The Silent Bookstore Manager at Hogwarts

Wizards have seen many absurd scenes in Wizarding Chess, after all, it is essentially just a game for entertainment. But the chessboard in front of Red and Harry seems to have become a battlefield rather than a chessboard.

The knight who left E7 had a wound on his back from the attack, but he did not fall. In fact, only a few pieces on the board were captured; the vast majority of pieces were standing in their own territory, confronting any potential threats.

All the pieces silently and resolutely carried out the player's orders. Three soldiers formed a formation and began to press towards Red's king from the left side of the board, while on the other side, Red's bishop and knight had already begun their advance and slaughter on the right side of the board.

"Is this really Wizards Chess? It feels like they're no longer following the rules of the board..."

One of the Gryffindor students who was secretly watching said that this was completely different from the wizard chess he had ever seen; it was practically a miniature team battle simulator.

"Red, I feel a little embarrassed, but I learned something from Hagrid... The attack on Gringotts might be related to that thing Hagrid took, and..."

Harry looked hesitant.

"This thing is said to have been made by Nicolas Flamel, the legendary greatest alchemist of modern times..."

Harry said with a hint of surprise, "No one expected this to happen to someone so close to us."

"So what exactly are you looking for?" Red asked suspiciously. These three incredibly resourceful students were very likely to cause some big trouble while he was away, especially Hermione, who seemed like a very well-behaved student. Red never doubted the Sorting Hat's analysis of their personalities, so Hermione being in Gryffindor meant that she wasn't exactly a well-behaved person at heart.

"In fact, although Hagrid really wanted to keep the secret, he almost let it all slip even if we didn't ask him."

At this point, Harry visibly sighed, then solidified his resolve that Hagrid should never know those important secrets.

The item Hagrid retrieved from Gringotts was guarded by the three-headed hound in the room on the fourth floor. This was the result of a discussion between Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel, but the three of them only knew that Nicolas Flamel was an alchemist.

"So, haven't you considered asking the professors this question?"

Harry and Hermione were both taken aback. They suddenly realized that they hadn't actually thought of this method. It was obvious that the professors would know more about Nicolas Flamel, and more importantly, it wouldn't be difficult for them to find a reason to ask this question.

"Alright, let's end this game here. I wish you all a Merry Christmas in advance."

Red had already packed his things, along with the Christmas gifts he'd gotten from Dumbledore and a few pounds of cash, and boarded the train leaving Hogwarts. These were for the children at the orphanage, whose finances were only slightly better even with McGonagall's help. Red felt he could do something to help them through this difficult time.

In fact, Christmas is a wonderful and heartwarming holiday for many children, but for some children it is just a distant light, an empty stomach, and a difficult night. But today, because of Red's arrival, at least the orphanage is cooking food that they rarely get to eat.

"Meat and stew, those are things I miss..." Red changed out of his wizard's robes, which were not an appropriate outfit to appear in front of the children, even though he was only a few years older than them.

"Red, welcome back here..." The nun seemed overjoyed at Red's return, and seeing him standing healthily before her reassured her that she had made the right choice.

"Yeah, I'm back... How's everyone doing lately?"

The nun nodded, looking very happy. Thanks to the donations from kind people and Red's help, at least no one in the orphanage died of illness this year. Even those who did get sick were able to tough it out on their own. For the nun, this was a result that could only happen thanks to God.

"Yes, that's good, at least that's good... things will get better."

Red comforted the nun, though he knew that given the country's future policies and actions, the orphanage would likely become increasingly difficult to maintain. However, he would find a way, and he believed that the little ones who were reluctant to leave but still congratulated him on his departure deserved a good life.

Reid slept well on Christmas Eve, a rare occurrence. Although the house still seemed a bit cold, it was much better than when he left the orphanage. A girl named Naya led him to what was probably the best bed in the entire orphanage. She smiled shyly and then ran away immediately, showing no signs of the fact that she had almost died from a high fever in the spring.

Even though the Christmas holiday was a bit short, Reid felt he had a very fulfilling time, except...

"If I remember correctly... these two don't seem like wizards under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic, do they?"

Red sat at the entrance of the orphanage, watching two strange men in the distance, their appearances bizarre despite being draped in black robes, yet unnoticed by anyone. Their hurried manner was particularly eye-catching.

Red closed his eyes. He couldn't care less about what had happened. As long as no one came this way, he wouldn't think about it. After all, he was registered with Dumbledore, and it wouldn't be appropriate to do anything unnecessary.

However, these two clueless guys clearly didn't realize this. They quickly walked towards the orphanage, seemingly pulling out their wands as they went, as if they wanted to do something. Reid sighed.

He quietly got up and walked towards the two unsuspecting men in black robes. They clearly still thought their spell was in effect and that Red was just an ordinary passerby.

The man on the left even thought that if it weren't for escaping the Aurors' pursuit, they might have done something to the boy 'blocking their way,' but now they felt it was best to leave quickly, because if they didn't get the things over there in time...

The man was still lost in thought when he noticed his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. He instinctively wanted to warn his companion, but when he turned his head, he saw something that horrified him: his companion had quietly closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground.