Early the next morning, Snape came to the orphanage.
He was the sort of man who measured out potion ingredients with surgical precision, yet he’d shown up unannounced last night and now again today, completely at his own convenience.
Who was supposed to have everything ready at this hour? The children were still asleep.
If I hadn’t been so excited about going to the wizarding world that I’d gotten up early and prepared in advance, there was no doubt that this personality disaster would have looked at me unfavorably.
"Leonard, I’ve prepared five hundred pounds here. Use it well."
"Thank you, Headmistress. I’ll make sure it’s spent where it’s needed."
"It seems the preparations are complete, so we’ll be leaving now."
"By the way, Professor Snape, are we perhaps taking Muggle transportation?"
"We could use that method, or we could use Apparition. Would you like to experience it?"
Oh. For Snape, the one I knew, that was surprisingly kind. As expected, you couldn’t judge anything without experiencing it yourself.
Who was slandering such a kind Professor Snape? May all the people who slandered him be utterly—
"I’d like to use Apparition. It seems like it would save both time and money, so let’s give it a try."
"Very well. Come close and hold on tight. It will be a little disorienting."
Right, Apparition was supposed to feel pretty awful. I should brace myself...
"We’ll go on three. One, two, three."
Pop!
What? That was more bearable than I expected.
"This is the Leaky Cauldron. It’s an inn and pub for the wizarding world. Still, you seem to be handling it rather well."
"Yes, well... it’s kind of fun. I’m not that dizzy, either."
"Come this way."
Snape led me to a corner and opened a door.
When we stepped outside, London was visible ahead.
"This pub is on Charing Cross Road in London. Muggles can’t see it. Starting next year, you’ll have to come here yourself to buy your supplies. I won’t explain things twice, so make sure you learn properly this time."
"Ah, I know where this is. I remember coming here with the Headmistress before."
"That was just the entrance. Now come this way."
Snape led me again, and a greeting came from the counter.
"Oh, Professor Snape, what brings you here? Here for a drink?"
"No, not today. I’ve brought a student."
"Oh? You? That’s unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you bring a student here before."
"Yes. This student happens to live near where I do, so I brought him myself this time. Introduce yourself. This is the owner of the inn."
"Hello, my name is Leonard Oppenbach. What should I call you?"
"Mm-hm, just call me Tom. Oppenbach, is it? You’re not British, then?"
"I’m not sure myself. I’m an orphan, you see. My name was written on the note I was left with, so I just kept it."
"I see... My apologies. No, no, this isn’t the time for that. Go on and tend to your business."
"Then we’ll be off. Come on."
"Yes, Professor. Goodbye, Mr. Tom."
Snape took me to the courtyard in front of the Leaky Cauldron, where there was a trash bin.
"Remember this well. Three bricks up from that trash bin, then two to the left. Tap it, and..."
The bricks moved on their own, creating a new entrance.
"This is Diagon Alley, the street of wizards."
This was... Diagon Alley?
"I... I hate to say it, but it looks extremely... how should I put it... run-down."
Wizards really were hopelessly primitive. They lived crowded together in a filthy, narrow place like this? We were barely a decade away from the twenty-first century, and this was acceptable?
"Hm... compared to the main streets of London, I suppose that’s a fair assessment. It’s an undeniable fact. Now, let’s go. The first thing we need to do is exchange your money."
"Yes, Professor."
Snape strode through the narrow street with those long legs of his. I still had short legs!
After barely managing to keep up with him, I saw a pure white building ahead.
"This is Gringotts. The bank of the wizarding world. Come inside."
Oh, so this was a bank. At least it looked refined and clean.
"Professor, those people are...?"
"Goblins. Most of Gringotts’ staff are goblins."
Was it really right to leave the financial sector in the hands of another race...
We’d only been in Diagon Alley for less than ten minutes, and I already had two layers of disappointment stacked up.
Snape stepped forward and spoke to an employee.
"I’ve come to exchange Muggle currency into Galleons."
"How much would you like to exchange?"
