Ron's New Wand and New Pet

After leaving Knockturn Alley, Zhang San dispersed his incense-body and drifted through Diagon Alley as a ghost. Even a landlord had no surplus grain; incense power had to be conserved whenever possible and not squandered unless necessary.

This appearance drew plenty of intense attention from passersby. Ghosts were nothing unusual at Hogwarts, but ghosts capable of leaving Hogwarts and floating around outside were extremely rare.

By the time he found Ron, Mr. Weasley had already helped him choose a new wand—a fourteen-inch willow wand with a unicorn-hair core. Its price was the classic beginner's special: seven Galleons.

Young wizards could buy beginner wands for the low price of seven Galleons because Hogwarts supplied Ollivanders Wand Shop with inexpensive materials.

Whether it was the magical wood for wand shafts or unicorn hair, dragon heartstring, and phoenix feathers for wand cores, none of it was particularly valuable at Hogwarts.

If you didn't believe it, just visit Hagrid's hut. The fur cushion in the giant tycoon's dog bed was woven from unicorn hair. That single cushion could crash the unicorn-hair market, turning something once in short supply into worthless cabbage.

Of course, the danger level of the Forbidden Forest was right there for all to see. Aside from Hagrid, Hogwarts' Keeper of Keys and Grounds, few people could casually stroll through it.

To say nothing else, the colony of Acromantulas bred by Aragog, whom Hagrid had released into the wild, could turn anyone who trespassed into the forest into takeaway in a box.

At least half the danger in the Forbidden Forest had been caused by the release enthusiast—Rubeus Hagrid. This guy really had something going for him when it came to magical creature hybrid genetics. It was hard to imagine how he had managed to crossbreed a Manticore and a Fire Crab to produce Blast-Ended Skrewts.

"Congratulations on choosing the first new wand of your life. I'm sure it'll accompany you through a wonderful stretch of magical years," Zhang San congratulated him.

"Thanks, Siri." Ron smiled. "Did you get what you wanted?"

"Not very smoothly... We're going to pick out a pet. You should have enough money left for an owl, right?" Zhang San asked.

Ron nodded. He really did need a personal owl to correspond with his friends.

His family did have a shared owl, but Errol was simply too old. Frail with age, he struggled terribly when flying and often crashed into things or fell over when landing.

Mr. Weasley also supported Ron buying a new owl to take over for Errol. Errol had worked hard for the Weasley family his entire life; he deserved to retire and enjoy his old age.

At Eeylops Owl Emporium, an ordinary grey wood owl cost ten Galleons. Hedwig, a snowy owl, was a rare breed among owls—an SSR-tier expensive owl—and would never cost less than twenty Galleons.

Ron still had twelve Galleons left. If he asked his father for a little more, he could scrape together fifteen Galleons to buy a handsome screech owl.

Before they even arrived, the two heard a series of low, gentle hoots. The sign above the door read: Eeylops Owl Emporium—Grey Wood Owls, Screech Owls, Barn Owls, Tawny Owls, Snowy Owls.

"What kind of owl do you like?" Zhang San asked.

Ron scratched his head. "I don't know either... Let's take a look first."

"Mm, if you're buying one, pick whichever catches your eye most," Zhang San agreed.

He had no intention of buying an owl. Hogwarts had a public owlery; whenever he wanted to possess one, he could just pick one at random. Why waste money here?

Ron, walking into the shop with a ghost, became the most eye-catching kid there. Plenty of children went shopping with adults, but he was the only one shopping with a ghost.

The shop was deep—far deeper than it looked from outside. The owner had clearly used an Undetectable Extension Charm. Owls needed room to move around at night, so there was a special area in the shop where they could be let loose after dark.

During the day, the owls returned to their respective cages to nap. The shop was very dark, and entering it felt like crawling into some enormous, warm nest.

Zhang San rather liked this environment. After all, he was a ghost. No ghost liked being active in broad daylight under the blazing sun.

Whether one was afraid or not was one matter; whether one liked it was another.

All kinds of scents filled the air. First came the dry smell of feathers, followed by the sweet, fishy scent from the owl treats piled in the corner, something like a mixture of cinnamon and sage. There was also an extremely faint, almost imperceptible smell of pine needles and earth...

This place really allowed owls to live well. The environment was far better than Hogwarts' public owlery.

On a row of shelves to the left, several barn owls were crowded together. When the visitors arrived, their large round faces turned toward Ron, while the feathers on their chests rose and fell with their breathing, making them look remarkably cheerful.

At the back of the shop stood a counter. In the rocking chair behind it, a thin old woman was dozing with her head tilted to one side. It had to be said that the atmosphere in this shop was perfect for sleeping.

The old woman wore a feathered shawl pieced together from real owl feathers, and several tiny down feathers were caught in her gray-white hair.

A miniature owl was curled up in the hollow of her shoulder, showing only two round eyes and a tuft of raised brow feathers. Ron took an immediate liking to the little thing. Compared to Errol at home, this tiny, adorable owl was simply far too cute.

When Ron's footsteps approached the counter, the old woman woke from her nap. This wasn't the peak season before Hogwarts started—why was a young wizard here to buy an owl?

"Ma'am, how many Galleons is this owl?" Ron asked, pointing at the little bird on the old woman's shoulder.

The old woman stroked the little owl's smooth feathers with her aged hand and smiled. "This child is called Zhu Weiqiong. She's a very lovely little thing."

Ron nodded. "She really is cute..."

"If you like her, you can take her home for just ten Galleons," the old woman said.

After all, owls were essentially mail carriers in the pet world. Zhu Weiqiong was smaller than others of her kind, so many customers would not buy such a tiny owl for practical reasons.

Though Zhu Weiqiong was cute and adorable, her price was only on par with the cheapest grey wood owl.

Ten Galleons? Ron could buy her outright without even asking his father for money. Although the coins he had gotten from Malfoy had all been spent today, being able to upgrade both his wand and pet was pretty much perfect.

Ron paid without hesitation. Arthur Weasley was not the sort of father to spoil his son's fun. If he had been buying it himself, he would certainly have chosen a larger, more practical breed. But since his son was spending his own money, all he needed to do was offer support and encouragement.

"Siri, aren't you buying an owl pet?" Ron asked.

Zhang San shook his head. "Until I'm able to return to China, I basically can't leave Hogwarts. So whenever I need to send a letter, I can just go to the public owlery and find one. I don't have much need for a personal owl."

"All right... Then do you need any other pets?" Ron asked. "There's also a magical pet shop in Diagon Alley."

Zhang San nodded. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"