A ruined Hogwarts

The morning at Shafiq Manor was quiet and peaceful. The beautiful white roses slowly opened their petals that closed at night in the morning light. Several recently moved little flower fairies lay lazily among the flower stamens, flapping their shiny transparent wings.

After Irving finished feeding his magic pigeons and rabbits, he stroked the soft fur of the rabbits one by one, and then released the magic pigeons. He watched them line up and soar lightly in the blue-gray sky, and finally landed. On the edge of the fountain in front of the manor.

He left the conservatory and as soon as he entered the hall, he saw Mr. Albert in formal clothes preparing to go out.

In the Shafiq family, Mr. Albert manages the family's industry, manages auxiliary forces and connections, maintains and expands the family's wealth and power, and Ms. Adeline sometimes helps. Although he seems busy with work, taking care of both the potion business and being a member of the Wizengamot, he is actually not busy at ordinary times. Many things can be left to his assistants, but some social interactions are still inevitable.

"Good morning, Dad. Going out so early?" Owen said with a smile.

"Yes, a gathering of potion masters." Albert looked at the time and said in a relaxed tone, "They really know how to choose the time..."

Owen watched his father leave in a hurry, then walked slowly to the study, where he saw Ms. Adeline as expected. Apart from attending some banquets and dances with her friends, she likes to stay at home and study magic most of the time, either reading in her study or doing magic experiments in her laboratory.

After saying hello to his mother, Owen glanced at the books on the shelf and asked casually: "Mom, what happened to the snake I brought back during the Christmas vacation?"

"That blood-cursed orc?" Ms. Adeline shook her head slightly and said, "I have studied it for a while, and I did get some results. But it is difficult to tame, very aggressive, and it has the power and strength of a black magic curse. The poison is dangerous, so I locked it in the dungeon."

"You know, there is basically no way to remove this curse. It has completely turned into a beast, losing all humanity and past memories, although it is much smarter than ordinary animals..." She smiled slightly, quietly His dark green eyes stared at Owen gently, "A cunning little animal. You can deal with it as you wish, but be careful of being deceived by it."

Owen held his chin and thought for a while: "Just keep it closed for now, I don't need it now..." He brought Nagini back just to add trouble to Voldemort, and he was also a little interested in blood curses, but now he has no use for it either. If he puts the thought and energy into studying it, he still has a lot to learn.

He continued to wander around the spacious study room, which was a small library, with rows of antique bookshelves filled with well-maintained books. He saw a copy of "Dark Arts: Duel Curses" on the top shelf of a bookshelf, and stood on tiptoe to take it down with great difficulty.

After glancing at the catalog, Owen skillfully copied it into the space facing the wall, and then heard the footsteps of Ms. Adeline walking slowly. He put the book back on the bookshelf within his reach, then turned to look at his mother who was walking over and asked, "What's the matter, Mom?"

"A letter from Hogwarts." Adeline held a yellow parchment envelope in her hand, looked at the bookshelf behind Owen with a calm expression, and handed the letter to him.

Owen glanced at the green ink writing on the cover, leaned against the bookshelf and opened the envelope. The letter informed him that he would take the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross Station to school on September 1st. It also listed a list of new books to be used this year, such as "Standard Spells, Level 2" and "Dark Magic". Fundamentals of Defense".

Owen raised his eyebrows. Where are Gilderoy Lockhart's books? Isn't he the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year? That's right, under his butterfly effect, the current situation is basically in chaos, and no one can tell what will happen in the future.

He put away the envelope without paying much attention, and then heard Adeline say: "Are you planning to go to Diagon Alley to buy books today?"

"Is there anything you need me to bring?" Owen asked.

"No," Adeline said. "A famous author is having a book signing at Flourish and Blotts today. It's going to be a mess."

"Gilderoy Lockhart?" Owen looked thoughtful.

"It seems to be that name." Adeline said unconcernedly, "He is very famous, especially popular among many witches. However, the books he wrote are not very rigorous, they are somewhat interesting fantasy stories."

