Note:
Bonus Chapter for reaching 160 Power Stones!
Next Goal: 200!
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After exchanging a few casual remarks, Xenophilius quickly led his daughter away.
In a different time and place, he might have lingered and chatted with William for much longer; but not now.
No father wanted to appear disheveled in front of his daughter, let alone admit to almost getting into a fight. The incident had just happened, and he barely knew William. What if the truth slipped out?
As a single father, maintaining a strong image in front of his daughter was non-negotiable.
William, on the other hand, was racking his brain for ways to ditch the head of the paparazzi squad. Their mutual understanding was instantaneous, and their swift parting felt as smooth as two people cutting ties after an online fling gone wrong in real life.
Madam Malkin seemed to have noticed something but wisely kept her thoughts to herself. Without a word, she began measuring William for his robes.
It didn't take long. Since William wasn't in any rush, he opted for a custom set that would be ready in a few days. The price difference was negligible, and although Madam Malkin's robes were advertised as hand-stitched, the actual work was done by tirelessly enchanted sewing equipment that didn't even get paid.
Knowing that Tom would likely corner him for another long-winded chat once he returned, William abandoned his plan to head back to the inn. Instead, he decided to visit a well-known secondhand bookstore nearby.
Money wasn't a pressing issue for him at the moment, and he had even received a bit of extra income today. But Flourish and Blotts was far too legitimate. Forget finding books on dark magic; even the ones mentioned by inmates in Azkaban were either hidden away or not sold to new customers. Hoping to score something useful there was a fool's errand.
He made his way past the prime streets and turned a few corners until he reached a row of shabby shops.
Secondhand books, secondhand clothes, secondhand cauldrons, secondhand broomsticks; you name it, they had it. The only thing missing was a "shared girlfriend shop", but the Ministry of Magic didn't allow that sort of thing to be openly advertised.
The shops weren't particularly specialized, with some overlap in their offerings, though the owners seemed to have a good rapport.
William headed straight for the shop with the most secondhand books. While he didn't discount the possibility of finding some magical artifact in one of the others, he knew better than to trust his luck. It was better to stick to what he could manage.
"Welcome."
A raspy voice emerged from a copper box as the shopkeeper struggled to rise from his rocking chair, looking groggy as he eyed William.
"Good afternoon," the shopkeeper yawned, covering his mouth with one hand.
"Feel free to browse. Novels and stories are seventy percent off, history books are sixty percent, old textbooks and magical books are fifty percent off, and especially old ones can go for sixty percent."
He gestured vaguely toward the shelves before slumping back into his chair and closing his eyes again.
"Do you have any unsorted books I can check out?"
"Sure, there's a pile in the back. But if you want to buy any of those, it's four Galleons each, regardless of whether they have a price tag."
"Got it. You go ahead and rest."
***
William carefully navigated around the piles of books stacked on the floor in front of the shelves, heading straight to the back. It was only recently, after making notes in books for a few days, that he had thought of visiting a secondhand bookstore. Otherwise, the owner of Flourish and Blotts wouldn't have been able to get a single knut out of him.
Though, technically, he hadn't paid anything there either.
Secondhand books were a treasure trove. With a bit of searching, one could often find books that were practically new. If luck favored him, he might even stumble upon a book filled with handwritten notes, making it feel like discovering hidden gold.
But today, William wasn't here for treasure hunting. He was looking for something a little less... legal.
Compared to finding a book annotated by some studious wizard, he was more interested in the kind of books that ended up in stores due to unusual circumstances.
Especially during the chaos of the magical world over a decade ago, when panicked wizards had printed and circulated books filled with knowledge that would never have seen the light of day in peaceful times. He had once found a "Militia Handbook," for instance.
It was hard to imagine such a book being widely published during peacetime.
However, finding those kinds of books now was unlikely. Too much time had passed. Still, William held out hope for a lucky find.
After casting a Bubble-Head Charm to keep himself from breathing in dust, he sat down on a pile of discarded books. Using his wand to clean with one hand and flipping through books with the other, he began his search in earnest.
The shopkeeper clearly hadn't organized the storeroom in quite some time. Although the books were protected by magic from pests, a thick layer of dust had settled on them. It seemed like the last time these books had been touched was when the newer textbooks were picked out for display.
Sorting through books manually, without the aid of magic, was exhausting. Seeing the sheer number of books stacked up, William was willing to believe they hadn't been touched in a decade.
With that thought, he abandoned the current pile, relying on the thickness of the dust to guide him to the oldest books.
But clearly, he wasn't the only clever one in the magical world. One particularly dusty stack contained a book published just two years ago.
After a while, William finally managed to gather a pile of older books. He settled down, ignoring the dust on his clothes, and began sifting through them.
"Old picture book; photos are yellowed."
"The Great Dark Lord, Grindelwald? This one's ancient. Times have changed; there's a new Dark Lord now."
"Ancient and Enchanting Architecture? This one looks interesting--"
He skimmed through it. The book had several sections on ancient magical mechanisms, which might be useful later. He set it aside in a separate pile.
"Fantastic Beasts: How to Cook Them? Cook? Not eat?"
Thanks to the Bubble-Head Charm, he didn't worry about the dust as he flipped through a few pages. Disgusted, he tossed the book aside. How had this garbage ever passed inspection?
It had no price or foreword, likely a private book from some fallen pureblood family.
"Defensive Dark Arts?"
This was an old edition. William flipped through it and didn't find any notes but noticed that several defensive methods mentioned were now classified as dark magic in modern times. It was still an expansion of knowledge, though, so after some hesitation, he decided to add it to the pile of books he planned to take.
"My Early Years? An adventure journal?"
William saw that the book was filled with illustrations. The early parts seemed normal enough, but the later stories became increasingly absurd. Considering the price; four Galleons a book; he decided to set it aside with the rejects.
Time passed much faster than William had expected. Some books, though too expensive for him to take, were hard to put down, and he couldn't help but linger, flipping through a few more pages.
After carefully selecting and reconsidering, he reluctantly abandoned a few due to budget constraints. When he finally emerged from the back, carrying several books, the sky outside had already begun to darken.
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Note: 3rd Chapter of the day! Please vote with power stones :)