Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

Eric's words revealed an undeniable firmness.

Although he said this with a smile, old Tom had no doubt that Eric didn't feel like he was asking him to do anything.

It's more like a command.

Old Tom was stunned for a moment before he noticed that Eric had already changed into his outdoor clothes.

He was still wearing that same simple jeans and jacket, which, combined with Eric's handsome and gentle face, made him instantly likable. It was hard to connect him with the little wizard who had intimidated everyone with a mere wave of his hand yesterday.

"Ok."

Without saying anything more, perhaps wanting to get rid of Eric as soon as possible, old Tom quickly packed up and took Eric out the door.

Compared to yesterday, today there are many more wizards loitering in front of the brick wall leading from the Leaky Cauldron to Diagon Alley.

The same applies to the main entrance of the Leaky Cauldron.

They were wearing long robes, which bulged out from underneath, and their faces showed great excitement. Some of them were even holding bright cameras.

Reporters were sent by major newspapers such as the Daily Prophet, the Hogsmeade Evening Post, and the Ministry of Magic Post.

Their sense of smell is remarkably keen.

It seems they knew that Eric and Old Tom were acting together, and deduced that Eric might be staying at the Leaky Cauldron, so they had been staking out the place for a while.

The Leaky Cauldron was Old Tom's territory, and they dared not barge in. Many people tried to contact Old Tom through letters, but received no reply.

So they could only wait there, hoping for their luck to come.

A moment later, three alleys behind them, old Tom led Eric out through the back door of an abandoned shop.

The shop's interior had been abandoned for a long time, with only one tunnel leading underground.

Not forgetting to take out his wand and restore the secret passage to its original state, Old Tom remained expressionless throughout, showing his extensive experience in getting rid of these paparazzi.

The reporters who were trying to stake out Eric were completely unaware of all this, oblivious to the fact that their target had already left the Leaky Cauldron.

"How long are they going to wait before they give up?"

Eric glanced at the group of reporters and asked with a smile.

Old Tom said as he walked, "Until they get a clear picture of your face, until you agree to an interview with their newspaper. Do you know you have a nickname now?"

"What is it?"

Old Tom chuckled, saying, "The destroyer of Flourish and Blotts, the conqueror of monster books, the one who broke the windows of Diagon Alley, and a whole bunch of others I can't even remember. You're going to be famous, kid."

“The creativity of wizards can sometimes amaze me.”

Old Tom said sarcastically, "Yeah, anyway, my bar can't accommodate that many people."

The two soon arrived at Ollivander's Wand Shop.

Ollivander's store has an elegant decor, with a dark overall tone, giving it a mysterious feel from the inside out.

This shop also looked very dilapidated, as if the wizards didn't care about appearances.

Many of the exterior walls have peeled off, exposing the interior walls.

A faded gold-plated sign hangs at the shop's entrance: Ollivander, crafting fine wands since 382 BC.

In any case, the overall impression of Ollivanders is much better than that of the Leaky Cauldron.

An old man with a white beard sat at the shop entrance, meticulously wiping a magic wand in his hand.

Without waiting for Old Tom to call him, Eric went inside on his own.

As soon as he stepped into the store, the system notification sounded: [Ding, congratulations on successfully arriving at the check-in location—Olivendine Wand Shop—before the mission time limit.]

[Please begin checking in now and do not leave the check-in area midway.]

After a short wait, the system notification sounded again indicating that the task check-in was successful.

[Congratulations on completing the task: Before noon, go to the Ollivander Wand Shop to check in. Reward: Unknown.]

[Reward obtained: Wand Ability.]

[Wand Compatibility: Every wand is made of different materials, and no two wands in the world are exactly alike. Naturally, each wizard is skilled with different wands, depending on the compatibility between the wand and the wizard. If used improperly, some wands may even rebel against the wizard using them. Having wand compatibility increases the compatibility with the wand being used, allowing you to treat every wand as your own.]

That's why Eric insisted on urging Old Tom to come and buy the wand today.

Eric received this task just before going to sleep last night. He didn't know what the reward was when he received the task, but now it seems that the reward is extremely valuable.

Unlike the previous sign-in tasks, this task has a time limit.

Eric needs to arrive at the check-in location before noon today.

Considering the crowds in Diagon Alley at midday, Eric had no choice but to wake up old Tom and have him take him to buy a wand.

There are no other customers in the shop besides him and Old Tom.

Fortunately, the plan went smoothly, and Eric breathed a sigh of relief.

The wizards of Diagon Alley may not know who he is, but they all know Old Tom.

Judging from the group of reporters gathered outside the Leaky Cauldron, Old Tom and his reputation must be very high now.

