Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 43 Fighting Battle

My first day at the Leaky Cauldron passed uneventfully; aside from setting a few plans, there was nothing else to mention.

The next morning, after eating the famous croquettes from the Leaky Cauldron, Ike went to the junk shop in Diagon Alley.

The junk shop was a mixed bag, with old books, toys, crucibles, and flying brooms—it was practically a department store. Of course, old books were the main focus.

Last year, Ike heard Roger say that you might find good stuff in junk shops. Some poor pure-blood families would sell their collections to supplement their income. Some of these items ended up in Knockturn Alley, some went to Gringotts, some were taken by other pure-bloods, and the rest were basically left in junk shops.

The quantity is very small, and it is extremely difficult to find among thousands of bookshelves, but there is still hope.

Ike had a good attitude towards this. He was happy to find it, but it didn't matter if he didn't. He just treated it as reading to pass the time.

Old Mike, the owner of the junk shop, didn't mind the young wizards reading in his shop. As long as you gave them a shico, they could read for as long as they wanted. It would be even better if they bought some secondhand goods before leaving.

After spending a day at the junkyard, Ike came up empty-handed. Most of the items were Hogwarts textbooks, complete or incomplete, with hundreds, or even more, of each type, mostly gathering dust on the shelves, untouched and ignored.

The crucibles and other old items were mostly broken, and even the good ones were barely usable. Ike found a pocket watch, about 70% new, but unfortunately, it couldn't tell time at all. Every time he opened it, it showed a different time; the last time it was 7:20, and when he closed it and opened it again, it was 12:30, with absolutely no pattern.

"It's a long and arduous journey." He got another piece of toast from Old Tom, ate it with water, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep.

Over the next few days, Ike spent all his time at the junk shop, but as expected, his treasure hunt yielded nothing. There were no pureblood rare spellbooks at all, but he did find quite a few adult ones.

After scorning the ways of the magical world, Ike gritted his teeth and bought a large tub of vanilla strawberry ice cream from Florin's Ice Cream Shop. He carried it in his arms, holding a spoon, and ate it as he walked.

It became a scene in Diagon Alley, since almost everyone only ordered a small box, while Ike seemed to have simply taken away the small tub of ice cream from the store.

"Oh my god! Ike!" Ike, with a spoon in his mouth, suddenly heard someone calling him. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw Hermione.

The little witch trotted over, staring wide-eyed at the ice cream tub in Ike's arms, pointing at Ike and then at the tub with her right hand, looking quite surprised.

"You'll get a stomach upset if you eat ice cream like that!"

"Good afternoon, Hermione." Ike scooped up another piece and put it in his mouth. "Want some? But you'll need a spoon, I only have this one."

"Child, I also think you should eat less." An adult patted Hermione's hair and extended his right hand to Ike. "You can call me Mr. Granger. I am Hermione's father."

"I'm Hermione's mother," another woman greeted with a smile.

Ike placed the spoon into the ice cream tub, then released it, and the tub floated to the side. He wiped his right hand on his robe and shook hands with Mr. Granger: "Ike Strayder, Hermione's friend."

"Hello, Mr. Strayed," Mr. Granger smiled. "Hermione mentioned you at home, saying you're a very bright child."

"Not as smart as Hermione, she's number one in our grade," Ike winked and replied with a smile.

"Hahaha...that's what we're most proud of about Hermione. I never worry about her studies." Mr. Granger was very happy, ruffling Hermione's hair.

"Daddy!" Hermione wrinkled her nose and dodged Mr. Granger's large hand. "Don't mess up my hair."

"Okay, okay, little Hermione." Mr. Granger rubbed her again as if in revenge before withdrawing his hand.

Ike smiled as he watched the heartwarming scene unfold before him, observing quietly. Hermione, as if noticing something, tugged at Mr. Granger's sleeve and asked, "Ike, have you finished shopping?"

"All done." Ike nodded. "I stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for several days, and I bought everything I needed a while ago."

"Oh, I see." Hermione thought for a moment, then said, "I still haven't bought Professor Lockhart's book. Do you want to come along? I heard there's a book signing today!"

"Okay." Ike nodded with a smile, his fingers twitching as he caught the floating bucket of ice cream. He handed it to Hermione, saying, "You really don't want any?"

"No, it's bad for my teeth." Hermione shook her head, glanced at the Grangers, and whispered, "My parents are dentists, they won't let me eat these things."

"How terrifying! I'd rather be killed than not be allowed to eat these things." Ike feigned fear, eliciting giggles from Hermione.

The Grangers overheard their conversation. The couple exchanged a glance, a hint of helplessness in their eyes, and followed the two men toward Flourish and Blotts.

Flourish and Blotts was bustling with activity today. A large Lockhart standee stood at the entrance, and the place was packed with people, with a long line stretching out beyond. Besides the young wizards from Hogwarts, there were also a large number of middle-aged witches. They were all dressed up, wearing subtle smiles, and looking expectantly into Flourish and Blotts, as if they could see Lockhart smiling charmingly through the crowd.

