Since making new robes would take time, Mrs. Weasley agreed to let Aiven and Ginny buy the other items on the school list first, and then meet up at Flourish and Blotts. Of course, it was mainly Aiven who was doing the buying. Ginny could inherit many things from her older brother, Percy, who had become a Prefect this year and earned twelve O.W.L.s, so Mrs. Weasley bought him new school supplies, which meant many items were phased out for Ginny.
"Aiven, thank you, this is the best Christmas gift I've ever received!" Ginny thanked Aiven, her face flushed, her expression as if she were looking at Harry.
"Don't be silly, that was just an excuse to get Mrs. Weasley to agree. I'll give you something else for Christmas." Thinking about what Ginny might encounter this year, Aiven continued, "I think a red-covered diary would be a good choice."
"Alright, that's not a bad idea. I can give you a black one in return then."
"That's exactly what I need!" Aiven added in his mind. It would be even more perfect if it had Mr. Tom Riddle's autograph on it.
The two walked along the winding cobblestone street, the shops along the way occasionally shouting out their wares. The coins in Aiven's pocket clinked merrily, loudly demanding that Aiven spend them. However, after browsing a few magic shops and getting a rough idea of the prices in the wizarding world, Aiven's heart gradually grew cold. Compared to what he wanted to buy, the Galleons in his pocket were completely insufficient. In fact, for a Hogwarts first-year, the Galleons Aiven had were definitely a huge sum, but they weren't enough for the items on the school list, and he wanted to buy too many things.
"Looks like I need to find a way to make money!" Although Aiven could ask his parents for more money, it wasn't a long-term solution. They wouldn't give a child too much money, especially since many of the things Aiven wanted to buy were not something a student should possess. He had a preliminary idea of how to make money, but it would have to wait until he was at Hogwarts to implement it.
Next, led by Ginny, Aiven bought the tin cauldron, a good quality set of scales for measuring potions, and a collapsible brass telescope needed on the school list. At the apothecary, they also bought standard measurements of medicinal ingredients, which would be useful in first-year Potions class. In addition, there were quills, ink, and parchment for note-taking.
Passing a magical creatures shop, neither of them went inside. Aiven had thought about it; he wasn't planning on buying a pet for now because his mother was allergic to birds, and besides owls, other pets were of no help to wizards and required care in return, which was too much trouble. However, he almost collected mail-order catalogues from every shop in Diagon Alley. He might need to buy other materials from here when previewing higher-grade courses.
Aiven was very clear about how much trouble he would encounter in the next few years. He couldn't learn slowly according to the textbooks, especially since he was a year younger than the Saviour. When the Harry trio was running all over the world in their seventh year, he would still have to stay obediently in school and suffer torture from Death Eaters, which was a very terrifying thought.
Along the way, Aiven and Ginny chatted very happily, and the two quickly became good friends. At Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, they met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were buying large quantities of "Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks." In a junk shop piled high with shabby wands, wobbly brass scales, and old potion-stained cloaks, they found Percy engrossed in a very dull book, "Prefects Who Gained Power."
The two didn't go over to disturb Percy. Passing Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, Aiven bought two large chocolate-lemon ice creams for himself and Ginny. When they wandered into a dark alley, they saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione running out of Knockturn Alley, their faces pale. Behind them was the burly gamekeeper Hagrid, who was loudly scolding the three of them, "Wandering around Knockturn Alley, don't you know that's not a good place, Harry? Don't let anyone see you there!"
"You went to Knockturn Alley? Mum doesn't let us go there," Ginny said, looking worried as she approached.
"Go away, Ginny!" Ron waved his hand, looking impatient.
"Wait, Ron!" Harry glanced at Aiven, then hesitated before explaining, "We saw Draco Malfoy. He and his dad went to Borgin and Burkes, which is a shop that sells dark magic items."
"Harry!" Ron raised his voice, clearly not wanting his younger sister to know these things.
"Oh, and what did you find?" Ignoring Ron's overreaction, Aiven asked curiously.
"Nothing at all. We watched from the window for a long time until they left, and we didn't see them buy anything!" Hermione turned to Hagrid. "Hagrid, we were following Malfoy. What were you doing in Knockturn Alley?"
