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Chapter 10: Necromancer of the Forbidden Academy
Standing on the bustling street again, Harold asked, "Are we going to this place called 'Knockdown Alley' next?"
"I don't want to die yet," Maurice replied curtly.
He certainly wouldn't rashly lead Harold into Knockout Alley.
A Muggle and a young wizard who has never been to school—this combination doesn't seem very reliable at all.
Although Morris didn't know exactly how dangerous Knockturn Alley was, it never hurts to be careful.
Besides, we already have Ezra Flick's contact information, so there's no rush.
Harold was stunned for a moment after hearing Maurice's words.
"Is that a very dangerous place?" he asked in a low voice.
"A battle between wizards could break out there at any moment," Maurice deliberately tried to scare him. "Strangers who barge in are easy targets."
A wizard's battle?
Harold was somewhat incredulous. "So where do we go next?"
Morris looked at the pet store not far away and said, "I'm going to buy an owl."
"An owl?" Harold seemed surprised. "Why do you suddenly want to keep a bird?"
"It's just for sending letters," Morris replied.
Although he already had canned food, upon closer inspection, the owl was still necessary.
Now that you have a sufficient budget, it's best to buy one.
"Wizards use owls to send letters?" Harold seemed skeptical. "That's very strange."
As they spoke, the two were already standing at the entrance of the pet store.
Through the shop window, you can see all kinds of owls standing quietly on their perches, occasionally turning their heads to look at the guests who are coming.
Morris pushed open the door, the doorbell rang crisply, and a faint scent of feathers and hay wafted out.
Chapter 10 The Dying Owl
"Welcome." A witch wearing a checkered apron strode out from behind the counter.
Her gaze lingered briefly on Harold before turning to Maurice. "Is this preparation for starting school at Hogwarts? We have plenty of owls here that are suitable for new students."
The shop was filled with the sounds of owls hooting and flapping their wings.
"Yes," Morris's gaze was immediately drawn to the owls, "I want to see for myself."
"You can call me anytime if you have any questions." The witch nodded knowingly and stepped back behind the counter, giving Morris enough space.
"I'll wait for you at the door. I'm allergic to birds," Harold said.
Morris nodded and walked alone toward the owl enclosure, strolling slowly among the neatly arranged perches.
Since we're choosing a mailman, the stronger the better.
The owls seemed to know they were the chosen customers, tilting their heads and staring curiously at the arriving guest.
There were other customers in the shop choosing pets, several of whom were children around the same age as Maurice, presumably also new students at Hogwarts.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
A girl who was engrossed in choosing an owl accidentally bumped into Maurice's shoulder.
"It doesn't matter."
Morris responded casually, his gaze fixed on a certain pure white owl.
That was a snowy owl.
Compared to other owls, it is significantly larger and appears more agile.
"Perfect," Morris thought.
"Uh... hello, are you also a new student at Hogwarts?"
Morris turned around and found that the girl he had bumped into earlier was talking to him.
"Hmm," he replied casually, then continued to focus his gaze on the snowy owl.
"..."
Seeing that Morris had no intention of continuing the conversation, the girl pursed her lips in disappointment and turned to walk towards another row of shelves.
At this moment, the shop assistant seemed to realize that Morris wanted to buy the snowy owl and came closer.
"What's your decision? This snowy owl is very healthy," she asked with a smile.
"Just this one... wait a minute, isn't that owl a little weird?"
Morris wanted to make a decision immediately, but a cage in the back caught his attention.
Inside was a completely black owl.
Its feathers were ruffled and its eyes were dull, a stark contrast to the other spirited owls.
The shop assistant followed Morris's gaze and sighed softly, "That's a Ulln owl, but it's quite rare to see one this black."
"Is it sick?" Morris asked.
"Hmm, maybe," the shop assistant said vaguely. "It doesn't have much longer to live. Let's look at the others."
No wonder.
Morris could detect a faint scent of death emanating from the owl.
"How much would it cost if I wanted to buy it?" Morris asked.
The sales clerk was clearly taken aback, a look of surprise on her face. "You really want to buy it?"
"How much?" Morris repeated.
"To tell you the truth, sir," the clerk said in a low voice, "this owl has been cursed by a dark wizard and only has two days to live. We put it here to take care of it, just so that it can be more comfortable in the last moments of its life."
"Well, it's alright," Maurice said. "Perhaps my uncle can find a way to cure him."
In fact, it doesn't matter if it's dead; Morris can find a way to bring it back to life, as long as he transforms it into an undead creature.
Upon hearing Maurice's words, the shop assistant suddenly became flustered.
He composed himself and explained, "Sir, even if this owl is in this condition, we cannot offer you any discounts; that's the rule."
By this time, Maurice had already put his hand into the cage.
The owl weakly raised its head and gently touched his fingers with its beak.
"Yes, I'll take it," Morris said confidently.
The clerk hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Since you insist... ten Galleons. This price includes the cage and a month's supply of owl food."
She brought over an exquisite birdcage and carefully transferred the Ulln owl inside.
The weak owl flapped its wings slightly as it entered its new cage, then fell silent, as if it had fallen asleep.
"Good luck," the shop assistant said softly as he handed the cage to Maurice.
When Maurice returned to the door after paying, he saw Harold talking to two strangers.
"Oh, Maurice, you're back." Harold introduced, "This is Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Their daughter is also a new student at Hogwarts."
The couple smiled kindly at Maurice.
Morris guessed that they probably approached Harold because he was dressed as a Muggle.
After all, there aren't many people wearing suits in Diagon Alley.
"Hello," Morris greeted politely.
Mr. Granger's attention was involuntarily drawn to the owl in the cage in his hand.
"Your owl looks very good," he said.
"Yes, it's very good," Morris said honestly, "although it only has two more days to live."
Mr. Granger seemed surprised by the reply and looked puzzled. "Why?"
"Because I'm going to use it to make yakitori."
"?"
Mr. Granger opened his mouth, but then hesitated and stopped himself from speaking.
"It's getting late, we should go. Goodbye, Mr. Granger."
"Uh... goodbye."
Morris quickly pulled Harold away from the pet store.
Afterwards, Mr. Granger walked out with a skeptical look and glanced at the sign again.
That's right, this is a pet store, not a grocery store.
...
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Harold asked, puzzled, after they had left the pet store.
"It's dangerous to talk to strangers," Maurice replied without turning his head.
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