Where Do You Bargain Like That?

"Ancient Magic: Shield"

The scene from when he had first encountered the Runespoor seemed to appear before Vizet's eyes.

Silver-Blue Light washed over his entire body, and a spherical barrier appeared, enveloping him and Hagrid within it.

"That reporter clearly wasn't really there," Vizet said softly, pulling his pressed index fingers and thumbs outward.

The barrier immediately spread outward, stopping just short of the black-robed wizard.

Vizet smiled coldly and said in a clear voice, "I forced the Runespoor into a dead end and used this magic to crush it bit by bit... Want to try it?"

"Of course, you can also try to resist. Right now, I can still control my power. If the Obscurus is triggered... what exactly will happen is really hard to say!"

He looked around. "This place is truly ideal. It's just one straight line. Here, the Obscurus will definitely be able to perform exceptionally well."

It was not only the black-robed wizard whose forehead was beading with sweat; his three accomplices were also breaking out in cold sweat.

"Boss... this magic can't be that powerful, right?"

"Let's go at them! Are the four of us really unable to beat the two of them?"

"Is he trying to scare us? The Obscurial thing is fake, right? I don't even know what that is!"

The racket from his accomplices annoyed the black-robed wizard to no end.

He snapped, "Shut up! Even if his identity as an Obscurial is fake, is his Wandless Magic fake too? How many little brats—kids—have you seen who can use Wandless Magic?"

He flung the newspaper to his companions. "Read it yourselves! Don't know nothing and still keep thinking about charging in!"

He was deeply regretting it now. He should have chased this Obscurial away in the first place; otherwise, they would not have ended up in a situation like this.

The Silver-Blue Shield Charm was still holding, and the black-robed wizard could only grit his teeth and ask with extreme reluctance, "What exactly do you want?"

Vizet chuckled and took two steps forward. "I only want to go home. A very simple wish."

The black-robed wizard and the others immediately backed away more than ten steps, their backs pressed tightly against the still-sleeping Three-Headed Dog.

Judging from their reactions, they already knew what an Obscurial was, and they also knew what Vizet had done before.

Thanks to Rita Skeeter, that outrageous official report meant Vizet did not need to explain much to achieve the effect he wanted.

"Right, and this Three-Headed Dog. How much were you planning to sell it to Hagrid for again?"

"You're still willing to buy it?" the black-robed wizard said in surprise. "Four hundred Galleons! This Three-Headed Dog is a cub. Its eyes haven't even opened yet!"

Vizet looked to the side. "Hagrid, is a Three-Headed Dog cub worth that price?"

His knowledge of Three-Headed Dogs mainly came from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The book mainly mentioned precautions regarding Three-Headed Dogs. As for questions like price, he still had to rely on this Hogwarts Gamekeeper.

Hagrid nodded repeatedly. "Of course it's worth it! More than worth it! When I was traveling in Greece, I never saw such a favorable price!"

"See!" The black-robed wizard let out a breath of relief. "At that price, we absolutely won't raise it!"

Vizet looked at Hagrid, somewhat speechless. They were the ones with the advantage now, so they really should be acting more forcefully.

Maybe wizards in the Magical World were all rather simple-minded?

Or maybe it was just Hagrid who was rather simple-minded?

Four hundred Galleons was no small sum, and Vizet's instinct for careful budgeting kicked in. "This price is clearly unreasonable. This isn't Greece."

The black-robed wizard immediately looked at him and asked nervously, "What are you trying to say?"

Vizet said with unhurried confidence, "As far as I know, a Three-Headed Dog is a dangerous and rare fantastic beast. Buying a Three-Headed Dog is quite troublesome!"

"Besides the purchase price, you also need to complete all kinds of procedures. If you go through the normal buying process, it takes quite a lot of effort too... Do you understand?"

This was content from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which gave a simple introduction to adopting a Three-Headed Dog.

"Uh..." The black-robed wizard intended to play dumb to the end and shook his head repeatedly. "No idea! This price really is very favorable!"

