A few days later, Ethan found himself once again at the door of the Leaky Cauldron.
This time, perhaps because it was the afternoon, the Leaky Cauldron was much busier than during his previous visit.
The pub guests paid little attention to the lone young wizard. After all, young witches and wizards coming and going was a common sight here.
Following Professor McGonagall's instructions, Ethan tapped the correct brick three times, and the doorway to the magical world opened once more.
As soon as he spotted the trash can, Ethan felt a mischievous urge stir within him.
After all, if his instincts were correct, playing a prank might just succeed.
But after two seconds of thought, he decided to abandon the idea.
Entering Diagon Alley again, Ethan headed straight for Flourish and Blotts. This time, his goal was clear.
During his last visit with Professor McGonagall, he had purchased the first-year textbooks for Hogwarts. However, the spells Ethan was eager to learn weren't included in those books.
For example, the Shield Charm, the Undetectable Extension Charm, and Occlumency. (Although the Undetectable Extension Charm is restricted for misuse, Hermione clearly used it without digging through the Restricted Section, so this spell should be somewhat common.
The reason it's restricted is probably due to companies that manufacture wizard tents and suitcases. After all, who would buy them if wizards could simply make their own?)
Additionally, with two known Legilimens at Hogwarts, it was only natural for Ethan to be concerned about protecting his mind.
While Dumbledore's character was generally trustworthy, and it was unlikely he would use Legilimency on his students without consent, the same couldn't be said for others.
Dumbledore's proficiency in Legilimency had a simple origin: he wasn't always the good man people remembered him as. Before Ariana's tragic accident, Dumbledore, like Grindelwald, was willing to pursue his goals at any cost.
After the accident, Dumbledore's life took a different path. He established a moral code for himself and eventually returned to Hogwarts as a professor.
Had Dumbledore lacked principles, many events would have unfolded differently. For instance, during the false accusation of Hagrid, Dumbledore was already a professor and tried to help Hagrid. But without sufficient evidence, Hagrid was expelled in the end.
Had Dumbledore used Legilimency, Tom Riddle might not have escaped suspicion, and the rise of Voldemort could have been prevented.
Similarly, if Dumbledore had used Legilimency during the Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew incident, one would never have betrayed James Potter, and the other would not have spent over a decade falsely imprisoned.
Even though Dumbledore's integrity was reassuring, Snape was a different story.
As a Potions Master and professor, Snape was serious and responsible, with his own moral code. But when it came to Harry Potter, Snape was unpredictable. He might very well use Legilimency to determine whether you were a threat, either because he suspected you weren't a good wizard or simply due to your association with Harry.
Upon entering Flourish and Blotts, Ethan made his way to the shelves containing the required textbooks. Just as on his previous visit, a group of young wizards was purchasing their school supplies. As the only bookstore in Diagon Alley, it enjoyed a monopoly on the business.
Ethan picked out "Intermediate Transfiguration" and "Advanced Transfiguration Guide," along with Standard Book of Spells for levels 2 through 7.
His book-buying spree drew some attention from other shoppers. It wasn't every day that people saw a young wizard purchasing such an extensive collection of books.
Even though "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" wasn't particularly necessary, Ethan picked up a copy anyway.
He had flipped through it before and found Newt Scamander's writing interesting. Plus, it wasn't too expensive.
"Advanced Potion-Making" cost a whopping nine Galleons, making it the priciest book he'd purchased so far.
"Sir, you must be a first-year," the shop clerk said. "You could buy these books later. You won't need them for a couple of years, and when the textbooks are updated, you might have to come back again."
Noticing the growing stack of books in Ethan's cart, the clerk couldn't help but offer some advice.
"Thank you for the reminder, but I need these for early preparation," Ethan replied.
"Well, you must be a natural Ravenclaw," the clerk remarked before stepping aside.
"As long as there's a wand, there's a way," Ethan mused as he walked to the section on magical theory. One book title caught his eye, piquing his interest, so he added it to his pile.
Titles like "Major Discoveries in Modern Magic," "A Guide to Medieval Witchcraft," "Forgotten Ancient Magic," and "The Rise and Fall of Black Magic" were hard to resist. These weren't clickbait titles—these books had substance!
Eventually, in a dusty corner of the shop, Ethan found what he'd been looking for: "On How to Close Your Mind." There were six or seven copies, but they were covered in dust, clearly untouched for quite some time.
To be honest, the book was a bit niche. Muggle-borns might struggle to learn from just the text alone, while purebloods likely had family members who could teach them Occlumency. No wonder the book wasn't a hot seller.
After finishing his shopping, Ethan opted for the store's complimentary delivery service. Spending over 50 Galleons qualified him for free home delivery, a perk he appreciated.
By the time he was done, Ethan had spent 127 Galleons, leaving his small treasury nearly empty.
Sitting at a table outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, Ethan spooned ice cream into his mouth while pondering how to replenish his supply of Galleons.
He had thought 100 Galleons would be enough, but buying all those books had cost more than anticipated.
"Huh?"
A shadow loomed over him, and Ethan looked up.
Someone had taken a seat at the table opposite his.
Glancing around, he noticed that the once empty seating area was now almost full. As the only person sitting alone, Ethan's table was the most available.
The girl sitting across from him, seemingly unfazed by his presence, placed her ice cream on the table and began eating.
With waist-length golden curls, dark green eyes, and a delicate face, she seemed somewhat familiar. Ethan thought he might have seen her earlier in the bookstore.
Finishing his ice cream in a few quick bites, Ethan decided to leave. The ice cream at Fortescue's was truly delicious, probably made from some magical creature's milk.
As Ethan left, the proud, expressionless girl turned her gaze toward him.
Back at the bookstore, Ethan's peculiar book-buying behavior had indeed drawn attention. The girl had been shopping for textbooks nearby and overheard his conversation with the clerk.
In the end, she ended up doing the same thing as Ethan—buying all the textbooks for the next several years.
Of course, Ethan didn't buy every textbook—just the ones he thought were necessary.