Hogwarts: Becoming the White Lord from Breathing

Chapter 4 Tips
117 Charing Cross Road, Westminster, London, UK.

Professor McGonagall and Damon stopped in front of a dirty, cramped bar.

A moldy sign hung on the shabby wooden door outside the bar, the words on it blurred and almost unrecognizable.

"Here we are, kid. This is the Leaky Cauldron I told you about, a place that connects the border between Muggles and wizards."

Damon whistled, his eyes alight with interest as he watched the people hurrying by with unusual indifference towards the bar.

As Damon walked into the tavern, the originally quiet atmosphere suddenly became lively and noisy with the ringing of the bell at the door.

In the dark and dirty tavern, several old ladies were sitting in the corner drinking sherry from small cups. One of them was smoking a long pipe, and the rude and unrestrained laughter of men and women could be heard from time to time.

Damon watched these with great interest, feeling as if he had suddenly entered a scene in a large amusement park, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

However, after seeing Professor McGonagall, many wizards became much quieter like mice seeing a cat - many of them were once Professor McGonagall's students.

The bar owner saw Professor McGonagall's iconic green wizard robe and greeted her respectfully:

"Hello, Professor McGonagall, another new student?"

Professor McGonagall nodded, made a polite response, and led Damon across the bar to a small walled patio.

There was nothing here except a trash can and some weeds.

"Count three blocks up and two blocks sideways." Professor McGonagall said calmly, took out her wand and tapped lightly on a brick wall three times.

The block she had struck began to shake violently, and the bricks in the center of the wall moved rapidly. Soon a wide archway appeared in front of the two of them, leading to a winding, endless cobblestone street.

"Damon, remember this place. This is your only access to Diagon Alley."

Professor McGonagall walked into the archway with Damon, whose pupils were slightly dilated. As they entered Diagon Alley, the road behind them immediately turned into the solid wall again.

Damon looked at the nearest shop. It seemed to be a bar selling crucibles. There was a sign hanging at the door, and he subconsciously read it.

Patchy's Cauldron Shop - Copper, brass, tin-plated, and silver cauldrons in a full range of sizes, all with automatic stirring and foldable designs.

McGonagall took Damon to their first stop - Gringotts.

The snow-white building stood tall above the surrounding shops. Next to the shiny bronze gate stood a figure wearing a scarlet uniform inlaid with gold.

The goblin bowed to them as they entered.

Then a second door appeared in front of them, it was silver, and the following words were engraved on the two doors:
Come in, stranger, but be careful

What will be the consequences of being greedy?
Asking blindly and getting something for nothing,

will be punished the most severely,
So if you want to get money from our underground vault
Take away a fortune that never belonged to you,

Thief, you have been warned,
Be careful not to attract treasure, but evil retribution.

Daemon was led into a tall marble hall where about a hundred goblins sat on high stools behind a long row of counters. Some were weighing coins with copper scales, others were examining gems with eyepieces, and they were scribbling notes in large ledgers.

The entire hall was very spacious and magnificent, with magical decorations hanging on the walls, sparkling with golden light.

On the long counter, the goblin sat on a high stool and adjusted the frame of his glasses on his pointed ears while looking at Damon.

"Good afternoon. I'd like to exchange some Galleons."

As a former talented pianist, Damon is not short of money.

He walked up to the counter and looked at the fairy in front of him with curiosity. He had to admit that the look was quite unique.

Damon took out a bundle of 20-pound notes and asked to exchange them for 200 gold galleons.

"Paper notes?" The goblin frowned. "These notes can be exchanged for gold Galleons, but the exchange rate will be reduced. At our current exchange rate, these notes are only enough to exchange for 200 gold Galleons."

"can."

Damon nodded indifferently, with a very generous attitude. However, the goblin's attitude was not much better. He showed his contempt with a sour face and kept muttering about banknotes, gold, gems and so on.

Damon knew that these goblins loved jewelry and gold the most. If he brought these, the value would be much higher. However, his current body was still that of a child, so it was not suitable for exchanging these, and there was no need.

It doesn’t matter if it’s less.

He smiled and admired the goblin's stereotypical greed, and turned a blind eye to his own losses.

