About three hours ter, under Snape's guidance, Ian had pleted most of the necessary purchases.

  The items required for a first-year Hogwarts student weren't too many. Apart from the essential textbooks, Ian also needed some equipment for Potions and Herbology csses.

  Three sets of pin robes.

  A pin pointed hat for daytime wear.

  And a pair of Shield Gloves— any gloves made fron skin would suffice. The ones Snape bought for Ian were made from Hungarian Horntail dragon skin.

  Which was very expensive and excellent in terms of prote.

  Since Ian had no gold galleons to his name, he had no say in the choice of gloves. He could only watch as Snape paid for almost all the necessary items.

  To be ho, although Ian had given nearly all of his savings to Ms. Helena for his siblings' winter livelihood, he had actually kept a det amount of British pounds for himself.

  He inally inteo exge his pounds for wizarding currency at Gringotts, but Snape had no iion of taking him there. So, Ian was left with magic-world-inpatible money, watg Snape decide everything on the shopping list for him.

  Many of the things Snape purchased didly match what was listed, and in fact, a lot of the items were more extravagant and expehan necessary.

  However, whenever Ian wao ask something, Snape always mao shut him down with sarcastic remarks, leaving no room for further questions.

  There must be a reason for the high prices.

  As a first-year udent at Hogwarts, Iaainly didn't have the grounds tue with Snape, so he simply watched as Snape chose all the items Ian needed.

  Every time Snape pulled out his money pouch to pay, Ian's suspi of Snape grew. The Snape he knew didn't seem so enthusiastid responsible.

  Just like what many fanfics had mentioned, Snape might be a wizard with excellent personal charm, but as a Hogwarts professor, he clearly didn't measure up.

  His stant mog of students from other Houses aside, his "House discrimination" views were so severe that most people didn't have a very high opinion of him.

  However, during this shopping trip to Diagon Alley, while Ian was stantly subjected to Snape's biting sarcasm, he also felt the professor's seriousness aiculousness when it es to Ian's studies.

  The cauldron had to be the best.

  The Shield Gloves and pin robes had to be of the fi material.

  Even the first batch of study materials were brand new, with no dists in sight. This clearly wasn't something covered by Hogwarts' student loans.

  Ohing was clear: The items Snape bought for Ian, even leaving aside the "brand new" factor, were still of top-notch quality.

  Whether it was the brass cauldron worth dozens of galleons or the Hungarian Horntail dragon skin gloves, these were undoubtedly premium items in their respective categories.

  Hogwarts might be a historically renowned magical school, but as someone who uood basiics, Ian definitely didn't believe Hogwarts' student loans could cover such luxury items.

  Eics is a field that's easy to uand, no matter the enviro. If Hogwarts' student loans were substantial enough to allow an orphaned young wizard to buy these luxury goods, how many ing eic effects would Hogwarts be geing in the magical world each year?

  "Hogwarts is definitely not that wealthy."

  Ian's judgment was not without reason.

  If Hogwarts' student loans were really that suffit, then Ron, the best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived, who is often portrayed in fanfics as the victim of a love triangle, definitely wouldn't be so destitute.

  Think about it.

  It was already his Sed Year and he is still using the wand his older brother discarded.

  Could this be the sario in a world where Hogwarts' student loans were really that rich? After all, Ron's younger sister purchased sed-hand books and equipment when she became a udent.

  As part of a pure-blood family, the Weasleys definitely weren't ineligible for student loans. Given their family's financial situation, the loan could only reasonably cover sed-hand goods.

  It's like winning the loing on a vacation, and only returning home when you're broke. The family's educational expenses were probably also supported by student loans.

  A poor family's young wizard should be able to buy only sed-habooks with a student loan. That would be the most reasonable and sistent with basiic principles.

  Yet,

  Right at this moment,

  Everything Snape had purchased for Ian was luxury goods, making Ian uo avoid excessive specution and assumptions.

  'What could Snape possibly owe him to spend so mu him?'

  'If his parents hadn't passed away, Ian would evehat the Hungarian Horntail dragon skin gloves were too extravagant!'

  "Professor, does Hogwarts really pursue perfe this much?"

  Uo bear his growing curiosity, Ian finally asked the question after Snape bought him a limited-edition telescope.

  "Think carefully, as a student, it's far more important to focus on how to absorb more knowledge at Hogwarts, rather than waste time on trivial and meanihings like this," Snape responded coldly, watg Ian stuff the items into his suitcase before quickly heading to the stop.

  …

  The Ollivanders Wand Shop.

  This could be said to be more important than abook. It was the only wand shop in Diagon Alley, and in fact, in all of Britain, this is a pce that every magic world newer would iably visit.

  Time had weathered the shop's sign, making it look worn, with a small, shabby storefront that didn't reveal the fact that this was the legendary shop every young wizard must visit.

  pared to the gold-pted Gringotts and Flourish and Blotts Bookseller, Ollivanders appeared rather inspicuous. Yet, it was one of the few pces Voldemort never even thought about quering.

  A unique and irrepceable business—just like the great families of a a, no matter how much time passed, it could not be influenced.

  "This is the st stop."

  Snape was swift with the payment, but when he spoke, he was brief.

  Ian had actually been looking forward to this moment for a long time. He gazed at the weathered sign of the shop with a look full of anticipation and some indescribable nervousness.

  It was no wonder he felt uneasy.

  After all, from what little Ian knew of this world, aside from Harry Potter and Hermiohis pce was certainly one of the most mysterious.

  It's said that the entire Harry Potter story is lio prophecy, and whether in the inal books or in fan fi, the Ollivanders Wand Shop is always the most eerily prophetic pce.

  Other prophecies about You-Know-Who's defeat or Dumbledore's death might be seen as trivial.

  But Ollivanders, the pce where Wands choose Wizards, holds the most chilling prophecies— prophecies that could shape the future of powerful beings like Dumbledore and Voldemort. Even Harry Potter couldn't escape the prophecy tied to his waion.

  If the owner of Ollivanders didn't have some extraordinary gift beyond ordinary diviners, Ian would be the first to express his disbelief.

  The first book of the grand finale hi it: 'Who predict better than you?'

  (End of this chapter)