The journey back was still arduous. This time, perhaps because he had vomited everything out, Ethan Jones was in relatively good spirits when he set off and finally saw the gray-white fire dragon that served as the guardian.
But before he could ask a question, a wave of nausea surged up again, making him tightly shut his mouth.
Back in the lobby, Ethan rested for a full half hour before recovering.
Carrying four hundred Galleons in gold coins, they carefully put away the vault key and left Gringotts.
"Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, you can order the uniforms you need from here."
Professor McGonagall pushed open the door and went in.
Upon seeing Ethan, the short and plump witch Madam Malkin's eyes lit up: "Hello, Professor McGonagall! Is this a new student at Hogwarts? What a handsome young man!"
Having grown accustomed to compliments about his appearance, Ethan simply smiled and nodded to indicate that he was indeed a newcomer.
As Madam Malkin measured him with her tape, she praised him as one of the most handsome boys she had ever seen.
The Joneses beamed with joy upon hearing Ethan praised.
Soon, Madam Malkin helped him down from the footstool: "Alright, my dear, after you pay the deposit, you can go and look around elsewhere. Come back in two hours to pick up the clothes and pay the balance."
After leaving the robe shop, their next stop was the wand shop.
Looking at the peeling gold lettering on the signboard, it read: Ollivanders – Crafting fine wands since 382 B.C.
This reminded Ethan of a joke from his past life: You make a staff, I carry a shield, he sells swords, and we all have a bright future.
Ollivander has been a professional wand maker for two thousand years, which shows that its future is indeed bright. It's just a pity that this kind of pun can't be shared with others.
After entering, the parents and Professor McGonagall sat down on the only bench. Ethan gently called out to the empty shop, "Is anyone here?"
"Good morning." A gentle voice seemed to ring in his ear.
This startled Ethan.
An old man appeared in front of him without him noticing, his silvery-white eyes staring straight at him.
"Hello, Ethan Jones, I'm here to buy a wand."
"Oh, Mr Jones, hello. Yes, a new student at Hogwarts." He nodded to Professor McGonagall and the Joneses.
He pulled a measuring tape with silver markings from his pocket.
"Mr Jones, which arm do you use to wield your wand?"
"I am right-handed."
"Very good, raise your arms."
He took a measuring tape and measured from his shoulder to his fingertips, from his wrist to his elbow, from his shoulder to the floor, from his knee to his armpit, and finally measured his head circumference.
Ethan felt a head full of questions.
If the first two steps can be explained as determining the appropriate wand length, then the middle two steps can also be loosely interpreted in this way.
The following steps were beyond his understanding. Why did he need to measure his head circumference when choosing a wand? Are people with larger head circumferences smarter? Are they more suitable for using high-end wands? He didn't understand, but he was deeply shocked.
Moreover, during the measurement, he kept listening to Ollivander muttering to himself:
"Every Ollivander wand contains extremely powerful magical substances, which is its essence."
"We are now using unicorn hair, phoenix tail feathers, and dragon heartstring, which I believe are the best materials for the wand core."
"Every wand we make is unique, because no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are exactly alike."
"Of course, if you used a wand that belonged to another wizard, you wouldn't get such a good effect."
The most outrageous thing is that they even measured the distance between his two nostrils after rolling it up.
As the measuring tape slipped to the floor and rolled into a ball, Ollivander had already taken several cardboard boxes from the ceiling-high shelf.
"Mr Jones, try this one first. It's made of ash and snake nerve, ten inches long, and very flexible. Give it a swing and see."
A magic wand was shoved into Ethan's hand.
He silently complained to himself, "??? Didn't you just say you only needed three materials? How come you've suddenly brought up snake nerve? Is there something wrong with my ears or your mouth?"
He held the wand in his hand and waved it lightly, emitting a red light that created a small dent in the pillar.
"No, this wand is not suitable."
Ollivander snatched the wand from his hand, and then another one was shoved into his hand.
"Try this one too, made of aspen and unicorn hair, nine and a quarter inches long, very sturdy."
He had barely waved it when it was snatched away again.
He tried one wand after another, using up all the wands Ollivander had taken down, but still couldn't find a suitable one.
Ollivander was excited, and he took a bunch more wands from the shelf and handed them to Ethan one by one to try them out.
This behaviour made Ethan think he might have encountered a psychopath.
Finally, as another wand was handed to him, his fingertips felt a heat, and before he could even wave it, a black light shot out from the wand tip and exploded on the wall.
"Rowan wood, twelve and a third inches long, dragon heartstring core, unyielding," Ollivander read aloud the wand's information.
"It's amazing, Mr Jones, such a rare combination of materials."
Ollivander clapped.
"The owners of rowan wands seem to be destined for long life. I have never heard of any rowan wand owner dying young. They always choose independent, unrestrained or mysterious owners."
Ollivander glanced at his dark eyes, his expression complex: "I remember all the rowan wands I've sold; most of them belonged to the same family, but that family hasn't shown itself for a long time..."
"Oh? What family?" Ethan asked, stroking the smooth wand with a face full of curiosity.
"A mysterious family… Let's not talk about them. That'll be seven Galleons." He glanced at Ethan's dark eyes again, then lowered his head to begin packing the wand into its box.
"Tch!" Ethan was somewhat displeased, as he hated riddle-makers who only spoke halfway through their sentences.
Professor McGonagall coughed and said, "Let's go then. You still have a lot of things to buy."
Ethan didn't press the matter further, paid the money, and left the wand shop with Ollivander bowing respectfully in farewell.
Next, Professor McGonagall quickly led him forward.
First, he bought a large pewter cauldron, a high-quality brass balance scale, and a collapsible brass telescope from a shop he had seen when entering Diagon Alley.
Then he went to the stationery store and bought the necessary stationery, such as parchment, quill pens, and ink.
He went to the apothecary and bought a set of crystal phials. He also bought a small potion kit containing some basic ingredients that he might need, based on the salesperson's recommendation.
Professor McGonagall didn't stop him; she knew these things meant nothing to Ethan.
"Finally, we need a pet and the books we need. Let's hurry up; we've spent too much time at the wand shop," McGonagall urged.
"Yes, Professor McGonagall."
After a brief moment of thought, the group quickened their pace and headed toward Eeylops Owl Emporium that Ethan had ultimately chosen, intending to take care of the simple matters first.