Days at Hogwarts

Complete the Diagon Alley Parade quest in Chapter 9 to obtain beginner equipment: Wand x1

The two exchanged the pounds their parents had prepared for them for wizarding currency—Gallons, an amount Professor McGonagall had said was enough for their first year. They carried the money in two small cloth bags, one in Loren's hand and the other in Hermione's.

Loren was dizzy from calculating the detailed exchange rate between the two, and he wanted to smash the fairy's head with the abacus at the odd number with excellent prime carry-over.

The two of them, feeling drowsy, followed Professor McGonagall to Madam Malkin's Robe Shop to buy robes, and then walked a little further to buy stationery. Finally, they arrived at Flourish and Blotts, the bookstore Hermione had been longing to visit.

Professor McGonagall went to pack two sets of first-year textbooks, while Loren and Hermione looked through them.

The books here are not all the same size; some are as big as paving stones, while others are only the size of a postage stamp. Loren found it hard to imagine how they were mass-produced; some books even had warnings to prevent accidental contact.

Loren flipped through the list and selected a few: the sequels to Standard Spells, Curses and Anti-Curses, Wandering with Werewolves, and Alchemy: From Beginner to Expert. He decided to stop there, unsure if he could finish reading them all.

Hermione selected a large number of books that could help her understand the wizarding world and Hogwarts, including "Important Magical Events of the Twentieth Century," "A History of Modern Magic," "The Rise and Fall of Dark Magic," and "Hogwarts: A History of the School."

Loren felt his hair was about to fall off just looking at the title of this book, and after glancing at Hermione's thick curly hair, he dared not speak too loudly.

Hermione noticed something was off about Loren's gaze, glanced at the books he had chosen, frowned slightly, and advised, "We should learn about the magical world first so we can better adapt and integrate. I think these books are excellent preschool readers, especially for Muggle families like ours."

Seeing that Loren remained unmoved, he added, "The books you chose don't seem suitable for newly enrolled students. We should learn more before delving deeper into their studies..."

Loren didn't even have time to reply. He was getting a headache watching Hermione's incessant chatter, but Hermione was genuinely concerned.

Loren decided to be more tactful: "Let's choose different books. You can read them and then lend them to me. That way, we can save some money to buy more books."

Hermione was convinced: "Then let's communicate by letter."

"OK!"

The atmosphere became more harmonious, and the two were eager to try their luck with the books marked as dangerous, but they chickened out after seeing a guest being chased and bitten by a book.

After buying the crucible, we strolled along the street.

Passing by the pharmacy, I saw expensive materials inside, including a horn made from a bison horn that cost 21 Galleons and venom from an eight-eyed giant spider that cost 100 Galleons.

Loren believed that by building a good relationship with Hagrid at Hogwarts, he would never lack money.

Continuing on, we finally arrived at Ollivander's Wand Shop, the equipment shop in the wizarding world's beginner village.

This is a small, run-down shop, with the gold lettering on the door already peeling off. Inside is a tiny shop area with rows of benches and thousands of cardboard boxes that almost reach the ceiling.

Ollivander was an old man with silver-white eyes, like the moon. Loren saw him walk slowly over, greet Professor McGonagall, and then look at himself and Hermione.

The old man circled Loren and Hermione a few times before finally fixing his gaze on Hermione.

"Oh, such distinctive qualities, almost overflowing."

"Extraordinary foresight, keen insight, and a touch of madness amidst inner turmoil."

"Come here, little girl, your wand is itching to come."

Hermione's eyes showed a hint of fear, but she still took a step toward the pile of cardboard boxes as Ollivander had instructed.

As she stepped forward, a small box began to tremble incessantly. Ollivander reached out, and the box flew straight into his hand.

Ollivander opened the box and took out a wand: "Oh, ten and three-quarters inches, grapevine wood in harmony with dragon nerves."

"The dragon's nerves will allow you to learn magic more quickly. Grapevine wood was used by the Celts to represent the tenth tree moon. The owners of wands made of this material always have lofty goals and will achieve extraordinary results, although the process will be somewhat arduous. This wand already reacted strongly when you first came in, so we can skip some steps."

Hermione took the wand, and a warm, soft light emanated from its tip, causing the little witch to break into a bright smile.

"I knew it would be like this. Remember, it is the wand that chooses the wizard, not the wizard that chooses the wand." Ollivander seemed quite satisfied.

When it was Loren's turn, Ollivander took out a long measuring tape with silver markings from his pocket, asked Loren what hand he usually used, and began to take measurements.

From shoulder to fingertips, from wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and even head circumference. The measurement is explained as it is taken:

"Olivendell has been making wands since 382 BC. Through the efforts of generations, we have finally identified three super-powerful magical materials: unicorn hair, phoenix tail feathers, and dragon nerve. They possess stable and unique properties, fundamentally different from those haphazard wands out there."

As he spoke, Ollivander released his hands, but the measuring tape was still measuring Loren. After Ollivander brought over a pile of long cardboard boxes, the measuring tape automatically fell to the ground and rolled into a ball.

Hermione stared at the measuring tape with sparkling eyes.

"Try this maple one, unicorn hair one, seven inches long." Ollivander handed over a wand.

Loren took the wand, but before he could even raise it, Ollivander snatched it back.

This happened twice more. Loren squinted. Damn it, why did that woman get it all in one go, while I have to suffer like this?

Professor McGonagall waited patiently, while Hermione was somewhat worried. Although her new friend had a rather unpleasant personality, she still hoped that the two of them could enroll at Hogwarts together.

Finally, Ollivander turned his back and took out another black wand.

"Oh, applewood, phoenix tail feathers, exactly ten inches."

Loren gripped his wand, a sense of peace settling over him. He waved the wand, and a gentle breeze swept through the entire shop.

Both men smiled with satisfaction, and Ollivander continued, "Applewood is suitable for wizards with lofty ideals; they are always good at dueling and generally live very long lives. Phoenix tail feathers are very picky; they are always very individualistic, but when they meet a master they approve of, they will unleash extraordinary potential."

Each wand cost 7 Galleons. After paying, the group browsed around a bit more. Loren bought a spectacled owl to deliver messages. It looked a little silly, but Loren thought it was very cute.

On the way back, Professor McGonagall repeatedly stopped the two from waving their wands recklessly. She warned them that magic was a dangerous thing, and that they should not use spells other than those marked as safe at home. Someone had once mispronounced a spell and summoned a bison standing on their chest. They would learn how to cast spells correctly after enrolling.

It's uncertain how much of what they heard was actually taken in.

"Remember to write to me!" Hermione waved and skipped towards her parents, eager to share her day's events.

Loren experienced once again the feeling of being squeezed out of a rubber tube. After getting his ticket and saying goodbye to Professor McGonagall again, watching her disappear with a "pop," Loren realized that being a professor at Hogwarts wasn't so easy after all.

When he got home, he realized that he had forgotten to ask Professor McGonagall why he could see Apparitions, while other young wizards couldn't detect the landing point. What was that extraordinary talent?

However, Loren didn't dwell on it too much. After all, there was still a long road ahead, and magic was even more surprising than he had imagined.

(End of this chapter)