While Malfoy was strolling around Diagon Alley, Lucius was in charge of placing orders at the Quidditch Boutique. When Lucius saw Malfoy take out a large pile of gold coins, he was very surprised and said, "Perfect way to buy people's hearts. I think all the students of Slythrin will be grateful to you. Well done, child."
As for why he didn't follow, wasn't there a shop assistant who was cheated by him a few days ago?
In the end, he chose to go to the Broken Cauldron Bar to kill time. He ordered a drink that suited his taste and slowly tasted it. However, the loud voices of the people around him made him a little uncomfortable. They were shouting excitedly, and from time to time, they would heavily slap the table with their hands and curse. It seemed like they were playing cards and gambling.
Estimating that it was about time, Malfoy left a few silver coins on the greasy table and got up to leave the Broken Cauldron Bar. He walked towards the agreed Lihen Bookstore.
When he was still a long distance away from the bookstore, he saw a large crowd outside the store, all of them wanting to go in. A large banner was pulled out upstairs: Gidro Lockhart's autobiography for sale. Today, 12: 30 – 4: 30 pm. The crowd was not only students, but also a large group of middle-aged women.
As he got closer, more and more people gathered around him. Most of the women's faces were shining with excitement. Lockhart was sitting behind a table, surrounded by large photos of himself. The faces in the photos were all blinking at the crowd, flashing dazzling white teeth. The real Lockhart was wearing a long robe that was the same blue as the forget-me-nots, which matched his blue eyes. A pointy wizard's hat was playfully tilted on top of his long hair.
A short man was taking pictures of him. Clearly, with his legendary experience and charming appearance, he was the darling of various magazines and newspapers.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd. Lockhart jumped up from his seat in surprise and shouted, "Isn't this Harry Potter?"
The crowd immediately cleared a path for Lockhart. He rushed forward, grabbed Harry's arm, and pulled him to the front. The audience burst into applause, and the man who had taken the photo began to press the shutter even more frantically, as if the more photos he took, the higher his salary would be.
Lockhart then gave Harry a set of his books and took the opportunity to announce that he would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Even more enthusiastic applause and screams could be heard from the crowd, with the majority of them being females. Regardless of whether they were young girls or middle-aged women, all of them were looking at Lockhart with a look of admiration. He was handsome, rich, and had experienced many legends. Now, he might even have the halo of a teacher as a role model.
"Diehard fans from any world are indeed unreasonable." Seeing this, Malfoy only shook his head. He did not intend to expose the embroidered pillow. He was not that free. He quietly squeezed into the crowd and bought the set of autobiographies that could at most be called "adventures" and not textbooks. He then left the crowd.
Suddenly, he heard what seemed to be a fierce quarrel by the wall. He hurriedly ran over and saw that a bookshelf had collapsed. Lucius was quarreling with another man with fiery red hair. On one hand, he was mocking the other man for using his next month's allowance to buy books. On the other hand, he was mocking the other man's bad character.
"For the sake of my leisurely school life, Father, your plan will probably fall through." He sighed in his heart and then walked over to Lucius.
"Draco, come over quickly. Stay away from them. I feel ashamed to breathe the same air as them," Lucius saw Malfoy walking toward him and hurriedly shouted. He was panting heavily. It was obvious that he had just fought with his opponent. His neatly combed platinum hair was already messy, and one of his eyes was swollen. It seemed that he had been hit by a book.
As for his opponent, Arthur, he was not much better. His lips were also broken.
Malfoy slowly approached his father and said, "Father, didn't you always teach me to maintain my poise at all times? Even if some people are really unbearable, we can just ignore them, right? "
"Draco, you have to know that some barbarians' blood is filled with reckless genes. If you ignore them, they will take the initiative to charge at you," Lucius said viciously.
"Father, did you buy this book for me? It's too shabby. Could it be the experience of some old wizard? " Malfoy exclaimed and took the worn-out book from Lucius' hands. The title on it seemed like it was about to fall off: A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.
"We're not like some families who only use old things. Here, this book is the textbook of the little girl across from you. You'd better return it to them quickly. Otherwise, they might not have enough for next month's living expenses. Perhaps the Muggle couple next to them can lend them a few coins." Lucius didn't forget to take a dig at the Weasley family.
"Say that again!" Arthur stretched his neck, his face flushed red.
Lucius turned his head to the side and stopped talking. It was obvious that he knew when to stop.
Both sides were blinded by anger. No one noticed that Malfoy had secretly taken out a small notebook from the book. Alright, it's a success. We should be able to pass this year peacefully. He couldn't help but think. He then handed the book to Jenny and sneered. "Cherish it. I think this book might become the Weasley family heirloom." When the girl took the book, she glared at Malfoy with her bright brown eyes to show her anger at the father and son's actions.
"Miss, I was helping you." Malfoy didn't know what expression to make after being glared at innocently.
