Isaac and Albus Dumbledore enjoyed their meal together, both host and guest thoroughly satisfied.
The team of chefs hired by the old butler, Anthony, was exceptionally professional.
Although the table was laden with an immense variety of dishes by the end of the meal, the cuisine fully adhered to Michelin-starred French standards; the plates for each course were quite large and meticulously presented, but they were not exactly filling.
After just two or three bites, a dish would be finished.
Albus Dumbledore reluctantly set down his dessert fork—it was his sixth sweet of the evening.
Once they left the dining room and returned to the living room, Dumbledore finally turned to Isaac.
“Although I suspect you already know how to get to Diagon Alley to purchase your school supplies, I believe one’s first visit should always be made in the company of a guardian.
What do you think, Isaac?”
“It would be my honor, Professor Dumbledore,” Isaac replied.
Without wasting any time, Dumbledore led Isaac out onto the street.
“In the wizarding world, ordinary witches and wizards often choose to travel by the Knight Bus,” Dumbledore explained.
“As long as you stand on the roadside and extend your wand hand, it will appear right before you.”
Despite his words, Dumbledore made no move to reach for his own wand.
Noticing Isaac’s puzzled look, he blinked with mischievous amusement.
“Of course, as an elderly wizard, I can no longer easily adapt to the rather frantic travel methods of the Knight Bus.
So, Isaac, hold onto my wrist!”
The very next instant, Isaac felt his surroundings instantly plunge into pitch blackness as a terrifying pressure squeezed him from all directions.
His chest felt as though it were being constricted by thick iron bands, making it impossible to breathe, and his internal organs felt violently compressed.
It felt as if his eyeballs were being forced back into his skull and his eardrums pressed deep into his head.
Yet, in terms of actual time, Isaac knew that the entire experience lasted only a fleeting second.
In the next blink of an eye, the pressure abruptly vanished, and Isaac felt as if he had just been forcefully popped out of a tight rubber tube.
Ordinarily, those experiencing Apparition for the first time are highly prone to nausea, vomiting, disorientation, and even fainting.
However, none of these discomforts manifested in Isaac.
He stood firmly in place, rolling his shoulders and stretching his limbs, finding himself completely adjusted to the sensation.
“Remarkable adaptability, Isaac.
It seems you are naturally well-suited for this manner of magic.”
Dumbledore could tell at a glance that this was the first time Isaac had ever experienced Side-Along Apparition.
This was not the result of Legilimency; it was simply a passive insight distilled from over a century of life experience.
For a wizard who had lived as long and witnessed as much as Dumbledore, very little could be hidden from his sight.
“No, it’s just that I’ve already experienced something far worse,” Isaac remarked, his expression turning unreadable.
People are often young and reckless when they first discover their talents, and Isaac had been no exception when his prophetic abilities first awakened.
Being young and ignorant of how to filter or refuse the visions, he had unreservedly accepted every glimpse of the future that rushed toward him.
His gift allowed him to perceive various possibilities within the timeline.
For instance, the events of the original Harry Potter series represented one potential trajectory of the future, while different fan fictions written by various authors could be viewed as alternative branches of that same timeline.
The branches were infinite.
This particular prophetic talent was much closer to observing multiple timelines simultaneously.
Even when centered primarily on the perspective of Harry Potter, the possibilities were overwhelming, let alone trying to peer into the destiny of the entire world.
Fortunately, Isaac was a transmigrator rather than a helpless child; realizing the imminent danger, he had forced himself to halt the prophecy.
Even so, the sheer torrent of information unleashed by that single vision had left him bedridden and sickly at the orphanage for days.
It had also given Grindelwald endless ammunition to tease him with—and Isaac had good reason to suspect that Grindelwald, who possessed the same prophetic gift, must have suffered a similar misfortune in his youth.
Compared to the staggering sensory overload of that massive information dump, Dumbledore’s Apparition was, in Isaac’s estimation, vastly more bearable.
Even after several years, a lingering sense of dread gripped Isaac whenever he recalled that incident.
That harrowing experience had instilled in him the most crucial quality required to survive in the wizarding world: extreme caution.
Out of caution, Isaac had never sought a way to obtain a wand ahead of time.
Out of caution, he had refrained from rashly practicing or learning magic on his own.
And out of that very same caution, despite having already seen the physical layout of Diagon Alley countless times through his visions, he had never once set foot in it until today.
Having experienced the rapid, ever-changing advancements of his previous world, Isaac possessed a maturity that set him apart from true children.
Without an immediate need to purchase school supplies like a wand, the intrinsic novelty of Diagon Alley held limited appeal for him.
However, now that he was physically standing there…
Isaac noticed that Dumbledore had bypassed the conventional entrance.
Instead of entering through the Leaky Cauldron and tapping the brick wall to reveal the archway, they had Apparated directly onto the main street of Diagon Alley.
As the most bustling commercial district in the British wizarding world, and with the start of the Hogwarts term rapidly approaching, the alley was exceptionally lively.
“So, shall we head to Gringotts first to exchange some currency for Galleons?” Isaac asked, pulling his wallet from his pocket.
Inside that wallet lay the entirety of his personal finances.
He owed a debt of gratitude to the gentlemen and ladies of Barnet; their immense generosity had allowed him to accumulate a substantial sum of money over the years, as evidenced by the thick bulge of his wallet.
Isaac’s past life had taught him an ancient truth: while one should never harbor intentions to harm others, one must always maintain a healthy degree of vigilance.
Although he was deeply grateful for Grindelwald’s financial backing, Isaac knew he had to be self-reliant.
If an unavoidable situation ever forced him to leave 12 Medway Street at a moment’s notice, he needed to ensure he had a contingency plan and emergency funds.
Consequently, he kept the money he earned from his street performances on his person at all times.
Now, it would finally serve a purpose.
“Living in the wizarding world certainly requires money, but our first destination is not Gringotts,” Dumbledore replied lightly.
“Young witches and wizards from Muggle families are permitted to exchange British pounds for Galleons at Gringotts during their years at Hogwarts, up to a limit of one hundred Galleons per year.
We can stop by Gringotts at the end of our excursion to secure some pocket money for you.
For now, let us head to our first stop—Flourish and Blotts.”
Hearing Dumbledore’s casually wealthy remark, Isaac couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
He even secretly tried to mirror Dumbledore’s calm, effortless demeanor.
One hundred Galleons just for annual pocket money…
Honestly, if anyone from the Weasley family heard that, Ron Weasley would probably burst into tears on the spot.
As Dumbledore finished speaking, he began leading the way down the cobblestone street.
It was at this moment that Isaac truly witnessed the staggering prestige wielded by the most towering figure in the British wizarding world.
Nearly ninety percent of the witches and wizards thronging the street recognized the Headmaster instantly.
They greeted Dumbledore with immense enthusiasm before casting curious looks at the young boy walking close beside him.
“Professor Dumbledore!
Are you actually escorting a student to Diagon Alley yourself this year?”