According to the strange currency exchange system in the Harry Potter world, two hundred gold Galleons were enough to cover his daily needs for several years.

Mag watched this scene from the side, opened his lips, as if he wanted to say something good for his student, but he saw that Damon had already taken out a gold galleon from the two hundred and flicked it in front of the goblin on the counter with his thumb.

"Here's a tip for you."

"Oh!" The goblin quickly grasped the gold Galleon in his hand, a warm smile on his face. "I don't like your frivolous attitude, but I appreciate your action." "You are such a generous little wizard. If you need anything, feel free to come to me."

"You're welcome. This is a reward for you." Damon winked at it, "for our first meeting."

As for the fairy's promise, he wasn't stupid enough to believe it.

Professor McGonagall, who was watching this scene, was a little stunned. She felt that this behavior was a bit too casual. After hesitating for a moment, she asked:
"Tip, is this the Muggle world's way of saying some kind of rule?"

"Well, Professor, tipping is usually used to express gratitude for service or performance, and is a common etiquette in the Muggle world."

"Etiquette? It seems that etiquette in the Muggle world is indeed different from the rules in our magical world."

Professor McGonagall's voice returned to calm, and she gave up the idea of ​​continuing to investigate, but she couldn't help but look at Damon again.

The wizarding world has always had strong prejudices and resistance towards Muggle society, and is unwilling to understand or interact with it. Even wizard scholars who specialize in Muggle research have limited knowledge.

But according to those Muggle studies scholars, as Muggle social civilization continues to progress, perhaps one day wizards and Muggles will live under the same sky.

Damon was born into a Muggle family, but he also possesses extraordinary magical talent. So will he one day become a bridge for communication between the two worlds?

No, it's too far ahead to think about these things now.

Professor McGonagall shook her head, hiding the "absurd idea" that flashed through her mind, and continued:

"Come on, to make things lighter, I'll take you shopping for your uniform and owl first, then we'll go buy your class supplies."

【Madam Malkin's Robe Store】

As Damon walked into the store, a soft and elegant fragrance filled his nostrils, and his body subconsciously relaxed.

He was greeted by a short and plump witch in a purple robe - Madam Malkin.

"Buying uniforms for Hogwarts, dear?"

Seeing Damon nod, she smiled more cordially, asked Damon to stand on a footstool, put a robe on him, pinned it to the right length for him, and praised him:

"What a handsome little wizard! I love your sapphire-like eyes."

"You are taller than most young wizards, just like that boy, but he doesn't have such beautiful eyes as you."

"Thank you."

Madam Malkin pulled out a row of exquisite robes during her work and recommended:

"You should try this suit. The dark blue hue with gold embroidery perfectly complements your temperament. If you wear this suit at the ball, you will definitely be the focus of the whole audience!"

"Thank you. I'll take it."

"Oh, what a decisive little wizard! I guess I have to be more decisive too."

Madam Malkin was quicker, and soon she said:

"Well, it's done, dear."

Damon nodded, picked up his school uniform and a special dark blue gorgeous robe and left the store.

Then he went to Eeyore Owl Shop and bought an owl as a pet, a pure white snowy owl, the same style as Harry Potter's, but even purer than his own, without a single color on its body. Damon named it Cha Cha Barton.

After buying these two items, the only things left were the wand and school supplies.

Necessary supplies list:
Uniform
First-year students need:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)

A plain, peaked hat for daytime wear (black)
A pair of protective gloves (dragon leather or similar material)
A winter cape (black with silver buttons)
Please note: All student clothing must be labeled with a name tag

Textbooks
All students are required to prepare the following books:

The Standard Book of Spells (Elementary) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
The Theory of Magic by Adelbert Waughlin
"The Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration" by Emery Swich
"A Thousand Miraculous Herbs and Fungi" by Phyllida Spohr
Magic Potions and Medicinal Drinks by Arsene Giger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Defense by Quentin Trimble

Other equipment
A magic wand

A large pot (tin-plated, standard size 2)
A set of glass or crystal phials

A telescope
A brass balance

Students may bring an owl, a cat or a toad. Parents are kindly reminded that first-year students are not allowed to bring their own broomsticks.

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(End of this chapter)