"Exchange five hundred pounds for one hundred Galleons. Leonard, take out the money you brought and hand it over."
"Yes, Professor."
"You there! Muggle currency exchange! Go fetch one hundred Galleons!"
Before long, another goblin brought out a pouch of Galleons.
"Here you are, sir."
"Let’s go, Leonard. We have a lot to buy."
After exchanging the money, we left Gringotts.
On the steps in front of the entrance, Snape explained the supplies I’d need.
"First-year students at Hogwarts need more supplies than the other years. Three sets of plain black robes for formal wear, one plain black pointed hat for daily use, one winter cloak with silver fastenings, and one pair of protective gloves made from dragon hide."
"Dragon?"
"Yes, dragon. Of course, most dragon-hide gloves sold on the market are fake. Real dragon-hide gloves are quite expensive and difficult to obtain. Naturally, the real thing offers much better protection."
If they were that expensive, there was no way I could afford the real thing.
"Next are the textbooks. There’s no point listing them now, since they’re all available at the bookstore anyway. Just go in and ask for all the first-year textbooks, and they’ll give them to you.
Then there are the other school supplies: one large cauldron, one glass or crystal phial, one telescope, and one brass scale. Those are used in Potions and Astronomy classes.
First, let’s go to Madam Malkin’s robe shop and get your uniform fitted. That will take the longest, so it’s best to buy the other things while you wait."
So we headed to Madam Malkin’s shop.
"Oh my, Professor Snape? What brings you here?"
As soon as we went in, Madam Malkin greeted us.
"I’ve brought a student, madam. Please fit this child for clothes."
"My, my! What a handsome boy. You’ll break a lot of girls’ hearts when you grow up."
"Thank you, madam. I am rather handsome, aren’t I?"
The only thing I had to thank the parents who abandoned me for was that this body was absurdly handsome.
Golden hair that looked as if it had been melted from gold, clear blue eyes, and an air of decadent beauty to top it all off.
Yes! This was the way the world should be.
"I’m going to the bookstore to buy your textbooks, so you wait here while they take your measurements."
Snape left the shop, his black robes billowing behind him.
Seeing him like that, I finally understood why people called him a bat.
"Come along, dear."
"Yes, madam."
I followed Madam Malkin inside. There were many measuring tapes flying around, and when I entered, they came straight at me and began taking measurements here and there.
The wizarding world really was convenient in all sorts of ways.
After Madam Malkin measured me with a magical tape, she went through another door to make the clothes.
I came back outside and looked out at the street through the window.
Far away, at the end of the street, I could see a black figure from head to toe. It was clearly Snape.
That black figure entered the shop a little later and said to me,
"Here are your first-year books. And take this as well. The school provides some financial support for orphans, and this should be enough to buy all the secondhand school supplies of decent quality."
"...? Professor Snape? Then why didn’t you tell me yesterday?"
"...I forgot."
What... he actually had a bit of a clumsy side to him.
"You’ll be living in the wizarding world from now on anyway, so the more Galleons you have, the better. And since you can only exchange exactly one hundred Galleons a year, you should exchange them whenever you can. As for the subsidy, you’ll have to pay it back later by working."
Yes! The logic of Hogwarts’ only truly reasonable subject, Potions!
While we were talking and waiting, Madam Malkin came out from the back with my clothes.
"There we are, all done. And this is a little gift from me. It’s been a while since I had such a lovely child to dress, so I’m truly pleased."
"Thank you, madam. I’ll wear them well. By the way, who was the student who received a gift of clothes before me?"
"That would be... Cedric Diggory, I think? He came here two years ago, and he was quite handsome too."
"Let’s go, Oppenbach. We still have more to buy. Madam, we’ll see you again."
"Yes, Professor. Goodbye, madam."
"Oh, yes, off you go. See you next time, Professor~"
We left Madam Malkin’s shop behind and headed to the Potions supply store.
As soon as we stepped out, Snape sneered at me.
"So handsome people do have it easy in this world, do they, Mr. Oppenbach?"
