Apocalypse: I Can Enter Hogwarts

After saying sorry to himself and bidding farewell to Mr. Ollivander, who seemed a little disappointed, Ian quietly left the wand shop and prepared to go to the second stop of his plan, Flourish and Blotts.

This bookstore, which has a very high attendance rate and popularity, gave Ian the first impression that it was a special and magical store. Standing in front of the door, you will be attracted by an elegant yet profound atmosphere, which makes people walk in involuntarily.

There was a fascinating oak smell in the store, mixed with the light ink fragrance unique to books. The two barren magical ornamental plants on the shelf at the door only contributed the scent of moist soil. The lights in the room were a little dim.

The warm morning sunlight shines through the old wooden window frames of the bookstore, jumping onto row after row of bookshelves. At the corner, the golden sunlight is broken and scattered on the bronze lampshade. The lampshade with spots of mold and a little rust seems to be telling the past of this bookstore.

Moreover, Flourish and Blotts Bookstore also has its own exclusive Easter eggs. If you hang out here before school starts, you will basically run into Miss Beaver. If you put this time in 1991, there is a certain probability of triggering the "capture" mechanism.

…

"Welcome to Flourish and Blotts. Do you need to buy Hogwarts textbooks? For 4th grade? For 5th grade? There are complete sets of textbooks packaged over there. Or do you need to buy individual books? The textbooks are all over here, and the other books are on the shelf in the back."

The bookstore manager was a middle-aged man who looked greasy and fat. His slightly sunken eye sockets showed that he was not a native of England.

As he introduced the books to Ian, he pointed at the two rows of bookshelves in front of him. Perhaps because there was still one day before school started, the textbooks were still placed in the most conspicuous place in the bookstore.

"Thank you sir, but I'll take a look first. I'll call you if I need anything."

A bookstore is like this. Ian can look around and wander around without any concern and search for the books he needs.

Looking at the textbook bookshelf in front of me filled with all kinds of books, "A History of Magic", "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", "The Standard Book of Spells. Elementary, Second, Third, Fourth...", "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi", "Magic Medicinal Potions and Liquids", "The Dark Arts: A Guide to Self-Defense"...

After a quick browse and deep thought, Ian chose to buy only two books, "Standard Spells. Elementary" and "Elementary Transfiguration Guide".

Although he was also very interested in "Magic Pharmacies and Potions", he had to give it up reluctantly when he thought about the living environment in the apocalypse and the fact that he did not need high-end items like potions for the time being.

A book is not about breadth but depth. "Controlling input" is a habit that Ian has maintained for a long time in his previous life. Reducing the intake of upstream information is the necessary way to have a clear mind.

Of course, he would not say that he chose these two books that could transform his strength right now because he had to pay back Old Tom and that 15 Galleons really couldn't buy much.

Even so, the two books cost a huge sum of nearly 5 Galleons. These are popular science books for beginners. If you want to learn knowledge in the wizarding world, you have to pay a price.

It's not that Ian didn't consider second-hand books, but because he was not accompanied by the Hogwarts faculty and staff, he didn't know whether some second-hand books were missing pages or words.

There are also some notes and doodles on books. If he has a teacher, these notes can help him quickly apply what he has learned to other areas. But if he doesn't have a teacher, these notes may become an obstacle for him because no one can judge whether the notes are correct.

To sum up, for various reasons, Ian finally chose to buy a new book. It is a bit more expensive, but it is safer.

"Safety first, safety first. The pain is only a moment, but safety is a lifetime."

While comforting himself, he reluctantly took out five Galleons that were still warm to pay the bill.

After completing these two top priorities, confirming the wand and purchasing the books, Ian lost interest in other shopping. He immediately quickened his pace and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron.

…

After pushing open the door of the bar, greeting Old Tom, and taking out 3 Galleons to pay for the previous week's food and accommodation, Ian wanted to return to his room in the attic.

After all, new books are bought for learning, not decoration. So I didn't notice the old Tom who was hesitant to speak behind me.

Looking at the two books in Ian's hands, Old Tom hesitated for a moment, as if he had decided something, and suddenly spoke.

"Ian, wait, I think we need to talk."

Hearing this, Ian turned around. He still respected Old Tom very much and was grateful for the other party's taking him in, so since the other party had asked for it, he couldn't just ignore it.

"Although I don't know what happened to you, nor do I understand what you have experienced in your own country. However, I still want to say that you should go to school at your age now, instead of doing odd jobs in Diagon Alley..."

"Merlin's socks. I've wanted to say this for a long time, but you looked a little horrified when you first came. But when I saw the books you chose to buy after earning money, I became more and more sure that it was time to talk about it. As for the school, I will write to Professor McGonagall. Oh, she is the deputy headmaster of Hogwarts, a very kind lady. If I'm lucky, I will get a reply this afternoon."

Old Tom seemed to have thought of something and added:

"As for tuition and books, you don't need to worry. Hogwarts will provide a long-term interest-free loan to students who are unable to afford it to help you complete your studies. You only need to pay it back within three years after graduation."

Go to school? To be honest, Ian did consider it when he first came here, but he had no communication channels or connections as he was new here, so he gave up the idea for the time being.

Most of the time, people are thinking about making money to buy supplies to bring back to the end of the world. Food is the most important thing for people, and only when they are full and alive can they do other things.

Moreover, firstly, he didn't have an admission letter, and secondly, his obviously older body was also a problem.

He probably can't go to the first grade, but he doesn't have any foundation. If he goes to the senior grade, he will probably just listen to nonsense and muddle through.

Instead of doing this, it is better to earn some money and save it to buy enough survival supplies.

As for magic, the worst that can happen is that I can just pay others to teach me later. I think most of the students at Hogwarts will not refuse this easy pocket money.

As the saying goes, when you are sleepy, a pillow is given to you. Since Old Tom is willing to help write the letter, Ian is very happy to communicate with this upright and selfless deputy dean about the admission issue.

When he first read the original novel, he liked Professor McGonagall very much. Her ability, character and temperament were all impeccable.

"Thank you very much! I had nothing before, so I never thought about going to school. It would be great if I could get a student loan."

Ian didn't say much, he just briefly explained his reasons based on the fact that he had no money.

"Ha, I thought it was something else. If that was the case, you should have told me long ago. But it's not too late now. After all, it's only August 30th. There's still time. I'll write the letter now. You can go and rest first. I'll call you when I get a reply."

Old Tom was also speaking happily at this moment. After all, as an elder, seeing the new generation of children's desire to learn always makes people happy, doesn't it?

After Ian returned to the room, he put the books he bought on the bed. He did not choose to read immediately, but sat on the edge of the bed and thought deeply.

After all, studying for a while doesn't matter, but what's next is meeting Professor McGonagall and facing Dumbledore, which is a very important thing.

"Sometimes, to justify one lie, you need to use countless lies to cover it up. This is actually not a big deal. The most important thing is my future life pattern at Hogwarts. The plot will not follow it at all, but how to use foresight to seek benefits is something I need to think about carefully..."