Having escaped famine, I was accepted into Hogwarts

Next came Neville's sheepskin boots for Kane, which looked very warm. Then came Mrs. Weasley's reddish-gold wool scarf, Luna's handmade glasses, and Dumbledore's... wool socks.

I'm really going to have a showdown with sheep this Christmas!

Kane murmured as he picked up the last gift box.

Next up is the most important one, from the realm of eternity...

Three volt horns!

If last year's gift of walking sticks was a gold-level win, then this year's is a red-level win.

Kane picked up the three volcanic horns; he had used them to craft the Morning Star Staff and weather vanes back in the Eternal Realm.

If you're asking if it's useful, then it's absolutely very useful. The former can inflict electric shock damage on enemies, while the latter can create a hurricane...

Sitting on his bed at Hogwarts, still holding his wand, Kane suddenly felt that the two vodka horns weren't so appealing after all. After all, what these wands could do in the Eternal Realm, magic in the real world could also do; they were somewhat of a "tasteless but not worth discarding" situation...

However, thinking back to the walking sticks from last semester, which he initially thought the same way, Kane decided to put all three of them away, just in case he needed them someday.

After all, the walking stick that I used to dislike has now become a mantis shrimp, and I wish I could hug it to sleep every night.

When Kane stood up again to tell Harry it was time to get dressed, little did he know that Harry had already dressed.

The moment he saw that the gift Kane opened from that magical gift box wasn't the same walking stick he had last semester, he was ready to fly to the Arctic for the rest of the holiday.

It's not that I don't trust zoos, it's just that what if...?

Kane could only shrug helplessly at Harry's enthusiasm. Since Harry was so motivated, he felt embarrassed to continue.

He tucked two warm pebbles into his pocket, then instructed Ron to watch the house before the two rode off on their shrimp mounts and left Hogwarts.

"Sigh, I wish I could be as carefree as them." Ron lay on the bed, watching the slowly receding dark gray arc outside the window, and sighed helplessly.

He needs to write a letter to the Quidditch team and properly promote himself.

At noon, inside a fast food restaurant on a street in the suburbs of London...

"Ah, what a coincidence! I remember you, Lupin? Right?" Kane and Harry had just entered the store when they saw Mr. Remus Lupin at the counter, explaining something.

"So what's wrong with you?" Kane walked over and asked.

"Um... to put it simply, I miscalculated my credit card limit. Well, not exactly a miscalculation, but I missed some embarrassing charges," Lupin explained, turning back to Kane to clarify.

"Poor adult." Kane pulled a pound note from his pocket and slammed it on the counter with an air of authority. Just as he was about to say, "Keep the change, keep the rest as a tip," the counter lady spoke up.

"Um...this isn't enough."

"........."

Kane paused for a moment, then grilled the slender Lupin: "How much did you eat?"

“Yesterday…” Lu Ping scratched his head subconsciously: “Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I’m unusually hungry today.”

“Alright.” Kane shrugged. This Mr. Lupin in front of him seemed to have a good relationship with Dumbledore. He might be one of Dumbledore’s henchmen, and he might even be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the next school year.

Treating guests is no small matter.

"So, are you full?" Kane asked, then suddenly realized he'd asked a bit too much. Lupin looked so unlucky; he clearly hadn't eaten enough.

"Let's have a second meal, it's on me." Kane said, pulling Lupin to find another seat. He didn't forget to tell the counter to put Lupin's bill on his own.

The counter was perfectly fine. Putting aside Kane's strange attire, his arrogance in casually pulling out pounds without even glancing at the denomination, and his attitude of treating everyone except the person in front of him like an NPC, all proved that this child was not someone that an ordinary family could raise.

Putting everything else aside, paying the bill is definitely not a problem.

Lupin, his face flushed red, felt a little embarrassed, but at the same time, he found the hamburger in his hand delicious.

