#3 - Chapter 3 Diagon Alley

Whether it was because Dumbledore had cast a Confundus Charm on Anna's mother or not, Tom spent very little effort successfully gaining her consent.

When Tom and Dumbledore met at the orphanage gate, Dumbledore noticed that his entire demeanor seemed different.

"Did something happen? You seem like a different person," Dumbledore asked Tom curiously.

Tom shook his head and urged him, "No, Professor, I just figured some things out. It's getting late, let's get going."

Dumbledore smiled and didn't ask anything more, then had Tom hold onto him tightly.

"Get ready, we're about to leave!"

"Ugh…"

Experiencing Apparition for the first time, Tom felt his stomach churning and couldn't help but dry heave.

"Professor, are all wizards' methods of travel… ugh… this brutal?"

"The first time Apparating is always like this, you'll slowly get used to it as you do it more. But we've arrived at our destination, this is our first stop into the magical world."

As he spoke, Dumbledore pointed ahead.

Following the direction of his finger, Tom laboriously read the dilapidated sign with the barely legible words.

Tom, the bar owner, greeted Dumbledore enthusiastically.

"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore, it's rare to see you here, would you like something to drink?"

"No, Tom, I still need to take this new student to Diagon Alley for supplies, maybe next time," Dumbledore politely declined.

Tom, the owner, glanced at the younger Tom who was following along and casually asked:

"A Muggle-born new student?"

"Yes, and he's also named Tom, just like you. But we don't have much time, see you later." Saying that, he led Tom through the bar to the courtyard behind.

'Here it comes, the moment to witness the miracle.'

Seeing the legendary trash can in the courtyard, Tom's anticipation was immediately maxed out.

Dumbledore took out his wand and said to Tom:

"Remember my next movements, Tom. Three bricks up from the trash can, two bricks across…"

As Dumbledore lightly tapped the wall, the bricks on the entire wall began to rotate and rearrange, eventually forming a wide archway.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley."

The winding cobblestone road, the distinctive shops on both sides, the laughing and playing crowds, and the magical merchandise and fantastic beasts all combined to create a scene that Tom had only ever seen in movies.

His heart couldn't help but pound with excitement, unable to calm down, and he couldn't help but exclaim.

"This is… amazing!"

This was Diagon Alley.

This was where the dream began.

"Alright, Tom, you'll experience many more amazing places in the magical world in the future. But today we still have a lot to do, first we need to go to Gringotts to get your student loan."

Dumbledore's words brought Tom back from the shock of his first encounter with the magical world, and he quickly followed his pace.

'These goblins are even uglier than I imagined. They look a bit like the goblin counterparts in xxx Assassin. No, no, I can't think about it anymore, or I'll start to think Gringotts will turn into some indescribable scene.'

In Gringotts' tall white building, Tom took advantage of Dumbledore's absence to collect the money and listlessly sized up the goblins.

"What do you think, are the goblins good-looking?" Dumbledore asked with a smile, having returned with the money and seeing Tom intently observing the goblins.

"No, not at all!" Tom, immersed in his own fantasies, was startled.

"Here, 100 Galleons, your student loan for this year. In the magical world, there is its own currency system, 29 Knuts to 1 Sickle, 17 Sickles to 1 Galleon." Dumbledore handed Tom a money bag.

Tom took the money bag and complained, "Professor, is this chaotic currency system serious? What about people who aren't good at math?"

"Indeed, you're not the only one who dislikes it, but everyone has gotten used to it over time," Dumbledore agreed with Tom.

Taking the money bag, Tom's expression suddenly changed, he realized the money bag was heavier than he had imagined.He quickly opened the money bag to check and found that the number of Galleons far exceeded 100, so he quickly questioned Dumbledore: "Professor, the number of Galleons in here is wrong, right?"

"Consider the extra amount a gift from an old man. Let's go, next we'll go to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions," Dumbledore didn't explain much and led Tom away from Gringotts.

'Forget it, I'm short on money right now anyway, I'll just take it as owing Old Dumbledore a favor. At worst, I'll put in more effort when destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes.'

Tom roughly understood Dumbledore's intentions, but this feeling was really unpleasant. However, thanks to Dumbledore's gift, he didn't have to desperately look at second-hand goods.

"Welcome to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions," a short, plump witch greeted the customers enthusiastically.

"Professor Dumbledore, what brings you here?" Madam Malkin exclaimed when she saw that it was Dumbledore who had entered.

"Minerva and Severus are too busy, so I'm helping a new student buy his school supplies."

"Is this the new student? I'm sorry, Professor, please wait a moment, I'll help him measure his size right away."

Tom cursed Old Dumbledore under his breath while obediently answering Madam Malkin, "Okay, Madam."

At this time, a blonde girl was having her measurements taken in the store, but when Tom saw this girl, his pupils couldn't help but shrink.

'Cass? Could it be that this world is also fused with Magical Awakening? Does that mean there's also Hogwarts Legacy? But the timeline doesn't match up.'

With questions in mind, Tom pretended to be nonchalant and walked over to the girl to strike up a conversation.

"Hello, are you also a Hogwarts new student?"

The girl "hmmed" and glanced at Tom, casually saying, "Tasteless clothing, a Muggle-born wizard?"

"Yes, I only found out I was a wizard today."

"Oh, so you were able to have Professor Dumbledore personally accompany you. Where are your parents?"

"I'm an orphan, I've never seen my parents since I was born."

"S-sorry, I… I didn't know." The girl panicked and apologized to Tom.

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize. My name is Tom Riddle, what's yours?" Tom didn't mind at all and took the initiative to introduce himself.

"Ah… ah… Cassandra, Cassandra Voleur."

'It really is Cass. It seems this world isn't as simple as I thought.'

Under Tom's former and current life's training in 'tsundere' tactics, the short fifteen minutes quickly passed. After completing their measurements, the two said goodbye like acquaintances who had known each other for a long time: "Goodbye, Cassandra, see you at school."

"Goodbye, Tom. Goodbye, Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore looked at this scene with satisfaction.

"Well then, next, let's go buy textbooks next door."