The Shadow of the Green Light

"Would you like to open a vault for your own wealth? Special rates."

"Certainly, Gringotts welcomes your esteemed presence at any time."

After leaving Gringotts, Mu En looked at the small bag he was carrying with great interest.

The bag was adorned with the Gringotts emblem and made from fine fabric, quite presentable. Mu En could feel two types of magic emanating from it.

One was used to expand the space within the bag, and the other magic was for stabilizing the former, ensuring its effectiveness for a period.

It would last for about one to two years, with an expanded space of approximately two cubic meters.

Mu En placed the bag into his sleeve. After a while, he handed the now deflated bag to Harry.

"Here, you can use this to carry things later," Mu En said.

Harry quickly took it and weighed the bag, the clinking of coins echoing.

"I'll give you the extra change," Mu En said as he walked ahead, without looking back.

Harry nodded quickly, a little apprehensive, "Thank you, Uncle Mu En."

Mu En paid no mind to Harry, his attention now fixed on the wizards passing by, finding it quite jarring.

Why were these people's attire...

No different from the 17th century when he was in Pirates of the Caribbean??

Or perhaps it was the stereotypical wizard attire that ordinary people imagined: robes that covered their entire bodies, exuding the scent of herbs.

Had these wizards become detached from the normal world?

How strange...

"Uncle Mu En, where are we going next?" Harry asked, walking up to him.

"The bookstore," Mu En replied. He had spotted a bookstore called Flourish and Blotts on the way here, and it seemed to be quite large.

He was now very interested in this world's magical system, its magical history, and the composition of the modern and contemporary magical world.

The bookstore wasn't crowded. Mu En took a quick look around. Besides various magical books, this world also had many magical periodicals. And the pictures in them actually moved.

This was quite interesting.

"Sir, are you looking to buy textbooks for Hogwarts for your child? We currently have an integrated package available at a discount."

Mu En nodded and, after some thought, decided to take a look.

Guided by the shop assistant, Mu En saw all the required books for Hogwarts from first to seventh year.

"One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi," "Beginner Transfiguration," "A History of Modern Magic," and so on.

"I'll take all of them, from first to seventh year."

"Ah?" The shop assistant glanced at him, then asked uncertainly, "Do you have seven children at home?"

Mu En didn't quite understand the shop assistant's thought process and, after a moment of stunned silence, said, "I want to see them."

"Uh... alright." The shop assistant nodded somewhat dejectedly.

Afterward, Mu En continued to search the bookstore. For most books, he only needed to glance at the table of contents to decide whether to acquire them. Unfortunately, most of the books here were published works, which meant the knowledge recorded within them wouldn't be too advanced.

However, there were still avenues to explore. For instance, from books like "Dark Wizards: Past and Present" and "The Origins of Alchemy," he believed he could find clues to more advanced knowledge.

There was one saying that Mu En strongly agreed with:

"The more you read, the more you realize the extent of your ignorance, and the clearer it becomes what you should read next."

However, the book he was most satisfied with so far was "Complete Book of Household Charms."

It actually recorded numerous spells for washing dishes, laundry, quick drying of clothes, and dust removal.

It was incredibly useful.

Moreover, the spells within were simple and easy to learn, even young wizards could master them quickly, making it an excellent choice for introductory reading.

Harry would surely want to learn a few tricks from it.

Definitely!

About half an hour later, Harry walked out of Flourish and Blotts, holding a small bag that was bulging with books.

It contained all the books Mu En had asked for.

It cost over 300 Galleons.

It even astonished the owner of Flourish and Blotts.

After leaving the bookstore, it was around noon. The two casually ate some food by the roadside, and then Mu En sat down outside a coffee shop to rest.

Harry, on the other hand, had been sent to a snack shop. Harry's gaze had lingered there several times when they passed by earlier.

So Mu En chose to rest, giving Harry some time to himself.

Ten minutes later, Harry ran up to Mu En excitedly, a smile on his face, "Uncle Mu En, hold out your hand."

Mu En looked confused, opening his hand and feeling Harry place something wriggling into it.

Was it a caterpillar? Or something strange.

But as a battle-hardened old wizard and a cat, he wouldn't be scared.

As he opened his hand, a dark mass suddenly leaped towards his face.

He squeezed his hands together and immediately saw that it was a chocolate frog.

"Honestly, you scared me," Mu En said, trying to sound sincere.

"Not at all, your expression didn't change at all, Uncle," Harry said with some disappointment.

