Aldric reached out to take it, but before his fingers could close around it, the wand jumped from Ollivander's hand and landed right in Aldric's palm.
The moment Aldric held the wand, its tip suddenly shot out a glowing orange-red orb. The orb floated a short distance before bursting into a shower of sparks, filling the small shop with a warm reddish glow.
"Amazing! I've never seen a wand so eager to choose its master," Ollivander said, practically bouncing with excitement. "You're destined for great things!"
Aldric ran his fingers over the wand's intricate grain. He figured Ollivander probably said that to every customer, but it still made him happy, after all, who doesn't appreciate a compliment, even if it might be part of a sales pitch?
Now, with his wand in hand, Aldric felt like he truly belonged in the wizarding world. After handing over his Hogwarts wand voucher, he left the shop.
Ollivander's business worked closely with Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic; every wand sold to a young witch or wizard earned him a subsidy, allowing him to offer wands at a reduced price, though only for the first purchase. If you lost your wand later, you'd have to buy a new one at full price, which could run about fifty gold Galleons, and custom materials could cost even more.
Still excited with his new wand, Aldric made his way to Flourish and Blotts. He had expected magic books to be pricey, but the actual costs shocked him.
A single copy of Advanced Potion-Making was nine Galleons, and the Muggle-born wizard working there earned only 42 Galleons a month. That price was subsidized because it was official Hogwarts curriculum, other books of similar level were nearly twice as expensive. 'No wonder Ron had to rely on hand-me-downs from his brothers, otherwise, he simply couldn't afford them.'
Following the clerk's advice, Aldric picked out several books suitable for first-year students. The steep prices stung, but he knew it was worth it.
There's no better investment than investing in yourself. Of course, there were also secondhand bookstores in the wizarding world.
The Weasley family bought most of their textbooks from a used bookstore tucked away in a corner of Diagon Alley. Those books cost about a third of the price of new ones, but they were often missing pages.
Books in better condition with good student notes could even cost more than new copies. This explained why Ron struggled with his studies, imagine trying to learn magic from tattered, incomplete textbooks that had been passed down through multiple brothers. Given that, Ron really was unlucky.
By the time Aldric returned to the Leaky Cauldron carrying a heavy box of books, night had already fallen. Instead of heading back to the shack, he decided to rent a room upstairs from Tom.
Seeing how young Aldric was, Tom offered him a discount, eighteen Galleons a month, which included both lunch and dinner. Aldric eagerly dove into his new books, studying magic with determination.
He vaguely remembered hearing that young wizards risked getting warnings if they used magic in the Muggle world, though he wasn't sure if that was true. Just to be safe, he thought it best to practice his magic inside the Leaky Cauldron.
As Aldric was settling into his room, Harry and Hagrid showed up. Harry was standing with his hands behind his back, as if hiding something.
"Aldric, Hagrid told me about your situation," Harry said, his cheeks flushed and fingers nervously twisting. "My parents left me quite a bit of Galleons. I know we just met today, but... if you need money, here, you can have this."
Lowering his head, Harry pressed a pouch filled with gold Galleons into Aldric's hand. Aldric was surprised and momentarily speechless; he hadn't expected Harry to offer him money.
Seeing Aldric's silence, Harry grew anxious. "I, I didn't mean anything by it. I just want to help. I know how you feel, I'm an orphan too."
Harry's willingness to share his wealth to comfort someone new was touching. Aldric thought it over and felt genuinely moved.
At that moment, Harry was kind and sincere, qualities Aldric admired and knew he might never fully have himself. "I know, Harry. I understand. And yes, I do need the money," Aldric replied with a soft smile.
"But I can't accept it without giving you an IOU. I might not be able to pay you back anytime soon, but I promise I will."
Harry started to protest, "You don't have to... we're friends, friends don't-"
"No. It's a matter of principle. I don't want your kindness to feel like charity," Aldric interrupted gently.
Harry smiled back, accepting Aldric's decision.
In the end, Aldric took the money, though he suspected Harry might tear up the IOU later, that's what Aldric thought as he watched Harry. As the night deepened and Harry's figure disappeared down the street, Aldric jingled the pouch of Galleons in his hand, feeling a mix of gratitude and hope.
Aldric hadn't told Harry that he wasn't actually short on money for things like cauldrons; he simply accepted Harry's generosity. He knew that one of the quickest ways to strengthen a relationship is to ask for help, essentially putting yourself in someone else's debt.
That's how adult friendships often work: you do me a favor, I do you one back, and over time, the bond grows stronger. Aldric's past experiences had shown him that this approach was effective. Feeling the cool night air, he headed back to his room, eager to start learning magic.
***
"Wizarding textbooks are absolute rubbish!" Aldric shouted in frustration after failing for what felt like the two hundredth time to cast the Petrification Curse.
He had spent the last two days buried in first-year Hogwarts textbooks, old hand-me-downs from senior students. Luckily, the books seemed complete, at least judging by the page numbers. But first-year magic didn't involve many spells, and the one Aldric was most determined to master was the Petrification Curse.
This spell could instantly sap a target's resistance and, when performed by a skilled wizard, literally turn someone to stone. The harsh truth was, Aldric's hopes were a bit naive.
He couldn't learn the curse just by reading. Not because he lacked magical talent, but because the wizarding textbooks were simply awful.
They were like vague cookbooks, filled with unclear instructions like a pinch, an appropriate amount, or use your feeling. Magic wasn't like cooking, you couldn't just add more or less seasoning and still get a good result.
Magic required swift, precise movements and exact incantations. Who even knew what it meant to "raise the tone" of a spell?
Still, it was understandable. After all, these books were written by a few teachers for a wizarding community of only a few tens of thousands in Britain. It was like a handful of teachers in a small town writing textbooks for their own school, it made sense that the quality wasn't great.