Chapter 292 Special Gift, Arrangement for Harry Potter
Drip, drip~
A car horn suddenly blared outside the door, and Fudgeimmediately stood up.
"Please excuse me for a moment."
Fudge gave them both a smile, tidied his clothes briefly, and headed for the door.
"What's out there?" Aaron asked curiously, "Is it a Wizarding World mode of transport?"
"That's the Knight Bus, an emergency transport for Wizards in distress," Gines explained. "It's normal for the young master not to know, because you've never been in distress.
The distress here mainly refers to... poverty."
Aaron's eye twitched, feeling inexplicably glad that he still had some assets.
Soon after, Fudge pushed someone in: the famous Harry Potter.
"Harry, how did you end up here?"
"Aaron." Harry was a little surprised, but the surprise immediately turned to dejection. "I ran away from home and turned my aunt into a balloon."
"She was bullying you first, wasn't she?"
Harry nodded. "I tolerated everything else they said about me, but she insulted my mother, and I... I just lost control."
"Hmph! What kind of family are you people?" Aaron said, speechless, then looked at Fudge. "Minister, although Harrycaused a little trouble for the Ministry of Magic, I ask you to do me a favor."
"Of course, of course." Fudge smiled, a little excited. "The Ministry had already dispatched the Accidental magicReversal Squad to handle it. His aunt has been restored to normal, and her memory erased.
She won't remember a single thing about it, so it's been perfectly resolved, with no harm done whatsoever."
With that, Fudge finally looked at Harry and introduced himself: "Nice to meet you for the first time, I am Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic."
"H-hello," Harry said nervously. He had seen Fudge once last year, but that time they had watched them take Hagrid away while hidden under the Invisibility Cloak.
"That's how it is; no trouble was stirred up."
"So... I won't be sent to Azkaban?"
"This was just an accident, and the Ministry of Magichandles many such accidents every day.
If everyone was sent to Azkaban, that prison would have been overflowing long ago."
Harry breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Will I receive any punishment? Like being expelled from Hogwarts?"
"No," Fudge shook his head, then, remembering the purpose of his visit, he added sternly, "However, I hope you don't leave Diagon Alley before school starts.
Accommodation has been arranged in Room Eleven, and you must return here before dark every day. Tom will keep an eye on you for me."
"Okay, no problem," Harry said.
This was not a bad thing for him, but rather a great stroke of luck.
It meant that before school started, he wouldn't have to live under his aunt and uncle's roof, and he could study magicwith peace of mind, with no one to stop him.
"Alright, that's it. I have to go; there's a pile of things I still need to do!"
Fudge greeted Aaron and Gines, then hurried out of the Leaky Cauldron!
"That was strange," Harry said, puzzled, but soon he remembered something. "I should have stopped him.
If the Minister for Magic could sign my permission slip, then I could go to Hogsmeade."
"He wouldn't," Aaron shook his head. "And even if he did, Dumbledore might not allow you to go."
"The young master is right. Fudge is, after all, the Minister for Magic, and he's always very proper in public," Gines said. "Fudge isn't your parent or guardian."
A hint of regret flashed across Harry's face, then he looked at the two of them with some excitement. "I never expected to see you two here."
"It's perfectly normal to see us here. Didn't I tell you I opened a drink shop in Diagon Alley?
I'll be at my little shop these days, so come find me anytime if you need anything," Aaron said. "Oh, by the way, did you receive the birthday present I sent you?"
"This..." Harry hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head, a little ashamed. "You shouldn't have sent it directly to the Dursleys. Dudley saw the gift box and immediately claimed it as his own.
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley wouldn't even let me look at it, and they guarded that gift fiercely. I still don't know what you sent me."
"That's not important," Aaron waved his hand casually. "Wasn't your cousin looking a bit off-color in the days that followed, and weren't your aunt and uncle constantly trying to appease him with smiles?"
Harry subconsciously nodded. "How did you know?"
"The gift I sent you was a set of test papers, corresponding to each of Dudley's current subjects, and they even had the personal signatures of the test setters.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, for any student, this represents the deep care of their teachers. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley would absolutely never let you have those test papers."
Upon hearing this, Harry's mouth fell open, stunned. "You're amazing, but that's a bit too mean."
"Hmm?"
