Hogwarts: Pushing the Headmaster to the Max
Chapter 3

Cat, Owl, and Raven

1,459 words5 min read17 views
4mo ago

"Let's go, we'll go to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions first. You need to get a set of school uniforms custom-made."

Horatio followed Dumbledore to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, located in the northern section of Diagon Alley.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, a scent of aged camphor mixed with magical dust rushed into his nostrils. A dazzling array of robes hung in the display window.

A woman in a purple robe poked her head out from a pile of fabrics. "Welcome to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions." Seeing the elderly visitor, she exclaimed in surprise, "Headmaster Dumbledore, why are you leading the new students this year?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "I can't always trouble Minerva. This year, nothing's wrong, so I just came out for a stroll." He ruffled Horatio's hair. "Please trouble yourself to custom-make a set of school uniforms for this little fellow."

"Is this a new student this year? He's so cute," Madam Malkin said, coming before Horatio and rubbing his cheek with her hand.

"Hello, Madam Malkin. My name is Horatio Queibel, and I'm a new student enrolling this year." Horatio performed a gentleman's bow to Madam Malkin.

"Hahaha, so polite! I'm sure you'll be popular with the little witches once you enroll. Now, let me measure you." Madam Malkin waved her right hand, and a tape measure on the table seemed to come alive, flying towards Horatio on its own. Horatio cooperated as the tape measure took his measurements, while a feather quill automatically recorded something in a notebook.

"Alright, child," Madam Malkin said, looking at the contents of the notebook. "I'll send the clothes to you by owl once they're ready."

"Wait a moment, Madam Malkin. Can you also custom-make other clothes here?"

"Yes, we can. What kind of clothes do you want to order?"

Horatio picked up a feather quill and drew a windbreaker on a piece of paper. The clothes had cloud-like patterns.

"Like this. Please make one for me in black. The cloud pattern should have a red background with white edges."

Madam Malkin looked at the drawing and thought for a moment before replying, "No problem. I'll send it to you along with the school uniform when it's done."

"Thank you. How much will that be?"

"Fifty Galleons, please."

Horatio counted out fifty Galleons and paid Madam Malkin, then followed Dumbledore out of the robe shop.

After leaving the shop, Dumbledore couldn't help but ask, "Child, what's the meaning behind ordering that coat?"

"Hmm~, mainly because I suddenly wanted the world to feel some pain."

"???"

"Just kidding! It's mainly for showing off. Think about it, everyone else will be wearing school uniforms, and I'll have this windbreaker over mine. Won't that be cool?"

"..."

Following a speechless Dumbledore, Horatio entered a bookstore with a sign that read Flourish and Blotts. This time, Horatio didn't cause any trouble and obediently bought the books according to the list. He already had some books in his system storage that were older than him, so he wasn't interested in buying others.

Afterward, he bought an advanced cauldron with automatic stirring and retractable features at Potage's Cauldron Shop.

He then followed Dumbledore into the Magical Creatures Shop. Horatio's eyes immediately fell on a black cat in the display window. It seemed to have emerged from the night, its fur shimmering like satin, each black hair as if soaked in starlight. Its emerald green eyes looked down upon all beings around it, like an elegant queen surveying her subjects, as if even time itself would slow down for it.

"Little wizard has good taste. This black cat has Nekomata bloodline, but it's very expensive and has an arrogant personality, so it's not for sale yet. Little wizard, you can try." A shop assistant led Horatio to the display case where the black cat was kept, opened the case, and gestured for Horatio to try and gain the black cat's approval.

Horatio cautiously reached his hand towards the black cat. It sniffed Horatio's scent, licked the back of his hand, then buried its head in Horatio's palm, purring comfortably.

"Congratulations, little wizard, for gaining its approval. That will be 200 Galleons."

"I'll give you 300 Galleons. Please prepare all its supplies for me, the best quality. If it's not enough, just ask me for more."

"Certainly, I'll prepare them for you right away."

Horatio held the black cat in his arms, gently stroking its soft fur. "I'll call you Hathor from now on."

He placed the pet supplies brought by the shop assistant into the complimentary small cart, and also put Hathor in the cart. Horatio then left the shop with Dumbledore.

As he pushed the small cart past Eeylops Owl Emporium, Horatio suddenly thought of the Snowy Owl named Hedwig from the original story. Hedwig was a source of regret for countless Harry Potter fans. Her sacrifice represented Harry Potter's growth. Hedwig should still be in the shop at this time. Should he intercept her early?

After some thought, Horatio gave up. After all, Hedwig meant "guardian" in German, guarding Harry Potter's growth. But he could buy a Snowy Owl of the same breed. The shop should have more than one Snowy Owl, right?

With this thought, Horatio stopped and said, "Professor, can I buy another owl?"

Dumbledore stopped. "Child, you already have a pet. I'm afraid you won't be able to take care of them..." Seeing Horatio's wronged and sad expression (which he was faking), and considering that he grew up in an orphanage with few friends, he might need some companionship to avoid heading down the same path as that person. So, he said, "Alright, but you have to promise me you can take good care of them."

Horatio's expression instantly changed from gloomy to sunny, and he excitedly pushed the small cart towards the owl shop.

Dumbledore slapped his forehead. He had been tricked by this kid. He could only shake his head and follow.

As soon as they entered the shop, they saw two large birds fighting. The shop assistant was trying to separate them. One of them was the Snowy Owl Horatio had been longing for, and the other was a Raven exuding a colorful black aura.

"Hey! Boss, what's going on here?"

"For some reason, these two have been fighting in the shop. We don't usually sell Ravens, but my cousin consigned this Raven to me. Then, for some reason, this Snowy Owl attacked the Raven as soon as it saw it, as if they had a grudge." The shop owner sat at the counter, looking troubled.

Horatio looked at the two fighting birds and said thoughtfully, "Boss, keeping these two birds in the shop is a menace. Why don't you sell them to me? I'll find a way to take care of them."

The shop owner glanced at Hathor in Horatio's small cart and shook his head. "Little wizard, you already have a pet. I can't sell them to you."

"Slap!!!" A pile of Galleons was placed on the table. "Can this be sold?"

"No, you can't take care of them."

"Slap!!!" Another pile of Galleons was placed on the table. "Can this be sold?"

"Yes, but only one."

"Slap!!!" An old man with a white beard was placed on the table. "Can this be sold along with this?"

Dumbledore: "..."

The shop owner cupped his hands towards Horatio. "Your Excellency, who exactly are you?"

"I am a Hogwarts New Student."

The above scene is purely imaginary. In reality, when Horatio slammed the Galleons onto the shopkeeper's counter, the shopkeeper had already instructed the staff to quickly pack up the two birds, put them on a small cart, and then politely escort Horatio to the door, stating that he could slam Galleons on his face next time if he wanted to experience the feeling of being insulted by Galleons.

Standing at the shop door, Horatio stared blankly at the two birds and one cat.

"Ahem, how about I let you out and you continue?"

"Forget it, I'll give you names."

Horatio pointed at the Snowy Owl, "You shall be called Assault Raptor - Isis." He then pointed at the Raven, "You shall be called Assault Raptor - Nephthys."

[...]

[Received, Host. I will contact our comrades in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world to mail you a set of Assault Raptor and Phantom Knights decks.]

"Ahem, no need to thank me."

"What kind of normal person plays PK? If the Knights get Tributed, the deck is instantly dead. Please switch to the powerful, beautiful, immortal Tearlaments and Marryce, thank you."

Due to popular demand from readers, we are now introducing the VIP member ad-free feature.

Click to view.

End of Chapter
Novel
How was this translation?

Explore the wiki