Orochimaru travels to Hogwarts

Chapter 26 Little White Snake

Yena Yaxley gave the shop assistant a few instructions, asking him to deliver the clothes to the manor, and then prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Harry finally managed to escape from Madam Malkin's meticulous measurements.

As soon as he arrived next to Orochimaru, he noticed Yena Yaxley walking past Orochimaru.

Harry frowned slightly as soon as her chestnut hair brushed against him and as she glanced at him with her slightly haughty violet eyes.

He's not at the age where he likes women yet.

To elementary school students, women are just a bunch of troublesome creatures who only know how to squat and pee and cry all the time.

"What's she so smug about?" Harry asked, annoyed.

"He's probably proud of his lineage and good looks," Orochimaru said mercilessly, "but his words and actions always carried a hint of pleading for help."

"Huh? A cry for help? Who is she calling for help from?" Harry's gaze followed Yennefer Yaxley out the door. "And why is she calling for help?"

This topic is far too profound for you, Harry.

Orochimaru glanced at Harry with pity, and was about to think of a simple way to make this Jinchuriki elementary school student understand the helplessness of marriage alliances between nobles, but before he could speak, Harry started shouting again.

"There's a strange smell, can you smell it?"

Harry leaned close to Orochimaru's ear and whispered something in his ear.

It has a strange smell, left behind by that Yenney Yaxley.

Orochimaru took a sniff and immediately recognized the scent.

It's a little bittersweet, just like the feeling Ye Nai gave you when you first met her.

She was extremely arrogant.

But behind this sourness lies a subtle yet resilient flavor, which Orochimaru couldn't discern at first, only noticing that it was a mixture of sweetness and spiciness.

It has a very complex flavor, with layers and a story behind it.

In other stories, he would probably become an important character.

But the thought of Jiraiya getting drunk at night and muttering about why it was the night Dan tricked Tsunade away made Orochimaru feel nauseous.

"Women are all troublesome, and they're so unpredictable," Orochimaru said casually. "They're not worth paying attention to."

"That's right!"

Harry excitedly agreed, overjoyed that his partner shared his views.

Just as Harry was about to comment on the strange, unidentified woman, Hagrid appeared at the entrance of the clothing store with a white owl.

Because owl feathers would flutter around, the shop assistant wouldn't allow Hagrid to bring an owl in. He could only bend down his tall frame and tap the glass with his fingers.

Harry's gaze was instantly drawn to Hagrid, then to the owl in the cage.

"Harry, this is my birthday present for you!"

Hagrid pointed to the owl and then mouthed something to Harry.

Harry's mouth was practically stretched to his ears, and he no longer cared about targeting Yena Yaxley, so he excitedly ran out of the clothing store.

"Slack, Hagrid said this owl doesn't have a name yet," Harry asked excitedly. "What do you think we should call her?"

A pure white owl?

Orochimaru looked down at the pure white owl, many names flashing through his mind, but he rejected them one by one in the end.

"You should come and get it; after all, it's your first birthday present ever," Orochimaru said casually.

"Then... Hedwig?" Harry asked in a low voice.

Hedwig, inside the cage, happily flapped her wings; she was quite pleased with the name.

Orochimaru smiled. It seemed the creatures of the magical world were somewhat more intelligent than ordinary beings. He even became interested in buying a pet himself.

Just as Orochimaru was about to strike Harry's bamboo pole again, Hagrid suddenly realized something. He glared at Orochimaru with his beetle-like black eyes, like a big cat hissing.

"Harry, these are the Hogwarts Express tickets." Hagrid pulled two tickets from his coat pocket. "This one is Slack's."

Harry was slightly taken aback when he saw the ticket being shoved into his hand, and a bad feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

"Harry, you're coming with me." Hagrid's voice became much more serious as he recalled Dumbledore's instructions. "Dumbledore said you must go back to the Dursleys for your birthday and stay there until the start of the school year before you can go to Hogwarts."

"Why?" Harry asked impatiently.

"I don't know the reason, but that's what Dumbledore ordered." Hagrid paused, glancing at Orochimaru, his tone becoming even more stern. "This is extremely important; you can't afford to cause any more trouble!"

They can't cause any more trouble.

As Harry listened to Hagrid's words, his heart sank to the bottom.

It had only been two days since Orochimaru rescued him from the Dursleys. Yet, these two days had been more enjoyable than the rest of his life.

He didn't want to go back, back to that home that was no different from hell.

"Do as I say, Harry," Orochimaru said, pointing to the owl cage containing Hedwig. "When you get back, you can try writing to me, just like a real wizard."

Harry nodded silently, and at Hagrid's urging, turned to leave.

He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly turned around, ran to Orochimaru's side, and took out a small cloth bag from his pocket.

This is the bag Harry used to carry Galleons.

