Returning to Diagon Alley, it was as lively as it was in the morning, but without the stern presence of Professor McGonagall, the Grey family relaxed a lot and found shopping much more fun.
The Grey family almost visited every shop in earnest—oh, except for the one selling animal guts and eyeballs. As soon as they entered, they saw a giant, rolling eyeball, and Fiona was so frightened she screamed and ran out immediately.
Ferdinand bought some exquisite magic creations, like a broom that sweeps automatically, a golden little bird that can fly around, and a talking Wizard's Chess. He repeatedly confirmed with the shop assistant that there was absolutely no "dangerous" or "harmful" magic attached to these items.
Vid spent over an hour in the bookstore, with too many books he wanted to buy. But considering there's only a month until school starts and surely there'd be more books at Hogwarts, he finally picked just a few he wanted most—"Ordinary Spells and Countermeasures", "Healing Manual", and "Ancient Magical Language Introduction".
He also bought two quills that can write automatically, though the shop assistant warned him that these quills aren't suitable for homework because they'll meticulously record every thought in their owner's mind onto the parchment, and even those specially trained might accidentally write something mortifying.
Walking out of the bookstore with his new books, Vid saw his parents sitting beside a street ice cream stall enjoying ice cream. Ferdinand was holding a golden owl cage, inside which crouched a particularly robust little guy, drawing circles with its head.
"Dad, did you buy another owl?" Vid asked.
"That's right." Ferdinand laughed, "Considering you'll definitely bring your owl to school, how would your mom and I send you letters? I heard Muggle post offices can't deliver to Hogwarts, so we bought one too. And he's called General Bad, a dignified little fellow."
Vid bent down to greet it, "Hello, General Bad."
General Bad opened its mouth and yawned.
"Look, I got a little creature too." Fiona chimed in, opening her hand to reveal a white hamster snuggled inside, looking very tame.
"Isn't it cute?" Fiona excitedly said, "I noticed Wizarding World pets seem like they've eaten something smart, they appear to be much more intelligent than regular animals! She's not afraid of people at all, seems like she can even understand my commands."
"Cute as it is, Mom, hamsters are on the owl's menu, aren't they?" Vid asked.
Having bought an owl himself, and after the shop assistant's introduction, Vid learned that owls mostly eat rodents, birds, fish, or insects—in short, they're carnivores. Thinking back to the pine nuts he'd given the school owls, Vid silently apologized.
"No worries, your dad will keep an eye on the owl! Oh, by the way, this is Miss Mirene." Fiona said seriously, "Vid, you should give your owl a name too!"
"Hmm..." Vid glanced around and caught sight of an Evant stationery store, the letters "EVA" stood out brightly in the sunlight.
"Let's call her Eva." he said casually.
......
The Grey family lingered in Diagon Alley for several days. Ferdinand could already discuss Quidditch matches and various models of Nimbus 2000 without any barriers, while Fiona bought a full set of mini furniture for Miss Mirene the hamster [enchanted with cleaning spells], along with various little dresses, wizard robes, hats, and rainbow-colored socks.
Of course, as parents of a new Hogwarts student, they signed a confidentiality agreement with Professor McGonagall on the first day, promising not to inform any non-magical persons about the Magic World, and would fulfill their duty to prevent magic items from entering the Muggle World.
A month flew by. On the morning of September 1st, Fiona helped Vid check his luggage once more, ensuring he packed everything he should—from nail clippers and ear picks to autumn and winter clothes—into his suitcase. Ferdinand drove him to King's Cross Station.
Platform 9 3/4, the starting point of the magical journey, appears from the outside as just an ordinary wall.
Vid pushed his suitcase, with the owl cage on the trolley, he walked to the wall, then turned back to see his parents smiling and waving at him.
Vid smiled and waved back, then turned and sprinted through the wall.
Fiona covered her mouth, suddenly letting out a sob.
Ferdinand embraced her shoulders, sighing, "If only we could send him off on the platform—"
"Don't tell him—I don't want Vid to feel sad." Fiona sniffled, "Going to school—should be a joyful occasion—"
Ferdinand comforted her with gentle pats, "Don't worry, I've gathered plenty of information these days—the Wizarding World is peaceful now, the greatest contemporary wizard Dumbledore is their headmaster, Vid will be fine at school."
"Yes—I'm sorry—"
A timid voice sounded beside them, Ferdinand looked down and immediately recognized the boy before him.
"You're—Harry Potter?!" he said in surprise.
"Yes, that's me." Harry said awkwardly, brushing his hair to cover his scar. He had forgotten meeting this couple at the Leaky Cauldron—mainly because too many people had shaken hands with him then, and the pub's lighting was very dim. Now he asked tentatively, with some joy, "I just heard you talking about Hogwarts...I mean—I don't really know how to get there—"
"Oh." Ferdinand realized, "See that wall? Just push your way through with your trolley, close your eyes if you're scared, you won't bump into it."
This wasn't something Professor McGonagall told them, but a story Ferdinand heard from his parents as a child. At that time, he hadn't been confirmed as a Dud, and his parents shared many Magic World tales with him. But eventually, they stopped mentioning those things.
"Oh, alright—"
Harry found it hard to believe, he testedly observed the couple's expressions—they looked kind, but he wasn't sure if they were teasing him...
Seeing them constantly watching him with encouraging eyes, as if waiting to see him through the wall, Harry hesitated to ask anyone else, gritted his teeth, and walked toward it, not too fast.
Stop if he hits the wall...being laughed at wouldn't be that bad...
Thinking apprehensively, boy waited but never encountered the expected obstruction. Suddenly, he heard the buzzing of voices, and in an instant, appeared before him—
was a huge, deep red train, its tracks winding into the distance.