A certain broken Hogwarts

Irving felt somewhat bewildered.

Only five days had passed since the day he and Mr. Shafik were attacked, and just as he was getting ready to carry out his fishing plan, Mr. Shafik told him that the matter had been resolved.

Owen sat at the table, munching on his potato chips, looking bewildered. He listened to Mr. Shafiq talk at length about how he got the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic to arrest those guys, and felt a void in his heart.

"...After the attack, I reported it to the Ministry of Magic. The Aurors take these guys who dared to commit violence in Diagon Alley very seriously. They've been wandering around with great energy lately—you know, to catch those two fugitives—so they just happened to catch these guys as well."

"The investigation is complete. It's a small, audacious gang of thieves and robbers, brimming with confidence and wanting to pull off a big heist," Albert said with a disdainful expression. "So they targeted our family, trying to kidnap the young master of the Shafik family and extort a ransom, hoping to make a living off this one heist for the rest of their lives..."

He glanced at the somewhat dejected Owen, finding his appearance quite strange. Wasn't this kid always fearless?

He was acting a bit like a child... He reassured her with a strange sense of relief, "You don't need to worry anymore. They broke into your bookstore to lure you there so they could attack you, so they were keeping watch outside St. Mungo's Hospital... Your bookstore can reopen now."

Irving glanced at him, still looking rather dejected. It was like having enthusiastically prepared a spectacular performance only to have it canceled at the last minute; this feeling of suffocation left him feeling stuck in his chest, neither here nor there.

"How did they know I owned that bookstore?" He lowered his head slightly, poking at the roast meat on his plate with his fork.

Few people knew that the bookstore in Knockturn Alley belonged to him; besides Natasha and Lupin, the only other people in the know were the Shafiq couple. He never showed himself to outsiders when he went to the bookstore; he would always recite a Disillusionment Charm to himself outside.

"These things are never hard for someone with a keen eye to find out," Albert said casually. "Maybe someone saw you through the shop window or something..."

Adeline listened quietly, one hand supporting her chin, a strand of dark hair falling lazily beside her ear. In a slightly hoarse voice, she asked, "Then why did they attack you, Albert?"

"Ha, because they let Owen escape." Albert chuckled, lightly tapping the table with his right fist. "Two idiots happened to see me go into the potions shop, and on a whim decided to attack me... They probably thought they could extort more Galleons from me if they caught me?"

"Given their intelligence, begging suits them better," he said lazily. "Oh, but before that, they'll have to stay in Azkaban for a while."

Adeline nodded slightly, gently stroking the crystal goblet with her slender, fair fingers.

Irving squinted, and said thoughtfully, "I see..."

……

Over the next few days, Irving's life returned to normal.

The bookstore in Knockturn Alley reopened after renovations. Natasha and Lupin set up more security and defenses in the store, but they haven't been harassed in the past few days.

Given Mr. Lupin's consistently diligent work performance, Irving generously doubled his salary, transforming the job from blatant exploitation into a more lucrative and respectable one.

Natasha hesitated for a long time, pulling out quite a few strands of hair. But out of gratitude for being saved, she ultimately said nothing and simply secluded herself for a long time.

Shafiq Manor remained as tranquil and leisurely as ever. The Shafiq couple were each busy with their own affairs; Melett spent all day playing with the fluffy cat called Tuanzi, Nyx ate roses all day long, and Owen "slept" in his study all day long.

He had been studying Voldemort's flight spell in the Wallfacer's Space for the past few days. Although the spell was complex and difficult, after persistent study and targeted learning, he was almost able to master it.

In his spare time, he also pondered the method of enhancing magic that Tom had taught him. Unlike the magic fusion experiments he had conducted before, this was a complete black magic ritual, imbued with dark and evil attributes.

The idea behind this ritual is simple: a magical mark is inscribed on the body to act as a "container." When the user kills another creature, this mark absorbs a portion of the creature's life force, along with its resentment and despair. Once enough killing has filled the mark, it is fed back to its owner, triggering a surge in magical power.

