"These guys are seriously *this* broke?"
Dylan sat in Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, enjoying a cool, creamy sundae while checking the inventory of gold and silver items he'd swiped from those dark wizards.
"No wonder they're out robbing people all the time—they're flat broke! Can't they just do something legit to earn some cash so I can rob *them* instead?"
Dylan carefully counted it all up. He'd hit dozens of them in one go, but the total haul was a measly thousand-something Galleons.
"What a waste of my heartfelt speech," Dylan muttered, rolling his eyes to himself.
During the summer, when he'd gone raiding dark wizards in Knockturn Alley, each one had netted him at least a few hundred Galleons. Who'd have thought the ones here would be *this* poor?
Dylan let out a small sigh.
"What's up? You don't seem too thrilled," Florean Fortescue called from behind the counter, glancing over at him.
Right now, Dylan was the only customer in the shop.
"Nothing much. It's just that studying at the magical academy costs a fortune. There's always some material I need to buy, but I'm strapped for cash."
Fortescue blinked. "Oh, you're stressing about money? If you need it, I could sponsor you a bit. You can pay me back when you're older."
Dylan froze, caught off guard, and looked at Fortescue in surprise.
It hit him then—Florean was a descendant of Dexter Fortescue, a former Hogwarts headmaster. Running a big ice cream shop like this couldn't be easy. Business probably tanked in the winter, and once Hogwarts started, fewer little witches and wizards came by for treats. But from earlier chats with Florean, Dylan knew this place was fully owned—no renting like some other shopkeepers in Diagon Alley. Owning property in a goldmine like Diagon Alley meant the Fortescue family wasn't hurting for money.
So why would Florean want to sponsor *him*?
"Are you serious?" Dylan asked.
"Of course!" Florean tilted his head back and let out a hearty laugh, his chest rumbling slightly.
"Why would you sponsor me?" Dylan pressed.
"I'd love to help out a bright young wizard like you. Besides, I've got no use for all this money anyway," Florean said, folding a rag neatly.
Dylan tilted his head. "What, is it just you at home?"
Florean shook his head. "No, I've got a daughter. She went to Hogwarts too, but we're not exactly close. She used to live with her mom."
Dylan's eyes widened slightly. "You've got a daughter?"
Florean nodded. "Surprised? Heh, she's pretty independent. Even after her mom passed, she never asked me to cover her tuition."
Dylan hadn't known Florean had a daughter. His eyelashes fluttered as he struggled to find words, finally managing, "Has she graduated already?"
Florean raised an eyebrow, a proud smirk tugging at his lips as he puffed out his chest. "Yep, just graduated. She's already working at the Ministry of Magic as an Auror."
At the mention of Aurors, Dylan paused.
He vaguely recalled that among the dozens of people who'd come after him earlier, there'd been quite a few young women.
*Wait, did I accidentally beat up his daughter too?*
No, hold on—he hadn't even thrown a punch. It was just those clueless dark wizards who'd started swinging.
With that thought, Dylan relaxed and looked at Florean with a bright grin. "That's amazing! Straight out of school and into the Ministry as an Auror? Your daughter's seriously impressive."
He showered Florean with praise, then smoothly shifted gears. "So—how many Galleons are you willing to sponsor me with?"
"Maybe… ten thousand?" Florean mused, rubbing his chin.
"Only ten thousand?" Dylan clicked his tongue.
"*Only* ten thousand?" Florean's eyes widened.
Dylan coughed. "I mean, you're so generous! Offering a whole *ten thousand Galleons* to sponsor a stranger like me? That's incredible."
"It's just… the materials I need to buy? They start at *tens of thousands* of Galleons."
Fortescue's eyes nearly popped out. "*Tens of thousands*? To *start*?"
He seemed unsure if he'd heard right. "What kind of materials are you even buying? You could eat dragon liver with that kind of money and still not spend it all!"
Dylan corrected him. "Sir, dragon liver's only seventeen Sickles an ounce. One Galleon's more than enough."
Florean stared, speechless. After a long pause, he slowly asked, "So… do you still want it?"
Dylan nodded without hesitation. "If you're willing to sponsor me, even a small ten thousand Galleons shows how generous you are."
Florean: "…"
Why did it feel like he'd just paid up and gotten mocked in the process? But looking at Dylan's earnest face, he sighed. "No rush to pay me back. You can wait till after you graduate."
With that, he bent down, pulled a bulging coin pouch from behind the counter, and smiled at Dylan. "Here, take it."
Dylan flicked his wand, casting a Levitation Charm on the pouch. It floated over to him, and even with an Undetectable Extension Charm, he could feel its hefty weight as it landed in his hands.
Dylan grinned. "Thank you so much! It's not a ton, but it'll definitely help me out of a pinch."
Florean nodded helplessly. "I just wanted to see what it's like to spend money on kids. My daughter never asked me for a Knut, but…" He glanced at Dylan. "This doesn't feel as good as I thought it would."
Dylan's lashes flickered. He got it—his emotional support game wasn't quite there yet.
He jumped in right away. "Sir, you're like my personal money fairy! I was stressing about where to scrape together some cash for materials, and bam, you drop ten thousand Galleons on me. My future's looking bright now!"
"If I make it big someday, I'll bring you fresh Honeydukes candy every day—not the priciest stuff, though."
"Hahaha, you little rascal!" Florean burst out laughing, clearly amused.
Dylan tucked the pouch away, keeping both the money *and* the bag. He grabbed a napkin, wiped the cream from his lips, and stood up slowly.
