"Would you like to open a vault for your own wealth? The price is favorable."
"Alright, Gringotts welcomes your esteemed presence at any time."
...
Walking out of Gringotts, Howl looked with interest at the small bag he was carrying.
The bag was embroidered with the Gringotts logo, made of excellent fabric, and was quite presentable. Howl felt two kinds of magic on it.
One was used to expand the space inside the bag, and the other was used to stabilize the former, ensuring its effectiveness over time.
It would last about one or two years, and the expanded space was about two cubic meters.
Howl put the bag into his sleeve, and after a while, he handed the empty bag to Harry.
"Here, use it to hold things later," Howl said.
Harry quickly took it, weighed the bag, and a jingling sound rang out.
"The extra change is for you," Howl walked forward, saying without looking back.
Harry quickly nodded, somewhat apprehensive: "Thank you, Uncle Howl."
Howl, however, paid no attention to Harry. At this moment, he was looking at the Wizards coming and going, only feeling very out of place.
Why were these guys' clothes...
No different from the seventeenth century when he was in Pirates of the Caribbean??
Or perhaps it was very much in line with the common person's stereotypical image of a Wizard: an old robe that completely covered the body, still emitting a herbal scent.
Had these Wizards become disconnected from the normal world?
So strange...
"Uncle Howl, where are we going first?" Harry stepped forward and asked.
"Bookstore," Howl said. He had seen a bookstore called Flourish and Blotts on the way here, and it looked quite large.
He was currently very interested in the magic system of this world, its magical history, and the composition of the contemporary Wizarding World.
There weren't many people in the bookstore. Howl glanced around and saw that, in addition to various magic books, there were also many magical publications in this world. And the pictures in them moved.
This was rather interesting.
"Sir, would you like to buy Hogwarts admission textbooks for your child? We have already put together integrated packages with discounts."
Howl nodded, thought for a moment, and decided to take a look.
Under the guidance of the clerk, Howl also saw all the textbooks for Hogwarts from first to seventh year.
"One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi," "Basic Transfiguration," "Modern History of Magic," and so on.
"I want all of them from first to seventh year."
"Ah?" The clerk glanced at him, then said somewhat uncertainly: "Do you have seven children at home?"
...
Howl was a little confused by this guy's thought process, and it took him a while to say: "I want to read them."
"Uh... alright." The clerk nodded somewhat sheepishly.
Afterward, Howl began to search through the bookstore again. For most books, he only looked at the table of contents to decide whether to acquire them. Unfortunately, almost all the books here were published works, which meant that the knowledge recorded within them wouldn't be too advanced.
However, it wasn't without ideas. For example, from books like "Ancient and Modern Dark Wizard" and "The Origins of Alchemy," he believed he could find clues to advanced knowledge.
There was one saying Howl deeply agreed with:
"The more books you read, the more you will feel the inadequacy of your knowledge, and at the same time, the more you will understand what books you should read next."
However, so far, his most satisfying book was "The Encyclopedia of Household Spells."
It actually contained many magic spells for washing dishes, doing laundry, quick-drying clothes, and cleaning dust.
It was incredibly useful.
Moreover, the magic within it was simple and easy to learn; even a Little Wizard could quickly master it, making it an excellent choice for an introductory reader.
Harry would definitely want to learn a few tricks from it.
Definitely!
About half an hour later, Harry walked out of Flourish and Blotts with a bulging small bag in his hand.
Inside were all the books Howl wanted to buy.
It cost over 300 Galleons.
It even startled the owner of Flourish and Blotts.
Walking out of the bookstore, it was roughly noon. After the two casually ate some food by the roadside, Howl sat outside a coffee shop to rest.
Harry, meanwhile, had been sent by him to the snack shop. Several times while passing by earlier, Harry's gaze had lingered there.
So Howl chose to rest, giving Harry some time to himself.
More than ten minutes later, Harry excitedly ran up to Howl, smiling: "Uncle Howl, open your hand."
Howl was a little puzzled and opened his hand, feeling Harry place something squirming onto it.
Was it a caterpillar? Or something strange.
However, as a seasoned old Wizard and a cat, he wouldn't be scared.
As he opened his hand, a black blob suddenly leaped towards his face.
He squeezed it with both hands and immediately saw that it was a chocolate frog.
"Honestly, you startled me," Howl tried to say sincerely.
"Not at all, Uncle, your expression didn't change at all," Harry said, a little disappointed.
