The Troubles of the Holy Maiden [Comprehensive]

Chapter 143 Preliminary Exploration of the Wizarding World

For several days, Fran took the little bumpkin Tom all over London, whether it was a museum for storing treasures, or a gypsy alley selling cheap gadgets, whether it was the stately and luxurious Downing Street, or the dilapidated and dirty slums , whether it is the elegant and luxurious Bond Street, or the dirty and crowded bazaars.Britain, where the sun never sets, is the capital of fog shrouded in thick fog. Here, the most noble, the cheapest, the richest, the poorest, the most exquisite, the most chaotic and dirty, the world's most fortunate and unfortunate gather together Here, all the flavors of life are here.

Another day, Fran took Tom out early, got off the car near Westminster, and walked on the street with Tom.

"Fran, where are we going today? Haven't you been to Westminster Abbey?" Tom blinked at Big Ben not far away, and asked Fran.

Fran smiled and said, "Just follow me, I'll take you to a special place today."

The two were walking on the streets of London, and Fran led Tom into Charing Cross Road not far away.Tom looked around obediently, and asked again: "Are we going to visit antique shops and bookstores?"

Charing Cross Road is a street in the Westminster district of central London. The street is famous for its antique shops and antique books. There is also a large public library, the Channing Court Library.

Fran shook her head at Tom with a mysterious smile, and took him by the hand into a dark little shop sandwiched between a big bookstore and a record store.It turned out to be a hotel with a small bar. It was still early at that time, and there were not many customers in the narrow and dirty bar.The boss leaning on the bar was drowsy, and woke up suddenly when he heard the sound of a guest entering the door.

"Cough, you two..." The bar owner rubbed his eyes, looking at the young man and child in a suit coat, top hat, and Muggle upper-class attire in front of him, he didn't know that these two entered the bar by mistake. Muggles, or wizards dressed as Muggles.

"Hi." Fran explained with a polite smile, "I want to take my child to Diagon Alley to do some shopping, but there is something wrong with the Floo network at home, so..."

Little Tom on the side didn't know what happened, but he still held Fran's hand obediently and stood aside, showing a cute smile at the unshaven and dirty bartender.

"Ah, that's it... This is also a common thing." The bartender was almost dazzled by the beautiful looks of one big and one small, and asked very considerately: "Do you still remember the command to open the door?"

"This..." Fulan showed a shy expression, and said embarrassedly: "Because I haven't passed here for a long time, so I can't remember whether I went to the third horizontal two or the second horizontal three."

"Ah, it's okay, don't worry." The bartender came out of the bar with his body supported, and said a little courteously: "I will take you this time, and you can come by yourself next time."

Fran tightened Tom's grip and followed the bartender to a brick wall in the small patio behind the bar.The bartender pulled out an old wand and tapped it regularly on the brick wall a few times. After a while, the dirty and damp brick wall in front of him started to move as if alive, and separated from both sides.

What appeared in front of several people was a lively and bustling street.

'this! ! ! Tom's face remained motionless, and he clenched Fran's hand suddenly.

"Ha, it's almost Christmas, and there are more people shopping in Diagon Alley than usual, please take care of this little gentleman." The bartender reminded with a smile.

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"Fran, where is this?" Looking at the dazzling magical shop, Tom asked in a low voice.

"Diagon Alley, a commercial street for wizards." Fran said simply.

"Wizards? Are they all the same people as me?" Tom looked curiously at the passers-by in all kinds of loose robes, and the passers-by looked back curiously at him in Muggle attire.

"Correct."

"Why...why are they looking at us?" Tom asked with some unease.

Fran smiled and nodded to the wizards who were peeping at them, and pulled Tom to walk unhurriedly, without feeling uncomfortable at all being under the spotlight.

"Because the wizarding world is very exclusive, we are not dressed as wizards but ordinary people, so they are curious about our strange costumes. Just like on days other than Halloween, you can't help but look at people wearing wizard robes Same." Fran replied with a smile.

Little Tom pouted: "I wouldn't do that, it's too rude." Although he said so, Little Tom's eyes were still attracted by this novel world, and a pair of eyes was simply not enough.

"Don't worry." Fran patted the top of Tom's head, motioning him to look at a tall white building in front of him: "Let's go exchange some currency in the wizarding world first, and then go shopping where you want to go. You 11 You will come to the wizarding world to go to school after the age of [-], and you will probably get tired of visiting Diagon Alley by then."

