Returning to Diagon Alley, it was just as lively as in the morning, but without the stern Professor McGonagall, the Gray family felt much more relaxed, and shopping became enjoyable.

The Gray family earnestly visited almost every shop—except for one that sold animal entrails and eyeballs. As soon as they entered, they saw a huge, rolling eyeball, which made Fiona scream and run out immediately.

Ferdinand bought some exquisite magical items, such as a broom that automatically sweeps, a golden bird that can fly around, and a talking wizard's chess set. When paying, he confirmed multiple times with the shopkeeper that these items definitely did not have any "dangerous" or "harmful" magic attached to them.

Weed spent over an hour in the bookstore, as he had too many books he wanted to buy. However, considering that school started in a month and Hogwarts would definitely have more books, he ultimately chose only a few that he wanted the most—"Basic Spells and Counter-Spells," "Healing Manual," and "Introduction to Ancient Magic Texts."

He also bought two self-writing quills, but the shopkeeper reminded him that such quills were not suitable for writing homework, as they would transcribe everything the owner thought onto parchment in meticulous detail, and even trained users might accidentally write something embarrassing.

When he walked out of the bookstore holding his new books, Weed saw his parents sitting by a street vendor buying ice cream. Ferdinand was also holding a golden owl cage, inside which sat a particularly sturdy little fellow who was drawing circles with its head.

“Dad, did you buy another owl?” Weed asked.

“That's right,” Ferdinand replied with a smile. “Considering you’ll need to take your owl to school, what if your mother and I want to send you a letter? I heard that Muggle post offices can't deliver mail to Hogwarts, so we also bought one. By the way, his name is General Bud, and he’s quite the strong fellow.”

Weed bent down to greet him. “Hello, General Bud.”

General Bud yawned wide.

“Look, I bought a little guy too,” Fiona chimed in, extending her hands to reveal a small white hamster curled up in her palms, looking very adorable.

“Isn't she cute?” Fiona said excitedly. “I’ve noticed that pets in the wizarding world seem to be much smarter than ordinary animals, almost like they’ve taken some kind of intelligence potion! She’s not scared of people at all and seems to understand my commands.”

“She is cute, but Mom, hamsters seem to be on the owl's menu, right?” Weed asked.

After buying the owl and, upon the shopkeeper's introduction, owl food, he learned that owls primarily eat rodents, birds, fish, or insects—in short, they are carnivores. Thinking back to the pine nuts he caught for the school owl, Weed felt a pang of guilt.

“It’s okay, your dad will take good care of his owl! Oh, by the way, this is Miss Millie,” Fiona said with great seriousness. “Weed, you should also give your owl a name!”

“Um…” Weed glanced around and just happened to see a stationery shop named EVA, the letters shining brightly in the sunlight.

“Let’s call her Ava,” he said casually.

………………

The Gray family lingered in Diagon Alley for several days. Ferdinand was now able to discuss Quidditch matches and various models of the Nimbus 2000 without any barriers, while Fiona had outfitted her hamster, Miss Millie, with a complete set of mini furniture (which had been enchanted with a cleaning spell) and various little dresses, wizard robes, hats, and rainbow-colored socks.

Of course, as parents of a Hogwarts freshman, they signed a confidentiality agreement with Professor McGonagall on the first day, promising not to disclose anything about the magical world to any non-magical person and to take care to prevent magical items from leaking into the Muggle world.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. On the morning of September 1, Fiona helped Weed check his suitcase one more time, ensuring that he had packed everything he needed—from nail clippers and earwax scoops to autumn and winter clothes. Ferdinand drove him to King’s Cross Station.

Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the starting point of his magical journey, appeared to be just a regular barrier.

Weed pushed the suitcase, with the owl cage on the trolley. He walked to the barrier, turned back to see his parents smiling and waving at him.

Weed smiled and waved back, then turned and ran straight through the barrier.

Fiona covered her mouth and suddenly let out a sob.

Ferdinand wrapped his arm around her shoulder, sighing, “If only we could go to the platform to see him off—”

“Don't tell him—I don’t want Weed to feel sad,” Fiona said, sniffling. “Going to school— it should be a happy occasion—”

Ferdinand gently patted her, comforting her, “Don’t worry, I’ve gathered a lot of information these days—the wizarding world is very peaceful now, and the greatest wizard of our time, Dumbledore, is their headmaster. Weed will be fine at school.”

“Right—I’m sorry—”

A timid voice sounded beside them, and Ferdinand looked down to instantly recognize the boy before him.

“You’re— Harry Potter?!” he exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, it’s me,” Harry said, awkwardly brushing his hair back from his forehead to cover the scar. He had forgotten that he had met this couple at the Leaky Cauldron before—mainly because there had been so many people shaking his hand, and the lighting in the pub was quite dim. At that moment, with a hint of joy, he cautiously asked, “I just heard you mention Hogwarts… I mean—I’m not quite sure how to get there—”

“Oh,” Ferdinand said, realization dawning, “Do you see that wall? Just push your suitcase straight through it. If you’re scared, just close your eyes; you don’t need to worry about crashing into anything.”

This wasn’t what Professor McGonagall had told them; rather, it was something Ferdinand had heard from his parents when he was a child. At that time, he hadn’t been confirmed as a Squib, and his parents told him many little stories about the magical world. But later, they never mentioned those things again.

“Oh, okay—”

Harry found it hard to believe, and he tentatively studied the couple’s expressions—they seemed very kind, but he didn’t know if they were teasing him…

Seeing them looking at him with encouraging eyes, as if they were waiting to see him pass through the wall, Harry, feeling embarrassed to ask anyone else, gritted his teeth and pushed the suitcase forward, not moving very quickly.

If he crashed into the wall and was laughed at, it wouldn’t be such a big deal…

The boy thought nervously, yet he never encountered the expected obstacle. Suddenly, in a moment, his ears were filled with a buzzing sound of conversation, and suddenly before him appeared—

A huge, deep red train, with tracks extending endlessly into the distance.