Chapter 117: I Declare
The cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley shimmered with the summer heat.
"Smack!"
Ron had barely finished speaking when Mrs. Weasley's freckled hand landed squarely on his messy red hair.
It didn't hurt, but it was crisp and loud, even drowning out the cooing of the owls at the corner owl post office.
Ron stumbled half a step, clutching the back of his head, the vine patterns on the bronze doors of Gringotts flickering in and out of focus beside his flushed ears.
"Mum!"
Mrs. Weasley glared at Ron. "Who told you to speak to a classmate like that? And a young lady at that! Arthur, look at the fine son you've raised!"
Ron dared not utter another word.
Mr. Weasley also shrank back like his son.
Seeing Ron being scolded by Mrs. Weasley, Hermione stood to the side, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, a hint of barely perceptible glee flitting across her face.
But she quickly composed herself, tucking a stray curl behind her ear with her left hand, pretending to smooth her hair.
However, her brown eyes had already curved into crescent moons, her eyelashes fluttering gently in the shadow cast by her nose.
Hermione pursed her lips, trying hard to suppress a smile, and looked at Ron's parents.
"Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, hello. My mum and dad are just behind."
After greeting the people present, Hermione turned and waved vigorously at her parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger also came forward. Seeing the large group of people at the entrance, they seemed to know their daughter.
Especially Hagrid, his massive figure standing there exuded an undeniable sense of pressure.
The two dentists appeared slightly reserved.
Their neatly collared shirts looked startlingly white against the backdrop of the giant's mud-splattered moleskin coat, like two white clouds floating in the Diagon Alley sky.
Hermione didn't seem to notice anything amiss. Her voice suddenly became as clear and precise as if reciting from A History of Magic, as she enthusiastically introduced everyone to her parents.
"This is Harry, this is Ron, and this is Dylan, the real top of the year."
"These are Ron's mum and dad, and this is Mr. Hagrid, a groundskeeper at our school."
"Hello, hello..."
Mr. and Mrs. Granger exchanged greetings with everyone their daughter introduced.
When they looked at Dylan, they paused slightly.
Was this the classmate who had gotten perfect scores in all subjects along with their daughter?
Dylan displayed his politeness at the opportune moment, saying, "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, hello. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You too, you too."
Mr. and Mrs. Granger responded quickly.
As Dylan bowed slightly, the sunlight from Gringotts' dome pierced through a crystal chandelier, casting a faint golden halo on the tips of his hair, causing the two dentists to pause in slight surprise.
This little fellow was truly a handsome young man!
He looked like he had the makings of a great scholar!
If he learned a thing or two from them, he could definitely become a good dentist in the future!
Since Dylan didn't have any money stored in Gringotts.
He naturally didn't need to withdraw any.
However, the Weasley family and Harry all needed to withdraw money.
Dylan naturally went along with them.
—He hadn't seen what the underground world of Gringotts looked like yet.
As for Hermione and her parents, although they had already exchanged money for Hermione, they still boarded the goblin-driven cart at everyone's invitation.
"Wow! It's like being on a rollercoaster!—though I've never been on a rollercoaster," Hermione's small face was slightly flushed, looking somewhat excited.
The underground vault's mine cart roared through the rock walls, Hermione's curly hair dancing in the airflow like a caramel-colored vortex.
She gripped the rusty copper handrail, her knuckles white from the force, but still turned her head to shout to her parents, "At least sixty miles per hour!"
Before her voice faded, the mine cart suddenly plunged vertically, Mrs. Granger's pearl necklace tracing a silver arc in the air.
"Ugh..."
After getting off the cart, the dentists hurriedly supported each other, their lips pressed tightly together.
The others also stepped out of the mine cart one after another.
The Weasleys didn't refuse the others' company.
Therefore, when their family vault was opened, Dylan saw a small pile of silver Sickles and a pitiful single Galleon.
Everyone waited outside while Mrs. Weasley entered the vault alone.
Although the amount of money wasn't much, Mrs. Weasley still carefully put each coin into a patched velvet pouch.
Only after putting all the coins into the pouch and repeatedly searching to confirm that there wasn't a single penny left in the entire vault did she come out.
The group boarded the cart again and moved deeper.
Turning left and right along the way, they arrived at the vault Harry's parents had prepared for him.
Saying it was the vault the Potters had prepared for Harry was a bit simplistic.
