Chapter 293 Death Omen Before School Starts
As the start of the Hogwarts term drew closer, Harry Potter's workload gradually increased. However, Aaron, considering himself a kind capitalist, humanely gave him a small bonus.
Harry would go out every day at noon and return promptly at two o'clock, though he seemed a bit distracted.
"What's wrong with you?" Aaron asked curiously. "You've seemed a bit off for a few days now."
"The firebolt," Harry said after a moment of hesitation. "It's a new magic broomstick from Quality Quidditch Supplies. I've never seen such a magnificent broom. It can accelerate from a standstill to one hundred fifty miles per hour in ten seconds."
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "You want it?"
"Of course I do," Harry said subconsciously, but a look of dejection quickly crossed his face. "But I can't afford it. The product description said 'price on application.'"
"Very self-aware," Aaron nodded. "Unless you empty out the inheritance your parents left you right now, at your current earning speed, it would take at least ten years to buy it."
"That long?"
"And you'd have to not eat or drink the whole time."
Harry couldn't help but gasp. No matter how much he loved Quidditch, he couldn't go ten years without eating or drinking.
He hoped he could find a high-paying job after graduation, otherwise, he would never have a flying broomstick in his life.
"Actually, there is a way to make money quickly," Aaron said, handing today's The Daily Prophet to Harry. "Take a closer look."
"Sirius Black?" Harry looked at the photo in the newspaper, then stared at Aaron in surprise. "Wait, you're not talking about the bounty, are you?"
"Capture him, and the Ministry of Magic will give you a large sum of money. The firebolt naturally won't be an issue."
"No thanks!" Harry said with a shiver. "It's best if I never meet him. What if he kills me? That would be too unfair."
Hearing him say that, Aaron nodded in satisfaction.
It's good that he knows to be afraid. The Ministry of Magic is particularly worried about Sirius seeking revenge on Harry Potter, and this can be considered an early warning for Harry.
"Oh, right, I need to ask for a few hours off," Harry said, a bit embarrassed. "School is starting soon, but I haven't bought my Wizard robes and textbooks yet."
"Understood," Aaron said understandingly, waving his hand. He then left the shop to Gines and took Abey to the back room to study.
During this time, he had been focusing his energy on carving advanced magic arrays. His proficiency was constantly increasing, and the time required was getting shorter and shorter, almost allowing him to complete them in one or two seconds. He was confident that he could achieve instant casting before breaking through to Grand Magister, and in the future, he would be able to casually cast elemental magic comparable to high-difficulty spells, which was an exciting thought.
Moreover, he had already mastered the basic and intermediate magic arrays, able to cast them at will without even needing to carve the array.
However, casting multiple magic arrays at once was still somewhat difficult for him; he could only improve through continuous practice.
In the afternoon, Harry returned with the textbooks and daily necessities for the new school year, but his mood was particularly heavy, as if he were cursed with bad luck.
"Mr. Gines, you are very knowledgeable, do you know about death omens?" Harry asked nervously.
"Why are you asking that?" Gines frowned.
"I saw a book cover at Flourish and Blotts with a black dog as big as a bear on it, and I think I saw the exact same creature the night I left Privet Drive."
"That might be a coincidence!" Gines said indifferently. "Perhaps you just saw a stray dog, you never know."
Phew!
Harry let out a heavy sigh of relief. Although it might be a bit of self-deception, that's what he thought too.
But Gines's next sentence made him suppress that glimmer of hope once again.
"There's also another possibility: perhaps the death you encounter next is related to that stray dog.
But there's really no need to think so much about it, otherwise, all Wizards who see stray dogs would have death omens."
Harry gave a forced smile. "That seems to make sense."
"Where's Aaron?"
"Still inside," Gines pointed to the door at the back of the shop. "The young master might be doing his homework, so it's best not to disturb him."
"But he seems to spend seven or eight hours a day in there, doesn't he get bored?" Harry asked with some concern.
"The young master knows what he's doing, he has his limits. I have no doubt about that.
Besides, there's a professional doctor at home who will ensure the young master's mental well-being."
Just then, Aaron walked out of the room. "You're back. Did you get everything you needed?"
"Yes, I did, but I found my salary wasn't quite enough," Harrysaid with an innocent look. "I even made a special trip to Gringotts for it."
"There's nothing to be done about that," Aaron said righteously. "You've spent a lot of money enjoying life these past few days—magic storybooks, Wizard toys, and the most outrageous thing is that you even arranged a nutritious meal plan for Hedwig.
Heh heh! Harry Potter, do you think you're very rich?"
"Uh..."
Harry scratched his head awkwardly, unsure how to explain.
It was his first time running away from home, and it was unexpectedly successful.