Although the ritual is a one-time event, and each person can only use it once, it still holds great value for Irving.

There's no need to deliberately kill; just let nature take its course. He'll inevitably encounter enemies in the future, and in the process of defeating them, he can also increase his magical power—there's nothing more wonderful than that.

Such a dark magic ritual is naturally bound to have side effects. It will undoubtedly distort a person's mind, making them more evil and dark, but how to avoid this is already Owen's forte.

"Tsk, it really suits me. Tom is such a good man," he said sincerely.

After spending some time thoroughly studying the ritual in the Wallfacer's Space and confirming that its side effects could be borne by the Dark Guardians, Owen did not hesitate to complete the ritual in reality.

He mixed his own blood with a specially concocted potion to create ink, and used his wand to guide the ink to draw a pattern on the inside of his right wrist. Amidst the spell chants, sometimes short and sometimes long, accompanied by a pricking pain and a sense of mental disorientation, a distinctive black mark was thus etched onto his skin.

The pattern of snakes and thorns intertwined on the cross of interwoven bones contrasted sharply with Owen's pale skin, creating an eerie and cruel beauty. It then disappeared into his skin, usually remaining unseen.

Irving was very pleased with this and even had the house-elves in the manor prepare a Chinese meal to celebrate.

With only a week left before the start of the semester, he remembered that he should go to Diagon Alley to buy his textbooks for the next semester.

On a sunny afternoon, Owen approached Nyx, who was so bored she was practically breathing fire at the sun, and said with a grin, "Nyx, want to come for a walk with me?"

Nyx turned her head and stared at him with her beautiful eyes, swaying her long tail feathers and emitting a pleasant chirp.

Sensing the joy and eagerness emanating from the other, Owen examined it for a moment, then suddenly said with a regretful look, "But your appearance is too eye-catching."

Nyx raised his head high and let out a haughty and dissatisfied cry.

"I don't want to be the center of attention, being stared at by everyone," Irving said, shaking his head regretfully.

Meeting Nyx's disappointed and dissatisfied gaze, he pretended to think for a moment before saying, "Unless you transform into something less conspicuous."

"Chirp chirp!" Nyx chirped in exasperation. But it couldn't transform.

Owen's eyes darted around mischievously for a moment, then he said seriously, "I can help you transform; my transformation skills have improved quite a bit recently."

While it's difficult to transform magical creatures with magical powers using Transfiguration, especially those with powerful magic, it's possible to temporarily change their appearance if they cooperate. However, sealing their abilities is extremely difficult.

Owen had successfully transformed Melete into a mouse a while ago, even allowing her to only use the powers of a mouse. However, due to the cat-like cat's strong resistance, the transformation spell quickly failed. Because of this, Melete ignored him for several days.

But to use Transfiguration on a phoenix or a dragon is a pipe dream.

"So, have you made up your mind?" Irving urged.

Nyx hesitated. Between transforming into something ugly and not being able to go out and play, it ultimately chose to have Owen help it transform.

"Chirp!" Don't make me look too ugly, or I'll burn you!

Owen curled the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a triumphant smile. Having a phoenix as a practice subject for Transfiguration was quite rare.

Nyx is still quite gullible. Although the phoenix is ​​a very intelligent and magical creature, Nyx is still a little bird less than a year old, and hasn't seen much of the world. He's actually quite naive.

Owen drew his wand, pointed it at Nyx, and threatened her with a stern face, "Don't resist, or you might never be able to turn back!"

Nyx nodded quickly, staring nervously at the wand in his hand.

As Owen chanted the Transformation Charm, the phoenix's magnificent and graceful form slowly shrank, its feathers changing color.

When he put down his wand, Nyx had transformed into a majestic owl. Its entire body was covered in fluffy, dark brown feathers, its enlarged eyes were still red, and it still had three long black crests on its head, making it look very strange.

