novelcrest Chapter 281 The Indignant Shop Assistant
Chapter 281 The Indignant Shop Assistant
Chapter 281 The Indignant Shop Assistant
"Professor Phillips!"
A clear, slightly excited voice came from the bookstore entrance, and Sean and Harry looked up at the same time.
Hermione Granger wore a dark green robe today. Although the material was thick, the cut was very close to her body curves, showing off her petite figure.
Her chest was flat, like two small buns hidden under her robe, making one wonder if there was something filling it.
The hem of her robe just reached her knees, revealing her pair of fair and shapely calves.
Hermione's hair was unusually tied into a neat ponytail, swaying from side to side with her steps.
"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed in surprise, quickly walking over to greet Hermione.
Behind her, Ron Weasley followed closely, his freckles particularly noticeable on his face, and his red hair as striking and disheveled as ever.
He seemed to have just walked a long way, panting for breath, but his face still wore that familiar, honest smile.
"Harry!" Ron called out with a smile, quickly walking over and gently patting Harry on the shoulder.
"Ron!" Harry responded excitedly, looking at his slightly wolf-like appearance. "What's wrong with you? You look like you just raced a bunch of trolls."
"Don't even mention it," Ron shook his head helplessly. "Following Hermione around Diagon Alley is more tiring than going to the Quidditch pitch."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You complain a lot, but you should know that buying supplies for the new semester is our job." Then, she quickly looked at Sean standing to the side and asked impatiently, "Professor, what are you doing here?"
Sean smiled and replied in a relaxed tone, "Like you guys, I also need to prepare for the new semester." He then turned slightly and pointed to Sirius Black beside him, "Oh, this is my friend, Witt."
Hermione's gaze shifted to Sirius, a strange feeling creeping into her heart.
This "Mr. Witt" seemed a bit odd; he appeared nervous and remained silent. Although Hermione was always curious about people, she didn't say much, only nodding politely, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Witt."
Sirius was clearly a little uncomfortable. Just as he was about to respond to Hermione's greeting, a clerk from Flourish and Blotts came up to him.
"Are you from Hogwarts? Here to buy textbooks for the new term?"
"Yes, we need one—" Ron replied.
The clerk at Flourish and Blotts looked visibly annoyed. He waved his hand impatiently before Ron could finish speaking, as if he wanted to get rid of some troublesome matter as soon as possible.
Immediately afterwards, he put on a pair of heavy gloves, picked up a large, knotted cane, and strode quickly toward a corner of the bookstore.
Everyone looked in the direction the clerk was pointing, and saw an iron cage in the corner containing about a hundred copies of "Monster Book".
These books were nothing like ordinary books; rather, they resembled trapped wild beasts, entangled and fighting, emitting low growls. Paper scraps danced in the air, as if the books were engaged in a fierce wrestling match.
Ron, watching this scene, couldn't help but grin and say, "Goodness, I thought the 'Monster Book' could only bite people, but I didn't expect them to be able to attack each other."
"You'll soon find out how troublesome they are." Hermione frowned; she was clearly uninterested in such dangerous and chaotic books. She had always preferred quiet books to those that could bite.
The shop assistant brandished his cane, trying to separate the tangled books. His movements were rough and ungentle, clearly showing he had little patience for them.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood aside, dumbfounded.
"My God, you can actually use a book like this in the classroom?" Harry said in a low voice, his tone tinged with surprise.
"Yes," Hermione replied, her tone revealing her dissatisfaction with the arrangement. "We're going to be taking more courses on magical creatures this semester, and these books are part of the textbooks."
The shop assistant finally separated the several particularly badly damaged "Monster Books." Wiping the sweat from his brow, he complained breathlessly, "I really don't understand why you students insist on buying these things. They're just uncontrollable books!"
Sean coughed lightly, breaking the awkward silence. He smiled and turned to Harry and Ron, "Looks like your new term is going to be quite 'fun'."
Ron shrugged helplessly. "Hopefully, these books won't bite my hand off."
The shop assistant finally locked the cage door, turned wearily to look at them, and said impatiently, "If you need to buy the 'Monster Book,' take the cage. I don't care what happens once these books are taken out. I swear to Merlin, I absolutely, absolutely will never stock these again, absolutely never!"
"What a mess! We bought two hundred copies of 'The Book of Invisibility'—it cost us a fortune—and they all vanished without a trace—" he muttered, sighing. "I thought things couldn't get any worse."
