Hermione Granger

Hogwarts' financial aid was one hundred Gold Galleons a year. There was no need to withdraw it from Gringotts; McGonagall had already brought it with her during her home visit.

There were three main types of currency in the Wizarding World: Gold Galleons, Silver Sickles, and Bronze Knuts.

One Gold Galleon equaled seventeen Silver Sickles, and one Silver Sickle equaled twenty-nine Bronze Knuts. (Those bad at math found this terribly headache-inducing.)

"There's a lot to buy, Mr. Carmen. We may need to get a large trunk first, as well as a trolley!"

McGonagall pulled Jerry, who was looking around in every direction, through the densely packed crowd and quickly arrived at a shop selling miscellaneous goods.

At the shop, Jerry bought an enormous leather trunk, a trolley, a set of small glass or crystal potion bottles, a telescope, and a brass scale.

Then they went to a cauldron shop with a gleaming sign reading "Potage's" and bought a cauldron—Pewter, standard size 2.

"What pet would you like? An owl, a cat, or a toad?"

After leaving the cauldron shop, McGonagall looked at the Eeylops Owl Emporium beside them and asked Jerry.

"A pet?"

A thoughtful look appeared on Jerry's face.

Jerry had never really considered keeping a pet. After all, he had not been in the habit of keeping pets in his previous life either.

"Little Wizards these days all like owls, because they can deliver letters and gifts. They're more practical!"

Thinking Jerry did not know much about pets, McGonagall recommended the most popular pet at Hogwarts nowadays.

"An owl? Forget it. I'd rather have a cat. I like cats better!"

Owls were indeed very useful to Little Wizards, helping them deliver letters and gifts. By comparison, cats and toads seemed to have no purpose beyond eating.

But Jerry knew that in a pet treatment shop in Diagon Alley, there was a cat with Kneazle blood named Crookshanks.

Sirius had called it the cleverest cat. Not only could it quickly identify people of poor character or suspicious individuals, it could also distinguish Animagi transformed into animal form.

Moreover, it could solve certain problems on its own without help or guidance.

As someone with secrets, Jerry felt that if he had to keep a pet, a cat like that would be a good choice.

More importantly, with Crookshanks around, Ron's rat Scabbers, which was Peter Pettigrew in disguise, probably would not dare come near him again.

As for owls, the school had public owls he could use for free. Why spend money raising one himself?

Besides, there was an Owl Post Office outside as well.

"A cat? Very few Little Wizards buy cats as pets these days!"

McGonagall sounded somewhat surprised by Jerry's answer, but a smile appeared on her face.

As a witch whose Animagus form was a tabby cat, McGonagall naturally loved cats very much.

It was just that Little Wizards nowadays preferred buying owls as pets, and owls really could offer them more help than cats, which was why she had recommended one to Jerry.

Still, she was very happy that Jerry had chosen a cat as his pet.

"I just like cats better!"

Jerry shrugged with a smile.

"All right, then we'll need to visit the Magical Menagerie later. This shop doesn't have any pets besides owls!"

McGonagall gave a rare smile, then led Jerry to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions across from the owl shop.

"Go in and try on your clothes first. I'll buy your books next door, then we'll head to the Magical Menagerie up ahead to get your pet!"

"No problem!"

Jerry nodded and walked straight into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

What a brave little fellow!

Seeing that Jerry showed nothing but curiosity in this unfamiliar environment, without the slightest hint of timidity, and did not hesitate at all about going into the shop alone to try on clothes, McGonagall could not help sighing to herself.

"Here for Hogwarts uniforms, dear?"

The moment Jerry pushed open the door and entered, a short, plump witch greeted him with a warm smile.

"Yes. I need three sets of Plain Work Robes, one Plain Pointed Hat for daytime wear, a pair of Dragon Hide Gloves, and a Black Winter Cloak with Silver Fastenings. Thank you!"

In response to the plump witch's question, Jerry politely listed the requirements he had seen earlier on the parchment.

"Oh, don't worry, we've got plenty of those. As it happens, there's a little girl inside trying on clothes right now!"

The plump witch smiled and pointed toward the back of the shop.

Following her finger, Jerry saw a little girl with thick, bushy brown curls and a pair of large rabbit-like front teeth standing on a footstool.

Beside her, a witch was pinning up her black robes and measuring something with a tape measure.

"Hey, are you going to Hogwarts too?"

When Jerry stood on the footstool beside her and was likewise draped in black robes for measurements, the little girl asked him in a somewhat haughty tone.

"Yes, I'm a new student this year!"

Jerry smiled.

If Jerry had truly been an eleven-year-old boy, he would certainly have been somewhat annoyed by a girl around his age speaking to him so haughtily.

But in reality, counting his previous life and the eleven years since his transmigration, he was already a man in his early forties by age.

So when he saw a little girl speaking to him in such a haughty tone, he only found her rather cute.

"Me too. No one in my family understands magic, so when I got my acceptance letter, I was absolutely shocked—but really happy too. Because, I mean, as far as I know, this is the best Magic School!"

The little girl seemed rather talkative. Since she could not move while standing on the footstool, she started chatting with Jerry.

"Looks like you know quite a lot!"

Jerry cooperatively offered her some praise.

The little girl immediately lifted her chin proudly.

"Of course! When Professor McGonagall came to my house yesterday, I asked her so many questions. And I've already decided to memorize all the textbooks before school starts. I'll definitely become the witch with the best grades!"

"Oh, definitely. I could tell at a glance that you're no ordinary person. You'll surely become an exceptionally outstanding witch someday. Keep it up!"

Jerry stretched a hand out from beneath the black robes and gave the little girl a thumbs-up, secretly amused.

What an interesting little girl!

"Hermione, are you done over there? We've bought everything except the textbooks!"

Just then, the shop door was pushed open, and a middle-aged couple entered, pulling a trolley behind them as they called out to the little girl chatting with Jerry.