The Secondhand Shop

"Afternoon, everyone, what are you doing here?" Kevin walked over and waved to them.

Seeing another person, Hagrid's reaction was not one of joy but of annoyance.

Hermione opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but was quickly stopped by Ron.

"We promised Hagrid, Hermione," Ron said firmly. "We shouldn't tell more people about this."

"But that's Kevin Green." Hermione looked at him bewildered. "Isn't he our friend?"

Seeing their attitude, Harry felt very awkward. What Hermione wanted to say was their secret, involving him, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid. Without the consent of the others, Harry wasn't sure whether he should tell Kevin.

Seeing them acting all secretive, Kevin immediately guessed what was going on—it must be about the corridor and Nicolas Flamel and his 'little invention.' But their attitude annoyed Kevin.

"Well, I was willing to help you all with my knowledge, but since you don't want to tell me, I can only wish you a happy holiday," he said, turning away and walking towards Ravenclaw Tower.

"How can you treat him like this?" Hermione said, angered. "Kevin is the most outstanding first-year student, and he's a regular at the library. Maybe he has a book about Nicolas Flamel or the philosophers stone in there."

"Moreover, since the start of the school year, he has helped you several times. Why do you have to keep it from him?"

After Hermione's outburst, Ron had nothing to say.

Harry also felt very frustrated and annoyed. He should have been honest with Kevin earlier, but he had been hesitating due to Ron's attitude.

Ron always believed that the matter of the corridor and Nicolas Flamel should be their adventure, and if they told Kevin, he would probably be able to solve the problem on his own.

That's why Hermione couldn't answer the riddle at the entrance to the common room.

Indeed, the rumours about the riddle protecting the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room were true.

For a thousand years, no one except Ravenclaws had entered the Ravenclaw common room.

Hermione was an intelligent girl who met the requirements of Ravenclaw, mainly in memory, logical thinking, and reason. However, she lacked a certain quality that truly defined a Ravenclaw: the ability to let creativity soar.

In the entire Harry Potter story, the one who best embodied the Ravenclaw traits was Luna Lovegood, known as the 'crazy girl.'

While others often saw her as eccentric and whimsical, she had a certain kind of wisdom that shone through her eccentricity. As the saying goes, "Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration."

But what many didn't know was the rest of that saying: "And that 1% inspiration is the most important."

Unable to enter the Ravenclaw common room, Hermione felt frustrated. But she had an idea.

"Perhaps tomorrow I can wait for him in the library. He's always there."

However, the next day, Kevin didn't go to the library. He didn't even go to the Great Hall. After packing his things, he made a visit to the Room of Requirement and then headed straight for the train back to London, leaving Hermione disappointed.

Getting off the train at the station, Kevin expertly changed trains and arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. It was an action he hoped to avoid—having to take a Muggle bus as a wizard—but he hadn't yet learned Apparition.

Opening the door to the Leaky Cauldron, it was as dimly lit as ever.

"Good afternoon, Tom; I'm back," Kevin said as he walked up to the counter.

"Kevin, you're back, young lad!" Tom, who was wiping his glasses, showed a bit of surprise.

He knew that today was the day Hogwarts was on holiday, but he hadn't expected Kevin to come here.

"What, did you get addicted to your small room?" Tom teased.

Kevin shook his head, gave a smug smile, and put nine galleons on the counter. "No, this time, give me a proper room. I've got money now, and I'm planning to stay for a while."

After a few months of absence, he indeed had to look at Kevin with new eyes.

He had learned from the correspondence with Hannah about the boy's performance at Hogwarts. He became a recognised genius as soon as he entered the school, and with his intelligence, it wasn't surprising that he had changed this much in just a few months.

"Alright, this time, it's Tom's turn to serve you," Tom said jokingly.

From a drawer, he took out a key and placed it in Kevin's hand, also giving back two galleons from the nine. "One week for the room; that's the discount for old friends."

Kevin took the key and went upstairs. He found room number 9, according to the number written on it.

Upon opening the door, he found a comfortable-looking bed, shiny oak furniture, and a fireplace with a crackling fire.

Kevin placed his luggage and then carefully arranged the cage with Homer on top of the wardrobe. After that, he took a small box and left the room, heading downstairs.

Arriving at the Leaky Cauldron's backyard, he took out his wand and tapped on the bricks on the wall, and Diagon Alley appeared. Due to it being Christmas, Diagon Alley was still bustling with activity, adorned with Christmas decorations and bells jingling everywhere. Wizards and witches were ambushed by the array of options as a plethora of stores displayed merchandise with a Christmas theme.

This puzzled Kevin considerably. These wizards, who professed no faith in any religion, constantly talked about Merlin's tea leaves. So, why were they celebrating Christmas?

Of course, Kevin didn't expect to find answers in Diagon Alley. He picked up a box and headed straight for the secondhand store.

It was a shop filled with shabby wands, wobbly brass scales, and cloaks stained with potion residues. Here, secondhand magical items were sold, along with old books. Kevin had bought much of his equipment here in the past. But today, this place was where he would make his fortune.

"Stratki, come out and assist a customer!" Kevin shouted as he reached the shop's entrance.

"Coming, coming!" Soon, a skinny old man emerged from the secondhand shop, clutching a cigarette. Stratki, full name Abraham Stratki, was Jewish. He looked quite old, but his movements were quite agile. It was said that in his youth, he was a vampire hunter.

As the secrecy laws were strictly enforced, vampires nowadays were all obediently hidden under the supervision of wizards, and this profession gradually faded away over time. During the two months he worked in Diagon Alley, Kevin had become quite friendly with Stratki. The old man usually enjoyed smoking alone in the shop and wasn't worried about things being stolen. Now, upon seeing Kevin, he cracked an unpleasant smile.

"Well, it's you again, Green Lad. Are you here to buy secondhand goods?" asked Stratki.

"No, quite the opposite," Kevin replied. He pushed the box into his hand.

"This time, I've come to sell things."