Once upon a time, there was a wizard who, while crossing a bridge, accidentally dropped his wooden wand into the river.
He stared at the rushing water, anxious and helpless, wondering how on earth he'd ever fish his wand out. Just then, the river god rose lazily from the depths, both hands brandishing a wand—one gold, one silver—and greeted the wizard with a genial smile:
"Young wizard! Did you drop this golden wand, or this silver wand?"
At this moment, Qin Yu felt a bit like that hapless wizard—wondering, with a mixture of disbelief and hope, Is someone really about to help me out of nowhere?
He blinked in surprise at the sudden voice, then turned to see where it had come from.
Behind the counter stood a young man in a shop uniform—the source of the voice. And when Qin Yu glanced up at the sign above the shop, his eyes widened in recognition.
Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.
So this was the very shop Hermione had mentioned on the bus—the one famous for its ice cream.
He hadn't realized, in all his frantic chasing, that he'd ended up right next to it. If the young clerk hadn't called out to him as he hurried past, head down, he might never have noticed.
"Thank you, but I doubt you have what I'm looking for," Qin Yu replied, forcing a polite smile.
"Oh? And what is it you're after? Maybe I can give you some advice—I know Diagon Alley like the back of my hand," the young clerk said with a friendly grin, his curiosity obvious.
Business was slow in the dead of winter; Qin Yu guessed the guy was simply bored, striking up conversation for something to do. Still, he had a point—someone who worked here year-round would know the area better than anyone.
So, adopting a "can't hurt to ask" attitude, Qin Yu explained, "I'm looking for a newspaper, but Flourish and Blotts has already sold out. I tried to catch the last customer, but no luck."
"A newspaper? Which one?" the clerk asked, intrigued.
"The latest issue of The Wizard's Voice," Qin Yu said, then added, "It's a North American paper—you probably haven't heard of it…"
Before he could finish, the clerk slapped something down on the counter with a casual thwack and, with a slightly surprised look, asked, "You mean this one?"
Qin Yu was stunned. There it was—the very issue of The Wizard's Voice he'd been searching for!
Have I really run into a river god today? Where's my golden newspaper and silver newspaper? Come on, let me choose!
"How do you have this?" Qin Yu asked, still a bit incredulous. He quickly added, "I mean, it's not exactly a popular paper. The bookstore hardly ever stocks more than a few copies."
"Oh, it's just for work," the clerk replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Huh?" Qin Yu blinked. "You work in an ice cream shop—what does that have to do with newspapers?"
The young man grinned sheepishly. "I mean, business is slow sometimes. I need something to pass the time, so I read newspapers and novels."
"Oh, right, right."
You really are pretty idle, Qin Yu thought.
If this were my old life, you'd probably be scrolling TikTok all day.
With that, he instantly understood.
"So, this is what you were looking for?" the clerk prompted.
"Yes! That's it!" Qin Yu nodded emphatically.
"What a coincidence! I never imagined this would be the thing you needed!" The clerk looked even more delighted than Qin Yu himself, as if he'd just stumbled into the perfect opportunity to be helpful.
It was the kind of "lucky break" where you offer to help out of politeness, expecting nothing, and end up actually delivering exactly what's needed.
"If you don't mind, could you sell it to me?" Qin Yu asked, unable to hide his eagerness. He wasn't about to let this chance slip away.
"Of course!" the young man agreed without hesitation, sliding the newspaper across the counter. "I've already read it. Just give me five Knuts—the same as I paid. I hope you don't think I'm overcharging because it's secondhand."
"Not at all!"
Qin Yu didn't care about the price in the slightest. He snatched it up, flipping straight to the page he wanted, and felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"Thank you—really, thank you! You've helped me out more than you know!" He couldn't stop thanking the clerk.
"No need to thank me! I'm just glad I could help," the young man replied, beaming.
He looked exactly like someone who'd bought a random antique on the street and discovered it was a priceless treasure—pure delight at a lucky find.
Qin Yu barely registered the clerk's expression. All that mattered was that he finally had the newspaper in his hands.
When he paid, he also ordered two ice creams, both with raspberry sauce.
The clerk joked that there was no need to buy extra just to thank him—one or two orders wouldn't save a slow winter's day.
"Not at all—my sister really wanted some. She mentioned your ice cream before we came today," Qin Yu explained.
"You have a sister?" The clerk looked genuinely surprised.
Huh? Is having a sister that strange? Doesn't everyone have a clever, sweet, adorable, and soft little sister?
The question caught Qin Yu off guard. He nearly blurted out those words, but thought better of it—this was London, after all, and it wouldn't do to sound so smug.
He cleared his throat and explained, "Not a real sister—just the little girl from the family I'm staying with. We're very close, and I've always treated her like a sister."
"Oh, I see," the clerk said, nodding in understanding.
The deal done, all that was left was to wait for the ice cream to be packed. Qin Yu would bring both the treats and the precious newspaper back to Hermione.
…
Back in the reading nook on the second floor, Qin Yu recounted the whole episode to Hermione.
He kept it concise, skipping over trivial details—no need to mention the chatty female clerk downstairs. After all, they were in a bookstore, surrounded by readers. A little quiet conversation was fine, but hogging the space for a long story wouldn't do.
By the end, Hermione was genuinely moved. She said she completely understood why Qin Yu had left so abruptly—everything had happened so fast.
"You thought you'd be back in no time, but you didn't expect to be gone so long. Still, you got the newspaper in the end!"
She was honestly happy for him—after disappointment, a stroke of good fortune.
"Yeah, thank goodness I did…"
Qin Yu murmured, clutching the newspaper in his hands, hesitating for a long moment before opening it.
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