When they had finished purchasing almost everything they needed, Hermione pulled out her wallet and said, "You know my birthday is in September. Since we're leaving early for Brazil this time, my parents gave me some money to buy myself a birthday present. The budget is fifteen Galleons in total."
"That's quite generous," Ryan said with a smile. "Don't tell me you're planning to buy another book as your gift to yourself?"
"No, of course not," Hermione denied immediately. "I've decided to buy a pet. After two school years, my life at Hogwarts is finally on track. I think it's time to consider having a companion."
The three of them crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie. The shop was cramped, with cages hanging from nearly every inch of the walls. The air was thick with mixed smells, and the noise was overwhelming. The cries, chirps, and growls of various magical creatures blended together, making one's head ache.
A witch ahead of them was purchasing a rare Bird of Paradise, and the shop owner was busy explaining its care requirements in detail. With nothing else to do, Ryan and the others wandered around, examining the cages out of boredom.
There was an astonishing variety of pets. Owls and cats were, naturally, the most common choices, but there were also many unusual creatures. A giant sea turtle rested in one corner, its shell encrusted with glittering jewels. Nearby were several Fire Crabs that periodically spurted flames from their rears. There was even a small blue bird that continuously transformed itself into different kinds of flowers.
At last, the shop owner finished seeing off the witch and turned his attention to them. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
After some deliberation, Hermione purchased an owl that could only be described as massive. It had dark brown feathers and, most strikingly, long ear tufts on both sides of its head.
"This is an Eagle Owl," Hermione said as she held up the cage while they walked out of the shop. "I debated for a long time between a large ginger cat and this one. But considering that we'll be traveling far for a study tour this year, I ultimately chose the owl. The shop owner said it's capable of intercontinental flight, which makes communication much easier."
"Ah, an Eagle Owl. I've heard of them," Ryan said, recalling something he had once read. "Some people believe that soaking their bones in wine can help heal fractures, so they're hunted for that reason."
"That's horrible," Hermione said, frowning and shaking her head.
"In the Muggle world, at least, most countries have made capturing them illegal," Ryan added.
Chatting as they went, they returned to the Leaky Cauldron, where they happened to run into Neville and his grandmother. Upon seeing them, Madam Longbottom stepped forward warmly and shook their hands, thanking them for helping Neville with his studies last semester. Thanks to their efforts, Neville's final exam results had been quite satisfactory.
After exchanging pleasantries, Madam Longbottom took Neville back to Diagon Alley to continue shopping. Ryan and Hermione said goodbye to Harry before taking the subway home together.
As they walked along the road after exiting the station, Hermione asked curiously, "What was that magic you used in the bookstore? I've never seen anything like it before."
"That was a Centaur spell," Ryan replied. "Wolf taught it to me. I noticed that those books had biological characteristics, so I thought I might be able to use life-soothing magic on them. Even if it had failed, it wouldn't have caused any harm. Fortunately, it worked."
Ryan deliberately attributed the spell to the centaurs. Aside from himself, he doubted any wizard could earn their complete trust.
Hermione accepted the explanation without suspicion and said enviously, "Centaurs… a race that has coexisted with wizards for so long. They must have their own unique areas of expertise."
"Actually, that spell is an application of Ancient Runes," Ryan explained. "With the rise of modern magic, many of these techniques gradually disappeared among human wizards. However, some ancient races preserved them in their entirety."
"I see," Hermione said thoughtfully. "It seems I need more ways to acquire knowledge. I can't rely solely on books anymore."
Over the next few days, Ryan packed his luggage at home and wrote letters to several classmates from pure-blood families, asking them for information about Castelobruxo.
Replies arrived one after another. Neville's letter was the most detailed, carefully introducing the school's history and its current areas of specialization. However, the organized and meticulous nature of the content clearly didn't resemble Neville's usual writing style. It was far more likely the work of Madam Longbottom herself.
Considering her advanced age and the fact that she had raised Neville single-handedly, acting as both father and mother, Ryan couldn't help but feel deeply moved. Despite everything, she still took the time to personally write such detailed information to help her grandson maintain good relationships with his friends.
On the morning of August 27th, after an early but hearty breakfast, Ryan's family set off in their SUV. As they turned the first corner from their house, they spotted the Granger family's blue Volkswagen SUV parked at the intersection. The two families had agreed the previous day to depart together.
At 9:30 a.m., they arrived at King's Cross Station. They sat in the station café for a while until the clock struck 10:15. After listening to their parents' final instructions and exchanging reluctant farewell hugs, Ryan and Hermione pushed their luggage carts toward Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Perhaps because they had arrived early, the platform was sparsely populated. Aside from an elderly guard, there were only two or three students strolling about or sitting on benches.
Ryan quickly noticed that they were all upper-year Slytherin students. He and Hermione chose a bench far away from them and sat down, pulling out their Ancient Runes textbooks to read.
After some time, Ryan realized that the textbook only covered rune writing and pronunciation. It was missing the most critical component: Spirit Infusion.
No wonder fewer and fewer students chose this subject. Without Spirit Infusion, runes were nothing more than a special form of written language, completely devoid of magical effect. Studying Ancient Runes under such conditions had little practical value. It was only natural that the course had gradually declined from a foundational magical discipline into an obscure elective.
Ryan suspected that this situation was no accident. It was likely a deliberate strategy by pure-blood families to preserve their status. It was easy to imagine that such families possessed ancient and refined methods of rune Spirit Infusion, passed down through generations. Meanwhile, students who relied solely on school instruction had to experiment blindly, working from incomplete explanations. Apart from a few exceptional geniuses, most would develop methods far inferior to those perfected by pure-blood ancestors.
In this way, the monopolization of knowledge reinforced family advantages and social hierarchy. The same principle explained why advanced combat spells were rarely taught at Hogwarts. Control over knowledge was how pure-blood families maintained their dominance in the wizarding world.
Lost in thought, Ryan barely noticed the passage of time. Half an hour later, more students began to arrive on the platform. At last, a distant whistle echoed through the station, and the red steam engine of the Hogwarts Express emerged around the bend of the tracks.
Their new school year had officially begun.
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