Inside Flourish and Blotts

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny couldn't run fast, so they fell behind. She only caught up when the boys were openly expressing their longing for Knockturn Alley.

"Oh, Harry ... darling... you scared me to death..." Molly gasped as she pulled a clothes brush from her handbag and began brushing the soot off Harry.

Harry let Mrs. Weasley do as she pleased, his face showing a docile expression, seemingly enjoying Molly's affection.

After a brief introduction, Loren and Hermione met Ginny. Ginny was the youngest child in the Weasley family, Ron's sister, a lovely little girl with the Weasley family's signature red hair.

Soon, Molly learned that Harry had wandered into Knockturn Alley and that the Twins were quite envious, which made her furious. She kept telling Harry not to go to Knockturn Alley Knockturn Alley again and not to tell the Twins about it, lest they become curious.

Loren and Hermione lagged behind, standing with Ron and watching Harry get scolded.

"So, Harry accepted your invitation and has been staying at the Burrow for the past month, right?" Loren looked around but didn't see Black.

"Oh! It's such a shame you didn't come. Harry said it's been the most fun and happiest month of his life." Ron was extremely proud.

"And what about his godfather?"

"Sirius Black went to investigate Dobby, and you guys didn't know..."

Dobby's appearance and rampage at the Dursley' house left Peggy and Vernon uneasy. Ordinary people who had always lived in the normal world were filled with fear of such strange creatures and magic that could disappear in an instant.

But Peggy claimed she had made a pact with Dumbledore and kept reassuring Vernon, allowing Harry to continue staying at their house. The air was thick and still for those few days, and to allow them to return to normal life, Harry simply left the Dursley house and came to the Burrow as a guest.

Black believed that only wealthy Pure-blood Families could have House-elf, and after entrusting Harry to the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, he claimed he had some things to investigate and then left.

Ron's story ended just as the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Harry came out after withdrawing the money.

"It must be Malfoy," Harry said confidently. "I just saw Malfoy and his father at Borgin's Blog; they were definitely trading Dark Arts items."

Ron glanced at Arthur ahead, then lowered his head and whispered, "My father has been trying to find evidence of Lucius Malfoy's illegal activities, and they're going to search Malfoy Manor soon."

"That Dobby must be from the Malfoy family," Harry said, even more certain.

"Ron!"

Molly's sudden call startled the group of conspirators. Molly walked over, shoved a handful of Bronze Knut into Ron's hand, and then loudly instructed the children, "Don't spend all your allowance at once, or I won't give you any more. Alright, meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour."

"Lastly! No going to Knockturn Alley!" she yelled at the Twins brothers who were hurrying away, and then left with Ginny.

In the end, only the four of them, including Loren, remained. They strolled along the cobblestone streets, and Harry bought four large scoops of strawberry peanut butter ice cream.

"If you ask me, they'll never find out. The Malfoy family will never be found at a crime scene, even though their fingerprints might be all over the criminal's wand." Ron uttered another Wizarding World slang term, which sounded somewhat poetic.

"At the very least, you should tell Headmaster Dumbledore about this after school starts." Hermione said, tidying up her newly bought quills.

"Or should we wait until Black finds out the results before we relay them?"

"What if they can't find it?"

Harry and Ron discussed the matter.

Loren carefully examined the Unicorn horn in the pharmacy's display window. It was curved with a slight arc, but there wasn't even a spiral pattern on it. "It looks so fake."

He didn't care Dobby. As long as he was careful, he could get his hands on the notebook today, and none of the Basilisk problems would happen.

An hour later, they headed toward Flourish and Blotts.

The bookstore was crowded with middle-aged women of similar age to Mrs. Weasley, their faces beaming with excitement. A large banner hung in the window. "Gilderoy Lockhart - Signed Autobiography - 'The Magical Me' "

"I have a feeling that our Protestantism Defense Against the Dark Arts professor isn't very reliable," Hermione said in a low voice.

For a time, she really enjoyed Lockhart's books, but after Loren pointed out the self-aggrandizing content, she couldn't read them anymore, especially those full-page smiling illustrations, which made her feel awkward.

