Chapter 7: A Major Shopping Spree in Diagon Alley

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At night, George's consciousness returned to his Marvel self. Another day of sweat-soaked training had passed without anything particularly noteworthy happening.

However, his intuition suggested that a jailbreak might be imminent. He had noticed that the group of mutant children had acquired a comic book titled Extraordinary X-Men.

Even now, he still hadn't figured out the historical context of this universe. The existence of the X-Men and related comics indicated that mutants were likely quite famous. So why was there still a super-soldier program and Captain America?

He would need to escape the experimental facility and investigate history to understand the full picture.

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In the Harry Potter world, early morning.

When George retrieved the Daily Prophet from the mailbox at the shop's entrance, he found an additional letter.

"Finally here," he muttered.

The pale yellow envelope was addressed in emerald green ink: "Mr. George, Merton's Apothecary, Knockturn Alley."

Indeed, it was the acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Even though he had been assured by Slytherin and Tonks that there would be no issues, receiving the acceptance letter still left him with an exhilarating sense of calm.

Hogwarts—a real magic school. Soon, he would be learning all kinds of wondrous spells.

Magic, after all, who could resist its allure?

"Time to start the big shopping spree!" George declared with enthusiasm.

He quickly finished his breakfast and, with the list of required books and supplies included in the envelope, he set off from Merton's Apothecary with high spirits.

But just as his good mood was taking off, it was interrupted by an unwelcome sight.

"Isn't that little Dora? I heard you've been reaccepted into Hogwarts. Are you off to shop for school supplies?"

An old wizard with a hunched back and greasy hair stood at the door of a shop across the street, greeting George with a sinister look.

"Good morning, Mr. Boggin. I'm just heading out to buy some magical books for school. Also, I've changed my name to George now."

George felt a pang of irritation inside but responded with outward politeness.

This old wizard was no ordinary character—he was the oldest and most notorious dark wizard in Knockturn Alley. His shop, Boggin's Antiquities, was the largest magical shop in the alley.

Boggin's business was broad, dealing in and assessing items imbued with dark magic or other dangerous properties, and providing secret valuations for rare and ancient magical artifacts.

Tom Riddle, in his youth, had worked at this very unscrupulous antique shop. It was through the shop's intricate connections that he had found and created two Horcruxes.

Boggin was currently George's biggest concern. If this old wizard gave up his schemes against him, it would mean that no other dark wizard in Knockturn Alley would likely target the apothecary shop he had inherited.

"That's quite the good kid you are. I noticed that the Auror lady had lunch at your place yesterday?" Boggin said with a smile that was more unsettling than friendly.

George returned the smile, his own much more radiant.

"Yes, Tonks really enjoyed my cooking. She mentioned she'd bring her colleagues and Uncle Slytherin next time for a meal."

"Well, that's a bit of a hassle then," Boggin said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

George, feigning innocence, responded, "It's no trouble at all. I enjoy cooking. If they come again, I'd be happy to make more. Would you like to join us and try my cooking, Mr. Boggin?"

"No, that won't be necessary."

Boggin's face stiffened, and he turned to retreat into his dark shop.

Once Boggin had gone, George muttered to himself, "If you dare to plot against me, I'll take your shop and deal with you."

With his mood restored, he set off again into Diagon Alley.

In contrast to the narrow and gloomy Knockturn Alley, Diagon Alley was bright and bustling with normal witches and wizards shopping for their children and vendors hawking their wares.

"Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles per ounce."

"Cauldrons—copper, brass, tin, and silver; all models available, with automatic stirring and folding options."

"Gray owls, screech owls, barn owls, tawny owls, snowy owls—whatever pet you want, we have it."

"Firebolt 2001, the fastest broomstick on the market—worthy of you."

As George wandered through the lively Diagon Alley, he didn't hesitate to spend money, choosing only the best tools. Although there were cheaper alternatives, he believed that quality tools would yield higher efficiency. With money in hand, there was no need to economize.

"A complete set of uniforms, cauldrons, telescopes, potion bottles, scales, wands—just books and a pet left to buy."

Two hours later, George pushed a cart filled with various school supplies and reviewed the items still needed from his list.

Purchasing most items had been quick, including the wands. After trying several, he selected the most suitable one and bought it without delay.

The only hold-up had been with the uniforms, as measuring for the right fit had taken some time.

"Owl Emporium, perfect timing. I should buy an owl."

Seeing the owl shop on the street, George thought for a moment before pushing his cart inside.

There were many pets available for young witches and wizards, but he felt that owls were the most useful. Magic owls in the wizarding world were quite different from ordinary ones.

Not only are they smarter, but they also come with built-in tracking magic. No matter where the recipient is, a magical owl can find them unless a specific anti-tracking charm is used.

Besides delivering letters, they can also carry various items, and their strength far exceeds that of ordinary owls—handling up to twenty pounds was no issue.

As a pragmatist, George believed that if he was going to get a pet, it should be useful. Otherwise, it would be better not to get one at all, as he didn't have the energy to care for a pet.

"Welcome to Eeylops Owl Emporium! Sir, what kind of owl are you looking for?" a staff member quickly approached as George entered.

"That one!"

George scanned the shop and quickly pointed out the owl he wanted.

The staff member's eyes widened in surprise when he followed George's finger.

"Are you sure you want that one?"

"Yes," George confirmed with a nod.

The staff member hesitated for a moment before explaining, "I should let you know that that owl is ten times more expensive than a normal one. It costs one hundred Galleons."

The owl George had pointed to wasn't an ordinary size; it was a great horned owl standing nearly a meter tall.

Typically, such large owls were purchased by adult wizards with specific interests or for research purposes. It was unusual for a young wizard to buy one as a pet.

On one hand, it was incredibly expensive, and on the other, even wealthy parents might be hesitant to buy such a large and potentially dangerous creature.

(End of Chapter)