Homecoming from Hogwarts

Harry thought that with the arrogance of Malfoy and his son, they would just leave after seeing them.

And Narcissa's behavior was in line with his expectations.

"Shall we go somewhere else, dear?"

Narcissa looked back at her son.

"No need, Mom--"

Draco's response surprised Harry. He looked at Harry deeply and did not respond to the hateful looks from Harry and Ron. He just spoke softly, then pulled his mother to a table a little further away and sat down.

Old Tom quickly brought lunch to the mother and son.

There is no need to mention the Malfoy family's table manners. Although it was just a shabby bar in a tent, the two of them had impeccable dining etiquette.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and remained silent, without making any further provocation.

Gone are the pleasant meal times.

Harry and Ron drank their butterbeer dully, but their eyes were fixed on the Malfoys and their son.

Narcissa must have sensed the surveillance of the two young Gryffindor wizards, but she did not warn them.

"Eat quickly, Draco, we have a lot more things to buy later--"

Draco had only taken a few bites when he became dazed again. He stared at the kidney steak on the plate, motionless.

Seeing this, Narcissa reminded him, but Draco did not start eating again. Instead, he put down his knife and fork.

He did not use the napkin provided by the bar, but took out a handkerchief from the pocket of his suit jacket that showed off his figure and wiped his mouth.

"I don't have much appetite, mother—"

After saying that, he threw the handkerchief on the table, apparently not wanting it anymore.

"Well, there's no harm in eating less. The food here may not be very clean—"

Narcissa looked at Draco's face with pity, which had become much thinner after the summer vacation.

"Let's finish shopping as soon as possible and then go home. I'll ask the kitchen to make some more of your favorite food—"

For some reason, Harry's face became even colder.

Draco did not express any reaction to his mother's concern. He just stared at the table with a heavy heart.

It was not until his mother put down her knife and fork and wiped the corners of her mouth that Draco came back to life.

"Mom, I want to walk around by myself later--"

"one person?"

Narcissa frowned again and her tone became tougher.
"No, Draco, have you forgotten your father's instructions? He asked you to go home as soon as possible after shopping. It's not safe to walk outside for too long now-"

"Hehe, I think the wizarding world is very safe as long as there are no Death Eaters. What do you think, Ron?"

Harry didn't mind letting the Malfoys know that he was listening to their conversation, and his sneer could be heard by half the bar!

"You're right, Harry, some people just like to cry thief!"

Ron also cooperated, and it was rare for him to show his tough side.

Faced with such direct provocation from the two, Malfoy and his son finally showed some reaction.

Narcissa glanced at Harry and Ron, and the look in her eyes, as if she was looking at two uneducated 'naughty children', made Harry and Ron extremely annoyed.

As for Draco, his expression also showed a bit of sinisterness.

If Draco had followed his habit from his 'early years', he would have flipped the table and taken out his wand.

But this time, he just glared at Harry and Ron, then helped his mother up.

The two men threw a few gold coins on the table, ignored Old Tom's apologetic smile, and did not respond to Harry and Ron's sarcasm. They just quickly left the bar.

The moment the curtain of the tent was opened, the sunlight shining into the bar flew across Harry's face, causing him to squint unconsciously.

"When did Malfoy act so 'tolerant'?"

Ron looked at the two people disappearing behind the curtain, and told Harry what was confusing him.

"Maybe he's worried that Professor Blaine will come after him after school starts—"

Harry said, but shook his head after he finished.

Whether it is Professor Braine or Professor Dumbledore, they will not be angry with students just because their parents are Death Eaters.
It is more likely that Theodore Nott and the Greengrass sisters hate Professor Braine. Their fathers all suffered in the Battle of Diagon Alley.

Greengrass was confirmed to be a Death Eater and was wanted, and old Nott was even worse off. He seemed to be the first Death Eater to be caught and thrown into prison after Voldemort's resurrection.

"I always feel guilty--"

Ron said bluntly,

"If it were me, I wouldn't have the face to come to Diagon Alley. It's all because of them that this place has become like this!"

The rest of the lunch was about why Draco had become so 'humble'.

The two of them denounced the countless crimes of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The word "Voldemort" that frequently came out of Harry's mouth scared away many guests.

Seeing this, Old Tom had no choice but to come forward and remind them to pay attention to the impact.

Realizing that they had become unwelcome guests, Harry and Ron had no interest in staying in the bar any longer, and after paying the bill, they left.

"Where do we go next, Harry?"

Ron asked.

Standing at the door of the bar, the rammed earth street in front of the door is still bustling with people, and it is even more lively than before.

Harry was also hesitant.

He and Ron had yet to stock up on new textbooks and potion ingredients, but he had no desire to do that for the time being.

During their last two meetings, every move of Malfoy's abnormal behavior was recalled in his mind. He always felt that Malfoy had encountered something, or was planning something.

"Oh, it's him--"

Coincidentally, just as he was thinking about Malfoy's strange behavior, the curtain of Madam Malkin's robe shop across the street suddenly opened, and Malfoy hurried out of the tent.

He looked a little nervous. He looked back at the tent a few times. After making sure that no one was following him, he joined the crowd on the street and quickly moved away.

"It seems Malfoy has finally gotten over his mother--"

Harry looked at Ron and said meaningfully.

"what do you mean--"

To Harry's relief, Ron was not confused and he got the point immediately.

"What is Malfoy planning to do behind his mother's back?"

Not only that, Ron also saw what Harry was going to do. He looked at Harry cautiously.

"You plan to follow them and see. But Harry, you can't use the Disillusionment Charm like Hermione, can you, unless you bring -"

Harry had already pulled out a storage bag from his robe pocket, and after groping in it for a few times, he found his target. Under Ron's astonished gaze, he smiled and slowly drew out his Invisibility Cloak.

"Remember when I broke into the battlefield from St. Mungo's? Ron Hagrid told me at that time that unless I was at Hogwarts, I should never forget my invisibility cloak—"

"But."

When the time came, Ron seemed a little hesitant.

"What Malfoy wants to do is none of our business, right, Harry? I know you're worried about whether he will..."

"I'm sorry, Ron, it wouldn't be safe for both of us to hide behind the Invisibility Cloak. We might be discovered -"

Harry interrupted Ron's suggestion and quickly put on the Invisibility Cloak.
"You can go find Hermione first and tell her about the situation. I will bring you good news."

After saying that, Harry took a step forward, knocked aside a few wizards who were blocking his way, and completely disappeared, leaving Ron standing in front of the tent of the Leaky Cauldron with a rolled eye.

It was not difficult to find Malfoy walking hurriedly on the street where there were no forks.

Harry soon spotted Malfoy, who was striding forward with a clear purpose.

He followed Malfoy almost to the end of the rammed earth street.

Located near the wilderness, although the tent shops are also distributed on both sides of the avenue, they are not arranged neatly, but are more messy. In some places, there are even five or six small black tents squeezed together.

When he got here, there were very few people on the street. Malfoy looked back cautiously, and when he didn't find anything unusual, he quickly rushed into a low black tent.

Harry woke up with a start when the curtain fell.

He withdrew his gaze from the dark golden words "Boggin and Burke" on the door, and while the curtain was still swaying, he wrapped his invisibility cloak tightly around him and ducked into the tent. (End of this chapter)