In fact, the wealth in this vault had all been accumulated by Harry's ancestors.
When the goblin opened the heavy door of Harry's vault, a dazzling golden light poured out like molten sunlight.
Dylan looked inside.
Stacks of gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts were piled high, the interwoven light making one's eyes feel comfortable just looking at it.
"That's really pleasing to the eye!"
Compared to this, the wealth he currently possessed was completely incomparable to Harry's.
"No, I can't let Mum and Dad continue traveling. I have to bring them back quickly and make them earn money for me!"
Dylan stroked his chin.
"Tsk tsk, making potions is really profitable. Maybe I should also make a few potions and sell them under Professor Snape's name. I think I should be able to break into the market quickly."
It would be a lie to say Dylan wasn't envious of this vault's wealth.
If he had this much money, his suitcase would probably have been able to unlock to its top-tier version already.
However, other people's money had all been accumulated generation after generation.
The Potter family itself was descended from the three brothers, and as a pure-blood noble family, they also possessed the Invisibility Cloak.
And the founder of the Potter family—Linfred of Stinchcombe—was also the inventor of many potions.
Including the quite common potions on the market—Skele-Gro and Pepperup Potion.
The popularity of these potions allowed the Potter family to quickly accumulate their initial wealth.
And later, the Potter family had always been a powerful noble family in the wizarding world, with many members of the Wizengamot.
And the Wizengamot, as the highest court in the wizarding world, could even override the Ministry of Magic.
Dumbledore currently also served as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot for a long time.
In addition, Harry's grandfather—Fleamont Potter—also invented Sleekeazy's Hair Potion.
A potion that could instantly beautify your hair, which multiplied the Potter family's wealth several times over.
It was worth mentioning that among the gifts Dylan had previously given to Professor Snape, there was a potion that was concocted based on Sleekeazy's Hair Potion.
"Sigh~ it's not that easy to concoct potions that can sell well now."
Dylan watched Harry face a vault of wealth without any arrogance, but rather looking a bit embarrassed in front of the Weasleys.
He quickly grabbed a handful of Galleons and then had the goblin close the vault door.
—This little brat was quite kind.
The group boarded the goblin-driven cart again.
The Weasleys obviously knew how rich the Potters were, so they didn't think much of it.
But Ron was dumbfounded, never having thought that Harry, whose socks could have holes that his mum had to mend, actually possessed such vast and unbelievable wealth!
He felt like his buddy had suddenly become someone he didn't know anymore.
Ginny didn't care so much, her face full of admiration.
Percy's expression was indifferent.
The Weasley twins became somewhat silent.
Dylan looked at them, guessing that some kind of idea in these two might also be budding.
He sighed again in his heart.
"Relying solely on Mum and Dad, the speed of earning money is indeed a bit slow. When I have time, perhaps I can research some potions related to dark magic—these potions shouldn't be too difficult to sell."
"Otherwise, I should still research how to short Gringotts. After all, I have another identity..."
Dylan stroked his chin, following the others back to the surface.
Ron and Hermione chattered incessantly around Harry.
Ron stared at Harry's leather pouch filled with Galleons, his Adam's apple bobbing three times before he finally said, "You should buy a new pair of socks."
"I will," Harry said awkwardly, looking down.
The group then parted ways.
Dylan didn't have anything he particularly wanted to buy, only waiting to go to the bookstore later.
"It's a bit hot, do you guys want to get some ice cream? The ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour is quite good," Dylan said, looking at the two of them.
"I know that place! Their strawberry ice cream is the best, I especially love the chocolate nut sprinkles on top!" Ron said.
Hermione blinked and nodded gently. "Let's go try it then."
The ice cream parlor wasn't far from Gringotts, just a few steps away.
The windows of Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour were covered in a thin layer of frost. As soon as Dylan and Harry entered, the moment the copper bell jingled above the door, a cool, sweet fragrance mixed with the scent of elderflower wafted towards them.
Florean greeted them warmly, "Hey, little ones, brought friends along today?"
Dylan nodded and introduced Harry and Ron to Florean.
Ron's nose almost touched the ice-crystal-covered display case, his exhaled white mist blooming into round spots on the glass. "I want the one with the cockroach pile sprinkles!"
—He had clearly mistaken the chocolate chips for some kind of magical creature.
"Those are cocoa bean shavings, what cockroach pile? You're making me lose my appetite," Hermione corrected, her fingertip tracing the frost on the raspberry sorbet.