"Let me see. Oh my God, what happened here?" Lockhart was also attracted to the scene. Seeing the mess on the ground, he opened his mouth wide, clearly stunned by the chaotic scene. "Oh, Lucius, what happened to you? Your eyes? "Lucius was silent and ignored him. He just silently picked up his snake-shaped cane. Soon, his eyes stopped on Harry. "Potter, we are so fated. It hasn't even been five minutes since we last met, right?"
"Your ability to hype things up and the thickness of your skin is really amazing." Malfoy tried his best not to laugh at the scene.
"Well, I think there must be some misunderstanding between the two of you." As a sorcerer who didn't actually have any abilities, Lockhart was able to make a name for himself in the sorcerer's world. His observation skills were also very strong. The current tense atmosphere made it easy for him to guess what was going on. He hoped that he could mediate this dispute so that he could make the headlines tomorrow. For example, "Lockhart taught you how to resolve disputes"? "Lockhart taught you how to resolve disputes"? "Interpersonal communication? No! You need Lockhart's charisma! "
However, neither of them appreciated his kindness and remained silent. Lockhart didn't feel embarrassed either. He laughed a few times and quickly asked the staff to tidy up the bookshelves. He slowly walked past Lucius and Malfoy as if nothing had happened and left. He returned to his seat and continued to attract girls and women who were infatuated with him.
The surroundings suddenly darkened. It wasn't that the sky was dark, but that Hagrid had arrived. His huge body almost blocked all the light. Then, his loud voice suppressed all the other sounds. "Disperse, gentlemen, disperse —"
He walked over with large strides.
"You shouldn't pay attention to him, Arthur." Hagrid reached out and smoothed Mr. Weasley's robe, almost lifting him up. "This guy is rotten to the core. His child is even more sinister than him." He bumped Harry with his thick arm. "Am I right, Harry?" Harry nodded, and Ron shook his head heavily. Apparently, he agreed with this statement.
"Draco, let's go," Lucius said to Malfoy. Lucius said to Malfoy, and then limped out of the door with his cane. It seemed that he had also sprained his foot. The pampered middle class (or upper class?) It was normal to lose to the poor proletariat, wasn't it?
"Yes, Father," Malfoy replied. He reached for the bookshelf behind him, but found that there was nothing there. Malfoy's expression suddenly changed. What's going on? he exclaimed in his mind.
Malfoy couldn't have been holding the diary in his hand the whole time. Lucius might have seen it, and the others might find it strange, so Malfoy simply put it on the bookshelf behind him. Now, when he turned around, he found that the diary had disappeared.
"This isn't the wisdom and experience of a wise man. Whoever steals it back might really take someone's life." He wanted to mourn for the thief, but it also gave him a headache. "It seems that there won't be any peace in the year," Malfoy couldn't help but think.
The plot was once again out of his control. The first time was with the troll. He had saved Hermione, but he had become a "sacrifice" in the end. This time, the diary that was supposed to be Jenny's had disappeared. Malfoy didn't know what would happen in the end. He originally thought that he might be able to rely on his foresight to stabilize this year, but he had ignited a fuse that was even more difficult to predict.
"I brought this upon myself." He sighed in his heart and thought, "To be on the safe side, I can only pay a price." Even on the crowded street, he immediately took out a piece of paper from his body. It was the yellowed paper full of distorted handwriting from last time. He then circled another entry, and it looked like he was preparing to start another plan.
"I really hope I never have to use this backup plan." As if he thought of something, a helpless smile appeared on his face. "But when the time comes, I won't hesitate." After the helpless smile, his face was full of determination.
-----
In the bookstore, Hermione stared blankly at the book in front of her, unable to read a single word. She was stunned by the scene just now. That seemingly elegant man was Malfoy's father, but his words were so unbearable. For the first time, she truly felt the malice of a pureblood Wizard towards a "Muggle" Wizard. The vicious words stabbed her heart madly. Later, she saw Malfoy again. She wanted to greet him and ask about the incantation and reminder written on the note, as well as the School Championship, but she couldn't open her mouth to say a word. The Malfoy in front of her and the Malfoy in school seemed to be two different people, making Hermione feel an indescribable sense of alienation and strangeness.
"Which side is the real him?" She couldn't help but ask herself, but she found that her heart was even more confused, and she couldn't get any answers.
"Hermione, we should go." The Granger couple said. Their family was going back to the street where the Muggles lived. They didn't have floo powder like Wizards, so they had to leave early. After a brief farewell to the Weasley family, the Granger family stepped out of the bookstore.
"What a pity, I wanted to ask them what the bus station was like," Arthur muttered.
"You'd better take care of yourself first!" Mrs. Weasley said unhappily as she wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a piece of paper.
"I thought Wizards were all as friendly as the Weasley family, but it seems like that's not the case." Walking on the street, Mr. Granger said slowly, "Look at that platinum-haired man just now. Tsk tsk, it's really unbearable."
Hermione nodded numbly, not knowing if she heard it or not.
"I'm very curious about the floo network. The life of a Wizard is really wonderful." Mr. Granger didn't want to stay on this topic for too long, so he changed the topic and began to talk about the life of a Wizard. Just like Arthur was interested in the life of a Muggle, he was also interested in the life of a Wizard.
This was an open-minded couple.