Purchasing Equipment

Since Lucius and Narcissa both knew from experience that buying a wand was the most time-consuming part, they chose Ollivanders Wand Shop as their first stop.

When they pushed open the old shop door, a series of tinkling bells rang inside.

Skylar looked around. The shop was very small; aside from a bench in front of the counter, there was nothing else. Not far away stood thousands of long, narrow boxes stacked almost to the ceiling. Ollivander had been in the wandmaking business for nearly two thousand years and was one of Europe's three major wandmakers. Skylar remembered that the Ollivander Family was also one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families.

"Good morning." A gentle voice rang out, and an old man seemed to appear before them out of nowhere. Draco jumped in fright, instinctively grabbing Skylar's robes. Clearly, this old man was Garrick Ollivander, the owner of the shop.

Skylar's pupils allowed him to perceive a particularly sharp quality within the old man's magic. Though it was considerably weaker than Lucius's, he did not dare underestimate the man before him. He answered respectfully, "Mr. Ollivander, my brother and I are new Hogwarts students this year. We need new wands."

"Of course, of course!" Ollivander's gaze remained fixed on Skylar. "Wizards need wands to cast magic, but remember: it is the wand that chooses the wizard! Now then, gentlemen of the Malfoy family, who will go first?"

Skylar nudged Draco forward. Ollivander measured him, first from shoulder to fingertip, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and finally the circumference of his head. Then he took out a wand and had Draco give it a try.

Draco tried several times before the wand that chose him was finally found: hawthorn wood with a unicorn hair core. Exactly ten inches long, reasonably springy, and elegantly designed. Hmm, unicorn hair. It seemed Draco was still an innocent child, Skylar thought.

Unicorns were beautiful creatures found in the forests of Northern Europe. Fully grown unicorns were pure-white horses with horns, and they were often drawn to innocent and kind-hearted people. This gave unicorn hair its tendency to favor good people. Hawthorn wands, meanwhile, were especially partial to wizards with contradictory personalities or those going through a confused period in their lives.

It was Skylar's turn. After all the measurements were finished, the tape measure slid to the floor and curled into a ball. At the same time, Ollivander picked up a wand. Skylar had barely grasped it before the man took it back. Frowning deeply, he thought for a moment, then produced another wand for Skylar to try. Yet as soon as Skylar held it, Ollivander took that one back as well.

One wand after another was tested, with the same thing happening each time. Skylar noticed that the wrinkles between Ollivander's brows deepened with every attempt.

Ollivander paced back and forth a few times, as though he had made some momentous decision. He took out a very ancient-looking box. "Try this one. Fourteen and a half inches, vine wood, with a Thestral tail hair core. This was the last wand my great-grandfather made. He was a very famous wandmaking master in his day."

The instant Skylar received it, a warm current surged from his fingertips. A white glow emerged from the wand's tip, spreading outward in rings like ripples across water.

"Remarkable, truly remarkable!" Ollivander's voice grew even softer. "I do not particularly like using Thestral tail hair, but I must say, sir, you and this wand make a truly remarkable combination."

"Excuse me, Mr. Ollivander," Skylar could not help asking quietly. "What exactly did you find remarkable just now?"

Skylar truly was curious. Most of Ollivander's wands used materials from phoenixes, unicorns, or dragons as their cores, while the wand in his hand contained a Thestral tail hair core. It was different from all the other wands Ollivander made.

"As everyone knows, Thestrals are regarded as symbols of misfortune." Ollivander stared at Skylar with milky-white eyes. "This is a very peculiar substance. Only wizards capable of mastering death can control it. Vine wands are also quite uncommon, and I cannot help but notice that their owners are always wizards with lofty ambitions who do not flaunt their edge. My great-grandfather always wanted to create a wand that could rival, or even surpass, the legendary Elder Wand. Personally, I believe this wand combination is superior to the Elder Wand. The Elder Wand accepts only powerful wizards as its masters, and an excessive pursuit of power can only bring misfortune—few of the Elder Wand's masters throughout history have met a good end. This wand, however, possesses a far more restrained temperament. I believe its master—Mr. Malfoy—will certainly achieve extraordinary things in the future."

Skylar's feelings were complicated, but he was also relieved that this wand purchase had finally come to an end.

Next, to save time, the Malfoy family decided to split up. Lucius went to the bookstore to buy textbooks, Narcissa went to buy cauldrons and potion ingredients, while Skylar and Draco headed to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to purchase uniforms.

On the way to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Skylar curiously observed the surrounding shops. There was the dimly lit Eeylops Owl Emporium, from which came low, soft hooting sounds. Several children about their age were pressed against a display window, staring intently at a Broomstick. Skylar heard one boy say, "Look! That's the latest Nimbus 2000—the fastest Broomstick!"

When he came back to himself, Skylar suddenly realized that Draco had been unusually quiet.

"Skylar, Ollivander said you'll become an extraordinary wizard someday, but I'm nothing. I feel so weak," Draco said sourly, lowering his head.

Seeing him like this, Skylar immediately understood what was wrong. He put an arm around Draco's neck and said, "Of course I'll become an extraordinary wizard. Just look whose brother I am. You simply haven't practiced properly, right?" He gave Draco's shoulders another shake. "You love playing around too much. Making friends is a good thing, but getting lost in hollow mutual flattery while neglecting your studies in reality—isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"

"Hahaha, that's absolutely right." Draco understood at once and said with a laugh, "I'll start working hard too! As the older brother, I definitely won't lose to my little brother."

