School Starts Soon~

School starts soon~ Ted used Pound Sterling to buy some underwear, daily necessities, notebooks, fountain pens, ink, and other things in the Muggle world.

He also bought Anzu some White Mice, locusts, crickets, and other bugs as snacks.

At first, Anzu could only eat mealworms, but now mealworms were not even enough to fill the gaps between its teeth. It had started eating big bugs and White Mice!

Its beak could crack a White Mouse's skull in one peck, then it would pin it down with its claws, tear it into pieces, and swallow them.

A top-tier member of the corvid family, with astonishing combat prowess.

Ted returned to Diagon Alley and took his cash to Gringotts.

"Sir, I'd like to exchange this for gold Galleons," he said, craning his neck toward the Old Goblin behind the tall counter.

The Old Goblin coldly adjusted his glasses and examined Ted closely. "Did you bring your acceptance letter?"

Ted handed over the letter.

The Old Goblin inspected it carefully before returning it. "The annual limit is fifty Galleons. How much do you wish to exchange?"

"What's the exchange rate?" Ted asked.

"Five pounds for one Galleon."

Ted counted out 250 pounds and handed them to the goblin.

The Old Goblin seemed quite surprised. He probably had not expected this boy in secondhand robes to produce so much money. Still, having seen plenty in his time, he said nothing and exchanged it for a bag of Galleons.

After leaving Gringotts, Ted weighed the money pouch in his hand, a smile appearing on his face.

It looked like he would not need another loan next year, and he could even try to pay back this year's loan.

No debt, no worries~...

The day Hogwarts began was drawing closer and closer.

Ted had never looked forward to school this much.

The anxious feeling was like sitting on a train to visit a long-distance girlfriend—impatient and unbearably restless.

What? I don't have a girlfriend! Oh, never mind. Pretend I didn't say that.

With the start of term approaching, the crowds in Diagon Alley had clearly grown much larger.

Many wizarding parents were bringing their children to Diagon Alley to buy the necessities for school.

Places like Flourish and Blotts and Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions were almost never without customers all day.

Ted's work became much busier as well.

A few days before school started, Ted was sorting books at Flourish and Blotts.

Then he suddenly heard a voice. "Dad! It's that, that little magician who sings! And his Raven!"

Ted followed the voice and saw a father and daughter entering the bookstore. They were actually his "regular customers"! ...He had not expected London to be so small!

Ted took the initiative to greet them. "Hello, I'm Ted Epiphany, a Little Wizard starting school this year. Thank you for enjoying my performance."

The man extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Chris Granger, a dentist. You know what dentists do, right?"

Granger?! He had not expected him to be one of the golden trio.

Without changing expression, Ted shook Mr. Granger's hand. "Oh, of course. Though I'd rather not know what dentists do. I'm terrified of dentists." He looked exactly like a young patient about to sit in a dental chair.

Ted amused Mr. Granger, who laughed heartily. "Hahaha, haha, cough cough~ Sorry, I didn't expect Little Wizards to be so humorous too."

He pointed to the little girl beside him. "This is my daughter, Hermione Granger. She's also a Little Wizard starting school this year. She insisted on buying a few more books, so we came again."

Ted: I guessed as much. I should have recognized Miss Beaver from those little buck teeth!

Hermione was not Black. This world had not drifted into the unacceptable.

"Hello, Hermione. If you need any books, just tell me. I work here part-time, so I can help you find them..." he said.

Hermione had already admired this boy who could sing, play guitar, perform magic tricks, and had an obedient Raven. When she learned that Ted had spent the two months before school started working in Diagon Alley and studying magic, she was utterly impressed, her eyes widening.

Working at a magical shop in Diagon Alley! She looked at Mr. Granger.

Mr. Granger quickly waved his hands. "Oh, no. Hermione, think about your mother. She wouldn't agree."

He and Mrs. Granger had already been reluctant to send their daughter to a boarding magic school. How could they possibly let Hermione spend their brief remaining time together before school working?

