The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 128 Flo Fans and Unexpected Events

Chapter 128 Flo Fans and Unexpected Events

After the conversation in the office, Dumbledore began to go out more frequently. During the summer vacation, he often didn't return to school for several days in a row. When he did return, he would only make a brief appearance in the headmaster's office or the library before leaving again, focusing all his attention on finding traces of the Horcruxes.

Lin Qi returned to his stone house, and in addition to his usual routine, he increased the number of times he visited the Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

In addition to communicating with Reggie about the development of the Chamber of Commerce and the First Order, Lynch also joined the board of directors of the Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce as a minority shareholder, thanks to Reggie's recommendation.

Despite strong opposition from the pureblood faction at the meeting, Reggie managed to join the board of directors thanks to Lucius's intervention, as he had given Lucius prior notice.

Days passed by like this.

In mid-August, Crouch, the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, suddenly ordered raids on the manors of several pure-blood families on charges of possessing dangerous contraband.

Some purebloods attempted to bribe officials who came to conduct the search with Galleons.

But because Crouch had given such a strong order, these officials, contrary to their usual behavior, refused the money offered to them. Some, eager to make a name for themselves, even detained the people who brought them the money.

A few purebloods who resolutely refused ended up in the hands of the Aurors, who gleefully used them as examples of merit for promotions and raises.

The Ministry of Magic's actions clearly demonstrated to these pure-blood families who the greatest violent institution in the wizarding world truly is.

As the leading pure-blood family, the Malfoy family was subjected to more frequent searches, basically to the point of being searched every two days and every three days.

Malfoy Estate practically became the second workplace for the Auror offices.

Lucius Malfoy was harassed to no end.

As a long-established pure-blood family, Malfoy Manor has a secret and reliable hidden room used to store things that cannot be easily seen by others.

But Lucius began to worry that the family's secret chamber might no longer be safe, given the Aurors' determination to search every inch of the place.

By donating a sum of money, he gained a much-needed respite.

In the intervals between searches, he cleared out all the unspeakable items from his secret room. Some were stored elsewhere, others were simply sold off.

But there was one thing that made him hesitate: something the Dark Lord had personally given him, instructing him to keep it safe.

In the last few days of summer vacation, Harry was picked up from number four Privet Drive by Ron and the Weasley brothers—in a car that could fly!

This is absolutely awesome!

Harry thought to himself.

He stayed for a few days in the Burrow—that strange building located a little outside the village of Autri-Saint-Cachipol.

Harry fell in love with the place the moment he arrived.

A ghoul lives in the attic of the Burrow, howling loudly from time to time or squeaking and banging on pipes; small explosions can be heard in the twins' room... and the Weasleys are used to all of this.

He shared a room with Ron, and in the evenings they could discuss Quidditch and play Wizarding Battle Cards. During the day, Mrs. Weasley would call him to clear the goblins from the garden, or to play Quidditch in the clearing in the woods.

This is exactly the wizarding family life Harry dreamed of.

A week later, the school's owl brought a list of books needed for the new school year.

They had just received Hermione's letter, agreeing to go to Diagon Alley together on Wednesday to buy the school supplies they would need for the year.

On Wednesday morning, Mrs. Weasley woke everyone up early, and after a quick breakfast, she picked up a flowerpot from the mantelpiece in the kitchen.

She glanced inside and sighed, "Not much left, Arthur. Looks like we'll have to go buy some today."

Mr. Weasley patted her arm: "Don't worry, darling, we can try the new Floo Powder from the Stone Tower Merchant Guild."

One scoop only requires one Silver Sike. A colleague from the purchasing department said the effect is quite good; the vapor is smoother than traditional Floo powder, and the pungent feeling is much less.

Mrs. Weasley was a little worried: "But the Daily Prophet keeps saying that the new Floo Powder is unsafe. Apparently, someone disappeared into a chimney after using it and hasn't been found yet! The Wizarding Weekly even used the term 'Floo Powder Murder Case'!"

"That's a rumor!" Mr. Weasley snapped. "The Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters investigated; it was just a mishap caused by a misplaced Apparition Charm, which happened right after that unfortunate fellow used Floo Powder. It was pure coincidence! To save money, the department has already decided to gradually replace all Floo Powder in official fireplaces with Stone Tower products. If there were a real problem, why would the department take that risk?"

"If you're really worried, we can buy a little to try it out," Mr. Weasley added.

"Alright..." Mrs. Weasley was persuaded, though her brow wasn't completely relaxed, she agreed to her husband's suggestion, "Let's go to the Stone Tower Merchant Guild after we've finished browsing the secondhand robe shops. I hope you're right, Arthur."

Harry had no idea what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were discussing, nor did he know what Floop Powder was, but he heard a familiar name in their conversation—the Stone Tower Merchant Guild—and he remembered the white stone tower and the peculiar badge with its clenched fist pointing to the sky.

A thought struck him: he remembered the wizard card battle he had witnessed last year when he and Hagrid were shopping at the Stone Tower Merchant Guild.

I heard that those competition-grade tables can be used by ordinary players on a regular basis.

Today I went to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies, and that white stone tower was a place I couldn't miss.

Perhaps, he and Ron could try playing against each other on one of those specially made competition tables?

Thinking of this, Harry felt even more excited.

Next, the Weasleys demonstrated to Harry how to use Floo Powder.

Harry was understandably nervous as he used this uniquely wizarding mode of transportation for the first time.

So when he opened his mouth, he inhaled a large mouthful of scalding hot ash.

He coughed as he said the name Diagon Alley.

Harry felt like a ball being stuffed into a violently spinning washing machine, his body bumping against hard objects all over the place.

He struggled to open his eyes a crack, only to see a series of blurry glimpses of furnace doors flashing by.

A wave of nausea and dizziness rose in his heart, and the sandwich he had eaten for breakfast seemed to be eager to come out of his stomach.

The next instant, he fell face down onto the cold marble floor, his glasses flying off.

With a snap.

Harry heard the sound of leather shoes hitting the ground, and he immediately realized that someone had stopped in front of him.