Hogwarts: Me? Fight Voldemort?

Professor McGonagall handed both bags to Jimmy, saying, "This is a grant from the Ministry of Magic, and the other forty Galleons is a loan from me. You can choose to return it after graduation. I hope you can use the new robes and textbooks at school; it will be helpful to you."

Become!

Jimmy feigned embarrassment, only accepting the sixty Galleon bag, saying, "Actually, I'll just use the old one."

Professor McGonagall hesitated for a moment, but then firmly placed another 40 Galleons into Jimmy's hand. "Take it. No matter what you've been through, I want you to know that there's still a lot of beauty in this world. Like the ice cream at Florin's Ice Cream Parlor!"

After she finished speaking, she blinked.

At first, she didn't want to say it was a loan, since she never lacked Galonnais, but saying it might hurt the self-esteem of an independent child.

After feigning reluctance, Jimmy accepted this incredible windfall, inwardly praising the kind Professor McGonagall!

However, he still wanted to clarify beforehand, saying, "Professor McGonagall, may I use this money for something else?"

Professor McGonagall felt a great sense of accomplishment from successfully helping a poor child, and she was in a very good mood. She said, "Of course, you can use these Galleons as you please! But first-year students are not allowed to bring flying brooms to school."

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall."

Jimmy thanked him sincerely, already planning what to do with the money.

He can buy anything old, even without spending a penny, and he wants to use that money for something more important.

Ideally, it would cost absolutely nothing!

Chapter 6 Province!

Professor McGonagall wanted to take Jimmy to Madam Malkin's Robe Shop first, but before she could speak, Jimmy pulled out a shopping list and said, "Professor McGonagall, where can I buy a second-hand crucible?"

Professor McGonagall suggested, "You can go and buy the robe first, because it takes some time to make it."

"Actually, I want to save some money in places where I can save money."

That's a good suggestion, but Jimmy isn't planning on spending money on a robe. Why would he want to spend money on a black outfit?

In his view, apart from the wand, the cauldron, and the standard glass container, everything else could be purchased for free or at a low cost, since he wasn't a child who would feel inferior if he used old things.

Fearing it might cause Jimmy some unnecessary trouble, Professor McGonagall took Jimmy to a shop selling secondhand goods.

After some haggling with the shopkeeper, Jimmy finally got a usable crucible, a pair of dirty dragon-skin gloves, a scratched balance scale, and a pieced-together telescope for 33 Galleons. As a bonus, he got three plain work robes covered in patches.

This price is not high. A brand new standard No. 2 tin pewter crucible costs 15 gallons, and better crucibles often cost tens or hundreds of gallons.

In the wizarding world, anything related to magic is ridiculously expensive, such as potions, alchemical items, and various magical materials.

Professor McGonagall reminded Jimmy more than once that he could buy new robes or lend him more Galleons, but he insisted on buying the old ones.

Only Jimmy was willing to buy a new wand, so Professor McGonagall could only sigh inwardly and then took Jimmy to Ollivander's Wand Shop.

……

Hearing the bell ring for customers entering the store, the white-haired old man stepped out from between the shelves filled with wand boxes. Upon seeing Professor McGonagall, he began reciting like a menu, "Good afternoon, nine inches, dragon heartstrings, cedar, an excellent combination, Professor McGonagall."

Professor McGonagall was genuinely sighing this time.

“You don’t have to tell me about my wand every time you see me, Mr. Ollivander. I come here at least twenty times a holiday.”

Jimmy found the conversation somewhat amusing and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Mr. Ollivander noticed him immediately, leaning over the counter and stretching out as if trying to see every detail of Jimmy. “Another little wizard. What’s your name? Garrick Ollivander. You can call me Mr. Ollivander.”

Jimmy said, "My name is Jimmy Blaine. May I choose a wand now?"

“Of course, every wand made by the Ollivander family is a masterpiece, but there’s one thing they’re wrong about: the wand chooses the wizard!” Ollivander proudly brandished his wand, and the measuring tape on the table flew up automatically, wrapping around Jimmy’s body. “Which hand are you better at using?”

“Right hand.” Jimmy didn’t want to know why Ollivander was measuring the diameter of his nostrils; he had more important things to do later, so he wanted to choose a wand quickly.