During the meal, Harry quietly asked Kane who this Mr. Remus Lupin was. He looked like a wizard, but it was hard to believe that someone who was doing so poorly in Muggle society was a wizard.

How could Kane possibly answer this? Such a question, which could easily offend someone if not handled carefully, should naturally be left to the person involved to answer in person.

Then, Lupin, who was engrossed in eating his hamburger, suddenly felt a gaze fall on him. When he looked up slightly, he realized that the gaze was the one he really didn't want to face.

So he won't ask, will he? Will he really ask?

How come he's just as lacking in emotional intelligence as James? If he really were like James, he'd definitely ask that!

“Sir,” Harry said.

Lupin's heart sank. Well, he was Jaime's son after all. What was wrong with being honest about his miserable situation...?

"Would you like to order anything else?" Harry had barely finished speaking when Lupin suddenly stopped eating his hamburger.

This child doesn't look like James; he looks more like Lily.

Chapter 131 The Walrus of the Circus... It's Not Impossible [4K]

"No, thank you, I'm already full." Lupin smiled awkwardly, wiping his mouth with a tissue. It was a strange thought that he, an adult, had ended up being treated to a meal by two second-year Hogwarts wizards...

It's a bit tricky.

Speaking of Harry's question about why Lupin ended up in such a miserable state, to be honest, Kane was the one who was most puzzled.

I didn't ask earlier because I thought Harry could do it for me, but now that Harry has suddenly become so emotionally intelligent and doesn't want to continue, I'll have to speak up myself.

"I remember you worked in a manufacturing plant, how did you end up like this?"

Lupin shrugged helplessly: "Well, I got fired, it's that simple."

When did this happen?

"About half a month? It's a pity I haven't found a new job yet." Lu Ping's face flushed even more as he said this, as if he were about to catch fire.

“Okay…” Kane nodded. “But for the foreseeable future, at least until next September, your life will get better. Let me think, you just need to… endure nine more months.”

Lupin shook his head instinctively when he heard what Kane said: "Actually, that won't happen. I might try going to other countries next year, or I might try performing with a magic circus. That's the kind of work that someone like me can only find."

After listening for a long time, Harry could only make out that Mr. Lupin in front of him seemed to be qualified to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next year. Although he didn't know why Kane and the others were sure that the professorship would be vacant next year, the important thing now was that the down-on-his-luck gentleman in front of him did not want to take the position.

"You're not afraid of that curse, are you?" Harry thought about it and realized that was the only possibility. He decided to ask anyway.

"Just call me Lupin, or you can call me Remus if you prefer. It has nothing to do with my position; it's just some personal reasons."

Perhaps it was this questioning style, like checking the water meter, that made Lupin uncomfortable, or perhaps he was afraid that revealing the truth would make these two kind young wizards seriously upset for a while, and would even turn their kindness into disgust.

Lupin felt it was time for him to leave.

Of course, there was one more thing before he left: "By the way, you're all from Gryffindor, right?"

"Hmm." Kane nodded.

"Then there's no problem. I'll make up for today's meal when I have the money, don't worry." After saying that, Lu Ping suddenly remembered something: "That receipt..."

"Here you go." Kane handed over the receipt. After all, Lupin had said so, and if he didn't hand over the receipt, it would truly be like a condescending act of charity.

After Lupin left, Kane and Harry rested in the fast food restaurant for a while longer, since riding a flying broomstick was indeed a big chore for their butts.

About half an hour later, they left the fast food restaurant, hailed a taxi, and headed towards the zoo.

Of course, neither of them had any intention of seeing the animals; they were just scouting the area.

The two had been scouting the area for about four hours since they left the restaurant at noon, until the sun was setting, but they still hadn't found a suitable and reliable walrus.

In short, they visited three zoos in total. The first zoo's walrus, due to unforeseen circumstances, is now, unsurprisingly, an inanimate object.

The second family's walrus got sick and was airlifted to another city for medical treatment. The third family's walrus was in a similar situation and was airlifted to another city to give birth.

