Harry Let Out a Roar and Pounced on Kane

"This is Charing Cross Road, London. For the first time, we won't be using the Floo Network or Apparition. Instead, I'll show you how to find Diagon Alley starting from the Muggle World."

Hagrid led Kane out of an alleyway and pointed at a particularly shabby, conspicuous pub not far away.

"There's the Leaky Cauldron, the gateway to the entire London magical world. The entrance to Diagon Alley is in there." Hagrid led Kane into the Leaky Cauldron.

He had arranged to meet the Weasley family here beforehand, but perhaps Hagrid had taken a little too long cleaning up. In any case, it looked like the Weasleys had already been waiting for a while.

"I like their family's red hair. Seeing it at Hogwarts is like seeing the sun."

As he spoke, Hagrid waved to the family seated neatly at the bar.

Kane also looked over at the redheads. They were quite a large family—if not for that one black-haired genetic mutation...

Huh? Black hair?

Something felt off to Kane. He looked again. "Harry? Why are you here?"

Unlike the slow-witted Kane, Harry had noticed him the instant Kane entered the Leaky Cauldron. The only reason he had not immediately leaped at him was that, like a qualified hunter, he had been waiting for his prey to enter his attack range.

And now, the time had come.

Harry let out a roar and pounced on Kane.

"I'm here to buy supplies for new Hogwarts students! What are you doing?!" Kane shouted as he blocked Harry with shadows, shocked but not forgetting to protest.

"Let me go! I'm going to knock your teeth out!" Harry snarled, flailing wildly.

"Come on, you know perfectly well you can't beat me." Kane looked at Harry, who was struggling harder and harder. After a moment of silence, he used even more shadowy tentacles to bind Harry up tight.

Fortunately, there were not many people in the Leaky Cauldron that morning. Most were people nursing hangovers from the night before, along with the family gathered here and the bartender, Tom.

Otherwise, Kane's shadow trick would definitely have been reported to the Aurors.

Of course, just because the Weasley family did not report him to the Aurors did not mean they were not surprised.

"Mom, is that Dark magic? That's so cool! I want to learn it!" Ron, the youngest boy among the redheads, said in utter shock as he watched Kane tie up the savior of the magical world in just a few moves.

Fortunately, Ron's three brothers and mother were all very strict about such education. Four fists landed on the top of Ron's head at the same time.

"Learn what?!"

Hagrid also heard the Weasleys whispering. To keep Kane's reputation from being ruined, he quickly explained in a low voice, "It's an innate kind of Dark magic, not something he learned. Kane doesn't want it either. Dumbledore certified it."

That four-part explanation successfully salvaged Kane's nearly doomed reputation.

And as for Harry, Kane's shadow slowly transformed into a long, powerful claw. He had already untied Harry, but he still held him high in the air by the back of his neck with the shadows.

"Put me down," Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Swear that once I put you down, you won't go crazy."

Harry took a deep breath. "Fine. I promise."

Kane slowly lowered Harry with the shadows. But Harry had no sense of fair play; the first thing he did after regaining his freedom was pounce on Kane.

Fortunately, Kane had trained in the Eternal Realm. With two solid punches, he knocked Harry to the floor and left him there yelping.

"I want... lemonade." Kane sat in the seat Harry had just occupied and said to Tom, the bartender.

"Oh, all right. Harry... are you friends?" Tom asked hesitantly after pouring Kane a glass of lemonade.

"Is it that hard to tell? Or are we not getting along well enough?" Kane said after taking a sip of lemonade.

"Mm... not well enough," Ron said. In the end, he went to help Harry up, looking at the two dark bruises around Harry's eyes...

"You two really do look a bit like brothers now. You both have black eyes." Ron laughed so hard he could barely stop.

"Oh, thanks for the compliment." Kane asked Tom for two more glasses of lemonade. "Put it on Hogwarts' tab."

Hearing that, Hagrid hurriedly took several Galleons and Sickles from his bag and handed them to Kane.

"Ahem, thanks, Hagrid." Kane unceremoniously pocketed the money. Meanwhile, Hagrid had finished speaking with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He came over and patted Harry and Ron on the head.

"Now, all three of you new students are under my care."

Ron was thrilled by this. Going to buy school supplies with Harry, the savior, and a new student whose magic was cool as hell was definitely more interesting than being watched over by his parents.

Harry, however, hesitated. The Weasley family's affection was what he wanted, and Kane's friendship was what he wanted too. If he could not have both, then he would abandon family affection and choose friendship.

After all, he had properly spent a month with Kane, while the Weasleys... counting from when they first met, it had been about forty-five minutes.

Besides, he really wanted to ask Kane how he had survived after running away from home. What rubbish bin did he usually dig through for food, and how had Hogwarts found him and pulled him out of that miserable life?

Wow, that question would be far too cruel for Kane. Maybe he should not ask. Wouldn't that just be reopening an old wound? It definitely would not make him feel good.

Watching Harry's expression shift again and again, Kane had no idea what nonsense he was thinking now. Should he tell Harry that he had been living comfortably at Hogwarts while Harry had been suffering at the Dursleys'?

Before he could finish thinking, though, he heard a pair of redheaded twins. According to what their mother had said, they seemed to be called George and Fred.

The two took turns whining, "Why do we have to send little Ronnie and little Harry off?"

"We could totally bring this young gentleman into our big family too."

"I think the one who should really be kicked out is Hagrid."

Slightly annoyed, Hagrid flicked George and Fred on the forehead once each.

Mrs. Weasley also angrily poked their foreheads with her finger. "If it weren't for you two, I would be more than happy to take Harry and Kane along."

"I understand."

"Sure enough, other people's children are always better."

Listening to the twins dance endlessly on her nerves, Mrs. Weasley instinctively felt her hands itch. But with Hagrid standing across from her, she awkwardly took Mrs. Weasley and the three children away. "We'll be going on ahead. Harry and Ron are in your care, Hagrid."

"My pleasure. All right, let's go too. Shall we follow the Weasleys?" Hagrid asked, looking at Kane and the other two.

"Um, honestly, I wouldn't recommend that." Ron suddenly raised his hand.

"Why?"

"Because the reason they left in such a hurry was probably to find somewhere private to discipline their children. If we go over now, we'll interrupt my two brothers' enjoyment." Ron gave two especially wicked chuckles, clearly afraid no one would realize he was up to no good.

"All right, then we'll wait a little longer."

During this rare stretch of free time, Harry finally asked Kane the question he had wanted to ask for ages.

"Why did you run away from home?"