Chapter 4 : Cunning Confrontation

"What's that? It looks like a coin..."

As Macka played with the object in his hand, he silently recalled the mysterious blue light he had seen just now. He temporarily put aside his plan to leave and pulled out a piece of broken wood from another large basket nearby.

Pretending to be curious, he asked a question, and after listening to the dubious explanation from the dwarf wizard, he became interested and inquired about the price.

"Ten galleons! It must be ten galleons, it's worth that much, just look at how rare it is..."

Seeing that he was about to continue his deception, Macka had to interrupt his speech and counteroffer, "Three galleons, that's all I know it's worth."

Macka's tone was unusually firm, as if he knew the true value of this so-called "Halethorpe Coffin Wood."

"No! That's impossible! At least eight galleons! You have to know, back then, that infamous dark wizard—vile Halethorpe, buried himself in..."

Before he could finish, Macka interrupted him again, "Four galleons! No more!"

Just as the dwarf wizard hesitated to speak, Macka pretended to be annoyed and growled lowly, reaching into the gap in the shelf with a casual motion and then loudly exclaimed, "Alright! Add this one too, eight galleons for both! Otherwise, I won't take either!"

Macka slapped eight galleons on the nearby counter, then stared at the dwarf wizard intently.

The other party suddenly fell silent, looking at what was in Macka's palm and then at the eight galleons on the counter, wearing a face of grievance.

It was an old-looking coin, heavy in the hand, but seemingly nothing special despite its dirty appearance.

"Well, well, just consider it a gift from me, for eight galleons." He said in a resigned tone, collecting the coins on the counter into a locked drawer...

On the street, Macka was in a good mood. He played with the old coin in his hand, feeling triumphant, as if even this dark alley had become bright.

Of course, he had no chance to see the sinister smile on the face of the dwarf wizard inside the Borgin and Burkes shop.

"Arrogance is humanity's most precious treasure, it can bring benefits to Borgin." The dwarf wizard tapped the drawer containing the money, making a rustling sound of coins.

The old coin in Macka's hand was naturally enchanted by this dwarf. In fact, it was just a dirty cast iron coin.

Ignoring the tricks of the deceitful merchant for now, on the other side, Macka, feeling satisfied, estimated that it was about time, so he began to walk back the way he came.

"Huh?"

Macka reached a crossroads and immediately spotted a tall figure in the crowd, emerging from the entrance of Gringotts.

"Rubeus Hagrid?" Macka muttered softly, walking towards him.

As he pushed through the crowded people, he immediately noticed the small figure next to Hagrid.

"Oh! Are you the famous... Harry Potter, sir?" Macka intentionally looked Harry up and down before speaking.

Before the boy could react, the people around had already gathered around.

"Oh my God, it's Harry Potter!"

"Really? Oh--!"

"Good Lord! I feel like I'm dreaming!"

The crowd immediately started buzzing with excitement. Some even pushed forward eagerly, as if they had encountered a rare magical creature.

Macka looked around and then grabbed Harry's sleeve, running away while calling for Hagrid to catch up. When they entered the junk shop, Macka and Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, I didn't expect them to react like that." Macka said apologetically.

"Oh, it's okay," Harry looked at Macka, his peer, shaking his head, "but why? This is the second time, am I really that famous?"

Macka glanced at Hagrid, seeming to understand something, and nodded.

"Well... I'm sorry, but it seems I shouldn't be the one to explain this to you." Macka scratched his head, though he just couldn't be bothered to explain it in detail.

Just as Harry was trying to ask more questions, Hagrid had already approached.

"Well, well, since we're here, why don't we go buy a wand?" Hagrid patted Macka's shoulder happily, "You come too! Uh..."

"Macka, Macka McLain." Macka nodded and said.

"Oh, yes, Mr. McLain." Hagrid also nodded.

"No, I mean, just call me Macka."

Macka said, then suddenly put his hand on Hagrid's butt. He immediately noticed this and felt embarrassed.

"Wow, you're really tall!" Macka deliberately said in a hoarse voice to ease the embarrassment.

Hagrid, on the other hand, laughed awkwardly at the remark, but didn't say anything.

Macka then realized that Hagrid might still be concerned about his lineage. Of course, according to Hagrid's character, he probably cared more about how the children viewed him than his own lineage.

