Dumbledore brought Ezio to Diagon Alley, but unfortunately, he couldn't accompany him on his shopping trip. It wasn't because Dumbledore was busy with work, but because he was simply too famous.
He was also easygoing. At least, students were happy to greet him whenever they saw him. They respected Dumbledore, but they weren't afraid of him.
So Dumbledore was treated like a major celebrity in Diagon Alley. All he could do was offer Ezio an apologetic smile and say goodbye. The old man could handle this kind of situation well, but it would inevitably take up a lot of unnecessary time.
Fortunately, Ezio's behavior put Dumbledore at ease. He was a clever boy who didn't need anyone to fuss over him, and he was very independent.
Ezio was just as happy to go alone. He entered Diagon Alley wearing a traditional Assassin's Cloak with a white base and red and blue accents, a handsome gyrfalcon perched on his shoulder. With his hood up, though his outfit was anything but discreet, hardly anyone's gaze lingered on him.
He was, in short, a dazzling passerby.
"Hello, I'd like to exchange some Galleons."
After entering Gringotts, Ezio took just two minutes to complete the necessary first step. Hogwarts's allowance was meager. Once he'd bought a wand, the remaining twenty-nine Galleons would only be enough to buy secondhand books and essential equipment. Ezio hated secondhand goods, especially used tools and equipment, because they meant trouble.
Assassins universally loathed unexpected complications. Their targets should just let themselves be killed without a fuss. If they tried anything clever, they'd learn what real cruelty looked like.
He exchanged pounds at a rate of one Galleon for every five, then traded five gold bars for an additional thousand Galleons. One gram of gold for one Galleon—the Goblins knew how to do business. Galleons weren't made of solid gold; at most, they were gold-plated. They weren't about to make a loss, were they? After all, they even charged extra for a magical money pouch. (Note)
Then came his low-key "shopping spree." Aside from a Flying Broomstick, which was highly practical, Ezio also bought a belt pouch and a chest pouch at a magical equipment shop. He also had a special inner vest custom-made to conveniently hold his other gear. At Flourish and Blotts and a secondhand bookshop, he picked up a collection of introductory books on magic, along with plenty of books on Wizarding World history. Most of his purchases, however, were assorted miscellanies, a sprawling mix of subjects. At least sixty or seventy percent of their contents were fictional, though some accounts were true. He was looking for clues about the Twelve Moons, and it was clearly a well-hidden secret—otherwise, how could Snape not know about it?
Perhaps his search was futile, but he had no intention of giving up. It was also a necessary part of understanding the Wizarding World as it really was.
He remembered some things about the Harry Potter world, but the movies and this real, otherworldly place were clearly different. At the very least, the characters didn't look the same. Snape's face, for one, differed considerably from the one he remembered. They weren't even the same person. Compared with the actor in the movies, this guy really did look like an old bat flapping around in a dark world.
By the time he finished shopping, it was three in the afternoon. Ezio had only stopped to buy a few magical snacks out of curiosity and nibble on them. Before hunger could sound the alarm, he reached his last stop in Diagon Alley.
Ollivander's wand shop.
"Hello, I'm here to buy a wand."
As soon as he entered, Ezio spoke quickly and simply. Before the bell had stopped ringing, he'd reached the counter, where an old man watched him calmly.
"Welcome. You're a new Hogwarts student, I take it?" Ollivander nodded slightly. "Let me take your measurements."
Ezio didn't get the same protagonist treatment as Harry Potter. The old man handled things strictly by the book and didn't make small talk. Perhaps he also had no wizard parents to prompt Ollivander's usual opening line. There was no point in trying to chat with him when he couldn't say, "I remember your wand."
"Which hand do you usually use?"
"Both, so I might need two."
"The second one will cost the regular price, not the seven-Galleon discount for Hogwarts first-years." Ollivander had encountered similar situations plenty of times and remained perfectly calm. He didn't even pause as he took the measurements. "Wands aren't cheap. In fact, they're quite expensive. Some wizards replace their wands once they come of age, but that often costs them a pretty penny."
