When a straight man looks at a woman, the pattern is usually the same.
When Rey, a man mature in spirit, laid eyes on Boya Hull, there was indeed a flash of admiration in his eyes.
Naturally, the sensitive woman caught this.
However, the admiration lasted only for that split second. After all, Rey wasn't like Charlie—a fledgling with raging hormones who knew nothing of the world. He was a man who had been around the block.
The four of them chatted for a while before parting ways. Since they had to catch the train home early the next morning, everyone needed the evening to pack.
As an investigator, Boya Hull might have to stay at Hogwarts for a while longer. As for Charlie, it was highly likely he would become her assistant—provided, of course, he could get Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's permission.
"She seems to know you very well!"
After Charlie and the beauty left, Agnes turned to Rey, pursed her lips, and commented.
"Why do you say that?" Rey asked, a bit surprised.
"She said this black dragon is extremely clever, almost as if it's hiding from her. That comment felt like it was meant for your ears." Agnes mused. But immediately after, she changed the subject: "But honestly, you don't act like a kid at all. Most boys would be flustered standing in front of a beautiful older sister like that."
"She probably just sensed some connection between me and the sudden appearance of the black dragon. Besides, I'm not a kid anymore, and you know that," Rey replied with a confident smile.
A true member of the Dragon Race—few people would even imagine such a thing existed, let alone guess that Rey was that very black dragon.
Regarding Agnes's teasing, Rey actually wanted to retort: You don't look like a little girl either; you're way more mature than the average kid.
Poor children often mature early, but Agnes was born into the wealthy Greengrass family. Her maturity surprised Rey a little. After all, he saw none of the "princess syndrome" typical of young ladies from big families in her.
---
By the evening of the next day, the steam train that had chugged along all day finally arrived at King's Cross Station.
Here, servants naturally came to pick up Agnes, while Rey took a taxi back to the Leaky Cauldron.
Having stayed at Hogwarts for so long, Rey possessed some common sense about the wizarding world.
Wizards were the dominant force in this magical world. Creatures like vampires, though powerful, still existed under the laws established by wizards.
If a young wizard from Hogwarts used magic on people outside of school, there would be a record.
This record wasn't just to monitor young wizards; it also served a protective function. It ensured that magical beings like vampires couldn't harm young wizards at will.
With a record, there was a trail. If a young wizard was harmed, the Ministry of Magic would naturally step in to resolve it.
When it came to protecting young wizards, the Ministry of Magic truly spared no effort.
So, even if Ryan Evers wanted to target Rey, he would have reservations and wouldn't dare act brazenly. That was why he had orchestrated Cabor Doric getting bitten, forcing him to attack Rey within Hogwarts.
In this era, darkness had been pushed into the corners; Ryan Evers could only hide in the shadows.
---
Back at the Leaky Cauldron, it was still that same noisy little pub. There was the hunchbacked Galatin, Julian looking messy while cleaning, and old Tom with his horseshoe bald spot.
Everyone looked so kind. This was Rey's home, and they were like family—even if that might just be wishful thinking on Rey's part.
Galatin hunched over to help Rey carry his trunk, while Julian opened the door for him, carrying the lighter items to his room.
"So, hasn't been back for a year. This room hasn't changed a bit, right?"
Julian slapped Rey on the shoulder and pointed to the dust-free room, as if boasting about her hard work. But then she complained, "You really grow fast. Just one year, and you're already this tall."
"It's the age for growing spurts. Besides, the food at Hogwarts is excellent," Rey replied with a smile. But internally, he thought: It hasn't been just one year. If I had my height from a thousand years ago, your jaw would drop to the floor.
The Leaky Cauldron provided meals for its residents. By dinner time, the pub was lively.
After hurriedly finishing his meal, Rey started helping to bus tables.
Tom signaled that Rey could rest, considering he had been on a train all day. But Rey didn't think so. Having a place to stay was great, especially since Tom essentially refunded his accommodation fees in the form of rewards.
If Rey didn't proactively help out now, he would be seriously lacking in social awareness.
The lively pub was buzzing with all sorts of topics.
During the summer holidays, the British Quidditch League was in full swing, so many wizards came specifically to watch the matches.
"So, Rey? Did you join the Quidditch team?" Tom asked opportunistically as Rey came to the counter to pick up drinks.
"Unfortunately, Uncle. I don't have the talent for it, though I really like the sport," Rey replied with some regret as he picked up the tray.
"Oh, really? That's alright. If you keep being this diligent, I can give you two tickets to the final between the Appleby Arrows and the Ballycastle Bats."
"Wow, I didn't expect Tom to be so generous. I want to work at the pub too," a wizard about Tom's age teased, taking a sip of his beer. The other wizards in the pub laughed along.
"Thanks, Uncle. I'll be waiting for those tickets." Rey responded and threw himself enthusiastically into his work. Rey didn't actually care much about the ticket reward; what he valued was this atmosphere free of barriers.
---
Rey didn't have much money. The school's financial aid wasn't much either. Working at the Leaky Cauldron might just cover his living expenses and lodging—and that was only thanks to Tom's kindness.
Having no money is a very restrictive thing in any world. So, while money shouldn't be pursued excessively, one must have some.
Poverty breeds change; otherwise, you just wait to be poor.
Rey had quite a few secrets, and he couldn't stay in the small room at the Leaky Cauldron forever. He needed his own house, and not a small one, so he had enough space to do what he needed to do.
Everything in life requires money, so making money naturally became Rey's top priority this summer.
For a young wizard who had learned magic, making money should have been easy. However, the Ministry's monitoring system strictly limited this point.
Magic could not be used in front of Muggles, let alone using magic for profit-making activities.
A young wizard who couldn't use magic was basically no different from an ordinary child. But that only applied to ordinary children. Rey wasn't an ordinary child, and certainly not just an ordinary wizard.
Even without magic, relying solely on physical strength, Rey—who was now half-dragon—was no weaker than the average vampire.
It would be a waste not to use such ability. conversely, making money using his non-magical strength didn't seem too difficult—at least, that's what Rey thought.
With the speed and strength of a vampire, what's the fastest way to make money?
Moving bricks at a construction site? Delivering goods? Or robbing a bank!
Of the three ideas, the legitimate ones paid too slowly, and given Rey's youthful appearance, few would be willing to hire him anyway.
As for robbing a bank, Rey considered it. But he dismissed it quickly. If he dared to rob a bank and displayed superhuman strength and speed, the Ministry of Magic would intervene in minutes.
Robbing a bank was out, but robbing illegal transactions between gangs was perfect. As long as he could retreat unscathed, the gangs would just have to eat the loss. No police or Ministry officials would come knocking for that.
It was a good idea, making use of his abilities without wasting them. Simultaneously, Rey wanted to gradually build his own power base. After all, whether it was resurrecting Helena or confronting Voldemort later, fighting alone didn't seem very reliable.
This was the plan Rey had mentioned to Agnes. It seemed reckless, but it definitely wasn't a pipe dream.
Because he was confident in his own ability.