The Butcher of Hogsmeade

February is approaching, and London is enjoying a rare sunny day for the season. The sunlight shines on the streets of Diagon Alley, peaceful and warm. Half a month has passed since the Death Eaters assassinated the Aurors, and the streets and shops destroyed in the battle have been restored to their original state. Even the attack on the Hogsmeade safe house by the dark wizards has been over for three days.

"Today is the perfect time to come out. The black wizard who bet for fifteen days has already lost, and the black wizard who bet for thirty days won't act so quickly; their counterparts have just been wiped out, so they need to think things over and find a safer opportunity."

Sirius Black was speaking, but James wasn't there; instead, Gideon Prewitt was with him.

Fabian has not yet fully recovered, but his health has greatly improved, and he has returned home to recuperate. As for James, since the "Night of the Hogsmeade Massacre," he has become elusive. Although he is not completely unreachable, he basically only contacts and meets Sirius Black every day, and also asks the latter to convey his greetings to Shen Hou.

"Dumbledore has given him another task." — This was Sirius's explanation to Shen Hou. This explanation was clearly somewhat concealed; he probably only answered because Shen Hou had become a comrade of the Order of the Phoenix.

At this moment, they had just come out of Gringotts. Shen Hou cashed the checks issued by the Ministries of Magic of Britain, France and Ireland, and deposited most of the cashed amount—a full two thousand Galleons—into the bank on the spot.

This money was the bounty for Antonin Dolokhov, which had been stuck for a long time due to procedural issues, and it was only delivered to Shen Hou yesterday.

When Scrimgeour personally delivered the check, not only Shen Hou but also Sirius found it quite unbelievable. Later, Gideon inquired about the details from within the ministry: "It's said that the French and Irish Ministries of Magic expressed their dissatisfaction with us, feeling that what should have been a simple matter had been handled terribly by the British Ministry of Magic, which was incredibly inefficient. Yet, both countries were eager to close the case and settle accounts! Minister Millison used this as an excuse to ridicule Barty Old Man without altering a single word, forcing him to relent. However, Barty Old Man was too embarrassed to deliver it himself, so he asked Scrimgeour to do it for him."

"I see." Shen Hou chuckled to himself, never expecting to encounter such "amazement from friendly nations" even after coming to the magic world.

"Alright, let's hurry up and buy Shen the wand. We need to take a group photo later! It's not easy to get everyone together on a rare free day," Sirius urged in a low voice.

Gideon scoffed, "Buying a wand doesn't seem to require anyone's help, and Mr. Ollivander certainly wouldn't allow it; would you dare say in his shop, right in front of him, that you're helping his customer choose a wand?"

"Anyone who dares to say something like that will get a good wand thrashing over their head," Sirius waved his hand dismissively. "Okay, all that 'helping' stuff is just a lie. I just want to see for myself what kind of wand suits Shen. You know, when he borrows my wand, he always learns spells very quickly, like the Ironclad Charm, the Repel Charm, and the Stun Charm in just a few days; but every time he switches to James' wand, he can't play anything, looking like a poor soul desperately needing a Guts-Removing Charm."

"Can we not mention that spell?" Shen Hou frowned. When he first heard about the intestinal-removing spell, he thought it was some kind of vicious curse. He only found out from James that it was a spell that only medical staff at St. Mungo's would learn and master, mainly used to treat constipation.

Just imagine the specific effects of the spell!

Upon entering Ollivanders wand shop, the doorbell rings sharply and jarringly, easily startling anyone who has just stepped inside.

The shop was decorated in a rustic and old-fashioned style, with a long bench, a tiny counter, and the rest of the space was covered in dust. The shelves were piled high with long, rectangular boxes, each over a foot long, stacked neatly all the way to the ceiling. For a moment, Shen Hou thought he had entered a Chinese calligraphy and painting shop, because these long boxes were mostly used to store various long scrolls of calligraphy and paintings—the very cheap kind.

"Ah, Mr. Prewitt, Mr. Black, it's been a long time." An old man with short, gray hair emerged from behind the shelves, carrying several long boxes. "Ash wood, unicorn tail hair, ebony, dragon heartstrings, right?"

Sirius replied, "Your memory is indeed excellent, Mr. Ollivander; although I've heard it often, I never believed it before."

"What brings you two back again? Is your wand damaged?" Ollivander placed the long box he was carrying on the counter. "I've never seen this gentleman before. You didn't buy your wand from me, did you?"

"That's exactly why we've come here today," Sirius Black continued, "to choose a suitable wand for our friend."

"It is the wand that chooses the wizard, not the wizard that chooses the wand." Ollivander slowly walked up to the three of them. Only then did Shen Hou notice that Ollivander's eyes were actually silver-white. "So, sir, what wand did you use before?"

"No, I've never used a wand," Shen Hou replied.

"The first wand? That's rare at your age! How should I address you?" The old man's silvery eyes immediately lit up with curiosity.

"Shen, you can call him Shen. He used to... he was used to casting spells without a staff, but he decided to adapt to local customs after coming to England." Sirius's ability to make up lies was as solid as ever.

"I see. Are you a student of Vagado? I find it hard to imagine what it would be like for a wizard to cast spells without a wand." As Ollivander spoke, a measuring tape began to fly around Shen Hou, measuring his height, arm length, and even head circumference, which surprised and made Shen Hou feel uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the process ended quickly.

Which hand do you prefer?

"Right hand."

"My right hand, I used to cast spells without a staff..." Ollivander seemed to be talking to himself, turning around to search on the shelf. After a while, he pulled out a box and opened it. "Try this one, similar to Mr. Black's, made of ebony from Africa, with a unicorn tail hair core..."

Shen Hou took out the dark magic wand from the box and subconsciously cast an "Iron Armor Charm," but it only produced a gust of wind—not magic, but simply the sturdy ebony wand.

"No, change it. It's still ebony, but the core is a dragon heartstring." The second box was handed to Shen Hou almost seamlessly. The wand inside was almost identical to the first one, in length and color.

Shen Hou picked it up and swung it again, this time making a bigger noise; at least the sound of the wind was crisper.

"That's not right either! Your magic is strange... Try the ebony wand with the phoenix feather core." Ollivander shoved the third wand into Shen Hou's hand. As soon as the wand touched his palm, a gust of wind rose from the ground, swirling and sweeping across the shelves and counters, instantly turning the store into a disaster scene.

"No, no..." Ollivander quickly "snatched" the wand back, and the whirlwind disappeared in the process.

"You are extremely irritable, Mr. Shen, and your magical reactions are exceptionally sensitive and unique, only responding to a few materials, and you are completely unable to control most wands..."

"Me, short-tempered?" Shen Hou pointed to himself in confusion, looking at his two companions for confirmation; but to his surprise, Sirius and Gideon both looked thoughtful, their faces seemingly agreeing.

In just half a month, he had taken ten more lives. No one would believe he wasn't irritable!

"A grumpy wizard, with unprecedentedly sensitive magic..." Ollivander found himself in a state of utter bewilderment. His gaze swept across the shelves again and again, but he could not find the next wand suitable for a customer to try.

"I don't seem to have a wand that suits you here?" Ollivander said, seemingly more surprised than the three customers.