The Pacifist Necromancer of Hogwarts

Anthony and Daniel chatted for so long that when they said goodbye to Tom and passed the bar to the backyard, they suddenly realized that the ground was wet. Daniel tapped the wall tiles with his wand, revealing Diagon Alley shrouded in haze. A cold light rain fell in a steady patter. The raindrops hit the roofs and glass windows of the shops, then meandered down, and finally converged on the cobblestone streets. The puddles on the ground reflected the warm light of the shops on both sides.

Several wizards squeezed past them with coldness and dampness, and walked into the dark Leaky Cauldron. They stamped their feet heavily on the colorless and patternless carpet, and loudly asked Tom to get them drinks. , while unbuttoning the heavy winter coat, which was filled with countless tiny drops of water.

Damn weather! Daniel complained. I hope whoever is on duty today remembers to close all the windows... OK, Henry, what are your plans next?

Anthony was holding a few bottles of brandy and looking at Diagon Alley in the rain and fog.

I'm also going to buy some white wine, um, and apple wood. Do you know where I can get some good apple wood, Daniel?

Purchasing day, huh? Daniel said. Apple wood...for the barbecue, the fireplace, or for eating?

Well, use it for the fire, Anthony said. Used to light a fire for a bad-tempered fire dragon.

There should be some applewood firewood for salamanders in the Magical Beasts shop. Daniel thought, Ah, I remembered, there is also some in Barabbo's herbal shop! Besides, I think that shop over there sells it. There may be some shops selling various bits and pieces of magic props, and they’ll probably be cheaper than elsewhere.”

Herbal medicine shop, magical animal shop or magic item shop. Anthony repeated, Okay, I will go to these three places.

Say hello to Barabo for me, Daniel said. I'm going to go to the bookstore to see if the window is closed, and then I'm going to have an ice cream.

…

The herbal shop in Balabo was very crowded.

There was something stale, comforting, and sneeze-inducing in the air. There are high shelves everywhere, filled with processed herbs - shriveled white fruits; cleanly picked peach pit-like things; green leaves soaked in golden liquid, packed in round boxes. in a shaped glass jar; bubble beans in wicker baskets, each one very plump; a pile of things with leaves and roots, coiled like a bundle of hemp rope at the bottom of the shelf; two baskets of dry The leaves were so dilapidated that they reminded Anthony of the fallen leaves piled on both sides of the road after autumn; then there were several rust-colored plants with copper plate-like flowers that were slowly turning, following his footsteps.

Anthony was so mesmerized that he didn't notice what he stepped on. The next moment, some kind of frightening scream echoed in the small herbal shop. Anthony took half a step back in shock and looked down, only to see a large pool of dark red liquid that looked like blood.

Just then, the small door in the corner of the shop opened. A witch with raven hair came out, wearing an apron and gardening gloves.

Hello, she said as calmly as if she hadn't heard the scream. What do you want to buy, sir?

I...I didn't mean it! Anthony raised his voice to cover the screams, Excuse me, what is this!

The witch stared at Anthony in confusion for a while, then suddenly made a sign of wait to him as if she had woken up, took off her gloves, turned her head and picked her ears very attentively. After a while, she took out something like cotton, and then immediately raised her eyebrows.

Oh, she said, taking her wand out of her pocket and waving it, They're out again.

The screaming stopped. The dark red liquid beside Anthony's feet suddenly disappeared, and then there was a click, as if something was locked.

I'm so sorry, sir, said the witch, and began to pick out the other ear again. What do you want?

“That one just now——” Anthony gestured randomly toward the ground, “What was it?”

Red moss, the witch introduced, can be used to speed up blood flow, and its powder is also used in some potions...or it can also be simply used to call the police. You heard their cry, Very fresh.”

I believe it. Anthony said with lingering fear.

The witch asked, Would you like an ounce, sir?

No, no, thank you. Anthony said, Is there any apple wood here?

Apple wood? No, but there are apple leaves.

Anthony shook his head: I don't need the apple leaves, but thank you anyway.

You could try that magical beasts shop, they might sell the fuel, said the witch. Who suggested that you go to the herbal shop to look for wood, sir? I wouldn't even think of looking for wood here.

A friend of mine. Anthony smiled. Daniel, he works at Flourish and Blotts. I guess he may have remembered it wrong.

Oh, Daniel. The witch said clearly and nodded, Okay, just wait a moment. I suddenly remembered that I do have some apple wood.

…

The witch re-entered the small door in the corner and began to rummage for things. Anthony heard her voice coming from the crack of the door: How is Daniel doing?

Anthony said loudly: Aside from being a little annoyed by the search by the Ministry of Magic and the cleaning of the bookstore, he was pretty good. But fortunately, the matter is over.

It sounds like you are indeed friends. The witch said, opening the door and slamming a large pile of wood onto the ground. Applewood - oh, and I'm Barabbo Bomb. You You can call me Balabo.”

Henry, Henry Anthony, nice to meet you, Anthony said, looking down at the wood in front of him.

He had never seen such a large mass of apple wood. They look like apple stump slices, and very, very thick apple stumps.

Oh, you're the Muggle Studies professor! Barabo said, looking even more delighted. Pomona told me about you. I'll give you a 10% discount.

Anthony couldn't help but smile: Thank you.

How is Pomona doing? Barabaugh asked. Is her new greenhouse ready?

Not yet, but the location has been determined. Anthony said.

Barabo sounded a little envious: It's great to live in Hogwarts. Greenhouses can be built everywhere nearby.

