HP: Wizards at Hogwarts

Once inside the backyard, Dumbledore spoke in a low voice.

"Actually, it was because Minerva thought I was too idle in the office and insisted on finding me something to do."

"But don't tell anyone else about this."

Elivin: "..."

So you were forcibly forced out to work?

Just now, he was speaking so righteously outside, acting like a caring principal who looked after his subordinates!

That's incredibly shameless.

The two stood in front of the trash can in the backyard, and Dumbledore then used his skillful technique to teach Elaine how to break bricks.

"Remember this place, count up three pieces, count in two pieces, and knock three times."

After the three taps, the bricks in front of them seemed to come alive, moving left and right, flipping inside and out, gradually opening a passage in front of the two.

Elaine didn't rush forward; instead, he immediately looked at the trash can.

"What would happen if I moved this thing?"

Dumbledore was clearly taken aback by Elaine's question and paused for several seconds before replying, "Uh... that would cause a lot of trouble for the people coming in later, so I think it's better not to do that."

It's better not to do it that way, which means it's okay to do it that way!

Elaine silently noted down the answer.

"Speaking of which, why didn't you just mark that brick?"

"Because that wouldn't be mysterious enough for a young wizard who's visiting for the first time!"

So that's the reason?!

However, there is some truth to what he said.

Tapping an unmarked brick can make Muggles experience the wonder of magic;

If you were to strike a marked brick, it would only make you think it's some kind of high-tech contraption.

The two walked into Diagon Alley one after the other.

Welcome to Diagon Alley!

As soon as Elaine entered, the passage closed immediately, reverting to the original brick wall.

He turned around and saw another trash can next to him. Clearly, the way to leave Diagon Alley was the same as when he came in: knocking down bricks.

Diagon Alley is a cobblestone street lined with old shops with a classic charm.

Not all pedestrians on the street were wearing wizard robes; some were dressed normally, making it look like a large cosplay gathering place.

Listen closely, and you can hear the noise of the boss, the customers, and the owl all mixed together.

If you sniff the air, you can smell the strange odor of various magical potions mixed together.

"vomit……"

"What's that smell?!"

"Don't you wizards bathe?"

Elaine quickly covered his nose.

You should know that he had spent a day at the Ritz Hotel, where even the restrooms smelled nice.

And this Diagon Alley in front of us...

How should I put it? It smells even worse than rotten mandarin fish that's been pickled for years.

"The wizards certainly take baths, Mr. Yakut!"

Dumbledore chuckled and said, "At least I take a bath three times a month!"

"Three times a month?!"

Elaine couldn't help but scream, "Our orphanage director—that 80-year-old grandma—took more baths than you did when she was alive!"

Dumbledore said quietly, "Young girls generally like to be clean, I can completely understand that!"

"..."

Well, compared to this centenarian, the 80-year-old woman can indeed only be considered a "young girl".

Seeing that Elaine stopped talking back, Dumbledore laughed heartily, as if he had won a battle: "Hahaha, relax, take a deep breath and get used to it. It's normal to feel dizzy when you first smell the wizarding world."

"...Old Deng, you're on the wrong channel!"

It took Elaine half a minute to get used to the smell of Diagon Alley.

"Where do we go now?"

"Of course, I'm going to buy you the things you need for school."

Dumbledore gestured for Elaine to follow him and strode forward. "You saw the appendix on the acceptance letter, didn't you?"

Elaine nodded, then pulled out the envelope from his pocket again to check the list: "I need to buy wands, robes, books, and various equipment."

"but……"

Elaine stopped and turned his two pockets inside out: "As you can see, I don't have a single penny on me right now."

His original residence—the old orphanage in the town—was demolished by the local government several months ago after the orphanage director passed away.

The younger children were either transferred to other orphanages or adopted, but Elaine's age was not welcomed anywhere, so he had to leave alone.

Fortunately, he had already awakened the system and obtained [Bishka] in the first draw, gaining the magic of 'Changing Outfit: Pistol', otherwise he might not have been able to survive in the big city of London.

"It's alright, child."

"Hogwarts has a special fund to support children like you."

Elaine's eyes lit up instantly: "A scholarship? How much?"

Dumbledore held up four fingers.

"400 pounds?"

"No, it's 40 Galleons!"

Elaine's expression turned strange again.

He still had that same expression with one eyebrow raised and the other lowered, only this time it was reversed.

He had no idea what 40 Galleons could buy.

Dumbledore had to explain, "The currency used by wizards is different from that of Muggles; it consists of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts."

"One Galleon is equal to seventeen Sickles, one Sickle is equal to twenty-nine Nats. At the current exchange rate, one Galleon is approximately equal to five pounds."

"40 Galleons is equivalent to... uh... 200... yes, 200 pounds!"

"In short, it's more than enough to buy all the equipment, wands, and robes, but I might have to buy secondhand textbooks."

What's with that uncertain tone?!

Is your math really that bad?!

"Secondhand books? That's fine too!"

Seeing that Elaine was not averse to "secondhand books," Dumbledore was very pleased.

Just as I expected, this child was much more mature than his peers.

"I thought kids your age would want brand new things."

"There's nothing wrong with secondhand books."

Elaine raised his chin and offered his opinion: "If the original owner was someone who didn't like studying, his books might be almost brand new; if the original owner was someone who loved studying, that would be even better, as his books might be full of important knowledge."

"I won't lose out in either case!"

In his previous life, over 90% of college students had used or sold secondhand books, so Elaine didn't find it distasteful at all.

"In my opinion, what really matters is the knowledge in the book, not how new or old it is. So as long as it's not tattered or missing pages, I can accept it even if it's covered in doodles."

"But since it's a textbook used by wizards, I don't think it'll break so easily, right?"

Dumbledore's gaze once again softened with admiration: "You're not wrong about that!"

They don't pursue material things, but value knowledge itself more...

Could it be that I misjudged him before? This little wizard is neither a Gryffindor nor a Hufflepuff, but a Ravenclaw?