Well, if you had a problem with it, you should have been born with a handsome face too.
Anyway, after pushing on through the street, we reached the Potions shop.
"This is the Potions shop. They sell Potions and Potions equipment here. We’ll buy your cauldron, phial, and scale here."
Snape opened the door and went inside, and the shop owner greeted him as if they knew each other.
"Oh, Professor Snape, back again? What are you buying this time?"
"I’ve come today to buy this student’s Potions equipment."
"I see. I’ll bring it out right away."
The owner went back inside and quickly returned with the equipment.
"Here you are, Professor Snape."
I took out the pouch of Galleons to pay.
"Put that away, Leonard. I’m buying this for you."
Oh! As expected of the magnanimous Professor Snape!
Who on earth had been slandering Professor Snape earlier?
At any rate, it wasn’t me.
"Thank you, Professor."
"Ah, give me the crystal phial."
"Yes, here is a crystal phial."
"Professor? What’s the difference between glass and crystal?"
"Naturally, glass is cheaper and crystal is more expensive. Glass breaks too easily. Besides, truly dangerous and important Potions should be stored in crystal phials if you want them preserved properly and for their effects to remain intact."
Tears... I couldn’t bear the weight of Professor Snape’s immense love for his student! But why was he being so good to me in the first place?
I really had no idea...
"Come on, Oppenbach. The most important thing is left."
Ah, right. The most important thing remained.
"All wizards in Britain have their wands fitted at Mr. Ollivander’s shop. He is a truly remarkable craftsman."
"I’m looking forward to it. I want to go there quickly."
And so we headed to Mr. Ollivander’s wand shop.
When we opened the door and went in, the shop was filled with nothing but wand boxes, except for the counter. Even the shelves high above were packed tight with them.
"Oh, Professor Snape. What brings you here?"
"I’ve come today to fit this first-year student with a wand. Introduce yourself, Leonard. This is Mr. Ollivander, the finest wandmaker in the world."
"Heh... you really do know how to flatter an old man. Yes, I remember your wand. Ebony wood, dragon heartstring, fifteen inches."
"Exactly. You remain as sharp as ever."
"It’s an old man’s occupational habit. Now then, what’s the student’s name?"
"My name is Leonard Oppenbach. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ollivander."
"Oh, yes, Mr. Oppenbach. Let’s see... try holding this one. Black walnut, fourteen inches, unicorn hair. Very loyal to its owner and suitable for many kinds of magic."
As soon as I took the wand, Mr. Ollivander took it back and pulled out another one.
"Chestnut, fourteen and a half inches, dragon heartstring. A very interesting combination."
The moment I swung it, a fierce wind burst out and sent the whole shop into chaos. Even I, who didn’t know much, could tell this one was wrong.
Mr. Ollivander waved his own wand to restore everything, then pulled out a new wand and handed it to me.
"Fir, thirteen and a quarter inches, unicorn hair. Suits those with a talent for Transfiguration."
When I swung it, water began trickling from the tip and dripped onto the floor.
"Not this one either? How amusing."
By then, Mr. Ollivander was pulling dozens of wands from the shop and handing them to me one after another.
"Maple, twelve inches, phoenix feather. Very beautiful. No, not that one either. Olive wood, fourteen inches, dragon heartstring. Not this one either.
Vine, sixteen inches, unicorn hair. Yes, I thought that wouldn’t be it either. Hawthorn, thirteen and three-quarters inches, unicorn hair. Good heavens, what a fussy customer we have here."
By the time the wand in my hand had gone well past a hundred, there was still no sign of the wand that suited me.
"Mr. Ollivander. Has this happened often before?"
"Hm? No, no. Usually, people find their wand after only a few dozen tries at most. The rare cases I’ve seen were around a hundred."
Was that a good sign or a bad one...? I really hoped we’d find it soon.
"Try this one, no, no, this one. No! Hold this one now. Oh dear..."
At this point, Mr. Ollivander had stopped even explaining the wands and was just handing them over.