"go to school?"

"Yes." A little nostalgia flashed in Fran's eyes: "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where most young wizards in Britain learn the basics of magic."

Gringotts Wizarding Bank is a bank in the wizarding world. This is a bank run by goblins. It claims to be the safest place in the world after Hogwarts. It is said that there is an old dragon guarding the safety of the bank vault underground.Fran exchanged gold for some wizards' currencies, opened an account for Tom, and deposited a lot of pocket money.

The most important thing to come to Diagon Alley is that in addition to giving Tom a preliminary understanding of the wizarding world, Fran also needs to buy a local wand. Although most of the magic of wizards, Fran can do it silently. Casting without a wand, but using a wand can improve the power and accuracy of casting spells, and make her look more normal.

Adhering to the principle of doing important things first, Fran took little Tom to the wand shop in Diagon Alley—Ollivander Wand Shop.

Little Tom stood in front of what looked like a dilapidated building, reading the sign on the store: "Ollivander's Wand Shop, founded in 382 BC... Fran, is this true? This store has been opened Over 2000 years?"

Fran smiled and replied, "Well...it's been open for a long time. I don't know if there's 2000." The owner of the wand shop, a young man sitting on a high stool raised his head. His face was just ordinary, but he had a pair of special eyes that were almost silver.

"Hello, how can I help you?" The young man jumped off the stool and greeted Fran and the others.

"Hi." Fran nodded politely, and explained why she came: "I want to buy a new wand."

The young man blinked and asked, "Where's your previous wand? Is it damaged?"

Fran nodded and admitted: "Yes, due to some accidents, the damage was serious, and it was judged to be irreparable."

"Is that so." The young man took out a thick account book and asked, "Did you buy your wand from my father? By the way, what's your name?"

Fran explained with a smile: "Frank Riddle. Unfortunately, I have been in the United States before, and the wand was also bought in the United States."

"No wonder." The young Mr. Ollivander smiled proudly: "The production of wands in the United States really needs to be improved, but don't worry, our wands are the best in Europe, and many foreigners come here to buy them. What?" He closed the account book in his hand and asked, "Then Mr. Riddle, what was the material of your previous wand?"

Fran had never used the small wooden sticks used by wizards at all, so how could she know what kind of material it was.She thought about it, and decided to borrow the material of Merlin's staff: "It's English oak and dragon's heart tendon. The length is... er, eleven inches."

After hearing Fran's description, Mr. Ollivander climbed directly to the high stacked shelves and pulled out a few small boxes.Looking at the crumbling shelves, Little Tom was really sweating for this gentleman.

"Please try these few!" Ollivander put a stack of boxes on the table.

Fran tried each one next to each other, and didn't feel any big difference, and the power was running smoothly.Just as she was about to buy one at random, Ollivander took away all the wands on the table.

Fran: "???"

"No, it's not right." Ollivander swiftly snatched away all the wands, and ran back to pick at his crumbling crowded shelf.

"Mr. Ollivander, in fact, I just buy a wand and use it." Fran couldn't help but suggest.

The young master wand maker turned his head abruptly, staring straight at Fran with slightly strange silver eyes, and said firmly: "Buying a wand is a lifelong event, and you can't just do it casually. You don't understand, it's the wand that chooses the wizard! The attitude is wrong, too American!"

"Ah? Ah...really?" Fran was taken aback by the sudden harsh instruction, and then heard the opposite chattering: "Oak wood, dragon heart tendon...Actually, I think you may not be suitable for the two materials, As a person grows, the right wand sometimes changes, do you want to try something else?"

Fran frowned slightly, not wanting to waste time choosing the wand. She closed her eyes, released her magic power slightly, and began to feel the resonance of the wand and her own magic power... After a while, Fran opened her eyes and said, "Olivan Mr. De, please give me a try on the third one on the next column on your left."

Ollivander was taken aback, pulled out the box Fran mentioned, climbed down and asked, "Is this the one you're talking about?"

Fran nodded, took the wand, and waved lightly, brilliant sparks jumped from the top of the wand.

"This is unbelievable!" Ollivander said with his eyes wide open, "It fits perfectly, but..."

"But what?" Fran asked.

Ollivander tilted his head and became a little confused: "But this wand is made of holly wood, while your previous wand was made of oak. The properties of these two materials are very different. You know, there is an ancient British superstition : 'If the owner of the oak wand met the owner of the holly wand, their union would be foolish.'【1】However, the holly is the tree that replaces the oak as the king of the forest after the summer solstice, and perhaps this is also a wonderful fate."