Nyx stretched out its wings uncomfortably, turning its head to examine itself, a sense of grievance and displeasure emanating from it as it looked at Owen. It opened its beak towards the sky and spat out a mouthful of hot, dark flame.

"It really is just a change in appearance." Owen chuckled and patted his left shoulder, gesturing for Nyx to stand on it.

After stuffing a bag of gold coins and the book list for next semester into his pocket, he hesitated for a moment, then turned and went to the living room. Adeline was sitting in a soft armchair, flipping through a book. Hearing the noise, she looked up and asked gently, "Are you going out?"

"Okay, let's go to Diagon Alley to buy books." Owen waved his wand and lit the fireplace.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Adeline asked gently.

"No need to trouble yourself, Mom, I can go by myself." Owen smiled at his mother and tossed a handful of Floo Powder into the fire. He hugged Nyx and stepped into the rising green flames.

Adeline stared silently until Owen's figure disappeared into the flames. Her deep green eyes flickered slightly, and then she snapped the book shut.

Inside the Leaky Cauldron, Owen emerged from the fireplace covered in soot, waving his wand to clean himself. He smiled and glanced around at the lively crowd, politely nodding to the elderly bartender, then crossed the bar counter and went to the backyard wall, gently tapping a brick three times with his wand.

The bricks moved, opening the door to Diagon Alley for him.

Despite the heat, Diagon Alley was still bustling with activity. Pedestrians thronged to and fro, and a cacophony of sounds filled the air.

Owen strolled slowly along the streets of Diagon Alley, the shop windows displaying a dazzling array of goods. Nyx, shaped like an owl, stared wide-eyed, curiously taking in the sights, seemingly overwhelmed by the variety.

With the start of the new school year approaching, large numbers of Hogwarts students flooded into Diagon Alley. Owen bumped into several acquaintances and stopped to exchange a few pleasantries with them.

"Wow, your owl is really cool! Where did you buy it?" the shop assistant, who was fanning himself at the entrance of the EeLaws store, said to him as he passed by.

“Wild,” Owen replied casually. Nyx turned his head and glared fiercely at the clerk, amidst the hooting sounds echoing throughout the owl shop.

A sample of a firebolt was displayed in the window of the Quidditch shop, surrounded by a group of young wizards who stared longingly at the beautifully sculpted flying broomstick, drooling. Many adult wizards would also linger here for a moment, reluctant to leave.

Irving wasn't interested in flying broomsticks. He went into Madam Malkin's Robes boutique, bought a few well-fitting robes, and ordered a vanilla ice cream at Florin Fosco Ice Cream Shop, though most of it ended up in Nyx's stomach.

The window display at Flourish and Blotts, which should have been filled with thick, gold-embossed magic books, was now occupied by a large iron cage containing over a hundred thick books with green covers. These books were tangled together, fiercely tearing at each other, locked in a fierce struggle, with torn pieces of paper flying everywhere.

Irving pulled the book list out of his pocket and walked into the bookstore. He saw the clerk, looking helpless and annoyed, holding a large, scarred cane and banging it hard on the books, trying to stop them from fighting.

"Oh, Hogwarts?" Upon seeing Owen, the shop assistant looked like she was about to cry. "Does he need to take a class on protecting magical creatures?"

"Yes..." Owen had just nodded when he saw the shop assistant grit his teeth, put on a thick pair of gloves, and carefully open the iron cage in front of him with a cane.

Several copies of "The Monster Book of Monsters," which were fighting amongst themselves, jumped out of their cage and pounced on the shop assistant like vicious dogs pouncing on their prey. The shop assistant poked them hard with his cane and finally managed to grab one of them, pulling the thick, struggling book out of the cage.

With a loud bang, the shop assistant slammed the cage door shut, finally letting out a sigh of relief. The book in his hand tumbled out of his grasp, fell to the ground, and viciously bit his ankle.

"Oh, let go! You wretched book!" The clerk kicked and punched it with all his might, finally managing to fling it away. The book flew into the back bookshelf, causing a commotion and a flurry of shouts.

