Strongest Prophet!

About three hours later.

Under Snape's guidance, Ian had finished purchasing most of the items.

There actually were not that many things Hogwarts first-year students needed. Aside from the necessary textbooks, they only needed to buy some equipment for Potions Class and Herbology.

Three sets of plain work robes.

A plain pointed hat for daytime wear.

And a pair of protective gloves—any gloves made from material similar to dragonhide would do. The gloves Snape bought for Ian were Dragonhide Gloves made from a Hungarian Horntail.

They were expensive.

Their protective qualities were also top-notch.

Since Ian did not have a single Galleon, he naturally had no say whatsoever in the choice of gloves. He could only watch as Snape paid for and procured most of his necessities.

To be honest.

Although he had handed nearly all his savings to Ms. Elena to provide food and warmth for his younger siblings that winter, Ian had still kept a decent sum of pounds for himself.

He had originally planned to exchange them for Wizarding currency at Gringotts, but Snape showed no intention of taking him there. With no choice, Ian could only carry around money that was useless in the magical world and watch Snape decide every item he needed for school.

Many of the things Snape bought did not exactly match the items listed. It could be said that they had become far more luxurious and expensive in many respects.

But.

Whenever Ian wanted to ask something, Snape always used sarcastic remarks to shoot down every one of his doubts.

Expensive things had their reasons for being expensive.

As a first-year student about to begin at Hogwarts, Ian naturally lacked the confidence to argue with Snape. He could only watch as Snape decided everything he needed to buy.

Whenever he saw Snape take out his Money Bag to pay, Ian's suspicion of him deepened a little. The Snape he knew was not supposed to be this enthusiastic and responsible.

Just as many fanfictions had said, Snape might have been a wizard with considerable personal charm, but he was clearly not qualified as a Hogwarts professor.

Leaving aside how he often mocked Young Wizards from other houses, his house discrimination mindset, practically comparable to racial discrimination, had earned him rather poor reviews from most people.

Yet.

Throughout this shopping trip for necessities in Diagon Alley, Ian not only endured Snape's sharp tongue at every moment, but also felt his seriousness and rigor regarding Ian's education.

The cauldron had to be the best.

The protective gloves and plain work robes were likewise made from the finest materials.

Even the batch of textbooks they had bought at the beginning were brand-new, first-hand goods without any discounts. That was clearly beyond the coverage of a Hogwarts student loan.

To be fair.

The items Snape bought for Ian were exquisite even setting aside the fact that they were brand-new.

Whether it was the Brass Cauldron worth dozens of Galleons or the gloves made from Hungarian Horntail hide, they were unquestionably top-quality among their respective kinds.

Hogwarts was indeed a Magic Academy with a long history, but as someone who understood the most basic principles of economics, Ian would never believe that Hogwarts student loans could be so generous.

Economics was easy to understand; it was something one could readily recognize in any setting. If Hogwarts student loans were sufficient for a Young Wizard born an orphan to purchase items that could be called luxury goods, then how terrifying an economic effect would Hogwarts have to create in the magical world every year?

"Hogwarts could never be that wealthy."

Ian's judgment was not baseless.

If Hogwarts student loans were truly so ample, then Ron, the best friend of Savior Harry Potter and the character many fanfictions had turned into a cuckold, certainly would not have been so destitute.

Think about it.

He was already in Second Year.

Yet he was still using the wand discarded by his older brother.

Could that possibly happen if Hogwarts student loans were so generous? After all, Ron's sister had bought second-hand books and equipment when she entered school as a new student.

As members of the Pureblood families, the Weasley family could not possibly have been denied student loans. Given their financial circumstances, the only reasonable explanation was that the loans could support them in buying a batch of second-hand goods.

A family that could go traveling the moment they won the lottery, only to return after becoming penniless—the financial support for their children's schooling probably came from student loans as well.

A Young Wizard from a poor family barely managing to buy a batch of second-hand textbooks through student loans—that was the most reasonable scenario, the one most consistent with basic socioeconomic principles.

Yet.

At this very moment.

Everything Snape bought for Ian was, without exception, a luxury version among necessities. Naturally, this left Ian unable to stop himself from making all sorts of connections and guesses.

What sort of debt did Snape owe him to support him so lavishly?

If his parents had not died.

Ian would have felt that the Hungarian Horntail-hide gloves burned in his hands!

"Professor, is Hogwarts really this meticulous about everything?"

Ian truly could not endure the doubts in his heart any longer. After Snape bought him a limited-edition telescope, he finally could not help asking.

"As a student, thinking about how to absorb more knowledge at Hogwarts is far more important than wasting your time here pondering Bored and meaningless matters."

Snape answered expressionlessly, watching coldly as Ian stuffed the prepared items into his suitcase before striding quickly toward the next destination for necessities.

Ollivanders Wand Shop.

This was a destination even more important than any textbook—the only wand shop in Diagon Alley, or even the entire British Isles, and the beginner village every transmigrator into the magical world was bound to visit.

The erosion of time had left the shop's sign weathered and mottled. Its tiny, shabby storefront gave no indication that it was a legendary place every Young Wizard had to visit.

Compared with the splendid Gringotts and Flourish and Blotts, Ollivanders Wand Shop was utterly inconspicuous. Yet it was one of the "territories" even Voldemort had never considered conquering.

A unique, irreplaceable business was simply that overbearing. Like the great aristocratic clans of ancient China, no passage of time could affect it in the slightest.

"This is the last stop."

Snape was quite forthright when paying, but extremely sparing with words when speaking.

Ian had actually been looking forward to this moment for a long time. He stared at the weathered sign of the inconspicuous little shop, his eyes filled with anticipation and an indescribable trace of nervousness.

His unease was understandable.

After all.

From what little he knew about this world, aside from Harry Potter and the beautiful Hermione, this place was definitely one of the most mysterious locations.

They said the entire Harry Potter story was inseparable from prophecies, and whether in the original work or fanfiction, Ollivanders Wand Shop was the most Terrifying Upon Closer Thought place of prophecy.

The Dark Lord's defeat.

Dumbledore's death.

Those prophecies about others could be considered small matters.

Ollivanders Wand Shop, which declared that wands chose wizards, possessed the most Terrifying Upon Closer Thought prophecy in this world—beings as powerful as Dumbledore and Voldemort had futures that could be said to have been determined by a single statement from Ollivanders Wand Shop. Even Harry Potter could not escape the prophecy made when his wand chose him.

If the owner of Ollivanders Wand Shop did not possess gifts far beyond those of ordinary seers, Ian would be the first to say he did not believe it.

The first part of the ending had already hinted at it.

Whose prophecies could possibly surpass yours?