Madam Malkin was a short, plump witch with a cheerful smile, dressed in purple. Standing at the shop entrance, she smiled when she saw Skylar and Draco. "Oh, two young gentlemen! Are you here to buy Hogwarts uniforms? We have plenty—every style, fabric, and size."

Skylar smiled faintly. "Three well-fitting plain robes for each of us will do. I also have a few additional requests for myself. Could we discuss those after the uniforms are settled?"

As the two were taken to the back of the shop for measurements by a young witch, Skylar heard someone else come in to be measured. He turned and saw a thin boy with black hair. For some reason, he felt as though he had seen the boy before. Draco also turned at that moment and asked, "Hey, are you going to Hogwarts too?"

The other boy seemed a little at a loss and could only nod awkwardly.

Draco continued, "My dad's next door buying our books, and my mum's out on the street buying school supplies. After that, I'm dragging them to look at Broomsticks. I don't understand why first-year students can't have their own Broomsticks. I think I'll make Dad buy me one, then find a way to sneak it in. You think so too, don't you, Skylar?"

Skylar rolled his eyes and ignored Draco. Instead, he smiled kindly at the boy. "Hello, my name is Skylar Malfoy. This is my brother, Draco Malfoy. We're both new students starting at Hogwarts this year. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, hello. I'm Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you too," Harry replied.

"Merlin's beard, are you really Harry Potter?" Draco asked excitedly. "Oh, I mean, it's nice to meet you."

The three stood together for a while, chatting about their fantasies and expectations for Hogwarts, then about Broomsticks and Quidditch. After buying his uniform, Harry said goodbye to them—he still had other things to purchase. Draco eagerly wanted to drag Skylar off to look at Broomsticks, but Skylar dismissed him by saying he was not very interested in Quidditch. He himself stayed behind to ask Madam Malkin about the different kinds of wizard robes.

Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions sold far more than plain uniform robes for Hogwarts students. It also carried all kinds of everyday wizard robes: decorative robes embroidered with patterns that gave off a faint golden gleam, fitted robes that made the wearer look slimmer, loose robes with a more casual appearance, robes that automatically lengthened as the wearer grew taller, and temperature-regulating robes that kept one warm in winter and cool in summer. Incidentally, every robe sold by Madam Malkin came with automatic ironing and automatic repair functions, so there was no need to worry about wrinkles, dampness, tears, and the like.

When Skylar read the original books in his previous life, he had always had a question. Wizard robes had inherited the designs and aesthetics of the Middle Ages, and for over a thousand years, their appearance and design had remained stagnant without the slightest improvement. Setting aside the subjective matter of whether they looked good, these wide, billowing robes were highly inconvenient for running and agile dodging. They were a burden in wizard duels, not to mention the embarrassment of tripping over one's own robes.

Moreover, these robes did not come with any practical functions, such as protection against certain dark curses, reducing body weight to increase agility and speed, or changing their appearance at will to work with Transfiguration for disguise...

Based on Skylar's understanding of the wizarding world and magic, making wizard robes with such functions was certainly no impossible fantasy.

After Skylar raised these questions with Madam Malkin, she looked at him with a very complicated expression. She was amazed by the various ideas and concepts proposed by the young boy before her.

She explained to Skylar that she could indeed make robes with the functions he had described. However, the wizarding world had been peaceful for a long time, and she did not think such expensive robes would have much of a market. Secondly, she admitted that the wizarding world had remained complacent for far too long. Compared to the steadily advancing Muggle world, wizarding fashion aesthetics and functional demands had indeed fallen far behind.

Skylar then asked Madam Malkin to tailor a set of combat robes specifically for him and listed his requirements one by one. The Combat Robe was to be fitted and streamlined, made from Occamy skin to provide enough elasticity to preserve freedom of movement. In appearance, it would resemble a Muggle suit jacket.

A hidden pocket had to be sewn into each cuff so he could store his wand or other weapons, allowing him to enter a combat-ready state anytime and anywhere. The robe's pockets needed to be expanded with the Undetectable Extension Charm, providing enough space to hold at least his luggage and Portable Book Bag.

Furthermore, the fabric needed special alchemical treatment so that it would never be stained by dust or marks, including blood. Waterproof and moisture-resistant functions would allow Skylar to remain clean and dry at all times. Naturally, temperature regulation and breathability were also essential, ensuring that he could wear it comfortably in any season or location.

Skylar had originally wanted to add functions such as protection against dark curses, reduced gravity, and changing appearances, but Madam Malkin said she truly could not manage those, no matter how many Galleons he offered. Skylar could only give up on that idea.

The tailoring, sewing, and special treatment of this Combat Robe were all extremely complicated and time-consuming. Madam Malkin had originally not intended to accept the commission. Given her status in the wizarding fashion world, she lacked neither business nor money. But when Skylar said he intended to take the idea to Twilfitt and Tattings and might give them a new reputation and greater recognition, Madam Malkin wavered.

Madam Malkin also knew that clothing design in the wizarding world was truly too scarce and dull. If Twilfitt and Tattings used this opportunity to open up an entirely new market, it really could seriously threaten her future market share. With that in mind, Madam Malkin had no choice but to agree to do her best for Skylar.

The Combat Robe cost a full thirty Galleons, more than seven times the price of an ordinary wizard robe. Madam Malkin said she would need two weeks to tailor and sew it. After Skylar paid half the price as a deposit, they agreed that once it was finished, it would be delivered directly to him by owl. Only then did Skylar leave happily.