Chapter 7: Professor McGonagall’s Gift

"Then... can I not want it?" Allen regretted touching the wand. He now wished he could turn back time two minutes and refuse when Mr. Ollivander introduced this obviously expensive wand.

"No, although there may be some suspicion of forced buying and selling, the rules are like this. A person can only choose one wand from me," Mr. Ollivander said seriously. "And I didn't deceive you. The wand is worth every Knut. I only charged for the materials, and Professor McGonagall can vouch for that."

Professor McGonagall nodded solemnly, ignoring Allen's pleading gaze.

Allen sighed. In truth, he was just a little unwilling. With Ollivander's reputation in the wand-making industry, there was really no need for him to cheat a child.

After buying the wand, Allen still had many other things to purchase.

So, after Professor McGonagall said goodbye to Mr. Ollivander, she left with Allen, who was still mourning his sudden debt.

Just as Allen was about to walk out the door, Mr. Ollivander suddenly said, "If you have time, you can come work part-time in my shop to pay off your debt."

That was probably Mr. Ollivander's way of helping Allen out.

Allen turned back to look at him, nodded gratefully, and then followed Professor McGonagall out of Ollivander's Wand Shop.

Next came the routine school shopping.

With his Hogwarts admission letter in hand, Allen followed the list and bought the items needed for first-year students without asking Professor McGonagall for help.

He purchased school uniforms, including black robes, formal attire, and pointed wizard hats. He also acquired cauldrons, textbooks, dragon-hide gloves, brass scales, telescopes, and a set of glass or crystal phials.

These items were scattered throughout Diagon Alley, which made the entire process feel like buying a bridle at the East Market and a whip at the North Market.

It took Allen quite a while to collect all the miscellaneous items. Finally, he stood at the door of a shop adorned with dried plants, ready to purchase the last item on his list: a set of crystal phials and a cauldron.

Before entering, Professor McGonagall told him she needed to leave for a while and instructed Allen to wait there after finishing his purchase.

Since he wasn't in a hurry and had to wait anyway, Allen didn't buy the phials immediately upon entering. Instead, he wandered the shop, looking at the various products.

It was a potions supply shop, with different cauldrons and potion ingredients on display—some fresh, some pre-processed.

What caught Allen's attention were the fresh plants.

He was surprised to see hunting grades on them!

He hadn't expected plants to be classified like that.

Excited, Allen leaned in to inspect the plants more closely, reading the signs hanging in front of each one.

To prevent accidents, all the fresh plants sold here had hunting levels no higher than 5.

One particular specimen—a plant roughly the size of a human fist—was called Huxia Biting Cabbage and had a hunting level of 5. Its body split in the middle and revealed rows of sharp teeth.

The cabbages were tied down with rope in their flowerpots, and when Allen approached, they bared their teeth at him as though eager to bite his nose off.

"Be careful," a voice warned. "That plant is still dangerous. Even nowadays, people still lose fingers to these little guys. St. Mungo's receives more than ten cases of wizard bites from biting cabbage each year."

The speaker was a kind-looking old woman, presumably the shopkeeper. She smiled warmly at Allen.

After all, who would harbor ill intentions toward a handsome, innocent-looking child?

Allen studied the biting cabbage thoughtfully. "Is it tasty?" he asked.

"Eh?" The old woman blinked in confusion.

"Is this plant tasty?" Allen asked again, more seriously.

"Uh... I really don't know," she admitted, taken aback. "Most people use it for potions or to guard herb gardens. No one's ever tried eating it. If you're that hungry, I have some candy."

The old woman gave Allen a sympathetic look, clearly assuming he was too hungry to think straight.

"No, you misunderstood," Allen said, declining the candy. He didn't explain further but instead asked, "How much for this pot of biting cabbage?"

"Are you sure you want to buy it? It's dangerous," the old woman said cautiously. After hearing Allen had considered eating it, she was even more hesitant to sell it to him.

"Please, ma'am. I'm just curious and would like to study it," Allen said, blinking innocently with the perfect expression of childlike wonder.

The old woman melted at that look. It was like she was under a spell. She sold him the biting cabbage, patiently taught him how to care for it, and even gave him a special deal on cauldrons and phials.

In the end, Allen paid only half the price—about two and a half Galleons—for a set that would normally cost five.

As he exited the shop with a pile of goods in his arms, the old woman still asked if he wanted them delivered.

Allen politely declined her offer. Looking at his reflection in a window on the street, he nodded in satisfaction.

It seemed his face was quite useful. Maybe he really could rely on his appearance to make a living.

A short while later, Professor McGonagall returned, carrying a cage covered with black cloth.

"Have you got everything?" she asked.

"Of course, Professor McGonagall," Allen replied with a nod.

Though curious about what was under the cloth, Allen, being a "well-behaved" and "sensible" child, didn't pry.

"Good. I'll take you to the Leaky Cauldron now. You'll stay there until September 1st. You can manage your own time until school starts. Take good care of your money. Even in the magical world, thieves are not uncommon," Professor McGonagall warned him.

"Understood, Professor," Allen responded obediently.

Professor McGonagall was quite pleased with his attitude. Although the child had initially seemed troublesome, she found him surprisingly sensible after spending some time with him.

It would be even better if he stopped trying to eat owls.

That odd thought passed through her mind as she reached to remove the black cloth from the cage.

What was revealed beneath was not an owl but a massive crow—at least twice the size of a normal one. It was no smaller than an owl and shimmered with a brilliant, glossy sheen under the sunlight.

"This is my gift to you," Professor McGonagall said.