"There are still twenty Galleons left," Harry said, noticing the surprise on Orochimaru's face. He grinned smugly. "Once we've spent it, we'll see you on the Hogwarts Express!"

Without waiting for Orochimaru's refusal, Harry shoved the bag full of Galleons into Orochimaru's hands.

After doing all this, Harry turned and ran, prompting Hagrid to call after him.

Orochimaru sighed helplessly, looking at the small cloth bag in his hand. The gold galleons inside felt surprisingly hot to him.

How did Jiraiya so confidently ask me for money back then?

Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh at himself as he thought about this. He watched Harry's figure disappear completely into the crowded streets of Diagon Alley, then put his hands in his pockets and listened to the hawkers' cries along the way.

"Dragon liver, an absolute aphrodisiac! It can conquer women even better than love potions!"

"Want a change of luck? For just five Galleons, you can buy a lucky stone that will change your life!"

"All magic of magic, all secret of secrets, this is the last book of the Book of Abraham the Jew, come and see!"

The noise in Diagon Alley continued unabated, but Orochimaru simply laughed it off and headed to the Fantastic Beasts Shop.

Unlike the shop where Hagrid bought Harry an owl, this shop sold a much more diverse range of magical creatures.

Orochimaru's first notice was a ginger cat that was baring its teeth at him, as if it was about to pounce at him any second.

Orochimaru then breathed a murderous aura at the cat in a very friendly manner.

So the big ginger cat trembled and hid in the corner, no longer daring to raise its head too high.

Orochimaru smiled sinisterly, pleased with the kitten's understanding and tact, and then began to pace around the shop again.

The shop assistant approached Orochimaru at just the right moment and introduced the shop in a lighthearted tone:

"This fluffy little thing is called a 'Pu Rongrong' (蒲绒绒). Oh, sir, you certainly don't like this type of pet."

"Why not take a look at this giant chameleon snail? It's a rare find, originally from Africa. Just a drop of its venom is enough to kill Hokrap."

Orochimaru paused upon hearing the shop assistant's description, examined the somewhat ugly, color-changing giant snail, and gently shook his head.

This snail reminded him of Tsunade's slug.

If he wanted to remember his old friend, he might as well buy a few toads; after all, the shop sells them, though they look much dumber than the toads of Mount Myoboku.

Orochimaru gave a sinister smile, causing the shop assistant standing next to him to involuntarily take two steps back.

Driven by his desire for the golden dragon, the shop assistant, despite his fear, dutifully explained it to Orochimaru.

However, Orochimaru didn't quite like these pets.

Fire crabs look like turtles.

The purple giant toad looks too stupid, too much like Jiraiya.

The shape-shifting rabbit, constantly changing its form, is no match for the clumsy purple giant toad.

As for the two-headed salamander, Orochimaru stared at it for a long time, feeling nauseous at the thought that its two mouths would touch him.

"Aren't there any pets that are a little more dangerous but cleaner?" Orochimaru asked, turning his head.

"You're joking, sir. Pets are never perfectly clean..."

"That's what the shop assistant said awkwardly."

Just then, Orochimaru took a sniff and smelled a somewhat familiar scent.

The taste starts off slightly sour and astringent, followed by a cloying sweetness. Just as one is intoxicated by this sweetness, one will suddenly smell a final hint of spiciness.

The aroma was as stubborn as a ninja concealing their identity, about to carry out an assassination.

Orochimaru savored it and finally recognized the flavor.

This tastes like gooseberry and clove.

He followed the direction the smell was coming from and pointed towards the iron cage covered with a thick curtain.

"What's in there?"

"There's nothing there," the shop assistant immediately stopped her.

His words of protest crumbled instantly when Orochimaru glanced at him with amusement.

"Alright, alright, it was you who insisted on watching."

The shop assistant turned to the side, trying not to look at the cage covered with a thick felt cloth, and used his cane to lift the felt cloth away.

Orochimaru was instantly drawn to the animals in the cage.

That was definitely a snake.

This snake had skin as white as snow and scales as white as frost, small, delicate and soft.

The snake lay coiled quietly with its eyes closed. It remained hidden in the deepest darkness of the cage, its eyes refusing to open even when the felt cloth was lifted.

"This snake possesses the blood of a basilisk," the shopkeeper said quickly, afraid of frightening Orochimaru, "but it's very diluted. When it looks at you, you'll only feel a slight numbness in your soul. But it's still dangerous, isn't it?"

Is it dangerous?

Orochimaru watched the little white snake silently until it was startled by the sunlight outside the cage, its body suddenly straightened, and it opened its eyes.

In that instant, Orochimaru did indeed feel the paralysis of his soul.

"This is it."

Orochimaru said without hesitation.

He felt he might have found another path to becoming a Chunin without relying on romance.