Chapter 126: Shopping in Diagon Alley

The three of them passed through the bar and reached the small courtyard behind the pub. Hagrid pulled out his umbrella and tapped a few bricks on the wall in front of them.

"Traveling around the world must be wonderful, right?" Hagrid asked, turning his head.

"Oh, for the most part, yes!" Ma Jun shrugged. "Provided you don't break your wand along the way!"

"Hagrid, why does everyone know me?" Harry asked, feeling a bit more relaxed now.

"Because you are famous!"

"Why am I famous?"

"Perhaps it isn't my place to tell you that," Hagrid replied.

The wall shifted rapidly, and a moment later, it transformed into an arched passageway. Harry watched in amazement, a smile spreading across his face.

Ma Jun was equally intrigued. As he looked out, a narrow alley appeared before them, bustling with people dressed in strange attire. Small shops lined both sides of the street. It seemed that the architectural tastes of the wizarding world were rather peculiar, as all the buildings were crooked and lopsided.

They passed through the archway and entered Diagon Alley. Hagrid was very familiar with the area and kept pointing out nearby shops to Harry.

"We need to go to Gringotts first!" Hagrid said to Ma Jun, then looked at Harry. "Your parents left you a fortune, Harry. Once we withdraw the money, you can buy your supplies!"

"That's fantastic!" Harry said with a grin.

"I need to visit Gringotts as well to exchange some currency for Galleons and Sickles, and then open a new vault to store my funds," Ma Jun added. "It's on the way."

Gringotts stood at the end of the street, a building just as crooked as the rest. Inside, the place smelled of money. The staff were all goblins—short, with pointed noses and unfriendly expressions.

"We need to go to our vault first. See you later, Ma Jun!" Hagrid said, gesturing toward a counter not far away. "You can exchange your currency there!"

"See you later, Mr. Ma Jun!" Harry said politely.

After parting ways, Ma Jun headed straight to the spot Hagrid had indicated. "I need to exchange some currency for wizarding money."

As he spoke, Ma Jun pulled several gold bars from his coat pocket. The goblin's expression brightened at the sight of the gold. "No problem at all, honored sir!"

"I also need to open a new vault."

"Yes, of course! Choosing Gringotts to store your assets is the wisest decision you could make," the goblin said, even more cheerfully. "Please, follow me."

Following the goblin, Ma Jun looked around with curiosity as they descended. The vaults were located in the deep caverns beneath Gringotts, accessible by mining carts running on tracks.

For convenience, Ma Jun produced a large number of gold bars, exchanging them for over ten thousand Galleons. He deposited about half into the newly opened vault and tossed the rest into a cloth pouch. Wizards were capable of crafting magical items with expanded space, so the goblin didn't find it strange; he had no way of knowing that Ma Jun was actually slipping the coins into his Qiankun Ring.

Because he had to exchange currency and open a vault, Ma Jun spent more time inside than Hagrid and Harry. When he emerged from Gringotts, he found them waiting for him at the entrance.

"Ma Jun, could you do me a favor?" Hagrid asked, sounding a bit rushed. "I need to get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible!"

Ma Jun paused, glancing discreetly at the spot where Hagrid’s massive, fan-like hand was resting. *Ah, right,* he thought. *He’s got the Sorcerer's Stone in his pocket and is worried about something happening to it. He really is loyal to Dumbledore.*

In the original story, Hagrid had hurriedly taken Harry to get a few things before finding an excuse to leave so he could take care of the Stone.

"No problem. What do you need me to do? I just arrived in London and was planning to stay at the Leaky Cauldron anyway," Ma Jun said with a smile.

"Harry isn't very familiar with this place. Could you help him buy his first-year supplies? Things like his wand and an owl," Hagrid said. "Oh, and he needs to catch the Hogwarts Express in a month!"

Hagrid then looked at Harry. "You can find your way to the train station on your own, right? It isn't far..."

"Don't worry, I'll take Harry there!" Ma Jun said, not minding at all. "Leave it to me, Hagrid. I'll take good care of our Savior!"

"Thank you so much!" Hagrid said happily. "I have something very important to attend to and must get back. Sorry for the trouble!" He turned to Harry. "How about it, Harry?"

Harry trusted Hagrid more, but he still nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Ma Jun!"

After bidding Hagrid farewell, Ma Jun began to stroll through the shops with young Harry.

It was the first time in his life he had ever taken a child shopping, let alone in a place like Diagon Alley. Ma Jun wasn't very familiar with the area either, but since it was the start of the school season and Hogwarts acceptance letters had been sent out, many students were there buying supplies. He didn't need to ask for directions to find the bookstore or the pet shop.

"Let's see, what books do you need? It’s been a long time since I was in my first year; I’ve forgotten what textbooks you need!" After buying Harry his wizarding robes, the two stood in front of Flourish and Blotts. Ma Jun leaned down to look at Harry's school supply list. "Hmm, *The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)*, *A History of Magic*..."

The bookstore wasn't crowded, perhaps because most students had already finished their shopping. Harry's letter had been destroyed repeatedly by his aunt and uncle, so it had been over a month since the original delivery date before Hagrid finally handed it to him.

Ma Jun let Harry go find a clerk to help him gather his textbooks while he wandered through the store. Looking at the dense rows of books, Ma Jun became absorbed in browsing. Before long, he walked to the counter with a stack of books reaching from his stomach to his chin.

Harry looked at him in surprise.

"Books are wonderful things," Ma Jun said with a smile. "Reading expands one's knowledge and improves one's abilities." As the clerk finished organizing Harry’s textbooks and prepared to pack them up for Ma Jun, he said, "No need, just tell me the total."

Ma Jun handed over a few Galleons and began tossing his books into a small cloth pouch. Seeing Harry's curious expression, he explained, "It's a bit of magic that expands the space inside several times over. You'll learn how to do this later. Would you like me to help you pack your textbooks in here for now?"

"Thank you!" Harry said happily.

Leaving the bookstore, the two headed toward the wand shop. As they passed Quality Quidditch Supplies, a group of children stood huddled outside the glass, gazing with glowing eyes at the Nimbus 2000 broomstick on display.

"What's that?" Harry asked curiously.

"A flying broomstick," Ma Jun laughed. "First-years aren't allowed to have their own, but once school starts, you'll have dedicated Quidditch lessons where you'll learn about it. Oh, and Quidditch is a ball game. Much like football is for Muggles, it's very popular in the wizarding world. Your father was an excellent member of the school team; I think you'll like it too."

Everything here filled Harry with wonder. Although Ma Jun seemed to know everything, he was just as filled with a sense of anticipation.

The two looked around intently, and before long, they finally arrived at Ollivanders Wand Shop.