The implication is that Irving can read his books, but just read them as stories, don't take them seriously.

"I know." Owen nodded.

Adeline stared into his eyes quietly, suddenly raised her hand to stroke his hair, and said softly with a slightly hoarse voice: "It's best not to be exposed to black magic before the fourth grade." After saying that, she came from behind Owen He took out the book he had taken from the bookshelf and put it back to its original place.

"I know." Owen smiled helplessly.

Adeline glanced at him with her beautiful and deep eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned down slightly, feeling a little headache. She understood that Owen had always had his own opinion, and once he decided something, it would be difficult even for her to stop him, and now he seemed to be interested in black magic.

She wouldn't mind Owen's exposure to the field, but not now. Although its impact on people is not obvious when they are not deeply involved in the field of black magic, for children who are not mentally mature enough, they lack mature judgment and self-control and are easily seduced by the characteristics of black magic. , taking it as a shortcut to becoming stronger and sinking deeper and deeper into it, and ultimately unable to extricate themselves.

"Let's make an agreement, Owen." She thought about it for a moment, then said slowly, "Learn the Patronus Charm first, and then you can get into this field."

"Huh?" Owen looked up at her blankly.

"The Patronus Charm is a widely spread white magic, and it is closely related to the mind and self. Many wizards believe that the Patronus Charm can protect the wizard's soul from being invaded by darkness, although there is no evidence to confirm this statement." Adeline took a book from the bookshelf on the other side, "But I found that it does have a certain use in this regard. Although it is not that effective, it can at least serve as a warning."

Owen took the book from her hand with a bit of laughter, nodded obediently and said, "Okay, Mom."

After talking for a while, he said goodbye to his mother and walked out of the study quickly, the smile on his face slowly fading away. He glanced at the book in his hand with a deep expression, and sighed softly in a slightly joking tone: "The patron saint..."

However, for him now, the Black Devil Guard is indeed his patron saint. It couldn't protect his mind, and even dragged him deeper and deeper into the dark realm, but it could protect his life, and even help him kill people.

Owen raised the corners of his mouth slightly and put away the book in his hand. He held Melete, who was sleeping in the living room, and rubbed her for a while. He accurately pinched the little one at the critical point of getting angry and led her into the fireplace and to the garden villa in London.

Nearly two weeks have passed since Harry's birthday. During this time, a group of young wizards used this place as a party base, often bringing snacks or gadgets bought during travel. It's just that this is the area where Muggles live, and they spend most of their time playing in the house.

"Hi, Owen, how are you?" Harry was already waiting here, looking at him eagerly.

"Each bottle of this potion can only block Trace Silk for seven days. Remember the time." Owen threw several bottles of potion to him.

Harry caught it in a hurry and couldn't wait to run out to deal with the traces on his body that he hated so much. He didn't forget to say loudly: "Thanks, Owen!" Anyway, he owed Owen enough, not much more. If he owed a little, he would keep it in his heart.

"I'm going to Diagon Alley, do you want to go with me?" Owen asked casually as he was about to leave through the fireplace.

"Wait for me a moment!" Harry shouted. He hurriedly dealt with the traces on his body, waved his magic wand with an anxious look, then took some money and ran back in a hurry.

"Um... Do you want to use Floo powder?" Although he had witnessed his friends coming and going from the fireplace many times, this was the first time Harry used it. These days, he stayed in the house obediently and did his homework, enjoying the time that could really be called a vacation without going out and wandering around.

"Yes, state your destination clearly and pay attention to the ashes. Close your eyes, clamp your arms, and don't move..." Owen simply said the precautions, and then watched the other party sprinkle the ash into the fireplace. A handful of Floo powder entered the rising flames, and then he coughed violently in the fire and called out his destination.

"You have to speak clearly..." Owen also grabbed a handful of floo powder and walked into the fireplace. He closed his eyes and recalled the words Harry just shouted, and uttered words that were exactly the same as what the other party said. Since they agreed to be together, he didn't mean to lose her... He shouldn't have asked that question just now...

