At Ollivanders, the holly wand with a phoenix feather core was finally placed in Harry Potter's hand by Mr. Ollivander himself.
The moment Harry gave it a wave, the tip erupted in a burst of dazzling, firework-like sparks.
It was clear—as Mr. Ollivander so often said—that the wand had chosen its wizard.
"…Its core is a phoenix tail feather, and it has a brother—taken from the very same phoenix. It was that brother wand which left you with your scar…" Mr. Ollivander murmured, his voice soft and mysterious.
This sent a chill through Harry. He knew exactly who had given him that scar. Now, to learn that his own wand was a twin to that person's… Would he become like him?
"You're worried you'll turn out like him, aren't you?" Qin Yu said quietly, voicing Harry's deepest fear.
"Yes, Qin! I don't want any connection to him at all. So… is this wand really right for me?" Harry frowned at the wooden box in his hands, uncertainty clouding his eyes.
By now, they'd left the shop; the wand was boxed and neatly wrapped by Mr. Ollivander.
"A wand is just a wand," Qin Yu replied, his tone steady and sure. "Sharing something in common doesn't mean you'll become him. And I believe—you never will."
Harry looked up, the worry slowly melting from his face. He nodded, determination returning to his voice.
"Qin, I won't become like him! I'll be a great wizard, just like my mum and dad!"
Hagrid had told him that his parents were standouts at Hogwarts—both Head Boy and Head Girl. They were his heroes, the people he wanted to live up to.
"That's the spirit!" Qin Yu said, nodding with approval.
He grinned and added, "Besides, you've already paid for it. If you tried to exchange it now, Mr. Ollivander would probably have a fit—he'd have to rummage through every box in the shop to find you a new one."
Harry laughed. "Right, I won't trouble Mr. Ollivander any more."
Seeing Qin Yu so easily put Harry's mind at ease, Hagrid felt a weight lift from his own shoulders.
Then, wanting to do something special, he turned to Harry.
"Harry, I'd like to give you a birthday present…"
"Oh, you don't have to, Hagrid—really—" Harry began, a bit flustered.
"Haha, it's nothing fancy. I was thinking I'd get you an owl—just what's on your school list. Owls are mighty useful, you know. Not only are they clever, but they can carry your letters and parcels, too."
As Hagrid spoke, he gestured at Qin Yu. "You can ask Qin—he's got an owl called Trigger. That bird's been running letters between him and Hermione all year long."
Qin Yu shot Hagrid a look—Did you really have to bring me up again?
But when Hagrid mentioned Hermione, Harry looked at Qin Yu with renewed curiosity.
"I probably didn't tell you this, but Hermione's only starting at Hogwarts this year. So last year, when I was at school, we kept in touch by owl post."
Truth be told, after all those time loops, Qin Yu wasn't entirely sure if he'd already told Harry this story.
"Oh, I see… Owls really do sound useful." Harry was suddenly filled with anticipation at the thought of having his own owl—even if he wasn't quite sure yet who he'd write to.
They headed into Eeylops Owl Emporium, and within ten minutes, they'd chosen a beautiful white owl. The shopkeeper told them it was a rare snowy owl.
Harry was delighted, especially since Qin said his own owl was a male snowy owl.
"Then… you'll be called Hedwig from now on!" Harry said to the snowy owl in its cage. He'd just seen the name in a book at Flourish and Blotts—it sounded nice, and that was enough.
"Hoot?" The owl gave a puzzled little chirp, clearly unsure what this new name meant.
But given time, they'd surely become fast friends.
…
"Oh, Hagrid, why don't you take Harry to pick out a cauldron? I need to pop over and buy a few things—you know, I've been away for two days, I should bring back some gifts," Qin Yu said with a shrug.
"Huh? Then what should I get for Hermione…?" Hagrid scratched his head.
"I'll just buy an extra, and you can say it's from you," Qin Yu replied with a laugh.
"Alright then! When she gets to Hogwarts, I'll invite her to the hut for tea," Hagrid chuckled.
With that, Qin Yu waved goodbye to Hagrid and Harry, heading off in another direction.
Hagrid and Harry watched him go, then set off for Potage's Cauldron Shop.
What they didn't know was that, just after rounding the corner, Qin Yu slipped quietly into a narrow alleyway.
A few moments later, a figure emerged: cloaked in black, face hidden behind a golden mask.
If anyone had paid attention, they would have found it impossible to pin down this person's height or build—almost as if their very presence blurred at the edges, leaving no lasting impression.
But in the wizarding world, such attire was hardly unusual. Cloaks were a staple, and there was even a saying: "Merlin could go without trousers, but never without a cloak."
Unremarked, the golden-masked figure strode briskly down Diagon Alley, weaving through the crowd until he reached the steps of Gringotts.
He approached the entrance, where a goblin guard bowed deeply in greeting.
At that very moment, as the goblin bent low, the figure let a crumpled ball of paper fall to the ground, then turned and strode away.
"Sir—no, madam—er, sir… In any case, you dropped something!" the goblin guard called after him.
But the cloaked stranger didn't so much as glance back, vanishing swiftly into the throng.
The goblin picked up the paper, glanced at it, and, seeing nothing valuable, unfolded it out of idle curiosity.
When he read the message, he couldn't help but snort with laughter.
Written in bold red letters:
Someone will attempt to rob Gringotts today. Please increase security!
What a joke. Who would dare steal from Gringotts? The place was riddled with traps, protected by spells, and even guarded by dragons. Anyone bold enough to try must have a death wish.
At first, the goblin considered tossing the note away. But then he thought, Well, someone went to the trouble to warn us. Might as well pass it up the chain—just in case. If anything did happen, at least he'd covered himself.
Of course, he realized how ridiculous this all was. Gringotts—compromised? Impossible.
With a shrug, he handed the note to the head of security.
Predictably, the security goblin burst out laughing as well, leaving the guard feeling a bit sheepish.
…
In a shadowy alley, the golden mask was lifted away, revealing a strikingly handsome Eastern face beneath.
Naturally, it was our protagonist—Qin Yu.
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