Chapter 178: Not Yet Opened

Diagon Alley was the second time Wizard Sean had come here.

Unlike last time, when he had to count every Knut, now Wizard Sean could count Galleons.

Bright sunlight fell upon a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Above them hung a sign: Copper—Brass—Tin—Silver Cauldrons, Full Range of Models, Self-Stirring—Foldable.

Below the sign was a price list written in chromatic ink.

“Let’s go to Gringotts.”

Professor McGonagall’s voice was soft; she always recalled that morning with its dark sky, as if the bustling crowd of Diagon Alley had nothing to do with the young wizard before her.

He always stared at price lists no child would bother to examine.

Passing the Owl Emporium, where gray owls, tawny owls, and barn owls flew about, and Slughorn & Jiggers Apothecary, selling telescopes and strange silver objects, Professor McGonagall brought Wizard Sean to a towering white building that rose above the surrounding shops.

Its door knocker was bronze, and outside stood a goblin dressed in scarlet uniform.

Wizard Sean had assumed the professor had come to Gringotts to withdraw money, but instead—

“This is yours. Your pocket money and any future bonuses can be stored here.”

Professor McGonagall looked at him, then at the vault behind him,

“Severus and I deposited some money for you. We trust you’ll use it well.”

“It’s three thousand Galleons in total,” said the goblin who had led them in.

Wizard Sean realized the professors’ idea of “some” might differ greatly from his own.

Before leaving Gringotts, the goblin kept urging Wizard Sean to sell the several potions in his personal vault to the bank.

Those potions had been placed there by Professor Snape with a sneer, just to keep the vault from looking too “poor.”

“We’d be willing to pay a thousand Galleons for them. What do you say?”

While Professor McGonagall was registering something, the goblin, a head shorter than Wizard Sean, tempted him.

Wizard Sean now understood why wizards hated goblins so much. If they tried to buy potions worth at least three thousand Galleons for just a thousand, then Voldemort’s casual murders of such greedy creatures were hardly surprising.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione broke into the Lestrange vault in 1998 to steal Helga Hufflepuff’s cup, already turned into a Horcrux by Voldemort,

Voldemort had once, in a rage, personally killed several goblins working at the bank upon learning of it.

This also indirectly revealed: Magic is power.

Wizard Sean’s thoughts drifted far, for Professor McGonagall had plunged into an ecstatic shopping spree.

He now realized Diagon Alley had three clothing shops. The plain robes required by Hogwarts weren’t only sold at Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.

There was also the higher-quality, higher-priced Elegance Attire, and the cheaper, lower-quality secondhand robe shop.

Now they stood inside Elegance Attire, where Professor McGonagall debated robe styles with the shopkeeper for a long time; the shopkeeper, with his perfectly combed blonde hair, happily promoted his wares, for the professor buying an expensive robe was as effortless as turning a table into a pig.

Snow drifted through the air as a pair of wizards passed before the window.

“Why are we buying only one Owl Cookie? We still have two left.”

The young witch asked, puzzled, holding a neatly wrapped box of cookies.

“Because if we do this, then other children who crave cookies will have one more chance to feel joy and happiness.”

The wizard holding her hand smiled gently.

Inside Elegance Attire, Wizard Sean paused, startled.

Owl Cookie?

Was it the one he thought of?

He gazed toward the end of Diagon Alley, where wizards clustered, shouting:

“Not yet open, limited release...”

Even the snow drifting down from every shopfront seemed to tremble.

Wizard Sean stared at it for a long time, remembering that Weasley & Green’s Joke Shop had already received approval, and the Weasleys had asked him for some Transfiguration Cookies...

The conversation in Elegance Attire had stopped.

“Shall we go take a look?”

Minerva McGonagall lowered her eyes slightly, like a still Black Lake rippling faintly—then the ripples spread into a surging tide.

He was too quiet; people always forgot what a young wizard his age should be like.

Minerva McGonagall had seen a pair of noisy wizards pass by—a very young wizard declaring he must get a cookie today, while Wizard Sean merely watched, from afar.

Before Wizard Sean could react, the professor pulled him away.

At the front of the next shop, wizards crowded together, owls, cats, and toads darting everywhere. Someone shouted: “My cat!”

The wizards instinctively turned to him, unsure which animal he meant.

After finally reaching the front of the queue, they discovered the shop was still closed—only owls were delivering various packages.

Wizard Sean now confirmed: this was indeed the unopened Weasley & Green’s Joke Shop. The Weasleys had long used a “mail-order” model, except their couriers weren’t deliverymen, but wizards’ postal owls.

“Sorry, sorry, today’s quota is sold out. Please come back tomorrow.”

A young witch with a warm demeanor stood at the shop’s entrance, selling something, wearing a green robe and repeatedly apologizing, exhausted.

“I know Ron Weasley. Can I have one?”

At that moment, a young wizard spoke up, his voice neither loud nor soft.

“Ron Weasley?”

The young witch confirmed.

“Yes, yes.”

The young wizard’s eyes lit up; all nearby wizards turned to him, envious.

“May I ask your name?”

The young witch seemed eager.

“Dean, Dean Thomas.”

The young wizard grew excited.

“Alright, Dean Thomas. You’ve missed today’s quota—and tomorrow’s too.”

The young witch seemed to be holding back laughter, her voice trembling.

The young witch seemed to be holding back a laugh, her voice trembling as she spoke.

Dean yelled, as if he might faint; all the wizards around burst into laughter.

The crowd quickly dispersed, buzzing excitedly about the new shop, rumored to be founded by a pair of Hogwarts twins and their friend. The items sold here were novel and amusing—especially their signature Animal Cookie line, which could transform wizards into animals. How fascinating.

Though still unopened, merely pre-selling items, it had already become wildly popular. By the start of the Christmas holiday, it had launched numerous advertisements, stirring hearts with excitement.

Even though it hadn’t opened yet and was only preselling a few items, it quickly became wildly popular. When the Christmas holiday began, it launched numerous advertisements that stirred people’s hearts.