The Leaky Cauldron.
Old Tom was polishing a beer mug.
He glanced at the man who pushed the door and entered.
Immediately, he cheerfully greeted him.
"Oh, Professor Quirrell, what would you like to drink?"
"Hi, Tom... a butterbeer... will do."
"Butterbeer? That's indeed a good choice! You know, my butterbeer is the most authentic, but are you sure you don't want a glass of vintage pumpkin juice?"
"Forget it, just give me a glass of butterbeer!"
Professor Quirrell, just sitting down, was so frightened by Tom's recommendation that he quickly waved his hands.
Vintage pumpkin juice.
It was said to be one of the most disgusting drinks ever!
The Leaky Cauldron had even promised that anyone who dared to try it would receive one hundred Galleons.
Yet, to this day, no one had ever drunk even a pint.
One can imagine the power of vintage pumpkin juice.
"That's really a pity; vintage pumpkin juice is a good drink, and I think no one would disagree."
Tom shook his head regretfully.
He filled Professor Quirrell's mug with butterbeer.
Just as he placed the beer in front of Quirrell, who was anxiously staring down, he noticed Cro and the others pushing the door out.
"Look! Two little wizards! Are you the new students at Hogwarts this year? I think you must have bought everything you need, right?"
"I can't believe it; it's already back to school season again! Oh, by the way, let me introduce you; this is Professor Quirrell, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts!"
Tom excitedly ran in front of Cro and the others.
His words drew the attention of everyone in the bar.
Professor Quirrell, who was worried, could only helplessly stand up.
"It's very... nice to meet you..."
He wore a shy smile on his face,
appearing harmless.
"Looks like Professor Quirrell is indeed very happy to see us, after all, he used the word 'very' twice."
"The Dark Lord we read about in the book definitely isn't a gentle person like Professor Quirrell. Hermione, don't you think?"
Cro winked at Hermione.
"Yes, Professor Quirrell is gentle and refined; he definitely isn't that Dark Lord."
Hermione nodded in cooperation, although she didn't know Cro's intention.
Quirrell's expression stiffened at the words.
Cro had used 'very' twice,
clearly mimicking his stutter.
But what Cro said next made him shiver in fear.
Although it seemed like an innocent remark,
the content of the words forced him to feel terrified.
After all, Voldemort was within him!
[Detected strong anger!]
[Reward obtained: Gold Treasure Chest!]
[Detected strong killing intent!]
[Reward obtained: Gold Treasure Chest!]
...
A gleam flashed in Cro's eyes.
The two gold treasure chests
were definitely contributions from the nooseless one!
Although they weren't just ordinary gold treasure chests,
he still looked forward to what he could obtain from them.
Voldemort was best at various dark curses, right?
If he could get a big prize...
"That... I still have other things to do, so I'll... be leaving first."
Without waiting for anyone to respond,
Quirrell headed towards the direction where Cro and the others had come from.
Cro watched his back with some regret.
That was Voldemort,
an existence on par with Dumbledore.
The probability of triggering high-level treasure chests was absurdly high.
But he didn't dare to push too hard.
A cornered dog will jump over the wall, after all.
Let alone Voldemort, the Dark Lord?
"He's like this. Actually, he's still your senior. You may not know it, but he was once a very talented student."
"Only later... after that, he became the cautious person he is now."
"However, his magical prowess remains extremely high; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Tom wiped the counter.
He recounted Quirrell's past to the group,
not forgetting to give them a boost of confidence.
After all, anyone who saw their teacher like this
would probably doubt his ability to fulfill his duties as a teacher.
"Thank you for the story, but I think we should head back soon. Although we would love to stay a bit longer in this magical world."
Cro pointed to the owl stuffed into the cage.
"But I think she definitely wouldn't want us to stay longer; if given the chance, we will come to visit again!"
Hermione opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
She really wanted to hear more about the wonders and anecdotes of the magical world.
But since Cro said it,
and besides, the owl needed a bigger cage.
She would suffer being crammed into the small cage.
"Oh, it's alright, young wizards; you can come here more often in the future. Hmm, I can make you two glasses of juice to drink."
Tom laughed heartily.
The people in the bar laughed along.
They weren't mocking Cro and Hermione.
It was just that coming to a bar and only being able to drink juice was practically worse than Merlin's beard.
Cro and the others ignored the laughter around them and walked straight out of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Seriously, why are they laughing at us? What's so funny about drinking juice? Hmph!"
"There's really nothing funny, but having two kids with juice among a group of big men with alcohol is indeed amusing."
Mr. Granger scratched the back of his head,
his gaze evasively avoiding his wife's eyes.
Mrs. Granger rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"They meant no harm; you don't need to be angry. This kind of thing is common; just ignore them."
"And you, shouldn't you be looking for a carriage? Are we supposed to walk home?"
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T/N:
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