Allen watched the owl fly away, hoping Harry had not yet left Diagon Alley.
He hurried back to the Leaky Cauldron. Before he had even finished an ice cream sundae, Harry's reply arrived. The letter was brief, containing only a few words: Hagrid and I are heading to the Leaky Cauldron.
Now Allen could eat his ice cream with even greater peace of mind.
"Allen, I'm here!" Harry waved excitedly at Allen. Beside him stood a massive Giant whose face was almost entirely hidden beneath a tangled mass of long hair and thick, knotted Beard. Yet beneath all that hair, Allen could still see a pair of eyes gleaming like black Beetles.
The two of them carried packages of all sizes and shapes, while Harry held a sleeping snowy owl in his arms.
Fortunately, there was hardly anyone in the Leaky Cauldron right now. Otherwise, such an enormous Giant would certainly have drawn a great deal of attention.
"Allen, this is Hagrid, Hogwarts's Keeper of Keys," Harry cheerfully introduced Hagrid to his friend. "Hagrid, this is my best friend, Allen." It was clear that seeing Allen had made Harry much livelier.
"Pleased to meet you, Hagrid." Allen extended his hand like an adult.
Hagrid blinked, set his things on the table, wiped his hand on his enormous moleskin coat, and shook Allen's hand. "Pleased to meet you too, Allen."
Mr. Tom brought over the food Allen had just ordered, and Allen ordered Hagrid a Fish-flavored Green Beer, the same kind his father had drunk before. With delicious food before them, the atmosphere immediately changed. The three of them dug in heartily; after a busy day, everyone was hungry.
"Allen, everyone thinks I'm special." Harry put down his fork, along with the burden in his heart. "The people at the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic. How can they expect me to accomplish great things? I'm famous, but I don't even remember the things that made me famous. On the night Vol—sorry—I mean, the night my parents died, I had no idea what happened at all."
Before Allen could speak, Hagrid patted Harry on the head. A kindly smile appeared beneath his tangled Beard and eyebrows.
"Don't worry, Harry. You'll learn soon enough. Everyone at Hogwarts starts with the basics. You'll do just fine. Cheer up. You'll definitely enjoy Hogwarts, just like I did—truth be told—I enjoyed it then, and I still enjoy it now."
Allen nodded, fully agreeing with Hagrid. "Harry, look, you and I are going to the same school, right? Students raised in wizarding families don't know all that much more than you do. Trust me, you'll be outstanding."
"But you're so exceptional. You learn everything so quickly. Compared to you, I'm just terrible." Harry was not comforted at all. Just thinking about how, if all the young wizards were like Allen, he would definitely come in last made him fear that the school might think there had been some mistake and expel him.
Seeing that Harry looked even more frightened, Allen quickly said, "You should know that not every young wizard is as exceptional as I am." As he spoke, Allen deliberately tossed back his golden hair.
"I'll come visit you often during the holiday. I'll tell you everything I know about the Magical World, and we can preview our lessons together. Maybe you can even stay at my house for a while, and then we can go to school together."
Allen's attempt to change the subject was very successful. Harry was indeed cheered up. "That'd be great! Then I can leave the Dursleys' house earlier!"
After enjoying their meal, Hagrid said he would take Harry to catch the train, while Allen would remain at the Leaky Cauldron to wait for his family. By the time they said goodbye, Harry was much happier. "Don't forget to come see me, Allen."
"Don't worry!" Allen nodded firmly and watched Harry and Hagrid leave.
At last, his family returned laden with bags and packages. Allen and the others went home and sorted through their belongings. Carrying his own things, Allen returned to his bedroom. Now that he had time, he could check the rewards the system had given him.
The Magic Orb of Goddess of Luck Fols rested quietly in the system storage space, emitting a soft fluorescent glow. With it, Allen would not need to fear any curse or deception, nor worry about any poison.
There were also the Alchemy notes of the ancient alchemist Geber. A thick stack of parchment was neatly piled in a storage space. Allen summoned the top sheet and studied it carefully. An ancient, majestic aura washed over him, filled with the weathered passage of history.
After skimming through several pages, Allen found that the seemingly simple words contained far from simple content. Methods for crafting magical artifacts, Incantations, materials—everything was included. Allen set down Geber's notes. "This definitely isn't something I can understand and thoroughly master overnight. Leaving aside the principles, even obtaining strange ingredients like Mi Gu and Tu Wood will take time and luck."
His gaze shifted to the bottle of Magic Potential Growth Potion. Allen thought of wizards with abundant magic power, such as Dumbledore and Snape. School was about to begin, and the most urgent matter was learning Occlumency. Not only that, he also had to drink this potion. Only then could he ensure that no one would ever learn of his origin. If Voldemort learned of his experiences, he probably would no longer be fixated on Harry, but would instead stop at nothing to capture Allen and study him. Though he had the Scholar System, his strength was still insignificant compared to theirs. He had to be cautious.
With that in mind, Allen took out the Encyclopedia of Spells and studied it carefully.
Occlumency was a magical art used to resist external mental intrusion. It could seal the mind against magical invasion and influence. Its opposing magic was Legilimency. Those proficient in Occlumency were called Occlumens.
Seeing this, Allen suddenly recalled that Severus Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens. After all, he had been able to serve as a spy among the Death Eaters right under Voldemort's nose. Voldemort was a skilled Legilimency practitioner and had every reason to doubt Snape's loyalty. Dumbledore was also proficient in Occlumency, and if he had wished, he could have taught Harry. Yet Harry had learned only some basic theory and made little progress in resisting attacks. The main reasons were likely the pressure of the O.W.L.s exams and the lack of proper practice.
It was clear that only what one held in one's own hands was truly reliable. Allen made up his mind to study more diligently and master more skills.
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