The body quickly reached its destination while spinning rapidly. Owen stepped out of the furnace door and saw Harry getting up from the ground covered in soot. He was dizzy and holding up his broken glasses to carefully observe his surroundings. This is obviously not Diagon Alley.

"I don't quite understand. How did you call Diagon Alley Knockturn Alley?" Owen waved his wand to sweep away the ashes on his body. He crossed his shoulders and looked at the merchandise displayed around him: a withered human hand, a stack of Blood-stained playing cards, a dull glass eyeball, several ferocious masks, and various human bones and torture instruments.

His eyes stayed on the deck of cards, and he looked at the introduction on the side with some interest: Lucky Cards, which can make the owner win every bet.

After hearing Owen's voice, Harry turned around in surprise and joy: "Owen, why are you here? This is not Diagon Alley!"

"I followed you." Owen's eyes did not leave the pile of cards.

He must have heard the two people talking in low voices. A hunchbacked man appeared behind the counter, stroking his shiny hair back with his hands, and showed a clear expression after seeing the appearance of the two people. Then, with a smile that was so polite that it seemed cunning, he said in a joking tone: "Welcome, two little wizards who went to the wrong furnace door. You have soiled my shop, how are you going to compensate me?"

Harry looked at him with some embarrassment, and took Owen a step back warily. Nothing about this place looks right.

Owen glanced at the dirty, blackened floor and the dusty windows and counters, smiled slightly and said, "If you think of this as 'dirty', Mr. Borgin."

"Excuse me, are you..." Bo Jin's cunning expression became more serious. Having read countless people, he could naturally see that Owen was not a easy-to-handle little guy.

"Owen Shafiq." Owen said his name softly with the same polite smile on his face.

"Ah, you must be the young master of the Shafiq family. It's a pleasure to meet you." Bo Jin said in a smooth tone. He no longer paid attention to the very embarrassed Harry beside him, and seemed to have mistaken him for Owen's follower. "Want to buy something?"

Owen smiled and looked at the stack of cards aside again: "Can it really make people win every bet?"

"Of course, I never cheat my guests." The smile on Bo Jin's face deepened.

"I don't believe it." Owen said with a smile, "Unless you can beat me with it. Ah, I am very confident in my own abilities."

Bo Jin grinned and said regretfully: "Well, I won't use it. Although it can bring you good gambling luck, it can also bring you disaster." He added graciously: "I didn't deceive the guests, I just didn't tell them everything."

"You are an excellent businessman, Mr. Borgin." Owen's expression did not change at all, but he said in a soft tone, "Can you tell me about this mask?"

Finally, Owen walked out of the store with a smiling bow from Borgin, playing with a black Ghostface mask in his hand. According to Bojin, this "fool's mask" can conceal a person's face, height, body shape and smell, making it a good helper for robbers. The reason why it is classified as a black magic item is because of the cruel production process that is unknown to outsiders.

Harry just glanced at the mask in Owen's hand without making any comment. In fact, he also thought the mask was quite useful, although it looked a bit scary and its origin seemed very questionable. He looked around at his surroundings, used magic spells to repair his glasses, cleaned up the ashes on his body, and followed Owen through the complicated and winding alleys.

"Owen, are you familiar with this place?" He stuffed his wand back into his pocket.

"It's okay." Owen said, "Hold your wand and be alert. Never put down your weapon in Knockturn Alley. This is the paradise of dark wizards."

Seeing Harry pinching his wand nervously, Owen nodded, and then said with a sly smile: "Just keep walking along that path and you can get out. Come on, I'm keeping an eye on you." After that, he gave He recited a phantom body spell, and his figure disappeared instantly.

"Owen?" Harry panicked.

