Flourish and Blotts was next door to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
After putting his newly bought robes into his space-altering pocket, Victor pushed open the bookshop door.
The shop was huge but very cluttered, and he couldn't see a single person. Bookshelves lined both sides of the walls, reaching nearly five meters high to the ceiling. Every shelf was crammed full of books, all squeezed together as if someone had used a tool to force them in. The aisle between the shelves was also piled high with unsorted books, making it hard to find a place to walk.
"Is anyone here?" Victor called out loudly into the empty shop.
The owner of Flourish and Blotts was a tall, plump lady wearing a grayish-white dress and a white apron tied around her waist. Hearing a customer had arrived, she quickly put down the book she was organizing and peeked her head around the corner of a bookshelf. She looked Victor up and down and asked, "A Hogwarts wizard, dear?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'm a new student at Hogwarts this year."
"Oh, a first-year?" Mrs. Flourish said, hitching up her skirt and stepping over a tall pile of books. She smiled and said, "See over there? The first-year books are already sorted. You can just grab them." She then pointed to a few crates of books near the door.
"Thank you, ma'am. But besides the textbooks, I'd like to buy some other books as well."
"Then you're welcome to browse. If you can't find what you need, just ask."
"Alright, ma'am."
After collecting all the textbooks he needed, Victor began to wander through the shop, his eyes scanning the piles of books, looking for what he wanted. However, he quickly grew impatient. There were simply too many books, piled up everywhere in a chaotic mess, with no discernible organization. His eyes began to ache. So he turned to look for Mrs. Flourish.
"Hello, ma'am!"
"Oh, dear, is there something I can help you with?" Mrs. Flourish poked her head out from around the corner of a shelf again.
"Ma'am, besides these textbooks, I'd like to buy one of every other book in the store," Victor said grandly to Mrs. Flourish.
"All of them? Are you sure, dear?" Mrs. Flourish asked, her eyes wide with surprise. "That will cost a few hundred Galleons!"
"Yes, ma'am, I want them all," Victor said, nodding with certainty. He took out two hundred Galleons from his bag, and they clinked together to form a small pile of gold.
"That's fine, but it will take some time to gather them all. You can come pick them up at the same time tomorrow," Mrs. Flourish said, agreeing without a second thought. She was curious as to why Victor needed so many books, but a deal this big was too good to pass up.
"Thank you, ma'am. I'll leave these Galleons here as a deposit and come back at this time tomorrow." Victor placed the two hundred Galleons on a nearby crate and picked up a pile of books he had already set aside. "I'll be taking these a few books with me now: A Collection of Eighteenth-Century Charms, Forgotten Ancient Spells and Curses, Spells, Curses and Counter-Curses, The Dark Forces, and the Gilderoy Lockhart Series. Is that alright, ma'am?"
"Of course, dear." Mrs. Flourish nodded.
The first few books were for Victor's own use, and the Gilderoy Lockhart Series was a gift for the Swinton family. He had also bought them several other magical items as gifts.
Although Lockhart was a memory thief, there had to be a reason why his novels were so popular in Europe. Besides, he only stole credit; the contents of the books were mostly the real experiences of other wizards. They would be a good way for Aliya and the others to learn more about the wizarding world.
Finally, after finishing all his shopping, Victor went to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to buy a few more gifts, and then returned to the Leaky Cauldron to meet up with Aliya and the others.
As soon as he got back to the Leaky Cauldron, Victor saw Mr. and Mrs. Wilson engaged in a lively conversation with a red-haired, middle-aged man. Next to him stood a plump, red-haired woman. On the other side, Aliya and Rick were laughing and chatting with two identical red-haired boys.
When Victor saw this, he immediately knew that the Swinton family had run into the Weasleys.
"Uncle Wilson, Aunt Julie, I'm back," Victor said, walking over and instantly interrupting Wilson's conversation with the red-haired man.
"Oh, Victor, you're back! Let me introduce you to our new friends. This is Mr. Arthur Weasley and his wife, Mrs. Molly," Wilson said, excited, pulling Victor over to his side and introducing him to his new friends from the wizarding world. It was clear they had been enjoying their chat.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. My name is Victor Dreyar, and thank you for looking after my family."
"Hello, young wizard. It's a pleasure to meet you," Mr. Weasley said, stepping forward and shaking Victor's hand.
"Hello, dear. What a polite and handsome young man. I'm sure you'll be an excellent wizard," Mrs. Weasley said happily. It seemed she was correlating looks with magical ability, even though what she said was true; Victor was both handsome and brilliant.
"The Weasleys have several children who have attended Hogwarts already. Their oldest son has even graduated, and their youngest son is a first-year like you," Mrs. Julie said.
"It's a shame Ron isn't here today, or you two would surely become friends," Mrs. Weasley said. "But that's alright, I'm sure you'll meet when you start school."
"Since we'll both be students at Hogwarts, we'll become friends sooner or later," Victor replied with a smile.
"Oh, that reminds me, let me introduce you to my other two children. They're also Hogwarts students, and they just became third-years."
As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Weasley called out loudly to Aliya and Rick, "Fred, George, come over here!" Her tone was completely different from the pleasant one she had used just a moment ago.
"Coming, Mum," the Weasley twins said, rushing over in an instant.
"Fred, George, this is Victor. He's the Swintons' youngest son and a new student at Hogwarts, just like Ron," Mrs. Weasley said, introducing the twins.
"Hello, George, Fred," Victor said, nodding.
"Hello. This is Fred," George said.
"And this is George," Fred said.
"If you need anything at Hogwarts, don't hesitate to find us. We have lots of fun magical things we can share with you," they both said in unison.
"You two, shut up and stop giving Victor bad ideas!" Mrs. Weasley said, immediately getting angry at the twins for trying to sell their prank items right in front of her. She raised her hand and smacked Fred and George on the back of their heads.
The twins covered their heads, not daring to say another word. When Mum was angry, it was best to be on their best behavior.
However, Fred seemed to realize something was wrong with their conversation, and he asked, "Victor, your last name is Dreyar? That's a strange name. Why is it..."
Before Fred could finish his sentence, Victor subtly snapped his fingers, and a small, fingernail-sized white magic circle lit up. Everyone's perception was instantly altered. He had no problem with what they said, but the subject of his name was something he'd rather they not pry into too much!