The two walked to the entrance of the grocery store.
"Jingle"
Morris pushed open the door, and the bell on the door rang crisply.
This is just an ordinary general store, mainly catering to Hogwarts students. You can find almost anything a student needs here.
The shop owner, a tall, thin man with a thick beard, was not in the shop at the moment.
Morris guessed he had probably gone to have tea with the widow next door.
It's only because Hogsmeade has good security that this shop is likely to be burglarized.
As for Ludo, he has long since disappeared.
"Where is Mr. Bagman?" Phoebe asked.
"I didn't see it."
As Morris spoke, he walked straight to the shelf and quickly found his target.
He pulled out a large box of crystal bottles from the bottom, enough for him to use for an entire semester.
There was a thin layer of dust on the box; it seems this thing isn't selling very well.
After all, crystal bottles specifically designed for storing Potions are not cheap.
Morris checked a few boxes casually, and after confirming that there were no problems, he moved the boxes to the counter and put them down.
Now all we have to do is wait for the boss to come back.
Phoebe strolled around the shop, ending up with several Winky quill pens and a box of colorful marbles printed with numbers.
"What is this?" Morris asked casually.
" Gobstones, you can use it to play a points game," Phoebe said, turning the box over to look at the label on the bottom. "I think Gabrielle might like it."
Morris nodded without asking any further questions.
The two sisters do have a very good relationship.
Just then, the door opened.
"Jingle"
Morris thought it was the boss returning, but when he turned around, he saw a short figure.
Goblin.
The other party was dressed in a well-tailored dark robe that looked expensive, and had a fierce look in his eyes, as if someone owed him tens of thousands of Galleon.
Then, several more Goblin filed in.
Morris felt a sense of novelty at first, as he rarely saw such Magical Creatures in Hogsmeade.
The lead Goblin looked around the shop, finally fixing her gaze on Morris's face and staring at him for several seconds.
Morris instinctively reached for his wand at his waist.
He always felt that the other party had ill intentions.
The Goblin's fierce expression vanished abruptly, replaced by an ugly smile as Morris stepped forward and asked, "Are you Morris Black?"
His voice was hoarse, as if something was stuck in his throat.
"That's right." Morris lowered his hand.
Because of his flying broomstick, he's quite famous outside, so it's not surprising that people recognize him.
The problem is, the other party is a Goblin.
Logically speaking, Goblin are usually indifferent to wizards and are often particularly wary of them, rarely taking the initiative to speak to them.
"Shall we talk about a collaboration, Mr. Black?" He flashed two rows of sharp teeth. "My name is Cagnak, and I run several factories that produce the precision parts for Firebolt."
Morris suddenly realized, "It's that factory where there are frequent strikes?"
Cagnak's smile froze instantly.
"That happened a long time ago," he quickly recovered and said confidently, "I guarantee that a similar problem will never occur now."
Sales of Firebolt have dropped considerably recently, but even with the Goblin occasionally going on strike, production capacity has kept up.
For Morris, the only impression the Goblin left on him was that of cunning, unreliable, and stingy.
Cooperation is impossible.
Moreover, his broom production does not require the other party's technology.
"Let's forget about cooperation," Morris said calmly.
The Goblin Cagnak wasn't angry; she simply shook her head regretfully. "What a pity. You have no idea how exquisite the Goblin's forging skills are. They would definitely make your broom even faster."
Morris shrugged.
That's just bragging.
Seeing that Morris did not respond, Cagnak turned his attention to other parts of the store.
"Besides you, is there anyone else in the shop?" he asked casually.
"Probably not," Morris said calmly. "If you want to find the boss, you can check next door; he's probably there."
"Ah, okay."
Cagnak led the Goblin around the shop a few times, looking as if they were searching for someone.
It's quite obvious that they're looking for Ludo Bagman.
Phoebe clearly realized this as well, her gaze following the figures of the Goblin as they moved around the shop.
After confirming that no one else was around, Cagnak left the general store with his entourage.
The door closed, and the footsteps faded into the distance.
Phoebe walked over to Morris and whispered, "They're looking for Mr. Bagman, aren't they?"
"Obviously." Morris nodded.
Phoebe frowned slightly, her face full of doubt. "So where is Mr. Bagman? Did he leave through the back door?"
Morris did not answer, but instead looked up, his gaze falling on a beam in the corner of the ceiling.
He had already sensed something was amiss when the Goblin began their search.
You know what, even though Ludo's physique has changed, he still retains some of the athletic ability he had when he was younger.
He clung to the beam, maintaining his still-unskilled Disillusionment Charm, and managed to hold on until now.
Phoebe followed Morris's gaze and exclaimed in surprise, " Mr. Bagman?"
Ludo then dispelled the Disillusionment Charm, slid down from the beam, and stumbled upon landing, nearly crashing into the shelf next to him.
At this moment, his yellow striped robe was covered in dust, his sparse hair clung to his forehead, and his face was covered in sweat.
It was a mess.
"It's so nice to see you all," Ludo said, glancing out the window before forcing an awkward smile. " Morris, and Phoebe too."
Phoebe nodded politely and asked, "Why are you avoiding those Goblin?"
"Ha--hahaha!"
Ludo suddenly burst into laughter twice, his tone suddenly becoming lighthearted. "That's a personal matter for me, gentlemen. I have a little friction with them."
Morris did not consider it a minor conflict.
When those Goblin stormed in, he thought they were gangsters.
But that has nothing to do with them.
That said, why didn't Ludo just Apparition away?
Phoebe wisely refrained from asking any further questions.
Just then, the door opened again.
Before the bell had even finished ringing, several short figures rushed in.
It was the same group of Goblin who had just left.
They almost immediately spotted Ludo standing by the window.
" Bagman," Cagnak's voice was still hoarse, but much colder than before, "Why did you run away?"
Why run?
Isn't that obvious?
Ludo's face turned pale instantly, but he still smiled and said, " Cagnak, listen to me, let's talk somewhere else. Let's go to a bar for a drink, it's on me."
This smile looks like she's forcing a smile.