Dylan leaned against the spruce counter, chatting with Fortescue while watching him drizzle blueberry sauce over a sundae.
The deep purple juice snaked down the vanilla ice cream, looking remarkably like the Shrinking Solution he brewed with Snape during their private lessons.
After they left the ice cream parlor.
Everyone had another free ice cream sundae in their hands.
The group went to the stationery shop and bought some new parchment, and Hermione also bought several jars of ink.
"This parchment is great for drafts. It's made with ink sacs from color-changing giant squids. After writing some useless drafts, you can just make the writing disappear."
She turned to explain to her companions, "Unfortunately, the shelf life is only three weeks, so I'm not planning to buy too much."
Dylan smiled. "Otherwise, if you could buy a piece of paper that lasts a lifetime, how would they make money?"
"And there probably isn't any magic that can last that long either."
When they passed by the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop.
Ron pointed at the Nimbus 2000 displayed in the cabinet. "Actually, all flying brooms are pretty much the same. I've been flying every day recently, and I haven't felt much difference."
Harry, who was very knowledgeable about Quidditch and flying brooms, naturally joined in the conversation with Ron.
The two then moved from brooms to Quidditch.
Hermione and Dylan occasionally interjected.
The group wandered around, occasionally buying things they needed.
Until the agreed-upon time.
The group headed towards Flourish and Blotts.
Before they even got close.
Dylan and the others noticed that a crowd had already gathered at the entrance of Flourish and Blotts, bustling and packed.
"What's going on?"
"There's a banner above the bookstore!"
The group looked and saw the banner hanging from the second-floor window, with striking gold letters on a red background, clearly reading—
"The famous wizard Gilderoy Lockhart will be personally signing his autobiography, Magical Me!"
Among them, the name Gilderoy Lockhart on the fluttering banner would emit a firework effect every ten seconds, dyeing the passersby's hair tips with a dazzling golden color.
The crowd in front of the bookstore was excited.
Hermione also widened her eyes, exclaiming repeatedly.
"Our luck is so good! We can actually see Lockhart! He's so famous!"
Ron blinked. "He is very famous. Even the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor told us to buy his books—and a lot of them!"
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
In fact, after staying at the Weasleys' for so long, he wasn't entirely sure if they would encounter Lockhart after agreeing to come to Diagon Alley with Hermione and the others, but they did.
—Was this guy selling books in the Diagon Alley bookstore every day recently?
"Let's go in quickly. My mum really likes Lockhart. I bet they're already inside."
There were many people in front of the bookstore, but Dylan and his friends were, after all, a group of children. The wizards would slightly make way for them, so by pushing and shoving, they naturally squeezed inside.
And at the moment they squeezed into the bookstore, the three-dimensional book cover of Magical Me almost hit Dylan's nose.
"Where's your mum?"
Dylan rubbed his nose, looking around. He saw mostly female wizards, and for a moment, he couldn't really find Ron's mum.
—It seemed that the men waiting outside were likely the husbands of these female wizards.
No wonder Dylan and Harry had felt that some wizards' expressions were quite unpleasant when they were pushing and shoving outside.
They had originally thought it was because they were annoyed at being jostled.
"Thank goodness, you've finally arrived, just in time!"
Mrs. Weasley was standing with Mr. and Mrs. Granger, her face flushed.
Seeing Dylan and Harry, she quickly pulled them in front of her, patting non-existent dust off their clothes.
As soon as Hermione came in, she went to her parents' side, craning her neck to look towards the autograph signing area.
Dylan glanced at the many excited female wizards around him and raised an eyebrow.
"Meeting their idol in person, this happy time can also be considered a good memory, right?"
This made Dylan think of his excitement in his previous life when he took a photo with GG Bond at an anime-themed restaurant.
"If this kind of excitement could also be used to summon a Patronus, then using the Patronus Charm would be much simpler."
"However, recently, as I've gained more insights into studying magic, the process of studying magic itself has made me feel increasingly excited. I think this point can also be used in casting the Patronus Charm, right?"
Since getting the method of cultivating the Patronus Charm from Dumbledore, Dylan hadn't done much practical research.
He planned to try it when he had time later.
"I wonder if the Patronus Charm could possibly be combined with other dark magic to form a more powerful and even retaliatory killing move."
