" Morris?" Harry's voice was hesitant.
"It's me." Morris nodded in confirmation, then casually placed his suitcase against his lap.
A few minutes earlier, he had come out of Borgin and Burkes and, in a casual glance around the corner, happened to see Harry being stopped by an old witch.
So he came to the rescue and used a curse he had recently learned on the old witch— the Pain Curse.
The curse's effect is just like its name suggests; it inflicts pain.
Morris had personally tested it; those afflicted by the curse would experience intense, burning pain in their nerves for a short period, and if their tolerance was not high, they would quickly lose their ability to move.
The old witch was clearly not very capable; after being struck by his Pain Curse, she struggled for only a few seconds before fainting from the agony.
Of course, a capable wizard would never engage in child trafficking in Knockturn Alley.
"It really is you!" Harry's eyes widened. " Morris, what are you doing here?"
"That's what I should be asking you, Harry." Morris fixed Harry's glasses with a wave of his wand, then reminded him, "When you come to a place like this, you have to be well-disguised, especially students like us. That should be basic common sense."
He simply couldn't understand why Harry would be in Knockturn Alley.
And they did it so brazenly.
Are kids these days so brave?
No, that's not being bold, that's being brainless.
"I didn't come on purpose," Harry said, adjusting his glasses with a sigh. "I sneezed while using Floo Powder, so I probably mispronounced the name."
That's really bad luck.
Morris remembered this lesson.
If I accidentally teleport myself to some weird or strange place, that would be troublesome.
Next, Morris led Harry through several alleys back to Diagon Alley.
Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the warm sunshine again.
"That's enough for now, Harry. I have other things to do."
As Morris spoke, he turned to head back to Knockturn Alley.
He was eager to study the Dragon Blood in his hands.
"Wait, Morris!" Harry called out to him hurriedly from behind. "I have another question for you."
Morris stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly.
Harry quickly walked around to him, his breathing slightly rapid, and his words somewhat fragmented, " Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, and Quirrell... it was you back then, wasn't it?"
Morris didn't hear him clearly, "Could you say that again?"
Harry took a minute to hurriedly explain his hazy memories, including that night in the Forbidden Forest and the mysterious " Knight " who appeared when he and Quirrell were fighting.
Morris suddenly realized.
"That's right," he nodded, frankly adding, "I thought it would take you longer to guess."
He felt that he didn't necessarily have to hide this matter.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Harry blurted out.
"Because I don't think it matters, Harry," Morris said with a smile, "Please don't tell anyone."
I don't want to be in the limelight like you.
"Of course," Harry quickly assured him, then, as if remembering something, "But, Morris, since you also dealt with Quirrell in the end, why didn't Professor Dumbledore give you extra points? Didn't Dumbledore know?"
As he said this, a hint of resentment unconsciously crept into his tone.
Morris was slightly surprised to hear this.
Is Harry's focus a bit problematic?
Indeed, Dumbledore did not give him any extra credit.
"I've already received a reward," Morris said, "But I can't tell you what it was."
Harry looked at the Ravenclaw in front of him, who was in the same grade, and felt that the mystery surrounding the other person had become even thicker.
"Thank you anyway, Morris," he finally said, his tone sincere.
Although many questions remain, my gratitude at this moment comes from the bottom of my heart.
"No, I didn't do anything, and I didn't handle Quirrell either. On the contrary, I should be thanking you."
Morris weighed his suitcase. "Well then, goodbye."
"Goodbye." Harry watched him leave.
That noon, while Morris was studying the properties of Dragon Blood in the basement, an owl rushed in and brought him a package.
Inside the package was a small bag and a letter.
The letter was from Hogwarts, and included a reading list for the new semester, along with a note explaining that the bag contained a fund for purchasing school supplies.
Morris hefted the money bag; it was heavier than he had expected.
He unfolded the book list and immediately understood.
" Break with a Banshee," " Gadding with Ghouls," " Holidays with Hags "... and the book he bought before, " Wanderings with Werewolves."
A total of seven books by Gilderoy Lockhart.
No wonder the fund has increased significantly; buying this entire set of books wouldn't be a small expense.
But are these books really suitable as teaching materials?
Morris raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled.
While he didn't dislike Lockhart's work, he didn't particularly admire it either.
Those were just some really good stories.
He reviewed the book list again to make sure he hadn't missed anything.
"These books are hard to find secondhand..."
Morris put down the Dragon Blood in his hand and prepared to go out first to buy all the textbooks on the book list.
Half an hour later, he arrived at Flourish and Blotts and found the entrance packed with people, making it impossible to move.
There was a banner on the gate:
Gilderoy Lockhart will be selling signed copies of his autobiography, "Magical Me," today from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM.
I see.
Morris went inside.
He had no interest in joining in the fun; he just wanted to buy all the books and leave as soon as possible.
But there were just too many people, mostly middle-aged witches, who almost completely blocked the entrance to the bookstore.
Excuse me, may I pass?
Excuse me, could you please move aside?
Morris struggled to move into the store.
Finally, he squeezed into the store.
The bookstore was also packed with people.
Morris saw Lockhart himself, sitting in the very center of the crowd, a radiant smile seemingly welded to his face, as he rapidly signed autographs for the witches before him.
What's intriguing is that on the shelf next to Lockhart, twelve Skeleton Dog are sitting neatly in a row.
These were the very goods that Morris had sold to Lockhart some time ago.
At this moment, these Skeleton Dog were meticulously dressed up, with brightly colored silk scarves tied around their necks, and they were shaking their heads and swaying.
Gap signing autographs, Lockhart would occasionally wave towards the Skeleton Dog Skeleton Dog, who would respond with clicks, eliciting gasps from the fans.
Morris was speechless upon seeing this.
Is this why Lockhart bought the Skeleton Dog?
Afterward, Morris quickly bought all the necessary teaching materials, returned to Knockturn Alley, and immersed himself in the study of the Dragon Blood.