"I swear, I'll never stock these again! Never again!" The shop assistant, looking disheveled, rushed over, carrying his cane. Accompanied by the sounds of tearing and bookshelves collapsing, the book, like a strange crab, scurried out sideways, only to be stepped on halfway.

"Hey, Owen. Are you here to buy books too?" Luna waved at Owen with her gray eyes, then looked down at the books struggling at her feet with curiosity.

"Yeah. Are you all alone?" Owen said, suppressing a laugh. He'd seen the shop assistants having a good time, so he hadn't bothered them. Yeah, that's it.

"Dad went out to buy some materials to fish for ballfish," Luna said in her ethereal voice. She then looked up and stared at Nyx on Owen's shoulder with her slightly bulging eyes.

"It doesn't look like an owl at all." She tilted her head, with an expression that seemed to be one of surprise and curiosity, her messy hair hanging down on her bright yellow robe, making her look quite strange.

Nyx arrogantly raised his head.

"Perhaps it's a bubble-nosed monster in disguise," Luna continued.

"Pfft—" Owen covered his mouth and laughed. Nyx cried out "Ah!" and angrily flapped its wings, its claws scratching Owen's shoulder painfully.

"This is Nyx," Owen said in a good mood.

The shop assistant, sweating profusely, ran over from the bookshelf area and breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw the book Luna was standing on.

"Oh my god, this is terrible!" he complained. "I thought the Book of Invisibility was bad enough... I've already been bitten five times today."

"I think they're like a bunch of little animals," Luna murmured, bending down to gently stroke the book. As she touched the spine, the struggling book trembled violently and lay still on the floor.

"Isn't it so well-behaved?" Luna bent down and hugged it, her smile pure and innocent.

"Oh, so that's how it is..." The shop assistant glanced at the books in the cage, which were torn to pieces and flying everywhere. In the end, he didn't dare to reach in and touch them. He resignedly raised the cane in his hand and separated a book that was almost torn in half from the other books.

"What other books do you want to buy?" the clerk asked when he had a moment. He took the book from Luna, tied it securely with a belt, and then handed it to Owen.

"Seeing Through the Fog and the Future," Irving said. "Numerology and Grammar." "Oh, and Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Okay, so you're starting divination and arithmetic divination classes? I think taking two divination classes will make you a bit mystical." The shop assistant put down his cane and rummaged for books in the corner. "Of course, you're definitely a top student. I think anyone who chooses three electives is..."

"But don't you need 'Intermediate Transfiguration' and 'Standard Spells, Level Three'?" The clerk placed the books on the counter.

"I already have it." Owen put down the book he was holding. He had already finished learning all of these, including ancient runes.

"As expected, you're a top student," the shop assistant clicked her tongue, then turned to Luna, who was standing absentmindedly to the side. "What do you want to buy?"

Owen paid, put the books in his small bag, and chatted with Luna. Luna enthusiastically recounted her holiday trip with her father to catch bigmouth wrasse, her wide eyes frequently glancing at Nyx.

Nyx proudly turned her head away from her. But Owen, sensing something in its heart, understood that this bird, who always seemed to dislike everyone, surprisingly didn't dislike Luna.

Owen only started walking back down the street after Luna's father came to pick her up.

Just then, he heard Blaise Zabini's voice coming from afar: "Owen! I'm here!"

Irving turned his head and saw Blaise waving and grinning as he ran towards him from the entrance of a secondhand store: "Look what I found!"

He excitedly handed Irving a small metal ball, his expression somewhat exaggerated.

Irving looked down at the heavy iron ball, covered in reddish-brown rust, and looked quite ordinary. He gently lifted it in his hand; it was clearly solid.

"What..." He looked up. But before he could finish speaking, the world suddenly spun around him.

He felt as if a hook had snagged his navel, pulling him into a kaleidoscope of swirling colors.

Irving's hands were glued to the iron ball, and all he could hear was the whistling wind.

"Oh, it's a door key," he thought, somewhat surprised yet not entirely unexpected. (End of Chapter)