104: The Godfather?

The guests at home had finally left, and Tom was panting heavily, with some fur missing from his tail.

The spoiled kid from that friend's family saw that Tom could do a backflip and threw a tantrum, demanding to take Tom home. Even his parents couldn't do anything about it.

They even said something like, "The child is still young, and we are willing to pay to buy the dog."

Mrs. Wick directly shut that down.

This was her son's dog, after all, a gift she had given him.

In the end, the brat was scared off by Mrs. Wick's "friendly" smile.

Because Mrs. Wick was holding a kitchen knife, the kind even Watson couldn't stop.

John came back, and Tom, suddenly full of energy again, ran over.

As he got closer, Tom suddenly halted, his big dog eyes filled with confusion.

Not quite believing it, he sniffed around John again, then started barking loudly.

It was as if he was saying, "You've been with another dog!"

John looked at the sulking Tom and thought, "I just petted another dog for a bit, and you could tell?"

He picked up the grumpy Tom and spoke with the tone of a scoundrel, "I was just fooling around with it, nothing serious. I'd never actually keep another dog."

"Woof, woof."

Tom seemed skeptical, but his wagging tail betrayed his true feelings.

After calming Tom down, John took out some dog food and began feeding him.

A snowy owl flew onto the top of a cabinet and hooted a couple of times, clearly indicating that it was hungry too.

"Where have you been hiding just now?"

John took out some dried fish to feed the snowy owl, then brought it down from the cabinet.

Returning to the attic room, John saw another snowy owl sitting inside.

"Eh?... You're Basil... so who are you?"

John silently looked at the snowy owl in his hand. As soon as Basil saw John with another snowy owl, he immediately flapped his wings and took flight.

"Wait a minute, this feather color... Could you be Hedwig?"

John was a bit confused, and Hedwig gave a hoot.

He walked over to the window and looked towards the Dursleys' house. The window on the second floor was open, indicating that Hedwig had flown out.

"Hmm? That big black dog is still there?"

Noticing that the big black dog was still squatting by the roadside, John was puzzled. Could this dog have an owner?

Basil approached Hedwig, who tilted her head in curiosity. Before Hedwig could react, Basil quickly gave her a swift wing slap.

John was staring out the window and didn't even notice that the two snowy owls were about to start fighting.

By the time John noticed, the two snowy owls were already slapping each other with their wings.

"Ok, stop now.."

Separating them, John had no choice but to take out double the amount of dried fish.

Finally, they stopped fighting.

After a while, John saw Harry coming out to look for Hedwig.

From the attic, he shouted, "Harry, over here!"

Harry looked up and saw John standing with Basil.

He replied, "John, have you seen Hedwig?"

Just as he finished speaking, another snowy owl appeared at the window; the two snowy owls looked almost identical.

"Hedwig!"

Harry was overjoyed and quickly ran to the Wicks' front door.

It was Mrs. Wick who opened the door. This beautiful and elegant woman looked like high society nobility, which made Harry a bit nervous.

"Harry, come in. Oh, by the way, could you secretly turn my teacup into a mouse for me?"

Watson Wick, upon seeing Harry, immediately remembered his glory days as the Canary Wharf Car God.

Watson's eyes twinkled as he secretly pulled Harry aside and whispered, "I swear I won't show it to anyone else, just keep it at home as a pet."

".. A.. um.."

Harry was taken aback when he heard this.

He thought Mr. Wick had too high an opinion of him—how could he possibly perform such advanced Transfiguration?

He quickly shook his head and said, "Sorry, Mr. Wick, I don't know any magic that advanced, and besides, we're not allowed to do magic outside of school."

"Not allowed to do magic outside of school?"

Watson looked surprised. His son was always tinkering with things at home—wasn't that considered doing magic?

Watson was so enthusiastic that Harry couldn't handle it, so he hurried upstairs.

The Wicks' mansion was much bigger than the Dursleys' house.

John lived there alone. There was a dog bed and a birdcage; it almost felt like a zoo.

But none of this prevented John from looking like a noble young gentleman in the midst of it all.

As Hedwig munched on some dried fish, Harry thanked him repeatedly.

John noticed that the big black dog outside was gone—probably left.

"It's perfect timing you came by. I was just about to give you your birthday present."

On the table was a wrapped gift box, which John handed to Harry.

Harry eagerly took it and asked, "Can I open it?"

"Of course, it's for you."

John gave Hedwig a piece of dried fish. Who knows how long this owl had been flying today; she looked like she hadn't eaten for days.

