Finally, after finishing his registration, Sullivan arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. Unlike before, he was now wearing a wizard's robe, with an extra suitcase and a black cat wearing a bell around its neck perched on top.
Unlike British wizard robes, the ones in America were mostly made of leather—they looked more like a leather trench coat, which made Sullivan's figure appear even taller and straighter.
Come to think of it, Sullivan found the British wizarding world pretty contradictory. Officially, they had things like the Knight Bus, the Hogwarts Express, and magical cameras that blended magic with Muggle elements.
Yet for ordinary wizards, they rarely interacted with Muggle items. Some members of the old pure-blood families had never even seen a car or an airplane in person.
Shaking off those random thoughts, Sullivan walked into the Leaky Cauldron. The grimy, rundown vibe was exactly the same as it had been over a decade ago—not a single thing had changed.
"Tom, boss—get me a room!" Sullivan said as he approached the bar, speaking to the owner who was busy tidying up.
Old Tom looked up, stared at him for a long moment, then seemed to remember something. "You're... Sullivan? The alchemist who invented the Sentinel Guard?"
Sullivan hadn't expected the old guy to still remember him. The Sentinel Guard had been his biggest moneymaker back in the day.
It was basically a magical version of a security camera. Within a certain range, a wizard could use a specific spell to share its view.
During the Second Wizarding War, pretty much every wizarding family had one installed to keep an eye on strangers outside their homes.
"That's me!" Sullivan admitted.
"Oh, haven't seen you in years. The Sentinel Guards stopped selling too—I figured you must've died." Tom said bluntly, without pulling any punches.
"Clearly I got lucky. Can you get me that room?" Sullivan replied, a little annoyed, as he tossed a Galleon onto the counter.
"Of course. Second floor, left turn, third room on the right. Here's the key!" Tom pocketed the Galleon and handed over a key.
Sullivan took it and asked, "By the way, boss—when do the first-year Hogwarts students usually come to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies?"
Tom's expression turned serious at that, and he gave Sullivan a suspicious look.
Sullivan really hadn't wanted to ask, but he had no choice. He didn't have the new term shopping list, so he had no idea what he needed to buy to complete the task.
After thinking it over, tailing a first-year and asking them seemed like the most reliable option.
After a moment's hesitation, Tom answered, "There've been some every day lately. But those kids are always with their parents or a professor. Don't go getting any funny ideas."
Sullivan couldn't help but chuckle. In the original books, Tom seemed like a pretty shady guy, but in real life, he actually had a bit of a sense of justice? Weird.
"Don't worry. I've already agreed to Professor Dumbledore's offer to teach Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. I just want to get to know some students a little early, that's all," Sullivan explained.
Sure enough, that relaxed Tom's face back to its usual indifference. It wasn't that he believed Sullivan so easily—it was more that, in Britain, nobody dared to lie using Dumbledore's name.
Sullivan flicked his right wrist, casting a Levitation Charm to float his luggage in the air as he headed upstairs.
But with his left hand—the one Tom couldn't see—he pulled out something that looked like an eyeball, covered in red tentacles.
He gave it a gentle toss upward. The eyeball shot toward the ceiling, its red tentacles turning into hooks that latched on, hanging it upside down. In a blink, it vanished from sight.
This was one of Sullivan's flagship products: the Sentinel Guard. After more than a decade of refinement, the modern version had a much larger range, plus features like invisibility, mobility, night vision, thermal imaging, and more.
The connection method had evolved too—from spell activation to a trigger switch. Now, Sullivan could just tap a button on his glasses to share its view from up to ten kilometers away. It also supported 24-hour playback, facial recognition, and person search.
Placing a Sentinel Guard in the pub's main room wasn't malicious at all—he just wanted to know right away if any young wizards showed up.
After dropping off his luggage, Sullivan decided to head to Diagon Alley first and buy a wand. Even without the shopping list, a wand was essential.
He'd had one before, but it got snapped by a Death Eater during that big battle twelve years ago.
After moving to America, he never bought a new one. Instead, he crafted a casting ring for himself—that's what had let him perform wandless magic up until now.
At the back wall of the pub, Sullivan tapped the right bricks three times with his finger. The wall shifted and opened, revealing Diagon Alley beyond.
It was already evening, but the street was still bustling. Honeydukes, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop were packed with people.
It had been years—coming back really brought on some nostalgia. Resisting the urge to pop into Honeydukes for a box of Chocolate Frogs, Sullivan turned and headed straight for Ollivanders.
Compared to those other shops, this one was much quieter. He pushed open the creaky old door, revealing a surprisingly spacious interior lined with shelves packed full of wand boxes.
Hearing someone enter, Mr. Ollivander emerged from behind the racks. He adjusted his glasses, studied Sullivan closely, and after a long moment said,
"Ah! Young man, I remember you. Purple bamboo wand wood, Qilin hair core, 12.4 inches. Quite the unusual combination."
Sullivan raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed. "You're amazing. After all these years, you still remember my wand. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in a battle."
"Oh, that's dreadful!" Ollivander frowned deeply—he hated hearing about wands getting damaged more than anything.
"It really was. Luckily, I get the chance to buy a new one," Sullivan agreed.
"Very well. Let me see what else might suit you." Ollivander rummaged through the shelves for a while before pulling out a box.
"Try this one. Lohan bamboo wood, Zouwu tail hair core, 14.5 inches. Very gentle—particularly good for spatial magic," Ollivander explained.
Opening the box revealed the distinctive grain of the Lohan bamboo—beautiful, like a piece of fine craftsmanship.
Sullivan picked it up and smiled. "Looks like I've got a real affinity for bamboo wands!"
As he spoke, he gave it a casual wave. Golden sparks burst brilliantly from the tip. Ollivander exclaimed excitedly,
"Yes! That's the one. It likes you very much. May you two get along wonderfully. That'll be 28 Galleons!"
"28 Galleons? Are you serious? I remember paying only 13 for my first wand," Sullivan said, frowning—he felt like the old man was ripping him off.
Ollivander shrugged. "Hogwarts first-years get a fifty percent discount. And this wand's materials all come from ancient East—they're extremely rare. A higher price is only natural."