Rotherham Church

Ron's self-destruction clearly lightened the previously somewhat serious atmosphere.

Although Hagrid's expression wasn't very obvious under his beard, it was clear from the moment he started teasing Fang that he had moved past his fear of Voldemort.

Harry also understood why he hadn't seen Hagrid heading into the castle lately—because Riddle was inside.

"Hey, why are you so afraid of spiders, Ron?" Harry asked, glaring at Ron as Hagrid's hand trembled slightly as he touched his Fang.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you!" Ron glared at Harry, knowing he had to get to the point. "It happened when I was three. Fred turned my—my teddy bear—into an ugly giant spider because I broke his toy broom. If you've ever had that experience, you wouldn't like them either. Imagine you're hugging your teddy bear and suddenly it sprouts a bunch of legs, and..."

In the end, the world where only Ron was injured was reborn.

Seeing Lupin and Hagrid exchange question marks as they said goodbye, Harry and Ron felt relieved and headed towards the castle.

"I said let's just forget about it. I haven't seen Myrtle on my way to the court or even now."

"If she can't stay at Hogwarts because of my letter, then—" Harry said hesitantly to Ron.

"Come on, why didn't you think of this when you were just using my embarrassing moments to relieve Hagrid's stress?"

"You don't actually like Myrtle, do you?" Ron glared at the first-year student who came over to greet Harry again, then turned to Harry and said.

Harry was about to retort, but a figure in pearly white with a hint of color made Harry freeze.

It's Myrtle!

"Harry! Is it true?!" she said, tears streaming down her face from her small, clear eyes.

Before Harry could reply, she frantically burrowed into the ground.

Then, downstairs, you could hear a constant stream of comments like, "Harry Potter likes me, I'm the person Harry likes."

"Is she happy or sad?" Ron asked curiously.

"Don't talk to me!" Harry said gloomily.

He knew his reputation was ruined again.

Like this, it must have been last semester when Rita Skeeter spread rumors about him, Ron, Neville, Draco everywhere. He—should—get used to it!

Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire England, which, together with other surrounding villages, forms the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham.

It is located at the confluence of the River Don and River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster, about 10 kilometers from Sheffield city centre.

The Rotherham Church, located in the square, with its 15th-century and early Saxon and Norman sections, has been named the best building in South Yorkshire by Simon Jenkins.

However, this is all information that local residents have made to the outside world.

Rotherham Church is a place that local residents avoid if they can avoid it.

"It's weird! Every time I think about going there, I inexplicably start thinking about other important things," said the pub owner in Rotherham.

"The strangest one is that priest," several people in the bar quickly retorted.

Yes, in most people's eyes, the priest of Rotherham Church was a very strange old man.

Nobody knew his name; they all called him Old Hanks. He had a fairly amiable appearance, but for some reason, he gave off a feeling that made people not want to get close to him.

And lately, he's been coming home very late.

Even more strangely, as he left early and returned late, pets in the town began to mysteriously disappear on multiple occasions.

Moreover, snakes, the most common wild animal in this town, have gradually disappeared.

No one in Rotherham knew one thing: Old Hanks was a wizard.

He was under the influence of a mysterious, unnamed family.

His family has acted as agents for this family business for generations.

His family has also served as priests at Rotherham Church.

But by his generation, Old Hanks had begun to tire of pretending to be a Muggle priest.

So he began to cast Confundus Charm on himself and around the church.

This gave him some free time to focus on his family's business in the Britain wizarding world.

Yes, Old Hanks is actually very interested in doing business.

Recently, that family has made many big moves—opening the Skywalker Alchemy Workshop, publishing books, and selling cheap Potions from who-knows-where.

However, none of this excited him.

Because these things are inherently overwhelming to the existing market.

Moreover, that family has many agents like him in the wizarding world, and they even have their own people in the Ministry of Magic.

Old Hanks actually suspected that the family had a new patriarch, and that he must be very young.

Only young people have the courage to come up with such great stories as Doraemon.

Only young people would issue so many inexplicable orders, and searching for information related to the moon is one of them.

Only young people could create so many creative alchemical items.

However, this also means that a lot of waste will be generated.

Old Hanks was particularly interested in them.

Selling these items, which are considered waste, can actually showcase one's sales skills.

So, in the unexpectedly safe Knockturn Alley, he sold many strange items—flashlights that glowed during the day and worked without magic; umbrellas that rained when opened; robes that looked thin but were heavy when worn; and automatic vacuum cleaners that ate dust, but also their owners' hair.

However, the ones that stayed with him the longest were undoubtedly those that were just pretty wands.

Selling them was one of the things Old Hanks was most proud of.

First, he, who considered himself the patriarch of the noble Malfoy family, bought the most impressive-looking item— the Uncommon Guide Elderwood.

Then, the three strange men in black robes successively bought the Dragon Knight Blackthorn, the Time Staff Acacia, and the Thunder Feather Looping Pine.

But almost a month has passed since the last transaction, and not a single wand has been sold.

To make matters worse, Old Hanks kept realizing that someone was watching him.

To confirm this, Old Hanks even changed the time back, but the chilling feeling still hadn't disappeared.

He had also reported it to the Ministry of Magic, but after the Ministry of Magic sent people to investigate, they concluded that it was all his imagination.

The mysterious family responded that he should maintain the status quo, and that someone would guarantee his safety.

And tonight, that feeling seems to have reached its peak.

Old Hanks felt as if a transparent, ferocious serpent was constantly swallowing him.

This made him feel that even the Portkey on his desk couldn't give him a sense of security.

Merlin's beard!

There's something outside the church!

Old Hanks reached for the teapot-shaped Portkey.

However, nothing happened.

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