"I was looking for a potion to get rid of carnivorous slugs. They're ruining the school's cabbages!" Hagrid said gruffly, looking at Aiven. "You must be Aiven Mason, the one Harry told me about. Thank goodness you helped him leave that house, those awful Muggles, if I had known..."
Before Hagrid could finish speaking, Mrs. Weasley came rushing over with the newly made robes. Behind her were Mr. Weasley, and Aiven and Hermione's parents. Immediately after, she learned that Harry and the others had gone to Knockturn Alley.
"Knockturn Alley! Thank goodness you found him, Hagrid!"
"Uh, I'm off." Hagrid looked embarrassed, his hand tightly clutched by Mrs. Weasley. "See you at Hogwarts, kids!"
After Hagrid disappeared down the street, Mrs. Weasley turned around and severely scolded the three of them. In contrast, Mr. Weasley was quite interested in what Harry had said.
"Clearly, he was there to sell something. He was scared!" Mr. Weasley said, looking serious and satisfied. "Oh, I'd love to catch Lucius Malfoy with evidence."
"Be careful, Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley warned him. "That family is not to be trifled with. Don't bite off more than you can chew."
"You think I can't handle Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley said indignantly, but his attention was quickly drawn to the large crowd outside Flourish and Blotts. Most of them were witches Mrs. Weasley's age, all crowded at the entrance, trying to get in. Through the gaps in the crowd, everyone saw Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in blue wizard's robes, sitting in the middle of the shop signing books. Around him, there were large photographs of himself everywhere, the faces in the photos all winking at the crowd, flashing dazzling white teeth.
Although the other party was a magical idiot, Aiven had to admit that Lockhart was a successful writer, if he didn't plagiarise other people's experiences.
What happened next goes without saying. Harry was, as expected, discovered by Lockhart, who then pulled him in for a photo. Lockhart announced that he would be teaching at Hogwarts. By the time everyone came to their senses, they found Mr. Weasley and Lucius Malfoy fighting, with Lockhart standing by, incredibly excited. Then the two were separated by Hagrid, who appeared suddenly.
"Little girl, take your book. This is the best thing your father can give you!" Lucius Malfoy broke free from Hagrid's arm, gestured to Draco, and rushed out of the shop.
"You shouldn't bother with him, Arthur." Hagrid reached out to smooth Mr. Weasley's robes, almost lifting him up. "That fellow's rotten, their whole family is, everyone knows it. The Malfoys' words aren't worth listening to at all. Their blood is bad, that's all there is to it."
Everyone's attention was focused on Mr. Weasley, while Aiven had been observing the tattered copy of "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration" that had been shoved back into Ginny's hand. If nothing went wrong, there should be a black diary tucked inside it by now.
After Lucius Malfoy left, the clerk at Flourish and Blotts seemed to want to stop them too, but seeing Hagrid's extraordinary size and Aiven's very substantial order that followed, he quickly put the fight out of his mind.
"Aiven, what are you doing? Are you trying to empty Flourish and Blotts?" Ron looked at Aiven in surprise as he quickly checked off items on the book list in his hand, which included all the books in Flourish and Blotts' inventory, totalling over eight thousand volumes.
"How is that possible? I don't have that much money. I'm choosing what I need." Of course, Aiven couldn't buy all these books at once. He planned to select the books he could use now and buy the rest later, little by little.
"Oh, that's still quite a lot!"
"Learning more is never a bad thing, Ron!"
"Mate, you sound just like Hermione," Ron leaned in and saw Aiven select a copy of "Advanced Potion-Making" by Professor Libatius Borage. "Ah, I've seen that book at Bill's. That's something you only need for the N.E.W.T. advanced wizarding level exam."
"I actually think Aiven is right. There's no harm in previewing it in advance!" Hermione looked at Aiven's book list and happily added a few more advanced magic books for herself, suggesting, "Aiven, I think we should compare our book lists later to avoid duplication."
"Of course, Hermione!" Aiven happily agreed.
"Harry, both of them are crazy!"
"You're right, Ron!" Harry hesitated, then picked up a copy of "Curses and Counter-Curses" by Professor Vindictus Viridian, which he had wanted to buy last year but Hagrid hadn't allowed him to. "However, learning more is indeed very necessary, especially when dealing with Malfoy, isn't it?"