First Steps into Diagon Alley: Wealth on Full Display

Isaac and Dumbledore both thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

The team of chefs hired by the old butler Anthony was highly professional.

Though the table had been covered with plates of various dishes by the end of the meal, every course had fully adhered to Michelin French dining standards.

The plates for each dish were not small, and they looked exquisitely arranged, but there was not much to eat.

After two or three bites, a dish was gone.

Dumbledore reluctantly set down the dessert in his hand. It was already his sixth dessert that evening.

After the two left the dining room and returned to the sitting room, Dumbledore finally said to Isaac,

"Although I suspect you already know how to get to Diagon Alley and purchase all your school supplies, I still think a parent ought to accompany a child on their first visit to Diagon Alley.

"What do you think, Isaac?"

"It would be my honor, Professor Dumbledore."

There was no need to rest. Dumbledore brought Isaac out onto the street in front of the house.

"In the Wizarding World, wizards generally travel by Knight Bus.

"As long as you stand by the roadside and hold out your wand, it will appear before you."

Though Dumbledore said that, he did not take out his wand.

When he saw Isaac's puzzled expression, Dumbledore gave him a "mischievous" wink.

"Of course, as an elderly wizard, I may no longer be suited to such vigorous methods of travel as the Knight Bus.

"So, Isaac, grab my wrist!"

Immediately afterward, Isaac felt everything around him suddenly turn black as an intense crushing pressure came from every direction.

His chest felt as though it had been cinched tight by an iron band, leaving him unable to breathe. His internal organs seemed to be compressed.

His eyeballs were shoved back into his skull, and his eardrums were pressed deep into his head.

Only time remained unchanged. Isaac knew that all of this had happened in no more than an instant.

The next moment, the pressure vanished. Isaac felt as though he had just been squeezed out of a rubber tube.

Beginners undergoing Apparition normally became nauseous, vomited, lost their sense of direction, or even fainted.

Yet none of those discomforts appeared in Isaac.

He remained where he was and moved his arms and legs, quickly adapting to the sensation.

"Excellent adaptability. Isaac, it seems you are well suited to this magic."

Dumbledore could tell that this was Isaac's first time being taken along in Apparition.

This was not Legilimency. It was simply a "passive skill" formed from the experience of an old man who had lived for more than a century.

Dumbledore had lived for so long and experienced so much.

Just by looking, there was little that could be hidden from him.

"No, I've experienced worse." Isaac wore an expression that was hard to put into words.

Everyone had times when they did not know their limits, such as Isaac shortly after his gift of prophecy awakened.

He had been young then and had not yet understood how to "refuse," so whenever he made prophecies, he accepted every vision that came to him.

His prophecies showed him one possible future.

For example—

In the Wizarding World, Harry Potter could represent the future course of one timeline.

Likewise, fanfiction created by authors could also be considered branches of a timeline.

There were countless such branches, not merely thousands upon thousands.

This prophetic gift was closer to Doctor Strange's method of observing timelines.

There were already so many possibilities when Harry Potter was the main viewpoint, let alone prophecies centered on the entire world.

Fortunately, Isaac was a transmigrator rather than a real child. When he realized something was wrong, he hurriedly stopped his prophecy.

Even so, the flood of information brought on by that prophecy had left him weak and bedridden in the orphanage for several days.

Grindelwald had also teased him plenty over it—Isaac had reason to suspect that Grindelwald, who possessed prophetic talent as well, had suffered the same kind of setback.

Compared to the impact of that massive amount of information on his senses, Dumbledore's Apparition was much easier to endure.

Even many years later, whenever Isaac recalled the incident, he still felt lingering fear.

And it taught him the most important quality in the Wizarding World—caution.

Out of caution, Isaac had not tried every possible way to obtain a wand in advance.

Because of caution, he had not rashly studied or practiced magic either.

For the same reason, although Isaac had already seen the real Diagon Alley many times in his prophecies,

he had never visited it even once.

Isaac had already experienced the kind of rapid, ever-changing development in his previous life.

He was not truly a child either. Unless he needed Wizarding World supplies such as a wand, Diagon Alley held limited appeal for him.

Still, since he was already here...

Isaac noticed that Dumbledore had not entered Diagon Alley by the usual route.

That was, by first going to the Leaky Cauldron and then opening the passage to Diagon Alley by tapping the bricks.

They had Apparated directly onto the streets of Diagon Alley. As the busiest district in Britain's Wizarding World, and with the start of term approaching, Diagon Alley was exceptionally lively.

"So, are we going to Gringotts to exchange some Galleons now?" Isaac pulled his wallet from his pocket.

The wallet contained all of his "family fortune."

He had to thank the gentlemen and ladies of Barnet District. They had been generous indeed, allowing Isaac to save up quite a bit of money over the years.

It was obvious from how stuffed his wallet was.

Isaac's ancestors had long taught him that while one should not intend to harm others, one must guard against being harmed by them.

He was very grateful for Grindelwald's support, but Isaac still had to make preparations of his own.

If, at some irresistible moment, he was required to leave 12 Medway Street immediately, he needed to leave himself an escape route and a backup plan.

That was why Isaac always kept the money he earned from performing on his person.

It had come in handy now.

"You will indeed need some spending money to live in the Wizarding World, but Gringotts is not our first stop.

"During their time at Hogwarts, young wizards from Muggle families may exchange British Pounds for Galleons at Gringotts.

"Each young wizard may exchange up to one hundred Galleons per year.

"You can exchange some pocket money at Gringotts at the end of our trip."

"Now, let us go to the first stop on our itinerary—Flourish and Blotts."

Hearing Dumbledore's lavish words, spoken without any awareness of how extravagant they sounded, Isaac could not help feeling envious.

He even secretly imitated Dumbledore's calm, matter-of-fact expression.

One hundred Galleons in pocket money...

Honestly, if the Weasley family heard that, Ronald Weasley would probably burst into tears with a loud wail.

After saying that, Dumbledore led Isaac down the streets of Diagon Alley. At that moment, Isaac finally understood the prestige held by the greatest figure in Britain's Wizarding World.

Nearly ninety percent of the wizards on the street recognized Dumbledore.

They greeted Dumbledore warmly, then turned their attention to Isaac at his side.

"Professor Dumbledore, you personally brought a young wizard to Diagon Alley this year?"