Shopping Complete

Getting a robe made was a long and expensive process. The time it took was understandable, but the cost? That was just excessive. After all, you couldn't expect a bunch of eleven-year-olds to wear the same clothes for years on end. This was a wizard's robe, not a common school uniform that lasted for three years.

After giving Madam Malkin a few suggestions of his own, Allen left her tailoring shop and began buying the schoolbooks and potion supplies he needed for his first year.

Frankly, he really wanted to complain, the scholarship was not enough. Seriously, how stingy was the Ministry? It had been years since the end of Voldemort's reign, but the student allowance still hadn't caught up. It had never been enough!

Buying potion ingredients brought a wave of nostalgia. Many of the items looked suspiciously like traditional medicinal herbs, though Allen couldn't recognize most of them. Still, there were clear overlaps, bezoars, for example, or ox gallstones, which once saved Ron's life in the original series.

But if pharmacies smelled of fragrant herbs, potions shops stank like rotten eggs and decomposing cabbage. The acrid stench was unbearable. Allen couldn't help but wonder if the employees were using Bubble-Head Charms or something similar. How else could they stand it all day?

After securing a standard potions kit and ingredients, Allen made his way to a bookstore.

Not Flourish and Blotts, though. He headed for a second-hand bookshop instead. It wasn't about saving money, he never planned on buying new books in the first place.

By offering to pay double the usual price for used books, he earned the old shopkeeper's permission to dig through the newer arrivals piled high in dusty corners of the shop.

It was no easy task. The books weren't even organized.

Clearly, the shopkeeper didn't care much about these books, probably buying them in bulk by weight or bag. He sold them for a quarter of their original price, maybe even less. With such slim profit margins, it was no surprise he barely bothered to sort them.

The books were vaguely grouped by year level, but Allen didn't trust the system at all. From the way the owner treated them, there was no way the sorting was accurate.

He also couldn't help but suspect the shopkeeper was quietly dealing in black-market goods or even banned books. A few adult wizards, clearly long past school age, came in while Allen was browsing. Each paid a hefty sum for a paper-wrapped bundle of just a few books and left without another word. From the amount they paid, they could've bought everything Allen had picked out and more.

But hey, not his business. Compared to the trouble that was surely coming his way, a few sketchy sales weren't worth worrying about. As for those suspicious books? He'd approach them with a critical eye, of course. Total objectivity.

Sorting through the books was tedious, but necessary. Allen checked each one carefully to make sure there were no missing pages, vomit stains, or childish scribbles. If there were notes inside, well, that was a bonus. And if by some miracle one of them was labeled "The Half-Blood Prince"? That would be perfect.

Unsurprisingly, that last part was wishful thinking. A few had helpful annotations, but most were just reasonably clean.

Still, this wasn't a daily opportunity. Allen wouldn't have time to treasure-hunt like this once school started. So he looked over everything that wasn't pure fluff and pulled aside a dozen or so books, either annotated or well-preserved, and stacked them up to purchase. Unlike Flourish and Blotts, this store didn't offer owl delivery. The laid-back shopkeeper had zero interest in expanding his services.

When Allen brought the towering stack of books to the counter, even the shopkeeper was surprised. Clearly, he hadn't expected anyone to buy that much, especially at double price. He probably thought Allen just wanted one or two volumes.

But gold is gold. The man grinned, did a bit of mental math, puffed on his pipe, and finally said, "Good taste, young man. That'll be 7 Galleons, 13 Sickles, and I'll waive the Knuts for you."

Allen handed over the coins, but before he could leave, the shopkeeper stuffed something else into the bag and gave him a weird smile. "A little bonus. Normally, I wouldn't sell this kind of thing to someone your age... but you're clearly mature for a first-year, right?"

What the hell?! Allen was furious. Do I look like that kind of guy?!

But he wasn't the type to reject a kind gesture, no matter how sketchy, so he forced his purest, most innocent smile, nodded politely, and left the shop with his books.

As soon as he turned the corner, he pulled out the extra package and tucked it into his coat. Hmph. I'm gonna read this and critique it properly!

Originally, he hadn't intended to buy this many books. But things rarely go according to plan. They were all just too tempting. Which meant… he needed a trunk. There was no way he could carry all this back by hand. Fortunately, he'd left the potions kit at the counter temporarily.

Luckily, the luggage shop wasn't far, and the prices were decent. Of course, you get what you pay for. The trunk he bought only had a basic extension charm, and even then, it only doubled the space inside. Compared to those enchanted suitcases with endless compartments or Hermione's bottomless beaded bag, it wasn't much better than a glorified lunchbox.

Still, when he saw the shop assistant's eyes scanning the pile of books like they were some kind of treasure, Allen felt glad he'd taken the time to pack everything up.

Next, he swung by the potion shop to pick up his earlier purchase. Shopping: complete.

Unfortunately, the system didn't give him a ding or announce "Quest Complete!" There was no bonus weapon or legendary wand. Just silence. Tch. Just like every other unreliable, flashy system out there. Allen rolled his eyes.

But just as he was about to leave Diagon Alley, he realized something.

He forgot to pick up his robes!

Dragging his trunk behind him, Allen rushed back to Madam Malkin's. He'd said he'd be "right back," but got so absorbed in book shopping that he completely lost track of time.

A glance at his watch said it was only 3 p.m., phew, still okay. But when he looked up at the sky, the sun was already setting.

Damn it. The magic in Diagon Alley messed with my watch!

By the time he reached the store, Madam Malkin was just about to close up. Fortunately, she forgave him after a sincere apology. He was new to the wizarding world, after all.

But just as he was trying on the final robe…

Thud.

A paper bag slipped from his coat and hit the ground.

Merlin's beard… Madam… I can explain…

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