Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

What else could it be? Could it possibly break Eric's wand? You know, Eric doesn't even have a wand right now.

You can't expel him because he's not a formal student at Hogwarts yet.

Hogwarts is even less likely to refuse Eric's admission.

If a wizard with Eric's talent isn't allowed to enroll, who knows if he might become another Obscurus.

So nobody can do anything to Eric.

Of course, the most likely outcome is that no one will come looking for Eric at all.

If the Ministry of Magic were to take an official stance and try to hold Eric accountable, that would be a huge problem for them.

Putting everything else aside, just figuring out a crime to convict him would require various departments to work together for half a month to study the matter.

Eric's commotion looked impressive, but no one was actually injured.

Eric had previously used his mental stance to target all the Yokai Books, and the main target of his magical burst was these Yokai Books.

Old Tom and his men only felt the aftershocks of the outbreak.

That's right, it was just the aftereffect.

The buildings affected by the burst of magic only suffered minor impacts and were easily repaired by the wizards present using healing spells.

After a while, only some slight surface traces remained, making it impossible to tell that a riot had just taken place here.

Furthermore, even if someone wanted to prosecute Eric for this, no Ministry of Magic official would want to take on such a case.

Eric's identity would be political suicide for any Director of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic.

First of all, he is still a child.

Secondly, he didn't have a wand.

In the end, it was unintentional.

Eric will at least claim that he did it unintentionally.

This identity is politically correct to the extreme.

If the Ministry of Magic were to actually punish Eric, and things got out of hand, the angry parents would probably fill the Department of Law Enforcement immediately.

Who doesn't have a little kid at home?

……

"That's it, I understand."

Eric listened attentively to Old Tom's explanation of the relevant laws and said he understood.

Merkel nodded to Eric at the opportune moment, indicating that what old Tom said was true.

He was the owner of Flourish and Blotts and had dealt with the Ministry of Magic quite a bit, so he was very familiar with the Ministry's "better to avoid trouble" attitude.

“So…” Old Tom winked at Eric, “you understand?”

Eric chuckled, then said innocently, "I have no idea what I just did. I just walked over here, and suddenly, everyone else except me collapsed."

Old Tom chuckled dryly. He suddenly felt a strong urge to punch Eric; if he weren't outmatched, he would have actually done so.

After Eric finished speaking, Merkel, who was standing next to him, quickly said, "I'm so sorry, you two. Please come with me. Let's go to the bookstore and talk slowly."

"Please rest assured, I will take full responsibility for this matter, and the losses of the surrounding shops will also be attributed to me."

He wasn't blind; he had seen what Eric did before unleashing that terrifying magic. Of course, he wouldn't take Eric's words seriously.

Eric thought for a moment and smiled, “Mr. Merkel, I think there’s no need to trouble yourself. We need to hurry up and buy the supplies we need for the start of school.”

"I was just passing by and helped out a little. I believe that even without me, you and your bookstore will eventually get through this difficult time."

Eric is telling the truth; Flourish and Blotts in the original story did just fine and didn't change much.

If Eric hadn't shown up, Flourish and Blotts would have suffered some losses due to the Yokai Books, but it wouldn't have been a crippling blow.

Now, Eric has simply accelerated this process.

The Flourish and Blotts bookstore in the original work must have solved the problem of the monster book in other ways.

Knowing something is one thing, but expressing it is another.

Now, the person who saved your shop is standing in front of you, smiling at you, saying that he just helped out a little and was in a hurry to buy something, etc.

How can you just nod and let them leave like that?

Eric doesn't know how others will react, but judging from Merkel's attitude, he's clearly the kind of person who feels embarrassed.

Merkel suddenly realized what was happening and said, "Mr. Clapton, is there anything else you need? Please give me a chance to express my gratitude."

"How about this? You haven't bought the textbooks you need for the start of school yet, right? Flourish and Blotts will provide these textbooks for free! Besides that, if you need anything else, just let us know."

Merkel waved her hand and called over an employee who was busy organizing monster books. She instructed him to prepare a set of first-grade textbooks, pack them in a box, and hand them over to Eric to take away.

Eric watched this scene with a smile, not rejecting Merkel's overture, and nodded, saying, "Even if Mr. Merkel hadn't said anything, besides the textbook, I would have liked to buy another spellbook."