"Uh... that's how Dudley should be treated!" Harry said with a slightly excited smile. "He just needs to be taught a lesson. He had a long face for four whole days; I've never seen him look so wronged."
"The young master originally wanted to give you a set of broomstick maintenance tools, but he was worried you wouldn't be able to access your broom, so he chose a different method, hoping you could have a few easy days."
Harry was a little overwhelmed. Ron and Hermione always sent him gifts secretly via owl, but Aaron had openly placed the gift at his doorstep, and the effect was extraordinarily good.
"Please follow me, Mr. Potter," Tom stepped forward and said with a smile. "Room Eleven has been prepared. I've already moved your things up there, and your owl is also there; it flew over five minutes ago."
"Thank you very much."
"See you tomorrow, Harry. We have to go home." Aaronwaved his hand and walked out of the Leaky Cauldron with Gines.
"See you tomorrow."
Once in the car, Aaron, while holding the steering wheel, asked meaningfully, "Uncle Gines, the reason Fudgepersonally arranged for Harry Potter is because Sirius Blackescaped from Azkaban, right?
Was my judgment wrong? Did Sirius Black really escape to seek revenge on Harry Potter?"
"I don't know, and I also advise you, young master, not to think about such unimportant things," Gines said indifferently. "Sirius has been imprisoned for twelve years; he is dangerous, but he's only targeting Harry Potter, so he poses no threat to you, young master."
Aaron nodded, not taking it to heart.
With his current strength, he wouldn't even be afraid to face Sirius head-on, but it's better to avoid trouble if possible... The next day, Aaron arrived at Diagon Alley early.
As soon as he opened the shop door, Harry Potter appeared before him.
"This is your shop?" Harry curiously surveyed the furnishings inside. "Didn't you hire anyone?"
"I did originally, but I was going on a trip a while ago, so I sent them away.
But it doesn't matter; it's just a small drink shop, and Ginescan manage it by himself."
"I didn't say that," Gines emerged from the fireplace. "Hiring people is a must. Hogwarts will be starting soon, and there will be more and more students in Diagon Alley."
"You can arrange that," Aaron yawned, indifferent to the matter. The Magical World's employment pressure was not small, and hiring people by putting up a recruitment notice was easy.
"Can I work here?" Harry asked, a little tempted.
"You?" Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Didn't your parents leave you an inheritance?"
"That's true, but I still have five more years of school at Hogwarts, and those Galleons are just barely enough," Harrysaid awkwardly. "And after graduation, I definitely won't be living with the Dursleys, and everything from food to shelter to travel will cost money, so..."
"Say no more, I understand," Aaron interrupted Harry. "The work here is very easy: minding the shop, selling goods, collecting money.
Nine to five, with a two-hour lunch break, meals included but not accommodation. But that doesn't matter to you, since Fudge has already arranged for you to stay at the Leaky Cauldron until school starts.
School is only three weeks away, so your salary won't be too high. How about thirty Galleons?"
"Okay," Harry immediately agreed. Thirty Galleons meant ten Galleons per week, which was enough for his expenses before school started.
"Excellent." Aaron directly took thirty Galleons from the counter and placed them in his hand. "This is your salary for this period. Do a good job."
"Uh... isn't this inappropriate?" Harry said, a little reserved. "I haven't done anything yet!"
"It's an advance, and it saves you a trip to Gringotts to withdraw money."
"Thanks, boss."
"You're welcome." Aaron waved his hand. This salary was considered low by Wizarding World standards, but then again, Harry Potter was only thirteen. An underage Wizardshould be content to have a job, and the treatment here was definitely better than other shops in Diagon Alley.
Harry sat in front of the counter, at first a little unaccustomed, but after serving a few customers, he became proficient in his current work.
This was his first time interacting with many unfamiliar Wizards since he started learning magic, and it was a unique kind of enjoyment for him.
The only thing he had to be careful about was covering the scar on his forehead, otherwise, with Harry Potter's fame, it would be almost impossible for him to work peacefully.
When there were no customers, he could take a break, flip through magic books, or complete essays assigned by his Professor, which was a hundred times happier than when he was at Vernon's house.
Aaron was in the back room practicing the etching of advanced magic circles, and he looked pleased to see his new employee working tirelessly, especially when he found the shop spotless and the accounts on the counter neatly organized when closing up at night. This made him even more satisfied, and he even wondered if he should give Harry a raise.