Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time.
With words engraved upon them.
(Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed—)
As they entered the grand marble hall, dozens of goblins sat on high stools behind a long marble counter, weighing coins on brass scales and examining precious gems through eyepieces.
One of the other Muggle-born fathers leaned down toward his son and whispered, "Look at them... little monsters, aren't they?"
Aegeus flicked his eyes toward the speaker. Foolish. These creatures didn't look like servants, but bankers with authority over what looked like the magical world's economy's primary institution.
Offending them in their own stronghold was unnecessary and stupid, especially for someone who just entered the magic world.
They approached a teller, where Jean carefully set down a stack of British pounds.
The goblin peered down over the counter, his dark eyes scanning the paper notes with mild disdain before landing on Aegeus. The creature paused for a fraction of a second.
"Pounds to Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts," the goblin rasped, pulling out an iron scale to initiate the exchange.
Aegeus watched the heavy gold coins slide across the counter. He picked up a single heavy Galleon, feeling its density and mineral composition through his fingertips.
"It doesn't even have much gold," he muttered.
The long, pointed ear on the teller twitched. The goblin didn't look up, nor did he utter a word—he simply continued stacking the coins, but the far corner of his mouth tugging upward in a silent, knowing smirk.
With their magical currency secured, McGonagall turned back to the group. "Next stop is Flourish and Blotts; it's where we will buy your school textbooks."
A faint, genuine smile finally touched Aegeus's lips.
Flourish and Blotts was crammed to the ceiling with shelves holding books as large as paving stones and others the size of postage stamps, books full of peculiar symbols and a few
books with nothing in them at all. The heavy scent of parchment, leather, and old ink filled the air— a smell Aegeus found instantly comforting.
While the other Muggle-born families gathered around the clerk to collect the standard first-year set, Aegeus drifted toward the stacks.
Hermione was right behind him, her eyes wide as she kept pointing at everything that caught her fancy. "Aegeus, look at all of these books! We have too much studying to catch up on!"
"Then we'd better start now," Aegeus murmured.
He pulled The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 from the shelf. He flipped through the pages at an absurd rate, his eyes scanning down the text like an optical reader.
Wand movements... incantations... intent... focus...
Within two minutes, the entire contents of the first-year spellbook were logged into his memory.
Fascinating, Aegeus thought, his mind synthesizing the spell logic in an instant. Magic in this world relies heavily on incantation and wand movement. The wand acts as an amplifier and a focusing lens, but the core energy originates from within.
He put the book back and immediately grabbed One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, followed by A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch. Page by page, information streamed directly into his mind.
Magical flora, then the foundational laws governing Transfiguration: the conservation of mass across a transformation, the five Principal Exceptions of Gamp's Law (you cannot conjure food, Love, life, death, soul)
"Mr. Granger?" Professor McGonagall's stern voice broke his focus. She was standing at the end of the aisle holding a pre-packed stack of textbooks, looking at him with an eyebrow raised.
"Are you fanning yourself with the literature or actually looking for something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just taking a look, Professor," said Aegeus, putting the book back on the shelf.
Before joining the rest of the group, Aegeus made sure to collect not just the required textbooks, but the textbooks for all seven Hogwarts years alongside some books with several interesting titles.
Professor McGonagall then turned and led the group back out into the bustling street, stopping before a peeling, narrow shop with faded gold letters over the door.
Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
The inside of the shop was tiny, and it smelled faintly of old wood and polished resin. Thousands of narrow boxes were stacked neatly from floor to ceiling, radiating a subtle, vibrating hum that Aegeus could faintly sense.
"Good afternoon," a soft voice echoed from the gloom.
An old man stepped out from between the shelves, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the dim light.
Mr. Ollivander's gaze swept over the Muggle-born families before stopping on Aegeus. He paused a little, leaning forward slightly as if inspecting a rare specimen.
"Let's start with you"
Ollivander whipped a long tape measure marked with silver numbers from his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"
"My right," Aegeus said.
As the tape measure automatically began taking bizarre measurements— between his nostrils, the circumference of his skull, the distance from his elbow to his pinky— Ollivander drifted along the shelves, pulling down boxes.
"Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Granger. Dragon heartstring, unicorn hair, or phoenix feather. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two dragons, unicorns, or phoenixes are quite the same."
He returned with a dark mahogany box. "Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring, nine inches. Flexible."
"No, no, definitely not," Ollivander muttered, snatching it back before Aegeus could even wave it.
He darted back into the stacks, pulling down another, then another.
"Ebony and unicorn hair, eleven inches..." Aegeus felt that this one was too rigid.
"Maple and phoenix feather, seven inches..." That was too light.
Box after box piled up on the counter. Ten minutes passed, then twenty.
Ollivander, rather than looking frustrated, was practically beaming. He pulled another. He lifted the wand from its box. It was black with a refined handle that felt surprisingly modern.
"Ebony and dragon heartstring, ten inches"
Aegeus reached out and gripped the handle.
Instantly, Aegeus felt his magic flow down his arm and align perfectly with the core of the wand. The resistance was almost zero.
Ollivander stared at the wand in Aegeus's hand, his pale eyes wide with genuine awe. "Remarkable.... I expect great things from you, Mr. Granger."
Jean stepped forward to hand over the Galleons, Aegeus carefully slipped his new wand inside his jacket.
_________________________________________________________________________
TO BE CONTINUED
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