Messenger Hagrid
There was a long queue at Flourish and Blotts, and tensions were palpable between the two groups.
Bellatrix Lestrange is no longer the madwoman who spent over a decade in Azkaban. She wears a proper and luxurious silk robe, but her wide chin and thick eyelids detract from her beauty, making her appear mean and unapproachable.
Bellatrix slightly raised her chin, looking at Sirius as if he were a lower being. "My poor cousin—while bringing shame to the family, you've become as rude as those lowly people. How pathetic. Regulus will probably just purse his lips and remain silent when he sees you like this."
Regulus is Sirius's younger brother and a staunch supporter of Pure-blood. The relationship between the two brothers in their youth is unknown, but it must be quite bad now.
However, judging from Lestrange's words, Regulus still cares about Sirius, the "traitor" of the Pure-blood families.
Sirius chuckled dismissively. He had never gotten along with his two cousins: one was a fanatical supporter of Pure-blood, the other married Lucius Malfoy, and the other was an arrogant Pure-blood 'idiot'.
His younger brother, Regulus Black, was indecisive and only ever talked about the so-called ' Pure-blood honor' that his parents had brainwashed him with. He tried to help his brother when they were in school, but he didn't succeed.
"Thank you for your concern—by the way, cousin, when you see your husband, please give him my regards."
Bellatrix's expression immediately darkened. She had married the eldest son of the Lestrange family, a man she knew nothing about, in accordance with her parents' wishes.
Clearly, the couple's relationship was in terrible shape, and Sirius was known for his sharp tongue.
Just as she was about to explode, Lucius slammed his cane into the ground. "Bella, no need for further words."
His gaze swept over the crowd like a slippery viper. "Enjoy your ordinary days, after all—this is the only pleasure you can get."
Lucius leaned closer and whispered in Mr. Weasley and Sirius's ears, "One day, you two will be kneeling before me and kissing my shoes."
He propped himself up with his cane. "Let's go, don't keep the Weasley family. What if we miscalculate the change? Draco— "
Draco had been standing nearby with a complicated expression, quickly followed in his father's footsteps.
Bellatrix held her head high as she stepped out of the crowd, giving Sean and Hermione a cold look before quickly leaving.
Sirius chuckled dismissively, turning around without a second thought. He put one hand on Mr. Weasley's shoulder and casually remarked, "A family of idiots, Arthur. What brings them to you again?"
Mr. Weasley chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I'm currently pushing for a ban on the illegal use and possession of Dark Arts Items. If it passes, Malfoy is likely to lose a lot of his collection. Besides, he's been causing trouble for quite some time now."
"Arrogant and stupid fools," Sirius curled his lip. "Never mind them, we still have so many books to buy."
He called out to Sean and the others, and while the Weasley family squeezed out, they squeezed into the bookstore.
In the crowded room, Sean politely greeted the Weasley family. It was either George or Fred, or one of the twins, who secretly slipped something into his pocket.
"Dungbombs, use this if you can't squeeze it out, there are too many people—I was going to throw this at the Malfoy ' faces, but unfortunately there didn't start a fight." The fiery red-haired Weasley winked at him.
Sean chuckled and nodded, accepting the other person's kindness.
Ginny, the youngest sister of the Weasley family, was sheltered in the very center, holding a Cauldron filled with stacks of books. The books almost completely obscured her, with only a few freckles visible on the girl's profile.
Sean took a closer look and found that Ginny's Cauldron did not contain the old, secondhand notebook.
"You're overthinking it..." Sean chuckled self-deprecatingly. Voldemort is either dead or severely crippled now, and he doesn't have the energy to do these things. Besides, whether Malfoy and Lestrange are Death Eaters is another matter. After all, Voldemort is just the leader of a small terrorist organization now, and he doesn't have any reputation at all.
They went to great lengths to buy all the books they wanted, and Lockhart was signing copies the whole time. His smile never stopped, Sean even suspected that he had used some kind of Magical Item, like fixing his smile on his face or something...
As they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, Hagrid emerged from another secluded alley and greeted them warmly.
"Hey, what a nice day! — Where should I go? Oh no, a bunch of Fire Crabs have come up on the trees near the Forbidden Forest. I need to buy some insect repellent."
While they were chatting, Sean felt his bag suddenly become heavier again. Hagrid, with a subtle movement that didn't seem to fit his size, slipped something into Sean's hand.
"Professor Dumbledore asked me to give this to you," he whispered to Sean, then said goodbye and left.
Sean nodded knowingly. After discovering that the letter had been absorbed into his memory again, he borrowed Hedwig the next day to write a letter to Dumbledore. In the letter, he vaguely described the whole thing, expressing his concern for the owl's safety, but he was sure Dumbledore would understand what he meant.
After all, it was all too coincidental. It happened on his first trip to Godric's Hollow, and Sean felt like he was a switch that brought back what Bathilda Bagshot had forgotten.
Sean always felt that it was better to leave the tasks to the right people, and that if there was an organization, then one should trust the organization; it was better to leave these things to Dumbledore to worry about.
Hedwig's reply was simple: I understand.
Sean had assumed Dumbledore knew what was going on, but now it seemed he might also feel the owl was unsafe and had Hagrid hand it over.
He squeezed the things Hagrid had given him; inside there seemed to be a piece of parchment and a hard, gem-like object.
Back in Godric's Hollow, Sean went back to his room alone, using the excuse of needing to pack his things. He opened the cardboard bag that Hagrid had given him.
Inside was a folded parchment and a smaller cloth bag.
The bag didn't seem to be tied tightly, and the contents rolled onto the bed.
It was a large, dark red gemstone with sharp edges and a flickering flame in its center.
What is this? Sean unfolded the parchment in confusion.
Two chapters today, and another one later. I had some things to do today and just got home a short while ago... Five chapters tomorrow!