Completed the Diagon Alley Tour Quest, Obtained Beginner Equipment: Wand x1

Loren and Hermione each took out the Pound Sterling their parents had prepared and exchanged it for wizarding currency—the number of Galleons Professor McGonagall said would be enough for a first-year student. The coins were wrapped in two small cloth bags, one carried by Loren and the other by Hermione.

The exact exchange rate made Loren's head spin. As for the Goblin's supposedly excellent numerical system of odd prime numbers, Loren wanted nothing more than to smash his head in with an abacus.

Still dazed, the two followed Professor McGonagall to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to buy their robes, then walked on for a while and bought their stationery. At last, they arrived at the Flourish and Blotts Hermione had been longing to visit.

Professor McGonagall went to have two sets of first-year textbooks packed, while Loren and Hermione browsed around.

The books here came in all sorts of irregular shapes. Some were as large as paving slabs, while others were no bigger than postage stamps. Loren found it hard to imagine how they could be mass-produced. Some even had warnings on their covers to prevent accidental contact.

Loren browsed for a while and picked out the later volumes of the Standard Spellbook series, Curses and Counter-Curses, Wandering with Werewolves, and Alchemy: From Beginner to Master. He stopped there, unsure whether he would even be able to finish them all.

Hermione chose a great many books that could help her understand the magical world and Hogwarts, including Significant Magical Events of the Twentieth Century, Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of Dark Magic, Hogwarts: A History, and more.

Just seeing the titles of those books made Loren feel like his hair was falling out. He glanced at Hermione's thick curls and did not dare speak too loudly.

Hermione noticed something odd about Loren's gaze, then looked at the books he had chosen. Her little face scrunched up as she tried to persuade him. "We should first understand the magical world so we can adapt to it and fit in better. I think these books would make excellent preparatory reading, especially for Muggle families like ours."

Seeing that Loren remained unmoved, she added, "The books you picked don't seem very suitable for newly enrolled students. We should learn more before studying in depth..."

Loren did not even have time to respond. Watching Hermione chatter on and on gave him a headache, but she was genuinely concerned for him.

Loren decided to be more tactful. "We can choose different books. When you finish yours, lend them to me. That way, we can save money and buy more books."

Hermione was convinced. "Then we can write letters and discuss them."

"Alright!"

The atmosphere became harmonious again. The two of them eagerly eyed the books marked with danger warnings, but after seeing one customer get chased and bitten by a book, they both chickened out.

After buying a Crucible, they continued strolling down the street.

As they passed the apothecary, they saw the expensive ingredients inside, including a horn made from Unicorn Buffalo Horn priced at twenty-one Galleons, and a vial of Acromantula venom costing one hundred Galleons.

Loren felt that as long as he got on Hagrid's good side at Hogwarts, he would never lack money.

Further down the street, they finally arrived at the beginner equipment shop of the magical world—Ollivanders Wand Shop.

It was a shabby, tiny shop, and even the gold lettering on its sign had begun to peel away. Inside was a very small showroom, with rows of benches and thousands of paper boxes stacked almost to the ceiling.

Ollivander was an Old Man with silvery-white eyes, like the moon. Loren watched him slowly approach, greet Professor McGonagall, and then turn his gaze toward Loren and Hermione.

The old man circled Loren and Hermione several times before finally fixing his eyes on Hermione.

"Oh, such vivid traits, nearly overflowing."

"Foresight beyond the ordinary, sharp instincts, and a touch of madness amid all that hesitation."

"Step forward, little girl. Your wand can hardly wait."

There was a trace of fear in Hermione's eyes, but she still followed Ollivander's instructions and took a step toward the stacked paper boxes.

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

Ollivander opened the box and took out a wand. "Oh, ten and three-quarters inches, Vine Wood with Dragon Nerve."

"Dragon Nerve will help you learn magic faster. Vine Wood was used by the Celts to represent the tenth tree month. The owners of wands made from this wood always have lofty ambitions and achieve extraordinary results, though the road may be somewhat rough. This wand reacted strongly the moment you came in, so we can skip a few steps."

Hermione took the wand, and warm, gentle light burst from its tip. The young Witch's face bloomed into a bright smile.

"I knew it would be so. Remember, the wand chooses the wizard, not the wizard the wand." Ollivander looked very satisfied as well.

It was Loren's turn. Ollivander took a long measuring tape marked with silver scales from his pocket. After asking which hand Loren used most often, he began measuring him.

From shoulder to fingertip, wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, even the circumference of his head. As he measured, he introduced himself.

"Ollivander has been making wands since 382 BC. After generations of effort, we finally identified three exceptionally powerful magical substances: Unicorn Hair, Phoenix Feather, and Dragon Nerve. They possess stable yet unique properties, fundamentally different from those crude wands made by outsiders."

As he spoke, Ollivander released the tape, but it continued measuring Loren on its own. After Ollivander carried over a pile of long paper boxes, the measuring tape automatically fell to the floor and curled into a heap.

Hermione watched the measuring tape with sparkling eyes.

"Try this one. Maple Wood, Unicorn Hair, seven inches long." Ollivander handed him a wand.

Loren took it. He had barely raised it before he could swing it when Ollivander snatched it back.

The same thing happened twice more. Loren narrowed his eyes. Damn it. Why did that woman get hers in one go while I had to suffer through this?

Professor McGonagall waited patiently to one side, while Hermione looked somewhat worried. Though this newly acquainted companion had a rather unpleasant personality, she still hoped they could both enroll at Hogwarts together.

At last, Ollivander turned around and took out another black wand.

"Oh, Apple Wood, Phoenix Feather, exactly ten inches."

Loren held the wand, and a sense of reassurance rose within him. He waved it, and a gentle breeze swept through the entire shop.

Both of them smiled in satisfaction. Ollivander continued, "Apple Wood suits wizards with lofty ideals. They are always skilled at dueling and are mostly very long-lived. Phoenix Feather is extremely picky. They are always full of personality, but when they find a master they recognize, they unleash extraordinary potential."

Each wand cost seven Galleons. After paying, they browsed around a little more. Loren bought a Spectacled Owl to deliver letters. It looked a little silly, but Loren thought it was adorable.

On the way back, Professor McGonagall stopped the two of them from waving their wands around several times. She warned them that magic was dangerous. Aside from a few spells explicitly marked as safe, they were not to cast anything casually at home. Once, someone had mispronounced a spell and summoned a Wild Bull onto their own chest. After enrolling, they would learn how to cast magic properly.

They listened, though how much they actually took in was another matter.

"Remember to write to me!" After waving, Hermione skipped off toward her parents, eager to share everything she had seen that day.

Loren once again experienced the sensation of being stuffed into a rubber tube and squeezed out the other side. After receiving his ticket and saying goodbye to Professor McGonagall again, he watched her vanish with another pop. Loren felt that being a Hogwarts professor was not such an easy job either.

Only after returning home did he remember that he had forgotten to ask Professor McGonagall why other young wizards could not sense the destination of Apparition, while he could—and what that extraordinary talent was.

But Loren did not dwell on it too much. There was still plenty of time ahead, and magic was even more surprising than he had imagined.