Rowling ordered a pint of ale and sat down to drink it.
The pub gradually became lively again.
Old Tom looked at Rowling, whose expression was calm.
He thought, by tomorrow,
The Daily Prophet would probably have another report about Rowling.
He just didn't know whether the news of Rowling's escape from prison or Rowling becoming a Hogwarts professor would be more shocking.
Most likely the latter.
After all, Rowling had escaped from prison twice, but this was his first time becoming a professor.
To be honest,
Old Tom hadn't recovered yet.
You're telling me Rowling, a necromancer,
Azkaban's prisoner,
How did he become a professor?
What he was more worried about was:
His granddaughter was going to Hogwarts this year.
If Rowling went to be a professor,
Would he lead his granddaughter astray?
But Rowling didn't seem to have done anything bad; at least he always paid when he came for a drink.
Old Tom thought about it.
Rowling wasn't that scary.
He hadn't killed anyone, nor had he committed any crimes (except for escaping prison).
It wasn't right to discriminate against him just because of his profession.
He didn't have any ill will towards Rowling.
However, most wizards kept their distance from Rowling, the necromancer.
Old Tom didn't want to seem out of place, so he naturally kept a slight distance from Rowling.
It wasn't just him.
Many wizards held similar thoughts.
Looking at the clear-faced young man in the corner of the pub, sipping his ale mouthful by mouthful,
Old Tom couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic.
An orphan, only twenty-two years old.
In current society, if not a child, he was definitely a young person.
Society should be more tolerant of such young people.
Of course,
It would be even better if Rowling wasn't his granddaughter's professor.
If he were his granddaughter's professor,
He could also get closer to Rowling; it's always good to have an acquaintance at school.
Rowling, who was drinking, didn't know Old Tom's thoughts.
But his keen senses made him feel Old Tom's gaze.
That look of pity mixed with regret made him uncomfortable all over.
Rowling quickly finished the drink in his glass in two or three gulps.
He stood up, ready to leave.
However, he suddenly remembered that he had other things to do here tomorrow, so he could only stop.
He turned and came before Old Tom.
Old Tom saw him approaching, and his heart stirred. He smiled and asked,
"Rowling, do you need anything?"
Looking at Old Tom's smile, Rowling felt a little uneasy.
But he did indeed need Old Tom's help.
"Mr. Tom, I need to go to Diagon Alley, but I've never been inside. Can you take me in once?"
That's right.
Although Rowling was already a wizard, he had never been to Diagon Alley.
After all, the time he could move freely outside was always very short.
And no one was willing to take him into Diagon Alley.
He had indeed read the Harry Potter book.
But the book didn't have specific entry methods.
No way.
He could only ask Old Tom, who seemed less repulsed by him, for help.
Hearing his request,
Old Tom's smile grew brighter:
"Of course, Rowling, follow me."
He hadn't expected that just after he decided to get closer to Rowling, Rowling would ask for his help.
And the help he needed was incredibly simple.
It was completely effortless.
Tom led Rowling through the bar.
They arrived at a small, walled courtyard.
It looked very simple here.
Apart from a rubbish bin and some weeds, there was nothing else.
Rowling briefly surveyed his surroundings.
He paid particular attention to the rubbish bin.
When he read novels in his previous life,
There were always people who tried to make a big deal out of rubbish bins.
It made him curious about this rubbish bin, wanting to know if it had any special qualities.
However, after careful observation,
He found that it was just an ordinary rubbish bin.
There were no traces of magic on it.
Nor were there any special mechanisms.
It was merely used as a marker.
However, as a landmark item for entering Diagon Alley, the rubbish bin still had a certain specialness.
This specialness, however, was in its reference value, not any other value.
While Rowling was looking around,
Old Tom had already led him to the rubbish bin.
"Watch carefully, Rowling."
"Count three bricks up from here, then two across horizontally, that's the spot."
Old Tom pointed to a brick on the wall.
Rowling carefully noted the position of the brick.
Although he would most likely return to Azkaban to enjoy himself after leaving Hogwarts,
That didn't mean he wouldn't need to come to Diagon Alley.
Many things a wizard needed could be bought in Diagon Alley.
Rowling was a necromancer, and also a wizard.
He would certainly need to come in and buy some things.
At least he was very interested in the various delicacies in Diagon Alley.
"Did you remember?"
Old Tom asked.
Rowling nodded.
"Next, you need to tap here three times."
As Old Tom instructed,
Rowling extended his finger and gently tapped the wall three times.
The next moment,
The brick he had tapped began to tremble.
The wall started to move.
A hole appeared in the middle.
At first, it was a small hole, then the opening grew larger and larger.
Soon, it formed a relatively wide archway.
On the other side of the archway,
Was a street paved with cobblestones, stretching out of sight.
This was Diagon Alley.
Rowling felt like he had arrived at a popular tourist spot for a photo op.
He also didn't forget to thank Old Tom:
"Thank you, Mr. Tom."
"You're welcome, Rowling. You go on ahead; I still need to watch the pub."
Old Tom waved his hand and turned to leave.
After Old Tom left,
Rowling walked forward along the archway.
As he stepped onto the street,
The archway behind him returned to its original state.
He couldn't figure out the principle of this archway.
Mainly, he was just a necromancer, not an omnipotent wizard.
Rowling was highly proficient in necromantic magic.
But for other types of magic,
It's not that he knew nothing, but rather that he understood six out of seven things, completely ignorant of one.
That's why he came to Diagon Alley.
His purpose was to buy some textbooks here and systematically learn conventional magic in the wizarding world.
Otherwise, if he went to Hogwarts,
He couldn't possibly teach necromancy, could he?
Necromancy wasn't something just anyone could learn.
Rowling knew very well.
The rumor that necromancers were accompanied by bad luck was not false.
It was just that he was special.
He could be immune to this bad luck.
Others should stick to the path of modern magic.
The Ministry of Magic's prohibition against necromancers certainly had its reasons.
Stepping onto the street of Diagon Alley,
Rowling didn't rush to the bookstore.
Instead, he strolled leisurely, enjoying the surrounding scenery.
Various shops were distributed along the street.
Closest to him was a cauldron shop.
It was called Potage's Cauldron Shop.
All sorts of cauldrons were piled outside the shop.
Rowling looked at these cauldrons, considering whether to buy one.