Mu En didn't argue. He stood up, straightened his jacket, and smiled, "Not letting others see your emotional changes is a basic requirement for a mature wizard. Actually, my heart is still pounding."

"May…be," Harry still didn't think Mu En was scared, but he changed the subject, asking, "Where are we going now?"

"Knockturn Alley."

This was a place Mu En had heard mentioned earlier. He heard it was a little different from Diagon Alley.

Perhaps it would be more interesting inside.

He was quite curious.

Knockturn Alley was located behind Gringotts. In just a few steps, the two arrived at the entrance.

Unlike the outside, as they stepped into the alley, Harry smelled a faint stench. The ground was covered in sewage, black and green moss grew in the corners, and much of the plaster on the walls had peeled off.

Beneath their feet were messy, uneven stone steps, some long and some short, making it impossible for first-time visitors to find their footing. They could only look at the steps and descend one by one.

After walking only about ten meters, dark, dirty windows began to appear on the walls on both sides, and the view was no longer a narrow path but had widened.

After descending the messy steps, Harry finally looked up, only to come face-to-face with a shriveled head, startling him greatly.

"This is a wizarding art from the American tribes that has been passed down since the Age of Discovery," Mu En explained appropriately, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

"The Jivarro people of America would cut off the heads of their enemies, make them into these heads, and imbue them with special powers through witchcraft, making the tribal warriors carrying them even stronger.

Besides Jivarro heads, there are also Maori heads, which are similar magical artifacts.

It's a primitive, bloody form of witchcraft, but of course... it's also very powerful."

Mu En's tone was unhurried, gradually easing Harry's fear, though it made him stick closer.

He felt... this place was worlds apart from Diagon Alley.

At this moment, several ragged wizards watched them enter, whispering and casting malicious, sneering glances at him without any pretense.

The wizarding world was a small circle. Most of those who came to Knockturn Alley were already familiar with each other. They immediately recognized Mu En as a new face.

Soon, several of them walked over, forming a semi-circle.

One of them drew his wand and pointed it at Mu En, "You took out such a large sum of money and still dared to come to Knockturn Alley. Kid, hand over all the money you just took."

Mu En looked surprised, "You saw me take out money?"

The man grinned slyly, "Sorry, I witnessed it firsthand." With that, a spell suddenly struck.

"Stupefy!"

A swift red bolt of light appeared from the tip of the man's wand, flying towards Mu En at a speed that ordinary people couldn't react to.

"Uncle Mu En!!" Harry suddenly rushed out, trying to shield Mu En.

Mu En swatted the spell away with a slap, as if flicking away a mosquito, and looked at the man, "So, why don't you ask yourself why I dared to come here and face trash like you?"

"Kid, you've only met one wizard so far, haven't you?" Mu En suddenly asked Harry.

"Wh-what?!" Harry hadn't recovered from the shock of the moment.

"Don't lump me in with trash," Mu En rubbed Harry's head.

Harry looked up and saw the same familiar, faint smile.

Harry, who was only ten years old at the time, suddenly had a vague understanding of the meaning behind that smile.

It was absolute arrogance.

"Kid, what do you think the wizarding world is like?" Mu En suddenly asked again.

"Damn it, what are you talking to yourself about?!" The wizard's face was full of anger, feeling deeply disrespected, and he cast another spell.

"Crucio!!"

At the same time, others also drew their wands, casting spells of various colors, but without exception, these spells were all emitted as bolts of light.

"You still express magic simply as 'waves'? How disappointing," Mu En muttered, then raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

Snap—

From Mu En's hand, a blue wave of energy suddenly radiated outwards, so fast that it dispersed all the incoming spells.

"Let me tell you, no matter how beautiful it is, when power that transcends the ordinary can be privately controlled," Mu En said calmly, "Then the entire system is absolutely governed by strength."

He looked at everyone, waved his hand, and seven shimmering spears suddenly appeared, corresponding to those who surrounded them.

Harry looked at Mu En, a bit confused, and swallowed.

"Avada Kedavra!!"

Just then, a green light suddenly bloomed before Harry's eyes.

Mu En's tall figure began to tear and shatter before his eyes, like rags shredded by a fierce wind.

The scar on his forehead, hidden by his turban, suddenly ached, and before Harry's eyes, another figure, vanishing in the green light, seemed to overlap with reality.

Tears welled up uncontrollably in his eyes, and he reached out, trying to grasp Mu En's dissipating form.

"No!!"