Several days later, Ethan returned to the Leaky Cauldron's doorstep.
This time, perhaps because it was afternoon, the Leaky Cauldron was bustling with activity, a stark contrast to its previous desolation.
The pub patrons paid little attention to the young wizard arriving alone; this scenario occurred countless times daily.
Following Professor McGonagall's instructions, he tapped three times on the designated brick, and the gateway to the wizarding world swung open once again.
Seeing the garbage bin momentarily, Ethan almost felt compelled to do something.
After all, based on the nature of his "golden finger," pranks were likely to yield achievements.
But after two seconds of deliberation, he dismissed the idea.
Upon re-entering Diagon Alley, Ethan's destination was clear: Flourish & Blotts.
The previous purchases, made with Professor McGonagall, were all for first-year Hogwarts textbooks; none were for the spells Ethan wanted to learn.
For instance, the spell of "Protego," along with the "Extension Charm" and "Occlumency," were absent. (Though the "Extension Charm" was prohibited from being abused, Hermione clearly used it. She hadn't consulted forbidden books, so this spell must have been common. Perhaps the reason it was banned was due to pressure from companies producing wizard tents and luggage, since who would buy them if they could just make their own?)
Moreover, with two Legilimens at Hogwarts, Ethan felt somewhat apprehensive without Occlumency.
Dumbledore's character was, to some extent, reassuring.
He wouldn't cast this spell on his students, or rather, he wouldn't cast this spell on others without their consent.
The reason for his proficiency in this magic was simple: The Dumbledore before Ariana's incident was not a good person. Like Grindelwald, he was the type who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
It was only after that that Dumbledore's life took a turn; he developed his own moral compass, returned to Hogwarts, and became a professor.
If Dumbledore had no moral compass, many things wouldn't have happened. For example, when Hagrid was wrongly accused, Dumbledore was already a professor. While he was certain Hagrid wasn't the culprit and tried to protect him,
Hagrid was still expelled due to lack of evidence.
If he had used Legilimency to investigate, Young Tom might not have been able to evade suspicion. Whether Voldemort would have existed remains unknown.
Furthermore, the later events involving Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew also indicated that Dumbledore didn't use Legilimency; otherwise, one wouldn't have had the opportunity to betray James Potter, and the other wouldn't have been unjustly imprisoned for over a decade.
While the risk with Dumbledore was almost nonexistent, Snape was a different story.
Although he was a dedicated and responsible Potions professor with certain principles, when it came to Harry, Snape wouldn't hesitate to cross those lines.
Who knows if he might, based on his perception that you weren't a good wizard, or because of your association with Harry, use Legilimency on you to confirm if you posed any threat.
Entering Flourish & Blotts, he went directly to the textbook section. Just like Ethan's last visit, a dozen young wizards were purchasing textbooks. As the only bookstore in Diagon Alley, they had a monopoly.
"I need the 'Advanced Transfiguration' and 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grades 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.'"
Ethan's wholesale buying attracted numerous gazes; they had never witnessed a young wizard buying books like this.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" wasn't particularly useful, but Ethan bought it anyway.
He had flipped through the "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" he bought previously; Newt Scamander's writing was quite engaging, and, most importantly, it wasn't expensive.
"Advanced Potion Making" was nine Galleons, good heavens, the most expensive one so far.
"Sir, you must be a new student this year, right?"
"You can buy these books later; you won't need them now. Maybe in two years, the textbooks will be updated, and you'll have to come back again."
Seeing Ethan's overflowing cart, the nearby shopkeeper couldn't help but advise.
After all, this monopolistic bookstore didn't offer commissions for book sales. If this young wizard regretted his purchase and returned the books, the shopkeeper might get a scolding.
"Thanks for reminding me, but I need all these books to prepare for my studies."
"Well, you must be a natural-born Ravenclaw."
With that, the shopkeeper stepped aside, leaving Ethan alone.
"A Wizard's Guide to Everything!"
Ethan, browsing the Magic section, found this title intriguing. This individual might have unique insights into magic. Buy it!
"Modern Magical Discoveries," "A Medieval Grimoire," "Forgotten Ancient Magic and Zhou Yu," "Modern Witchcraft Development Research," "The Rise and Fall of Dark Magic," "Who's Who in Modern Magic."
These titles were all so captivating, were they clickbait?
Finally, in a corner, Ethan discovered his target, "How to Close Your Mind."
There were six or seven copies left, but they were covered in dust, indicating they hadn't been touched in a long time.
To be honest, this book's publication was a bit awkward. Muggles who bought it wouldn't necessarily be able to learn just by reading it. Those with family backgrounds wouldn't lack this knowledge; if they wanted to learn, they would have someone to teach them, so they wouldn't buy this kind of book.
After arranging for free delivery, Ethan couldn't help but feel the money was flying out.
Owl delivery cost one Sickle per book, but there was a free home delivery service for purchases over fifty Galleons, which Ethan had taken advantage of.
With a total of one hundred twenty-seven Galleons spent, his small treasury was instantly drained.
At Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, Ethan sat in the rest area outside, mindlessly digging into his ice cream, pondering how to acquire more Galleons.
He initially thought one hundred Galleons would be sufficient, but just buying a few books cost over one hundred.
"Hm?"
A shadow fell upon him. Ethan looked up.
Someone had arrived at his small table.
Looking around, the rest area, which had a few empty seats earlier, was now mostly full. Ethan was the only one who came alone and occupied an entire table, making it the most vacant spot.
The young witch didn't even notice Ethan's reaction, or perhaps she simply ignored him. She placed her ice cream on the table, sat down, and began to enjoy it.
Waist-length golden curls, emerald-green eyes, delicate features, somewhat familiar... he had seen her in the bookstore earlier.
Ethan finished the remaining ice cream in two bites and decided to leave.
Honestly, Florean Fortescue's ice cream was undeniably delicious, better than any ice cream he'd ever tasted. Perhaps it was made with milk from some magical creature!
After Ethan left, the girl, who had been expressionless and aloof, suddenly turned her head and glanced at him.
Earlier in the bookstore, Ethan's actions had indeed drawn attention. She was browsing textbooks at the time, and after hearing Ethan's conversation with the shopkeeper,
she opted for the same approach as Ethan, packing up all the textbooks for the next few years.
No, Ethan only bought some of the textbooks.