Hitching a Ride

Ron was the kind of action-oriented person who did whatever he said he would... a qualified reckless Gryffindor. Before going to sleep, he wrote the letter and had an owl work overtime to deliver it home.

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Owls were nocturnal birds, and midnight was exactly when they worked. All it took was a strip of mouse meat to make an owl happily deliver a letter to the Burrow.

Arthur Weasley received Ron's letter in the morning while watering the yard. When the old father read that his youngest son wanted him to come to school and take him to Diagon Alley to buy a wand, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Molly, where did Ron get the money for a new wand?" Arthur asked his wife in confusion.

The plump Mrs. Weasley was equally baffled when she read the letter. The Weasley family vault contained only one pitiful Galleon, and they were barely making ends meet. Where had Ron gotten so much money?

Ron had been careful when writing the letter. He did not directly say that the money had come from Malfoy. Instead, he explained in the letter that it was an advance on his wages from working part-time as a temple caretaker at his classmate Third Zhang's shrine.

The little shrine had earned more than ten Galleons in a single Saturday, and all the financial records were clear and verifiable. Paying Ron in advance was perfectly reasonable.

As for why the little shrine was so profitable, don't ask. There were no rules in the wizarding world forbidding underage wizards from entering arcades.

Zhang San had already been conscientious enough by only bringing in video game machines. If he had brought Japan's specialty pachinko machines to Hogwarts, who knew how many young wizards would have their living expenses sucked dry?

You thought those scenes of Gintoki Sakata losing at pachinko until he had nothing left but strawberry underwear were jokes? No, that was serious documentary literature.

Reading Ron's explanation, Arthur muttered, "Working part-time at a shrine pays that well?"

"If we can manage it, we should still get Ron a new wand. Beginners in magic will always be more comfortable with a wand that suits them than with a secondhand one," Molly said. "Go through the Floo Network to Hogsmeade, then pick Ron up and take him to Ollivander's wand shop in Diagon Alley."

Arthur put down the hose, donned his hat and wizarding robes, then stepped into the fireplace. After tossing in a handful of Floo Powder, he appeared in a shop somewhere in Hogsmeade.

The Floo Network was probably the most convenient, quickest, and most comfortable means of travel for ordinary wizards. As long as two fireplaces were connected to the Floo Network, wizards could easily travel between them.

However, Hogwarts fireplaces were usually not connected to the outside world. Arthur Weasley could only transfer through Hogsmeade, Apparate to somewhere near Hogwarts Castle, and then walk over to pick Ron up.

Although Hogwarts was a long-term boarding school and students were not allowed to leave without special circumstances, their guardians could apply to the school to take them out temporarily.

Besides, it was the weekend. Even if Arthur took Ron away, it would not affect his studies.

When Arthur entered the castle, he heard passing students discussing the earth-shattering battle over homework.

Hogwarts's Valkyrie had fought three against one, beating Draco Malfoy into a mental breakdown and leaving him babbling nonsense, while turning the faces of his two lackeys, Goyle and Crabbe, into pig heads.

All three had been sent to the school hospital. Madam Pomfrey said their external injuries were easy to treat, but Malfoy's psychological trauma would be difficult to heal. Now, the moment the boy saw water, he would scream in terror—a classic case of once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of a rope.

Hermione had become famous overnight and immediately turned into a Gryffindor hero. When she stepped out of the girls' dormitory, she was greeted by thunderous applause in the common room.

"Nicely done, Hermione!"

"Just as expected of a student Professor McGonagall thinks highly of!"

"You're practically Gryffindor's little Professor McGonagall!"

"Our Hermione isn't just good at studying—she can really fight, too. That's what a Gryffindor girl should be like."

Having been isolated for an entire week, Hermione had never seen her classmates this enthusiastic. Then, amid wave after wave of praise, she lost herself...

That sounded nice. She loved hearing it. Say more!

She suddenly felt that Third Zhang was not such a bad guy after all. If not for Zhang San controlling her last night and beating Malfoy up, she would never have received such a welcome.

When she worked herself to the bone, no one cared. When she beat up Slytherin students, everyone sang her praises. Hermione seemed to have figured out the Gryffindor code for survival—take down Slytherin!

Harry and Ron exchanged knowing smiles at the sight. Neither dared to offend Zhang San, and neither dared to provoke Hermione, so silence was the best choice.

Arthur went to the headmaster's office, only to find it empty. Headmaster Dumbledore was not at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall, who knew the situation, said that the headmaster had gone to visit a friend yesterday and would not return until that evening at the earliest.

Arthur said to Professor McGonagall, "I came today to take Ron to Diagon Alley and buy him a new wand."

The old lady said with great satisfaction, "That would be wonderful. A child can learn magic better with a new wand that suits them."

"Yes, ma'am," Arthur said with a cheerful smile. "I'll go find Ron now."

"He may be heading to the Great Hall for a meal soon. Just look for him at the Gryffindor table," Professor McGonagall advised.

Arthur wore a nostalgic expression. "It's been a long time since I last visited Hogwarts's Great Hall."

Just as Harry and Ron were stuffing themselves, Arthur found his youngest son.

The Weasley brothers were quite surprised by the sudden appearance of the head of the household. What had happened? Why had their father personally come to Hogwarts?

Percy, Fred, and George looked at one another until Arthur walked up to Ron and said, "After you finish eating, I'll take you to Diagon Alley."

Ron's three brothers were even more bewildered. It was neither a holiday nor a festival, so why was their father taking Ron to Diagon Alley for no reason?

Ron had not expected his father to arrive so quickly either. Thinking about it, Arthur must have rushed straight toward Hogwarts the moment he received the letter. He really was an exceptionally responsible father.

Zhang San, who was sitting beside Ron stuffing himself with offerings, asked, "If you're going to Diagon Alley, could you give me a ride too?"

Ron introduced him to Mr. Weasley. "Father, this is my classmate, Third Zhang. He's from China. For certain special reasons, he became a ghost and exists in a very unusual form. Harry and I are working at his shrine."

Arthur Weasley instinctively reached out to shake Zhang San's hand. But Zhang San had no physical body, so he could only shrug helplessly. "Sorry, Mr. Weasley. I can't shake hands with anyone for the time being."

"It would be my honor to take you to Diagon Alley, but can you leave Hogwarts?" Arthur asked.

Zhang San nodded. "I can. I'm different from ordinary ghosts."

After saying that, he wolfed down the offerings at lightning speed and shot off toward the little shrine to collect incense power. The incense power was usually stored in the shrine's statue, ready to be drawn upon whenever needed.

This time, Zhang San needed to buy some things that could not exactly be seen in the light of day, so he needed to use incense power to form a physical body for shopping. The incense power accumulated since the shrine opened was enough to make him a body that would last for a while. It was the perfect chance to hitch a ride to London while Mr. Weasley took Ron to Diagon Alley.

Zhang San stuffed his soul into a jade pendant and handed it to Ron. That way, he could travel through the fireplace alongside Ron and save himself the trouble of flying there.

If Zhang San really flew from Hogwarts to Diagon Alley himself, his soul might very well scatter halfway there. Ghosts could not stay too far from their usual haunts for too long, or they risked disappearing.

Hitching a ride with the Weasleys was much safer. Besides, Zhang San had paid for his ticket. If he had not controlled Gryffindor's Valkyrie to beat down Malfoy's trio, where would Ron have gotten the Galleons to buy a wand and an owl?

Zhang was the real sugar daddy here. What was wrong with letting the sugar daddy hitch a ride?