Of course a monopoly makes money, Ezio grumbled to himself.
"What's the regular price?"
"About sixty to eighty Galleons. Wands made with some rare woods or Phoenix Feathers can cost more, around one hundred and thirty to two hundred Galleons."
"Then it seems I can afford it. Sorry for the trouble, sir."
"I should be thanking you for your generosity, young man." Ollivander put away the measuring tape, then walked softly toward the back of the shop.
"Try this one: chestnut, Dragon Heartstring, fourteen inches, very flexible. This one is nice too: maple, Unicorn Tail Hair, thirteen inches."
Choosing a suitable wand—or, more accurately, finding one that matched a wizard—wasn't easy. Ollivander took the measurements mainly to find the right length. To determine a wand's other qualities, he had to compare several options.
After some time, Ollivander reached a conclusion. The young wizard before him preferred wands capable of producing greater power, but he also demanded an unusually high degree of sensitivity and precision. It was true that a wand chose its wizard, but a wizard still needed to be matched with a wand that suited his abilities before the wand could choose him.
"All right, all right. You're a picky customer, but I'm sure I'll find the right one for you."
Ollivander paused. "You're very particular about wands. I've seen this kind of exacting standard many times, and I've always been able to meet my customers' needs."
"Try this one. I think this unusual combination might bring me a surprise."
"Elder Wood, Phoenix Feather, thirteen and three-quarter inches. The tail feather at its core came from a rather unusual Phoenix. It was injured and about to be reborn at the time. That's exactly why I chose Elder Wood to pair with this core."
Ezio took the dark gray wand. When it touched his hand, he didn't feel anything special. It seemed gentle, but that was all.
"Looks like it approves of you. Give it a wave." Ollivander's eyes lit up. "You can tell it what you want to do in your mind—make something float, for example—and see if it responds accurately."
Ezio nodded and gave it a gentle wave. A sheet of parchment on the counter floated two or three inches above the surface.
"Looks like we've found one. Now try this."
Ollivander nodded in satisfaction and took out another wand.
"I rarely use materials other than Dragon Heartstring, Unicorn Tail Hair, and Phoenix Feather to make wands. I've experimented with thousands of combinations of wood and cores, but I believe these three cores are the most versatile. Still, I wouldn't rashly claim that they're the best and can never be replaced."
"There are a great many magical creatures in the world, and this wand's core is a Thunderbird Feather. Shikoba Wolfe, a wandmaker from North America, is very fond of them. But it's undeniable that a Thunderbird Feather requires a wizard with strong control to master. It's extremely quick and temperamental."
"American redwood struck by lightning, Thunderbird tail feather, fourteen inches. Try it. You might like it."
With Ollivander watching expectantly, Ezio took the wand. The moment it touched his hand, a flash of lightning-like light leapt from its tip. The Elder Wand in his other hand wasn't to be outdone; it spat a spark.
"Looks like they both like you. Be careful they don't start fighting!" Ollivander added with a chuckle, "I'm joking. Wands don't fight, but I hope you won't neglect either of them. Only through constant use can a wand truly bond with its wizard. You have to build that kind of understanding."
"But now, which wand would you like to pay full price for?" Ollivander looked at Ezio with a smile. "Either one will cost quite a lot."
"First come, first served. I'll take the redwood and Thunderbird wand." Ezio wasn't the sort to agonize over a decision. He made his choice without hesitation.
"That'll be one hundred and seventy-seven Galleons. I'll include wand-polishing wax, a cloth, and a carrying case."
Note: In 1990, the pound-to-gold exchange rate was about £5 per gram of gold. The Wizarding World used the gold standard. The Ministry of Magic controlled contact between wizards and Muggles, so it was unlikely to let Goblins interact freely with Muggles and exchange Muggle currency for gold. The Goblins must have restrictions on that, which would explain why there was no limit on exchanging gold for Galleons, but there was one on exchanging pounds for Galleons.
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