Pomona is still complaining that the greenhouse is getting further and further away from the castle. Anthony said, pointing to a few pieces of apple wood at hand, I want these pieces, thank you.

No problem. Barabo said, congratulating him neatly, There are 14 Sickles in total, and after the discount...

12 Sickles and - Anthony thought hard, 17 and... Wizards can really make their currency very weird.

Barab decided: That's the Twelve Sickles. Say hello to Pomona for me, and ask her if she has any fresh Pimplevine fruits. That dominatrix of Umbridge and the scum of the Ministry of Magic took my All the fruits have been taken away, and God knows what they want to do. She said bitterly, I hope they are blinded by the slime of the vine, so that they will not think of coming to my shop again.

I'll ask Pomona. Anthony promised and paid the money. By the way, I think you don't have to worry about Umbridge coming here again for the time being - she will be appointed as a senior investigator soon and go to Huolin. Gwarts investigates...well, some things that happened at Hogwarts.

Oh, my God! said Barabo sympathetically. You want poisonous tentacles, Henry? I can give them to you for free.

…

After saying goodbye to Barabo, Anthony went back to Hogwarts and put the brandy and applewood back in his office. He managed to put all the brandy into his bag, and he shrunk all the applewood and held it in his hand.

He greeted the students all the way. Most people were having snowball fights by the Black Lake or enjoying their weekends in the warmth of the library and common room (if they didn't have too many papers to finish), but even so, Anthony ran into a lot of students he knew.

Good afternoon, Professor Anthony! a student said cheerfully. He looked like he had just escaped from a snowball fight. The black wizard's robe was covered with snow, which was slowly melting under the flames of the nearby fireplace and dripping onto the floor.

Good afternoon, Mr. Toller. Anthony smiled.

Did you just come back from somewhere else? Toller asked curiously, looking at Anthony's wet hair and wizard robe.

Yes, I went to Diagon Alley. Anthony said, indicating to him to look at the package in his hand, Today is shopping day.

Toller asked worriedly: Isn't it coconut sorbet, Professor Anthony?

No, it's not, said Anthony. It's a gift for the culprit who made me buy a bunch of coconut sorbets.

…

When Anthony returned to the office, all his pets were gone. Obviously, it's not that they don't want to go out, they just don't want to go shopping with Anthony. Considering that they were a group of undead pets, Anthony was quite satisfied that they had behaved quite appropriately.

He stuffed the apple wood in the closet in case the cat used it as a kind of scratching post, and hid the brandy under the bed in case the cat decided to change his taste. After doing all this, Anthony looked around the room and suddenly felt that he was living here.

He was about to enter his second Christmas at Hogwarts, and he had been a professor for almost as long as he had been a cashier.

Anthony thought this as he slowly walked out. He heard Myrtle sobbing again in the corridor. Several lower-grade girls rushed out of the bathroom, ran past him like a gust of wind, and then stopped at the end of the corridor. They looked at each other and laughed at the panicked looks on each other's faces.

No wonder they all said it was best not to use that bathroom. One of them said, I thought the toilet was broken!

Another said: She's so scary! Why is she hiding in the toilet?

Who knows, wizards can do everything. The third person said, still slightly out of breath, Have I told you? I have an aunt from far away who works in the Ministry of Magic. I heard her say that the Ministry of Magic is searching for black men. While searching for magic artifacts, I also found a cursed toilet! Anyone who uses it will suffer from hemorrhoids and be in excruciating pain.

That's disgusting, one girl said.

What are hemorrhoids? asked another.

They left. Anthony stood in the corridor, secretly wondering what the Ministry of Magic planned to do with the things they had confiscated.

According to what he had heard, the Ministry had acquired a valuable herbal hoe, a pile of Dark Arts books and some innocent meeting minutes, a very useful cleaning book, a basket of the fruits of the knotweed, and A cursed toilet.

The most effective way Anthony can think of to use it is to open a field for planting vines and build a toilet next to it; anyone who secretly eats the fruits of the vine will be cursed by the toilet in the toilet.

…

The entrance hall was also full of dripping students, running around, chasing each other, holding snowballs in their hands, and occasionally falling on the slippery floor made of ice from Peeves. Filch viciously tried to drive everyone outside, but a few snowballs flew in from the window and hit his skinny back, so he immediately turned around and shouted to the students outside. Call.

When leaving, Anthony saw several Weasley children at the door.

Ginny was screaming and throwing snowballs at Ron, with a big smile on her face that Anthony had never seen when she stayed at the Weasley house; Ron rolled the snowballs without showing any signs of weakness; Xi seemed to have just returned from Hogsmeade. He stood on the road that had been cleared of snow and shouted the names of Ron and Ginny. He did not notice Fred and George approaching from behind him quietly.

Anthony looked at the thickness of the snow but did not stop the students from playing. He found that he was gradually becoming more and more like a wizard because he was now completely unconcerned that they might catch a cold. As students (and sometimes even professors) often say, Madam Pomfrey will figure it out.

He was just a little curious as to why Ron wasn't walking with Harry and Hermione as usual. However, he soon saw Harry's figure next to Hagrid's hut.

Harry was saying something, making gestures with his hands in mid-air (looking like those Wood usually made), and casually kicking away the snowdrifts that Hagrid had swept aside. A huge black dog followed him, turning its head to look at him, its tail wagging.

Anthony walked towards the other side. He was going to Hogsmeade and then Apparated to the familiar Muggle supermarket to buy a drink for his grumpy cat.