It has to be said that the Weasleys are a very easygoing group of people. Mr. Weasley had extensive experience dealing with Muggles, and after being introduced by Aiven and Hermione, he did an excellent job of alleviating the unease of both sets of parents. Aside from occasionally showing his obsession with Muggle items and his tendency to be startled, he was basically impeccable.
As for Mrs. Weasley, the first thing she did after emerging from the fireplace was to give the children a big hug, not even leaving out Aiven, and holding him for even longer than Harry. She repeatedly thanked Aiven for helping Harry, making him a little embarrassed.
As for the Weasley children, the elder Percy greeted Aiven and Hermione with extremely formal etiquette. His meticulous demeanour reminded Aiven of certain nobles. Behind the exemplary Percy were Fred and George, a very interesting pair of twins. It was hard to dislike them, except for the occasional mischievous thoughts that popped up. As for Ron, who immediately hit it off with Harry and was Harry's best friend, he had a face full of freckles and seemed a bit clumsy. He loudly claimed that he had originally planned to drive a flying car to rescue Harry a week ago, which greatly displeased Hermione, who was standing nearby. Oh, and there was also Ginny, who stayed close to Mrs. Weasley. She was the same age as Aiven, a beautiful little girl with red hair. However, she was too shy and didn't say a word, just staring at Harry with a flushed face.
After a brief introduction, the group prepared to go to Gringotts Wizarding Bank to withdraw money. This was Aiven's first time seeing goblins. They weren't much prettier than house-elves, but the shrewd and cunning glints that occasionally flashed in their eyes made Aiven realise that they were completely different creatures from house-elves.
They walked down a long flight of white stone steps into a tall, marble hall. Inside, about a hundred goblins sat on high stools behind a long counter. Some weighed coins on brass scales, others examined gemstones with lorgnettes, hastily recording entries in large ledgers. The hall had countless doors leading to different places, and many goblins guided people in and out of these doors.
Harry and the Weasleys, led by a goblin named Griphook, were going to their vault to withdraw money, while Aiven and Hermione needed to exchange their pounds for wizarding currency in the main hall. The Grangers exchanged ten pounds, and Mr. Mason, after much pleading from Aiven, exchanged a large bag of Galleons for him, an amount far exceeding the total value of the items listed on the school shopping list.
About fifteen minutes later, Harry and the Weasleys emerged from the underground vaults. The group parted ways on the marble steps outside Gringotts. Percy muttered about buying a new quill, Fred and George spotted their Hogwarts friend Lee Jordan, and Mr. Weasley insisted on taking the Masons and the Grangers for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron.
Aiven looked at Harry; he seemed to want to speak to Ron and Hermione alone. After a moment's thought, Aiven decided to go with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny to buy school robes and wands.
"Meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your textbooks," Mrs. Weasley instructed, then set off with Ginny and Aiven. "And no going into Knockturn Alley!" she shouted after the twins' retreating figures.
"Mrs. Weasley, where should we buy wands? You know this is my first time in Diagon Alley," Aiven said, a little flustered.
"Dear, we're going to Ollivanders. You and Ginny both need new wands," Mrs. Weasley turned to Aiven and smiled. "But we need to hurry, there's still so much to buy, and Gilderoy Lockhart's new book signing is today, we can't be late."
"Gilderoy Lockhart?!" Aiven frowned. "I saw his books on the school list. I wonder what the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor is thinking; those books aren't cheap."
"Yes, perhaps your new teacher is a fan of Lockhart; after all, he's so amazing. But buying five sets of Lockhart's books at once is indeed too much," Mrs. Weasley looked a little worried. "I'm sorry, Ginny, I think you'll need to buy many things secondhand this year."
"It's okay, Mum!" Ginny seemed to have known this for a long time and didn't look too upset. She winked at Aiven and whispered, "My mum is obsessed with Lockhart; she adores him."
"Don't talk nonsense, Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley's face flushed. "Sometimes, you have to admit, a wizard as remarkable as him is indeed very attractive."
Especially attractive to middle-aged women, Aiven thought, covering his forehead with his hand. He had no good feelings about Lockhart, that big fraud. He knew he'd be exposed sooner or later, and he didn't want to continue this conversation.
In fact, what surprised him more was Ginny. This little girl was no longer as shy as when he first met her. As soon as Harry wasn't around, she immediately returned to her normal state—a very talkative and lively young girl. Along the way, she told Aiven a lot about her family. It was clear that, unlike Ron, Ginny genuinely didn't mind using her brothers' hand-me-down items, except for one thing: having to use secondhand school uniforms, which made her very upset.
The three chatted as they arrived at a small, dilapidated shop. The gold lettering on the door was peeling, reading: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. In the dusty display window, a single wand lay on a faded purple cushion.
As they entered, a faint tinkling sound came from somewhere at the back of the shop. Aiven looked around; the shop was very small, with nothing but a long bench in front of the counter. Not far away were thousands of narrow boxes stacked almost to the ceiling. Inside were all sorts of wands. For some reason, Aiven suddenly felt a chill down his spine. The dust and silence here seemed to conceal mysterious magic.
Mrs. Weasley led them to sit on the bench to wait. Soon, a soft voice came from inside the shop.