Macka immediately reached out again, regardless of whether it was his butt or his shoulder, and casually smiled, "Just now, a goblin said the same thing to me at Gringotts."

"Hahaha! You're barely taller than a goblin at your age." Hagrid wasn't stupid, he obviously realized that Macka was actively trying to ease the atmosphere.

Harry, standing on the side, looked at the two in front of him, feeling a bit puzzled. He couldn't quite figure out what they were talking about, but he felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange.

"Well, let's go! Let's go to Ollivanders across the street, where you can definitely buy the best wand."

Yes, a wand—that was exactly what Macka and Harry had both been dreaming of.

It was a shabby-looking little shop, with the gold lettered sign on the door peeling off, reading: "Ollivanders: Crafting Fine Wands Since 382 BC."

In the dusty display window, on a faded purple cushion, lay a solitary wand.

As they entered the shop, the sound of clinking bells came from somewhere behind the shop. The shop was small, with only a long bench and nothing else.

Hagrid sat down on the bench to wait, while Harry had a strange feeling, as if he was in a strict library.

He suppressed the numerous questions that had just arisen in his mind and began to look at the thousands of long, narrow boxes stacked almost to the ceiling. Somehow, he suddenly felt a bit creepy. The dust and silence here seemed to conceal mysterious magic.

"Good morning." A gentle voice said, startling Harry.

Hagrid, who was sitting, also seemed startled, because at this moment, there suddenly came a loud clattering sound, and he quickly stood up from the bench.

An old man stood in front of them, his pale eyes shining brightly in the dim shop like two shining moons.

"Hello, Mr. Ollivander." Macka greeted politely.

Harry looked a bit awkward, but also spoke, "Hello."

"Oh, yes," the old man said, "yes, yes. I knew I would see you soon, Harry Potter, no problem at all. Your eyes are just like your mother's, when she came here to buy her first wand, it feels like it just happened yesterday. Ten and a quarter inches long, made of willow, swishy and perfect for casting spells."

Mr. Ollivander walked up to Harry, and Harry wished he would blink more, as his silver eyes made Harry's hair stand on end.

"Your father was different, he liked a wand made of peach wood. Eleven inches long, flexible, and more powerful, perfect for transfiguration. I say he liked it—actually, of course, it was the wand choosing the wizard!"

Mr. Ollivander seemed to not notice Macka beside him. He got closer and closer to Harry, his nose almost touching Harry's face. Harry could even see his own reflection in the old man's cloudy eyes.

"Oh, this is..." Mr. Ollivander used his long, pale fingers to touch the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead.

"I'm very sorry, this was a wand that I sold." He said softly, "Thirteen and a half inches long. Made of yew wood. Very powerful, extremely powerful, but it fell into the hands of a bad person... If I had known what this wand would do after it was made..."

Mr. Ollivander sighed softly, but then looked up at the space behind Harry, and it seemed he recognized Hagrid, which finally relieved Harry.

"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! Nice to see you again, really... Oak, sixteen inches long, a bit bent, right?"

"Yes, sir." Hagrid said.

"That's a good wand. But I guess they snapped it when they expelled you, didn't they?" Mr. Ollivander suddenly became serious.

"Ah, yes, they did snap it." Hagrid slowly moved his feet, "I still have the snapped wand."

"But you don't need it anymore, right?" Mr. Ollivander hurriedly asked.

"Oh, no, sir." Hagrid replied, and Harry noticed that Hagrid was tightly holding onto the pink umbrella while he spoke.

Of course, Macka didn't have time to care about Hagrid's little broken umbrella, because Mr. Ollivander finally focused his attention on him.

"Oh, this is a new face. Hello, child." Mr. Ollivander's interest in Macka didn't seem as strong as in Harry, which was obviously understandable, as Macka didn't have any strange background stories that everyone knew about, "What's your name?"

"Macka McLain." Macka replied.

"Oh, alright, Mr. McLain." Mr. Ollivander said, scanning the two with sharp eyes, "So, which one of you gentlemen will go first?"

He took out a long strip of silver-embossed measuring tape from his pocket, his face serious, and Macka patted Harry's back to indicate that he should go first.