"Sure, thank you so much!" Hugo's eyes lit up with delight, and a grateful smile spread across his face. "You're welcome. You helped me a great deal too. If I'd had to find all these books myself, who knows how long it would have taken?"
Herman spoke sincerely, truly grateful for Hugo's help. The two enthusiastically discussed which books were must-buys and what order to read them in for a while longer.
Just then, Mrs. Granger glanced at her wristwatch and reminded him, "Hugo, we need to hurry. It'll be dark soon, and we still have other things to buy. There's plenty left on the shopping list."
"Okay, Mum. Oh, Herman, remember to post me those newspapers." While answering his mother, Hugo hurriedly exchanged contact addresses with Herman, looking so eager that he seemed afraid of missing this chance to get old newspapers.
"I've got your address. I'll give you mine later. I might not be going back to the orphanage for the holidays." Herman waved goodbye to Hugo with a smile on his face, his heart full of anticipation for the magical journey ahead.
After Hugo left, Herman browsed leisurely around Flourish and Blotts for a while longer, like a treasure hunter searching for treasure. He carefully selected a few books on alchemy, planning to study them thoroughly and see whether he could figure out how to make a wand. That way, he would not have to worry about being identified by a Ministry of Magic wand inspection if he did something bad.
Finally, Herman handed the densely written book list to the shop assistant. After taking it, the assistant spent a long time calculating with a furrowed brow before announcing in relief, "67 Galleons."
In fact, the textbooks mentioned in the acceptance letter were relatively inexpensive. The introductory volume of the Standard Book of Spells cost only 10 Silver Sickles, while the school's chosen A History of Magic cost 12 Silver Sickles.
Of course, at an exchange rate of 17 Silver Sickles to one Galleon, that was nearly a Galleon.
For an ordinary young wizard from a Muggle family, exchanging 100 Galleons would cover textbooks and various other supplies, with just enough left to get through a school year comfortably. Then they would have to wait for the following school year's exchange allowance.
As for the 50 Galleons an orphan could receive, buying secondhand books would allow them to scrape through their first year.
The school also had a range of generous scholarships specifically to help students from poor families afford further study materials.
Herman glanced at the books for the higher years, which were actually rather expensive. A copy of Advanced Potion-Making in the sixth-year section was priced at 25 Galleons, more than the combined price of the three introductory alchemy books in his hands-Rainbow in the Cauldron: An Alchemy Activity Book for Children, Your First Lesson in Alchemy: How Not to Blow Up Your Basement, and An Illustrated Guide to Identifying Magical Materials (Picture Book Edition).
Most of the 67 Galleons Herman spent on books went toward various books on alchemy. There were also some books Hugo had mentioned that introduced general knowledge about the magical world, such as Important Magical Events of the Twentieth Century and Directory of Modern Wizards. These history books were not cheap either.
Herman figured that the school had probably negotiated with the publishers to lower textbook prices deliberately. Or perhaps first-year books were relatively simple, and as students advanced through the years and the knowledge grew more profound, the prices naturally rose along with it.
In addition, Herman ordered the past year's Daily Prophet. That was quite affordable: a newspaper originally cost only a few Knuts, and since he was buying back issues, a whole year's worth came to just two Galleons.
Once Herman paid the Galleons directly to the shop assistant, the assistant's attitude instantly did a complete about-face. Like a master of face-changing, the assistant became utterly respectful and eagerly offered to arrange for someone to deliver the books right away.
Herman said that delivering the books to the Leaky Cauldron would be fine, as he would be checking in there later.
After buying his books, Herman stepped out of the bookshop and headed for his next destination. There was not much to deliberate over when it came to cauldrons, telescopes, and brass scales, so he quickly bought them at the appropriate shops.
Finally, all that remained was choosing a pet.
The Hogwarts acceptance letter clearly stated that students could bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.
So Herman first went to Eeylops Owl Emporium. It was like an owl-themed zoo, mainly selling owls and a range of owl-related supplies, such as owl food and perches.
Herman made a circuit of the shop. Although owls were relatively quiet during the day and did not make a racket, so many gathered together produced a powerful smell of bird droppings. Like a lingering pall, it greatly diminished the shopping experience.
He made several circuits of the shop, but the owls seemed utterly incompatible with him. Not one hit the bull's-eye of his tastes. Clearly, owls did not appeal to Herman.
He did, however, spot Harry's owl from the original story-Hedwig. As Eeylops Owl Emporium's pride and joy, she stood firmly in the central position in the window, basking in everyone's gazes.
Full of curiosity, Herman asked the price: 80 Galleons. That price would empty his purse outright, and it was far more than he had spent on books.
"Why is she so expensive?" Herman asked curiously, his face full of puzzlement.
"This owl has a pure pedigree. We have a pedigree certificate. Her ancestors were owls raised in the household of the great wizard Merlin. Like the descendants of a distinguished family, she has a very noble background," the shop assistant explained proudly.
"Owls have pedigree certificates too? Who issues them?" Herman's curiosity was thoroughly piqued, and he pressed further.
The assistant seemed to have anticipated the question. Like performing a magic trick, the assistant immediately produced a pedigree certificate bearing the seal of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, flashed it before Herman's eyes, and promptly put it away again. "See? This was officially issued by the Ministry of Magic."
Although the assistant moved like lightning, Herman still caught a glimpse of a few words. Looking puzzled, he asked, "That was the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures' seal, but I think I saw 'Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures' underneath. Is this owl a dangerous creature too?"
Without blushing or batting an eyelid, the assistant replied calmly, "The committee chairman holds both posts. There are too many seals, and the wrong one got picked up that day. If you really want her, I can give you a discount."
The assistant was quite decent, neither discriminating against Herman because his clothes suggested he might be a Muggle child nor giving him perfunctory service simply because he was a child.
Unfortunately, diligent as the assistant was, Herman had no intention of being the sucker who got fleeced at such a high price.
Still, looking at it this way, Hagrid really did have deep pockets, buying something with such an obviously inflated price without hesitation.
"I'll look around some more. Sorry for the trouble." After making a few more circuits of the shop, Herman seized a moment when the assistant was not looking and quickly ran out of Eeylops Owl Emporium.
The assistant was too enthusiastic. Sometimes that could be a little overwhelming, and it really did make him feel somewhat guilty about not buying anything.
After leaving Eeylops Owl Emporium, Herman turned and stepped into the Magical Menagerie next door. It was like a fantasy paradise of magical pets, selling all sorts of them: lively, adorable cats, peculiar-looking toads, rabbits that could change shape, soft and cuddly Puffskeins, and more.
Although this shop also had birds such as owls, it did not specialize in them, so there were not many. Neither their variety nor their quality could match Eeylops Owl Emporium next door, but the prices were much more affordable, without those inflated brand premiums.