The Ministry of Magic hadn't held him responsible for anything and had even arranged for him to stay at the Leaky Cauldron, which allowed him to completely escape the Dursleys for these three weeks.
Such an opportunity wasn't always available, and coupled with the fact that this was Diagon Alley, a famous part of the Wizarding World, he naturally had to seize the time to have fun, and spending money was inevitable.
"That's your own business, I can't control it, just don't forget your work."
Harry nodded profusely and immediately got back to work... Time quickly reached the last day of the summer holiday.
Aaron gave Harry a day off in advance to pack his suitcase, just in case he missed the train tomorrow, he might not have the same luck as last term.
"Young master, it's lunchtime," Gines knocked on the door.
Boom!
A strong gust of wind suddenly came from the room, but it was split to both sides before reaching Gines, having no effect on him whatsoever.
"Sure enough," Aaron said, walking out with a hint of helplessness. "It seems I still have a long way to go to defeat you, Butler!"
"The young master can certainly do it before he comes of age," Gines said with a smile.
Aaron rolled his eyes but didn't deny Gines's words.
He was quite confident in himself. He might not reach the Saint Magister realm before graduation, but he would definitely be an outstanding Grand Magister.
"Aaron, we've come to see you."
Harry Potter's voice rang out, and turning his head, Aaronsaw him approaching with Ron and Hermione.
"Thank goodness you haven't left yet," Harry said to the two beside him. "I told you he'd still be here."
"You three... how did you end up together?" Aaron asked, a little surprised.
"My dad said he was staying at the Leaky Cauldron," Ronsaid casually. "Our family just got back from a trip to Egyptand happened to be staying at the Leaky Cauldron."
"I came this morning and happened to run into them both when I entered the Leaky Cauldron," Hermione said with some delight. "But I didn't expect you to be here too.
Harry said you've been in the shop for a month. I never saw you when I came to Diagon Alley before."
"Only for this half of the summer," Aaron chuckled. He had earned the remaining free time of his holiday by completing an otherworldly journey, but he definitely wouldn't be able to escape next year's tutoring classes.
"Have you bought everything you need for school?" Ronasked. "My dad won the grand prize from The Daily Prophet, so he bought all of us siblings new textbooks, and he even bought me a brand new wand, made of willow with a Unicorn hair core."
"Congratulations," Aaron said, closing the shop door. "I was just about to have lunch. If you had come a few minutes later, you might not have seen me."
"Perfect, we can go to the Leaky Cauldron together," Harrysuggested. "The Weasley family will surely be happy to see you."
"Ah, this..." Aaron turned and gave Gines a look: You don't need to come along for this kind of occasion, do you?
Gines hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The young master's strength was not weak now, so he didn't need to follow him constantly.
Besides, this was Diagon Alley, and there were two Archmages secretly protecting him, so safety was guaranteed.
Stepping out of the shop, Aaron suddenly felt a sense of relief. Although there were still two persistent nuisances secretly, the biggest one was, with some effort, removed.
"We have to go to the Magical Menagerie first," Hermionesaid calmly. "My parents left me ten Galleons to buy myself a birthday present in advance, and I plan to buy an owl."
"Then should we also prepare a gift for you?" Aaron asked. Harry and Ron, however, felt a headache coming on. Gifts for girls needed careful consideration, and their wallets had never been bulging.
A blush flashed across Hermione's face. "Let's wait until my birthday!"
Phew!
Harry and Ron both let out a sigh of relief, but then they were met with Hermione's resentful gaze: What do you mean by that? Is it so difficult to prepare a gift for me?
Noticing the deadly question in Hermione's eyes, Harryimmediately chuckled and led the way, "The Magical Menagerie is just up ahead, I know it well."
Ron also brought up his rat, Scabbers. "I was just planning to take him there for a check-up. Scabbers seemed to be suffering from a change of environment in Egypt. He's thinner than before since we got back, and he can't even eat."
Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust, silently lamenting her poor choice of friends, then pulled Aaron along behind them.
"Where did you go for the summer?" Hermione asked curiously. "When I called you, your mother said you went on a trip."
"It was indeed a meaningful journey," Aaron said with a sigh, but quickly realized something, his heart sinking, and his expression becoming unnatural. "My mom didn't say anything else, did she?"
"No, she was just a little too enthusiastic. She also asked about some of my preferences," Hermione said, counting on her fingers. "Including the food I like, the color I like, the scenery I like, and the..."
As she spoke, she noticed Aaron's expression was particularly interesting. "Is something wrong?"
"No, not at all," Aaron said, on the verge of tears. He remembered his parents arranging a fiancée for him before he left. He had firmly refused at the time, but he hadn't expected Lisanna to be so unchivalrous. However, he was even more worried that his mother had contacted more than one girl; she was certainly capable of such a thing.