Most of the stores in Hogsmeade are owned by Hogwarts students. With the school closed, most of them are closed, and many shopkeepers are lying outside the doors basking in the weak sunlight, chatting about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament.
The number of Hufflepuff and Durmstrang wizards visiting was not overwhelming, but their arrival brought vitality to the somewhat desolate streets, injecting a newfound liveliness into the dull-colored village. The inspiration for showing the students from these two schools around Hogsmeade came from Gabrielle's request, and both Amos Diggory and Dumbledore felt it was necessary to ease the tense relations between them and Hogwarts.
Fushun's enthusiasm was unexpectedly high.
He had long known that the girl was proud and haughty, not very interested in everything about Hogwarts, but he hadn't expected her interest in Hogsmeade to be far greater than in Hogwarts. For the entire three hours, they had barely covered a quarter of a mile in a straight line as Fushun and Gabrielle were incredibly interested in almost every store they passed.
As a result, Amos once again experienced the agony of accompanying a woman on a shopping spree, which was an experience that he had last experienced in his previous life.
He couldn't let two delicate ladies carry things, especially one who was still a little girl under the age of magical education. Out of politeness and gentlemanly etiquette, he offered to help them carry their bags, and then, these two girls were completely free to have fun.
It was evident that the sisters came from a well-to-do family; they didn't care how much gold the shopkeepers were picking out of their pockets with those odd and peculiar items. In short, as long as something interested them, they would pay without hesitation.
This was a hardship for Amos, who was almost buried by the items they bought. In a helpless situation, he could only use magic to control the candy, chocolate, and firecrackers they bought in bulk (perhaps Gabrielle found the nights at Hogwarts too dull and bought many fireworks). They were floating behind him.
Walking along the street, Amos felt like a conspicuous package. After seeing this interesting scene, the villagers passing by stopped and laughed silently. Some even took out their cameras.
Worse still, the villagers' gaze at Amos and Fushun was a bit off, as they murmured among themselves, discussing some sensational topics.
When the two girls finally agreed to leave the Muggle House, the satellite-like packages surrounding Amos added two more.
Fushun finally noticed Amos's darkening face, but she showed no remorse. Instead, she proudly shook her hair and gave a dazzling smile -- this was trouble. The villagers' magical abilities were weak, and they were very susceptible to the strange charm of the siren-like power. Their resistance to Fushun was even less than that of the young wizards at Hogwarts.
If it weren't for Fushun following Brian, some might have already couldn't resist the urge to come up and chat.
Noticing the villagers' unusual expressions, Amos's heart sank slightly. He didn't want any scandalous incidents to happen.
"Ri Jia!"
Amos's clear shout caused the house-trained little creature he had helped earlier to appear before him suddenly. Ri Jia, who had already passed through its weak period, was bowing low towards Amos, facing the ground.
"Great Professor Brian, what can Ri Jia do for you!"
Hufflepuff also uses house-elves, so Fushun was not unfamiliar with these creatures. What intrigued her was why Amos had summoned an elf at this moment.
"Excuse me --" Amos's voice softened a bit, "I hope you can deliver these ladies' luggage to their place of residence."
"It's an honor for Ri Jia--"
The elf bent its waist even lower, then gave a crisp snap of its fingers, and disappeared along with the extravagant packages.
"Miss Delacour --"
Amos pursed his lips.
"I suddenly remembered that I have some urgent matters to attend to, if you don't mind --"
"Oh!"
Fushun suddenly let out a cheerful cry, pointing to a shop not far away.
"That's the Enchanted Clothing Shop. This store is well-known. It has a branch in Paris. The weather here is colder than I can imagine. I just happen to need a few more clothes!"
Women will always find themselves lacking in clothing, regardless of the weather.
Fushun ignored Amos's words and ran over eagerly, leaving Amos and Gabrielle alone, staring at each other.
Gabrielle winked her eyelashes at Amos and gave him a sweet smile, seemingly certain that he wouldn't leave them here.
Everything was for the harmony and stability of European magical education -- Amos told himself in his heart, then sighed.
"Let's go. After we finish shopping at this store, I hope to find a place to rest. I'd rather have a fight with Dumbledore than accompany anyone else on a shopping trip again--"
"My sister always forgets time when she buys clothes, maybe we will miss dinner --"
Gabrielle giggled. The little girl seemed to trust Amos a lot. She grabbed his sleeve and ran towards the Enchanted Clothing Shop.
By the time Gabrielle dragged Amos into the clothing shop, Fushun had already set her sights on a dress hanging high on the wall. The shopkeeper was smiling as he gave her an introduction.
This was an incredibly beautiful white long dress, made of smooth silk material and intricately tailored to create an exquisite silhouette. The skirt of the dress was adorned with diamonds that shone like stars, displaying both elegance and nobility, while also enhancing the overall pristine cleanliness.
"What do you think?"
Fushun looked very pleased with the dress, turning her head to look back at Amos. Her deep blue eyes shone brightly.
"Very pretty, but I think it's not very suitable to wear this dress to class or walk around the field, and it's not very warm."
Amos said politely.
Gabrielle giggled, covering her mouth, while Fushun huffed in dissatisfaction and had the shopkeeper bring down the dress and take it to the dressing room.
Women always have a special attachment to buying clothes, regardless of age. Gabrielle was also captivated by the flashy clothes in the store, standing in front of the racks and picking and choosing.
Amos's eyes immediately fell on the only chair in the store, and he quickly walked over and sat down.
To be honest, this was the first time Amos had ever entered this shop.
In his early years at Hogwarts, Amos's financial situation was tight, and his scholarship only covered his basic learning needs. His wizard robes were from the practical Modest Wandmaker's shop. However, by the later years of his studies, when he was able to earn some extra money, all the Galleons he made were invested in magical research, and he wouldn't waste any on personal attire. It was some of the Slytherin students in his house who liked to boast about their purchases from this store.
Amos's gaze wandered aimlessly around the store. In his opinion, there was nothing particularly special about the place. The clothes hanging there were mostly distinguished by whether they had a sash or a pendant hanging from the waist.
But suddenly, Amos stood up from the bench and walked to an inconspicuous corner. Here, hanging were not elegant formal wear or delicate robes, but just a few ordinary, functional clothes made of double-layered fabric, looking neat and decent, like mundane sports attire.
Amos touched the fabric, nodding unconsciously.
Not bad; the fabric felt smooth and was sufficiently sturdy.
Amos stepped back a few steps, looking up and down at the dull gray-blue dress. The deep light in his eyes unconsciously caused him to fall into deep thought.
"Do you like that dress?"
After what felt like an eternity, Fushun's somewhat surprised voice suddenly echoed behind Amos.
"It doesn't look very nice, is it?"
"Oh, no--"
Emerging from his reverie, Amos came to his senses. He stroked the unassuming sports outfit once more.
"I think this outfit would make a great competition uniform--"
(End of Chapter)
