Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 15 Raven
“We’d like a whole roasted chicken, a pot of roasted lamb with green beans, and a serving of beef ribs with red wine…” Hagrid pointed at the menu with his thick fingers. “Then I’d like a butterbeer and two cups of pumpkin juice for these two gentlemen.”

"Oh right, and I'll also have a serving of your tuna mashed potatoes and seaweed soup."

"And pumpkin bread and lemon-fried cod..."

In the blink of an eye, Hagrid had ordered five or six dishes, all of which he paid for himself.

"Hmm... another order of fried pig's trotters, please." Hagrid said, handing the menu back to the waiter.

Given Hagrid's half-giant height, Harry and Tyrell didn't think there was anything wrong with him ordering so much food.

But when the waiter brought the food to the table, Tyella and Harry realized they were wrong, terribly wrong.

Perhaps because food is readily available in the magical world, the lamb served on the table was in a large 30x30 iron pot, there were ten beef ribs, each as thick as Harry's forearm, the whole roasted chicken was bigger than a turkey, the fried pig's trotters were as big as Hagrid's head, and the tuna mashed potatoes were piled up in the center of the table like a small mountain.

Even with Hagrid's enormous size, Harry and Tyella doubted whether he could finish the meal.

But they were clearly overthinking it.

While Harry and Tyrell were almost finished eating, Hagrid started gnawing on a large pig's trotter and a roast chicken, using both hands.

Clearly, Hagrid had eaten like this at the Leaky Cauldron more than once or twice, and the passing wizards, waiters, and bar owner were all used to it.

"Let's go, Harry, Tyella. Sorry to keep you waiting." Hagrid said, tossing down a Galleon and a five-cornered ox.

Compared to the Muggle world, food is much easier to obtain in the magical world.

Therefore, prices are relatively cheap.

"Come on, I'm thinking of buying you guys a birthday present. Hmm... Tierra, your birthday was over a month ago, but it's not too late to give you one now." With that, Hagrid excitedly led Tierra and Harry into the dark Eeyore Owl Shop.

“Owls, toads, bats, and lizards… what kind of pet do you want? I know the owner well, he can give me the best deal.” Hagrid puffed out his chest proudly.

"Ha, Hagrid...you've come!" Through his fluttering wings and jewel-like sparkling eyes, the owner of the Eeyore Owl Shop spotted Hagrid immediately.

Then his eyes turned to Harry, who was following behind Hagrid.

"I heard from that old drunkard Ravendy that you brought Harry Potter here today to buy things for his school. This must be the one!"

The owner of the Eeyore Owl Shop, a gentle but gruff-voiced middle-aged woman, half-ran and half-walked over Hagrid, grabbed Harry's hand, and shook it vigorously.

"Young sir..."

“My name is Tiera Witch, madam,” Tiera said.

"Welcome!" The proprietress shook Tiera's hand firmly, leaving a white mark on Tiera's hand after she let go.

This woman's grip is really strong... Tiera quietly rubbed her right hand, which was sore from being gripped so tightly.

He saw Harry secretly doing the same thing.

"You must be a Muggle-born little wizard, right?" the landlady said with a grin. "Otherwise, your parents should be standing behind you instead of letting Hagrid, that animal fanatic who loves crossbreeding magical creatures, bring you two young kids to choose a pet."

“Hey, Delia, I didn’t mean that…” Hagrid growled anxiously. “Haha, alright Hagrid, I know you wouldn’t cause trouble in front of Harry.” Delia chuckled after saying that.

"You two kids can pick either pet, and I'll cover it, to celebrate our lovely little Harry finally stepping into the wizarding world."

“Go ahead, don’t be shy.” Hagrid’s large hand shoved Tyella and Harry from behind, pushing them into the Eeyore Owl Shop, which was filled with bird droppings, dust, and the cacophony of bird calls.

"This owl is named Clark, and it's a genuine wild owl..."

"This one is named Hedwig, a purebred snowy owl. Her parents came from Leningrad in the Soviet Union, but sadly they passed away last year..."

As Tierra and Harry walked, Delia described the owls in her shop in great detail.

After introducing the owl, Lady Delia led Harry and Tyella through three other small doors in the shop, all of which were rooms secured with the Invisible Extension Charm.

The first room is a rainforest area suitable for toads, pythons, lizards, chameleons, hornbills, and whip spiders.

Tyrell was enjoying the show, but Harry felt uneasy under the watchful eyes of those hiding behind the broad leaves, eyes that held a mixture of humanity and curiosity. It reminded him of the snake that Dudley had accidentally released on his birthday.

Does that snake also face such curious or scrutinizing gazes in the zoo?

The second room was a cave suitable for bats and mice, and it was extremely dark, which led Harry to choose a pet directly from the owl enclosure outside—

Just like in the original story, there was a pure white snowy owl named Hedwig.

Tyella followed Lady Delia into the second room, while Harry, too frightened, and Hagrid, too tall, chose to stay outside.

"It seems you're also interested in breeding magical creatures." Lady Delia watched as Tiera squatted on the ground, conducting some simple reaction tests on mice.

"It's alright." Still haunted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tiera didn't touch the bats. After playing with the rats for a while, Tiera followed Lady Delia into the last room.

“This one will do.” Tiera said, pointing to a raven standing on a wooden frame in the last enclosure, which was inhabited by common creatures such as ravens, chickens, geese, ducks, and dogs.

"Good eye," Delia praised, letting out a sharp cry from her throat.

Upon hearing the cry, all the ravens glanced toward the door where Tiera was, but only the one Tiera had just chosen fluttered its wings and landed on Lady Delia's arm.

Then, Delia spoke something to the raven in that sharp cry, and the raven flapped its wings and landed on Tiera's head.

“It’s yours now, give it a name,” Lady Delia said with a smile.

“Raven!” Tierra said. “Let’s call him Raven.”

“A raven named Raven.” Lady Delia chuckled. “Hmm, a very thoughtful young man.”

“Ravens don’t need cages; they are more attached to humans than owls,” said Lady Delia. “And they are smarter than owls.”

“Thank you, Lady Delia.” Tierra raised her hand, and Raven cleverly placed it on Tierra’s arm.

This raven appears to be a juvenile, only twenty centimeters long, with a little brown down on its body, making it look somewhat like an ordinary crow. Therefore, with Tiera's current strength, lifting Raven is not too difficult for her.

(End of this chapter)