Theo grew up in Diagon Alley. Except for places like Knockturn Alley, where his parents wouldn't allow him to go, he was familiar with most of the shops.
Growing up in such an environment, even without paying deliberate attention, Theo had a good sense of which shops offered good value and which shopkeepers were cunning and deceitful.
"We all call this place Rag Alley, because everyone says it sells nothing but junk."
Theo said.
Diagon Alley was quite clean and tidy, but this street resembled the rural markets Vid had seen before, with stuff piled up even by the roadside.
At first glance, it seemed like there was an abundance of goods. But upon closer inspection, most were things discarded on the ground, with no one bothering to pick them up.
——Worn and yellowed books, oddly shaped stones, roughly crafted wood, bald quills, old carpets, and water jugs.
Thanks to these items, the path in the middle became very narrow.
Theo led Vid through the twists and turns, sharing the wisdom he'd heard from his elders:
"Uncle Jason told me that you can come during the day, but avoid this place after six."
"After dark, there are thieves or werewolves who come here to fence stolen goods."
"Also, what's displayed outside is all trash, not even worth picking up. The real treasures are kept inside by the shopkeepers."
"However, many shopkeepers here judge people. Newcomers are easily ripped off on their first visits. Compared to them, Boone Leslie is much better."
"He always has fixed prices. It might be a bit more expensive, but it's definitely worth the price and not just coaxing you into spending big money on junk."
They arrived deep into the alley, and Vid looked up to see the wooden sign that read "Leslie's General Store."
Theo pushed open the door, and the bird-shaped wind chime hanging by the entrance immediately chirped, and in no time, the whole shop lit up.
Dozens of Magic Candles lit up one after another from the entrance, illuminating the once-dim shop until it was bright and clear.
An old man in a wheelchair glided over silently.
His hair, a mix of white and black, was as messy as a steel wool ball compressed into a knot; his eyebrows were black and thick, quite prominent.
The green Wizard Robe he wore was washed out, and he had a pilling plaid blanket over his lap, on which sat a completely black cat.
"Mr. Leslie," Theo said with a bright smile, "I brought a friend here to buy some things."
"Hmm."
Leslie also smiled, glancing at Vid: "Feel free to take a look, the prices on the labels are the selling price."
"Alright."
Vid nodded and headed inside the shop.
Behind him, Leslie continued chatting with Theo: "You little one, school is starting soon, right?"
"One more week."
"Why are you here today? Didn't that rascal Mancini tell you not to wander around alone?"
"I'm not alone, I'm with Mr. Vener! Today my brother and I were almost taken away by werewolves, but Mr. Vener saved us..."
Theo made no secret of his morning experience.
Leslie's expression immediately turned serious: "What happened, tell me in detail!"
Theo said: "It's just that in the morning..."
...
The items in the general store were neatly arranged, just like an ordinary supermarket.
Rows of shelves filled with goods, all with price tags, some even with warnings like "Extremely Dangerous, Do Not Handle Lightly."
The prices were a bit higher than those in the second-hand shops outside, but much cheaper than those in the Diagon Alley stores.
Take Magic Wands, for example.
In Olivander's, wands for new students ranged from a few Galleons to over ten Galleons. Some adult wizards liked their wands embedded with gold and jewels, making them even more expensive.
At Leslie's, most wands were priced around one or two Galleons, with a small area beside them for testing magic effects, featuring feathers, stones, spiders, and other items.
These wands were dusty and showed signs of use, but at least they were intact.
Whereas in second-hand shops, the wands displayed outside often had visible repair marks from breakage, priced at only a few Sickles.
Vid thought, using such a wand to cast spells, whether it would hit the enemy might be uncertain, but the user could well end up in St Mungo's.
Vid's own wand was made of White Poplar Wood paired with Unicorn Hair.
White Poplar is a reliable, supportive wood with consistent, strong power, requiring its owner to have a clear moral compass.
Unicorn Hair produces the most stable magic and is the most loyal wand core, but is difficult for Dark Magic.
According to Michael—
If a stranger heard about his wand material, they would definitely assume he was a righteous and loyal Hufflepuff.
Vid thought gloomily, if only the Sorting Hat would see it that way too.
To Vid, his wand was like an extension of himself, cooperating well when casting Magic Spells.
Despite having learned some wandless magic techniques, Vid still felt most comfortable holding his wand, and his magic was more powerful too.
The premise being… he used proper spells, not Evil Curses, Curses, or Dark Magic.
The wand would cooperate with ordinary minor Evil Curses, but there would be resistance with slightly stronger Poisonous Curses.
Vid could sense that if he insisted on using this wand to learn spells like Fiendfyre Curse or Imperio, the wand might "die."
Books on wands say that a Unicorn Tail Hair can easily become melancholy, which is its innate flaw.
If your child has too high a moral sense, what do you do? Well, you can only find another "muscle" without much morality.
Vid tried for a while, picking out three wands that matched him well.
A Walnut Wood wand paired with Dragon Heart String, symbolizing wisdom and intellect.
A Mountain Pear Wand, also paired with Phoenix Tail Feather, offering excellent defense.
A Pine Wand paired with Thunderbird Tail Feather, representing independence and uniqueness.
Since they weren't expensive, he decided to buy them all, took a casual walk around the shop, and then found some little surprises.
A Magic Mirror that could offer fashion advice to its owner; who knew who its previous owner was, its taste and compliments were quite charming.
When Vid walked past it, it exclaimed loudly:
"Oh my, I can hardly believe my eyes. Sir, you're wasting the beauty granted to you by the heavens!"
"Take my advice, put on that silver-gray robe next to you, and wear the pocket watch to my left. If funds permit, please also wear the hat on the rack, it will highlight your melancholy yet charming aura!"
Vid was amused by it.
He carefully "read" the Magic Text on the mirror to ensure there was no curse or anything bad attached, then decided to buy this mirror.
Fiona would love this mirror that could discuss fashion with her.