102: Werewolf Community
John paid for the ice cream.
'Hmm.. Maybe I should exchange some money?'
Looking at the few British pounds in his hand, John felt he might have been too focused on the magical world.
The great Johnny Silverhand had almost been unable to pay just now.
In July, John returned to Privet Drive.
He stopped by to knock on the Dursleys' door.
When Vernon Dursley saw John, he was furious but didn't dare say anything.
Dudley quickly hid, frightened. John acted as if he didn't notice and handed Vernon the large watermelon he had bought.
"Is Harry upstairs? Sorry to bother you."
John's polite manner left no room for complaint, so Uncle Vernon could only grumble, "Yes, he's upstairs."
Vernon's beady eyes stared at John, seemingly wondering when he could get rid of him.
After John's previous threats, the Dursleys had stopped mistreating Harry.
Although they still occasionally said a few things, they no longer dared to lock him up.
John walked upstairs and heard some low murmuring.
Harry was writing a paper on the history of magic when John knocked and entered.
Harry was pleasantly surprised to see John. He had tried to visit John, but unfortunately, Sir Johnny Silverhand was busy in Knockturn Alley at that time.
"Harry, want some ice cream?"
"John!"
John took out an ice cream, neatly packed in a box, from his small bag.
"Stop shouting and eat before it melts."
Harry, a bit bewildered, accepted it and asked, "Did.. did you come just to bring me ice cream?"
"Of course... not." John rolled his eyes. Did he look like a food delivery guy?
With a casual wave of his hand, the open door closed by itself.
Harry's eyes widened when he saw this trick. Although he knew there was some gap between him and John, he hadn't expected it to be this vast.
While he was still learning how to cast spells with a wand, John could already perform wandless magic.
Coming up to Harry, John pulled out a pair of gloves from his small bag and put them on.
"What are you doing?" Harry couldn't help but ask, seeing John's serious demeanor.
John replied, "Last time you mentioned your scar was hurting. I want to investigate it."
While others might not know, John was well aware.
As the seventh Horcrux, Harry had a piece of Voldemort's soul inadvertently split within him.
John had seen quite a few books on the subject of souls in the Slytherin and Gryffindor chambers. The soul is an extremely complex entity.
During the era of the Four Founders, wizards had various fields of study.
Researching souls wasn't considered unusual back then. However, nowadays, anything related to souls has become taboo.
Many studies involving the soul are now deemed illegal, so with such a rare and interesting subject at hand, John naturally wouldn't let the opportunity pass, would he?
Fully prepared, he donned his anti-curse magical gloves and reached out to touch Harry's scar.
The scene was somewhat comical, with Harry looking like a scared kitten.
In his view, John was overly enthusiastic. He had only casually mentioned it once, but John remembered it to this day.
While eating his ice cream, Harry let John fiddle with his scar.
After a bit of examining, John confirmed there was indeed a very powerful spell present within it.
Rather than calling it a spell, it would be more accurate to describe it as a curse.
'Because of 'love', perhaps.'
John fell into deep thought.
As the greatest miracle of this century, the protective charm of 'love' on Harry was something even Voldemort couldn't break.
This charm would always protect Harry, as even being possessed by Quirrell resulted in him getting burned just by touching him.
"John, are you done yet?"
Seeing John deep in thought, Harry didn't dare move. The ice cream in his hand was almost melting.
"If I could just cut it open..."
Hearing John's mutterings, "W.. What!" Harry broke into a cold sweat and quickly said, "C..Calm down, John, I'm not a guinea pig."
"Alright."
John looked a bit disappointed. If he could study the structure of a Horcrux, he might have a way to deal with Voldemort.
"If it hurts again, let me know."
Knowing that Harry's pain was connected to Voldemort, John reminded him with concern.
Harry nodded like a chicken, worried that John might once again want to cut him open.
...
After returning home, John began working on forging a new weapon.
For this, he set up quite a bit of equipment, melting down one silver sickle after another mixed with mithril.
A sword made of pure silver floated in the basement.