"Seriously, I'll remember this. I'll repay you someday, sir."
Florean waved it off. "No need to make it a big deal. I don't have much use for all that money anyway—but this is all I can give you. I'm not *that* loaded."
Dylan smiled. "Ten thousand's already a lot. I can buy tons of materials with it. I'll head out now—you know my name, so if anything comes up, just write to me. I'd love to hear from you."
"Just listen, not help, huh?" Florean chuckled.
"No way!" Dylan grinned. "I'll catch you later, then. Professor McGonagall only gave me a day off, so I've got to head back today."
"Go on, then. I don't know what's up, but the Aurors are out in force again—way more than usual. Things feel off lately. It might not be safe to stick around. Get back to school."
Florean waved him off. "But before you go, don't forget to grab those materials you wanted. Just—steer clear of Knockturn Alley. It's probably a mess right now."
Dylan nodded lightly. "Don't worry, trouble won't find me. I've checked my fortune."
Florean looked a bit surprised as Dylan said goodbye and turned to leave.
Who'd have thought a trip for ice cream would score him a free sundae *and* ten thousand Galleons?
In today's wizarding world, ten thousand Galleons was no small sum. For an average wizard family, basic living expenses ran around two or three thousand Galleons—just enough to scrape by without starving.
Of course, if you wanted a nicer life, the sky was the limit on spending. Even a broom from Quality Quidditch Supplies—like the Nimbus 2000, not even the latest model—cost enough to feed a regular family for ages.
Dylan strolled through Diagon Alley, passing Aurors with stern faces searching everywhere. He didn't pay them much mind.
A few stopped him, seeing a kid on his own, and asked some basic questions. But once he explained Professor McGonagall had given him a pass to hit Gringotts and pick up experiment materials, they left him alone.
As he passed two Aurors, he overheard one say, "Vera nabbed a dark wizard—a woman. Apparently, she's a follower of that Carstairs guy."
"What, you mean Delphini, the one claiming to be a Lestrange? I heard she popped up after that 'Fool' character showed up last time. She's been spreading the name 'Fool Carstairs' everywhere, but the Lestrange family doesn't even acknowledge her."
"No clue about that. But with Carstairs showing up again, Vera said this woman came charging in, helping the dark wizards against us. She went hard—almost took out Linklater and the others."
"Tch, Vera's fresh out of school, but her magic's no joke. Give it a bit, and she'll probably be our boss."
"Who knows? Still, Carstairs slipped away again. I don't get it—how does he control so many people at once? It reminds me of…"
"Shh, don't say that name!"
The Aurors clammed up, and Dylan kept walking at a normal pace.
"Delphini?"
He hadn't read every Harry Potter story, but he vaguely recalled Delphini showing up later—something about targeting Harry Potter and Ginny's kid. That series had some controversy, though. A lot of fans didn't even count it as canon.
Because… this Delphini witch? She was supposedly Bellatrix and Voldemort's daughter.
Wait, so Voldemort really *did* have a girl?
"Timing-wise, if that's true, Delphini would've been born before Voldemort died, with Bellatrix. Bella's probably rotting in Azkaban now, right? So their daughter's out here, no parents, no supervision?"
And then she got hooked by his own alias, Carstairs, turning into his… fangirl?
Follower, I mean.
Tch!
Dylan wasn't sure how to feel about this—just plain weird.
"If it's just someone named Delphini, could be a coincidence. But claiming to be a Lestrange, rallying dark wizards under that name, and boosting *my* rep?"
Yeah, it's probably *that* Delphini.
"No wonder my 'Expand Carstairs' Influence' achievement's been popping off lately."
Dylan pursed his lips. "Did I accidentally lure her out early, only for the Ministry to snag her?"
He shrugged after a moment's thought. "Guess the Ministry can teach her a lesson now. Maybe Harry's kid won't get targeted down the line."
He'd done a good deed here! Harry owed him a thank-you for saving his son years ahead of schedule.
Sure, Delphini had attacked Aurors and nearly hurt someone, but from what those two said, she hadn't actually done any real damage. She'd probably just get locked up for a few days—not detained forever. She hadn't pulled off anything *that* heinous yet.
In this timeline, it was still her dad Voldemort stirring up trouble. No way the daughter could steal the spotlight.
So this was just a little side story. If Delphini followed the usual plot, she might still go after Harry's son eventually.
"Or maybe her dad isn't even Voldemort. Could just be Bellatrix's kid, and she's claiming he's the father?"
Now Dylan was curious.
Next time he ran into Voldemort—besides farming him for achievements—he'd have to ask about this juicy gossip.
He made it to a fireplace without a hitch, grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, and stepped into the green flames.
With a twist of space, he was back at Hogwarts—right in the Gryffindor common room.
It was still just afternoon.
As Dylan stepped out of the fireplace, he bumped into Neville, fresh from the greenhouses.
"Dylan, you're back from shopping?"
Dylan nodded. "Yep, got pretty much everything I needed."
Neville grinned. "You weren't here today, but the Weasleys nearly sold out of those amethyst things they made—everyone was scrambling to buy them!"
"Oh? Nice! Did they sell out?"
Neville nodded again. "Yeah, the amethysts are gone, but they had some wooden plaques or something too. Sold a bunch of those while they were at it."
Speak of the devil—Fred and George popped up right then. Spotting Dylan, their eyes lit up, and they bolted over.
"Dylan—"
"We need you!" "Need you bad!"
(End of Chapter)