"If you master Transfiguration, then your wand can become your paintbrush," Mr. Ollivander added. "A paintbrush you'll find incredibly easy to use."
"Of course, though I say that, it's actually the wand that chooses the Wizard."
After leaving the wand shop, Ethan stood on the street, stroking the hornbeam wand in his hand.
It emitted a faint glow in the sunlight, its horizontal grain filled with golden light, looking very fitting. At a glance, it was clearly meant for a benevolent wizard. It couldn't be more perfectly suited for him.
Ethan nodded in satisfaction and put away his wand.
Next, Ethan planned to buy his other school supplies.
Following the map, Ethan found a place called "The Junk Shop." A note next to its entry on the map indicated that the shop sold various second-hand items, including old books, wobbly old scales, and chipped cauldrons. Right next to it was a second-hand robe shop, so he could buy both at once.
The Junk Shop was located on the south side of Diagon Alley, and Ethan ambled towards it.
The warm sunlight spilled onto his face, making his features appear even fairer and more handsome, earning him many appreciative glances along the way. He was indeed a striking figure, and a silent consensus seemed to form among the passersby: What a lovely child!
The Daily Prophet's office was also located on the south side. Wizards in formal attire entered and exited, most with shorthand notebooks floating beside them, recording incessantly, appearing very busy.
Ethan's gaze had originally just swept over casually. However, after noticing a figure, he abruptly stopped.
Standing next to the main entrance of The Daily Prophet was a slender girl. In fact, it was hard for passersby not to notice her. She had long, wavy, light blonde hair, and two large radish ornaments dangled from her ears. She wore brightly colored, oddly styled clothes and pointed shoes that looked like boats and carried a stack of magazines in her arms. She stood there quietly, a detached expression on her beautiful, serene face. Passersby moved in front of her, yet she didn't seem to truly see them, like a ghost from beyond this world.
— Luna?! When did she arrive?!
Seeing a character from the original story, Ethan couldn't help but walk forward. Just as he was about to greet her, he caught sight of a small tuft of hair sticking up on Luna's head and blurted out:
"Why is your head so pointy?"
Luna turned her head calmly, her detached grey-blue eyes landing on him, and she offered a fleeting smile:
"Then let me ask you."
"Do you know about the Gringotts break-in a while ago—to be precise, nothing was stolen."
Ethan collected himself. Although he didn't know why she brought up this topic, he humored her: "Yes, I'm aware." He remembered that Lord Voldemort had attempted to steal the Philosopher's Stone, stored in Vault 713, to restore his body. But he failed because the Philosopher's Stone had already been retrieved by Hagrid before he broke in.
"Actually," Luna suddenly leaned closer to him, her wide, grey-blue eyes. She said mysteriously:
"The Goblins did it."
?
Ethan's eyebrows shot up.
"They were just holding their 77th grand assembly," Luna explained. "They dug tunnels and invaded from underground, which is why Gringotts didn't discover them."
Luna's large eyes stared unblinkingly at Ethan, her ethereal voice amplifying the absurdity of her words.
Ethan paused, then asked with interest: "So, what do Goblin assemblies do?"
"Of course, they're preparing to resurrect their master," Luna said with certainty. "The Goblin ruler was defeated by humans a long time ago, and now they're trying to resurrect him by any means necessary to restore the Goblins' status."
"Look," Luna pointed to the small tuft of hair tied on her head, "this is the Goblin tribal language, and it means 'Your plan has failed! Go away!'"
…It sounds so much like a Goblin version of the "Lord Voldemort Resurrection Plan"!
Ethan composed himself. Looking at the earnest Luna in front of him, he said sincerely: "I think you're absolutely right."
"Unfortunately, when real danger strikes, those people will only say, 'Perhaps we should have done something, but it's too late now.'"
A cynical glint appeared in Ethan's eyes. This indifferent attitude infuriated him, making him eager to do something. Like… making them truly regret "what they should have done" earlier.
On the other side, hearing Ethan's words, Luna's eyes widened slightly in surprise. It wasn't a perfunctory agreement. This strange boy genuinely thought what she said made a lot of sense. She tilted her head, carefully observing Ethan. Her gaze swept over his thin clothes without lingering—or rather, she hadn't focused on them from the start.
Luna looked directly into his cobalt blue eyes. Calm, peaceful, like two brilliant, unyielding gems. Yet, deep within them, a fierce, fire-like vitality and an endless power of resistance pulsed.
Luna's eyes curved, and she gave a joyful, deer-like smile, which immediately made her face come alive. She felt certain she could become good friends with Ethan.
"My name is Luna Lovegood. I'm starting Hogwarts next year, and I'm here promoting The Quibbler, a magazine published by my family." Luna said cheerfully, extending her hand to Ethan while presenting the stack of magazines in her arms. The cover featured twisted, ugly faces of Gringotts Goblins. It looked as if the two sides were vying for an "Ugliest Contest."
Promoting The Quibbler at the entrance of The Daily Prophet. Very good, very spirited.
"My name is Ethan Vincent," Ethan said, shaking Luna's hand openly and smiling, "I'm starting Hogwarts this year, and I love to draw."
Unconsciously, the two began walking side by side.
Luna skipped along beside Ethan, accompanying him to the junk shop, enthusiastically helping him choose items.
"Hey, these scales must be able to weigh the true weight of things—because when you weigh The Daily Prophet with them, the weight shown is zero."
Luna said, then turned her head and saw Ethan stopped in front of a shelf. What met Ethan's eyes was an entire box of paints. They hadn't been well-preserved; most were shriveled, and various colors of paint were solidified on the box, making it look very messy. Using them for painting would surely prevent him from displaying his original skill.
But then again,
The price was relatively cheap. Only 9 Silver Sickles and 21 Bronze Knuts.
Ethan bit his lip, his fingers fumbling with his coins. He longed to transform the black-and-white world of sketching into color. Nine Silver Sickles, not expensive. Though the quality wasn't good, he needed a box of paints... However, with paints, he would also need corresponding drawing paper... Hmm, that would be another expense...
Ethan wrestled with his thoughts, calculating his scholarship funds, wishing he could split each coin in two to spend. Just as he steeled himself and reached for the box of paints, determined to seize them, Luna spoke from beside him:
"Do you want paints? Then would you like to draw illustrations for The Quibbler? We'll provide you with paints."
"Oh, and drawing paper and such, if you need them."
!!
Ethan spun around, meeting Luna's clear and sparkling eyes.
***
(End of Chapter)
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