Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 281 Black Cloak

Families all over the world seem to treat their younger sisters with the same preferential treatment.

Without Ginny having to say anything, Fred and George readily allowed her to take whatever she wanted from the store, but if she called her brother Ron, she would have to pay.

"Three Galleons, nine Sickles, and one Nat," Fred said, glancing at the boxes Ron was holding. "Pay up."

"I'm your younger brother!"

"What you said makes a lot of sense, so I'll waive the Nat fee for you. Just give me three Galleons and nine West."

"But I didn't..."

"Then you'd better put the things back, and remember not to put them on the wrong shelf."

Fred and George watched as Ron stormed back, then turned around and pulled two dwarf pups out of the cage, handing them to Ginny and Hermione.

"They'd be best off with a companion; two would be just right."

Ron witnessed this scene and angrily threw the box on the ground, cursing at the twins and making a universally recognized hand gesture.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley witnessed all of this.

"If you don't want that finger, I can cut it off for you!" she said angrily.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Ginny came over, holding up two pink pygmy bushes and asking, "Can I keep them? Fred and George gave them to me!"

"Honey, what?"

As she spoke, Mrs. Weasley was pulled aside by Ginny and the twins, leaving Harry alone to watch Hermione rubbing the two dwarf puddings in her hands.

Somewhat embarrassingly, Harry actually thought the little thing was quite cute.

After watching for a while, Harry got a little bored. He turned to look out the window and saw Malfoy walking alone on the street. He quickly called Hermione and Ron over, and the three of them huddled by the window watching Malfoy walk by.

"Where's his mother?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, did they go back?" Ron shook his head.

"It doesn't seem likely. Would his mother abandon her good son?" Hermione frowned and asked the crucial question.

Harry glanced back; Mrs. Weasley was still surrounded by Ginny and the twins. He looked towards the door; Hagrid was standing guard with his back to them. Seeing this, he immediately pulled out his Invisibility Cloak from his pocket, beckoned the two of them to come in quickly, and then slipped out while someone opened the door.

They hadn't walked far down the dark street when they spotted Malfoy. Following him for a while longer, they saw Malfoy glance back warily before disappearing into Knockturn Alley.

"Hurry up!" Harry urged in a low voice, quickening his pace and slipping into Knockturn Alley as well.

This wasn't Harry's first time in Knockturn Alley, but it was different from the last time. The disheveled, down-on-their-luck dark wizards on the street corners were gone, and there were no lights, making it seem even more eerie.

Ahead, Malfoy had somehow produced a dim oil lamp and, by its light, pushed open the door of a shop.

The three looked up at the sign, which read "Bogin Burke's Dark Arts Shop." Through the window, they saw Malfoy standing in front of the counter, chatting with a greasy-haired man inside.

"Is there any way we can find out what they're talking about? My gut tells me this is important," Harry whispered.

"Yes!" Ron replied immediately, putting down the box he had been holding and taking out a large ear. "A retractable ear, but I don't know if it will work..."

"Give it a try!" Hermione said, sticking her retractable ear to the glass. With the invisibility cloak, she wasn't afraid of being seen by the people inside.

They grabbed the other end of the receiver and leaned closer, just in time to hear Malfoy say, "Where's the stuff? Is it ready?"

“No,” Borgin Burke said. “What you need is hard to get under the current circumstances, and… watch your tone. You’re not your father, Lucius Malfoy, and even he wouldn’t speak to me like that…”

"What kind of attitude do you expect? Mr. Burke, perhaps you don't understand your situation..." Malfoy's voice turned cold. "It's been ten days already. I'll give you three more days at most. After three days, I want what I want!"

"Three days? That's impossible! The Ministry of Magic is cracking down hard, and many of my channels have been disrupted, so I can't get anything in..." Mr. Burke said, sounding a little flustered.

"That's your problem. Don't forget who wants to use that thing," Malfoy said coldly. "You know Fenrir Greyback, right? He's a friend of ours, and he comes to visit me often... Guess what he'll do if I tell him about this?"

"This..." Before Mr. Burke could finish speaking, Malfoy leaned forward, his fierce expression forcing Mr. Burke to instinctively back away.

"Or, should we have that person speak with you in person?"

"No...no need..."

"Of course, I don't want to trouble that person either; disturbing them has serious consequences..." Malfoy stepped back casually, his tone becoming much more relaxed. "So, three days?"

"Alright... three days..." Mr. Burke seemed to have used up all his strength, and bowed respectfully to Malfoy with trembling steps.

"Very good." Malfoy nodded slightly, his words laced with arrogance. "Also, I don't want anyone to know about this, including my mother, understand?"

"Of course...of course..."

Malfoy snorted, not even glancing at Mr. Burke who was bowing, and turned to push open the shop door.

He looked relaxed, and his steps were much lighter. Harry and his friends were about to follow when they saw him stop, and a person wearing a large black cloak suddenly appeared in front of him.

"What brings you here?" Malfoy seemed surprised by the man's appearance, his voice trembling slightly.

"Narcissa went back and found you weren't with her, so she got worried and asked me to come out and look for you... So, what are you doing here?"

"There are some things..." Malfoy lowered his head slightly, "If you want to know, I..."

"Forget it," the person refused outright. "This is your business, it has nothing to do with me, and I don't want to hear about it... Relax, you should know that no one can hurt you."

"I don't!"

"Alright, alright, whatever you say..." As she spoke, a hand emerged from under the cloak. "Hold on tight, I'll take you back."

Malfoy silently grabbed the man's outstretched arm, and the man immediately took out his wand and waved it lightly in the air. The two figures disappeared from the spot, leaving only a crisp sound that vanished in an instant.

Harry, Malfoy, and the other two remained hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, watching the two leave without daring to breathe loudly. They only breathed a sigh of relief after Malfoy and the cloaked man had departed.

"Who is that? Malfoy seems very afraid of him..." Ron asked softly.

"I don't know, but he's undoubtedly a very dangerous person."

(End of this chapter)