One day in late April, Hogsmeade Visiting Day arrived once again.
The weather has finally warmed up completely, no longer fluctuating between hot and cold like last month.
The sky was a clean, light blue, with only a few wisps of thin clouds drifting by. The sunlight felt warm and comforting, making you want to find a place to sit down and daydream.
Morris took a walk in Hogsmeade after a long absence, and while he was at it, he stopped by a nearby general store to buy some crystal bottles specifically for storing Potions, as his stock was running low.
As I walked along the main street, I passed a clothing store and saw Phoebe coming out of it.
She was carrying a bag, looking down at a piece of paper that looked like an advertisement, and didn't notice Morris.
" Phoebe?" Morris greeted her first.
When Phoebe looked up and saw him, she immediately broke into an undisguised smile.
" Morris!" she said happily, "I haven't seen you for the past few days."
Morris thought about it and agreed.
He's hardly been going out lately, and he skips Hogwarts classes whenever he can.
"I've spent most of the last two days on the ship conducting magical experiments."
Phoebe nodded.
She knew that the Hogwarts professors were exceptionally lenient with Morris.
Morris said, "If you need to find me, you can come to Black Lake and look for my owl. It will stay nearby on watch and will come to alert me when it hears the whistle."
"Okay, I understand," Phoebe said with a smile. "But I don't have anything special to say."
Morris nodded slightly and said, "Then goodbye, I have to go to the grocery store."
"Perfect timing!" Phoebe said with delight. "I'm going there too. Gabrielle asked me to buy her some quill pens, and I need to buy a few things for myself as well."
The two turned into a narrow alley, avoiding the hustle and bustle of the main street; this was a shortcut to the general store.
Phoebe walked to Morris's left, at a moderate pace, and seemed to be in a good mood.
She said casually, "I plan to travel to Britain this summer."
"Really?" Morris replied casually, "I'm planning to go to Austria."
As soon as she finished speaking, Phoebe paused in her steps.
" Austria?" she asked with a strange expression. "Also going on a trip?"
"That's right," Morris said.
In fact, he went to Austria to talk to Grindelwald about Prophecy; he was curious Prophecy how such magic worked.
"Then why not come to France?" Phoebe said casually, twirling a strand of her hair with her index finger. "I can be your guide."
"I'm afraid I don't have time," Morris said.
The fingers that were entwining Phoebe's hair stopped.
"That's a pity," she said. "When I go to Britain, would you be willing to be my guide?"
She slowed her pace, as if waiting for Morris's reply.
"Of course," Morris replied.
Aside from a trip to Nurmengard, he had no other plans for the summer.
Phoebe's lips curved into a smile. "Then it's settled."
Just then, the sound of flapping wings came from above them.
Phoebe subconsciously looked up and saw a black owl swooping down from the sky, its talons clutching a similarly black... cat?
Um?
What a peculiar scene this is!
The owl landed precisely on the wooden crate beside them, while the cat did a backflip and landed steadily in front of Morris and Phoebe.
Only then did Phoebe recognize the two pets in front of Morris — Guantou and Yanhua, two very strange names.
In fact, Guantou and Yanhua have very obvious characteristics and are easy to identify.
Guantou Food has very bright, lively eyes; you can tell at a glance that he's a rascal. Yanhua, on the other hand, has eerie flames flickering in its eye sockets, and both of them are very dark-skinned.
At this moment, the Guantou still walks on its two hind legs, and its clothes are neatly arranged.
Morris stepped forward, removed the cap from the Guantou, and said, "Outside, you'd be better off acting like a normal cat. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, the Guantou food nodded.
The next second, all his clothes suddenly disappeared, and he landed on all fours.
Phoebe blinked, making sure she wasn't seeing things.
"Where are its clothes?" she asked, her gaze sweeping over the Guantou several times.
The Guantou shyly looked away and hid to the side.
Morris's lips twitched at the sight.
What's there to be shy about, you're just a cat?
Phoebe's gaze fell thoughtfully on the inconspicuous little pocket on the neck of the Guantou.
Morris looked at his two pets. "So, what do you two want with me?"
Yanhua stood on the wooden crate and made a short "coo" sound, clearly indicating that it was the Guantou's idea and that it was only responsible for transportation.
Morris's gaze shifted to the Guantou.
The Guantou generously stretched out a hand to him, palm facing up.
Phoebe looked at the outstretched cat paw, then at Morris, and asked with a puzzled expression, "What does it mean?"
"I need pocket money," Morris said.
Phoebe: "?"
Without explaining, Morris pulled a small cloth bag with a drawstring from his pocket and tossed it at the Guantou without even looking at it.
The Guantou stretched out its two front paws and caught it steadily. It held the cloth bag to its ear and shook it. Only after hearing the jingling sounds inside did it hang it around its neck with satisfaction.
"Your cat spends money?" Phoebe's expression suddenly turned somewhat strange.
This was the first time she had ever seen an owner give their pet pocket money.
"Of course," Morris said matter-of-factly. "And it costs a lot; most people can't afford to keep it."
The Guantou made a sound.
Morris waved his hand. "Go."
After receiving permission, the Guantou immediately turned around and quickly disappeared into the depths of the alley, while the Yanhua soared into the sky to continue their mission.
Phoebe asked curiously, "What does your cat buy? Guantou fish?"
"Not entirely," Morris shrugged. "Most of them bought books; he's been researching Potions lately."
The amazing thing is that his pet Guantou is very much like him, possessing an immense passion and talent for Potions.
It's because I often get my cat hair mixed in when I'm brewing Potions...
At this point, Phoebe was at a loss for words to complain about.
It can only be described as an amazing cat.
The two walked out of the alley, and after walking just a few dozen meters, they would reach their local grocery store.
The sun was shining brightly, and there were many more people on the street than before. Several children were running and laughing across the street corner.
Phoebe suddenly nudged Morris's arm and said, "Look over there, isn't that Mr. Bagman?"
Morris followed her gaze.
They saw Mr. Bagman half-hidden behind the door of the grocery store they were going to, peeking out and looking around furtively.
After confirming something, he closed the door and went into the store.
"What is he doing?" Phoebe asked in a low voice.
"I don't know," Morris said. "Anyway, let's go in."
He was the first to step forward.