Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 278 The Difficult Matter of Traveling

The years spent in that humble abode were both relaxing and oppressive.

The ease is easy to understand. No matter what the outside world is like, as long as the Weasleys are in the Burrow, there will never be a lack of laughter, even if the two people who used to provide the vast majority of laughter are not here now.

However, the current grim situation is still affecting this once-happy place. Mr. Weasley's promotion is both a good thing and a bad thing, since he now has to go to work every day and face danger. The same goes for Bill, the twins still in the Diagon Alley shop, Charlie who hasn't returned to England, and Percy, who hasn't contacted his family yet.

Mrs. Weasley was very worried. Although she never showed her vulnerable side, the clock she always carried, representing the safety of the Weasley family, said it all.

Harry was unaware of the tension hidden beneath the relaxed atmosphere of the Burrow. Hermione might have noticed, but she wouldn't tell Harry and Ron.

Being able to spend the rest of his holiday peacefully, and playing a game of Quidditch in the Garden with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny every day, was paradise for Harry.

It's much better than when I was with the Dursleys.

Of course, he was aware of the situation outside. The Daily Prophet published bad news every day, and Mr. Weasley and Bill would bring back news that hadn't yet been published. In addition, members of the Order of the Phoenix would visit the Burrow from time to time. All of this clearly told Harry that the terror created by Voldemort and his followers was still sweeping across Britain.

This remained unchanged on his birthday.

"Two more Dementor attacks have occurred," Lupin said in casual conversation with the others after hugging Harry, who had brought him a birthday cake. "And then there was the battle in the north a few days ago. They don't care about Muggles anymore. The Ministry of Magic is short-handed; they've all been sent to those big cities by Scrimgeour. When I arrived..."

"Alright, let's talk about something else, Remus..." Mrs. Weasley said with a frown, handing a piece of cake to Lupin, but before she could finish, Fleur interrupted.

"Do you remember Florin Fusco?" Fleur said.

"The one who owns an ice cream shop in Diagon Alley?" Harry asked. "What about him?"

"Judging from the current signs, he should have been kidnapped, right here in the shop," Furong said.

"Why? He's a good guy, he always treats us to free ice cream, even if it's small..." Ron was cut off mid-sentence by Mrs. Weasley's angry glare.

At this point, Mr. Weasley said, "Speaking of Diagon Alley, it seems Ollivander is also gone."

"Olivendine from Ollivanders Wand Shop?" Ginny exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, that's him. There were no signs of a struggle, so nobody knows whether he left on his own or was kidnapped by those guys."

"So, who should the new students buy their wands from?" Harry asked.

“Cedric’s there. He’s been working at the wand shop since he graduated, and Amos has argued with him about it a few times,” Mr. Weasley said. “He’s not good at making new wands yet, but he should be able to sell new ones…”

Harry ate his cake while listening to their conversation about what was happening outside, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Cedric knew that, apart from… that person, he was the best Hogwarts graduate during the Triwizard Tournament.

And... Qiu's boyfriend...

Birthday night passed uneventfully. Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and despite the constant laughter, the atmosphere remained somewhat subdued. However, this subdued feeling dissipated by the next day.

Harry received a letter from Hogwarts informing him that he had been chosen as captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team!

"That's fantastic! Now you're on the same level as the prefect, and you can use the prefect's private bathroom and other facilities." Hermione offered her heartfelt congratulations.

"Harry, that's so cool! You're my captain now! Of course, if you let me play... hahaha..." Ron happily played with the badge that represented the captain, and began to fantasize about the wonderful life of the new school term.

"Come on, Ron, you're rotten!" Ginny mercilessly shattered Ron's fantasy, and the two immediately started arguing.

No one tried to stop them, and no one tried to break up the fight; this was quite normal in the humble dwelling.

"We can't wait any longer, we have to go to Diagon Alley to buy you the things you need for the new school term." Mrs. Weasley grabbed one Weasley in each hand, shoved them aside, and said seriously, "As long as Arthur doesn't work overtime on Saturday, we'll go that day!"

"Given the current situation, I wouldn't go there without him!"

Faced with Mrs. Weasley's serious attitude, Ron made a joke, but was immediately reprimanded and behaved himself for several days.

On Saturday morning, perhaps because it was finally time to head to Diagon Alley, everyone was a little nervous, fearing that Mr. Weasley's overtime work would ruin the plans.

Fortunately, this did not happen.

As evening approached, a car pulled up outside the Burrow. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, all wrapped in large cloaks, got into the car one by one at Mrs. Weasley's urging.

"Great, this car is so spacious!" Ron stretched his limbs comfortably. He had grown quite tall and usually had to shrink himself in the Burrow.

"Don't get used to it, this is just for Harry," Mr. Weasley, sitting in the passenger seat, turned and said. "He's under Level One protection now, and there will be other security measures when we get to the Leaky Cauldron."

The bus drove very fast, even faster than the Knight Bus, but much more comfortable, without the swaying and rolling around inside due to sudden braking. They arrived smoothly at the Leaky Cauldron, disembarked one by one, and saw the "other security measures" Mr. Weasley had mentioned.

"Hagrid! Long time no see!" Harry greeted him warmly, and Hagrid immediately hugged him tightly, only letting go after a while.

"The Ministry of Magic was going to send a whole group of Aurors, but Dumbledore said that just me is enough." Hagrid hugged the others warmly again, then gestured for them to come inside. "Alright, let's go in..."

The Leaky Cauldron was deserted, with only Old Tom standing behind the bar, no longer using his filthy rag to wipe the table, and listlessly lying on it.

When Harry and the others came in, they simply raised their heads to greet them before lying back down.

"You know how it is right now, nobody dares to come out..." Hagrid said, deliberately lowering his voice, though it didn't really help.

They walked through the bar and came to the small courtyard with a trash can. Hagrid tapped on the wall with his pink umbrella, and the wall immediately rolled open to reveal a winding path.

After passing through another doorway, they finally arrived at Diagon Alley.

(End of this chapter)