Vincent still felt completely out of place as he stepped out of Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, carrying a bundle of brand-new robes.
After leaving Slug & Jiggers Apothecary with a pewter cauldron tucked under one arm, he felt slightly better.
And by the time he walked out of Flourish and Blotts, his arms filled with books such as The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, A History of Magic, Magical Theory, and A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration…
His mindset had become:
“It’s all being reimbursed anyway.”
“Charge it to the Orphan Assistance Fund!”
“Charge it to the Orphan Assistance Fund!”
Each loud declaration from Mr.
Hoot marked another successful purchase.
However, as the pile of supplies grew larger, Vincent discovered a new problem.
“I can only buy the items on the Hogwarts supply list.”
Mr.
Hoot blinked innocently.
Vincent soon realized the owl wasn’t making the announcements voluntarily.
Someone had clearly enchanted him to authorize payment only for approved school supplies.
Vincent tested his theory by entering several other shops and picking up unrelated merchandise.
Each time…
Mr.
Hoot simply closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
“…So that’s how it is.”
That complicated things considerably.
One of Vincent’s main reasons for coming to Diagon Alley was to purchase the ingredients required for the Animagus transformation.
He needed:
A mandrake leaf.
A crystal phial.
The chrysalis of a Death’s-head Hawk Moth.
The crystal phial had already been included with the standard Potions equipment.
The remaining ingredients, however…
“Looks like I’ll have to buy them myself.”
Vincent weighed the few pounds remaining in his hand and sighed.
It wasn’t even enough to guarantee his bus fare home.
“I’ll buy my wand first.”
He pushed open the door to Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.
Like most of Diagon Alley that afternoon, the shop was nearly empty.
Mr.
Ollivander emerged from the shadows almost immediately.
Without saying much, he began measuring Vincent from head to toe while enchanted tape measures busily recorded every imaginable dimension.
Vincent’s thoughts, however, remained occupied with the missing potion ingredients.
Absentmindedly, he accepted one wand after another.
Nothing.
Another.
Nothing.
Then—
A pleasant tingling spread through his fingertips.
Crack!
Tiny arcs of blue-white lightning danced from the tip of the wand.
Mr.
Ollivander’s pale eyes lit up.
“Ah!”
“There you are.”
He stepped closer, carefully examining the wand.
“English oak…”
“Thirteen inches.”
“Excellent flexibility.”
He smiled thoughtfully.
“Oak…”
“The tree associated with strength and endurance.”
“The legendary Merlin himself was said to have wielded an oak wand.”
“Oak chooses witches and wizards who possess an unusually close affinity with the natural world.”
Vincent looked up.
“And the core?”
“Thunderbird tail feather.”
Mr.
Ollivander’s smile widened.
“A most unusual combination.”
“Thunderbird feathers are native to North America and are rarely used in Britain.”
“They tend to choose witches and wizards with remarkable magical potential.”
“They are particularly responsive to those gifted in Transfiguration and those capable of making swift decisions in battle.”
He handed the wand back.
“A remarkable wand.”
“It should serve you very well.”
Vincent smiled.
Whatever hidden potential Mr.
Ollivander saw…
Right now, he was simply delighted to finally own his first wand.
“Pets aren’t covered either…”
“Which leaves the potion ingredients.”
He had to obtain them somehow.
His original plan was straightforward.
Exchange his remaining Muggle money for wizarding currency.
Return to Slug & Jiggers Apothecary.
Explain that he desperately wanted to study Potions but couldn’t afford the ingredients.
Hopefully, the shopkeeper would take pity on him and offer a discount.
If all else failed…
He would simply have to walk home.
With that plan in mind, Vincent headed toward Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Unfortunately…
Or perhaps fortunately…
The bank was unusually busy.
Several impeccably dressed goblins occupied every counter, processing customers and managing vault transactions.
Seeing no opportunity to exchange money anytime soon, Vincent waited patiently outside.
He decided not to waste the time.
Taking out fresh parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, he wrote:
Dear Professor McGonagall,
Thank you for your letter.
I am honored to accept Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s offer of admission and look forward to beginning my studies on 1 September.
Yours sincerely,
Vincent Aydon
He folded the letter neatly and handed it to Mr.
Hoot.
Mission accomplished, the owl gave a satisfied hoot before flying toward the offices of The Daily Prophet.
Watching him disappear into the sky, Vincent lowered his gaze to the book resting on his lap.
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1.
“Magic…”
“I wonder if I can learn anything before school starts.”
Even if he couldn’t truly master a spell…
Trying couldn’t hurt.
He opened the book.
The first few chapters covered magical theory.
He skipped them and turned directly to the practical exercises.
Lumos
Raise your wand naturally.
Focus on producing light.
Pronounce the incantation clearly.
“Lumos.”
Nothing.
Scourgify
Picture dirt disappearing completely.
“Scourgify.”
A tiny puff of smoke drifted from the wand tip.
That was all.
Vincent frowned.
So much for self-study.
Then another beginner’s spell caught his eye.
Following the instructions exactly, he aimed his wand toward a pigeon pecking at the cobblestones nearby.
The wand vibrated violently.
Almost slipping from his grasp.
Nothing else happened.
“…”
Perhaps magical textbooks really were like university textbooks.
Without a professor explaining the finer details, they were surprisingly difficult to understand.
Vincent sighed.
“Let’s try Transfiguration instead.”
He set The Standard Book of Spells aside and picked up A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration.
Unlike the previous book, this one felt strangely intuitive.
Of course.
I have Transfiguration Mastery.
The first exercise was a simple Color-Change Charm.
Visualize the object’s current appearance.
Clearly imagine the desired color.
Channel that image through the wand.
Vincent raised his wand.
“Colovaria.”
A streak of light shot forward.
The pigeon froze.
Then…
Its gray feathers instantly turned a brilliant emerald green.
Startled, it flapped into the air and flew away, leaving several bright green feathers drifting behind.
Vincent stared after it.
“…It worked.”
His first successfully cast spell.
Just as expected…
Transfiguration Mastery was every bit as powerful as advertised.
Compared to ordinary spells, learning Transfiguration felt almost effortless.