My Friend

"Are you from China?"

Under the scrutiny of countless eyes, Li Mu suddenly remembered—this was his first time meeting Harry Potter.

Being so familiar and excited upon their first meeting would definitely arouse suspicion. So he improvised, changing "Harry" to "hello," and casually came up with a question.

Harry Potter stared blankly at Li Mu, then shyly shook his head. "No, I'm not from China."

Li Mu put on a slightly disappointed expression, though his gaze still could not help lingering on Harry Potter's face.

"You're... from China?" Perhaps unable to bear that scrutiny any longer, Harry Potter paused before taking the initiative to ask Li Mu.

But before he could answer, someone else interrupted their conversation.

"Hey, kid, you actually don't know who he is?" someone snarled at Li Mu, his tone full of intense displeasure.

What the hell did I ever do to you?... Li Mu froze. Feeling annoyed, he gently shook his head. The man seemed to grow even angrier and silently returned to his seat to drink himself into a sulk.

"Diggle, don't be like that." As the conflict broke out, the crowd gradually dispersed. A bartender-looking man squeezed through and tried to mediate. "All right, handsome. Diggle's just grumbling... Why are you here alone? Where are your parents?"

The title "handsome" left Li Mu stunned. To be honest, although he was only ten, the current Li Mu could indeed be called strikingly handsome and spirited. His wheat-colored skin was the healthy complexion he had only ever dreamed of in his previous life.

Before Li Mu could answer, the bartender glanced at the suitcase in his hand and continued on his own. "What do you need? I think you'd enjoy a big mug of Butterbeer."

As he spoke, he even winked at Li Mu. He had clearly taken Li Mu for some naughty little brat who had run away from home.

Li Mu smiled and shook his head at the bartender. "No, I'm only here to find... um, how do I get to Diagon Alley?..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt even more people in the bar looking at him curiously, including the bartender in front of him.

Most people who could find their way to the Leaky Cauldron were from the wizarding world, so naturally they should know where somewhere as famous as Diagon Alley was. Li Mu's behavior was therefore more than enough to make people suspicious.

Li Mu had no interest in the strange looks everyone was giving him. His goal was not anyone else.

His eyes shifted slightly. Suddenly acting as if he had remembered something, he raised his voice and cried out in surprise at the black-haired boy before him, "You're Harry? Harry Potter?"

Panic immediately flashed through Harry Potter's eyes. He unconsciously fussed with his hair, hoping to cover the scar, then nodded.

"Oh, I read about your deeds in books. Just now, I thought you were Chinese! You know, I haven't seen many black-haired people in England." Li Mu exaggeratedly pointed at his own hair. Harry smiled faintly and relaxed.

Harry Potter could tell that the emotion in Li Mu's eyes was unlike the way others looked at him, as though he were some strange animal. That made him feel a little better.

That's right, get close to Harry first and earn his goodwill... That was the real purpose behind Li Mu's series of performances. As a transmigrator who knew the plot in advance, becoming friends with the protagonist was very important.

Next, Li Mu continued to put on an enthusiastic expression. "Harry, it's nice to meet you. I'm a student sent by China's Shushan Taoist Academy to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for exchange studies, and I'm a new student this year... I heard you'll be attending Hogwarts this year too?"

To make his story more convincing, he pulled out the map sent by the school in front of Harry, the bartender, and Hagrid, waving it before them.

"I think I need to go to Diagon Alley to prepare some things... but I don't know how to get there. This map only marks Diagon Alley as being behind this bar," Li Mu explained.

The map did indeed merely indicate that Diagon Alley was behind the Leaky Cauldron. But the Western wizarding world was fond of being mysterious. Li Mu had been looking around since entering, yet he had found no sign of any alley hidden behind this tiny bar.

The bartender stared at the map, his face full of confusion. "Hogwarts is actually recruiting students from China this year? How strange..."

Then that rumbling voice spoke to Li Mu. "I'm Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. If you don't mind, follow me... Oh, and what's your name?"

His voice was deep and thunderous, truly like rolling thunder. Li Mu had to crane his neck to look up. Hagrid's tangled beard and long hair covered even his mouth from view.

As soon as the giant finished speaking, he lifted his foot and walked forward.

"Li Mu," Li Mu answered in standard Chinese, every word clear and precise. "My name is Li Mu."

Almost at the same time, he and Harry broke into a jog to keep up with Hagrid's strides.

"Li... Mu?" Harry, walking beside him, suddenly spoke, struggling to pronounce his full name.

"That's right. Li is my surname, and Mu is my given name. You can just call me Li!" Li Mu nodded. This little bit of running was no more strenuous to him than a stroll, and he remained perfectly composed.

"That really is an interesting name." As Harry spoke, they followed Hagrid behind the bar and entered a dilapidated little courtyard enclosed by brick walls. There were only weeds and rubbish in the yard.

Hagrid stopped in the courtyard, and they paused as well, though their conversation had not ended.

Harry Potter hesitated, then finally gritted his teeth and held out his hand. "I'm a new student at Hogwarts too, so that makes us classmates. I think we'll become friends."

The sudden gesture left Li Mu stunned for a long moment. He studied Harry with interest. Only then did Li Mu remember... the famous Harry Potter before him was merely an eleven-year-old primary school student who had never had a childhood or any playmates.

And now, perhaps because he was nervous about saying such words, the black-haired, green-eyed, skinny boy's entire face had turned red.

Li Mu secretly sighed to himself, set aside his other schemes, smiled, and held out his hand as well.

Their hands touched lightly and shook.

The blush on Harry's face quickly faded, and he smiled happily. In eleven years, this was the first friend his own age he had ever made. They both had black hair too, and that somehow made Harry Potter feel comfortable and secure.

Rubeus Hagrid naturally heard all of this as well. The imposing giant smiled without showing it, raised the umbrella in his hand, and struck the wall before them several times. The bricks began to shift, and then a small opening appeared.

The bricks continued moving like some sort of machine. Before long, the opening had expanded into an archway large enough for all of them to pass through.

"Diagon Alley is ahead," Hagrid said.

Li Mu looked over. Beyond the archway lay a cobblestone street winding into an unknown distance. Shops stood along both sides, while countless people came and went on the road. It was a scene of thriving prosperity.

So this was Diagon Alley!

The update has arrived as scheduled. I hope everyone will bookmark and recommend it~ Your support is my greatest motivation to keep writing!~~~

(End of chapter)

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