The Strongest Prophet!

About three hours later.

Ian had finished purchasing the vast majority of his items under Snape's guidance.

The items required for a first-year student at Hogwarts were not actually that numerous; aside from the necessary textbooks, he only needed to acquire some equipment for Potions and Herbology.

Three sets of plain work robes.

A plain pointed hat for daytime wear.

And a pair of protective gloves—any material similar to dragon hide would suffice, but the gloves Snape purchased for Ian were made from the hide of a Hungarian Horntail.

The price was exorbitant.

The protective quality, however, was absolutely top-tier.

Since Ian didn't have a single Galleon to his name, he naturally had no say in the choice of gloves and could only watch as Snape took out his money to pay for the bulk of his necessities.

To be honest.

Although Ian had given almost all of his savings to Elena to ensure his siblings were well-fed through the winter, he had actually kept a decent amount of British pounds for himself.

He had originally intended to exchange them for wizarding currency at Gringotts, but Snape had shown no intention of taking him there. With no other choice, Ian clutched his useless currency and could only watch as Snape decided on the entire list of items he would need for school.

Many of the things Snape bought did not strictly match the items on the list; one could say that in many places, the choices had become far more luxurious and expensive.

However.

Whenever Ian tried to ask a question, Snape would always use his biting, sarcastic tone to deflect all of Ian's doubts.

Expensive things always have their reasons.

As a first-year student about to start at Hogwarts, Ian certainly lacked the confidence to argue with Snape, so he could only watch as Snape determined everything he needed to buy.

Every time he saw Snape pull out his coin purse to pay, Ian's suspicion of the man deepened. The version of Snape he knew from his memories was not this enthusiastic or responsible.

Just as many fanfictions had stated, Snape might be a wizard with remarkable charisma, but he was clearly an unqualified professor at Hogwarts.

Not to mention his frequent mockery of young students from other houses, his "house discrimination," which was akin to racial prejudice, meant that most people did not hold him in high regard.

Yet.

Throughout this trip to Diagon Alley to buy necessities, while Ian felt the sting of the man's sharp tongue at every turn, he also sensed Snape's seriousness and rigor regarding his studies.

The cauldron had to be the best.

The protective gloves and plain work robes were also of the highest quality.

Even the initial batch of textbooks purchased were brand-new, full-priced copies without any discounts. This was clearly beyond the scope of what a Hogwarts student loan should cover.

To be fair.

The items Snape bought for Ian, even setting aside the fact that they were all brand new, were still exquisite, top-of-the-line goods.

Whether it was the brass cauldron worth dozens of Galleons or the gloves made from Hungarian Horntail hide, these were undoubtedly the finest items available in their respective categories.

Hogwarts was indeed a school of magic with a long history, but as someone with a basic grasp of economics, Ian refused to believe that Hogwarts' student loans could be this generous.

The question of economics was easy to understand and held true in any environment. If Hogwarts' student loans were sufficient to allow an orphan student to purchase such luxury goods, how much terrifying economic impact would Hogwarts have to generate in the wizarding world every year?

"Hogwarts couldn't possibly be that wealthy."

Ian's judgment was not baseless.

If the student loans were truly that abundant, then Ron, the best friend of the savior Harry Potter—often portrayed in fanfiction as the victim of a "cuckold" narrative—would certainly not be so destitute.

Just think about it.

He was already in his second year.

And he was still using his older brother's hand-me-down wand.

Could this possibly be the scene if Hogwarts' student loans were truly wealthy? One must remember that when Ron's sister first entered the school, she had to buy second-hand books and equipment.

As a member of a pure-blood family, the Weasleys couldn't possibly be unable to secure student loans; given their financial situation, the loans only covering a batch of second-hand goods was the only logical explanation.

A family that would immediately go on vacation after winning the lottery and only return once they were penniless—the economic support for their children's schooling likely relied entirely on those student loans.

For a student from a poor family, being able to barely afford a set of second-hand textbooks with a student loan was the only thing that made sense according to socio-economic common sense.

However.

At this very moment.

The things Snape was buying for Ian were, without exception, luxury versions of the necessities, which naturally forced Ian to engage in excessive speculation and guesswork.

What kind of debt did Snape owe him to go to such extravagant lengths to help him?

If his parents weren't already dead, Ian would have felt that the Hungarian Horntail hide gloves were burning his hands!

"Professor, is Hogwarts really this meticulous?"

Ian could no longer suppress the doubts in his heart. After Snape bought him a limited-edition telescope, he finally couldn't help but ask.

"As a student, thinking about how you should absorb more knowledge at Hogwarts is far more important than pondering these boring and meaningless things here."

Snape responded with an expressionless face, watching coldly as Ian stuffed his prepared items into his trunk, before turning on his heel and striding toward the destination for their next necessity.

Ollivanders Wand Shop.

This could be called a more important destination than any textbook; the only wand shop in Diagon Alley, or even the entire British Isles, and a "newbie village" that every transmigrator to the magical world was bound to reach.

The erosion of time had left the shop's sign mottled and weathered, and with its small, dilapidated storefront, one could hardly tell that this was the legendary place every young wizard was required to visit.

Compared to the gilded splendor of Gringotts and Flourish and Blotts, Ollivanders Wand Shop looked entirely unremarkable, yet it was one of the "territories" that even Voldemort had never thought to conquer.

A unique and inimitable business was just that arrogant; much like the many noble clans of ancient China, no matter how the tides of time shifted, it remained entirely unaffected.

"This is the last stop."

Snape was quite generous when paying, but he remained a man of few words.

Ian had actually been looking forward to this moment for a long time. He gazed at the mottled sign of the unassuming shop, his eyes filled with anticipation and a hint of indescribable nervousness.

It was no wonder his mood was so unsettled.

After all.

From his limited understanding of this world, aside from Harry Potter and the beautiful Hermione, this place definitely ranked among the most mysterious locations.

It was said that the entire story of Harry Potter was inseparable from prophecy, and whether in the original work or fan fiction, Ollivanders Wand Shop was always the most chilling place of prophecy.

The defeat of the Dark Lord.

The death of Dumbledore.

These prophecies concerning others could be considered mere appetizers.

Ollivanders Wand Shop, which declared that the wand chooses the wizard, possessed the most terrifying prophecy in this world—the futures of beings as powerful as Dumbledore and Voldemort could be said to have been set in stone by a single word from the shop. Even Harry Potter could not escape the prophecy made at the moment his wand chose him.

If someone were to say that the proprietor of Ollivanders Wand Shop didn't possess some talent far exceeding that of an ordinary seer, Ian would be the first to jump up and declare his disbelief.

The very first part of the finale had hinted at it.

Who could possibly out-prophesy you!