Lucius was not an exceptionally powerful wizard, and he could not maintain a high state of vigilance at all times in Diagon Alley.
By the time he saw the fire, it was already too late to reach into his robe for his wand.
'Damn it, I've been ambushed!'
This was Lucius's last thought before being sent flying.
The crimson flames struck him square in the chest. Just before the fire engulfed him, a luxury bracelet inside Lucius's sleeve suddenly shattered, and a faint white light shimmered on the surface of his body.
The white light barely held for a moment before it shattered with a bang. The remaining flames, with undiminished momentum, slammed heavily into Lucius.
Like a kite with a broken string, Lucius flew backward and crashed into the partition wall between Eeylops Owl Emporium and Twilfitt and Tattings.
Thud!
His handsome face made intimate contact with the rough wall, and his slender body fell to the ground, the fire clinging to his expensive robes and burning fiercely.
The dull sound was like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of the onlookers. They glanced at each other with varying expressions.
"Noble pure-blood wizards." People had heard those words. Most present were half-bloods. Since pure-blood families were so noble, he surely had a way to put out the fire himself.
Malfoy, who had almost been hit, stood stunned and at a loss.
Lucius struggled to rise dizzily. His head had taken a heavy blow, and everything he saw was now double.
The searing pain constantly stimulated his nerves. Finally coming to his senses, Lucius scrambled to take off his robes, but the flames had already ignited his bright, smooth hair, and the smell of charred hair filled the air.
In his panic, he finally pulled out his wand, only to find that the impact had snapped it in half.
The spell to summon water was 'Aguamenti'. Lucius could have normally performed such a simple spell wandlessly, but the two impacts had left him lightheaded. Moreover, the gazes of the surrounding crowd felt like needles in his back; the more anxious he became, the less he could cast it.
At the same time, Malfoy suddenly felt his head getting hot. Turning to see his reflection in a glass window, he realized the magical flames had somehow ignited his hair gel. His golden hair was following in his father's footsteps.
"Help... Help!!!" Malfoy immediately panicked, slapping at the flames on his head and howling, "Someone help me, please help me!"
Hagrid, soft-hearted after all, chose to lend a hand in the face of Malfoy's plea.
But his wand had long been ordered broken by the Ministry. It was Dumbledore who had secretly used the Elder Wand to repair it, hiding it in his umbrella for him to carry, and cautioning Hagrid never to cast spells in front of outsiders.
Unable to cast spells, Hagrid could only use the most primitive method: physical slapping.
Placing the two snowy owls behind him, Hagrid swung his hands—the size of trash can lids—and pinned down the thrashing Malfoy with restrained force. Holding his stained sleeve, he repeatedly slapped Malfoy's poor head.
Malfoy could not bear the burden; his eyes rolled back, and he fainted blissfully.
Finally, a passerby couldn't stand it and stepped in, waving a wand to summon a stream of water over Malfoy's head. The latter was soaked through and woke up dizzily from the cold water, smelling a strange odor.
Hagrid's large, dirty hand was pressed against Malfoy's head, and the sleeve of his moleskin coat was covered in strange stains.
"Gag! Get your filthy hands off me!" Malfoy gagged and scrambled away from Hagrid.
"What's going on? Who's causing trouble here?" Two uniformed wizards rushed over. Seeing smoke rising from Lucius's head, they immediately threw a water ball at him.
Splash!
Cold water poured down from above. Lucius shuddered, and his intelligence regained the high ground.
"Can anyone explain what exactly happened?" The staff pulled out their wands to inquire, and everyone looked toward the wand shop in unison.
Makiya ran out at this moment, looking flustered and panicky.
Facing the inquiry from the Diagon Alley staff, he said stutteringly and incoherently, "I was buying a wand, and I don't know what happened. With a bang, the wand just sprayed fire, and then this gentleman..."
As he spoke, the wand in his hand emitted flames again. Seeming startled, the wand waved wildly, spraying fire in all directions.
People quickly dodged. Fortunately, the fire was far less powerful than the first time and didn't burn anyone.
An old hand reached out from behind Makiya, grabbed the wand, and pulled it from his hand.
"Calm down, stay calm," Ollivander comforted warmly. "It's normal for accidents to happen when young wizards try out wands."
The onlookers understood and began to chatter.
"So it was his first time buying a wand. My reaction was even bigger than his back then."
"Really?"
"Why would I lie? When I waved my wand, a bolt of lightning fell straight from the sky!"
"It must have been a coincidence."
"This kid is quite impressive."
"..."
People's glances toward Lucius contained hidden ridicule. To be made so miserable by the messy magic of a young wizard trying a wand—this person was really weak.
Some in the crowd also recognized Lucius, knowing his true level and wealth, and their eyes were full of amazement when looking at Makiya.
Although it was a successful sneak attack, this kid had some skill.
Lucius's face was dark. He silently tucked the bracelet fragments into his pocket. He was ninety-nine percent sure that Makiya had done it on purpose.
But this brat acted so well that even Ollivander was fooled. That old, senile fool was still constantly comforting that damn brat!
He had seen Harry Potter's figure and followed him all the way, intending to have his son make friends with Potter. Now it seemed he would have to wait for another day.
Seeing the two staff members approaching him, Lucius didn't want to stay and continue embarrassing himself. He cast a dark glance at Makiya, firmly etching his image into his heart.
If this had happened in a secluded place, Lucius wouldn't have minded letting this brat taste a Death Eater's methods. But now, under the watchful eyes of the public, as the leader of the Malfoy family—one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight—he couldn't bring himself to bicker with a child.
But this wasn't over!
With a cold snort, Lucius grabbed Malfoy by the back of his collar, hoisted his son up, pushed through the crowd, and quickly disappeared at the end of the alley.
"Hey sir, please wait, let me compensate you for your... coat..."
Makiya shouted at Lucius's retreating back. The latter had no intention of stopping and quickened his pace.
He turned to look at Ollivander. The old man gave him a secret wink, and the two smiled at each other.
At that moment, little Harry poked his head out from inside the door and peered around. His bangs slid to the side as his head tilted, revealing a conspicuous lightning-shaped scar.
"Is that... Harry Potter?"
"It's Mr. Potter!"
"Harry, I'm your fan!!!"
Someone with sharp eyes recognized Harry's identity and immediately shouted, drawing everyone's attention.
The crowd was stunned for a second before surrounding him. The two staff members couldn't stop them; they took off their coats and joined the crowd of fans.
"Let's get out of here!"
Hagrid saw things were going south. He grabbed the two birdcages and the bundles of miscellaneous items in one hand, and with his other arm, he directly scooped Makiya and Harry into his embrace. His burly body pushed through the crowd as he jogged away from the wand shop.
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