Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 181, 180. Such a big dog, why is it crying?

Fred and George witnessed firsthand how, in just one lunchtime, Celen amassed a fortune of over three hundred Galleons.

They all came to him to buy wands, and Galleons were jingled and stuffed into an ever-bulging bag.

They then deeply realized the importance of having a skill.

They sell quick-fix skipping candy and all sorts of magical gadgets, and so far they've only managed to collect thirty Galleons.

Xilun earned 300 Galleons in just one noon.

Their eyes were practically red with envy, they couldn't wait to learn how to make wands... No, they actually did, they didn't even finish their lunch before running off to the library without looking back.

Xilun called out to them several times but couldn't stop them; the two figures quickly disappeared outside the auditorium.

"Aren't you angry?" Ron asked cautiously, looking at Siron. "They learn things very quickly."

“If you could learn how to make wand cores from wizards’ hair just by reading a book, Ollivander’s Wand Shop would have closed down long ago,” Siron said, shaking his head.

Even Garrick was scratching his head trying to figure out how to turn the wizard's hair into a staff core, and he hadn't succeeded after more than a year of trying.

If Fred and George could learn it so easily, Ollivander's Wand Shop should really close down.

“Never mind them,” Celen said. Back in the common room, she tidied up all the hair, wrote the corresponding names on it, and then took out the heavy bag.

Including the ones from the previous few days, there are a total of 513 Galleons. After deducting costs—the cores were provided by ourselves, and the staffs were almost all from the Forbidden Forest and the Room of Requirement… Of course, some were bought, such as Harry's yew staff, which is not available in the Forbidden Forest.

Xilun did the math and realized that making a pure profit of 513 Galleons might be a bit of an exaggeration, but 500 was definitely achievable.

That's a good idea.

Xiren transferred all the Galon into his shapeshifting lizard skin bag, listening to the pleasant jingling sound. He thought that once Garrick retired, the magical creature cores could also retire.

That stuff is nowhere near as good as a wizard's hair...

But what should we do with this money?
Buy a Thunderbird?

Forget it, I can't afford it, and Thunderbirds are prohibited from being bought and sold.

Longhorned water snake wood is also good. If we can find another piece of snake wood, we might be able to make another ring.

But thinking about it carefully, it seems like I can't afford this either.

Why don't we buy some more dragon bloodwood? This time, let's not buy the ordinary kind, let's buy the best kind... He always felt that the Fire Dragon Reserve must have good stuff, but they were just hiding it and not taking it out.

Five hundred Galleons should be enough for this.

……

While Siren was still pondering what to buy, Tom, who was choosing lunch in the woods near Hogsmeade, encountered an uninvited guest.

Because he had to take care of the newcomer Crook Mountain, Tom didn't go to the Forbidden Forest today, but instead chose this ordinary forest.

Although it's not a forbidden forest, there are still plenty of small animals like mice, rabbits, and minks, more than enough to fill our stomachs.

Once Crookshan has mastered the hunting process, it will take its prey to the Forbidden Forest... that's the real place, and it'll also have its underlings there.

Tom was full of confidence, but to his surprise, just as he set his sights on a plump wild rabbit, it was scared away by a clueless young man who appeared out of nowhere.

It was a scruffy, large black dog, about the same size as its little brother Ya Ya, with matted fur all over its body and a foul odor.

It had no hunting skills, no camouflage, and no patience; it just charged straight at you. The hare wasn't stupid; of course it would run.

If there were any that didn't run away, Tom wouldn't dare eat them.

And because it stirred things up, all the food nearby ran away.

What does it eat?
Tom was furious. He rushed over and started punching the black dog on the head. Crookshank, seeing this, immediately came to help without saying a word.

……

Sirius was stunned and didn't recover for a long time.

He was so hungry that he wanted to catch a wild rabbit or mouse to fill his stomach, but not only did he catch nothing, he was also slapped several times by a wild cat without any explanation.

No, why should he be tortured by Dementors in Azkaban? He finally escaped, and now he has to be tortured by a wild cat?
Sirius shook his head and stood up, letting out low growls.

He was warning the two stray cats that he could let bygones be bygones, but if they continued to cause trouble, they shouldn't blame him for being impolite.

Sirius Black, a distinguished graduate of Hogwarts and the only wizard to successfully escape from Azkaban, could he not defeat a Dementor but surely he could defeat an ordinary wildcat?
Hearing the black dog's low growls, Tom gradually stopped.

It wasn't that it was scared; it was that it was genuinely angry.

That bastard actually tried to fight back?

Sharp claws emerged from the paw pads, and Tom pounced again.

……

Five minutes later, Sirius lay on the ground, looking bewildered, and showed Tom his belly.

This is how animals express submission. After learning the Animagus transformation, Sirius mastered this skill automatically and just now lay down unconsciously.

Surprisingly, it actually worked. Tom stopped, elegantly rubbing his claws on a leaf to wipe away the blood.

Sirius was left lying there, questioning his existence.

He realized that he really couldn't beat that wild cat.

Is this a dream? It must be.

He's a dog, after all. Putting aside his size advantage, he could go toe-to-toe with a werewolf a decade ago, but now he can't even beat a wild cat.
Is this reasonable?

Moreover, no one knew what that stray cat ate to grow up, but it was incredibly strong. With one slap, it made his mouth go numb.

...If you slap him again, the numbness will stop, because by then he won't be able to feel the mouth anymore.

Each time Tom swung his claws, he left four narrow, bloody welts on his body.

That is to say, his fur is black; otherwise, he would probably have turned into a red dog by now.

Sirius lay on the ground, looking at the cloud in the sky that looked like a middle finger, and suddenly felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

He felt utterly useless. He had trusted the wrong person, leading to James and Lily's murder by Voldemort. He thought he had avenged them, but he had failed again... That coward had escaped, and he knew nothing about it.

Now that they've finally escaped Azkaban, they've been beaten to a pulp by a stray cat...

Can he really get revenge?

Sirius looked at the few dark yellow dog teeth on the ground, his mouth tingled, and he suddenly burst into tears, each tear falling onto the grass beneath him.

This scene completely stunned Tom.

No, how could such a big dog suddenly start crying? Even after being beaten by it for half a year, Ya Ya never cried like this... it was even twitching.

Tom looked toward Crook Hill.

Crookshan tilted his head, thought hard for a long time, then turned around and took a strip of meat out of the pocket around his neck.

Those were snacks Hermione had prepared for it.

Tom suddenly realized... That's right, the big dog must have been crying because it was hungry.

Do you need help?

Tom irritably sharpened his claws on the stone, hesitated for a moment, then turned and ran into the depths of the woods.

There was nothing it could do; this big dog gave it a strange yet familiar feeling, just like the black cat that its owner had transformed into.

If it weren't for this reason, it wouldn't bother with the other party at all.

A little while later, Tom returned carrying two rabbits and three mice. He threw them next to Sirius with a look of disgust, then pouted.

That seems to mean:
Eat up, you piece of trash!
……

(End of this chapter)