After taking the measurements, Mr. Ollivander turned and walked into the messy cabinets, still talking about the extraordinary history of the Ollivander family and his experience in selecting materials for wands.

“Every Ollivander wand is unique, because no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are exactly alike…”

Ollivander placed the mountain of boxes on the counter, took the top one, opened it, and handed it to Jimmy.

Jimmy picked it up and waved it around; the tip of the wand glowed with a half-dead golden light, and then it disappeared from his hand in the next second.

“No, try this one! Holly, 10 3/4 inches, Phoenix tail feather.”

Ollivander handed Jimmy a new wand.

"No, not this one."

This time, before he could even wave it, it was snatched away again. The game ended when he tried the third wand, and Jimmy got his first magic wand.

“Perfect, excellent!” Ollivander clapped and laughed with delight. “An extraordinary combination. Grapevine tends to favor wizards with lofty ideals, while the dragon’s nerves only obey those powerful souls. 10 and 3/4 inches, 7 Galleons.”

Jimmy pulled out his Galleons to pay, "Thanks, but I don't need the wand maintenance kit."

“I’m not saying this to sell you a wand care kit,” Ollivander said, taking the money but then adding, “but a good wand care kit can keep your wand looking brand new.”

Is it free?

"Thank you for your patronage. Please do not block the next customer."

Once he has purchased the wand, his shopping spree is over; he will acquire the other items in another way.

After leaving Ollivanders wand shop, Jimmy said to Professor McGonagall, "Professor McGonagall, I will prepare the rest myself. Thank you for your help."

Professor McGonagall asked, puzzled, "Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?"

“Of course, no problem.” Jimmy patted his chest loudly. “I plan to explore Diagon Alley more.”

"Alright, don't go near Knockturn Alley, it's full of dark wizards! If you need any help, go to the Leaky Cauldron and talk to Old Tom, he's very friendly to young wizards. Here's your ticket, for King's Cross Station on September 1st, board at Platform 9¾."

The platform is on the pillar between the signs for platforms nine and ten. You can just run up and bump into it to enter the station. If you're scared, you can wait there beforehand; other students will enter the platform..."

Throughout the journey, Jimmy did not appear as weak as he seemed. He clearly possessed the ability to take care of himself independently, perhaps a skill honed during his two years of homelessness.

After giving Jimmy some instructions, Professor McGonagall left. To prevent Jimmy from getting into any trouble, she asked Old Tom to look after him before she left. The child was so sensible that it was heartbreaking.

After watching Professor McGonagall walk away, Jimmy took the luggage he had bought to the Leaky Cauldron.

Compared to the careless Hagrid in the original story, Professor McGonagall is much more reliable. When he walked into the Leaky Cauldron, Old Tom behind the counter called out to him, "Little Jimmy, Professor McGonagall told me you're living in a cave now?"

Jimmy said to Tom, the bald bar owner, "Hello sir, may I leave my luggage here?"

"Just call me Old Tom. You can find a room upstairs to stay until school starts, it'll only cost you 1 Gallon." Old Tom wanted to help Jimmy and offered a discounted price, thinking Jimmy wouldn't refuse.

Jimmy didn't want to waste even a single Gallon on accommodation, so he declined, saying, "No need, sir. If you could let me store these items, that would be a great help."

These Galleons were his initial capital, and he had to be careful with every Nat, saving wherever possible.

Old Tom scratched his bald patch of baldness and said, "Alright, I can keep these for you. Bring them over to the counter."

"Thank you, Mr. Tom."

Jimmy left Rocket at the Leaky Cauldron as well. Its bulky body couldn't keep up with his pace, so he let it stay at the bar and freeload.

His goal was clear: after leaving the Leaky Cauldron, he ran for about thirty or forty minutes back to his underpass, ate all the cookies and canned food stored there, and picked out and collected the things he hadn't had time to sell at the secondhand market.

Jimmy found a piece of black cloth, drew lines on it with a white crayon, and then started cutting it with scissors.

He wanted to make the robes and pointed wizard hats by hand, and since he made them himself, he didn't have to spend any money!

Jimmy worked until nightfall before he finally finished a simple robe.