"How can you say such things about our Protestantism!" Loren rebuked righteously, from this moment on he was Lockhart's loyal supporter. If a fan asked the professor about the Memory Charm, the professor would surely not refuse.

Hermione was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him expressionlessly. This guy was acting strange again.

Harry and Ron were indeed curious about the Protestantism, so they pulled each other into the bookstore and joined Molly in line, slowly inching forward.

Gradually, they could see Gilderoy Lockhart. Huge life-size standees stood before them, and there was more than one; all of Lockhart were winking and smiling at the crowd, flashing dazzling white teeth.

In real life, Lockhart wore a blue stand-up collar suit, which complemented his blue eyes, making him look like a polite gentleman.

"Oh, this can't be Harry Potter, can it!"

He spotted Harry in the crowd at a glance. He had entered Hogwarts with the intention of using the Chosen One to increase his fame.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Make way," Lockhart stepped down from the stage, put his arm around Harry, and led him back to the front. "Young Harry came into Flourish and Blotts today simply to buy a copy of my autobiography!"

"And I'm willing to give him a whole set of my books for free!"

"But he didn't know that he would soon receive something even more valuable..."

"Excellent! Ladies and gentlemen! I am extremely pleased and proud to announce that this September, I will become the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

When Harry came to his senses, he had already acquired a complete set of Lockhart's books, a signed collector's edition, which was quite valuable.

Hermione's face scrunched up. "I suddenly have a bad feeling about Defense Against the Dark Arts next semester."

"How could it be like this—hiss—"

Loren, a staunch supporter of Lockhart, was about to launch into a righteous and stern speech, but was stopped by Hermione's powerful fist.

"Don't act weird!"

"Oh~"

In the end, he failed to win Lockhart's favor and was instead pulled by Hermione to the bookshelf to choose extracurricular books.

Just as Hermione was flipping through a book called "Easy Introduction to Ancient Runes," Ron leaned close to Loren, smacked his lips twice, and gestured for him to quietly follow him.

"Loren, I'd like to borrow some money from you," Ron said in a low voice.

Loren glanced at Mrs. Weasley, puzzled. "Weren't all those expensive books bought by your mother? You just got your allowance, why are you borrowing money now?"

Ron was a little embarrassed. "I want to buy Ginny a new crucible, Brass Scales, and Protective Gloves..."

He spoke softer and softer, feeling that he wasn't acting like a man at all. But meeting Loren's gaze, he finished speaking slowly and deliberately, "Ginny is a girl, she can't use the old things like us. My brothers and I have pooled some money to buy Ginny new things."

He knew the kind of embarrassment of using Second-hand Wand, Second-hand Cauldron Scales, or even Old Telescope for stargazing on Wednesday nights.

Even if others don't notice, that emotion, like a seed, grows larger and larger in the heart. These old traces become invisible shackles, making one hesitant and timid, and...

"Harry gave Signed Book he got for free to Ginny, and we want to get her a new Transfiguration Textbook, but we're a little short on money." Ron's face flushed red, and he mustered up a lot of courage to ask Loren for money.

Loren looked at him, then at the chattering George and Fred, and Arthur, who had just rushed back from the bar to help them choose secondhand books. Regardless of the Weasley family's financial situation, at least the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had raised them to be kind people.

"How much more money do you need?" He didn't say anything like "give it away for free," as that would only embarrass Ron more.

"13 Silver Sickle!" Ron's flushed face lit up.

Loren, who had no change, lent Ron one Galleon. Ron took the money and happily ran towards Ginny.

Everything was perfect until they stepped out of the bookstore, when a man with long platinum blonde hair, dressed in Dark Fine Robe with Fox-fur Collar Robe and two coiled snakes hanging from it, blocked their way.

"It's truly pathetic that a Pure-blood wizarding family has fallen to this state. It's a disgrace to wizarding families." Lucius looked at the group of people, his gaze drifting over the cauldron that Ginny was holding, which contained her complete set of new books.