"I can't help it. I'm not familiar with the Disguise Charm yet, so I can only use it on myself." Owen's lazy voice came from the side.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, then became sad again. There were many ragged wizards staring at him in the dark doorways on the street. Even the weirdly dressed pedestrians seemed to harbor ill intentions. A few scary-looking old witches setting up stalls on the roadside were even more greedy. Looking at him, everything was creepy.

He plucked up his courage and strode forward with a generous expression on his face. In a place like Knockturn Alley, such a little wizard is like a plump and cute little sheep, attracting a lot of malicious eyes.

Owen followed Harry invisibly, watching with interest as he used a disarming spell to knock away the wand of an old witch who was entangled with him. However, the other party grabbed her wrist tightly, and he could only use the full-body binding spell in a dangerous way. Break free. Then, Harry hurriedly knocked out a guy who rushed out of the door and wanted to snatch his wand. Then, chased by a group of "fanatic fans", he ran as fast as a rabbit and escaped in a panic. lane.

"Good job." Owen showed his body and said lightly, ignoring the resentful look Harry cast.

"Diagon Alley is ahead," he said.

The two of them strolled along the cobbled road. Harry forgot about the thrill in the blink of an eye. He was dazzled by the colorful snacks, and his hands were quickly filled with ice cream and candies. Owen was drinking a glass of ice lemonade and thinking about his own affairs. He was distracted for just a moment when he realized that Harry beside him was missing.

When he found Harry outside the window of the broomstick shop with a dark face, he was staring longingly at the shiny Nimbus 2001 broom in the shop with a group of young wizards outside the shop, and the ice cream in his hand. All melted.

"Want to buy a broom?" Owen said quietly. He is so old, he can be lost in a blink of an eye... As expected, traveling together is not suitable for him, and he has a feeling of déjà vu with a child.

"I don't know, I probably can't afford it?" Harry touched the gold coins in his pocket.

Owen glanced at him. It was obvious that this guy had no idea about his net worth. According to his speculation, although the inheritance Harry inherited was not as good as the Shafik family, a pure-blood family that controlled the magic product business, it was definitely considered rich.

"It's not expensive, you can go and get the money first." Owen went into the store and picked out a handful of Nimbus 2001, and said after checking out quickly. Harry hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist the temptation of the broomstick. He temporarily separated from Owen and ran to Gringotts to withdraw money.

Owen smiled and waved and watched him go away. Then he arrived at Flourish and Blotts Bookstore with a relaxed look and saw a large group of people crowding outside the store. A banner hung in front of the upstairs window read: Gilderoy Lockhart's autobiography "Magical Me" is for sale signed.

The door of the bookstore was crowded with witches of all sizes. They surrounded the door with gleaming eyes, and the wizards who maintained order shouted until they became hoarse.

Owen didn't like crowded environments, so he sat down on a bench near the bookstore, planning to wait until the crowd dispersed before going in. On the way, he saw the Weasley family with flaming red hair. The short and fat woman who should be Mrs. Weasley burst out with great fighting power. She crowded into the bookstore with her family and asked them to go in to buy other books. She held a copy of "Magical Me" with a face on her face. There was a long line of people waiting in anticipation.

While Owen was drowsy from waiting, Harry came over holding a broomstick. He stroked his broom lovingly, with a satisfied expression on his face.

"Going to buy books?" He reluctantly put his broomstick into Owen's small bag that had been casted by the Invisible Stretching Charm, and then looked at the crowded bookstore.

"Go ahead, I still have one book left to buy." Owen said with a sigh. It looks like this autograph session won't end anytime soon.

The two finally squeezed into the bookstore through the gap in the crowd, and the small ones were quickly lost in the crowd.

In the bookstore, Lockhart was sitting in the most conspicuous position wearing a bright blue robe, surrounded by large photos of himself. He signed his name quickly, sometimes blinking at the big camera on the side, smiling so brightly that his teeth were dazzlingly white.

"If I didn't know this was a book signing, I would have thought he was filming a toothpaste commercial." Harry couldn't help but muttered in a low voice.