Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 48 The Tragedy of Peter

Mo Ran was not in a good mood after leaving Borginborough's Magic Shop. The information that damned old fox was selling was almost as expensive as a wand, but the content was nothing more than a retelling of what Donald Cooper had said.

……

"If I hear these old liars spout nonsense again, I'm going to memorize the Thunderbird Bandit's heist and escape route... What does this stuff have to do with me? Did I only experience the cruelty of society when I was working before, and not the wickedness of people's hearts? No way, I have to find a chance to go to the Bojinbok store for a free purchase, otherwise I really can't swallow this!"

The extreme anger even caused Mo Ran to unknowingly awaken Harry, who was dormant within her body.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Both of them, suddenly realizing their perspectives had switched, showed a degree of panic. Almost instantly, Mo Ran used Apparition to teleport back to the safer Diagon Alley. (For security reasons, Apparition is also prohibited in Diagon Alley.)

"Wow! Mom!"

Many children queuing outside the Florin-Focco ice cream shop were startled, and seeing their parents about to crowd around, Mo Ran quickly spoke up to explain:

"It's the Disillusionment Spell that's gone wrong. I was just practicing the spell, so I'm sorry to bother you."

……

Inside the Leaky Cauldron, Harry, who had regained control of his body, was talking to Moran.

What exactly happened just now?

"I don't know. I just went to the Borginborough Magic Shop and got angry because that old man ripped me off with a few Galleons, so I cursed at him a bit... Could it be that something in the shop affected me?"

"Huh? Is that so? What should we do then?"

Mo Ran pondered for a moment and said:

"I originally planned to go back to Bogin-Bock before the start of the semester to get some benefits back, but now it seems that this shop may have many unknown magical items, which are quite worth exploring. I need to make a good plan."

"Do you want to work in a store like Voldemort?"

"Of course not. I'm thinking of finding a dark and stormy night to go directly to him and buy a batch of goods for free."

Mo Ran's suggestion resonated perfectly with Harry's adventurous spirit, which was inherently eager for adventure in Gryffindor. Without needing any embellishment from the other party, he readily agreed.

"When? Tonight? Should we prepare some potions? Or is the invisibility cloak enough?"

“Tonight won’t work. We just made a deal with him, and if we act now, it might arouse Borgin-Bock’s suspicion. Let’s wait until the last day before school starts. That way, even if we leave any traces, we’ll already be on the train to Hogwarts by the time he finds out.”

"it is good!"

……

The days of waiting for "school to start" were not easy for Harry. Since he had promised to buy school supplies with his friends, he did not buy anything for himself except for preparing for "robbing the rich to help the poor" with Moran.

Noticing the slight repression in the host's heart, Mo Ran took the opportunity, while on his way to Gringotts to handle the accounts of the Lily Health Insurance Company, to take the initiative to comfort him:

“Harry, don’t you have anything you want to buy? Now that we have an extra source of income, we can indulge in some spending without any guilt. Look at all these Galleons in this vault, don’t you want to put them to good use?”

"I... I don't really want anything. Let's just forget about it."

The thirteen-year-old's attempt to conceal his true feelings did not escape Mo Ran's notice. With just a little probing, he sensed during the conversation the shop Harry had always wanted to visit—the Quidditch Boutique.

"Are they fire crossbow bolts?"

"No!"

Harry's answer was so resolute that if Mo Ran hadn't been able to sense his rapidly beating heart, he might have actually been fooled.

“I remember when we used to go to Diagon Alley, you would always glance into the Quidditch boutique.”

"I already have a very good broom. Why would I spend all the money I've worked so hard to earn on something that might depreciate in value in the future? Besides, I'm very comfortable using the Nimbus 2000, and I've even used it to beat the Slytherin team, which was equipped with Nimbus 2001s. If I suddenly switch to a new broom, I might not be used to it."

As Harry's mentor, Mo Ran could naturally sense the forceful suppression of desire through reason in Harry's words. But what he never expected was that he would be lectured in reverse by his "disciple" using terms like depreciation and worthlessness.

"Cough cough!"

He smiled and said:

"It's not a simple matter, Harry. In the Muggle world, some extremely rare products can be preserved regardless of depreciation and performance, and may even increase in value. Otherwise, why do you think the word 'antique' exists?"

"Then... what about Nimbus 2000?"

"Keep it, and auction it off in a few years! Just think, after we completely defeat Voldemort, how many young wizards will covet the flying broomstick used by our savior Harry Potter? Any store in Diagon Alley will be proud to have items used by Harry Potter, and might even display them as their prized possessions in their display cases."

Harry seemed to be persuaded; he could almost see the Firebolt, with its fine ash handle, diamond-cut, and registration number hand-engraved, lying securely in his arms.

"The world's fastest flying broom, the Firebolt, can accelerate from a straight line to 150 miles per hour in ten seconds!"

"The Irish International Club has invested heavily in seven Firebolts, determined to achieve great results in this World Cup!"

