The first thing to do after getting money was, of course, to buy a wand.
The shop Ollivanders Wand Shop had an old, narrow storefront. In the display window, a single wand rested on a faded purple cushion.
Above the door hung a gold-lettered sign, the paint already peeling away:
Ollivanders — Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.
If the sign was telling the truth, then their family had started making wands while Plato was still alive.
Back when ancient states were still battling each other during the Warring States era in the East, this family had already been crafting wands?
Professor McGonagall pushed open the door. A small brass bell chimed crisply.
The shop was small. Aside from the counter and a single long bench, the rest of the space was filled with towering shelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling—each shelf stacked with thousands of long, narrow wand boxes.
Dust covered everything.
For a place belonging to wizards who could easily cast a simple cleaning spell, the neglect was rather shocking.
Ted glanced to the left.
An elderly man whose hair rivaled Albert Einstein's chaotic hairstyle silently stepped out from behind a shelf.
"Oh, Professor McGonagall. It's been a while. And this must be the young wizard preparing to start school."
This was the great wandmaker of Britain—Gervase Ollivander.
"Hold out your arm."
At his words, a measuring tape rose from the counter and began automatically measuring Ted's height, arm span, and several other dimensions.
"Which is your wand hand?"
"My right."
"Try this one!"
He flicked his hand and a box flew toward Ted.
"Twelve and a quarter inches. Mahogany wood, unicorn tail hair core. Suitable for Transfiguration…"
"Oh, no, no, no!"
Ted had barely touched the wand before it was snatched away again.
"What about this one? Cherry wood, phoenix feather…"
Ted gave the wand a small wave.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two loud explosions sounded immediately, nearly blasting the wand out of his hand.
"No, no, definitely not," Ollivander said, shaking his head.
Ted thought to himself: Indeed not. I need a wand, not a firecracker.
"What about this one? Walnut wood, dragon heartstring?"
This time the wand emitted a piercing screech and shot straight out of his hand.
Great. Now it's turned into a rocket?
After trying seven or eight wands, some reacted far too violently, while others seemed acceptable—but Ted could still feel subtle resistance in the flow of magic.
Ted's sensitivity to magic was extremely sharp. He could sense the tiny mismatches between himself and each wand.
Though the process was troublesome, Ollivander clearly enjoyed it immensely. It was like playing Tetris, patiently waiting for the perfect piece to appear.
Professor McGonagall sat calmly on the bench, equally patient.
"Ah!" Ollivander exclaimed. "A picky customer—I like that! Let's take our time."
Ted privately suspected the old man's hobby was slightly unhealthy.
At Ollivander's shop, wands only used three possible cores: phoenix feather, unicorn hair, or dragon heartstring.
Other wandmakers sometimes used different cores. For instance, Fleur Delacour's wand contained Veela hair—her grandmother's hair.
The original books also mentioned another famous wandmaker from Germany named Gregorovitch. Ted vaguely remembered him but couldn't recall how his story ended.
Just as another box flew toward him, Ted suddenly felt something different.
He hadn't even seen the wand yet—but a faint pull seemed to radiate from inside the box.
Ollivander gently stroked the wand as he began explaining:
"Cedar wood, phoenix feather core, ten and three-quarter inches. The handle has simple horizontal ridges for grip. The wood is firm yet resilient…"
Ted took the wand.
Immediately he felt his magic flow freely—stronger and more lively than before.
He waved it lightly.
A massive burst of colorful streamers and fireworks shot from the tip of the wand, nearly filling the entire shop.
This time it was like a grand festival firework display.
Not bad at all.
"Ah! Wonderful, wonderful!" Ollivander cried with delight. "It seems you two suit each other perfectly!"
"In my experience, those who wield cedar wands tend to possess strong personalities and extraordinary loyalty."
"My father, Gervase Ollivander, used to say that the owner of a cedar wand is never easily deceived. I wholeheartedly agree. Cedar wands always seek owners with remarkable insight."
"I would add one more warning to my father's words: never make an enemy of a cedar wand's master—especially never harm those they hold dear."
"A wizard perfectly matched with a cedar wand can be a truly terrifying opponent. Those who challenge them without thinking usually discover that far too late."
"That will be seven Galleons, please."
Nice story.
Too bad it didn't come with a discount.
Actually… maybe the story itself was invented to justify the price!
Walking out with his brand-new cedar wand, Ted's thoughts churned.
Other protagonists get legendary wands—the final masterpiece left behind by their father, or a mystical wand crafted from thunder-struck peach wood and panda whiskers discovered in some mysterious eastern land.
And mine is just… normal?
Don't you have some ancient wand that's been sitting around for hundreds of years waiting for its destined owner?
