bacchusnovels Chapter 282 Rat Spotted
Chapter 282 Rat Spotted
Chapter 282 Rat Spotted
"So, Hermione and Ron, you two are staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too?"
On the way back, Harry excitedly looked at the two people beside him and asked them questions.
Hermione nodded happily. "My mom and dad brought me here this morning, along with everything I need at Hogwarts."
Harry's face lit up with a smile, his excitement growing. He turned to Ron, "And you, Ron? Do you live here too?"
Ron squeezed the books in his hands to keep the rickety stack steady, and said with a smile, "That's right, my parents also told me to come early. My mom has been nagging me to buy things early this morning—but you know her style, I bet she'll come over in a bit to check if I forgot anything."
"That's great!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. "We can chat in the pub tonight about the summer; it feels like ages since we last saw you guys. But how did you know I was staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"
"My dad said so," Ron replied matter-of-factly.
He had already heard from Arthur about the background of Harry living here.
"Harry, did you really inflate your aunt's ego?" Hermione's tone was very serious, her brows furrowed slightly, and her face showed disapproval.
"I didn't mean to," Harry quickly explained, a helpless expression on his face, while Ron couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I just—couldn't control myself for a moment."
"This is no joke, Ron!" Hermione glared at Ron sternly, her tone full of reproach. "To be honest, I'm quite surprised that Harry wasn't expelled."
“I’m wondering the same thing,” Harry sighed and nodded. “Forget expelling me, I thought I was going to be arrested.” He turned to Ron. “Your dad doesn’t know why Fudge let me off the hook either, right?”
Ron shrugged, still smiling. "Maybe it's because you're 'the famous Harry Potter,' isn't it? Seriously, I can't even imagine what the Ministry of Magic would do to me if I exaggerated my aunt's virginity. Let me tell you..."
First they'll dig me out of the ground—because my mom will definitely kill me first!
Harry couldn't help but laugh; Ron's exaggerated imagination lightened the atmosphere a little.
Ron continued, "Anyway, you can ask my dad yourself tonight and see if he has any inside information."
As they spoke, the group returned to the Breaking Cauldron Bar.
"Tom, prepare two more rooms for me," Sean said, leaning against the bar and addressing Tom behind it.
The slightly hunched old wizard was wiping an old wine glass. Hearing Sean's words, he looked up, revealing a toothless grin. "Coming soon, Phillips?"
"Long time no see," Sean replied with a smile.
"Why are you staying here today?" Tom frowned, a hint of curiosity in his voice, but he didn't stop working. He took out two old keys from the cabinet behind the bar and handed them to Sean.
Sean smiled and took it, glancing at Harry and his two friends who were chatting at a table not far away. "Something came up, and I'll be going to Hogwarts with these kids tomorrow."
"Then you can settle in comfortably, Phillips. Same as always, if you need anything, just let me know." Tom flashed his familiar toothless smile and continued wiping the wine glass in his hand, but no matter how he wiped it, the grime stuck to the glass didn't seem to disappear at all.
"Thank you, Tom." Sean smiled and nodded, then turned to Harry and the others and said, "Alright, let's go."
Let's put the books in the room first, then we'll go for a walk.
After saying that, he turned to look at Sirius Black beside him.
"I forgot to ask your opinion. How about we stay at the Leaky Cauldron tonight, what do you think, Witt?"
Sirius paused for a moment, then coughed to hide his inner turmoil. "Yes, of course, no problem."
Sean automatically interpreted those words as something else: "Thank you, I couldn't be happier."
"Okay, let's go upstairs first." Sean smiled and headed for the stairs.
They climbed the narrow wooden staircase leading to the Leaky Cauldron, the stairs creaking softly, the air thick with the authentic, musty smell of the bar.
The room wasn't big, but it was comfortable enough for a few tired students.
Each room has a soft bed and a small window through which you can see the street view of Diagon Alley.
Harry put the book he was holding on the table and sighed softly, "Finally, I can rest for a bit. These books are so heavy."
Ron leaned against the bed and relaxed his shoulders. "I feel like I'm going to lose all feeling in my arms."
Hermione quickly and methodically tidied her books. "Alright, now we can free up some time to look at other things. Where's next? Is there anything you'd like to buy?"
"Look at this," Ron said, immediately pulling a long, thin box from his bag and opening it. "A brand new wand. Willow wood, fourteen inches long, and inside is a unicorn tail hair."
"Wow, Ron, you finally have a new wand!" Harry exclaimed, leaning closer to examine the brand-new wand. Ron proudly waved the wand, a smug smile spreading across his face.
"Yeah, my parents finally let me change my old wand," Ron said, his voice full of excitement.
"Very good, Ron," Hermione said with a smile of approval, but she quickly turned her attention back to her book bag and money pouch.
She opened a pink purse, quickly counted the gold Galleons and silver Sickles inside, and looked at the few coins left.
A slightly worried look appeared on his face. "I still have ten Galleons left. My birthday is in September. My parents gave me some money so I could buy myself a birthday present in advance."
"How about buying a good book?" Ron said, feigning kindness.
"No, I don't want to buy a book," Hermione said calmly. "I really want an owl. Look, Harry has Hedwig, and you have Errol—"
“I don’t,” Ron said. “Errol is the family’s owl. I only have Scabbers.” Ron pulled his pet mouse out of his pocket. “I’d like to take it to the vet,” he said, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. “It seems to be having some trouble adjusting to Egypt.”
While they were discussing Scabbers, in the next room, Sean and Sirius were sitting at a table, talking in hushed tones.
"Do you remember what you said to me that night?" Sean asked seriously, his gaze falling on Sirius's face through the light and shadow on the table.
Sirius frowned slightly, looking somewhat lost and clearly absent-minded. His entire attention was focused on the next room; Harry's presence seemed to have captured all his thoughts.
"What?" he responded almost instinctively, his tone tinged with distraction and anxiety.
Sean sighed, his tone softening. "You said that day that you would do anything for Harry, even if it meant you had to stay in the shadows forever."
Sirius's expression froze for a moment, then he lowered his head, seemingly recalling the conversation.
"I know," Sirius replied softly, his voice tinged with weariness. "It's just that seeing him so close to me, yet unable to say anything, is really painful."
"Besides," Sean's voice became more serious, "you also promised me that if we encountered Peter Pettigrew, you wouldn't disrupt our plans."
"I remember."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Are you sure?
"I'm sure."
Sean looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and finally sighed helplessly.
"Alright." He finally nodded, slowly extended his wand, and gently waved it. Sirius fell to the ground. "Why don't you rest here for a while this afternoon?"
He simply couldn't convince himself to believe Sirius's clenched teeth expression just now.
That would undoubtedly be self-deception.
After carefully placing a pillow under Sirius's head and covering him with a blanket, Sean closed the door to his room and went next door.
"Kids, have you decided where to go later?" He pushed open the door and saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussing around the table, with Scabbers lying on the table, half asleep.
"We're planning to go to the Quidditch Boutique to check out the new flying brooms first," Harry said excitedly, "and then we'll go to the pet shop; Ron's taking Scabbers for a checkup."
"Hermione's also planning to see the owls," Ron added with a smile, "though she hasn't completely decided yet."
Hermione glanced at her purse and said cautiously, "I still want to see owls, but I need to find one that suits me."
Sean smiled slightly and nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. There are plenty of options in the pet shops in Diagon Alley; perhaps you'll find the perfect owl."
"Let's go!" Ron stood up eagerly, clearly impatient with his anticipation for the Quidditch boutique.
Harry and Hermione stood up, ready to go out.
Seeing their excited expressions, Sean smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll walk around with you and see if you can find anything interesting."