In the original story, Ron Weasley came from a family so poor they rattled when they walked. He couldn't even afford a new wand.
Harry, although he had inherited a considerable fortune, only had "mounds of gold Galleons, piles of silver Sickles, and heaps of bronze Knuts" according to the original text.
It wasn't like in the films, where opening the vault revealed a mountain of treasure. Several hundred Knuts only made a small pile.
If you really tried to estimate it, the total value was probably only around ten to twenty thousand Galleons at most.
But Hermione's side was very different.
In the 1990s, dentists earned extremely high salaries—usually around fifteen to forty thousand pounds a year. If they took private patients, their income could even double.
Both of Hermione's parents had jobs like that, and both had been working for over a decade.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione bought all seven of her new textbooks in one go. Ron stood beside her watching enviously, while her purse was said to contain "quite a lot of loose change."
What was Ron doing during the same period? Waiting for his father to win a bet so he could buy him a new wand.
Just look at the contrast.
One had loose change filling her purse. The other had to wait for his father to win a wager just to get a wand.
Not to mention that in Deathly Hallows, while the trio were on the run, Hermione directly withdrew the long-term savings her parents had set aside for her in a building society account.
Just listen to that. Savings.
Anyone who'd ever tried to make ends meet understood what it meant to actually have money left over at the end of the month.
Rent, utilities, transport, food, the occasional night out, getting sick once in a while, fixing something once in a while, replacing a phone once in a while. Half your salary was gone before it even warmed your pocket. If you could save a little money in the bank, you were already someone who knew how to budget. If you could build up a proper savings account, that was practically a miracle.
And that might not even have been the Grangers' emergency fund. It might simply have been money they were saving for Hermione's future house.
If currency exchange were truly unrestricted, Gringotts would be run dry in no time.
After exchanging one thousand pounds for two hundred Galleons, Leon turned and disappeared into the crowd. He took out his admission list and unfolded it.
Fifth Year transfer student must prepare:
Uniform
Three sets of plain work robes (black) One plain pointed hat for day wear (black) One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Textbooks
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 — Miranda Goshawk The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 — Miranda Goshawk A History of Magic — Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory — Adalbert Waffling A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration — Emeric Switch One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi — Phyllida Spore Magical Drafts and Potions — Arsenius Jigger Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — Newt Scamander The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection — Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
One wand One cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) One set of glass or crystal phials One telescope One set of brass scales Students may also bring an owl, a cat, or a toad
Special Notice: New Fifth Year students must additionally prepare three textbooks including Intermediate Charm Theory and Practice and Advanced Guide to Transfiguration. Please ask a clerk at Flourish and Blotts for exact titles.
After reading the last line, Leon folded the list and tucked it back into his pocket.
Coming out of Gringotts, he gripped the heavy bag of gold coins and didn't linger at the entrance.
He went straight for Ollivanders.
Not for any complicated reason—he simply wanted to get his wand as soon as possible.
In Hogwarts Legacy, the protagonist started with a wand and could cast spells right away, throwing out the Shield Charm and the Stunning Spell with ease. But right now, Leon had nothing. He couldn't even use the most basic Wand-Lighting Charm.
A wizard without a wand was just an ordinary person.
Ollivanders stood at a corner, squeezed between a second-hand robe shop and a little store selling owl treats. The frontage was narrow, the paint peeling, and the gold letters on the sign had faded somewhat. But under the sunlight, he could still read the line clearly:
OllivandersMakers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
This shop had opened before the Roman Empire.
He pushed the door open, and the bell above it rang once.
The inside of the shop was far smaller than he had imagined, and far darker. Every wall from floor to ceiling was stacked with long narrow boxes, all neatly arranged, each marked with numbers and letters. The air was filled with the smell of old wood and dust, along with a faint fragrance he couldn't identify—like some ancient spice.
At first, he couldn't see anyone. About half a minute later, an old man emerged from the shadows. His pale eyes glimmered in the dim light like two dusty glass beads. His hair was sparse and almost completely white. He wore an old robe covered in dust—dust as old as the boxes themselves.
He looked like one of those old men who might keel over at any moment, but in truth he was tougher than anyone.
Mr. Ollivander.
"Good morning, Mr. Ollivander," Leon said.
"Hello, hello." Ollivander stared at Leon. "I received word beforehand. Most unusual, most unusual."
"In what way unusual?" Leon asked with some curiosity.
"A transfer student, of course. You should know that the last time Hogwarts had a transfer student was over a hundred years ago," Ollivander said. "Come now, hold out your dominant hand."
From shoulder to fingertip, from wrist to elbow, from knee to armpit—the measuring tape moved by itself without Ollivander needing to touch it.
After a long process everyone already understood so well that even the author couldn't be bothered to write out the tedious details—and after trying well over a hundred wands—Leon finally got his.
At that instant, he felt as if something bit his palm. It didn't hurt, but it was sharp—a piercing sensation that spread from his palm to his wrist, then up his arm, then through his entire body.
Then everything returned to calm.
A string of golden sparks burst from the tip of the wand, exploding in the dim shop like tiny fireworks.
Ollivander watched the sparks, and his expression relaxed.
"Good," he said. "It chose you."
The Hogwarts textbooks really hadn't changed in a hundred years—especially subjects like Potions and Transfiguration. They often used the same book for years on end, depending on whether the students could keep up with the teaching pace.
By comparison, a fifth-year transfer student was completely outrageous. He debuted with the Stunning Spell and the Shield Charm, and his speed in learning magic was absurdly fast.
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