There were still plenty of things to spend money on. Two hundred Galleons might not be enough, and two wands would have to do for now, so they didn't buy another backup wand.
It didn't take long for Harry to pick out his wand, either.
Perhaps Tom's presence had changed Harry's personality, and the wand that chose him was different, too. It was the one Tom had tested first: eleven inches, cypress, and unicorn tail hair.
As Harry paid, Ollivander looked at him and said earnestly, "You're sure to do great things, Mr. Potter."
Tom thought, I'm sure I heard him say that just a few minutes ago.
Did the old man say that to every young wizard?
After they left the wand shop, the rest of their shopping went much faster: Madam Malkin's Robes, Potage's Cauldron Shop, Eeylops Owl Emporium...
They quickly bought bag after bag of supplies, but when it came to pets, Harry still bought the white owl.
Tom looked around the shop, then decided against getting a pet.
Owls were mainly used to deliver mail. Otherwise, they were just companions, and Tom didn't need one for company, so he didn't buy a pet. If he ever needed to send a letter, he could ask Harry's Hedwig to make the trip.
After finishing their shopping, their last stop was Flourish and Blotts.
"What? You want one copy of every textbook from first to seventh year?"
"Yes, miss. Could you please wrap them all up for me? I'd like secondhand copies." Tom placed his entire pouch on the counter.
Hogwarts textbooks grew more expensive with each year.
The first-year books might cost only sixteen Galleons in total, but by the third and sixth years, they could cost twenty-eight or even thirty-two Galleons.
The price didn't rise because the books got thicker, but because the knowledge grew more advanced. Wizards had to pay for knowledge.
"Tom, there's no need to buy so many books at once. The professors make a few changes to the textbooks required for class every year. If you buy all these now, you might not be able to use them next year," Dumbledore advised.
Tom had already spent fifty-three Galleons on their shopping so far. If he bought every year's textbooks, the remaining 150 Galleons would probably all be gone.
Then he'd have to live on a tight budget.
Dumbledore had given him 200 Galleons all at once so he could enjoy his school years and not feel too much pressure, which might lead him astray.
"But they're still knowledge, aren't they?" Tom replied as if it were obvious.
"I plan to read all the books. Even if I don't understand everything, I'll at least have some idea what the professors are talking about in class, and that'll help me understand it faster."
"Well..." Dumbledore was about to try to dissuade him again, but then he remembered the row of trophies and books on Tom's shelf.
Good heavens, this boy was a real overachiever.
Ravenclaw would love him.
["Diligence" +100 progress, impression level reached Lv.2, achievement points +1]
The longer Dumbledore spent with Tom, the more reassured he felt.
Once the boy started school, there was no way he'd end up in Slytherin.
It wasn't that Dumbledore was prejudiced against Slytherin. It was where Voldemort had grown up. If this young Tom didn't go to Slytherin, the chances of him growing into a third Voldemort would be much lower.
Ideally, Dumbledore hoped Tom would go to Hufflepuff. It was the only house at Hogwarts that had never produced a Death Eater.
If Voldemort had grown up in Hufflepuff, he might have become Minister for Magic by now.
Since Flourish and Blotts often served Hogwarts students, the staff knew which textbooks each year and grade required.
When the shop assistant came back from the rear of the store, a tall stack of books sat on the trolley behind her. But now a snarling, leather-bound book was clamped onto her head as if it were alive.
After the assistant wrestled The Monster Book of Monsters off her head and wiped the blood from her forehead, she began working out the prices of the other books one by one.
"That'll be 144 Galleons in total. I'll round it down to 140."
"Please wrap them up for me. Thank you." Tom immediately emptied all the Galleons from his pouch, then took seven back.
Thank goodness he'd bought secondhand copies. If he'd bought new ones, the price would probably have shot past 200 Galleons.
"Big brother, why not get new books instead? I'll pay for them," Harry said, unable to watch any longer.
"There's no need. New or secondhand, they're all the same to use." Tom shook his head.
Yes, he was still building his persona.
He didn't often get a chance to be around Dumbledore so closely, so he wanted to make the most of it and strengthen that persona before they parted.
From what he'd observed of the panel, every persona gave him positive benefits, so it didn't matter what kind he acquired.
Besides, secondhand books were only more worn than new ones. Their contents were far better.
Most secondhand books came from Hogwarts graduates. Students usually took notes, and the more worn a book looked, the more detailed the notes inside tended to be.
Like that book by the Half-Blood Prince.
If a secondhand book were too new, he wouldn't even want it.
Harry soon finished buying his books, which meant Dumbledore's work for the day was done.
Before they parted, Dumbledore took the two boys to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and bought them three chocolate, raspberry, and nut ice creams—one for each of them.
It was so cold out, yet the boys could still handle ice cream. How did Dumbledore manage to eat it with his old bones?
"Here are your tickets." Dumbledore handed each of them a red ticket.
"September first, King's Cross Station, Platform 9¾."
Harry scratched his head as he looked at the number on his ticket.
"Sir, how can a platform have three-quarters in its number?"
Dumbledore gave them a mysterious smile. "You'll find out when the time comes."
With that, Dumbledore waved goodbye and Apparated away.
"Do wizards really have to be so mysterious about everything?" Tom couldn't help complaining.
In the original story, if Harry hadn't happened to run into the Weasley family, the train might have left before he could find Platform 9¾.
Wizards really didn't worry about Muggle children getting into trouble, did they?
Oh well, at least today had gone pretty well.
Tom's gaze slowly dropped to the panel.
["A Born Dark Lord" +2 progress... +5... +10...
["A Born Dark Lord" +10 progress, impression level reached Lv.2, achievement points +1]
[Current achievement points: 10 (one draw available)]
Some time had passed since he'd shown up at the Leaky Cauldron.
People didn't dare talk about the "Dark Lord" in public, but once they got home and felt safe, they were willing to mention him in private.
The wizards who knew Voldemort's real name might not have been as powerful as Dumbledore, but most were older wizards who had made a name for themselves and had some influence.
So even a little word-of-mouth spread was enough to quickly raise "A Born Dark Lord" to Lv.2, and its progress was still slowly increasing.
Before you continue