"So, you must be a Slytherin?" The young man in front of Ivy, with pale blond hair and a slender frame, had a slight blush on his pale face. "I'm starting at Hogwarts this year, and I can say with confidence that I'll be the most standard Slytherin…"
"Draco." The man, clearly his father, interrupted his son's rambling and tapped his elegant cane on the worn wooden floor of Ollivanders' wand shop. "Remember? You're supposed to introduce yourself first."
"Oh, right, Father." Although Draco tried to pull his eyes away from Ivy's magnificent Slytherin relic robe and assumed a somewhat proud expression, everyone could see the envy in his eyes.
He stretched out one hand and, with a drawn-out tone, introduced himself: "Draco Malfoy, a first-year student at Hogwarts. I'll bet anything that I'm a Slytherin."
Ivy extended his hand to shake his, introducing himself as well: "Ivy Doom, like you, a first-year student at Hogwarts."
"You're also a first-year?" Young Malfoy's voice became slightly shrill with surprise, but he cleared his throat before his father could scowl, quickly resuming his affected aristocratic demeanor. "But you're wearing... Oh—now I understand! Maybe I should learn some of Ivy's confidence? Father?"
"Unmistakable ambition and confidence? I think these are the very traits Salazar Slytherin himself would admire." Mr. Malfoy's aristocratic demeanor became even more refined, yet it was more insufferable than ever, especially as he slightly lifted his chin, which made Ivy dislike him from the bottom of his heart, not due to a height difference.
"Why don't you ask your classmate where he got his robe? Perhaps I can have one made for you as well." Mr. Malfoy continued with his suggestion.
Young Malfoy turned his head, staring at Ivy with eager eyes.
Ivy politely declined, saying, "It's a Slytherin relic robe. I think... It's rather old."
"Such a shame..." Mr. Malfoy shook his head in disappointment, clearly wanting to say more.
However, the shopkeeper, Ollivander, returned from the back room, holding a wand box lined with purple velvet.
"Mr. Doom!" Ollivander said cheerfully, handing the wand box to Ivy. "I believe this is certainly my grandfather's finest work! Silver lime wood and phoenix tail feather, fifteen and a half inches—such a stunning and exquisite combination. It will offer great advantages in Legilimency and Divination!"
"Legilimency and Divination?" Ivy raised an eyebrow at the pale silver wand. So, this was the trait that made silver lime wood so coveted over a hundred years ago.
"Indeed." Ollivander rubbed his hands together, clearly eager to see how the wand would perform. "Try it, Mr. Doom. If it doesn't feel right, we can always choose another one for you."
Ivy wasn't new to handling wands, but this wand felt completely different from any he'd used before. The magic flowed through it as smoothly as if it were made of fine silk.
He gently flicked the tip of the wand, and dazzling silver sparks shot out, transforming into a magnificent phoenix. The bird flew around the cramped wand shop, circling once before bursting into a shower of sparkling light.
"Perfect!" Ollivander exclaimed, his excitement clear. "I don't think I'll ever forget this moment! You're destined to leave a mark on magical history, Mr. Doom!"
Ivy nodded in satisfaction and put the wand away before asking, "Considering I'm picking it up a hundred years late, I wonder about the storage fees…"
"No need." Ollivander vigorously shook his head, his silver hair flying with the motion. "What we just saw was payment enough!"
Ivy thanked him again and left the shop, passing by the Malfoy family. He whispered, "Excuse me."
After watching Ivy leave, Lucius Malfoy patted his son, Draco, on the shoulder. "Apart from Harry Potter, you should make sure to get along with him. Remember, Draco."
Seeing his son nod, Lucius pulled a few Galleons from his pocket. "Perhaps a few Galleons can help you make some extra requests at Madam Malkin's. But you'd better go alone. I'll go buy your textbooks, and your mother will take care of your wand. We need to get home early today."
Draco eagerly accepted the Galleons and cheered before leaving Ollivander's wand shop.
Walking through Diagon Alley, Ivy checked his shopping list, now with the wand crossed off.
He still needed the six first-year textbooks, at least three sets of plain school robes with name tags, potion-making equipment—which included cauldrons, crystal vials, scales, and dragon-hide gloves—and a telescope for astronomy.
Potion-making and astronomy equipment were easy to solve, as Ivy remembered that the Room of Requirement already had some old supplies. Plus, he wasn't short on money, and anything that could be solved with Galleons was hardly a problem.
"Let's start with the books," Ivy decided. His next stop was Florean Fortescue's Bookstore, but he wouldn't buy any leisure books. Hogwarts' library was more than enough, and there was always the Restricted Section, a veritable treasure trove.
Ivy was somewhat pleased because he had plenty of time to devote to this task. First-year courses weren't too heavy, and studying magic was his true focus.
The bookstore was bustling with witches and wizards of all ages, many of them preparing for their children's schooling. There were students from every year.
Ivy noticed that the shop assistants had already tied up stacks of books, and all the customer needed to do was say their year, and they would receive the corresponding stack of books, followed by a string of numbers, ready for checkout.
While waiting in line, Ivy observed the store. Apart from the students picking up their textbooks, there were also many younger witches and wizards searching through the wooden shelves, looking for books that caught their interest.
One particular girl with bright golden hair caught Ivy's attention. From her height, she might be entering the same year as Ivy, or perhaps a year or two older.
Ivy ran through his memory of the female characters from the original story, but couldn't find a match for her.
He couldn't help but murmur to himself, "This is a living world. Besides the scenes described in the seven books, there are so many other vivid people existing in this world."
Perhaps noticing Ivy's gaze, the girl looked up from the book she had been reading.
With her catlike eyes and tear mole, she gave off an air of nobility. Her emerald-green eyes and bright golden hair complemented each other perfectly. She was the type of person who left a lasting impression.
When she met Ivy's gaze, he gave a slight nod in response. He wasn't planning on approaching her just yet. After all, there would be plenty of time at Hogwarts, right?