After finishing speaking, Ollivander introduced: "The body of this wand is made of holly wood, and the core is the tail feathers of a phoenix. Only two tail feathers of a phoenix can be used as the core, which is a very rare material. Both materials represent combat, protection, fighting against evil, and death and rebirth. However, holly wood is not suitable for making wands with phoenix tail feathers, but this wonderful combination has unexpectedly succeeded. "

Fran put the wand back into the box and said, "Then please give me this."

Ollivander nodded, then leaned slightly to look at Tom who had been looking around quietly and curiously, and asked, "Does this little gentleman want to see his future wand in advance?"

"Eh? Can you?" Tom turned to look at Fran.

Fran smiled and asked Ollivander, "This young man is not yet six years old. Can he choose a wand now?"

Ollivander emphasized mysteriously: "It is the wand that chooses the owner. Some wands are destined to belong to one person from birth."

Fran looked at Tom's eager expression and said with a smile, "Then please let our little wizard try and see if he can find your destined partner?"

Ollivander looked between Fran and Tom, and suddenly asked, "Are Mr. Riddle and Mr. Riddle Jr. father and son or brothers?"

Fran froze for a moment before explaining, "It's uncle and nephew."

"That's it..." Ollivander nodded, and suddenly turned around and pulled out a box from the shelf, saying, "Maybe, you can try this." He opened the box, bent down and handed it to Tom.

"Little Mr. Riddle, try this."

Tom looked at the white wand in the box, and reached for it.

"What a coincidence! Fate in the world is so wonderful!" Ollivander sighed loudly.He looked at Fran and Tom who were a little puzzled, and explained: "Mr. Riddle, your wand and the wand in this little gentleman's wand are both cores of phoenix tail feathers, and these two tail feathers come from the same bird." Phoenix, don’t you think it’s amazing? Is this the power of blood?”

'Hehe...hell blood power. Fran was amazed, and complained about this magic stick in her heart.

Ollivander leaned over sharply, staring at little Tom so hard that he jumped.I only heard the wand maker at the level of a magic wand say in frustration: "Little Mr. Riddle, this is your wand, thirteen and a half inches, the body of the wand is made of yew, and the inner core is the tail feather of a phoenix. The power is very strong, and you will do great things."

Fran's eyes swept over Little Tom lightly, and felt that the attributes of the wand were related to the attributes of people, and it made sense.Tom is of Slytherin blood, and has inherited part of the blood of Ouroboros.The sap of the yew tree is poisonous. After the old tree on the outer layer dies, new trees will grow from the old tree, which is for "immortality", which is subtly compatible with the attributes of ouroboros.

Just as Ollivander was nagging and fooling the children, the bell in front of the store rang again, and a tall, thin, middle-aged male wizard pushed the door open and entered.

"Good morning, Ollivander, do you have a guest?" The wizard who entered had auburn hair and a beard, and a long hooked nose that was a bit crooked. Although his hair and beard were well-groomed, he could still be seen His appearance can be called handsome and young, and his pair of blue eyes are bright and sharp, full of wisdom and vitality.

"Ah, it's Professor Dumbledore! What's going on today, it's really amazing!" Ollivander said with an exaggerated aria.

Dumbledore who entered the door nodded politely to Fran, and couldn't help being stunned for a moment when he saw Fran's face clearly.Although Fran also noticed the abnormality of this Professor Dumbledore, she returned a reserved and elegant smile without paying much attention.Unexpectedly, the professor looked even more dazed.

Little Tom pouted, a little dissatisfied with the strange man's gaffe, and said hello loudly.

Dumbledore snapped back to his senses, looked at the pretty black-haired little bean standing next to Fran, and showed a kind smile: "Hello, Mr. Little." His eyes turned to Tom who was still holding the With a wand in his hand, he smiled and said, "You are not yet old enough to use a wand, it's too dangerous for you."

Ollivander replied with a smile: "Mr. Riddle came to buy a new wand, Mr. Riddle just came to see his partner in advance." Then, Ollivander put the wand in Tom's hand back into the box , said to Tom: "You can bring it back in five years!" After finishing speaking, Ollivander said to Fran: "Mr. Riddle, this is the professor of transfiguration at Hogwarts, ah! Professor Dumbledore, the wand cores of both you and Mr. Riddle come from Mr. Dumbledore's phoenix. Don't you think it's a coincidence?"

