Chapter 12: A Busy Summer

In a second-hand shop filled with battered wands, rickety brass scales, and stained old robes, the group found Percy Weasley.

He was deeply engrossed in a thick book.

"Dad, what happened to you?" Percy asked in alarm.

He had been so absorbed in his reading that he hadn't noticed the commotion outside.

Fred was the first to speak. "We robbed Gringotts."

George added, "And we fought the dragon guarding the private vault. Nearly got roasted by an Ironbelly!"

"Don't listen to them!" Mrs. Weasley shot the twins a sharp look before speaking gently to Percy, "Darling Percy, have you picked out your textbooks?"

"Yes," Percy nodded, reluctantly setting down his book and walking over to the shopkeeper.

William noticed the book Percy had been reading—it was titled How to Become a Prefect.

On the shelves beside it were a row of similar titles: How Prefects Gain Power, How to Become Head Boy, How to Get Into the Ministry of Magic, and How to Become Minister for Magic…

The covers were emblazoned with bold, gold-embossed letters: Do you want success? Do you want power? Then let me teach you how to reach the pinnacle of life and marry into wealth!

Endorsed by Cornelius Fudge, the newly-appointed Minister for Magic, the tagline read.

A smaller row of names followed, listing prominent figures such as Ludo Bagman and Dolores Umbridge.

These were a series of self-help books for wizards aiming for success—essentially a guide on how to climb the ladder of power.

The key detail? The price. Each book was 30 Galleons. By comparison, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them only cost 2 Galleons.

William couldn't help but suspect that these books were part of some money-laundering scheme or simply a way for Ministry officials to line their pockets.

Noticing William's interest in the books, Fred whispered, "Percy's got ambition. He's already planning to become a Prefect next year."

George grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. "And then Head Boy."

"And finally, Minister for Magic."

George clutched his head dramatically. "On Merlin's beard! What will we ever do? Our family's going to produce a Minister for Magic!"

Charlie tapped the twins on the head, scolding, "Enough, or Percy will hear you and get upset.

"You two better start practicing hard this summer. The Quidditch tryouts for second-years are coming up, and it's my last year at Hogwarts. We have to win this time!

"We got crushed by Slytherin last term. I could barely look Professor McGonagall in the eye for weeks after."

Charlie was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, having shown exceptional talent at a young age, which led to his recruitment by Professor McGonagall.

Cedric later whispered to William that Charlie was likely to join the Scottish National Quidditch team after graduation.

It seemed Cedric was quite fond of Quidditch as well.

After everyone had finished their shopping, they headed back to the Leaky Cauldron.

On the way, Fred grabbed Cedric by the arm and asked to borrow his homework.

Cedric gave them a wary look. "Shouldn't you have finished your homework by now?"

"Hey, mate, finishing it and getting it right are two different things," Fred explained. "You wouldn't believe how much your answers are worth. Lee's willing to pay ten Sickles!"

Cedric was stunned. He had to sell a maintenance kit to earn that much commission.

Still, he politely declined.

The twins were a bit disappointed, but it wasn't a big deal. They still had their backup plan: the Ravenclaw brainiacs. It just meant they'd sell the answers for a little less.

The group returned to the Leaky Cauldron, where the Weasleys would be using the pub's fireplace and Floo Powder to return to the Burrow.

Cedric would accompany them and then go home from the Burrow.

Before leaving, Cedric arranged a time for them to meet again, and Fred and George invited William to come visit the Burrow sometime.

Mr. Weasley had been about to ask Roy about his car, but one look at Mrs. Weasley's expression made him think better of it.

As the Floo Powder swirled, the Weasleys and Cedric gradually disappeared into the fireplace.

Hagrid didn't leave. He would be staying at the Leaky Cauldron for a while longer, waiting to finish his job of guiding new students.

As for the fluffy three-headed dog, William never got to see it. The Greek man had suddenly raised the price, which infuriated Hagrid.

Still, judging by Hagrid's reaction, it was clear that no matter how much the dog cost, he would buy it. After all, magical creatures like that were a necessity for Hagrid!

Roy's face was flushed. The drinks in the magical world contained many potent potions, making them far more flavorful than their Muggle equivalents.

Egged on by Tom, the bartender, Roy ended up buying a lot of alcohol to bring home, and soon he, William, and Boba Tea made their way back.

Accompanying them was a new addition—a gray forest owl.

The owl's body was dark brown, with white speckled markings on its wings and a striking white chest, giving it a commanding presence.

William didn't plan to bring the owl to Hogwarts.

The letter had clearly stated that a student could only bring one pet to school.

William had already decided to bring Boba Tea, and he wasn't about to break school rules on his first day.

Besides, according to Hagrid, Hogwarts had plenty of school owls that students could use for free—like Milia, the one known for faking illness and stealing cat treats.

Still, the lack of modern communication methods in the magical world was a bit inconvenient.

Since technology didn't work at Hogwarts, this owl would stay at home so William's parents could use it to stay in touch with him.

However, Annie had plans to claim the owl for herself.

That very night, she started writing a letter to Dumbledore, inquiring about her future admission to Hogwarts.

How could she manage without an owl?

She even gave the owl a grand, imposing name: Drogon!

Boba Tea, for its part, didn't like Drogon—or any owl, for that matter. The cat constantly eyed the bird, as if planning to pounce and eat it.

Drogon, now very nervous, frequently spotted the orange cat lurking in the corner, watching it intently.

Eventually, William had to let Drogon fly outside for some peace.

This summer was turning out to be both long and busy.

As a soon-to-be Hogwarts student, William threw himself into studying the school's curriculum and learning about all sorts of magical subjects.

Magic was a highly sophisticated and intricate system, with its own well-defined rules and logic, completely different from the disciplines William had been familiar with in his previous life.

Precise pronunciation, exact wand movements—anyone with magical ability could trigger a spell through their wand.

Newton's theories wouldn't be able to contain this world.

In just a month, William had memorized countless spells and practiced casting them.

[The Ministry of Magic reminds all Muggles(Author's note): young wizards can cast spells before they enter school, see Minister Hermione, she had tried several magics at home (so humbly)).

The ban on using magic only applies after the school term ends, so don't fabricate laws, or the Aurors might pay you a visit!)

With precise movements, clear articulation, and constant repetition, William learned many spells typically taught to lower-year students.

This level of dedication was something William hadn't experienced since his final year of high school in his previous life.

And William enjoyed the fast pace.

Whenever he encountered something he didn't understand, he would write to Cedric for help.

Cedric, being a brilliant student and the top of his year, was able to answer many of William's questions.

But even Cedric had only completed one year at Hogwarts, so there were some things he couldn't explain.

At those times, William turned to Dumbledore.

It might sound absurd—how could Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, find time to respond to a student who hadn't even started school yet?

But the impossible became reality.

Thanks to Annie.

Every time Annie wrote to Dumbledore, the old wizard would promptly reply.

So, William often slipped a blank sheet of paper with his own questions into Annie's letters.

When Dumbledore replied to Annie, he would also include answers to William's questions.

Finally, August 31st arrived. The next day, William would board the Hogwarts Express.

That night, he had a dream—something he hadn't experienced in a while.

But this time, instead of dreaming about a scratch-off lottery ticket, he dreamed of Diagon Alley, Ollivanders, Cedric, the Weasley twins, and even the Malfoy boy.

At the end of the dream, William was holding Hagrid's three-headed dog.

The dog had the heads of a husky, a dragon, and Boba Tea. The husky head was holding a 200,000-Galleon renovation bill in its mouth, having completely demolished William's room.