He met up with Mr. Weasley. They put their purchases in the car, and then Mr. Weasley started the engine, driving Weilan to the orphanage that had taken him in.
St. Catherine's Children's Home, located in an old brick building in East London. After the tide of industrialization receded, most of the people here hovered on the brink of poverty.
Weilan had personally witnessed many children who grew up at St. Catherine's Children's Home drink, smoke, and fight. They were either sent to be apprentices, overworking their health with repetitive manual labor just to barely survive, or they were forcibly expelled from the orphanage on their 18th birthday, quietly disappearing among the homeless on the street corners.
Although there was no threat from Lord Voldemort, Weilan did not like this place.
For so many years, he had been self-disciplined, studious, and ambitious, all so that one day he could move out of this place and become self-reliant.
He did not have the ability to save these orphans; he only wanted to save himself first.
All the items Weilan needed to pack here were just a few donated clothes, stationery, and a few inherited magic books.
As for money… his future housing savings were stored at Gringotts, and some money for daily expenses was carried with him.
After all, he dared not leave the money he had painstakingly earned in the Wizarding World in this place with an alarmingly high crime rate.
Ignoring the musty smell in the air and the tattooed girl leaning against the railing, puffing smoke, he sat back in Mr. Weasley's flying car.
The next stop was St. Mungo's Hospital.
Before getting out of the car, Weilan counted all the wealth he had left on him—a total of 26 sickles and 32 knuts.
Based on Weilan's business experience, if an ordinary Hogwarts student wanted to open a detective agency and achieve profitability as soon as possible, then appropriate early-stage promotional investment was essential.
This small budget was clearly very tight, but Weilan still hoped to buy a gift for the patient he was about to visit—even if the gift was not expensive.
There were people selling flowers in the lobby of St. Mungo's Hospital, and Weilan spent 10 knuts to buy a neatly bundled bouquet of purple lavender.
“Weilan Costa, I've heard about your deeds from James.”
In the ward, the real Lily lay on the hospital bed, smiling at Weilan:
“You bought James valuable time to escape, and then you stayed behind to bravely battle that evil Veela alone until you were rescued.”
Lily's face was sallow and her cheeks sunken, clearly not yet recovered from hunger and dehydration, but her smile was still heartwarming.
Encouraged, Weilan placed the lavender at Lily's bedside.
Lily took the opportunity to grasp Weilan's hand, her eyes full of concern:
“Weilan, you don't have to feel guilty about Harry. You've done everything you can, as for Harry…”
In the ward, the thin James sighed, Mr. Weasley shook his head repeatedly, and Weilan's head was bowed even lower.
“This must be said.”
Lily noticed the sudden somber atmosphere in the ward and bit her pale lips.
“I can't let this become an unresolved knot in a child's heart.”
With that, Lily opened her bedside drawer and pulled out a hand-knitted red sweater.
“Thank you for the lavender, Weilan, I like it very much. This is a sweater I knitted, for you to wear in autumn and winter.”
“I heard from James that you are an orphan. Your financial situation isn't too good, and you need to earn money yourself… Summer is ending, you should wear more warm clothes.”
Weilan took the sweater, flattered.
Every stitch of the sweater was even, and it felt soft and warm in his hands.
It was not a mended old garment, nor was it someone else's hand-me-down clothes, but a new outfit specifically prepared for Weilan.
“Thank you, Mrs. Potter.”
Weilan's voice was hoarse, and tears faintly shimmered in his eyes.
After talking with Lily for a while, Weilan finished his visit and pulled James aside outside the ward:
“Mr. Potter, do you still remember? I told you, the last words that Veela said to me…”
James nodded solemnly:
“I remember, she said she would see you at Hogwarts again. What, are you scared…”
“I do have concerns in that regard.” Weilan stated his true intention, “So I'd like to borrow two things from you.”
“Tell me, if I have them.”
“The Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map.”
Because Harry in this timeline did not have to face the crisis from Lord Voldemort, the Invisibility Cloak was still kept by James, though Harry occasionally brought it to school to play.
The Marauder's Map was passed down from the Weasley brothers to Harry, but at the end of his third year, Weilan personally saw Harry bring it home.
“Alright.”
James had no objection:
“I will send these two items to you before the start of term. Please make sure to protect yourself, Weilan.”
“Also, I have a second matter.”
Weilan recounted the things Mrs. Stonfield had discussed with him.
“Those powders… Hiss, you'd best stay away from people who use those powders.”
James recalled the Dark Wizards at the Dark Wizard stronghold who were like walking corpses, the scattered powder packets, and the painful groans of those tormented by addiction.
So he sternly warned Weilan:
“Although these powders can temporarily enhance a Wizard's power, their use is accompanied by strong hallucinations, addiction, and physical debilitation. You must never touch this stuff, and even more so, stay away from people who have touched it.”
Seeing Weilan nod in assurance, James then confidently shared more information:
“When these powders first appeared at the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Magic's stance was strict prohibition; relevant bills were immediately sent for review after being proposed, and Aurors were organized to apprehend sellers and users.”
“It was at that time that I was assigned the task of eradicating a stronghold—the stronghold gathered a large number of Dark Wizards who used these powders.”
“Because the powders enhanced their power, we spent several months staking them out. Only after confirming all their members and possible escape routes did we move in to eradicate them.”
“But… after that, the discussion about prohibiting the powders gradually lost momentum within the Ministry of Magic, and the review progress of relevant bills also stalled.”
“I asked my superiors in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but they said the specific effects of the powders still needed observation, and they couldn't rashly impose a full ban before a detailed report came out…”
Weilan seamlessly continued:
“So, the regulation of this powder has also become more lenient?”
James nodded.
Weilan curled his lip in disgust:
“It seems Borgin and Burkes took advantage of this loophole, somehow got a batch of the stuff, and are openly selling it in Knockturn Alley, even hiring Hogwarts students to act as accomplices!”
“I don't know any more information.” James spread his palms regretfully, “I've taken a week of leave and will be staying at the hospital these days. You know, Lily needs care, and we also need to find a way to find an antidote for Harry.”
“But regarding the 'Circe' you mentioned, I have heard some things from my colleagues…”
“Eliudela Seersilien, she seems to have been a Veela active in the 11th century, and she still has considerable fame among Veela today.”
“If you are interested in this, you can continue to investigate in directions related to Veela.”
Weilan bowed deeply to James, expressing his gratitude:
“Thank you, Mr. Potter. There are students from various Wizarding families at Hogwarts, and I will try to inquire about information from them.”
“Let's keep in touch by letter. If I make any significant discoveries, I will inform you immediately!”
“Alright, let's keep in touch by letter, and be careful, Weilan.”