Outside Ollivander's wand shop in Diagon Alley, the elderly wandmaker sent Erwin and Snape off with a wry smile.
Snape cast an odd look at the grinning young wizard beside him.
"You're bound to be a great businessman in the wizarding world."
Erwin caught the slight irony in the professor's tone but didn't particularly care.
He'd just sold one of Velora's tail feathers, which could produce multiple wands, for one hundred Galleons.
More importantly, he'd secured permission to have his custom wand crafted free of charge.
Afterward, Snape escorted Erwin through the rest of his school shopping, helping him acquire everything needed for his first year.
At Erwin's request, the professor brought him to the Leaky Cauldron, where Erwin planned to stay for three days while his wand was being finished.
Without a wand of his own, he needed the proprietor, Old Tom, to open the passage to Diagon Alley each time.
Rather than returning home repeatedly, Erwin decided to remain at the inn until his wand was ready.
After Snape spoke with Old Tom and departed, Erwin headed up to his room.
He tidied the slightly messy space, then sat in the chair beside his bed.
Finally, he had time to check his system.
The moment he'd entered Diagon Alley, notifications had been chiming repeatedly.
With Snape at his side, checking them had been impossible.
Ding. [Achievement system activated.]
Ding. [Congratulations to the host for completing the achievement: Exploring Diagon Alley. Reward: 200 gold coins.]
Several more achievements followed, visiting Gringotts, Ollivander's Wand Shop, and the various other establishments Snape had taken him to.
However, these smaller locations provided modest rewards of fifty gold coins each.
'It seems I'll need to visit every shop eventually. When I'm strong enough, I should also explore Knockturn Alley for more rewards.'
Looking at the gold coins displayed on his system panel, Erwin decided to save enough for a proper spending spree.
After all, someone who'd briefly enjoyed some luck was still fundamentally cursed with bad gacha rates.
Only having a guaranteed pity counter could give him any sense of security.
Drawing everything in one lucky pull? How could such a blessed person exist? Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
****
Three days later, with Old Tom's help, Erwin successfully entered Diagon Alley once more.
During his stay at the Leaky Cauldron, he'd gotten to know the elderly proprietor quite well through a combination of calm demeanor and conversational skills.
Over those three days, Erwin had also caught sight of Harry Potter.
The entire bar had erupted when the Boy Who Lived appeared, every patron staring at him with the excitement of devoted fans.
Erwin had only glanced from a distance, spotting the rather thin boy standing beside Hagrid.
He hadn't approached, though.
After all, the formula that Harry 'equals trouble' would hold true for the next seven years.
Erwin didn't want to establish any connection with him.
His surname was already sensitive enough; Old Dumbledore might already be watching him.
Arriving in Diagon Alley, Erwin headed straight for Ollivander's wand shop and pushed open the door.
"Mr. Gaunt, welcome back."
Ollivander greeted him with visible exhaustion.
The wandmaker appeared to have been working overtime these past three days.
"Come here, Mr. Gaunt. These wands are my work over the last seventy-two hours. They all have phoenix tail feather cores, though the lengths and woods vary. Let's see which chooses you."
Despite his weariness, Ollivander's eyes gleamed with excitement as he beckoned Erwin forward to try the wands.
"How about this one? Maple, nine inches."
Ollivander handed over a wand.
The moment Erwin grasped it and gave a wave, a red beam shot out and struck the wall, blasting a large hole in the plaster.
"No, no. This wand fits well, but it's far too sensitive."
Adjusting his spectacles, Ollivander retrieved the wand from Erwin's hand, turned, and selected another.
"Try this one. Mahogany, thirteen inches, an excellent companion for Transfiguration."
Erwin felt he had no say in the matter and could only accept it.
He waved the wand.
No red light emerged this time, but with that single motion, every wand box in the shop flew into the air.
"Wonderful, wonderful. Both wands are perfect matches for you, yet there's always some slight disagreement."
After a moment's consideration, Ollivander withdrew a red wand that radiated warmth.
"Sycamore wood, ten and a half inches."
Erwin took the wand mechanically, but before he could even wave it, he felt the magic throughout his body grow hot.
Instinctively, he concentrated his magical energy into the wand and raised it high. A phoenix erupted from the tip with a magnificent cry and soared toward the door.
At that precise moment, the shop door swung open and a beautiful girl walked inside.
Seeing the phoenix flying straight toward her, the girl, who hadn't yet processed what was happening, froze in terror.
"No!"
Erwin shouted and jerked his wand to the right.
Fortunately, the magical phoenix seemed to sense his intent and obeyed his command, veering sideways at the last second.
It bypassed the girl and slammed into the wall beside her instead.
BOOM!
Dust billowed as the phoenix vanished.
Without hesitation, Erwin rushed to the girl's side in quick strides and grasped her shoulders.
"I'm so sorry! Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
As he spoke, Erwin found himself looking at the girl properly for the first time.
She was truly beautiful, a delicate oval face with refined features. A pair of expressive eyes, currently filled with fear and confusion, gave her an almost ethereal quality.
****
Cho had come to Diagon Alley today to purchase a wand care kit from Ollivander's.
With both her parents at work, she'd made the trip alone.
She'd never expected that the moment she stepped into the wand shop, a blazing phoenix would come flying directly at her.
Completely unprepared for such a situation, she'd frozen in place, simply watching as the phoenix brushed past her and struck the adjacent wall.
Then a boy had rushed over, looking at her with genuine concern and asking about her condition.
Gradually, she'd begun to recover her wits.
'He's really handsome.'
That was Cho's first coherent thought.
Erwin was naturally attractive, and since his bloodline awakening, subtle changes had elevated his appearance to an even more striking level, though perhaps not quite reaching the legendary handsomeness of the average transmigrator.
"I, I'm fine." Cho regained her composure and noticed his hands still resting on her shoulders.
Two pink spots bloomed on her pale cheeks, making her look even more endearing.
Ollivander observed the scene before him: a handsome boy looking at a beautiful girl with nervous concern, while she responded with shy timidity.
An inexplicable feeling made his stomach feel oddly full, though he distinctly hadn't eaten lunch yet.