Before departing for Diagon Alley, Lynn first made a trip back home.
He went straight to his study and took a seemingly ordinary small cloth bag from a drawer. It was stuffed with a thick stack of British pounds—a full five thousand pounds.
This was the preparation he made after clarifying the Wizarding World's "monetary system" with Dumbledore just moments ago.
Gold Galleons, silver Sickles, bronze Knuts… and then there was that exchange rate that made his mouth twitch: 1 Galleon equals 17 Sickles, and 1 Sickle equals 29 Knuts.
"Which 'genius' came up with this base system? If your mental math isn't good when paying, won't you get ripped off by the Goblins?" Lynn complained in his heart, feeling deeply that the decimal system was much more lovable.
Dumbledore had also mentioned an "exchange rate": five pounds could be exchanged for one shiny gold Galleon.
Lynn did a quick mental calculation; this exchange rate was practically an act of charity. His five thousand-plus pounds could be exchanged for a massive sum. It seemed his "savings that wouldn't run out in three lifetimes" remained just as solid in the Wizarding World…
"Are you ready, child?"
Dumbledore looked at the somewhat plain cloth bag in Lynn's hand and asked gently.
"I'm ready, Professor!"
Lynn nodded and patted his "money bag."
To make it easier for Lynn to shop for supplies in Diagon Alley in the future, they chose to travel the Muggle way. Fortunately, Diagon Alley was located in central London, not far from there.
Thus, the next scene was somewhat fantastical:
A legendary Wizard dressed in starry robes with a flowing white beard, and an eleven-year-old boy, stood together by the roadside and reached out to hail a black London taxi.
The driver looked at Dumbledore's attire, merely raised an eyebrow, and asked nothing.
In London, what strange sights hadn't been seen?
Half an hour later, the taxi stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary, shabby pub… Lynn followed Dumbledore through the Leaky Cauldron.
Lynn noticed that the people inside were looking at Dumbledore with a mixture of awe and curiosity. This old man seemed to be quite a big deal?
They came to a brick wall in the backyard.
"Remember this trash can," Dumbledore said, lightly tapping a certain brick on the wall three times with his long finger. "Three bricks up, then two across… here it is."
Immediately after, a miracle occurred.
The brick he had tapped began to vibrate violently, and then the entire wall seemed to come alive. Using the tapping point as the center, the bricks quickly slid and folded to both sides, eventually forming a wide archway.
Behind the gate was the Diagon Alley Dumbledore had spoken of!
Lynn took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Before him was a winding cobblestone street that seemed to have no end, lined on both sides with oddly shaped medieval-style buildings.
Owls circled overhead. Some shop windows displayed self-stirring cauldrons, crystal balls glowing with an ominous light, or thick books floating in mid-air and flipping their pages automatically.
The air was filled with a strange mixture of scents: newly tanned leather, pungent herbs, and some kind of sickly sweet pastry fragrance.
At the end of the street, a towering, snowy-white Greek-style building was particularly eye-catching—Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
That was their first stop.
Entering the bank's main doors, Lynn immediately saw a sternly worded poem on the wall that made one's spine tingle. The general idea was: Stealing? You're asking for death!
Under the guidance of a serious-looking Goblin with shrewd eyes, the exchange process was exceptionally smooth.
Lynn took out five thousand pounds and exchanged them for a large bag of heavy, glittering Galleons, along with some silver Sickles and bronze Knuts for change.
Listening to the coins clinking in the bag, Lynn felt an unprecedented sense of security.
The shopping trip officially began.
They first went to Flourish and Blotts, where Lynn bought all his first-year textbooks.
Next was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
The shop was clean and bright, with fabrics of various colors neatly stacked.
There were quite a few people; there were three or four young Wizards around his age lined up in front of Lynn.
After waiting for a while, a kind-faced, plump Witch—Madam Malkin—came to attend to him personally.
As with the previous customers, a magical measuring tape automatically flew onto him, measuring up and down, inside and out.
It even tried to measure little Lynn's "size" at one point, but was ruthlessly pushed away by Lynn's hand.
After deciding on the standard Hogwarts plain black robe style, it wasn't long before a set of well-fitting robes was handed to him. The efficiency was staggering.
Afterwards, they visited other shops, purchasing a cauldron, a set of brass scales, dragon-hide gloves, and various strange magical items.
As they passed the Owl Emporium, Dumbledore kindly reminded him.
"Lynn, owning an Owl is very convenient in the Wizarding World, whether for sending letters or receiving packages."
Lynn followed the advice and walked inside.
As soon as he entered, a burst of noisy "voices" flooded his mind:
"Look at me! Look at me! My feathers are smooth, and I'm super fast at delivering letters!"
"Get lost, biped, don't touch me!"
"I'm hungry… when is it time to eat…"
Lynn was stunned, then immediately realized—Language Mastery! It even included Owl-speak?
In that case, if he spoke human language, could they understand him?
You couldn't blame Lynn for having doubts; he hadn't properly communicated with animals since obtaining this ability. As for why he didn't hear the fish talking while fishing?
Please, do you think Lynn could actually catch a fish? He was a king of "empty nets," whose fishing rod could be dragged away by a fish! Besides, did they deserve lines?
He walked up to a sturdy-looking Tawny Owl and said tentatively, "Hello?"
The Tawny Owl glanced at him, turned its head haughtily, and faced him with its butt. The meaning was clear: "Not interested."
Undeterred, Lynn approached a Snowy Owl that was entirely white and exceptionally beautiful, greeting it again: "Hello?"
This time there was a response! The Snowy Owl tilted its head and let out a string of: "Wha'cha want?"
The thick Northern accent immediately left Lynn dazed. (⊙_☉)
"Wait, where are you from, big guy? No… what kind of bird are you?"
Lynn subconsciously replied in the same dialect.
The Snowy Owl flapped its wings, seemingly interested. "Dunno. Heard from my old man that our ancestral home is from that neck of the woods in the North."
"Why you askin' where I'm from? You takin' me back? Let me tell ya, I ain't flyin' for free—gotta add some dried fish!"
Lynn was certain now. It wasn't that they couldn't understand; it depended on the bird! The previous one just had a cold personality!
"Boss, I'll take this one!" Lynn pointed decisively at snowy owl and said to the shopkeeper.
"This one? Oh, 5 Galleons."
Lynn paid readily, picked up the cage containing "Old White," and found Dumbledore waiting patiently outside.
That's right—Lynn had given this Snowy Owl a name: Old White.
Dumbledore looked at the exceptionally spirited Snowy Owl in Lynn's hand and nodded with a smile.
Seeing that the school supplies were mostly purchased, he led Lynn toward the final and most important stop of the trip—Ollivanders Wand Shop.
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Read my second novel: Naruto: Multiverse Adventures.