Looking at the crowded scene before him, Ike felt a headache coming on. Whether in the past or present, he hated queuing the most, and avoided crowded places whenever possible. Hermione, on the other hand, was very excited. Ever since receiving her new semester's reading list, she had looked up Lockhart's information and was inevitably attracted to this seemingly perfect wizard. She greeted Ike and was about to rush into the crowd.

Seeing this, Ike quickly grabbed him, saying, "Are you crazy? There are so many people, it's too dangerous!"

Hermione glanced at Ike, then at the swarming witches, hesitating. Just as she was about to say something, a commotion erupted inside, the crowd scattered, and two men emerged, wrestling. One of them tripped, and both fell to the ground.

Akra, holding Hermione's hand, squeezed through the crowd as they tried to get out, just in time to see three others emerging from the fight. One had black hair, one had red hair, and the other had light blonde hair. It was clear that the black-haired and red-haired ones were working together, and they were beating the light blonde one. The light blonde one was no pushover either, and even against two opponents, he was only slightly at a disadvantage.

"Harry! Ron!" Hermione saw familiar faces and grabbed Ike, trying to rush over to help. Ike stumbled as he was pulled along, but still managed to run after her.

Before they could even rush over, a witch stopped them: "It's too dangerous! Don't go! Fred! George! Pull them apart!"

The twins made a face at Hermione, giggling and refusing to go over, which made Molly Weasley keep urging them on, making the scene even more chaotic.

While watching the battle between the Malfoy and Weasley families and listening to Mrs. Weasley's shrewish roar, Ike ate his ice cream bite by bite.

The boxing match was incredibly exciting. Lucius Malfoy's hooks were powerful and full of force, while Arthur Weasley's headbutts were equally ferocious, reminding Ike of Zidane's header. The two had clearly sparred many times, understanding each other's fighting styles and able to deflect even the most lethal moves. One would throw a hook, the other would grab his wrist; one would land a headbutt, the other would slap him. Before long, they were locked in a tug-of-war.

The junior group wasn't as exciting, but Draco Malfoy's punches were clearly more powerful, managing to hold his own against two opponents. Harry and Ron were indeed weaker; individually, they couldn't match Malfoy's strength or speed. Their only advantage was their numerical superiority, which allowed them to only slightly overpower him. In fact, the two of them had more injuries than Malfoy.

"Draco!" Two shouts rang out, and two chubby boys pushed their way out of the crowd—Clark and Goyle. The addition of these heavyweight fighters completely changed the course of the battle. Harry and Ron were utterly helpless. Young Malfoy finally displayed his family's fighting skills, his hook punches reminiscent of old Malfoy's style. In the blink of an eye, Harry and Ron were stunned.

"Oh my god! Go help them!" Hermione shouted to Ike, who was eating ice cream, looking very anxious.

Ike took another bite, pointed to the tall figure outside the crowd, and said, "I probably won't need to help anymore, Hermione..."

"Get out of the way! Gentlemen! Get out of the way!" Hagrid easily walked through the crowd and easily separated old Malfoy and Mr. Weasley. Fred and George also finally ran over to stop the junior competition.

"Heh..." Old Malfoy shook off Hagrid's grip on his arm and beckoned Draco over. He straightened his clothes, picked up his cane and scattered books, and once again revealed his arrogant expression; if only his eyes weren't bruised, the effect would have been even better.

Mr. Weasley gently patted Hagrid's hand, and Mrs. Molly and the rest of the Weasley family gathered around to check on Mr. Weasley's injuries.

Old Malfoy, leaning on his cane in one hand and carrying a few old books in the other, walked toward Mr. Weasley. Hagrid tried to stop him, but Mr. Weasley stopped him.

"Ha..." Old Malfoy glanced disdainfully at the Weasleys present, then shoved the old book in his hand into the timid Ginny's arms. "Little girl, take your book! This is the best your father can give you!"

Ginny stumbled from the impact, frantically catching the book, her body involuntarily leaning backward. Hermione quickly caught her, preventing her from falling. Mr. Weasley, seeing this, was about to rush forward, but Hagrid stopped him, and he could only watch helplessly as the Malfoys left as if they had won a battle.

"You shouldn't listen to him, Arthur." Hagrid reached out to smooth Mr. Weasley's robes. "That guy is rotten, his whole family is. Everyone knows that the Malfoys don't have any sense. Their blood is rotten. Let's go, let's get out of here."

"That guy almost knocked Ginny over!" Mr. Weasley was furious, but Hagrid was too strong and couldn't break free. He was dragged away by force.

The others followed behind. Madam Molly scolded the twins, Hermione comforted Ginny, and Harry and Ron rubbed their injuries, reviewing their mistakes. The Grangers were horrified; it was the first time they had ever seen wizards fight, and they fought as fiercely as ordinary people.

Ike followed behind, eating his ice cream as he went, and in just a short while, he had already finished half a tub.

Indeed, this is what a true wizard should be watching; real combat is the way to go, and Avada Kedavra is heresy.

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(End of this chapter)