Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 817

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating!" Hermione reached out and lightly punched Ron with her fist. "It's transparent, comes in a crystal bottle, and had a slight fragrance when I drank it. This is Buffalo's Potion, invented by the famous 16th-century female apothecary, Lady Buffalo. It's a high-grade tranquilizer that allows people to imagine things that make them happy."

“Read more books, Ron,” Hermione complained again.

“Whether I study or not is not important. I’m a little hungry now and I want to eat something,” Ron said, rubbing his stomach.

"You ate so much for lunch? Aren't you full yet?" Hermione glanced at her watch. "It's only been less than two hours since our last lunch. Are you already hungry?"

"Hahaha, little Ron, you really have a big appetite," Fleur Delacour joked in a thick, rolled "r," then looked up at the sun—

"It's still early. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley should be wandering around somewhere else. How about it, little brothers and sisters, do you want me to take you for a stroll through the alleyways of Paris? It's in the old town in the north of Paris. There are lots of interesting Muggle gadgets and Muggle sweets there."

“Great!” Ron was the first to agree.

"Sure," Hermione said. Although she was still a little upset about losing the Philosopher's Stone, this was the perfect time to go shopping and cheer herself up, especially since she'd never been to the alleyways north of Paris. "Shall we go to the alleyways? What do you think, Harry?"

“I have no objection.” Harry shrugged.

Harry wondered if the Buffalo potion had worked, but he realized that his previous worries and anxieties were completely unfounded. With Tyella watching over him and tracking Voldemort, what else could Harry possibly worry about?
“Then hold me tight.” Fleur Delacour stretched out her arms and smiled at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

“I thought you were at war, and that magic wasn’t allowed outside the Ministry of Magic,” Hermione said, but her hand remained firmly on Fleur Delacour’s arm, while Harry and Ron held onto the other.

“Well,” Fleur Delacour smiled slyly, “thanks to Totiera, the French Ministry of Magic is in a mess right now, and we don’t have much energy to deal with this.”

As soon as Furong finished speaking, the four of them twisted and disappeared from the spot—

The next moment they appeared on the streets of the old town in northern Paris.

Although it is already afternoon, the market in the old town is just entering its most bustling time.

Sunlight filtered through the slightly curved stone streets and narrow alleys, the blend of ancient and modern architecture adding a touch of mystery and antiquity to the market they had arrived at.

As the four of them walked through the alleyway, they were immediately surrounded by a variety of sounds and smells.

Vendors called out, trying to sell their wares to tourists, ranging from brightly colored fabrics and antique silverware to all sorts of quirky little inventions—

Of course, there are also the indispensable fortune-telling stalls run by people dressed as gypsies.

Ron was very interested in the wide variety of food, especially a stall selling floral-scented candies—

The sweetness and floral scent of the candy made him almost unable to resist taking a bite.

Hermione, on the other hand, was more interested in the stalls displaying ancient books and maps. She squatted in front of the stalls, carefully flipping through each book, but soon lost interest.

Because most of those books were about so-called mysticism and witchcraft, and it was obvious that they were printed by a modern printing press and then deliberately aged. Only a small portion were travelogues, novels, and diaries from the 1970s and 80s.

Hermione is particularly interested in all of these speed changes.

Harry was much more easygoing, interested in everything. One moment he was drawn to a handicraft stall, the next he was squatting on the ground with Hermione, looking through those old books.

Soon, Harry noticed that Fleur was particularly interested in the exquisite little boxes the seller was showing, so he curiously went over to take a look as well.

"This is truly exquisite!" Hibiscus exclaimed, praising the pinnacle of human industrial achievement.

"You want to buy it for Bill?" Hermione asked, drawn in by the conversation.

“Ah, yes.” A rare blush appeared on Fleur Delacour’s face, like the sunset before the evening glow. “I want to use it to store our wedding rings.” Fleur said, then played with the rings for a moment, before taking out a few euros from her pocket and handing them to the vendor.

While Harry, Fleur, and Hermione were pressing the vendor for wedding details, Ron finally found the stall that interested him most—

A food cart, the owner of which seemed to be of Turkish descent, had two thick skewers of roasted meat sizzling and dripping with oil on it, baked in an electric oven.

“Look!” Ron pointed at the stall, his face showing anticipation.

“Ron, you’re always so easily attracted to food.” Hermione pouted helplessly, but in the end she smiled and followed him.

Harry and Fleur followed, and Ron took out his meager amount of euros to buy a Turkish kebab.

The roasted meat was sandwiched inside a hollowed-out bread roll, and the oozing oil soaked into the bread, making the food in Ron's hand taste even sweeter.

“I was originally planning to take you to a croissant shop on the corner, but…” Fleur Delacour shrugged helplessly, “this place is also quite unique, so go ahead and eat here if you want.”

Harry followed Ron and bought one too, while Hermione stood unmoved next to Fleur.

"Why aren't you going? Don't you like barbecue?" Fleur Delacour asked curiously.

“I have to stay in shape.” Hermione tossed her hair. “I don’t want to be wearing this baggy tracksuit to your wedding.”

"Hahahaha." Fleur Delacour couldn't help but chuckle, "You little girls... hahahaha."

Before we knew it, the sun was slowly setting in the west, the crowds in the alley gradually thinned out, and the shops began to prepare to close up shop.

After browsing around, Hermione bought a few used books. She didn't plan to read them herself, but the covers were very nice, so she decided to remove them and put them on her other books.

Ron certainly bought food. In addition to eating some, he also packed some desserts for his parents, brother, and sister, which were wrapped in waxed paper by the calloused hands of the street baker.

And Harry—

He then took a liking to a piece of art made of irregularly shaped red crystals, half of which was buried in an iron-gray rock base and the other half exposed.

Then, carved on the rock base are the words: Wishing Stone.

For some reason, Harry found himself quite fond of this simple little craft.

Hermione glanced at her watch and reminded everyone, "Looks like we should go find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for dinner."

"I hope you've saved room for dinner tonight." Hermione glanced sideways at Harry and Ron, who had just finished their Turkish kebab and then dessert.

“I think we can still find a place,” Ron said, patting his belly as he tried to reassure himself.

“You always manage to find room for food, Ron,” Harry joked with a laugh.

They had no intention of using magic, but rather strolled leisurely along the streets like a group of Muggles, taking in the fresh air of Paris in the evening.

Neon lights began to flash along the streets, and restaurants and cafes in the alleys emitted enticing aromas and music.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Instead of watching the Spring Festival Gala, why not read a novel?

(End of this chapter)