"The currency of the wizarding world is forged by goblins, and it contains the unique magical ripples of goblin forging."
John manipulated the molten silver, adding various metals to it.
After some time, the blade cooled down, and John began to polish it.
He took out dragon blood and started engraving runes on the blade.
"The Sword of Iron Wick was corroded by Basilisk venom. After reforging it, this sword now carries that venom... Noice!"
The Sword of Iron Wick had already been dismantled by John, and its materials were incorporated into this new sword.
This increased the weight of the blade significantly.
After re-inscribing the enchantments on the sword, John ignited a flame.
Under the high heat, the silver sword showed no signs of melting.
This meant John's sword was a success!
Swoosh! Swoosh!
"Hmm.."
"Although it's not as good as the Sword of Gryffindor, it's still a magical artifact."
He swung it a few times, leaving some space on the blade for later additions of more enchantments.
This sword could now be considered an upgraded version of the Sword of Iron Wick in every aspect.
"I'll call you SilverWick."
Satisfied, John nodded and placed the SilverWick into his small bag.
This small bag truly lived up to its reputation as a creation of an alchemy master. The Undetectable Extension Charm inside was stable, and the space was very large.
...
At night.
John put on a silver mask and donned a green robe.
With a wave of his wand, John's body vanished and reappeared in Knockturn Alley.
Apparition had made John's comings and goings much easier.
Tommy Shelby was already waiting there, accompanied by a hunched old man.
With a crack, John appeared in front of them.
The old man trembled with excitement, attempting to kneel.
John glanced at Tommy, who explained, "Master, this is Old Jack from the werewolf community. He has come here seeking your help."
'Werewolf community?'
Wasn't Fenrir, the one whose arms' souls John extracted last time, the leader of the werewolf community?
John spoke in a deep voice, "State your request."
Old Jack's voice was hoarse as he said, "Honorable Mr.—No! Lord Silverhand, we seek your protection. With Fenrir gone, the werewolves have scattered, leaving only the weak and elderly among us."
It turned out that after John dealt with Fenrir that day, the werewolves in the community fled in all directions.
They were all individuals with blood on their hands, and if they were caught, they would only end up in the company of Dementors.
Old Jack and the others, the weak and elderly, were the lowest tier of the werewolf community. Without protection, they were now at risk of being exterminated by dark wizards.
With no other choice, they had to seek help from the one who started it all.
After listening to Old Jack, John first turned to Shelby to confirm the truth of the situation.
"Master, Old Jack's group consists of frail werewolves. They don't have the strength to kill a wizard," Tommy explained.
Hearing this, John nodded. He looked at the nervous Old Jack and said calmly, "I accept your plea for help. In return, I need you to manage the werewolf community well."
Werewolves were a formidable force, and currently, the werewolf community was filled with many young werewolves bitten by Fenrir.
If John could guide them properly, they would become a powerful force in the future.
Old Jack was overwhelmed with gratitude. He stammered, "Thank you so much, Lord Silverhand. May Merlin bless you."
A few days later, the body of a dark wizard was thrown out from the werewolf community.
The symbol of Silverhand Johnny rose above the werewolf community, causing those dark wizards to flee like startled birds.
Not only that, but John also provided the community with a monthly supply of Wolfsbane Potion to help the young werewolves avoid the pain of the full moon.
This move once again boosted Silverhand Johnny's reputation.
Even "The Daily Prophet" sought an exclusive interview with him, conducted by none other than Rita Skeeter.
"Hi, Miss Skeeter~ I hope there won't be any strange interpretations," John remarked.
John glanced at Rita, causing her to shiver in fear.
"Y-Yes Sir Silverhand!" She quickly nodded and promised to write a proper article.
An article titled "The Great Philanthropist Sir Silverhand Johnny" was published in the newspaper.
It stated that Silverhand Johnny's wish was for world peace and for all young wizards to never experience hunger again.
Rumor has it that Rita even suggested to the editor-in-chief that Sir Silverhand should receive a "Philanthropist of the Year" award, but the editor-in-chief refused.
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