Honestly. Not exciting at all.
Though he complained internally, the wand's attributes were actually excellent.
[Cedar Wand with Phoenix Feather Core (Green)]
Magic Amplification: +Lv1 Magic Power
Spell Enhancement: +Lv1 Spellcasting
Keen Insight: +1 Perception
Note: A young wizard's very first wand~
Professor McGonagall also looked satisfied.
"Good. Next, we need to get your school robes tailored."
"Um…"
Ted stopped walking.
"Professor, I noticed a second-hand clothing shop earlier—and a general second-hand store. Considering my financial situation, I think buying used items might be the wiser choice."
McGonagall studied him carefully, making sure he wasn't forcing himself.
"Very well."
In truth, even with the student loan, buying everything brand new would indeed be unrealistic.
Originally McGonagall had planned to buy two new robes and purchase the textbooks second-hand. Children usually cared about appearances, after all.
But since Ted had suggested it himself, she saw no reason to object.
They first visited the second-hand robe shop located right beside Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
Ted picked out some used robes that were slightly larger so they could still fit next year.
Afterward they browsed the second-hand shop to see if anything else would work.
They couldn't find a suitable cauldron—every one of them was too battered.
If Ted tried brewing potions in one of those things, he might accidentally blow up Severus Snape.
They did manage to buy a set of glass bottles. They were a bit dirty, but with thorough cleaning they would work just fine.
The second-hand books, however, were much harder to find.
Maybe the economy was bad this year, because too many people were buying used textbooks. Ted only managed to acquire three:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1
Magical Drafts and Potions
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
"Well," said McGonagall, "I still have my old textbooks. I can give them to you. For the rest, we'll simply buy new copies at the bookstore."
Professor McGonagall was being extremely generous—offering her old books to the thrifty student who had also once accidentally petted her Animagus form.
"Thank you very much, Professor," Ted replied sincerely. "But I'd like to wait a bit longer. There are still nearly two months before school starts. Maybe I'll find more second-hand copies and save a few Galleons."
Textbooks were ridiculously expensive.
If he bought everything new, his student loan would almost be completely gone.
Even though Hogwarts covered food and lodging and charged no tuition, having zero money left felt extremely unsafe.
McGonagall remembered observing Ted earlier while disguised as a cat.
This child was remarkably independent.
After discussing it further, she finally agreed with his plan and handed him the remaining loan money so he could come back and search for bargains himself later.
Afterward, Professor McGonagall escorted Ted onto a bus and left.
Ted returned to the orphanage carrying the second-hand supplies he had purchased.
During the ride, he thought things through carefully and finally reached a decision.
He needed to make money.
Either he would busk harder on the streets—
Or he would find work directly in Diagon Alley and earn Galleons. No currency exchange, no middlemen taking a cut.
His first-year student loan had been 20 Galleons.
From next year onward, it would only be 5 Galleons annually.
Just the wand alone had cost 7 Galleons—and that wasn't something you could buy second-hand.
If he bought all the textbooks new, they would cost 12 Galleons.
Then there were cauldrons, glass bottles, and other supplies.
Was he supposed to skip Potions class?
And what about dragon-hide gloves? Was he supposed to skip Herbology too?
If Gilderoy Lockhart really became the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next year, he might even have to borrow someone else's textbooks!
That was why Ted planned to spend the next two months hunting for second-hand supplies. At least that way he could keep a few Galleons as pocket money.
Oh right.
He also had permission to exchange up to 50 Galleons worth of pounds at Gringotts.
Money wasn't everything.
But having none was absolutely unacceptable.
He needed to earn more.
And there was another reason.
His talent had given him an otherworldly knowledge item: [A Few Pages of Psionic Manual (Blue)].
It required 400 EXP to redeem.
He had tested it earlier—studying books did grant experience points.
But reading ordinary Muggle textbooks carefully for an entire day only gave him four or five EXP.
If he didn't redeem the Psionic Manual by the beginning of next month, it would be replaced by a new piece of otherworldly knowledge.
That would be such a waste.
Earning 400 EXP purely through self-study in twenty days?
Not a chance.
He really had to return to Diagon Alley.
Even if he couldn't trigger new quests, he could at least complete the Explore Diagon Alley quest.
Working was unavoidable.
Earn some experience, earn some Galleons—just enough to keep life going.
Ding~ Quest triggered:
[Working Wizard (Green)]
Even a single Knut can defeat a hero!To earn money—and gain experience—you'll have to find a way.
Objective: Successfully find a job in Diagon Alley.Reward: 100 EXP, Card — [Restore Energy (Green)]
Workers have worker souls.Working wizards stand above them all!
Ted sighed.
Well… that settled it.
Now he definitely had to go.