Chapter 118 Necessary Preparations Before Leaving
Aaron let out a long sigh of relief after completing the simple truancy plan.
However, unforeseen circumstances arise, and he still needed to prepare some necessities before leaving.
Thinking of this, Aaron looked at Abey, carefully examining his pockets, and the silly, adorable Holy Dragon instantly felt a great sense of impending doom—a premonition of financial loss.
"Come here!"
Abey shook his head, covering his pockets and slowly backing away, showing strong resistance.
"How did I end up raising such a food-hoarding dragon!" Aaron rolled his eyes, speechless. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in your rations; I just want to stuff a few more things into your pockets."
Abey subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Aaron's position as his owner was always paramount in his heart. If Aaron wanted his hard-earned stash, he really couldn't refuse.
Aaron looked at the somewhat anxious Abey, pushed aside the dragon claw covering his belly, and left Galleons, silver sickles, and copper Knuts inside. As for all the snacks, they were completely emptied out, not a single one left, piled high on the bed.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!
You're something else. This stuff is enough for an ordinary person to eat for ten days, isn't it?"
Abey lay on top of the pile of snacks, extended two fingers, and let out a low growl, "It's only enough for me for two days."
"Glutton!"
Aaron picked him up, pondered for a few seconds, "You can only keep half of this stuff."
Wuwu!
Dragon Language: No, I can't bear to part with it.
"We're running away from home; we need to bring more useful things," Aaron explained patiently.
The Undetectable Extension Charm can expand space, true, but its capacity is also limited, so he had to clear out some unimportant items and put in more valuable ones.
Abey was still a bit reluctant, but Aaron couldn't worry about that much. He picked him up and left the bedroom.
Arriving at an ordinary storeroom, Aaron turned on the light and rummaged around for a long time, placing four packages of different sizes in front of Abey.
"Do you understand what you need to do?" Aaron asked seriously.
Abey reluctantly nodded, picked up a package, and tried to stuff it into his pocket, but comically, he struggled for a long time and couldn't get it in.
"Sigh! These packages are too big; they can't be stuffed directly." Aaron was exasperated but decided to do it himself.
Opening the first package, inside was an exquisite tent. He disassembled the components one by one and put them into Abey's pocket individually.
The second package was a set of clothes. Changing clothes was a must for running away, as it would slightly reduce the chances of being discovered.
If he went missing, and Gines sent people to inquire, they would definitely describe what clothes he was wearing, what pet he had, the pet's characteristics, and so on.
So, what he had to do now was to visually deceive his enemies. If it weren't for the lack of suitable conditions and time, he would even want to put on makeup and wear some height-increasing insoles.
The third package was an ordinary backpack, which he had prepared for Abey, after all, walking down the street with an adorable pet was still a bit conspicuous.
Finally, Aaron took a deep breath and slowly unzipped the first package. A golden glow entered both their eyes.
Abey, who had been dismissive, had his attention caught. Seeing the hundreds of Galleons and a thick wad of pounds inside, he immediately beamed with joy.
"This is my first pot of gold in the true sense of my life!"
Aaron also felt a bit emotional looking at this package. This was his first month's income after his small shop opened, holding great commemorative significance, and he had kept it, unwilling to spend it.
But running away couldn't be done without funds. He had a considerable amount of personal wealth, but withdrawing too much at once would inevitably arouse Gines's suspicion.
The butler hadn't lived for decades for nothing; if he got sharp, even a monkey couldn't compare.
To be safe, he had no choice but to use this money.
This bag contained approximately five hundred Galleons and five hundred pounds. Even if Gines went to Malfoy Manor and The Burrow, making it difficult for him to find a place to stay for a while, this money would absolutely cover all his expenses for these three days, whether in the Wizarding World or the Muggle world.
After getting everything ready, Aaron carried Abey back to the bedroom.
Abey looked at the snacks piled on the bed, struggling to choose between his favorites, those that could satisfy cravings, those that provided energy, and those his owner liked.
After hesitating for a long while, Abey, with tears in his eyes, first eliminated the snacks his owner liked, instead vigorously stuffing his own favorites into his pockets.
Seeing this, Aaron was heartbroken, his teeth aching with anger, and his hands unconsciously clenched.
What a sin! He had raised an ungrateful dragon... The next day, Aaron woke up early, dressed, washed, and took Abey to the dining room for a meal.
The man and the dragon exchanged glances, acting as if they were starving ghosts reincarnated.