He even desperately winked at Hagrid. "Big guy! Say something! It's a cub! Don't you want to become the owner of this little... little cutie?"

"Oh..." Hagrid let out a catlike purr, but did not reply, lowering his head to look at Vizet.

He knew how to assess the situation. Not speaking was how he could play the bigger role.

Vizet held up a V sign. "Two hundred Galleons. That's the highest price we'll offer."

"Two hundred Galleons!" the black-robed wizard cried strangely. "You might as well kill us! How could that price be possible!"

"Good idea!" Vizet rubbed his chin, seeming to seriously consider the question. "An alley this dark... really is quite suitable for that sort of thing."

"Vizet!" Hagrid was frightened. "You must stay calm! You're a good kid!"

The black-robed wizard was also badly frightened. "That's right! The big guy's not wrong! You must stay calm! We can discuss it some more!"

Vizet waved the V sign. "Two hundred Galleons."

"Three hundred and ninety Galleons! That's our bottom line!"

"One hundred and ninety Galleons. If you had a bottom line, you wouldn't have held me hostage at the start."

"You..." The black-robed wizard regretted it even more now and lowered the price weakly. "Three hundred and eighty Galleons. We can't go any lower!"

Vizet smiled calmly. "One hundred and seventy Galleons. Judging by how the lot of you are dressed, you must have been sleeping rough for quite a while, right?"

"Did you get into trouble in Greece? Is that why you brought a Three-Headed Dog here to hide? Once you have this money, it should be enough for you to live on for a while, shouldn't it?"

"Besides... Hagrid is Hogwarts' Gamekeeper. Only a place as large as the hunting grounds could let a Three-Headed Dog live comfortably. Understand?"

The Black Robe Wizard looked as if Vizet had hit a sore spot, his voice shrill as chalk scraping across glass. "That doesn't mean you can keep lowering the price! Who haggles like you do?"

"One hundred and fifty Galleons!" Vizet remained indifferent. "I told you, my bottom line can be lowered... especially when dealing with people like you."

By the time the moon hung high in the sky, Hagrid, grinning from ear to ear, carried the Three-Headed Dog on his shoulder and led Vizet back to Diagon Alley.

"Vizet, thank you so much for today! If you hadn't been there, I might not have made it out of Knockturn Alley!"

He fumbled in his pocket and took out a beautifully embroidered Cloth Bag. "That really scared me to death! They even wanted to search me. I didn't want this taken by them!"

This was the reason Hagrid had firmly refused to let those people search him—Vizet had temporarily entrusted his wallet to him.

The Runespoor had been brought over by Hagrid. If Hagrid had been selfish, Vizet would not have gotten five hundred Galleons either.

At least in terms of character, Hagrid was someone trustworthy.

Not only that, Hagrid's smock possessed Magic Resistance and could withstand ordinary theft magic. Keeping the money on him also made Vizet feel more at ease.

Seeing Vizet take the wallet back, Hagrid let out a sigh of relief and asked in a relaxed tone, "What do you think this little cutie should be called?"

Vizet looked at the still-dozing Three-Headed Dog and shrugged. "No idea... I'm not very good at naming things, but since it looks so fluffy, it really is... cute, I guess?"

Hagrid's eyes lit up. "Yeah! A fluffy little cutie. How about calling him Fluffy?"

He reached out and stroked the Three-Headed Dog's back, his voice full of fondness. "Fluffy, what do you think?"

Perhaps Hagrid's call had an effect, because the Three-Headed Dog, Fluffy, snorted and slowly opened his eyes. "Woof?"

However, for Fluffy, who was being carried on Hagrid's shoulder, the first person to come into view was not Hagrid, but Vizet following behind, pulling a small trolley.

"Hagrid... your Fluffy is awake."

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Three-Headed Dog's English name is Fluffy. When the publishing house translated it, they used a transliteration, so it became "Lu Wei."

I'm also following the publishing house's translation here and calling him Fluffy. Please understand.

If translated by meaning, it could also be rendered as "Fluffy" or "Furry," since Fluffy itself means something covered in soft fur.