Kane raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I already tell you? I couldn't stand the Dursleys' psychological abuse."
There was another half of the sentence he didn't say out loud. Thank goodness he'd left the Dursleys early.
Otherwise, within a day of Maxwell removing that locket from him, his sanity would have been completely destroyed by the Dursleys' torment, and then shadow creatures would have come after him one after another, like dumplings dropped into boiling water.
"That's it?"
Harry looked at Kane suspiciously, while Kane nodded.
"Didn't you secretly watch when Uncle Vernon was watching nature documentaries? Even antelopes know to migrate.
If I'd kept living with the Dursleys, I could have actually died."
Ron, listening to Kane and Harry's encrypted conversation, was completely lost.
But soon he didn't have to keep listening.
Hagrid calculated the time and figured that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley should be done by now. It was time to head to Diagon Alley.
Kane casually set down his lemonade and followed Hagrid, while Harry and Ron hurriedly gulped down their own lemonades, then simultaneously looked at Kane's remaining half glass.
The four of them came to the courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron.
But when they went out, Hagrid realized he'd miscalculated. The Weasleys' child-beating campaign still wasn't finished.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley somewhat awkwardly put their shoes back on, grinned sheepishly, and pulled the two young wizards (Kane and Harry, visiting for the first time) to the front.
They showed them which special brick to tap, then lightly touched it with their wands.
The brick came alive, retreating to both sides like a tide.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took Percy and the twins to buy their new school supplies, while Hagrid led the three boys to Gringotts first.
Before entering Gringotts, Hagrid pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to Harry.
"This is from your parents. It opens a vault. It seems like a special moment, a ritual that should be yours."
"From my parents?" Harry held the key, looking somewhat confused.
"Yeah. They were very good people, and most importantly, they loved you very much."
After saying this, Hagrid led the three boys into Gringotts. The goblin didn't recognize Kane or Harry.
Ron's red hair was distinctive, but because he was a Weasley, it didn't make the goblin stand up either.
In the end, it was Hagrid who caught his attention and made him scurry over obsequiously.
After all, everyone in England knew that Hagrid was the White Wizard Dumbledore's right-hand man.
Hagrid looked at Harry somewhat apologetically. "Dumbledore, he's the Headmaster of Hogwarts, asked me to take care of something..."
"Business first," Harry said considerately.
"Brilliant. I mean, thank you."
So the four of them, plus one goblin, rode in an incredibly intricate cart, like a gyroscope. No matter how wildly the connection between the cart and tracks twisted and turned, the passengers inside remained perfectly stable and smooth.
Soon, Hagrid entered Vault 713, took a small item and tucked it in his coat, and the four rushed onward to Harry's Vault 687.
"The ritual, Harry. Insert the key yourself."
Hagrid looked at Harry and said.
Harry nodded, rubbed the key, inserted it into the keyhole, and turned. As a rumbling sound echoed, Ron's bewildered voice joined in.
"Holy crap? Is it normal to have this much gold in a vault?"
Ron stared dumbfounded at the mountain of Galleons piled in the center of the vault, saying in shock, "Your vault doesn't seem the same as my vault."
"Well, Harry's parents couldn't give him much love, so they left him a mountain of money instead," Kane sighed as he stepped into the vault.
With this much gold, he could scoop up a couple of handfuls and build half the machines he had dreamed of.
But actually taking any? That would make him look like some beggar groveling on the floor.
And honestly, getting roasted by Harry later for something like that… yeah, no thanks.
When you are staring at a pile of glittering temptation this big, you have to have the spine to walk away.
Besides, it is not like he could not earn his own gold. He had not figured out how yet, but at least he had a goal.
Accepting Harry's charity or letting him shove Galleons at him was never going to happen.
However, by the time Harry's vault was locked again, he felt somewhat embarrassed by his belated realization that Harry hadn't had the slightest intention of stuffing Galleons at him.
All that worrying for nothing. The four returned to the surface. Next stop: Ollivanders Wand Shop.
"What kind of wands do you two want?" Ron asked Kane and Harry.
"I brought my own materials. I'm planning to have one custom-made." Kane pulled out the trembling living wood.
"Sweet Merlin, dude, what is that thing?" The moment Ron saw the living wood's twisted, shivering face, his attention was completely captured. He quickly asked.
"I used my shadow, my innate magic, to nurture an ordinary sapling and grow this thing," Kane explained.
"Damn, Kane, that's insane. With a skill like that, you could make a fortune in Galleons!" Ron blurted out.
Kane gave a slightly helpless shake of his head. "It's really not something you can make money with.
Using living wood and Nightmare Fuel to craft a wand for myself is mainly just to suit my Constant-born physiology.
Compared to other magical materials in the real world, the boost isn't going to be anything outrageous."
Plus, who knows if The Constant and Charlie might invade this world because of the things he created?
If that ever came true, the entire Earth would be half-dead just from Charlie alone.
Soon, Ollivander emerged from behind the shelves, looking kindly at the three young wizards.
Since Kane wanted a custom order, he naturally had to go last, giving Harry the first spot.
After trying more than a dozen wands, Harry got a holly and phoenix feather wand.
Then it was Kane's turn.
"Hm? What about Ron?" Kane asked, surprised.
"My family doesn't have money right now," Ron said, quite embarrassed. "So I'm using my brother's old wand."
Kane pressed his lips together. "Alright then. But Ollivander's here, having him maintain it for you shouldn't cost anything, right?"
"Of course not." Ollivander gently took Ron's old wand, looked at the battered wand, and sighed. "Your brother Charlie didn't take care of it at all."
He looked like an old father watching his abused daughter come home, with a sad expression.
He treated the daughter's wounds, then personally sent the daughter to the abuser's brother, praying this brother would be slightly more humane.
Finally, it was Kane's turn.
"Mr. Ollivander, I have a request. I'd like you to custom-make a wand for me, using my own materials."
When Ollivander heard this request, he laughed. He was a craftsman, a craftsman with principles. No amount of money could break his rules.
Then Kane pulled out the grimacing living wood and the Nightmare Fuel mixed with his own shadow.
Ollivander: "...But then again?"
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