Fran also felt a little surprised, which was too coincidental.Dumbledore on the opposite side blinked and smiled gently, "It's great that Fox's tail feathers found their owner so quickly." Then, Dumbledore took off his hat and performed a wizard's etiquette.

"Albus Dumbledore, nice to meet you!"

Fran returned the greeting with a smile: "Frank Riddle, this is my nephew Tom Riddle, nice to meet you."

"You're not an English wizard, are you?" Dumbledore asked.

"I grew up in the United States. I recently moved back to the UK and am planning to live there for a long time. Today I took my nephew to visit the commercial street of the British wizarding world."

Dumbledore looked at Tom, who was not as tall as anyone's thigh, and asked with a smile: "So Mr. Riddle is going to Hogwarts to go to school?"

"Yes, maybe you will be my professor?" Tom blinked his big black eyes and asked obediently.

"Then, I'll probably teach you Transfiguration." Dumbledore blinked his blue eyes at Tom, and the playful gesture made Tom's skin crawl a little.

After Dumbledore handed over several broken wands to Ollivander for repair, he offered to accompany Fran and the other two "foreigners" who had just arrived in the British wizarding world to visit Diagon Alley.Fran, on the other hand, had a good impression of this gentle, generous and lively male wizard, and did not refuse the company of a local snake guide.After a long time, Fran was deeply impressed by Professor Dumbledore's erudition, wit and humor, and the original [-]-[-] points of favorability became [-]-[-]%.The two got along very well, and they talked very speculatively, with a sense of like-mindedness. In the end, they even exchanged letters and addresses for visits.

After leaving Diagon Alley, Fran, who had purchased a lot of magic supplies and books, sat in the car going home.Fran found it strange that Tom was in a bad mood.

"What's the matter Tom? Didn't you have fun today?" Fran touched the little guy's curly hair and asked worriedly, "Still feeling unwell?"

Tom looked up at Fran with drooping eyelids and said, "I don't like Mr. Dumbledore."

"Why?" Fran was a little surprised, because Dumbledore took care of Tom all the way, and it was obvious that he liked Tom very much.

The boy curled his lips and said in a drawn out voice, "Because he's so likable!"

Fran was speechless, she patted Tom on the head lightly, and scolded with a smile: "What's wrong with you?! Why are you asking so much?"

Seeing the boy's innocent expression, Fran smiled lightly and hugged the little one in her arms: "You...Professor Dumbledore is a very knowledgeable and talented wizard, and he should be one of your future teachers. Get along with him. You can learn a lot. Besides, if you have a good relationship with the teacher, in the future I won’t have to worry about your bad temper causing people to wear shoes for you everywhere in school.”

"Where do I have it?" said little Tom puffed up.

"Still?" Fran pinched Tom's nose and said with a smile, "You, you don't like Mrs. Cole, you don't like Sebastian, you don't like the maid who takes care of you, you don't like the tour guide in London two days ago , I don’t like Mr. Ollivander and Professor Dumbledore today... tell me who do you like?"

Tom put his arms around Fran's waist and said sweetly, "I like you."

Fran rubbed Tom's hair and helped him sit upright: "You are so good at teasing at such a young age, please sit down quickly."

Back at Riddle Manor, as soon as he got out of the car, the butler Sebastian greeted him with his maid.Fran has gotten used to seeing the devil brand brown candy as soon as she gets home, and she can already use this follower as a room pendant.

"Master, regarding the young master's tutor, the candidate information has been sorted out, when do you plan to review it?" Sebastian asked respectfully.

"After dinner, put the materials in the study first."

The author has something to say: [1] Information on the official website of pottermore

Hahaha and...fake double play, I want to make a big event~

small theater:

Fran: Tom, do you have any requirements for tutors?

Tom: Request?

Fran: It's like looks, personality, skills, etc.

Tom: In terms of appearance, it's better to be ordinary, older, and a lady.

Fran: ...

Tom: Personality, don't be too likable.

Fran: ...

Tom: It doesn't matter if you are good at it, you just choose according to what you see.

Fran: ...Tom, I think your aesthetic is a little off.

Tom:?

Fran: So, would a normal little boy hope that his governess is a middle-aged woman with an ordinary appearance and an unpleasant personality?

Sebastian: Ahem, master, I think the young master may have an Oedipus complex.

Tom: ... (I just don't want another daydreaming butterfly!!!)