Strictly speaking, the Old Wizard wasn't poor. His suitcase, expanded with the Undetectable Extension Charm, was packed with all kinds of books and Potion Ingredients, things money couldn't buy.
Like Hagrid, who was standing right in front of him, he didn't seem to have much need for money. To them, the greatest value of these materials lay in the materials themselves.
But Anton was different.
Without money, he didn't even have a place to live. If he slept on the streets with a suitcase like this, he'd probably wake up without his kidneys.
Besides, after two months of eating noodles and steamed buns, he was nearly sick of them.
He needed nutritious food, or he might end up short.
Potion Ingredients weren't edible, and there was no way to exchange them for money, either. Diagon Alley wouldn't buy these ingredients, and while Knockturn Alley would, there was no guarantee they'd actually pay.
Snape might be the only buyer Anton could find.
"I need to know where you got it." Snape's face was utterly expressionless.
There was hope!
Anton hurried back, set down the suitcase, and placed the glass bottle on the table. "I killed it myself."
Snape looked unconvinced. "A Moonlight Turtle is a XXXX-rated Magical Creature. You?"
Ps: According to the Ministry of Magic's regulations on dangerous creatures, a 4X rating meant that a capable wizard could handle it. Examples included Dumbledore's Phoenix, Newt's Swooping Evil, and the Thestrals that pulled the carriages at Hogwarts.
He looked Anton up and down and shook his head.
People said you couldn't judge a book by its cover, but a wizard's Magical Power still grew according to scientific principles. A child like Anton simply couldn't possibly have hunted a Moonlight Turtle.
"I have my ways," Anton replied. Seeing that Snape didn't believe him, he hesitated, then moved closer and explained in a low voice, "Moonlight Turtles live in freshwater lakes, but they have to return to the ocean to lay their eggs. The young swim back up the rivers to the lakes."
"If you adjust the salt concentration to imitate seawater, it'll feel as if it's returned to its mother's embrace. It sleeps especially peacefully in there."
Anton wasn't lying. He really had cut off this Turtle Brain himself.
The price was that even though the Old Wizard had used a spell to pin the Moonlight Turtle down, one of the spikes on its shell had still pierced his chest.
The thickest part was as wide as a water bottle. It had stabbed in through his chest and come out through his back.
Even though the Old Wizard's healing potion was miraculous, Anton still spent eight days in bed, nearly biting his tongue off and killing himself each day as the lingering poison tormented him.
Snape raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised. "That's a good idea."
"500 Gold Galleons!" Anton thrust his little hand high in the air, fingers spread wide as he shoved it in Snape's face. "For just 500 Gold Galleons, you can take it home!"
Snape's mouth twitched. He was tempted; the price was actually quite reasonable. Even though he had a steady supply of Potions, Turtle Brain like this was a rare find.
But,
he didn't have that much money on him.
Normal people didn't carry so many Gold Galleons around. Never mind the weight and bulk of 500 metal coins; they simply had no need for that much money for their daily expenses.
A jar of ordinary Dragon Liver cost only 3 Galleons, and an ordinary Wand cost only 7. Even expensive spellbooks, like advanced Potions textbooks, cost only 9 Galleons.
A 500-Galleon purchase was usually for extremely high-end magical items and ingredients, such as a suit of armor made by Goblins or five pints of Acromantula venom.
Ps: Five pints was about 2.8 liters, the size of a large soda bottle.
At the mention of Acromantula venom, Snape couldn't help glancing over at Hagrid.
Some time ago, this Keeper of the Forbidden Forest had brought him a huge bucket of venom and excitedly told him that the Acromantula's children in the forest were all healthy.
"I have it! I have it!" Hagrid's eyes lit up. He looked at Snape hopefully. "Professor, help me out."
Snape nodded, agreeing to the matter the two of them had just been arguing about.
"Ah-ha!" Hagrid exclaimed happily. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch. Coins jingled inside.
He shoved it into Anton's arms. "Was it six hundred or seven hundred Galleons?"
He shook his big head and waved his hand. "Either way, it's enough!"
Then, grinning from ear to ear, he grabbed Snape. "Come on, let's go."
What a legend!
Anton opened the dirty pouch and peeked inside. It was so golden and bright, it nearly blinded him.
He looked up. At that moment, Snape was nowhere to be seen. In Anton's eyes, Hagrid seemed to be glowing all over with golden light.
Seeing that the two were about to leave, Anton hurriedly called out to Hagrid.
"Hagrid, I know where to find some cute, furry little animals. Maybe I could write you a letter?"
Hagrid was clearly delighted. He nodded vigorously. "You must write to me!"
Then, unable to wait another moment, he dragged Snape away.
Anton happily tucked a few Galleons into his pocket, then tied the pouch back up and stuffed it into the suitcase.
With this much money, he could go anywhere!
Ha ha!
He'd barely looked up when he noticed that a lot of people in the pub were staring at him.
"!!!"
This was bad, this was really bad. He was done for.
They'd set their sights on him!
Some of them had even stood up.
Just then, a heavy thump came from the pub counter. The owner, Old Tom, had a deeply wrinkled face that looked quite fierce. "No one starts a fight in my pub!"
The man thought it over, then sat back down, still staring intently at Anton.
Anton grinned. He wasn't afraid. He gently placed a Galleon on the counter. "Get me a room and some food. I want meat."
He patted his stomach. "Please make it a double portion!"
Old Tom smiled as he picked up a lamp. "Room eleven. Follow me."
They walked down a narrow, dark passage. A handsome wooden staircase led from the pub to the rooms upstairs. They reached a room with a brass plaque marked eleven beside the door.
Old Tom opened the door. Unlike the dim hallway, the room's window was open, sunlight streaming in as a gentle breeze drifted through.
Anton walked over to the window. He could even see the bustling ordinary streets of Charing Cross Road in London.
Cars drove by; girls carried shopping bags; children ran around.
For a hotel so close to the street that you could hear the cars and smell the exhaust at any moment, it was considered a pretty terrible place by Muggle standards.
Yet Anton inhaled deeply, his face full of fascination.
It smelled familiar.
In the two months since he'd crossed over, he'd followed the Old Wizard through the outskirts of cities, all kinds of ramshackle settlements, and desolate forests and caves. He'd nearly thought he'd been transported to medieval Europe.
His eyes narrowed slightly. Suddenly, he felt an urge to return to the Muggle World and live there. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
In his previous life, he'd been an ordinary code monkey. Perhaps in this era, he could become a well-known programming guru.
"Not bad, is it? I'll go get you something to eat." Old Tom interrupted his daydreaming and walked back out with the lamp.
Anton nodded and looked around the room.
There was a bed that looked very comfortable, several pieces of polished Oak furniture, and a fire crackling in the hearth.
There was a fairly large washroom. He walked inside, and the mirror on the wall greeted him warmly. "You look filthy. Maybe you ought to wash up."
Anton looked at himself in the mirror. His bright red hair gleamed with a platinum sheen, giving him a strangely peculiar appearance. His small frame made him look about ten years old, and he was wearing a Wizarding Robe that was far too big for him.
He smiled at the mirror. "Tell me, even mirrors can talk here. Wouldn't it be a waste of life not to see this wonderful world, and instead go back and sit hunched over a computer, writing code?"
The mirror swayed against the wall. "I'd like to go traveling too, and see the world."
Before you continue