In front of John, Harry opened the gift.

Inside was a bottle containing a black powdery substance. Harry shook it in his hand, and the powder danced around inside the bottle, with shimmering particles that looked like stars.

He had never seen anything like this before, so he asked curiously, "What is this?"

"It's something to prevent spying. Sprinkle this powder around, and it will alert you if someone's eavesdropping."

John then took a small amount from the bottle and flicked it out. The powder floated in the air before eventually settling on the door.

Glancing at the door, John called out, "Dad, are you bringing us some drinks?"

Watson, who had been eavesdropping behind the door, was caught off guard. He opened the door, holding a tray of drinks, placed them down quickly, and then hurried back out.

John shrugged, sealed the bottle again, and casually said, "See? Just like that."

Harry's eyes lit up, and holding the bottle, he excitedly asked, "This is amazing! What's it called?"

At this moment, he was thinking that he'd never have to worry about Uncle Vernon eavesdropping again.

John thought for a moment; this thing didn't have a name yet. Off the top of his head, he said, "Let's call it Stardust."

Harry took Hedwig and headed back home.

...

August.

John went to Diagon Alley.

Recently, Johnny Silverhand didn't need to show up too often since his name itself was a symbol of mystery.

John walked into a fortune-telling shop to buy a crystal ball for divination. The crystal ball seemed to be filled with white mist, and after several attempts, John failed to induce any predictions.

"As expected, this isn't something that's easy to learn," he muttered to himself.

Shaking his head, John set the crystal ball down, treating it like a marble in Johnny Silverhand's office. Just as he flicked the crystal ball with his finger, there was a knock on his door.

He quickly composed himself, sitting up straight, and said in a deep voice, "Come in, my friend."

The door opened to reveal the same oily, pale blond hair. John was momentarily confused when he saw who had come in—both of them were here.

Lucius Malfoy had brought Draco Malfoy along.

From young Malfoy's face, John could see a hint of nervousness.

Clearly, when faced with the mysterious Lord Johnny Silverhand, young Malfoy was still somewhat inexperienced.

Lucius walked over, a smile still on his face.

"My friend, Lord Johnny Silverhand, it's been some time since we last met."

John had resolved the risk of Lucius potentially getting his home raided by the Ministry of Magic. Additionally, Lucius had caught wind that some influential wizards were quite vocal about Dumbledore's decision to expel Malfoy. 

Given the Malfoy family's reputation, it wasn't hard to guess why these wizards were speaking up. The reason was clearly the man standing before him—Johnny Silverhand.

So, when Lucius came this time, his face was full of smiles. 

He no longer doubted Johnny Silverhand's abilities and wanted to further strengthen their connection.

"This is my son, Draco Malfoy," Lucius said, giving Draco a gentle nudge on the back.

Draco stepped forward and said, "It's an honor to meet you, esteemed Lord Johnny Silverhand."

This scene made John start to wonder what Lucius was up to. What kind of game was Lucius playing?

Lucius then revealed his purpose for the visit with a smile. "I hope my son could have the honor of becoming the godson of Lord Johnny Silverhand."

"What?"

If the mask were removed, the Malfoy father and son would have certainly seen the shock on John's face.

Draco's godfather?

Me?

John's head was spinning.

Wow, Lucius, you sure have some nerve!

John thought to himself, 'I'm actually Draco's classmate. If this happens, how will we handle things in the future?'

I call you Draco, and you call me godfather?

At the same time, John understood Lucius's intentions. He wanted to further solidify the relationship between the two families. 

After all, just being friends wasn't enough to make the Malfoy family feel secure. Compared to friendship, the title of godfather conveyed a closer bond.

"I understand your desire to deepen our connection, Lucius," John said in a serious tone. "However, this might not be quite appropriate."

Lucius looked surprised; he hadn't expected John to refuse.

Draco's heart sank. His father had told him that this prominent figure was crucial to the future of the Malfoy family.

"Lord Johnny Silverhand, Draco is a good child," Lucius insisted.

"I know, Lucius. I know better than you," John replied.

After saying this, John silently added in his mind, after all, we've been classmates for two years.

Lucius found it strange. How did Johnny Silverhand know Draco? 

It wasn't just Lucius—Draco was also confused.

Fortunately, John continued, "I see a desire to do great things in this child's eyes. Lucius, you're crushing that quality. It's a rare trait, like a pearl hidden in the dust."

'A desire to do great things?'

Lucius carefully observed his son. Does my son really possess such a quality?

_____

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