Wayne took a cab and once again arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.
For such a charming young wizard, the pub's owner, Tom, naturally remembered him well.
Tom even offered him a free glass of Butterbeer, insisting he finish it before heading off.
"This Butterbeer's really just a sweet drink, no alcohol at all," Tom explained, worried that Wayne might mistake it for real beer. "But if we're talking Butterbeer, the best you'll find is at the Three Broomsticks."
"Madam Rosmerta's brewing is top-notch. Every time I go to Hogsmeade, I order at least two mugs. Even better—her husband died..."
Seeing the dreamy look on Tom's face, Wayne was at a loss for words.
After finishing the Butterbeer and choosing not to hear any more widow stories, Wayne made his way to the back courtyard.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Here we go again, brother!
Professor McGonagall had said that the trash bin by the wall had been enchanted with a Permanent Sticking Charm, making it impossible to move—and that Wayne , at his current level, couldn't yet cast a proper counter-curse.
But that didn't mean he couldn't do something helpful for the wizarding world.
He drew his wand and pointed it at the brick wall.
"Reparo."
The bricks, worn smooth and shiny from decades of wizard hands tapping the entrance to Diagon Alley, were suddenly restored to brand-new condition.
Wayne frowned.
"No good—it looks too new. It'll stand out immediately."
"Reparo, Reparo… Scourgify!"
...
After quite a bit of tinkering, Wayne finished his good deed.
Now, the entire brick wall was sparkling clean—as if it had just been built. There was absolutely no way to tell which brick was the correct one to tap.
Then he realized—just one trash bin for the Leaky Cauldron wasn't nearly enough. With all the foot traffic this place saw every day, the pub did a roaring business.
One lonely bin? Poor Tom must be taking out the trash a dozen times a day!
"Geminio!"
With a few duplication charms, identical trash bins lined up neatly along the wall.
Wayne nodded in satisfaction.
His duplication charm wasn't fully mastered yet, so the bins would only last for about a month.
But that was enough.
Once school started in September, the flood of young witches and wizards would subside.
Just as he was about to step into Diagon Alley, Wayne froze.
"Wait—bloody hell, which brick was it?!"
After a good deal of trial and error, he finally managed to get into Diagon Alley, though his face still carried a hint of frustration.
"Damn it... Who knew I'd be the first one to fall for my own prank?"
Grumbling as he walked down the cobblestone road, Wayne shook his head.
He'd gotten a bit carried away this time. It had almost turned into a real joke.
Compared to his last visit, Diagon Alley was even busier today. A large crowd was gathered around the front of one shop, so Wayne went over to see what was going on.
It turned out to be the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop. In the most prominent spot in the display window were three broomsticks, along with a huge poster:
"Now Introducing: The All-New Nimbus 2000! Featuring cutting-edge acceleration and braking charms, plus an ultra-comfy contoured seat. Your broom, your command—ride the skies like never before!"
Nearby, a few wizards were analyzing the specs.
"Acceleration's up by five percent, braking and shock absorption are five percent better, and top speed's up five percent too. That's barely an improvement—it's like squeezing toothpaste out of an empty tube."
A wizard in a purple cloak sighed, "Well, the Clean-Sweep series just hasn't kept up. And Comet hasn't released a new model in a decade. Nimbus basically has the whole market."
"Even if the upgrade's small, it still outclasses all the other brooms."
Wayne listened for a while, then stepped into the shop.
Though the crowd outside was large, very few people were actually buying anything.
In the wizarding world, broomsticks were about as essential—and as personal—as a car in the Muggle world.
Thanks to Floo Powder and Apparition, most wizards didn't care about how fast their broom was—as long as it could fly, that was enough.
Unless you were into Quidditch or were filthy rich, there wasn't much reason to upgrade for a five percent boost.
Wayne also saw the price tag on the nameplate.
Five hundred Galleons.
That price didn't seem too expensive to him. But in the wizarding world, wages were generally quite low—earning a few dozen Galleons a month was common. Even Mr. Weasley only made seventy to eighty Galleons per month.
The Nimbus 2000 was already considered a luxury item.
Although Wayne could easily afford it, he only glanced at it twice before walking away.
He decided to wait until after the school's flying class. If it turned out to be good, buying it later wouldn't be too late.
After leaving Quality Quidditch Supplies, Wayne made his way to Twilfitt and Tatting's, a clothing boutique not far away.
Last time, he had only purchased the three standard plain robes required by the school. The pure black robes made him look like a giant bat when walking, not much different from Snape. In order to avoid matching outfits with Snape, Wayne definitely needed a few other styles of robes.
"Welcome, dear. How can I help you?"
The owner of Twilfitt and Tatting's was a lady around forty years old, still gracefully elegant and well-kept. Upon seeing Wayne walk in, she greeted him with a warm smile.
"Hello, ma'am. I'd like a few school-appropriate robes," Wayne said politely.
"It's rare to see young wizards shopping here. Come along, then."
The shopkeeper found it amusing and beckoned Wayne into a small fitting room.
Half an hour later—
"That'll be eighty-five Galleons and twelve Sickles. But for you, young man, let's call it an even eighty," she said with a bright smile, clearly satisfied with the sale.
Three robes had cost Wayne over a month's worth of Mr. Weasley's salary. Truly a high-end shop in the wizarding world.
Still, it wasn't a waste of money. Each robe came pre-enchanted with Dust-Repelling Charms, Waterproof Charms, and Fireproof Charms, which would save him a lot of trouble.
After giving the lady his home address, Wayne clutched his aching wallet—and kidneys—and left the shop.
Money disappeared fast. After just a couple of purchases, more than half of the two hundred Galleons he brought along were already gone.
So he had no choice but to go to Gringotts and withdraw another five hundred Galleons before continuing his spree.
At Inkpot & Quill, he bought three quills made from the feathers of the Crimson-Tail Demon Bird. There was nothing special about them—just that they were soft pink and looked nice.
Then he went to Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, where he stocked up on a good number of pre-processed potion ingredients.
Hogwarts had a generous supply policy—materials for Potions class were provided by the school.
But for private brewing and practice, Wayne had to buy his own. He couldn't just wander into Snape's office whenever he was missing something, like Harry Potter did.
Only Harry Potter could get away with something like that. Anyone else? Just wait and see how Snape would make their life miserable.