Won't You Be Buried Alive?

Looking up at the rather unkempt shopfront, Tom nodded silently. Maybe it'll be clean inside? Like my orphanage, it looked run-down from the outside, but it was kept very tidy inside.

Raising an eyebrow and guessing the little one's thoughts, Dumbledore smiled, said nothing, and directly led the expectant cub into the Leaky Cauldron.

Tom lowered his head, the dirty, cramped bar stinging his eyes. The smell of alcohol permeating the air made him instinctively frown. "Professor Dumbledore... I forgot to tell you, I don't have... money for supplies... Can I work to offset tuition fees?"

Blinking, Dumbledore pushed up his glasses. Had he forgotten to tell young Tom that Hogwarts didn't charge tuition? Feeling inexplicably guilty, Dumbledore directly led him to the back door of the pub. "Ah... you don't need to worry about that. Hogwarts doesn't charge tuition. Not only that, but there's also a scholarship fund, a full one hundred Galleons, which is just enough to buy everything you need."

Hearing Dumbledore's explanation, Tom's heart finally felt at ease. Was fate finally smiling on me for once! As long as I can get into Hogwarts, nothing else matters. Maybe I can do some work and earn some... Galleons?

"Three bricks up from the wall above the rubbish bin, then two across, tap three times with your wand..." Dumbledore tapped the wall with his wand, smiling at the somewhat surprised young one. "Welcome to Diagon Alley~"

Tom desperately suppressed his gasp, his eyes seeming to suddenly light up, sparkling as he watched the magical scene before him. This is amazing, a wand? Will I have a wand too later?

Leading the little one into Diagon Alley, Dumbledore turned and went straight to a second-hand bookstore. "Hmm... Tom... although this might make you unhappy, you need to know that compared to brand-new textbooks and robes, a wand is the most important thing. So... you will buy your required textbooks here."

Nodding in understanding, Tom showed a shy smile. "Professor Dumbledore, I don't care about those things. In fact, I'm already very surprised that the school can provide me with a scholarship."

"Alright~ Then I'll pick out the books for you..."

Dumbledore quickly selected the necessary textbooks. Over the years, the textbooks at Hogwarts hadn't changed much. He knew what to buy even with his eyes closed.

The two spent quite some time buying things. Dumbledore took Tom to the entrance of a dilapidated wand shop. He hesitated, wondering if he should go in. Thinking of the boy's Parseltongue, he sighed and decided to take a look. "Mr. Ollivander is the best wandmaker in the world. You will find your destined partner here."

Tom pursed his lips. He no longer held any hope for wizards' ideas. The most memorable place was a dirty pub, and the best wand shop looked like it was about to collapse. It seemed wizards weren't doing too well either...

He reached out and carefully pushed open the door, his expression one of "as expected." Isn't it just as I thought? Small and broken, with nothing but a long bench and countless narrow boxes stacked on top of each other. Is being a wandmaker a high-risk profession? What if it collapses and buries someone alive?