Arrival in Diagon Alley

June 1, on a London street!

Luo Bin stood between a large bookshop and a record shop. Though he already knew the answer, he asked, "Mr. Dumbledore, is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on this street?"

Dumbledore glanced at the bustling street and shook his head. "Obviously not, young fellow. Before you start school, you need to buy a few things. Wasn't there a list of required supplies in your acceptance letter?"

Luo Bin took out the envelope. The long sheet of parchment listed the styles and fabrics of his uniform, the titles of his textbooks, and the standard equipment for a young wizard in detail. "Um, Mr. Dumbledore, I don't have... a single Knut in my pocket!"

Thump! A small money pouch landed squarely in his palm. "For young wizards who can't afford their supplies, the school provides some financial assistance. Come along, young fellow. We've stood here long enough!"

With a flick of the Elder Wand, a small, grubby pub appeared out of thin air between the bookshop and the record shop. The passersby seemed not to notice the strange change at all; they never even glanced that way!

The wizards sipping rich sherry and chattering away all froze for several seconds as the old man and the boy entered, as though on cue. The bald proprietor, who looked remarkably like a shriveled walnut, was the first to recover. "Good heavens, Mr. Dumbledore! What brings you here? Could this young gentleman be... oh? He doesn't have a lightning scar on his forehead?"

"Robin Sear, an incoming student at the Wizarding School!"

"You're personally escorting Mr. Sear to Diagon Alley? He must be exceptionally gifted!"

"Tom, Hogwarts treats every incoming young wizard equally!"

That was all very well, but the Leaky Cauldron was a commonly used route into Diagon Alley, and it was rare indeed for the headmaster to personally accompany a new student to buy supplies.

That little boy with the black hair and eyes must have something extraordinary about him! Tom thought.

The passage wasn't particularly long, yet it took the pair ages to get through. Wizards in all manner of clothing politely approached to greet them, openly or subtly probing for information about Luo Bin. Clearly, the proprietor wasn't the only one who thought that way!

They passed through the passage into a courtyard enclosed by walls on all four sides. Dumbledore glanced at the bricks above the trash can and tapped three times with his wand.

At once, the brick he had tapped began to tremble. A small hole appeared in the middle, widening before their eyes until, moments later, it had become a broad archway leading onto a winding cobblestone street.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley, young fellow. You can buy anything you want here!"

After stepping through the archway, Luo Bin turned back curiously. It rapidly narrowed, returning to its original state within seconds. "Amazing!"

Dumbledore smiled kindly at his astonishment and took him to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for his uniform, Flourish and Blotts for his textbooks, Eeylops Owl Emporium for a snowy owl, and Potage's Cauldron Shop for a cauldron and scales. Finally, they arrived at Ollivander's Wand Shop.

Once inside, Luo Bin quietly surveyed his surroundings. The shop was tiny, with only a single bench for customers to rest on. Behind the counter, tens of thousands of long, narrow boxes were stacked almost to the ceiling. He knew that each box held a wand waiting for its owner to arrive.

"Mr. Dumbledore, it's been so long! What a pleasure to see you. And this young gentleman must be Har... oh? He doesn't have a lightning scar on his forehead!" said the bright-eyed old man, his excitement giving way to disappointment.

"Mr. Ollivander, I'm Luo Bin—Robin Sear. I'm here to buy a wand!" He had been mistaken for someone else more times along the way than he could count on one hand. He was used to it by now!

"Oh, my apologies, Mr. Sear. What would your ideal wand be like?"

The Fire Phoenix should use fire, of course. "Fire. A wand that can make flames bigger and fiercer!"

"Oh, while I don't recommend that children play with fire, you are an incoming Hogwarts student. I'm sure your professors will teach you how to control it. Look at this thirteen-inch elm wand with a fire dragon core. How suitable it would be for you!"

Luo Bin had barely taken it when the shopkeeper snatched it back. "No, this one doesn't suit you. Rosewood with a unicorn core—try this one!"

He had only raised the wand halfway when it was snatched away again. "Clearly, this one doesn't suit you either. Peach wood with a salamander core—try this one!"

The wands he had tried lay piled on the counter like firewood, one atop another, in a stack nearly fifteen inches high. The shopkeeper's eyes drooped at the corners as he said in bewilderment, "Strange. I've never encountered anything so odd since opening this shop. We've tried around two hundred wands, yet not a single one has more than twenty-five percent compatibility with Mr. Sear. How strange!"

"Mr. Ollivander, how do you judge the compatibility between a wand and a wizard?"

"Oh, how should I put it? It's a peculiar feeling. Members of the Ollivander Family can tell with a touch! Mr. Sear, every wand is unique. They choose you, rather than you choosing them. Do you understand what I mean?" he said helplessly, polishing a wand.

Tch. So over two hundred wands have all rejected me. Luo Bin glanced at the tens of thousands of long, narrow boxes. "I understand, but trying them one at a time is taking far too long. May I go behind the counter and choose?"

They had been trying wands from morning until afternoon, so it really had taken quite some time. Seeing Dumbledore nod from the bench, Ollivander stepped out from behind the counter. "Please, come in, Mr. Sear!"

Luo Bin walked behind the counter and ran his hand along the side of a box, carefully sensing any change in the wand inside. The first gave no response, so he touched the next. The second gave no response either, but he wasn't discouraged and moved straight on to the third...

Forty-five minutes later, he had rubbed the outsides of the boxes to a shine, yet not a single wand had responded. Luo Bin lowered his eyes. Could these wands have sensed that my soul doesn't belong to this world?

"Mr. Sear, though it may be rather impolite of me, I'm afraid I must suggest that you try looking elsewhere!"

Uh, he's kicking me out. A wand is the medium for casting magic. Without one, how the hell am I supposed to learn any? Luo Bin turned to the white-bearded wizard, who was resting with his eyes closed!

"The Ollivander Family began making fine wands in 382 BC. Every incoming Hogwarts student buys their wand from this shop. There has never been an exception. Look more carefully, young fellow. You needn't limit your search to the shelves!"

Dumbledore kept his eyes closed as he spoke, as though utterly certain that Luo Bin could find a wand with one hundred percent compatibility!

Still, his words gave Luo Bin a new idea. Apart from the shelves behind the counter, where else might there be a long, narrow box?

Luo Bin widened his eyes and scanned the shop, even checking beneath the bench. Suddenly, a wooden block propping up the counter caught his attention. Its rectangular outline looked much like the long, narrow boxes on the shelves. The color was slightly different, perhaps because it hadn't been painted!

He crouched down. The instant his fingertips touched the side of the box, a scorching current surged through them into his body, shooting straight toward the red sphere surrounded by green light!