12: The Supreme Prophet!

About three hours later.

Under Snape’s guidance, Ian had already purchased the vast majority of the required items.

The list of essentials for a first-year Hogwarts student wasn’t overly long. Apart from the necessary textbooks, he only needed to acquire some equipment for Potions and Herbology classes.

Three sets of plain work robes.

A plain pointed hat for daytime wear.

And a pair of protective gloves—any gloves made from dragonhide would suffice. Snape chose a pair made from Hungarian Horned Serpent dragonhide for Ian.

They were expensive.

But their protective quality was unmatched.

Since Ian didn’t have a single Galleon to his name, he naturally had no say in the choice of gloves. He could only watch as Snape took out his money to buy most of the essentials.

To be honest,

Although Ian had handed over nearly all his savings to Mrs. Elena to support his siblings through the winter, he had actually set aside a decent sum in British pounds for himself.

He had intended to exchange it at Gringotts for wizarding currency, but Snape showed no intention of taking him there. With currency that couldn’t be used in the magical world, Ian had no choice but to watch as Snape decided everything on his school supplies list.

Many of the items Snape purchased didn’t exactly match the list—they were often more extravagant and costly.

However,

Whenever Ian tried to ask questions, Snape would retort with sarcastic remarks that shut down all his doubts.

There’s always a reason for expensive things.

As a first-year Hogwarts student about to start school, Ian didn’t have the confidence to argue with Snape and could only watch as he made all the purchasing decisions.

Every time Snape pulled out his coin pouch to pay, Ian’s suspicions about him deepened. The Snape he knew wasn’t this warm or responsible.

Just like many fanfictions had portrayed, Snape might be a wizard with remarkable charisma, but as a Hogwarts professor, he was clearly unqualified.

Leaving aside his frequent ridicule of students from other houses, his near-racial prejudice against other houses earned him mostly unfavorable opinions.

Yet,

During this trip to Diagon Alley for essentials, while Ian was constantly subjected to Snape’s biting remarks, he also sensed Snape’s earnestness and rigor toward his academic future.

The cauldron had to be the best quality.

The protective gloves and plain work robes were all made from the finest materials.

Even the initial batch of study materials purchased were brand new, never discounted. Clearly, this wasn’t something covered by Hogwarts’ student loans.

To be fair,

The items Snape bought for Ian, regardless of whether they were first-hand goods, were all top-tier.

Whether it was the brass cauldron worth dozens of Galleons or the Hungarian Horned Serpent dragonhide gloves, these were unquestionably premium items.

Hogwarts was indeed an ancient magical school, but as someone with a basic understanding of economics, Ian was certain Hogwarts’ student loans were not so generous.

Economics is straightforward and holds true in any context. If Hogwarts’ student loans were so ample that an orphaned young wizard could afford such luxury items, how massive would the economic impact be in the wizarding world annually?

“Hogwarts isn’t that wealthy,” Ian concluded.

His judgment wasn’t baseless.

If Hogwarts’ student loans were truly that generous, then Ron Weasley—Harry Potter’s close friend, often portrayed in fanfiction as hapless—wouldn’t be struggling so much.

Think about it.

By second year,

He was still using his older brother’s discarded wand.

Would such a scene occur if Hogwarts’ loans were truly plentiful? Remember, Ron’s younger siblings bought secondhand books and supplies when they first enrolled.

As purebloods, the Weasley family certainly qualified for student loans. Given their financial situation, loans only covered secondhand goods, which is the reasonable explanation.

A family that could instantly travel abroad after winning the lottery but became broke later would likely rely on student loans to cover their children’s education expenses.

A poor young wizard relying on student loans to barely afford secondhand textbooks should be the most reasonable, socially and economically sound scenario.

Yet,

At this very moment,

Everything Snape purchased for Ian was undeniably luxurious among the necessities, forcing Ian to imagine and speculate excessively.

What debt did Snape feel toward him to justify such lavish spending?

If his parents hadn’t been praying to the heavens,

Ian felt those Hungarian Horned Serpent dragonhide gloves must be burning hot to hold!

“Professor, is Hogwarts really so meticulous and exacting?” Ian could no longer suppress his curiosity. After Snape bought a limited-edition telescope for him, he finally asked.

“As a student, think carefully about how you can absorb more knowledge at Hogwarts. That’s far more important than wasting time on trivial and meaningless questions here,” Snape replied expressionlessly, coldly watching Ian pack the supplies into his suitcase before striding toward the next destination.

Ollivanders Wand Shop.

This was arguably more important than any textbook—a place every young wizard in the wizarding world must visit, the sole wand shop across Diagon Alley and the British Isles. It was the starting point for countless magical newcomers.

Time had worn the shop’s sign, giving it a weathered look. The small, shabby storefront hardly hinted at its legendary status.

Compared to the grandeur of Gringotts and Flourish and Blotts, Ollivanders looked unremarkable. Yet it was one of the few domains Voldemort never dreamed of conquering.

A unique and irreplaceable business was always formidable—like the great noble families of ancient China, unaffected by the passage of time.

“This is the final stop,” Snape said, paying promptly but speaking sparingly.

Ian had long awaited this moment. He gazed at the faded sign with eyes full of anticipation and a hint of indescribable nervousness.

His unease was understandable.

From his limited knowledge of this world, aside from Harry Potter and the brilliant Hermione, this place was among the most mysterious.

The entire Harry Potter story was said to revolve around prophecy, and in both the original and fanfiction, Ollivanders was the most chilling site of prophecy.

Failures of mysterious figures.

Dumbledore’s death.

These outsider prophecies were trivial compared to this.

Ollivanders—the shop where wands choose their wizards—held the most terrifying prophecy of all: even great ones like Dumbledore and Voldemort had their futures sealed by the wand selection. Not even Harry Potter could escape the prophecy tied to his wand.

If the owner of Ollivanders lacked extraordinary prophetic talent, Ian would be the first to voice his disbelief.

The first part of the final story had already hinted:

Whose prophecy could even come close to yours?