Early the next morning, when Sullivan pushed open his door, Tonks was already waiting for him outside.
Her hair was pink today—clearly in a good mood—and her facial features were a little different from yesterday's. Only those bright, striking eyes stayed the same.
Last night, Tonks had come back to the Leaky Cauldron with Sullivan and gotten the room next door. Her official gig as his personal bodyguard had kicked off.
"Sir, any plans for today?" Tonks asked politely.
"Drop the formal stuff—just call me by my name. We're heading downstairs to meet an old friend. You know her too," Sullivan said with a grin.
"Sullivan ... do we have friends in common?" Tonks asked, curious.
"Of course. More than one, actually!" Sullivan replied as he headed down the stairs.
Just moments ago, through his Sentinel Guard, he'd spotted a group in the pub's main room: one man, three women, including an eleven-year-old girl who was obviously a first-year student.
She had bushy brown hair and prominent front teeth like a bunny's. She was looking around curiously, her eyes full of excitement for the unknown.
Standing next to her was a witch in emerald-green robes and a pointed hat—Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts' deputy headmistress.
"Hey, Professor McGonagall! What a coincidence running into you here!" Sullivan stepped forward with an enthusiastic greeting.
Tonks was thrilled to see McGonagall too. As a Metamorphmagus, she'd always been a favorite of the Transfiguration professor.
McGonagall clearly knew about Sullivan's new role teaching Muggle Studies. She came over, gave him a quick hug, and asked curiously, "Sullivan , Miss Tonks... what are you two doing here together?"
Sullivan explained, "As the new Hogwarts professor, I wanted to get a head start meeting some students. As for Tonks—she's my personal bodyguard now."
"The Ministry assigned me to keep Sullivan safe," Tonks added with a helpless shrug, backing him up.
McGonagall didn't press further. She clapped her hands and said, "Perfect timing, then. Let me introduce you. This is Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and this is Hermione Granger—one of our new first-years."
"And this is Sullivan, Hogwarts' new Muggle Studies professor this year."
"Sullivan , since you're eager to connect with students early, why don't you take Miss Granger shopping for her school supplies? I've got several more first-years to visit."
"I'd love to!" Sullivan said immediately. There it was—the shopping list he'd been waiting for!
"Oh, thank you so much, Sullivan ! You're a lot more helpful than you were back in school!" McGonagall hugged him again, then said goodbye to the Grangers.
Once she left, Sullivan turned to the family. "All right, I'll be your guide from here on out."
"Professor Sullivan ... can I call you that?" little Hermione spoke up first.
"Of course."
"I heard Professor McGonagall say you're the Muggle Studies professor. Do wizards really study Muggles?" Hermione asked, drawing her parents' attention too.
"Absolutely. Wizards need to keep up with the times. Things Muggles invented—like cars, telephones, airplanes—are pretty magical to us too," Sullivan replied.
As they talked, he led the Grangers and Hermione to the back wall of the pub. He drew his new wand from yesterday and pointed at the right brick. "Remember this spot. Tap it three times, then..."
With a rumbling of shifting bricks, Diagon Alley appeared before the three Grangers. As Muggles seeing the wizarding world for the first time, they were stunned—standing frozen for a good half minute before snapping out of it.
"What do we do next?" Hermione asked eagerly once the shock wore off.
Sullivan smiled. "First things first—we're heading to the wizards' bank to exchange money. But before that, let me take a look at your shopping list for this year."
Hermione handed it over without hesitation. Sullivan tapped the list with his wand: "Duplicado."
He pocketed the copy, then led the Granger family into Gringotts. Seeing the goblins at the counters made them all a bit nervous—Hermione instinctively edged closer to Sullivan.
He patted her head gently and leaned down. "Don't worry. Nobody would dare hurt you in Gringotts. Every year, you can exchange up to 100 Galleons here using pounds—the rate's 5 to 1."
As dentists, the Grangers were pretty well-off in Britain. Five thousand pounds wasn't a big deal to them.
With a heavy bag of Galleons in hand, Hermione—guided by Sullivan—bought everything on the list, one item at a time.
Finally, they returned to Ollivanders. As they walked in, Ollivander looked puzzled. "Sullivan , is there something wrong with yesterday's wand?"
"Not at all, sir. Today I'm bringing Miss Hermione Granger—a Hogwarts first-year—to get her very first wand," Sullivan said, gently pushing Hermione forward.
Hearing it was a new student, Ollivander hurried over, examining her closely before pulling out a tape measure to check her height and arm length.
In Sullivan's opinion, this whole routine was just for show. He'd made wands himself—the real match came down to the wizard's magical affinity and the core.
But he didn't say anything, just watched as Ollivander brought out wand after wand for Hermione to try.
Hermione was clearly fascinated by the process, waving each one like a kid picking out toys—full of wonder and joy.
At last, she found the right one. Ollivander announced, "Ah, yes—this is it. 10 and three-quarter inches, vine wood, dragon heartstring core."
"Vine wands are quite rare. They tend to choose witches and wizards with lofty goals and a vision beyond the ordinary."
"Dragon heartstring is one of the most powerful cores, but its unpredictability is a big challenge for most—spells can backfire from the slightest magical fluctuation."
"So, my dear, you must have extraordinary magical talent and precise control!"
Hermione blushed a little at the praise but lifted her chin confidently. "Thank you. I promise I won't let this wand down."
Shopping complete, Sullivan escorted the Grangers out of Diagon Alley. Before leaving, Hermione asked, "Professor, thank you for coming with us. Will you be teaching us this term?"
Sullivan shook his head regretfully. "Afraid not. Muggle Studies is an elective starting in third year—you're just a first-year."
Hermione looked disappointed but pressed on. "Well... if I have questions about magic, can I ask you?"
Sullivan pointed at her owl. "Anytime. Just have it send me a letter—I'll answer whatever I can. Once school starts, you can come find me in person too."
"Thank you, Professor! Goodbye, then!" Hermione waved and hopped into the taxi.