Tom looked up at the not-so-clean storefront before him and nodded silently. Perhaps it would be clean inside? Just like the orphanage where he lived—it looked shabby from the outside, but the inside was kept neat and tidy.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, having guessed what the child was thinking. He merely smiled and said nothing, leading the hopeful boy straight into The Leaky Cauldron.
Tom lowered his head. The filthy, cramped pub stung his eyes, and the stench of alcohol in the air made him frown instinctively. "Professor Dumbledore... I forgot to tell you, I don't have... the money to buy the supplies... Could I work to pay off the tuition?"
Blinking, Dumbledore adjusted his glasses. Had he forgotten to tell Little Tom that Hogwarts charged no tuition? Feeling inexplicably guilty, Dumbledore led him directly to the back door of the pub. "Ah... you don't need to worry about that. Hogwarts does not charge tuition. Not only that, you'll receive financial assistance—one hundred Galleons, enough to buy everything you need."
Hearing Dumbledore's explanation, Tom finally let go of the weight in his heart. Had fate finally favored him for once? As long as he could enter Hogwarts, nothing else mattered. Perhaps he could find some work and earn a few... Galleons?
"Three bricks up from the trash can, then two across. Tap it three times with your wand..." Dumbledore raised his wand and tapped the wall, smiling at the startled boy. "Welcome to Diagon Alley~"
Tom desperately held back his cry of amazement. His eyes seemed to light up, sparkling as he stared at the magical sight before him. This was incredible. A wand? Would he have a wand too?
Dumbledore led the boy into Diagon Alley, then turned and headed straight for a secondhand bookstore. "Hmm... Tom... this may make you unhappy, but you need to understand that compared to brand-new textbooks and robes, a wand is far more important. So... you'll be buying the books you need here."
Tom nodded in understanding, a shy smile appearing on his face. "Professor Dumbledore, I don't care about those things. In fact, I'm already incredibly surprised that the school is willing to provide me with financial assistance."
"Very well~ Then I'll pick out the books for you..."
Dumbledore quickly selected the necessary textbooks. Over the years, Hogwarts' textbooks had barely changed. He could have chosen them with his eyes closed.
The two spent quite some time shopping. Dumbledore brought Tom to the entrance of a dilapidated wand shop and hesitated over whether he should go inside. Thinking of the boy's Parseltongue, he sighed and decided to take a look after all. "Mr. Ollivander is the finest wandmaker in the world. Here, you'll find the partner destined for you."
Tom pressed his lips together. He no longer had much hope for wizards' judgment. The most memorable place was a filthy pub, and the best wand shop looked as though it were about to collapse. It seemed wizards weren't doing very well either...
Tom carefully reached out and pushed open the door. His expression said, Just as I thought. It was exactly as he had imagined, wasn't it~ Small and shabby, with nothing but a bench and countless narrow boxes piled together. Was wandmaking such a dangerous profession? If it collapsed, someone could be buried alive.
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