"Ah! Another little wizard who doesn't have a wand yet!"

Upon seeing Eric and Old Tom enter, Ollivander quickly dropped what he was doing and greeted Eric.

He looked quite old, but his energy was undiminished; he could maintain this excited state as long as the topic of wands was being discussed.

Ollivander strode over to Eric, saying incessantly, "New students at Hogwarts, right? Quite a few young wizards have already bought their first wands from me these past few days. Remember, the wand always chooses the wizard..."

As he was talking, Ollivander stopped in his tracks because he saw old Tom standing behind Eric.

Living together in Diagon Alley, the two were clearly very familiar with each other.

Ollivander's prepared explanation faltered, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Old Tom? You brought this child here?"

He was met with a helpless smile from old Tom.

"So, you're the one who almost blew up Flourish and Blotts with magic?" Ollivander realized what was happening, looked at Eric, took two steps back, and asked.

Chapter 14 Miracle

Eric said, "To be precise, I didn't blow up Flourish and Blotts, Mr. Ollivander. It reopened immediately."

That's true, except the windows are all gone.

Old Tom chimed in from the side, "Olivendine, we're here to buy this gentleman a wand."

Ollivander didn't even glance at old Tom. He circled Eric twice on his own, then put his palms together, his eyes shining, and stared at Eric, saying, "Amazing, truly amazing."

“I haven’t met a wizard as talented as you in a long time, Mr. Clapton.”

Eric said, "You know my name?"

Ollivander laughed exaggeratedly and said, "Oh! Almost every shop in Diagon Alley knows about it."

"You have to thank Merkel for that, and of course, she has to thank you too."

"After you left, his shop was packed with people."

“I dare say that yesterday’s turnover was more than his total turnover for the entire previous week.”

Eric chuckled, "Wizards like to join in the fun too, right?"

"Of course, of course, the magic you used was really impactful. I vaguely remember that I was sitting in the shop when there was a loud bang in the distance, which almost affected my shop as well."

Ollivander said with a smile.

He stepped forward, very naturally took Eric's arm, and led him to the counter.

"Alright, now let's get down to business. Choosing a wand that suits a wizard as talented as you is, I dare say, one of the most important decisions of your life."

"Which hand are you better at writing with?" Ollivander took out his wand, tapped it lightly on the counter, and asked.

Eric watched Ollivander fiddling with something and casually raised his right hand.

Several long, rectangular measuring tapes flew out from behind the counter. They were of different lengths and, as Ollivander's wand danced, they approached Eric's body and began to automatically measure Eric's arm length and other data.

After a while, Ollivander seemed to sense something, turned around and strode to the box where the wands were kept, and took out a wand from it.

“Aha, I’ve got it. Try this one, Mr. Clapton. It’s made of oak, and the core is unicorn feathers. It’s a common material, but it’s perfect for being in contact with nature.”

Ollivander handed the wand to Eric, looking at him expectantly.

Eric took the wand with great interest and tried waving it a few times.

The next second, a strange melody suddenly rang out, as if someone was playing chords in his ear. The Ollivander shop was filled with notes of varying pitches, and the speed of the music increased with Eric's wave of his wand.

Seeds of flowers and plants sprouted from the cracks in the wooden floor beneath Eric's feet.

The faint chirping of birds could be heard from deep within the shop.

Eric waved the wand a few more times, feeling the changes in his hand, and finally slowly stopped.

The moment Eric stopped moving, the music abruptly dropped to a heavy note before returning to silence, and the flowers and grass on the ground also stopped growing.

"This……"

Ollivander and old Tom stared wide-eyed at Eric. They had clearly heard the music earlier, and the change in the scene left them completely bewildered.

“This is wonderful!” Ollivander exclaimed. “The wand has chosen you, Mr. Clapton! It must be fate. I have never seen a wizard choose his wand so quickly.”

Ollivander waved his hands as if witnessing a miracle.

This was truly a miracle for him.

A strange wizard walked into his shop, randomly picked a wand, and actually found the perfect wand for him—the odds of that happening were incredibly slim.

Normally, when he selects a wand for someone else, it takes him at least three or four attempts to accurately find the connection between the wand and the wizard.

Eric found the right answer on his first try, something he had never seen before.

But the next second, Eric's reaction made him almost think he was hallucinating.

Eric smiled and handed the oak wand back to Ollivander, saying, "This wand is quite good, Mr. Ollivander. I'd like to try some others."

Eric's action startled not only Ollivander, but even old Tom, who was watching from the sidelines.

What is he doing?

If they understood correctly, Eric actually refused the oak wand.