Because there wasn't enough fabric, he patched up a few gaps with a piece of darker cloth. The nameplate was simply hammered out from a piece of metal from a can and inlaid, making it look no different from the robes in the window of the Madame Malkin's Robe boutique.

This is a top-notch skill that Jimmy learned from an old lady who sold secondhand clothes during his two years of homelessness!

There were also books. Jimmy had seen them when he passed by a secondhand bookstore before. There were some incomplete books piled up in the corner of the bookstore. He could buy those books at a very low price and then copy the missing content into them.

It's okay if you copy it wrong. You can borrow a classmate's copy to correct it after you enroll. It won't cost much.

Chapter 7 Warning from the Secrecy Law

Jimmy slept under the bridge for another night. When he woke up the next day, he finished the milk and the remaining orange, put on his backpack, and headed towards the Leaky Cauldron.

He was in a bad mood because last night he tried to recharge his Golden Book, but the Golden Book reminded Jimmy that the money wasn't his.

The 60 Galleons tuition grant came from the Ministry of Magic, and the money Professor McGonagall lent to Jimmy was actually still Professor McGonagall's money. Therefore, neither sum of money conformed to the principle of ownership, meaning that Jimmy was not the owner of these funds.

Only money obtained through normal trading channels can be considered Jimmy's money and used to upgrade one's level in the Book of Gold.

He went back to Diagon Alley today to see if he could exploit a bug.

Upon entering the Leaky Cauldron, they found Old Tom fast asleep on the counter. It was still early, so Jimmy put the wizard's robe he had made into the locker behind the counter and then went into Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was still bustling in the morning. Jimmy walked through the crowd and went straight to the secondhand bookstore from yesterday, but he didn't see the damaged books that had been piled up in the boxes in the corner yesterday.

Startled, Jimmy asked the drowsy wizard behind the counter, "Sir, I remember there was a box of books here yesterday. Why are they gone?"

"Oh~ those rubbish... have been disposed of. Do you need any textbooks? There are some over there." The wizard behind the counter raised a limp finger and pointed to a pile of secondhand Hogwarts textbooks.

They are neatly arranged by category, and their prices are certainly not much lower than those of new books.

Jimmy's dream of copying books was shattered, leaving him unsure of what to do next.

Thinking I should try exploiting the bug first, I went to the pawn shop deep in Diagon Alley to buy antiques.

Ignoring the sales pitch from the fairy shopkeeper, Jimmy found a religious artifact deep inside the warehouse, where a traceless expansion spell had been cast.

He bought it for 2 Galleons and sold it at an antique shop in a secondhand market in London, where he indeed made a fortune of £1500.

The shopkeeper even tried to scam him out of £20, but luckily Jimmy checked out a competitor next door, otherwise he would have been ripped off!

Jimmy takes the huge sum of money back to Diagon Alley and tries to exchange it all for Galleons from the old goblin in Gringotts. However, the Ministry of Magic limits the amount to 200 Galleons, and the exchange rate between pounds and Galleons is 5:1. Jimmy only gets 200 Galleons.

But he could continue to trade antiques, buy gold in the Muggle world with pounds, and then exchange the gold for Galleons.

Jimmy thought he could reach the maximum level in ten days with this bug, beat Voldemort in his first year, and achieve a peaceful retirement.

The dream was still taking shape when, unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out of Gringotts, he was blocked in his way by an Auror.

The Auror was holding the artifact he had just sold. Jimmy knew he was in trouble when he heard the Auror say, "You've violated the Law of Secrecy, you know that?! This is your first and last warning. Don't bring magical artifacts into the Muggle world!"

The Auror returned the ceremonial object to Jimmy, but left without taking back the pounds.

"They should really make those Muggle wizards and their parents memorize the Law of Secrecy before they can enter Diagon Alley. It's the same every year..."

Jimmy could still hear him cursing and swearing, unable to believe that he had gotten 200 Galleons and 500 pounds for nothing.

I suspiciously added 10 Galleons to the Book of Gold to upgrade it, and to my surprise, it actually worked.

The spell level increased from 0 to 1, and knowledge about the Illumination Charm was infused into Jimmy's mind.