This breakfast was likely the most lavish meal they would have in three days, and running away was very physically demanding, so not eating until they were completely full would be shortchanging themselves.
"Slow down, slow down, there's more if you need it." Ginessaid with a forced smile, "Young Master, I can understand Abey, but why you too?"
"Ahem!" Aaron choked a bit, "Can't I just have a whim?"
"Yes, of course, you can.
You are the Young Master, you can eat as much as you want.
However, moderation is still important with food; it wouldn't be good if you got a stomachache."
"You don't need to remind me." Aaron waved his hand, quickly snatching the last chicken leg from the plate before Abey could, "Also, pack me some dried fruit."
"Yes, Young Master, I'll go right away."
The House-elf immediately said, quickly heading towards the kitchen.
Gines, however, paused, finding all of this a bit unusual, "Young Master, what are you preparing dried fruit for?"
"This is for my Uncle.
Isn't school starting soon? I plan to go see him, and bringing a small gift is only proper, isn't it!"
"I see." Gines breathed a sigh of relief.
"Otherwise? What could I do?
I would love to personally prepare lunch for my Uncle, to show my filial piety, after all, having studied with Sarks for so long, my cooking skills are now above average.
But the problem is, I still have classes, don't I? No time." Aaron said, giving Gines a fierce glare, his gaze quite sharp.
Gines was originally still a bit puzzled, but upon seeing that look, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, and some words were swallowed back.
After all, he had originally sworn that for every course completed, there would be more free time, but then he had unhesitatingly added that free time to more difficult subjects.
While this matter was for the Young Master's sake, it was indeed not a decent thing for him to have done.
"The Young Master is right.
Is there anything else that needs to be prepared?"
"No need, the old man lacks nothing; the thought is enough."
Gines thought the same and didn't say anything more.
After breakfast, Aaron lay on the chair, and Abey lay in Aaron's arms, lazily digesting the food in his stomach.
It wasn't until the House-elf brought over a box of exquisite dried fruit that the man and the dragon stretched, decisively picked up the gift box, and walked to the fireplace.
After a flash of green flame, Aaron arrived at his small shop, with Gines following close behind.
"I'll leave this place to you. I'm going to my Uncle's shop first."
"Yes, Young Master, no problem, Young Master." Gines said, "Oh, and Young Master, try not to stay too long.
Although you might not want to hear it, you still have three days of classes, so…"
"No need to say more, I know what I'm doing."
After Aaron finished speaking, he took Abey and left Gaius's Drink Shop, walking along the street until they reached Ollivander's Wand Shop.
Because school was starting soon, business at Ollivander's Wand Shop was much better than usual. Every now and then, one or two parents would bring their soon-to-be-enrolled children to choose wands.
Aaron didn't overthink it, giving Abey a look, trying to appear as normal as possible. After all, there were two deeply hidden presences secretly following him, and it wouldn't be good if they noticed any flaws.
As the door opened, Ollivander, who was introducing a wand to a child, smiled, his lips curving upwards: "Good morning. You even brought me a gift.
That's rare!
Tell me, what do you need from me?"
"Look at you, Uncle." Aaron scratched his head awkwardly, "Am I that kind of person?
Besides, Uncle, I don't think I've ever asked you for anything before!"
"Who knows if this will be the first time." Ollivander said jokingly, then looked at the little boy in Wizard robes in front of the counter, "This is your senior, also a Hogwartsstudent."
The little boy was very excited and quickly walked up to Aaron, "Senior, my name is Colin, I'm a new student this year, very happy to meet you."
Aaron returned a friendly smile, "I hope you make true friends at Hogwarts."
"Mm!
Oh, Senior, do you know Harry Potter?"
"Yes, he's a Gryffindor student, I'd say he's a friend!"
Colin became even more excited, "Although it's a bit difficult, could you get me an autographed photo of him, just one?"
Aaron raised an eyebrow, suppressing the laughter in his heart.
He hadn't realized Harry had fans, and by the looks of it, a die-hard one.
He thought Harry Potter probably wouldn't agree; on one hand, he had only recently learned about the world of magic and was still quite insecure in some ways, and on the other hand, it was purely impossible, as his aunt's family would never spend a penny on him.
"You'll have to work for that yourself." Aaron patted Colin's shoulder, placed the dried fruit on the table, "I'll go sit upstairs for a bit, Uncle, you should attend to your customer first!"