Preparations Before School Starts

Allen watched the owl fly away, hoping that Harry had not yet left Diagon Alley.

He hurried back to the Leaky Cauldron. Before he had even finished his ice cream sundae, Harry's reply arrived. The note was brief, consisting of only a few words: Hagrid and I are on our way to the Leaky Cauldron.

Now, Allen could enjoy his ice cream with a much clearer conscience.

"Allen, I'm over here!" Harry waved excitedly at Allen. Standing beside him was a hulking giant whose face was almost entirely hidden by a tangle of shaggy hair and a thick, matted beard, though one could still see his eyes, which glittered like black beetles beneath the hair.

The two of them were carrying bags of all shapes and sizes, and Harry was cradling a sleeping snowy owl in his arms.

It was fortunate that the Leaky Cauldron was nearly empty; otherwise, a giant of such stature would certainly have drawn a great deal of attention.

"Allen, this is Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts." Harry cheerfully introduced Hagrid to his best friend. "Hagrid, this is my best friend, Allen." It was clear that Harry was much more lively now that he had met up with Allen.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hagrid." Allen extended his hand like a grown-up.

Hagrid blinked, set his things down on the table, wiped his hand on his oversized moleskin coat, and shook Allen's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Allen."

Tom brought over the food Allen had just ordered, and Allen ordered a glass of fishy green ale—the kind his father used to drink—for Hagrid. With the food arrived, the atmosphere shifted significantly. The three of them tucked in heartily; having been busy all day, everyone was famished.

"Allen, everyone thinks I'm special," Harry said, setting down his fork and the burden on his heart. "The people at the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know the first thing about magic. How can they expect me to achieve great things? I have fame, but I don't even remember the things that made me famous. On the night Voldemort—sorry—I mean, the night my parents died, I didn't know what happened at all."

Before Allen could speak, Hagrid patted Harry on the head, a kind smile breaking through his shaggy beard and eyebrows.

"Don't worry, Harry. You'll learn soon enough. Everyone starts from the basics at Hogwarts. You'll do just fine. Keep your chin up. You'll have a great time at Hogwarts; I know I did—and still do, truth be told."

Allen nodded, fully agreeing with Hagrid. "Harry, look, I'm going to the same school as you, aren't I? Students from wizarding families don't know much more than you do. Believe me, you'll be excellent."

"But you're so brilliant, you learn everything so quickly. Compared to you, I'm just terrible." Harry was not comforted; he imagined that if all the young wizards were like Allen, he would surely be at the bottom of the class, and the school would probably think they had made a mistake and expel him.

Seeing Harry's look of growing alarm, Allen quickly added, "You know, not all young wizards are as brilliant as I am." With that, Allen deliberately tossed his golden hair back.

"I'll come visit you often this holiday. I'll tell you everything I know about the wizarding world, and we can study our lessons together. Perhaps you could even come stay at my house for a while, and then we can go to school together."

Allen's strategy to change the subject was highly successful; Harry brightened up immediately. "That would be great! Then I could leave the Dursleys' house sooner!"

After enjoying their meal, Hagrid said he would take Harry to catch the train. Allen had to stay at the Leaky Cauldron to wait for his family. By the time they said their goodbyes, Harry was much more cheerful. "Don't forget to come find me, Allen!"

"Don't worry!" Allen nodded firmly, watching Harry and Hagrid depart.

Finally, his family returned with their bags in tow, and they headed home to unpack. Allen took his belongings to his bedroom; now he had the time to check the rewards provided by the system.

The Magic Ball of the Goddess of Luck Fols sat quietly in the system storage space, emitting a gentle, warm glow. With it, Allen would not have to fear any curses or charms, nor worry about any poisons.

There was also the alchemy insight of the ancient alchemist Geber. A thick stack of parchment was neatly piled in a storage space. Allen summoned the top sheet and examined it carefully; a rustic, grand aura emanated from it, heavy with the vicissitudes of history.

After flipping through a few pages, he found that the concise text contained profound content, covering techniques for crafting magical artifacts, incantations, materials, and more. Allen set Geber's notes aside. "This is definitely not something that can be understood and mastered overnight. Not to mention the principles, even acquiring strange medicinal ingredients like Mi Gu and Tu Wood will require time and luck."

His gaze shifted to the bottle of Magic Potential Growth Potion. Allen thought of Dumbledore, Snape, and other wizards with immense magical power. School was about to start, and the most pressing matter was to learn "Occlumency." Furthermore, he had to consume this potion; only then could he ensure his origins would never be discovered. If Voldemort learned of his experiences, he would likely stop obsessing over Harry and instead stop at nothing to capture and study him. Although he had the Scholar System, his strength was still insufficient compared to theirs; he had to be cautious.

With this in mind, Allen pulled out the Encyclopedia of Spells and studied it carefully.

Occlumency was a magical art used to defend against external mental penetration. It could seal the mind against magical intrusion and influence. Its opposing magic was Legilimency. Those proficient in Occlumency were known as Occlumens.

Reading this, Allen suddenly thought of how Severus Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens, as he was able to act as a spy among the Death Eaters right under Voldemort's nose. Voldemort was a skilled Legilimens and had good reason to suspect Snape's loyalty. Dumbledore was also proficient in Occlumency; if he were willing, he could certainly teach Harry. Yet Harry had only learned a few basic theories and made little progress in resisting attacks, likely due to the pressure of his O.W.L.s and a lack of proper practice.

It was clear that only what one mastered oneself was truly reliable. Allen made up his mind to study harder and master more skills.