He did not say it outright because he was afraid of upsetting Ted.

Unlike Hermione, Mr. Granger cared more about Ted's status as an orphan.

His independence and diligence were probably inseparable from that.

Such a child was both heartbreaking and admirable.

Ted spoke to the clerk, saying he was going to show his "friends" around Diagon Alley.

Ted introduced the father and daughter to the goods and styles of the various shops, telling them a few interesting stories.

Mr. Granger listened with great interest, while Hermione asked Ted many questions about self-studying magic.

She had finally found someone with whom she could discuss magic.

"This is Giggs & Giggs Pharmacy. Their potion ingredients are genuine and fairly priced. Mr. Giggs is a good man; he gave me my first part-time job..."

"If you ever want a pet, the Magical Creature Pet Shop is the best choice. The animals here are magical creatures. They're stronger, smarter, and make excellent companions. I help clean up here and take care of their meals..."

In the end, Mr. Granger decided to buy Hermione an Owl.

Hermione had not wanted an Owl at first. She felt that caring for one might affect her study time.

But Ted told her about Owls—Owls were actually very easy to care for and hardly required any attention at all.

Besides, if Hermione wanted to write to Ted after going home to discuss studying magic, she needed an Owl.

Mr. Granger also hoped that his daughter would write home often after starting school.

At Eeylops Owl Emporium, Hermione finally chose a Long-eared Owl with two "ears" on its head and lovely markings. She named it Magic, meaning "magic."

In Great Britain, dentists earned a very high income, considerably more than ordinary doctors.

Considering how much British people loved sweets, there was especially great demand for dentists.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger were dentists and owned their own dental clinic. Those declining Pure-blood families in the Magical World might not even be as wealthy as Hermione's family.

Finally, Ted had a drink with Mr. Granger and Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron.

Naturally, he and Hermione drank Butterbeer. Mr. Granger, who had to drive and was also curious about Butterbeer, ordered a "children's drink" as well. He could not praise it enough.

Time passed quickly, and those final days slipped quietly through his fingers.

Over those days, Ted quit his part-time jobs and peacefully studied and researched magic in his little storage room at the Leaky Cauldron.

Just after seeing off Mr. Granger and Hermione, Ted's research into Mind Power made some progress.

He had mastered a special "ability"! Everyone had probably experienced it before: when doing something they particularly enjoyed, they could become exceptionally focused, free of distractions, unwilling to be disturbed.

They forgot time, hunger, thirst, and sorrow, becoming completely immersed and entering a state of self-forgetfulness.

The process came with an intense sense of excitement and fulfillment.

For example, when playing a game they especially loved, they might come to their senses only to find that several hours had passed.

Ted had mastered this mental state, known by Muggle psychologists as the Flow State.

He could use the Flow State to completely immerse himself in study and research. The powerful positive feedback greatly improved his learning efficiency.

Of course, this consumed mental energy, so Ted generally used it for no more than four hours a day to avoid harming himself.

Other than that, he corresponded with Hermione.

Hermione's Owl, Magic, certainly was not just sitting around eating for nothing. It made a round trip almost every day.

Ted could completely understand Hermione's curiosity and excitement about the Magical World.

He told Hermione about the customs and amusing incidents he encountered in Diagon Alley that differed from the Muggle world, and explained some of his own understanding of magic.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of August.

Anzu could now fly very high and very far. It had grown up. It even fought to deliver Hermione's letters.

Ted said, "Can you find Hermione? Are you really sure? It's not close, you know."

Anzu held its head high and puffed out its chest, spreading its wings in a chest-thumping gesture as it cried, "Easy! Easy! Caw caw~"

It had already learned a few words.

Ted tied the letter to its leg and watched it fly away.

In the letter, he arranged to meet Hermione on the train tomorrow.

Tomorrow was September 1st, the day Hogwarts started!

It had finally arrived! Thanks to reader "Qi Dao Sky" for the 1,500 reward! Thanks to reader "Qi One" for the 100 reward! Thank you~