"Oh, I don't need this."
Seeing the puzzled looks from the two people, Harry explained, "Hagrid sent me a copy early as a birthday gift."
"What's the difference between three and two!"
The store clerk trembled as he waved the wooden stick full of bite marks—honestly, his arm didn't look much better with several horrifying holes that appeared somewhat gruesome. He wailed as he walked toward the iron cage behind the glass display.
As he walked, they could hear him mumbling things like "I'll resign tomorrow!"
At this moment, Harry and the others finally saw that behind the glass was a large iron cage containing about fifty copies of "The Monster Book of Monsters." These books were all tangled together, fiercely wrestling like in a heated match, with torn paper flying everywhere.
"..."
Harry, who was mentally prepared, didn't react much, but Ron and Hermione beside him looked a bit pale—
"That thing... won't bite me to death while I'm sleeping, will it?" Ron's voice was dry.
"Of course not..."
Harry hadn't even finished shaking his head when a dull thud sounded. Perhaps due to the clerk's mishandling, the monster books which were previously fighting among themselves suddenly shifted their target, rushing madly towards one side and starting to bite the iron bars.
The iron cage, already somewhat empty from selling many books, nearly instantly tilted towards the glass due to the "shared hatred" of the monster books, and the seemingly sturdy glass shattered instantly. A flurry of clawing monster books flew out, pouncing towards the bystanders on the street—
And naturally, the three people standing at the entrance of Flourish and Blotts became the primary targets.
As the monster books flew towards his face, Harry instinctively raised his wand, with a sinister red light flashing at its tip—
"Conf... (Boom...)"
The latter half of the spell wasn't completed, because at that moment, a gloved hand suddenly appeared, gripping the tip of his wand, causing the spell that was ready to vanish instantly—
"Wingardium Leviosa—"
The chanting of the spell rang out, causing the ferocious monster books to lose their support, left floating in the air, frantically opening and closing their knife-like pages.
"William!"
Seeing the figure appearing beside him, Harry's tone was filled with joy. He immediately understood why there was no reply to his letter last night; apparently, they would meet today anyway—of course, they would meet since the new school year started tomorrow.
William nodded at the boy and reached out to grab the nearest monster book.
"Oh, Hagrid said their weak spot is on the spine..."
"Bang—"
With a serious punch landed on the monster book's face, William shook the seemingly unconscious book in his hand, then turned curiously, "What did you just say?"
"...Nothing."
Harry opened his mouth, bewilderedly shaking his head.
The mishandling clerk had already rushed out, followed by the bookstore manager. Seeing that no one was harmed, the man finally sighed in relief—they were fully aware of how "terrifying" this book was, given that once these things clamped on, they wouldn't let go.
Afterward, the bookstore manager waved generously, offering a fifty percent discount on the textbooks the group would purchase next—the funds deducted from the clerk's salary, because it was he who knocked over the cage, and the clerk initially had no objections, not until he saw a little girl holding a stack of books taller than herself, wobbling out of the store.
"Hoo... Almost done, just missing one 'Unfogging the Future'..."
Hermione placed the stack of books beside the counter, checking them one by one against her list before wiping the sweat off her forehead.
"Missing one?"
The clerk's voice was slightly distorted, making him suspect the girl was taking advantage—how could a seemingly third or fourth-year girl be taking so many courses? Clearly, trying to seize this chance for some free books—
"Yes, because I'm taking quite a few subjects—"
Hermione, not picking up on the odd tone, reached for "Unfogging the Future" the manager handed her, adding it atop the pile.
"...Fine."
The clerk sighed. Even if he was taken advantage of, he could only accept it... who was he kidding?
Seeing William with a similarly floated stack of books, almost as many as Hermione's, the clerk's face turned completely dark.
"What... Oh, these are leisure books I'm buying. If your salary isn't enough, they don't have to be discounted."
William's voice sounded like heavenly music, reigniting life in the clerk's already dead heart, but his hope was abruptly shattered by the manager, "Oh, Mr. Richard, not necessary. You just helped us resolve a crisis—all the books you want are half-off."
"Oh, thanks."
"...I'll resign tomorrow."
After a brief silence, the clerk's resentful muttering resumed.
"What's wrong?"
As William finished paying, Ron, who was testing his bag's weight, suddenly approached Harry, following his gaze to the bookshelf and was caught by the giant black dog, "Death Omen: What to Do When You Know Disaster Is Coming?" the boy muttered softly.
"Oh—I suggest you don't read that book," the bookstore manager chimed in light-heartedly, "after reading it, you'll see death omens everywhere, enough to scare one to death."
Death omen...
For some reason, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, remembering the scene after meeting Hedwig last night…
Could that black dog belong to a shop in Diagon Alley?
And… how did he see it in the pitch-dark night?
"Where are you going next?"
While Harry was lost in thought, William had already walked out of the bookstore with his suitcase, packing his books inside. This aroused Hermione's envy, still carrying three full bags, with neither Harry nor Ron appearing eager to lend a hand.
"Oh, I'm planning to buy a pet—"
The trio exchanged glances, with Hermione speaking first, "My birthday is coming in September, and my parents gave me some extra money, so I want to buy an owl—"
"Yeah, I was thinking of going to the Magical Creatures Shop—Scabbers seems to be feeling a bit unwell after the trip to Egypt."
Ron nodded, while Harry remained silent, as he already had Hedwig. He was accompanying the others to the Magical Creatures Shop, although he really wanted to chat with William about his recent experiences, the other party didn't respond to his expectant gaze.
It wasn't William ignoring him; he merely found the gaze odd.
No wonder England… before Chengdu gained popularity, wasn't it the most nurturing land for Nantong—
Ahem, not really. Ever since waking from that dream, seemingly filling some emotional gap, Harry didn't call him 'mom' every time they met, but he noticed the inexplicable attachment hadn't faded…
So, deep conversations were avoided; better wait to have a meeting with Cedric at school…
Therefore, William quickly shifted the topic, "Scabbers? Your rat? I might help take a look since I'm quite adept with magical creatures—"
This was an understatement, given his skills with magical creatures were honed through practice. A century ago, many animals rescued from poacher camps ended up staying with him, forcing him to become their caretaker—
"Oh..."
Ron had no objections. He nodded, starting to rummage through his belongings.
But just then, someone suddenly tapped William's back, "Hey, owner of Norbert—"