Arthur, who had been standing at the back, stepped forward and stood between Lucius and the children. "Enough, Lucius, don't cause trouble."

"Trouble? What trouble would make you so angry that you'd request the Ministry of Magic to search Malfoy Manor?" Lucius scoffed.

Draco, standing behind Lucius, noticed that his father's behavior today was a bit unusual.

"Look at you," Lucius said, picking up the "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration" from the crucible. "Poor, rude, vulgar, and even associating with Muggle."

He twirled the book in his hand, then tossed it back with a disdainful thud. "Here you go, little girl, take your book. This is the best thing your family can give you."

This was a gift his sons had painstakingly scraped together to give to their daughter. Arthur's eyes suddenly turned red, and he lunged at Lucius, forcefully shoving him out of the store and onto the street.

"Shoot him in the eyes!" George and Fred excitedly raised their hands, eager to join in.

Loren looked at Ginny, who was frozen in shock, reached into the cauldron, arranged the books neatly, patted her shoulder, and gently comforted her, "These are gifts from your brothers. Don't let them get dusty."

No one noticed that when he withdrew his hand, his originally loose sleeves were stretched tight, as if something had been stuffed inside.

On the street, Lucius quickly broke free from Arthur's control. He picked up his cane, seemingly feeling that it was a shameful thing to do in public, and after uttering a few harsh words, he pulled Draco away.

"Pah!" Arthur watched the Malfoy father and son walk away. "That's just how Malfoy is, both bad and weak. If he were to fight me, I might think more highly of him."

Upon discovering the situation, Molly lost all interest in waiting in line for an autograph. With red eyes, she rushed out and turned Arthur around and around, carefully examining Arthur entire body. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she found no injuries.

She vigorously patted Arthur's clothes, brushing off rings of dust, and complained, "Look at the example you set for the children, fighting in public..."

"You've ruined my autograph!" She slapped the ground repeatedly, as if throwing a tantrum.

Anyone could see that Molly loved her husband very much.

Looking at Molly's face, Arthur's anger dissipated instantly. He grinned and transformed back into the honest, steady, and mild-mannered red-haired Arthur Weasley.

He turned to the children and smiled, "You scared me, didn't you! Haha, that's how Malfoy is. If you're tougher on him, he'll back down."

"Dad, you're amazing!" George and Freyr surrounded Arthur, and the group walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, laughing and joking, on their way home.

Arthur reached out and pulled Loren and Hermione ahead of him. "I met Bates and Mr. and Mrs. Granger at the bar. They were very interesting. I would love to invite them to the Burrow sometime."

"They are good parents, and you are good children, good children..."

Loren felt something extra in his pocket. He touched it; it was round and hard—a Galleons.

Looking up, Arthur was winking at him. "Hey, I really want to see what your cars are like. I got a wrecked car, modified it a bit, and it works. But it just doesn't feel the same as yours, you know, Muggle cars can run on their own without magic..."

George and Fred must have inherited some traits from Arthur; they're both talkative and love to delve into things...

When they returned to the Leaky Cauldron, Bates and Mr. and Mrs. Granger were laughing and talking loudly with Hagrid. They were even reluctant to leave, saying goodbye to the drunken Hagrid three or four times before turning back.

The Weasley family had to walk through the fireplace, while Loren and his family had to drive home themselves. Arthur considered following them to see their car, but seeing Molly's sullen face, he gave up the idea.

"Goodbye, Hagrid!" Bates said loudly, after taking a sip of his drink.

"Goodbye!" Hagrid's voice was even louder, so loud that the whole bar could hear it.

"Hagrid! I'll give you the medicine you wanted when school starts. The medicine from Snape is much more effective!" Loren yelled at Hagrid, hoping he would remember after sobering up.

Stepping out of the bar, the cold wind sobered Bates and Wendell up a bit. They realized they shouldn't drive after drinking.

Hermione took Monica's hand and skipped to the front seat. Monica drove while Hermione sat in the passenger seat.

Loren was dumbfounded.

Who understands? Being squeezed into the back row with two drunkards is torture, both physically and mentally.