Meeting Draco at the Robe Shop

The three of them stepped out of Gringotts and officially began their shopping trip.

After a moment's thought, Allen asked Dumbledore to take them to a magical equipment shop.

He scanned hundreds upon hundreds of price tags and spent thirty Galleons on a suitcase enchanted with an Extension Charm and a Lightening Charm.

For an item with spatial magic, the suitcase was inexpensive. After all, it only held two cubic meters.

Fortunately, practicality was not its only consideration; it was quite attractive, too-families who could spend thirty Galleons on a suitcase were hardly common.

Edward glanced at his son with some amusement. Allen had clearly adapted to magic very quickly and could already put it to good use.

He thought he could rest easy about sending the boy to that school alone.

Compared with other children his age, he had considerable faith in his son's abilities.

Dumbledore and Edward watched from the side as Allen asked the shopkeeper, "Do you have any magical items that can make someone invisible?"

"Of course!" The shopkeeper proudly puffed out his chest. "My shop has the widest selection of magical equipment in all Britain!"

He eagerly made recommendations to Allen. "This is an Invisibility Cloak made with Demiguise feathers, three hundred Galleons. These cuffs have a Disillusionment Charm on them, five hundred Galleons. This..."

"Sir, thank you very much for your recommendations," Allen said, helplessly interrupting his torrent of words. "I don't need any of them for now."

For the first time in his life, Allen experienced the feeling of being short of money. His smooth cheeks flushed faintly.

He walked sheepishly over to Edward, and the king patted his head.

Edward felt both sorry for him and helpless. Even as a king, there was little he could do for Allen in the Wizarding World.

Still...

He smiled at his son. "Allen, think about it. Haven't you forgotten something?"

Allen looked up in confusion and went over everything from beginning to end before hesitantly shaking his head.

"Precious metals are always a universal currency," Edward said with a helpless sigh.

Allen pressed his lips together in frustration. "You're right."

Dumbledore chuckled. Watching Allen hold Edward's hand like an ordinary child for once, he gave the king an understanding nod.

He patted Allen and reminded him, "If we don't go and buy your school supplies soon, it'll start getting crowded!"

The shopkeeper looked at Dumbledore and was about to come over to greet him, but then he went blank for a moment and turned away in a daze to attend to something else.

"All right, Mr. Dumbledore."

Edward looked thoughtful.

Under Dumbledore's guidance, the two of them made their purchases smoothly, without having to retrace their steps at all.

At the bookshop, Allen and Edward gazed over every book in the store, utterly captivated.

They deliberately bought a few extra history books, along with several books explaining everyday life in the Wizarding World, before reluctantly moving on to the robe shop.

When they thanked him, Dumbledore winked.

"I have spent half my life at Hogwarts, after all! If you spent half your lives at Hogwarts, you'd know all this as well as you know your own castle."

The bell rang as they entered the shop. Inside, a pale boy with platinum-blond hair was already standing on a footstool while pins adjusted his robes.

Madam Malkin greeted Allen warmly. "Dear, wait there a moment. I'll fetch a fresh measuring tape from the back!"

The boy saw Allen and lifted his chin haughtily, deliberately drawing out his words in a slow, singsong drawl. "Are you starting your first year at Hogwarts, too?"

Allen was used to dealing with arrogant, difficult nobles. The moment he heard that tone, he knew the boy was a young gentleman-and a spoiled one at that.

Unbothered by his arrogance, Allen nodded politely and adopted the same drawl. "Yes. I'm Allen Cornwall, and this is my father."

When introducing His Majesty, Allen lifted his chin slightly with pride before asking, "And what should I call you?"

Surprised by his tone, the boy gave him several appraising looks. He inclined his upper body slightly toward Edward in greeting before saying slowly, "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Allen and Edward were startled by his surname and exchanged a glance. He was actually a descendant of the Malfoy family.

In the eleventh century, Armand Malfoy had made a great, little-known contribution to William the Conqueror and had been rewarded with extensive lands in Wiltshire.

Although he had received no title, he had enjoyed genuine noble privileges.

His descendants had kept out of sight, however, and they had always assumed the Malfoy family line had probably died out.

After a lengthy pause, the Malfoy boy finally could not resist asking, "Are you a noble? But I don't remember Cornwall being a pure-blood surname!"

Allen smiled gently, concealing the scrutiny in his eyes. "Of course not. I come from the Ordinary World. In your words, I'm a Muggle-born."

Draco froze for a moment and pressed his lips together. He had thought this boy was rather decent, yet he turned out to be Muggle-born.

