off Mr. Weasley. He walked up to Ginny, still holding her textbooks, and used his snake-headed cane to push the books away from her arms.

"Look," he said slowly and deliberately, his voice not loud, but everyone heard him, "a poor man is a poor man. He can't even afford a decent book."

Old Malfoy slammed the book back at her, his eyes gleaming with malice. Of course, that's how Xavier saw it.

"Here you go, little girl—hold on tight—this is the most expensive thing your dad could ever buy you—"

Ginny's face turned bright red. Mr. Weasley rushed over to block her way, while Lucius retreated with a cold smile, only to be separated by Hagrid's massive body.

He shoved Hagrid aside and stormed out of the bookstore with Draco.

Almost no one noticed that as he bent over, his fingers gently pushed at the bottom of the stack of books—an old notebook with a black cover slid into Ginny's stack of secondhand textbooks.

Except for Xavier.

Xavier's pupils contracted slightly; he knew exactly what it was.

Tom Riddle's diary.

Voldemort's Horcruxes, the root of the chaos in Hogwarts' second year.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Lockhart continued waving to the onlookers from the autograph table, completely oblivious to the mess.

Hagrid nearly lifted Mr. Weasley up to help straighten his robes, then patted him on the shoulder, almost knocking him down again.

The assistant looked like he wanted to come over, but he wasn't even as tall as Hagrid's waist, and probably didn't want to get any shorter. Mrs. Weasley was still angrily berating Mr. Weasley, while Fred and George mimicked the fight scene from earlier.

At that moment, Xavier had an idea.

"What's wrong with you?" Hannah noticed his expression.

"It's nothing, I'll go check and lend a hand," Xavier said, turning his head away from the view.

Xavier quickly walked over and squatted down to help Ginny pick up her books.

"Hey, hello, Ginny." He tried to make his voice sound casual. "I've heard about you from Ron. I'm a friend of your brother's."

Ginny looked up at him. Her eyes were still a little red, but her expression had regained its composure—this girl was much stronger than she appeared.

"Thanks."

Xavier picked up the pile of books one by one, along with the black notebook.

He pulled it from the pile of books, and the moment his palm touched the cover, a cold, sticky sensation spread up his fingertips, as if he had put his hand into stagnant water.

This is his ability to warn of danger.

"This isn't your textbook, is it?" He flipped over the cover and glanced at it, feigning a confused expression.

"It's not mine. I've never seen this book before." Ginny looked down and frowned. "It's probably from Flourish and Blotts, and it accidentally got mixed in with the rest of the books."

"Then I'll return it for you." Xavier stood up, tucked the notebook under his arm, and spoke so naturally that even he believed it. "So the bookstore won't think you stole the book."

Ginny smiled. "Thank you. But they shouldn't worry—they just knocked over three rows of their bookshelves; their troubles probably aren't about this notebook."

Harry and Ron came over to help pick up the books, greeting him, "Ethan, are you here to buy books too?"

"Of course, the school sent a letter, along with a list of books for the new semester. Professor Lockhart's books aren't cheap."

Ron's face scrunched up at this.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xavier waved to them, "Alright, that should be all the books. There are still some people waiting for me over there. See you at the start of the semester, Harry."

See you when school starts.

He went back, and Ernie and the others were waiting for him at the door.

"Where did you run off to?"

"I went to say hello," Xavier said. "Let's go, it's time to head back."

Xavier watched the Weasleys' red-haired figures disappear into the crowd, then turned and followed his friends toward the Leaky Cauldron.

The black notebook was still in his arms.

-

After returning home, he wrapped the blank diary in layers, put it in a box, and locked it because he felt it wasn't safe.

He planned to write letters to the professors and have Popeye deliver them, or he would take out the notebook on the first day of school and hand it to a professor in person—preferably Dumbledore.

In short, this thing cannot remain in Ginny's hands, nor can it remain in my own.