[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hogwarts-learning-panel":3,"chapter-hogwarts-learning-panel-hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-495":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},2250733,4210,"Chapter 495: Crookshanks","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-495",495,"\u003Cp>Because of a young wizard’s birthday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several young wizards returned to London too early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the task of purchasing new semester books was moved up on the schedule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the third-to-last week of summer, Diagon Alley filled with a small group of Hogwarts students, as the new term approached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Quidditch Supplies shop, Wizard Sean saw two Gryffindors: Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, staring longingly at what appeared to be a new broom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside Flourish and Blotts, Wizard Sean met Neville, who stammered that he thought he’d arrived too early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean murmured it might be just right—they could each have a raspberry ice cream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Neville wasn’t the only one who came early; outside Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, Ron’s freckles stood out sharply, Hermione was deeply tanned, and both were waving frantically at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good morning, Wizard Sean! And Neville.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron grinned at them, then sat down swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s Harry? Please, Wizard Sean, doesn’t he live in Diagon Alley?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he spoken than Harry’s delighted voice rang out from afar:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re all here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Harry hurried over, Justin could also be seen emerging from beside a shop farther down the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Harry, you… did you really blow up your aunt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione asked with grave seriousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question stirred everyone’s curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It wasn’t me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Fudge, he wasn’t willing to explain further—he thought if punishment came, it was better he bear it than Wizard Sean, since Wizard Sean had come to help him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with his friends, he was honest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of magic was it? Can I learn it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron exclaimed in awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This isn’t a joke, Ron!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione said sharply,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honestly, you—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione turned to Wizard Sean, eyeing him suspiciously,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t they catch you on the spot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wizard Sean used his grandfather’s wand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why they mistook him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what if he hadn’t been there?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry wondered—would the Ministry have had no one to arrest?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that case, he’d only been in the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grandfather?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione was baffled; Justin was equally confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could they remember so clearly that Wizard Sean had no relatives…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I heard they didn’t punish you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I guess it’s because of who you are, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The famous Harry Potter, and…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t imagine what the Ministry would do to me if I blew up my aunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me tell you, they’d have to dig me out of the ground first—Mom would’ve killed me already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, you can ask my dad yourself tonight. We’re staying at the Leaky Cauldron too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though we came back early from Egypt, Dad agreed we could spend a few days in Diagon Alley!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brilliant!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry said happily,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, should we buy new textbooks or new equipment first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone instinctively turned their gaze to Wizard Sean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Wizard Sean was still pondering the magical ritual for the Brightlight Charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How about we buy a pet first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione said calmly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I really want an owl. Look, Harry has Hedwig, you have Errol—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Errol belongs to the whole family. I only have Scabbers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron pulled out his pet rat from his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to get him checked,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he said, placing Scabbers on the table before them,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He seemed a bit off after Egypt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scabbers looked thinner than ever, his whiskers noticeably drooping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Justin smiled at Wizard Sean, who put down his book and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s go. I remember…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron eagerly scanned the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean… there’s a magical creatures shop over there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry said—he’d learned Diagon Alley well in just a few days,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can see what they can do for Scabbers, and Hermione can buy her owl.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! That’s the one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron slapped his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they paid for their ice cream and crossed the street toward the magical creatures shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shop was tiny, its walls crammed with cages, the air thick with odor and noise as the creatures inside shrieked, chirped, or hissed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the counter, a witch was instructing a wizard on how to care for a two-tailed newt; the group waited nearby, studying the cages closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two enormous purple toads gorged themselves on dead blowflies, saliva dripping from their jaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A giant tortoise sat by the window, its shell gleaming like a jewel. Toxic orange snails crept slowly along the glass walls of a tank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the counter stood a large cage, where sleek black rats, their bald tails held aloft, played a leaping game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wizard who bought the two-tailed newt left; Ron stepped up to the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My rat,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he told the witch,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since I brought him back from Egypt, his color’s been off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Put him on the counter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch said, pulling a pair of thick black glasses from her pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron pulled Scabbers from inside his coat and placed him beside the large cage of rats. The rats stopped their game and crowded to the bars, scrutinizing Scabbers closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scabbers, like every possession Ron owned, was secondhand—originally belonging to Ron’s older brother Percy—and bore the look of long-term abuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the glossy, well-kept rats in the cage, he looked pitifully shabby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the witch picked up Scabbers,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How old is this rat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s old. He belonged to my brother before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What can he do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch examined Scabbers closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron stammered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Scabbers had never shown the slightest hint of any interesting ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch’s gaze moved from Scabbers’ torn left ear to his front paw, where a toe was missing; she clicked her tongue loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This rat’s been through a lot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s how Percy gave him to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron said dejectedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A common rat or garden rat can live at most about three years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I say, if you want something that lives longer, you might consider choosing one from these...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pointed to the black rats, which immediately resumed their leaping game. Ron muttered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Show-off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, if you don’t want to swap, try this rat-strengthening potion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch said, leaning down to pull a small red bottle from beneath the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much—ouch!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large ginger beast suddenly leapt from the top of the highest cage, landing on Ron’s head and nearly knocking him flat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast reared up, snarling fiercely at Scabbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch cried, but Scabbers shot out of her hand like a bar of soap, landed on his back on the floor, then sprang up and bolted for the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Scabbers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron shouted, chasing after him out of the shop, Harry following close behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I like this cat,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione suddenly said to Wizard Sean and Jia Jia Siting.\u003C\u002Fp>",1117,"2026-06-19T10:00:42.198Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7cd50fda2cad83be5cc6bda1634b26e3f25ea0485a3c59a7bc214ccb5c83fe40","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-496","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-494",526,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-learning-panel-cover.jpg"]