"This is maddening. At this rate, I may not find it in my own shop. I can’t even show my face to my ancestors..."
No, was it really that shameful not to find a single wand...?
"It’s all right, Mr. Ollivander. I’m sure we’ll find it."
"Yes, yes, we must. We absolutely must. Hmm, in that case, perhaps I should approach this differently. Let me see... yes! There it was."
Mr. Ollivander waved his wand and brought out a very old box from the farthest corner of the shop. The box itself had an antique design, and from the look of it, it seemed to be something quite precious.
"This wasn’t made by our family. It came from very far away in the East.
Jujube wood struck by lightning; in that region, they call it byeoljomok and treasure it highly.
And a feather from the Dapeng, a kind of Eastern phoenix. Twenty-three and three-quarters inches. Truly enormous.
According to rumor, a fully grown Dapeng can reach several thousand kilometers, though... you’d have to see it to know. Dapeng are terribly rare.
In any case, a creature that large would naturally have a feather to match. This one, they say, is only the smallest down feather.
For something this size, the wood must be large as well. Finding a piece of byeoljomok this big still intact is a miracle in itself. Usually, once lightning strikes, it all burns away and only small fragments remain."
The moment I saw that wand, my heart began pounding so fast it felt like it would burst.
The heat from my heart surged through my body.
I hadn’t even touched the wand yet, but I already knew without needing to.
That was my wand.
I slowly reached out and took the unusually long wand into my hand.
The moment it entered my grasp, the air inside the shop grew heavy.
Breathing became harder by the second.
"Oh! Yes! It seems it has finally met its owner! Come, come, give it a wave!"
My chest swelled. My wand... At last, I was truly stepping into the wizarding world.
Filled with that joy, I gave it a gentle wave.
Hum hum hum—
A very bright, silver mist-like light flowed from the tip of the wand.
My heart was still pounding at the same rapid pace.
Now it felt as if the whole world were pulsing.
"A Patronus!? How in the world...?"
"Impossible..."
Was this a Patronus?
Yes, it seemed like it. It had no distinct shape, but it looked like a pure white, round shield. It was similar to the scene I’d seen in the movie.
"How did you do that, Leonard? Have you learned Patronus magic before?"
"No, Professor. I’ve never learned any magic. I just practiced a few things on my own while I was at the orphanage."
"Practiced, you say? Show me."
I set the wand down and focused. Dozens of wand boxes in the cabinet were pulled out.
That was about the limit of the superpower—no, the magical power—I could handle at once right now.
But... for some reason, I felt like I could do more now.
I focused again.
I can do this.
I already knew it.
I instinctively realized that I could pull it off.
The shop rattled.
Before long, every wand box in the place burst out and began shaking in the air.
Yes! I can do it!
"Enough! That will do, Leonard."
I put the boxes back in place and let my power subside.
"I think I have something to discuss with you. Not here, though. Let’s go back and talk there. Mr. Ollivander, your bill, please."
"Oh, yes, of course. The first wand is always seven Galleons, but this one is a bit expensive. The materials alone would normally cost several hundred Galleons, but since it wasn’t made in our shop, I’ll only charge fifty Galleons."
Ugh... fifty Galleons all of a sudden? But I couldn’t exactly not buy my wand...
We finished paying and stepped outside.
"We’ve bought everything we needed. Now all that remains is to return. Hold on to me."
Snape took me and Apparated back to the orphanage.
"We’re back."
The Headmistress greeted us warmly.
"Yes, Leonard, you’re back? That took a while."
"Yes, there were a few things that needed to be custom-made, so it took some time. But everything we needed is done now."
"Headmistress. I have something to discuss with Leonard about the wizarding world. Since my home is also here in Spinner's End, may I take him with me for a short while?"
"Oh, yes, of course. Leonard, make sure you listen to the professor."
"I’ll return him before it gets late. Come on, Leonard."
"Yes, Professor Snape. Headmistress, I’ll be back soon."
So what was our professor planning to talk to me about, anyway?"
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