"Also, although casting dark magic itself doesn't make me feel happy, robbing Galleons from other dark wizards using dark magic is quite enjoyable for me. Maybe this memory can also be used for the Patronus Charm."
"And, if I successfully summon a Patronus using this memory, does it mean that dark magic can, to some extent, be combined with the Patronus Charm?"
Dylan's mind was full of thoughts.
After arriving at the bookstore, Dylan first bought all the books required on the booklist and then held them in his arms.
—He planned to have Lockhart sign these books a few more times later.
He could just tear them off and use them after school started.
"Oh my great love immortal venerable."
As the crowd continued to move forward, Dylan saw Lockhart ahead.
But it wasn't a person, but a photograph.
—A huge photograph, just like a painting.
Composing this photograph were even more small photographs of Lockhart.
—In every photograph, Lockhart's smile was extremely radiant.
His teeth were white, and his eyes sparkled.
Dylan glanced at it and felt like his mind had been contaminated by something.
He rubbed his temples. "If Lockhart went to endorse toothpaste commercials, he would definitely make a fortune."
—Of course, he was making quite a bit of money now too.
Hermione's dad couldn't help but click his tongue. "Such healthy teeth, it's the first time I've seen them. I wonder if he had braces or if they're naturally like that?"
Hermione's mum also looked thoughtful. "Maybe it's magic?"
Hermione turned to look at them. "Dad! Mum! Stop paying so much attention to other people's teeth! Honestly, you should really read Mr. Lockhart's books. Every single one he's written is absolutely brilliant!"
Mr. and Mrs. Granger exchanged a look. "But his teeth really are quite good—"
"Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome! Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart!"
At this moment, a bookstore employee said loudly.
Hearing the voice, Dylan was about to step forward to ask Lockhart for an autograph.
However, the women around him instantly became agitated, actually pushing him out.
"..."
Dylan, holding the seven books in his arms, was a bit dumbfounded.
Seriously, were these people crazy?
So many people were here to get Lockhart's autograph?
What was so special about his autograph?
Seeing this, Dylan gritted his teeth, intending to squeeze in again.
But just then, Lockhart saw Harry in the crowd.
"Oh! Could it be, Harry Potter?"
Lockhart's eyes lit up, and he pulled Harry directly from the crowd to his side, facing the grumpy old reporter from the Daily Prophet together.
The sound of the shutter clicked continuously.
There was also the sound of applause from the surrounding wizards and slightly shrill exclamations from the women.
Harry was dumbfounded. Before he could react, Lockhart had already put his arm around him.
This made his expression not very good.
—The students at Hogwarts had also cheered for him incessantly at the beginning, but later everyone got used to it.
It had been a long time since Harry had been the focus of so many fervent gazes.
—Lockhart had made him experience it again without even asking him.
"What a thrilling moment! Now, I have an announcement to make—"
Lockhart raised his voice, and the surrounding people fell silent.
"Little Harry came to Flourish and Blotts because he admires me and wants to buy my autobiography—Magical Me!"
Lockhart picked up a stack of books from the side.
"Here you go, little Harry. Every book here has ten of my personal autographs. How about that? You must be very excited now, right?"
Harry was just about to say that he didn't want these things and wasn't excited at all.
But Lockhart said loudly again—
"At the same time! What will excite Harry even more is that when Hogwarts starts in September, he will truly have a magical me!"
"That's right! Yes! As you all think, I must announce here that when September arrives, I will also become the new professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
"It was Headmaster Dumbledore who saw my magical talent and personally invited me, hoping that I could become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at their school! And I gladly accepted!"
The crowd was stunned, then immediately erupted in exclamations.
Lockhart then pushed Harry forward, while he himself sat down, preparing to sign autographs for his book fans.
By the time Harry, like Dylan, was also squeezed out by the group of wizards with their backsides, he was still dazed.
Ron hadn't squeezed in at all, always standing outside.
Seeing Harry also being squeezed out, he couldn't help but walk over and scratch his head. "These people are really crazy."
Dylan also quickly stepped forward, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the stack of restricted section passes in Harry's arms.
One book, ten signatures?
Voldemort's nose! This was absolutely brilliant!
"Hey, Harry! Can I ask you a favor?"
Harry raised his head in a daze. "Huh? What?"
"Could you swap these books in your arms with mine? I promise, mine are all new books too!"
"Huh? You want these books?" Harry paused, then suddenly thrust his hands forward. "Here, they're all yours."
(End of chapter)