The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 164 The Real Uses of Oil Lamps

London, Diagon Alley.

Nearly a month has passed since Sirius Black's prison break, and for the first week, people were still on edge.

However, as time went by, and with Sirius seemingly disappearing from the public eye, the hype surrounding the incident faded, and Diagon Alley gradually regained its former popularity.

Especially with the start of Hogwarts school approaching, many shops opened early. As for Sirius Black? Sorry, he's not as important as Galon.

Life seems to have returned to its original rhythm.

However, all of this applies to ordinary wizards. For Harry, this summer vacation was exceptionally difficult.

Not only was his activity limited to Diagon Alley, but he also had to be followed by Aurors whenever he went out. All he could do was sit by the window on the second floor and watch the bustling crowds in Diagon Alley.

Today, after finishing his homework, Harry, as usual, moved a chair to the window and sat down to begin his daily observations. He'd been doing this for over a month. Sometimes he thought that even if he were to run into Malfoy and have a good argument, it would be better than his current life.

However, fate always loves to play tricks. Just a few minutes after sitting by the window, Harry suddenly stood up and walked downstairs.

He spotted two familiar figures on the street corner: Hermione and Ino were chatting and laughing as they walked toward Flourish and Blotts.

……

The cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley.

Ino suddenly noticed that Hermione was acting strangely, especially after hearing him say that the number six meant the divination would be absolutely successful; the smile on her face never stopped.

But he already had a rough idea about the 'six' that appeared on the dice the second time.

It seems that the dice are selective; otherwise, even if Hermione were to divine whether Hogwarts would be able to open normally this year, the result would most likely be a "five," rather than an absolute divination.

But it's better to see through things without saying anything. Sometimes divination is like psychological therapy, just make the person happy, there's no need to be so meticulous.

"Ino, what courses are you planning to take in your third year?" Hermione asked curiously as they walked down the street.

"Ancient scripture and magical creature conservation—taking two courses that interest you is enough."

Perhaps anticipating Hermione's question, Ino revealed his plans without hesitation.

Two elective courses are enough; taking any more would be a waste of energy. Besides, he doesn't plan to work at the Ministry of Magic, so even if he got twelve certificates, there would be nowhere to use them.

"You're not planning to choose divination?" Hermione stopped in her tracks, her tone incredulous.

Faced with Hermione's question, Ino revealed his true answer:

"Divination is mysterious and powerful! But I don't want to rely on it too much."

Just as the two were chatting, they faintly heard a call coming from behind them:

"Hermione! And Mr. Swinburne! It's so good to see you both!"

Harry jogged over as he spoke, with an adult wizard following a few meters behind him.

"Long time no see, Mr. Potter!"

Ino greeted him with a smile, glancing at the adult wizard opposite him, who returned a friendly smile.

"Harry? You're here too?" Hermione asked listlessly, as if she were having dinner when the doorbell rang.

"Of course I'm here, and I've been here for over a month, living in the Leaky Cauldron..."

When asked about his sad moments, Harry spoke with a somewhat downcast expression.

But after a brief period of sadness, Harry started talking non-stop about his experiences during this time. It seemed he had really been alone for a long time, and he couldn't stop talking, completely oblivious to Hermione's expression.

The three of them walked towards Flourish and Blotts bookstore.

……

Upon entering the bookstore, the group discovered that it was quite different from what they used to be.

The shop usually displays gold-embossed magic books as thick as paving stones, but now behind the glass is a large iron cage containing about a hundred copies of "The Monster Book of Monsters".

The books were all tangled together, fiercely wrestling with each other like a violent wrestling match, with torn pieces of paper flying everywhere.

"Why would the boss stock this kind of book?" Harry asked curiously.

"Because it's listed as a textbook for the Magical Creatures class, didn't you even read your Hogwarts year-end notification?"

Hermione said, looking at Harry with some surprise.

Hearing Hermione's words, Harry suddenly realized that the Hogwarts professor of Magical Protection might have a lot in common with Hagrid.

He also took out the book list from his pocket and looked at it properly for the first time.

It clearly states on the cover: The textbook for the class on protecting magical creatures - "The Monster Book of Monsters".

Looking at the stunned Harry, Ino said softly:

"Actually, it's not Mr. Potter's fault! Anyone under such almost imprisonment-like protection probably wouldn't have the mind to care about anything else."

Hearing someone defend him, Harry gave them a grateful look.

Similarly, after Ino spoke, Hermione didn't say anything more and cleverly changed the subject: "Let's buy the books first, but they don't seem easy to get along with."

"You were right!" A complaint suddenly came from beside them; it was the bookstore manager.

This middle-aged man, who was usually well-dressed, looked somewhat disheveled at this moment.

"They're more than just difficult to deal with; I'm never stocking these again, never again! They're such a mess! We bought two hundred copies of 'The Invisibility Book of Invisibility,' spending a fortune, and then we never found a trace of them. I thought it couldn't get any worse."

An invisible book? Listening to the manager's complaints, Ino suddenly thought of something and immediately spoke up:

"Excuse me for interrupting! You just said that there's a 'Book of Invisibility' for sale here?"

"Theoretically, they are for sale, but as you can see, I can't find those books anymore."

The bookstore manager spread his hands helplessly. He recognized the boy in front of him; he had been on the cover of The Daily Prophet a few months ago.

Therefore, he chose to tell the truth instead of selling customers a bunch of air as he used to.

"Are you sure you've ordered the goods? And placed them in the bookstore?" Ino asked again.

"Confirmed! I've kept all the receipts. If it weren't for them... sigh! Anyway, according to them, those books would already be in my bookstore!"

The middle-aged manager sighed deeply. There was something he didn't say: if he could afford to offend the other party, he would have already taken the receipt and gone to their door.

"Hermione! Mr. Potter, please wait here for me a moment, I'll be right back!"

After saying that, Ino walked towards the door, because the bookstore manager's words had made him realize something—"Those books are nowhere to be seen."

What creates a shadow? It must be when illuminated by a light source.

Thinking of this, he remembered that oil lamp that could dispel illusions.

That's why he left in a hurry, wanting to find a secluded place to take out the oil lamp from the shelter and experiment with it.

(End of this chapter)