At this point, the shop assistant paused, her expression suddenly becoming even more distraught. "Oh, wait, there's worse. Lockhart's books! After he went to Azkaban, countless fans came to our store demanding refunds for his books. God knows why we have to take on all this trouble for Lockhart! Those Galleons didn't even crawl into our..."
The shop assistants' complaints gradually grew louder.
Ron couldn't help but chime in, "Lockhart's book fans are really dedicated."
I wonder if he was thinking of his mother, Ms. Molly.
"Don't even mention it!" The clerk waved his hand angrily, as if trying to shake off these unpleasant memories. "Back then, we were practically besieged by book lovers; the bookstore was packed with lines of people returning books! If only we had stocked more of Professor Phillips's books back then, wouldn't you say, Professor?"
"Look," the shop assistant turned to look at Sean.
Sean had assumed that the clerk, whose anger was almost at its peak, hadn't noticed him, but to his surprise, the clerk suddenly changed the subject and mentioned him.
Sean paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile.
"Oh, you flatter me too much." Sean shook his head, a self-deprecating humor in his tone. "How can my book compare to Lockhart's 'bestseller'? He's a famous 'star author' in the wizarding world, even though he's in Azkaban."
"Hmph, celebrity or Azkaban prisoner alike," the clerk sighed helplessly, "his books are being returned like mountains. In contrast, your book has become a steady bestseller in our store; at least those who have read it haven't complained."
Harry listened to the shop assistant's complaints and couldn't help but exchange a smile with Ron.
Hermione frowned, clearly not fond of Lockhart's book either.
"By the way, what other books do you need?" The clerk snapped out of his grumbling and glanced at Harry, Ron, and Hermione again.
Hermione quickly flipped through the list in her hand, carefully checked it, and then nodded: "I need more."
"You need 'Intermediate Transfiguration' and 'Standard Spells, Level 3', as well as a book called 'Seeing the Future Through the Fog' by Cassandra Vabraski."
Ron interrupted Hermione nervously, afraid she would continue reading.
Hermione has already chosen all the electives, which means she needs more textbooks than he and Harry combined.
If he were to buy books based on Hermione's list, the money he had on him would be far from enough, which would only lead to some awkward situations that he didn't want to see. Moreover, just thinking about all those books piled up was enough to give him a headache.
"Ah, so you're starting your divination lessons now?" the shop assistant said, taking off his gloves and leading a few people into the back of the store, where there was a corner specifically for books on divination. A small table was piled high with large volumes such as "The Unpredictable Prophecy: How to Avoid Fright" and "The Broken Ball: When Doom Comes."
"Here you go," the shop assistant climbed the stairs and retrieved a large, thick book with a black cover. "《Seeing Through the Fog to the Future》. A very good guide, teaching you all the most basic divination methods—palm reading, crystal balls, bird entrails—"
As the clerk was explaining the book, Harry's gaze fell on another book displayed on the small table: "Signs of Death: What to Do When You Know Doom Is Coming."
"Oh, I wouldn't read that book," the bookstore clerk said casually, glancing at the book Harry was staring at. "After reading it, you'll see death omens everywhere you go, which is enough to scare people to death."
But Harry kept staring at the book's cover; it featured a black dog as big as a bear, with bright, glaring eyes.
Strange, it looks so familiar. Seeing Harry's gaze fall on the big black dog, Sean secretly nudged Sirius, who was staring blankly to the side.
Sirius came to his senses and understood what Sean meant.
He... rolled his eyes.
It was half an hour later when the group of people walked out of Flourish and Blotts carrying stacks of books.
Everyone's arms were piled high with heavy textbooks, especially Hermione, whose face was almost completely obscured by the books. However, she still looked relaxed, as if carrying these books was just an everyday occurrence for her.
However, Sean was not surprised by this, as he had already experienced Hermione's strength before.
Although Hermione looks thin and frail, she possesses a great deal of energy.
Ron looked rather disheveled, clutching his pile of books and glancing up every now and then, afraid he might drop them. "Oh my god, I can't believe these are just books for the new semester," he muttered, struggling to keep his balance.
Harry looked around the street with curiosity, seemingly eager to leave the bookstore and go to the Quidditch boutique to see the latest flying brooms.
"Finally out," Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "I felt like if I had stayed any longer, I would have been crushed by these books."
Hermione gave him a slight warning look, a smile playing on her lips. "Don't complain too much, Ron. These books are very important for our studies."
"If weight is the most important thing, then they are undoubtedly the most important," Ron retorted, making Harry laugh.
The group decided to put the books back at the Leaky Cauldron first, and then go back to Diagon Alley to continue buying items for the next semester.
"So, Hermione and Ron, you two are staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too?"