章節 9: Hogwarts, Please Graduate Soon, Ch 9
After hailing a cab, Wayne once again arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.
The bar owner, Tom, was naturally impressed by such a charming young wizard. He even treated Wayne to a complimentary mug of Butterbeer, advising him to finish it before leaving.
"My Butterbeer is just a sweet beverage, non-alcoholic," Tom explained, fearing Wayne might mistakenly think it was real alcohol. "Though, if we're talking about Butterbeer, it has to be Madam Rosmerta's from the Three Broomsticks; her craft is exquisite. Every time I visit Hogsmeade, I order two cups. The best part is, her husband is deceased..."
Watching the blissful expression on Tom's face, Wayne could only feel a deep sense of speechlessness.
After finishing the Butterbeer, Wayne decided to stop listening to Tom's tales of the widow and made his way to the patio, a smile forming on his lips.
"Here comes the good stuff, brother!"
Professor McGonagall had mentioned that the trash can had been subjected to a permanent sticking charm and couldn't be moved. With his current skill level, he couldn't perform a suitable counter-charm yet. But that didn't mean Wayne couldn't do something for the wizarding world.
He took out his wand and aimed at the wall.
"Restore to its original state."
The stones, which were nearly worn and polished by the wizards, quickly transformed into brand new ones. Wayne furrowed his brows.
"No good, it's too new; it stands out too much."
"Restore to its original state, restore to its original state, whirlwind sweep away!"
After a flurry of activity, Wayne completed his act of kindness. The whole wall was now impeccably clean, looking as if it had just been constructed—impossible to distinguish which brick was the actual entrance.
Thinking one trash can might not be enough for the Leaky Cauldron, especially with the busy foot traffic there, he realized Uncle Tom would have to empty it multiple times a day.
"Copy in pairs!"
After casting a few duplication spells, the area was soon filled with identical trash cans. Wayne nodded in satisfaction. His copying spell wasn't too skillful, so these trash cans would last at most a month.
But that was sufficient. After a month, school would resume, and not as many young wizards would come around.
Having done such a good deed, he decided not to tell Uncle Tom. After all, he preferred to keep his good deeds low-key.
As he prepared to step through to Diagon Alley, Wayne suddenly froze.
"Wait, which brick was it?"
.....
After a bit of effort, Wayne finally made it into Diagon Alley, though he wore a slightly frustrated expression.
"Ugh, how unlucky; I didn't expect to trip myself right off the bat."
Walking along the cobblestone path, Wayne muttered to himself. This time he hadn't planned thoroughly; he had been too caught up in the moment and almost embarrassed himself.
Compared to his last visit a few days ago, Diagon Alley was now bustling with activity, with lots of people crowding around one shopfront.
Curious, Wayne squeezed his way over to find out what was happening.
It turned out to be the Quidditch Supply Store, where the most eye-catching display featured three broomsticks in the window, along with a large poster.
[Introducing the brand new Nimbus 2000 broomstick—with the most advanced acceleration and braking charms, and a comfortable seating designed to make your broom feel like an extension of yourself, gliding freely through the skies.]
Nearby, a few witches and wizards examined the specifications of the broomsticks, offering their opinions.
"The acceleration has increased by 5%, and the braking effect has improved by 5%. The top speed has also gone up by 5%. This is a pretty minimal enhancement, feels like squeezing toothpaste," a wizard draped in a purple cloak sighed. "What can you do? The Cleansweep series has been underperforming, and Comet company hasn't released a new model in ten years. Nimbus stands unchallenged."
"Even if the improvements are minor, they still outclass other brooms," one of them countered.
After listening for a while, Wayne walked into the Quidditch Supply Store.
Although many gathered outside to watch, only a few actually intended to make purchases.
In the wizarding world, broomsticks hold a status similar to that of personal cars. Thanks to flu powder and apparition, many wizards only need a broom that can fly; speed doesn't matter much.
Aside from those playing Quidditch or wealthy individuals, not many would switch broomsticks for a minor improvement.
Wayne also glanced at the price tag on the plaque.
Five hundred Galleons.
To him, that didn't seem too expensive, but wages in the wizarding world were generally low; earning dozens of Galleons a month was common. Mr. Weasley made only around seventy or eighty Galleons monthly.
Thus, the price of the Nimbus 2000 was considered steep.
Even though Wayne could easily afford it, he just took a quick look and decided to leave.
He figured he would wait to see how he fared in flight lessons at school; if it seemed worthwhile, he could always buy one later.
Exiting the Quidditch Supply Store, Wayne made his way to the nearby Robes for All Occasions shop.
Last time he visited, he only bought the three plain robes required by the school; a plain black robe made him look like a giant bat. To avoid a wardrobe malfunction with Snape, Wayne intended to buy a few more stylish robes.
"Welcome! How can I help you today?"
The owner of the Robes for All Occasions was a woman in her forties, very well-kept and charming. Upon seeing Wayne enter, she greeted him with a warm smile.
"Hello, ma'am. I need a few robes suitable for school," Wayne replied politely.
"It's rare to see young wizards shopping here; come on in," the shopkeeper said with interest, beckoning for him to follow as she led him to a small fitting room.
Half an hour later,
"Eighty-five Galleons for three robes, but for you, young man, I can do them for eighty," the shopkeeper said with a big smile, clearly satisfied with the sale.
For three robes, Wayne had spent more than a month's wages for Mr. Weasley—truly a luxury shop in the magical world.
However, the money was wisely spent, as all three robes were enchanted with cleaning, waterproof, and fireproof charms, saving a lot of trouble.
After giving the shopkeeper his home address, Wayne left, clutching his coin pouch with a slight grimace.
Money sure disappears quickly; after accounting for his earlier purchases, he realized he had spent a large portion of the two hundred Galleons he had.
Wayne had no choice but to go to Gringotts to withdraw an additional five hundred Galleons before he could start shopping again.
At the Quills & Jinks stationery store, he bought three quills made from demon bird feathers—not particularly special, just a lovely pink color that looked appealing.
At Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, he picked up a good amount of prepared potion ingredients.
Hogwarts had great benefits; the materials for potion class were all supplied by the school.
However, Wayne still needed to purchase his own ingredients for private practice; he couldn't just rely on asking Snape each time he was missing something like Harry Potter did.
After all, Harry was lucky to get away with it; anyone else would have faced serious consequences from Snape.
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