After confirming that both families had accepted their children's upcoming entry into the magical world, Professor McGonagall decided to give them a more direct demonstration. She raised her wand and tapped a teacup on the table, which instantly transformed into a lively little squirrel. It curiously jumped around on the table, drawing wide-eyed stares from everyone.
The adults were so astonished they could hardly speak. They had never seen such a miraculous sight. Father Jiang stammered, "Is...is this real? How is this possible?"
Professor McGonagall smiled and nodded, then gently waved her wand. The little squirrel transformed back into a teacup and sat quietly on the table. She explained, "This is magic, one of the skills we will learn at Hogwarts. Transfiguration is a profound magical art that can change the shape of objects."
After proving the authenticity of magic, she explained other questions and confirmed that Hermione and Jiang Yue would be attending Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall then took the two families to Diagon Alley to buy the items they needed for school. Soon after, the group arrived at Charing Cross Road in London, where Professor McGonagall led them into a pub.
It just so happened to be the start of the Hogwarts school season, and people were arriving one after another with their young wizards. They encountered Professor McGonagall with Jiang Yue and her friends, and greeted them warmly. At that moment, the person cleaning the tables also came over to greet Professor McGonagall: "Good morning, Professor McGonagall."
He glanced at Jiang Yue and her group, especially at Jiang Yue and Hermione, and then asked, "Are both of you new students at Hogwarts this year?"
"Good morning, Tom," Professor McGonagall replied with a smile to the hotel owner. "I've brought two young wizards to buy their school supplies."
The group walked through the bar to the small courtyard. Professor McGonagall stood next to the trash can, pointed to the bricks on the wall above, and said to them, "Remember this place. If you want to enter Diagon Alley, count three bricks from the top of the trash can, then count two bricks horizontally, and tap them with your wand. A door to Diagon Alley will open for you!"
After Professor McGonagall finished speaking, she tapped a brick in the wall with her wand. Then the bricks in the wall began to move. At first, only a small hole appeared, but soon a wide passageway appeared, and the clamor of voices rushed in.
"OMG! This is incredible."
Diagon Alley is a long cobblestone street lined with all sorts of quirky and exciting shops selling all sorts of strange and unusual things. People dressed in wizard robes come and go, haggling over prices, but today the most numerous people are those bringing their young wizards to buy school supplies.
Professor McGonagall led the group through numerous shops to Gringotts. It is said that Gringotts is the oldest building in Diagon Alley, and the other shops were built around it. After entering Gringotts, both sets of parents took out some pounds. Professor McGonagall already knew the exchange rate and that the amount that could be exchanged each year was limited, so she informed them in advance.
They handed the £500 to the goblin, exchanging it for a total of 100 Galleons. Half for each family, that's exactly 50. Then, led by Professor McGonagall, they bought school uniforms, scales, a cauldron, and other items. When it came time to buy a pet, they originally wanted to buy two owls, but Hermione took a fancy to Crookshanks in the corner (which was originally intended for her third year, but was bought ahead of time). So they bought one owl to deliver messages. Hopefully, this little owl won't go on strike later, since one owl does the work of two.
Now, the most important thing left was to buy a wand. As Professor McGonagall led them to Ollivanders wand shop, Jiang Yue saw that the family was quite tired from carrying a lot of things. They couldn't buy a seamless space bag now, so she pointed to the items in the adults' hands. Then, they floated up and ran behind Jiang Yue.
Professor McGonagall was somewhat shocked by what she saw. Many fifth-year students might not be able to control magic like that. Jiang Yue looked at Professor McGonagall and explained, "After I awakened my magic, I didn't know how to use it. I could only practice how to control it. This is the result of a long period of training."
Professor McGonagall remained calm on the surface, but in her heart she hoped the Sorting Hat would sort Jiang Yue into Gryffindor. With Jiang Yue, the House Cup was practically in her grasp. Ignoring the stares of others, the group soon arrived at the only wand shop in Diagon Alley.
Ollivanders Wand Shop, located on the south side of Diagon Alley, is a wand shop run by the Ollivander family. It is widely recognized as the best wand shop in Britain and ranks among the best in the world. The shop is owned by the eldest family member, Garrick Ollivander, who is usually referred to as Mr. Ollivander. It is said that he remembers every wand he has sold.
The gold lettering on the door had peeled off, and it read: "Olivendine, crafting fine wands since 382 BC".
The shop was very small inside, with nothing but a long bench and thousands of long, narrow boxes containing wands stacked almost to the ceiling.
"Good afternoon, welcome, Professor McGonagall."
“Fir and dragon heartstring, nine and a half inches, hard in texture.”
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ollivander, your memory remains as good as ever."
As the family was looking around the shop, Ollivander spotted Jiang Yue and Hermione. After nodding to the parents, Ollivander said, "These must be the young wizards who started school this year. So, who found their wand first?"
"Me! I'll go first!" Hermione next to her raised her hand, indicating that she should go first, and Jiang Yue stretched out her hand to indicate that she should go first.
“Well, son, which arm do you usually use to wave your wand?” Ollivander picked up a ruler from the side.
“Right hand, sir!” Hermione extended her arm so that Ollivander could take measurements. Ollivander then measured Hermione’s arm length, forearm length, height, head circumference, and other dimensions, all while promoting his wand philosophy.
"...Many people think that wizards choose wands, but the opposite is true. It has always been the wands that choose wizards."
After taking the measurements, Ollivander found a box, opened it, took out a wand, and handed it to Hermione: "Try this one, made of sycamore unicorn tail hair, 12 inches long. Sycamore wands exhibit superb learning and adaptability, and I think this wand will suit you very well."
Unfortunately, it didn't match. After putting the wand away, Ollivander took out another box. Inside was a fourteen-inch wand made of grapevine wood with a core made of dragon heart chords: "This one will definitely suit you. Give it a try!"
After Hermione got her hands on the wand, everyone in the shop felt a refreshing breeze. Mr. Ollivander laughed heartily: "Fantastic! The owners of vine wands are almost always those who 'seek greater goals,' and I knew you two were a perfect match."
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