[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hogwarts-learning-panel":3,"chapter-hogwarts-learning-panel-hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-321":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Hogwarts Learning Panel",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2250559,4210,"Chapter 321: The Leaky Cauldron","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-321",321,"\u003Cp>Diagon Alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This long cobblestone street was lined with the most enchanting wizarding shops in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, it was thronged with people, bustling and vibrant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To Gringotts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In November, the cold wind howled, and Wizard Sean’s voice rode on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wore an extremely worn wizard’s robe, patched in several places.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his hand he carried a suitcase, battered and cracked, with a faded label reading “R.J.Lipin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The suitcase was bound tightly with many ropes, barely holding itself together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Lupin, are you carrying that suitcase so you can move at a moment’s notice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking through the noisy Diagon Alley, Wizard Sean asked as if curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has anyone ever told you your observation is too sharp?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin sighed gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled how precisely the boy had described his wand, down to the inch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Tera said so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin chuckled silently… he hadn’t actually been asking a question…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His weary, listless expression eased slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, for a… werewolf, having no fixed home is common.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin smiled faintly, though the smile still seemed forced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold wind swept again; Lupin pulled his robe tighter. His patched robe and battered suitcase stood out sharply in Diagon Alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he failed to notice it, the strange glances from other wizards would make him aware.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve advanced you your first month’s salary. You should buy yourself proper clothes. And Mr. Lupin, your suitcase is about to fall apart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing a noisy gnome in Diagon Alley, Wizard Sean pointed his wand forward, and the cracks in Lupin’s suitcase sealed themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ropes twisted and wove themselves into the suitcase’s structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remarkable Transfiguration skill…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin watched the transformation, his gaze sharpening slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grew more curious—where had this child come from? And advancing salary…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if I ran off with the money? That’s not in the contract.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… then I hope next time I see you, you won’t be freezing, Mr. Lupin. Scotland’s weather is always damp and chilly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean spoke, his gaze turning toward the grand entrance of Gringotts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to retrieve something. If you’re not planning to run off, wait here for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin stared blankly for a long moment—he had never met a young wizard like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean withdrew many gold coins from his vault, filling the Undetectable Extension Bag Dumbledore had given him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His vault’s location was soon to change; a goblin named Gory wished to move it to the Dragon Guard Zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean refused—he had no time to oversee the relocation—so the move was scheduled for Christmas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your advance payment, Mr. Lupin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emerging from the vault, Wizard Sean tossed Lupin a bag. The heavy weight of the gold Galleons made Lupin feel as if he’d tricked a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin instinctively wanted to refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A shopkeeper’s shabby appearance ruins business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean stared at his patched robe and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The bookshop will soon clear the attic for your residence. You’ll still live at the bookshop, Mr. Lupin, and work until dusk every day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean finished speaking, feeling a pang of irony—he had become a heartless capitalist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin’s eyes no longer looked at the bustling street; he felt as if he had been severed from it all at once. A complex, indescribable emotion surged through his chest, leaving him dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After so long, he finally had a place to belong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For now, you can stay at the Leaky Cauldron. And you’ll need an owl, to keep in touch with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean spoke, then walked with Lupin across the street toward the Magical Beasts Shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shop was tiny, its walls crowded with cages. The air reeked, and noise filled the room as the creatures inside shrieked, chirped, or hissed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the counter, a witch was instructing a wizard on caring for a two-tailed water newt. While Lupin bought an owl, Wizard Sean examined the Veritaserum in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had prepared a recording brooch to ask himself questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Leaky Cauldron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean and Lupin followed Tom up a beautiful wooden staircase to a door marked with a brass number fourteen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Wizard Sean’s first time staying in the second-floor quarters of the Leaky Cauldron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked decent enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside was a bed that looked instantly comfortable, several gleaming oak furnishings, and a fireplace blazing with a cheerful, crackling fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Put down your things. We need to return to Hogsmeade, Mr. Lupin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin placed the suitcase beside the oak wardrobe. The young wizard seemed exceptionally trustworthy in Tom’s eyes—the landlord had even given them the room without collecting any Galleons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sniffing sack reluctantly spat out a few gold Galleons; Tom beamed and left:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Green, welcome back anytime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin had felt out of touch with the modern magical world—this young wizard clearly had some fame in Diagon Alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I own several shops in Diagon Alley.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean seemed to read Lupin’s thoughts and added,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A gifted child… then, take my hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin extended his hand, watching Wizard Sean drink a peculiar potion—something that eased the discomfort of Apparition… an unusual brew, one he had never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean left Hogsmeade, and the Green Bookshop welcomed its new owner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the massive holly tree, its branches hung with blue and green ribbons, Lupin stared long at the direction the young wizard had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snowflakes drifted gently down; the chimney of the Three Broomsticks puffed steam like a steam train.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young wizard had left faint footprints in the snow; even walking alone, he carried an unmistakable, striking presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was his quietly elegant robe, or perhaps the face the young witches secretly watched…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, Lupin would admit: this was an extraordinary wizard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lupin stayed at the Leaky Cauldron, and that day he kept drifting off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the window, the sky shifted rapidly—from velvet blue to cold gray, then slowly to pink streaked with golden light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the window, he still felt a lingering unreality—he had a well-paid job, and now a place to stay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him lay a brand-new, inexplicably appeared day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A peculiar and strange day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a self-deprecating smile and fell into exhausted sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That sleep was more comfortable than he had imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>",1046,"2026-06-19T10:00:41.888Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","af65420d2b10e63745eac6b2a05d920e46f5963f463ecc01a202236fe82ea51d","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-322","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-320",526,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-learning-panel-cover.jpg"]