When Old Tom heard this, he looked at Eric in surprise. Eric claimed to be Muggle-born and had no idea about spellbooks.

Eric responded with clear eyes, his brown pupils firm and bright, exuding an irresistible authority.

Old Tom swallowed hard, wisely remaining silent.

“No problem. What book is it? As long as we have it in our store, Mr. Clapton, you won’t need to pay for it. This is a token of our appreciation from Flourish and Blotts,” Merkel said warmly.

"The Book of Spells, by Miranda Goshak."

Chapter 11 Falco's Travel Suitcase

Merkel's attitude toward Eric can be described as extremely attentive.

He almost always granted Eric's requests.

As soon as Eric opened his mouth, he immediately turned around and led his employees to search the store.

Flourish and Blotts, as the most famous bookstore in Diagon Alley, boasts an impressive collection of books.

Soon, Merkel brought out a beautifully wrapped, thick book from the basement and handed it to Eric.

The book's cover is very thick and looks very high-quality.

Merkel took out her wand, pointed it at the book, and chanted a spell.

With a whoosh, a gentle breeze swept by, causing the pages to turn rhythmically, carrying away the dust that had accumulated over the years.

After the spell ended, Merkel did a thorough inspection before handing the book to Eric with satisfaction.

The book cover was brand new, with several large gold-embossed characters displayed in front of Eric.

The Book of Spells — Miranda Gosark.

“Here is the book you requested, Mr. Clapton. Don’t mention it. As I said, it’s a gift from Flourish and Blotts,” Merkel said.

"In that case, I'll accept it."

Eric didn't stand on ceremony and took the book of spells from him.

This book was Eric's real purpose in coming to Flourish and Blotts.

He really needs a comprehensive spellbook.

Frankly, Eric couldn't have high expectations for the lower grades' curriculum in the coming years.

Especially the first year at Hogwarts, which is mainly used to help new students adapt to life in the wizarding world.

The spells taught in the spell class are all very basic and simple.

Given Eric's current abilities, he doesn't deserve to put too much effort into these courses.

From the perspective of someone who knows roughly what will happen in the future, this is a very inefficient behavior.

If Eric wants to quickly deepen his understanding of the magical world, reading books is undoubtedly the best way.

Eric was deeply impressed by the sheer number and breadth of spells recorded in this "Book of Spells".

The spells listed above include disarming spells, repair spells, levitation spells, and even the guardian spell that Eric just learned.

Basically, if Eric can learn the entire book on his own, it's equivalent to learning most of the Charms course at Hogwarts.

That's why he was determined to get his hands on the book no matter what.

Most importantly, Eric turned to the last page of the book and, unsurprisingly, saw the suggested retail price in small print: 31 Galleons 7 Sickles.

A price he can't afford at this stage.

This is a huge sum of money for a young wizard who hasn't even started school yet.

In comparison, a wand typically costs less than 10 Galleons.

Eric had no money and had no interest in working to earn money or saving up for half a month to buy books.

Now that there's a way to get his hands on this spellbook directly, he certainly won't refuse.

The only downside to expensive things is that they are expensive.

Besides the Book of Spells, Merkel also gave Eric a whole host of other things.

This included all of Eric's first-grade textbooks for the semester, a fine quill pen, and a leather case to hold them.

What surprised Eric the most was the unassuming leather suitcase.

After witnessing Merkel stuff a dozen books, stacked almost as tall as Eric, into the box without altering its shape, Eric realized that the box was a magical item imbued with a Seamless Stretch Charm.

The Ministry of Magic strictly controls the Unseen Stretch Charm and does not allow its use for private purposes.

Apart from certain products that have been inspected by the Ministry of Magic, any other items that have been subjected to the Unseen Stretch Charm are strictly speaking contraband.

The fact that Merkel could so openly take this suitcase out of the store clearly means it had been inspected by the Ministry of Magic.

These magical items are not cheap.

Eric had a thought, and his mental field was immediately activated. His vision instantly turned gray again, and that familiar, blinding orb reappeared at his feet.

Having dealt with hundreds of monster books, Eric now finds it very easy to open up his mental field, encountering almost no obstacles.

Eric's mind raced, and the ball of light disappeared into the leather case.

Falco's travel trunk—