As evening fell, the streetlights in London came on, and Kane and Harry wandered aimlessly through the streets. Fortunately, they both had scarves made by Mrs. Weasley, and Kane also had a thermal stone, so it would be difficult for him to freeze to death at this temperature.

"If nothing unexpected happens, we might really be going to the Arctic," Harry sighed helplessly.

"Ah, relax, stop sighing. At least we won't be sleeping on the streets unless something unexpected happens. After all, we have plenty of money." Kane gestured for Harry to stop saying such discouraging things.

Besides, the Christmas holiday is so long, so why not look for a few more days?

Right now, the most important thing is to find a place to get a good night's sleep. Kane might not be killed by Charlie's touch now, but the probability of him freezing to death is still very high.

In a sense, although the people of the Eternal Realm teeter on the edge of life and death every day and seem to be very resilient, they are unexpectedly more pretentious than the last.

She's afraid of the cold, the heat, the dark, and dampness, and she's also timid. She starts to lose her mind when she sees anything slightly scary.

Each one exists in a duality of being able to survive and being fragile.

Kane sighed and casually walked with Harry toward a rather grand-looking hotel not far away.

“Speaking of Kane, given our age, the hotel probably won’t let us check in, right?” Harry suddenly blurted out.

"Almost, but don't panic. Have you forgotten you're a wizard? Take out the invisibility cloak."

As soon as Kane finished speaking, Harry casually shrugged: "I figured we wouldn't have Felch or any professors outside Hogwarts, so I didn't bring any. I left them with Ron and Hermione."

After listening to Harry's words, Kane remained silent for about three seconds before finally bursting out laughing.

"Felch is still serving as a sculpture in the infirmary to ward off evil spirits. What are you going to do with him at Hogwarts? Besides, the thing we're here to do is sneakily pull walrus tusks. No matter how you look at it, what we're doing is more dangerous, isn't it?"

"What should we do then...climb the wall?" Harry came up with a terrible idea.

“Of course not.” Kane sighed, still leading Harry towards the hotel. Fortunately, the sun had completely set, and the trees planted next to the hotel blocked most of the streetlights' light, so if conditions allowed…

Kane was ready, and the moment he led Harry into the hotel lobby, the shadow beneath his feet filled the entire first floor without him even needing to use it.

It was pitch black for everyone. People on the sofa and those using computers at the front desk could only see darkness for a moment, and they thought they were blind.

Fortunately, their vision returned in an instant, as if the pitch-black scene was just a nightmare.

The two uninvited guests had already boarded the hotel elevator. Kane stood in front of the elevator doors, waiting for it to take them to a random floor. Then, all they had to do was open the Aloho Cave and they could enjoy a free room for a good night's rest.

Just as Kane was beginning to imagine a good night's sleep, Harry suddenly patted his arm from behind.

"What's wrong?" Kane turned around instinctively and then saw a circus poster in Harry's hand.

The poster shows a tusked walrus wearing a beret leading two calves jumping through hoops of fire...

If all goes well, their circus tent is in the park not far away. Tonight will be their last performance, and they will leave on time the next morning.

Kane couldn't help but give a strange smile as he looked at the poster.

What's that saying again? Isn't this a case of "better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early"?

Meanwhile, on the other side of London, in the underground Ministry of Magic, Nymphadora Tonks, a distinguished graduate of Hogwarts, was not so happy; on the contrary, she was somber.

Her body, exhausted from a long day at work and having to work the night shift, was completely taken over by adrenaline. Holding a report, she strode to Director Auror's office.

"This is the report on the dark magic fluctuations from the Tulip Inn. It's exactly the same as the one we got Professor Dumbledore's help with a year ago, except... the dark magic fluctuations are stronger now."

Tonks slammed the report onto the desk of Kingsley Schalke, the deputy director on duty in the Auror office. His tired but determined eyes looked at Kingsley as if to say, "Let's quickly gather our forces and eliminate this major threat."