The boy's expression was so obvious that Allen immediately confirmed it: the wizards here really did not welcome "Muggle-borns" like them.

His eyes darkened, but a smile soon returned. Wasn't that precisely why he had come?

Just then, Madam Malkin returned with her measuring tape to take Allen's measurements.

Draco's expression improved a little, and he resumed the conversation. "My father is a School Governor!"

Allen had figured it out by now. This young gentleman simply wanted someone to show off to.

Draco declared with haughty pride, "I'm definitely going into Slytherin. If I don't, I'm leaving! They actually won't let first years bring broomsticks. It's outrageous! You know, Quidditch is so much fun..."

Dumbledore stood to one side under a Confundus Charm, watching the children make friends.

He truly had not expected the first child Allen met his own age to be Draco Malfoy.

Still, this accidental turn of events could prove beneficial. If these two children became friends and, in turn, influenced the Malfoy family...

He looked away and suggested to Edward that they wait for Allen in the tea shop across the street.

The two shops stood directly opposite each other, with a clear view through their windows. Edward agreed, then gently called to Allen and told him where he would be.

Allen bowed with a hand over his heart, then nodded to Dumbledore. "Take your time, Father. There's no need to hurry. I'll come and find you once my robes are ready."

Watching Allen bow so formally, Draco paused, then said hesitantly, "Goodbye, sir!"

Edward smiled and nodded, then deliberately reminded Allen, "Since you want to make friends, make sure you get along. This is your first friend, and I don't want to hear any bad news."

Allen seemed about to object, but still bowed obediently. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Although those words had been deliberately intended for Draco's ears, His Majesty was genuinely concerned.

Allen had been gifted from a young age. The curriculum at his public school could not keep pace with his progress, so renowned teachers had mostly been invited to the castle to teach him privately. He really had met very few children his own age.

One common failing of geniuses was probably their tendency to look down on ordinary people-an arrogance that came naturally, deep in their bones.

Although Edward's guidance had made Allen gentle and gentlemanly, His Majesty still knew exactly what his own son was like.

If Allen attended Hogwarts, his duties as Crown Prince would certainly lead him to treat every wizard from an ordinary background with kindness and tolerance.

But that also meant Allen would never associate with them as friends.

It was only natural for parents to worry about their children's social lives. Even His Majesty was no exception!

Worrying over his son's friendships, the king sighed silently, then turned and went out with Dumbledore.

Edward's words made Draco a little happy, because Allen was his first friend, too. He watched Edward leave, then turned to stare at Allen. "Tell me the truth!"

Allen looked at this prideful boy, who was plainly curious yet still deliberately raised his pointed chin, striving to maintain his arrogance. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He chuckled and assumed the bearing of a Crown Prince. "Then let us introduce ourselves again!

"Allen Cornwall, British Crown Prince, invested as Prince of Cornwall. It is an honor to meet a descendant of the Malfoy family."

Draco looked puzzled and asked hesitantly, "You... have heard of the Malfoys?"

Allen briefly explained the connection between the Malfoys and the royal family, but even that was enough to make Draco deeply uncomfortable.

...Who could have imagined that his family's noble status had been granted by a Muggle king!

He looked awkwardly at Allen, inexplicably feeling that such an origin made him inferior.

Allen paused, then said with a soft chuckle, "Mr. Armand Malfoy made a tremendous contribution to the royal family in those days. We have always remembered it.

"If I recall correctly, the royal family still has some of Mr. Malfoy's manuscripts. If your family would like them returned, please let me know."

Draco's expression turned solemn. He knew all too well the significance of his ancestor's manuscripts!

At once, every thought of Muggles or anything else went straight out of his head.

He promptly reached out to Allen with enthusiasm and shook his hand firmly. "I'm definitely making you my friend!"

Allen smiled gently. "Then, when we next meet, I'll bring the manuscripts as a greeting gift for the current head of the Malfoy family. Would that be all right?"

"Of course! We'll meet on the Hogwarts Express. My father and mother will both be there to see me off!"

Draco straightened his collar with haughty pride. He had done something important for the Malfoy family today!

Soon, the pampered young gentleman's robes were fully pinned. He glanced at Allen, reluctant to leave. "I'll be going, then. My mother's still waiting for me at Ollivander's!"

Allen nodded with a soft chuckle. "See you on the train."

Draco rummaged in his pocket for a while, pulled out a handful of sweets, pressed them into Allen's hand, and hurried out the door.