Chapter 12: The Strongest Prophet!

About three hours later…

Ian had already completed most of his school shopping under Snape's guidance.

The list of required items for first-year students at Hogwarts wasn't particularly extensive. Apart from the necessary textbooks, he only needed to purchase some equipment for Potions and Herbology.

Three plain work robes. A plain, pointed hat for daytime wear. A pair of protective gloves—any material similar to dragon hide would suffice.

The gloves Snape purchased for Ian were made from Hungarian Horntail dragon hide—exceedingly expensive but top-tier in terms of protection.

Since Ian had not a single Galleon to his name, he had no say in the selection of his gear. He could only watch as Snape spent his own money to purchase the necessary supplies.

To be honest, although Ian had handed over most of his savings to Ms. Elena to help his siblings survive the winter, he had still kept a decent amount of British pounds for himself. His original plan was to exchange them for wizarding currency at Gringotts, but Snape showed no intention of taking him there.

Thus, Ian was left holding completely useless Muggle money while Snape unilaterally decided on all his school purchases.

Curiously, many of Snape's purchases deviated from the standard list—leaning toward the luxurious and high-end.

Whenever Ian wanted to question something, Snape would cut him off with his signature sarcastic retorts, shutting down any further inquiries.

"Expensive things are expensive for a reason."

As a soon-to-be first-year student, Ian lacked the confidence to argue with Snape and could only watch as his school supplies were meticulously selected.

However, the more Snape paid for, the more suspicious Ian became. The Snape he knew—the one from reputation—was not known for being this generous or responsible.

After all, as many fanfictions had pointed out, while Snape might be an exceptional wizard, he was far from an ideal Hogwarts professor. His blatant favoritism toward Slytherins and open hostility toward other houses—bordering on discrimination—had made him one of the most controversial figures in the school.

Yet, during this shopping trip, beyond his relentless sarcasm, Snape had shown an undeniable level of dedication to Ian's education.

The best cauldron money could buy. Top-quality robes and gloves. Even the textbooks were brand new, full-price editions—not second-hand or discounted copies.

Clearly, this was beyond what Hogwarts' financial aid could possibly cover.

Ian, who had a solid grasp of basic economics, knew that if Hogwarts' scholarships were this generous, the school would be generating a massive economic impact in the wizarding world every year.

"There's no way Hogwarts is this rich."

Ian's reasoning wasn't baseless.

If the school truly provided such generous financial aid, then Harry Potter's best friend, Ron Weasley, wouldn't have been so impoverished.

Think about it—by his second year, Ron was still using his older brother's hand-me-down wand.

Would that have happened if Hogwarts' financial aid were so abundant?

His younger sister, Ginny, had started her first year with second-hand books and supplies. The Weasleys were a pure-blood family; they should have been eligible for Hogwarts' aid. If they were still relying on second-hand materials, it could only mean that financial assistance wasn't enough to afford brand-new items.

Besides, the Weasleys were the kind of family that would immediately go on vacation if they won the lottery—only to return home completely broke. It was reasonable to assume that their children's school expenses were primarily covered by financial aid.

If a poor wizarding family could only afford second-hand books with their scholarship, then logically, an orphan like Ian should be in a similar position.

And yet…

Every single thing Snape bought for him was top-tier.

This raised a rather unsettling question: What exactly did Snape owe him to justify such extravagant spending?

If his parents weren't already dead, Ian would have been tempted to check whether they had left him some mysterious, undisclosed inheritance.

"Professor… is Hogwarts really this committed to excellence?"

Ian couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. When Snape casually purchased a limited edition telescope for him, Ian finally spoke up.

"As a student, you should focus on how to absorb as much knowledge as possible at Hogwarts," Snape replied, his expression unreadable. "Rather than wasting time overanalyzing things that are ultimately irrelevant."

With that, he coldly watched Ian pack his belongings before striding toward their next and final stop—Ollivanders.

Ollivanders Wand Shop.

This was arguably the most important stop on any Hogwarts student's journey. The only proper wand shop in all of Diagon Alley—perhaps in all of Britain. A place that no magical traveler, let alone a new student, could afford to miss.

The shop's sign was worn and weathered by time, its small, shabby storefront hardly befitting the legendary establishment it was.

Compared to the grandeur of Gringotts or the elegance of Flourish and Blotts, Ollivanders seemed completely unremarkable.

And yet…

This was one of the few places even Voldemort had never dared to challenge.

A monopoly so absolute that it had remained unchanged for centuries—like the great aristocratic families, whose influence endured despite the shifting tides of history.

"This is the final stop."

Snape had been uncharacteristically generous with his money, but his words remained sharp and concise.

Ian had been waiting for this moment with a mix of anticipation and nervous excitement. As he gazed up at the shop's faded sign, a strange feeling stirred within him—one that he couldn't quite put into words.

And who could blame him?

After all, apart from Harry Potter himself and the stunningly beautiful Hermione Granger, this shop held one of the greatest mysteries in the wizarding world.

The entire Harry Potter story was entangled with prophecy.

But Ollivanders? Ollivanders was the single most terrifying oracle of them all.

Compared to this place, other prophecies—whether about the Dark Lord's downfall or Dumbledore's fate—were mere child's play.

Because in both the books and fan theories, Ollivanders' wands had always foretold the future.

A wand had marked Voldemort's greatest mistake.

A wand had foreshadowed Dumbledore's inevitable death.

Ollivander himself had uttered what might be the most chilling prophecy in this world—one that determined the fates of even the most powerful wizards.

The wand chooses the wizard.

A truth so inescapable that not even Harry Potter himself could avoid it.

If Garrick Ollivander wasn't some kind of supernatural prophet, Ian would be the first to stand up and call bullshit.

Because let's be honest…

If your very first line in the story is a prophecy that literally predicts everything that follows, who could possibly outmatch you as a seer?