Howl didn't argue, stood up, straightened his coat, and smiled: "Not letting others see your emotional changes is a basic requirement for a mature Wizard. In fact, my heart is still pounding right now."
"Maybe…" Harry still didn't think Howl was scared, but he then asked: "So where are we going now?"
"Knockturn Alley."
This was a place Howl had just heard about here, rumored to be a little different from Diagon Alley.
Perhaps it would be more interesting inside.
He was quite curious.
Knockturn Alley was just behind Gringotts. In a few steps, they reached the entrance.
Unlike the outside, as Harry stepped into the alley, he smelled a faint stench. The ground was covered in sewage, with black-green moss growing on the corners of the walls, and much of the plaster on many walls had peeled off.
Underfoot were chaotic and uneven bluestone steps, some long, some short, making it difficult for first-time visitors to find their footing, forcing them to descend step by step, looking at the stairs.
After walking just over ten meters, the walls on both sides began to have dirty, black windows, and the view was no longer a narrow path but widened.
After traversing the messy steps, Harry finally looked up, and with that, he came face to face with a shrunken head, which startled him greatly.
"This is American tribal Witchcraft passed down from the Age of Discovery," Howl explained opportunely, as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
"The Jivaro people of America would cut off the heads of their enemies and make them into these heads, imbuing them with special power through Witchcraft to make the tribal warriors carrying them stronger.
Besides the Jivaro shrunken heads, there is also a type of Maori head, which is a similar Witchcraft artifact.
It is a primitive, bloody Witchcraft, and of course… it is also very powerful."
Howl's tone was unhurried, gradually making Harry less afraid, only making him follow more closely.
He felt... this place was a world apart from Diagon Alley.
At this moment, several shabbily dressed Wizards looked at them walking in, whispering amongst themselves, openly casting malicious, sneering glances at him.
The Wizarding World was a small circle, and most of those who came to Knockturn Alley were already familiar with each other. They immediately knew that Howl was a new face.
Before long, a few people walked over, forming a semi-circle around them.
One of them was the first to draw his wand and point it at Howl: "You took such a large sum of money and dared to come to Knockturn Alley. Boy, hand over all the money you just took."
Howl was a little surprised: "You saw me withdraw money?"
The man showed a sly smile: "Sorry, I witnessed it with my own eyes." After saying that, a spell suddenly struck.
"Stupefy!"
A swift red electric light appeared from the tip of the man's wand, flying towards Howl at a speed that ordinary people couldn't react to.
"Uncle Howl!!" Harry suddenly rushed out, wanting to block in front of Howl.
Howl slapped the spell away, as if swatting a mosquito, and looked at the man: "So you don't ask yourself why I dared to come here and face you pieces of trash?"
"Boy, you've only met me, one Wizard, so far, haven't you?" Howl suddenly asked Harry.
"Wh-what?!" Harry hadn't yet recovered from the shock.
"Don't confuse me with trash," Howl rubbed Harry's head.
Harry looked up and saw the familiar faint smile.
Harry, only ten years old at this time, suddenly vaguely understood the meaning behind that smile.
It was an absolute arrogance.
"Boy, what do you think the Wizarding World is like?" Howl suddenly asked again.
"Damn it, what are you talking about?!" The Wizard's face was full of anger, feeling deeply scorned, and then he cast another spell.
"Avada Kedavra!!"
At the same time, the others also drew their wands, casting various spells, but without exception, these spells were all emitted in the form of an electric light.
"Are you still purely expressing magic as a 'wave'?! That's a bit disappointing," Howl muttered to himself, then raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.
Snap—
From Howl's hand, a blue wave of air suddenly radiated outwards, so fast that it directly dispersed all the incoming spells.
"Let me tell you, no matter how beautiful it is. When extraordinary power can be privately held," Howl said calmly,
"Then the entire system will definitely be based on strength."
He looked at everyone, waved his hand, and seven glowing spears suddenly appeared, corresponding one by one to the people surrounding them.
Harry looked at Howl, somewhat understanding and yet not, and swallowed.
"Avada Kedavra!!"
Just then, a green light suddenly bloomed before Harry's eyes.
Howl's tall figure began to tear and shatter before him, like rags ripped apart by a strong wind.
The scar hidden by the turban on his forehead suddenly stung, and before Harry's eyes, another figure that had vanished in green light seemed to overlap with reality.
Tears welled up uncontrollably in his eyes, and he reached out, wanting to grasp Howl's dissipating figure.
"No!!"