"Designed by multiple broom masters, with a metal structure crafted by fairies, this is a limited-edition work of art! I bet there won't be a broom more powerful than the Firebolt for decades to come!"

"No!"

Harry shouted to stop the sounds of male and female wizards that were playing in his mind.

"Don't tempt me! I'm going to pick out birthday presents for Hermione and Ron!"

……

The date is Thursday, August 24, 1993. Hermione and Ron arrive at Diagon Alley as agreed.

After exchanging pleasantries, the three of them went together to Flourish and Blotts to buy the textbooks they would need for the new school year. (Hogwarts changes teachers and adds subjects from time to time, so even though Harry had bought most of the books before his first year, he still had to check the pre-school reading list to fill in any gaps.)

Wow! What is this?!

As soon as Ron entered, he was startled by the shocking scene inside the iron cage. There were more than a hundred copies of "The Monster Book of Monsters" being imprisoned, tearing and wrestling fiercely.

"Ah...it's Hogwarts again?"

The bookstore manager, covered in sweat and bandages, had a terrible expression on his face. He glanced at Harry and his two companions' attire, then grabbed a dragon-skin glove and a knotted wooden stick, and headed towards the cage as if he were about to heroically sacrifice himself.

"and many more!"

Harry quickly said:

"Two books are enough. I already have one."

The manager forced a smile and nodded to Harry, then transformed back into a fearless warrior, charging forward once more.

Watching the bookstore manager struggle inside the cage, Ron asked in a low voice:

"Didn't we agree to go together? Why did you buy it first?"

Harry replied somewhat helplessly:

"Hagrid gave me a copy. He left a note saying I'd need it next semester. I thought he wanted me to keep some monster for him."

"I see..."

"Ow! Ow!"

A painful scream interrupted their conversation. The next second, the manager, carrying two bound monster books, walked over with a grimacing grin.

"14 silver Sickles... Ugh! Which Hogwarts professor did this? I swear I'll never buy this stuff again!"

Having already guessed the general idea, Harry and his two friends exchanged glances and changed the subject.

"Ah! Um... we also need three copies of 'Seeing the Future Through the Fog,' two copies each of 'Intermediate Transfiguration' and 'Standard Spells, Level Three,' thank you."

Ten minutes later, the three leaders emerged from Flourish and Blotts, carrying large bags and small packages. Since Hermione's bag was filled with too many textbooks, they had to go to the Leaky Cauldron to store their luggage before continuing their shopping.

"I still have ten Galleons left. They were the money my parents gave me to buy an early birthday present. I want to buy myself a pet this year."

After settling everything in, Hermione pulled out her wallet and said to Harry and Ron:

"What do you think I should buy? I want an owl so that when I want to write to you, I don't have to wait for Hedwig and Errol to come."

Ron replied somewhat embarrassedly:

"I'm Errol now! Thanks to the wand voucher Harry gave me last year, my parents saved up some of their bonus to buy a new owl. Of course, I'll definitely pay Harry back after I graduate and start working. By the way, you haven't seen my new wand yet, have you?"

After saying that, Ron drew his wand directly from his waist.

"A fourteen-inch long wand made of willow wood and unicorn tail hair. I used it to cast a few spells while my parents were home, and it's really much better than the old one!"

Seeing Ron's happy and content expression, Harry was genuinely happy for him too, and he said:

“Don’t worry about Ron, it’s just a wand. Why don’t we go with Hermione to the magical pet shop and I’ll get you a new pet? You’ve had that rat for a long time.”

"That won't work."

Ron said seriously:

“You’ve already spent so much on me, and then there were the invisibility cloaks for Fred and George. Mom and Dad have already scolded us for it. We really can’t accept any more of your expensive kindness. And…”

As he was talking, he took out his pet mouse, Spotty, from his pocket.

"I've raised Banban for so many years, I can't just abandon it, especially now that it's so old... Hey... Look at its fur, isn't it yellow and dry? I wonder if it caught some disease when it went to Egypt?"

Ron, looking gloomy, had no idea that the rat lying in his hand was actually a fat Death Eater, just as he didn't know that Harry standing next to him had already activated Legilimency at full power.

Fear, worry, terror, the urge to escape and disappear...

Without a doubt, this thin, listless rat with drooping whiskers was none other than Peter Pettigrew, the little star who betrayed Harry's parents years ago. The reason he was in such a poor state was because he learned of Sirius Black's prison break after returning to London.

Noticing Harry's unfriendly gaze fixed on Scabbers, Hermione assumed he was feeling unwell and quickly asked in a low voice:

"Harry? Are you alright?"

"Ok?"

Harry turned his head and his eyes met Hermione's concerned gaze.

"It's nothing. I just heard you say that your aunt and uncle gave you money, so I thought I'd give you your birthday present early."

"You didn't buy anything particularly expensive, did you?"

"It's just an enchanted crystal ball that reflects real-time images based on changes in the stars, much like the ceiling at Hogwarts. I guess you'll be taking a lot of classes this year, and with it, you can stay in your dorm and observe astronomy without having to go up to the Astronomy Tower."