[Loan: Qilin (Annual Loan)]
[Repayment Period: 365 days]
[Loan Content: Obtain a Qilin]
[Loan Task: Use the Philosopher's Stone to brew a potion.]
[Evaluation: Qilin, an auspicious creature from Eastern legend that wards off evil spirits, breathes fire, treads on clouds, and breaks through spatial restrictions and magical barriers.]
[Note: In the current world, those chosen by the Qilin are regarded as natural-born leaders.]
A Qilin... a divine beast-level creature. Having such a pet would definitely be better than some round-faced fat chicken or Niffler!
The task was to use the Philosopher's Stone to brew a potion, but it didn't specify what kind of potion. Well, in his first year at Hogwarts, there would be an opportunity to come into contact with the Philosopher's Stone.
Anyway, he just needed to keep an eye on that Harry Potter kid... finding the Philosopher's Stone wouldn't be a problem. He remembered that Dumbledore liked prophecy stuff and had definitely arranged for Harry to obtain the Philosopher's Stone.
Could he find a way to get it first? After all, researching how to use the Philosopher's Stone to brew potions would take time.
[Do you wish to take out this loan?]
"Yes."
Leo directly chose to accept. Both being annual loans, he felt this task was much simpler than perfectly mastering Transfiguration.
First, because he knew the path to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, he had already solved the biggest difficulty of the task. Second, the task didn't require brewing any specific potion. In other words, even brewing a cold remedy with the Philosopher's Stone would work.
However, that would be somewhat wasteful. Well, he'd first brew a simple potion to guarantee completion and repay the loan. If conditions permitted, he could try brewing some higher-end potions.
The Philosopher's Stone could turn stones to gold and grant immortality... he wondered if he could brew related potions...
Seeing that Leo hadn't chosen a pet after a long time, Professor McGonagall enquired, "Nothing you want?"
Leo nodded. There really wasn't any pet here that caught his fancy, and now he had the divine beast Qilin anyway.
"Then you can skip buying one for now. Not all young wizards have pets in their first year. Let's go to the last stop now... the one you've been looking forward to, Flourish and Blotts."
Hearing Professor McGonagall's words, Leo's eyes lit up. Flourish and Blotts was a famous bookshop in the wizarding world, selling a large number of magical books.
"Great, Professor."
Inside Flourish and Blotts, Leo moved between rows of bookshelves, constantly pulling out books and stuffing them into his arms.
"'Basic Introduction to Transfiguration'... a must have!"
"'Recognising Potions for Beginners'... useful, buy it!"
"'Encyclopaedia of Beginning Charms'... blindly buying!"
"...Buy, buy them all!"
Seeing the books in Leo's arms rapidly piling up, Professor McGonagall opened her mouth to remind him that newly enrolled young wizards generally didn't need to buy so many books.
First, the amount of basic magical knowledge was quite substantial, enough for young wizards to study for one or even two years. Second, young wizards of this age tended to be rather playful... those who could persist in reading ten pages were considered to have perseverance. Bought books usually just piled up gathering dust.
But thinking of Leo's extraordinary talent, McGonagall felt he really could quickly digest these books.
"Leo looks like a good child who loves learning... he'll definitely read seriously."
Professor McGonagall glanced at the money pouch at Leo's waist, which was bulging. "Besides, he's not someone short of money."
With books piled too high, Leo could only turn his head sideways to look at the bookshelf.
"Guide to Caring for Magical Creatures"? Just right... he had a Qilin to raise and needed to learn relevant knowledge. Only one copy left... buy it!
Leo reached out and grabbed the book. The other side of the book was simultaneously grasped by a small hand.
"Ahem, I grabbed this book first. Could you please let go?"
A childish but somewhat imperious voice sounded beside Leo. Hmm, somewhat polite, but only somewhat.
Let me see who dares to compete with me for books?
Leo turned his head to look. The owner of the voice was a pale-skinned little girl with thick brown hair. She had brown eyes of the same colour, but most prominent were those large front teeth, making her look like a little rabbit.
She also had a pile of books in her arms, though not as tall as Leo's stack.
"Hello, miss. May I ask who you are?"
Leo showed a polite smile... this was proper family upbringing. But his hand gripping the book didn't loosen at all.
Looking at Leo's handsome smiling face and those deep, dark green eyes like a deep pool that could attract one's soul, the little girl blushed slightly but still raised her head, her tone becoming somewhat gentler:
"Hermione, Hermione Granger."
Who? Leo was stunned for a moment. Of course he knew the name Hermione... the big sister of the main trio. He'd already encountered someone from the protagonist group, and so quickly too.
But he remembered Hermione as being a delicate little girl, like a porcelain doll. Who was this one with little rabbit teeth? Could it be that this world wasn't following the movie settings but the novel descriptions instead? Or was it a mix of both?
Seeing Leo not speaking, just staring at her in a daze, Hermione suddenly pressed her lips together and unnaturally lowered her head.
"Uh, sorry, seeing you reminded me of a friend. You both have beautiful brown hair. I'm Leonardo, Leonardo Grafton."
Hearing Leo's words, Hermione quietly breathed a sigh of relief. So he wasn't looking at my front teeth... he was actually complimenting my hair?
Hermione's fingers gripping the book suddenly loosened. Leo took advantage to pull away the "Guide to Caring for Magical Creatures".
Noticing the book moving in her hand, Hermione instinctively tightened her grip again. Just as the two were about to fall into a standoff...
"Miss Granger, did you find any books you like?"
A short woman wearing a hat with heavy patches walked up behind Hermione.
"Ah, Professor Sprout, I, I'm still looking."
Sprout? Leo looked at this woman with flowing grey hair who was now looking kindly at the two young wizards.
"Pomona?"
Professor McGonagall, hearing the voice, also came over and saw her colleague, Pomona Sprout. Head of Hufflepuff House and Herbology professor.
"What a coincidence, Minerva. Is this the young wizard you're guiding?"
Sprout nodded toward Leo.
"Yes, he's Leonardo Grafton. A very talented young wizard."
Hearing McGonagall's introduction, Sprout was somewhat surprised. She knew this colleague she'd worked with for many years... her teaching style was very strict, and she rarely praised a young wizard so directly, especially one who hadn't even enrolled yet.
Sprout looked at Leo again, smiling as she said: "I can tell... definitely a good child who loves reading."
Seeing Leo holding so many books, Sprout kindly reminded: "First-year young wizards actually don't need to buy so many. You should also leave yourself some pocket money."
Hearing this, Leo had no particular reaction... who told him to have a heavy money pouch? But Hermione's body stiffened, and her hand gripping the "Guide to Caring for Magical Creatures" shrank back.
She had already spent quite a bit of her exchanged Galleons, and her family wasn't wealthy enough to use gold to exchange for more Galleons.
Seeing this, Leo directly pulled the book away and piled it in his arms. In front of knowledge, what need was there for courtesy? What girl could be more fragrant than knowledge?