Chapter 177: The Second Trip to Diagon Alley

Compared to other standardized wizard chess sets, Wizard Sean’s wizard chess was far more interesting.

In this set, Ron couldn’t even beat Harry—because his knight and queen had fallen in love, the king angrily sent the knight to hunt them down, and Harry won without losing a single piece.

“Merlin—damn knight, must you really fall in love with the queen?!”

Ron was furious, his face flushed bright red.

His shouting drew the attention of several young wizards.

Everyone crowded around curiously, and the Great Hall filled with a chorus of frustrated exclamations.

“You fell in love with the opponent’s queen?! You voluntarily lost the game? Damn it! That was my match!”

“You don’t like using force? Then why be a knight at all? Go be a decoration for the Great Hall!”

“Merlin—opponent’s pieces are advancing, you say you ate too much and can’t move… Fine, you’re done for, and so am I.”

…

Strangely, this game—relying ninety percent on luck and ten percent on skill—quickly swept through the entire Great Hall.

Even upperclassmen came to see what these pieces were about, and ended up staying up all night in frustration.

They couldn’t understand why their own pieces would leap off the board, shouting “Freedom!” before smashing themselves to pieces beneath the table.

Fortunately, they had an auto-repair function.

They could just go annoy the next wizard.

“Wizard Sean, want to try?”

Ron pushed through the crowd, and the young wizards naturally parted to make way.

Wizard Sean nodded, ready to test the wizard chess’s effects—he’d always wondered: if the pieces were this disobedient, was it because his proficiency was too low?

And more importantly, could the creator fully control magical constructs endowed with their own will?

“Oh, I’ll give it my all, Wizard Sean.”

Ron across from him was already rubbing his hands together.

The game had barely begun when Ron froze.

“Knight, don’t be afraid—take two steps forward…”

The “bishop” poked the neighboring “knight.”

“Of course I’m not afraid—I’m a noble knight, brave and fearless!”

The “knight” turned around and took two steps.

“Aha!”

The “knight” shouted.

And then Ron lost the game, because the pieces completely ignored his commands.

When Wizard Sean ordered the black knight to move forward one step, his own white knight obeyed too.

Since his theory had been confirmed, Wizard Sean quickly left the Great Hall.

Hope’s Cottage.

Wizard Sean looked at the top of his schedule: [Craft Magical Creature Mole Cookie], and wrote beside it: [Reach Proficient Level in Wizard Chess], [Find Next Mid-Level Alchemical Construct].

Endowing magical objects with will certainly increases the difficulty of alchemical constructs, yet Wizard Sean always seemed guided by divine inspiration when crafting them.

He suspected this was the hidden magical intuition within wizards—the so-called talent.

He could certainly create a few alchemical constructs with their own will, but what should he choose?

Finding these options rose to the top of Wizard Sean’s schedule; though he hadn’t abandoned making magical creature cookies, progress must be made step by step.

First, he needed to unlock the Proficient title—perhaps it would bring him unexpected rewards?

After all, new special talents often emerged at the Proficient level.

One morning.

Heavy winter snow fell over the castle and grounds; statues outside were draped in thick white robes, and the sugared gingerbread house in the lawn was Hagrid’s cabin; the frost-covered grass shimmered like sugar, and the distant trees, dusted with snow, stood silent, ready for the arrival of various winter treats and festive decorations.

Wizard Sean enjoyed his meal—no matter how busy he was, he never missed a single meal in the Great Hall.

The weather was bright, and Wizard Sean received a special letter:

[Dear Wizard Sean Green,

The beloved child of the McGonagall family. Know that here, some exceptionally joyful people await you.

With all my love, Marcus McGonagall]

Marcus McGonagall?

Wizard Sean didn’t know who that was, but it wasn’t hard to guess he was the professor’s relative.

Then Wizard Sean saw the professor give him a gentle nod from the head table.

After leaving the Great Hall, Wizard Sean found Professor McGonagall waiting for him at the third-floor spiral staircase.

“They all want to meet you. And they’ve prepared a Christmas gift for you.”

The professor said softly.

Wizard Sean began packing his belongings, researching gifts from the magical world, and finally turned to the Weasleys.

“Mr. Weasley, I may need you to go to Diagon Alley—I’ll pay…”

Wizard Sean said in the corridor.

“Great Green—what are you talking about? George, this is the funniest joke I’ve ever heard.”

Fred stared in disbelief, then circled Wizard Sean once.

“Strange—you’re not feverish, so why are you talking nonsense?”

“You’re the biggest fool! You’re our VIP!”

George blinked, his teasing tone delivered with such sincerity it sounded like he truly meant it.

“By the way, take this! And—”

“We’ll fulfill any request you have—”

The twins spoke in unison, then vanished.

Wizard Sean took the note—it was the Ministry of Magic’s approval for a new shop:

[Approval for Weasley & Green Magical Prank Shop has been granted]

Wizard Sean tucked the approval away, his steps noticeably lighter.

Snow fell for hours; Hogwarts had slipped into a quiet afternoon.

Beneath a large Christmas tree, Professor McGonagall carried a suitcase, her formal robes replaced by a simple, light-colored wizarding cloak; after Wizard Sean arrived, the two set off quickly.

Apparition was forbidden around Hogwarts, but beyond the castle grounds, the restriction lifted.

“Of course—that’s more like it!”

In the entrance hall, several portraits clustered together; Sir Cadogan, his face distorted by the dwarf horse, grinned crookedly as he watched the two wizards step onto the snow.

Two ladies watched silently, their vision blurred by the snow.

“First-time Apparition can be unpleasant…”

Professor McGonagall said.

Wizard Sean nodded.

“But… Severus sent something.”

The professor handed Wizard Sean a vial of potion.

“Hold my hand, child—we’re going first to Diagon Alley, to buy you some…”

After drinking the potion, Apparition caused Wizard Sean no discomfort.

Instead, in an instant, the sound of bustling activity filled his ears.

Wizards moved along the cobblestone path; toads, owls, rabbits—various creatures darted among them. Every shop, every display, every shopper seemed brimming with holiday cheer.

Last time, Wizard Sean had counted knuts while shopping; now, it felt different.

Last time, Wizard Sean had to count his Knuts when shopping, but now it seemed different.

Outside, Hogwarts became a distant symbol; Severus Snape still stood in the dark dungeon.

As if this were his true home.

Sir Cadogan muttered on the wall outside the dungeon door:

“Coward, Severus, coward… Always wrapping yourself in black, hiding your other side deep, marching alone in loneliness. You should’ve been a knight…”

“Coward, Severus, coward… always wrapping yourself in black, burying your other side deep, marching alone in loneliness and sorrow. You were meant to be a knight…”

“But oh, King… how can a knight who has never known love ever have the confidence to bring happiness to others?”

Dear readers, please stay warm—the deer has been asleep for a day; updates will resume tomorrow.

Dear readers, please stay warm—Lu has been unconscious for a day; updates will resume tomorrow.