After spending some time at the pet shop, Wayne truly experienced the remarkable power of the affinity for magical creatures talent. No matter how stubborn or temperamental a creature might be, they would obediently gather around him, and just a slight touch was enough for him to begin the taming process. Moreover, he could generally sense the emotions of these animals and the meanings behind their calls.
Even though the magical creatures here were all intended as pets for wizards, having gone through some level of domestication, Wayne believed that even in the case of wild or more dangerous magical creatures, his talent would still prove effective.
"Uncle Newt probably has a similar gift; otherwise, how could he run around with a box full of dangerous items?" Wayne thought to himself. If he wanted to, he could also carry a little zoo around with him, just like Newt. But he had no intention of doing so. Those magical creatures were all troublemakers; even the seemingly harmless Niffler could cause major problems. Newt spent his life either being Dumbledore's helper or cleaning up after these magical creatures. He was already banned from entering dozens of countries by their Ministry of Magic.
Even in the U.S., where he was currently residing, the magical community was very tense about him. If it weren't for the fact that Newt once saved their magical world and helped them capture Grindelwald, they really wouldn't want this walking disaster to settle there. Wayne did not want to become someone like Newt, who was disliked by many.
Under the gazes of the pets that seemed reluctant to see him go, Wayne adjusted his pants and turned to leave, without a hint of remorse. Even the store clerks were at a loss. "Wait. You're not buying a pet or any supplies; why did you come here just to mess around?"
After leaving the pet shop, completely oblivious to how close he had come to getting blacklisted, Wayne headed towards the Lihen Bookstore. At the entrance, there was a large poster on a tripod featuring a greasy middle-aged wizard throwing flirtatious glances, which attracted many witch passersby to stop and take a look — quite a magical touch.
Upon seeing Wayne inspecting the poster, the wizard immediately donned a standard business smile; his eight gleaming teeth shining brightly. However, Wayne was actually focused on the lines of text atop the poster:
"Four-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, Sir Merlin's Third Class Medal, and Honorary Member of the Dark Arts League, Mr. Lockhart's latest work - 'Walking with Trolls' is now available!"
Wayne pondered. This con artist of the magical world was doing quite well for himself, having published five or six books. He couldn't understand why he was so eager to go teach at Hogwarts next year. Did he really think that everything written in his books was something he had done?
But when Wayne saw the price of 'Walking with Trolls' in the store, he suddenly had an insight. Seven Galleons? He spent less than five Galleons on three standard spell books; this price was simply highway robbery. Was this guy just agreeing to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in order to sell books? A full set in the thirty to forty Galleons range, and with seven hundred to nearly a thousand students at Hogwarts, that would amount to several thousand Galleons — quite a fortune.
After flipping through a couple of pages, Wayne decided to buy the complete set of Lockhart's books. Excluding the gaudy language, there was still substantial content, as these were adaptations of real cases. The people in the magical world weren't fools; if it were all made up, Lockhart would have been exposed long ago. He asked the clerk to wrap up all of Lockhart's books, then began selecting other books.
He was very interested in everything related to the magical world right now. Learning spells was one aspect, but more importantly, he wanted to understand how wizards lived and some of their unique cultures. This would help him better integrate into wizard society, rather than just being a Muggle who could perform magic.
As for the Dark Lord...
To be honest, it wasn't that Wayne looked down on Voldemort; he had fought for half his life and yet hadn't even taken down a single school, being outsmarted at every turn. It was hard for him to summon any interest. If Grindelwald came back to cause trouble, that would be another story; at least the guy had grand ambitions.
...
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," bought.
"Encountering a Boggart," bought.
"Complete Set of Standard Spells," bought.
In one go, Wayne purchased all the textbooks he would need for the next few years, even getting Newt's book, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." This world-renowned magical creature book was priced at only one Galleon, which was a steal compared to Lockhart's books.
Seeing Wayne's frenzied book purchasing, even the Lihen Bookstore manager couldn't help but intervene. "Little one, you must be a new student, right? These books are completely unnecessary for freshmen; you can buy them when you actually need them."
"Oh." Wayne placed a copy of "Advanced Potion Making" into his cart and raised his head with a smile, "I'm just looking for something to read during the holidays; it's fine."
Seeing his determination, the manager ceased his attempts to dissuade him. Wayne casually picked up another book.
"Albus Dumbledore: His Life and Lies."
Wow, how provocative!
Upon seeing the author's name, Wayne wasn't surprised. Rita Skeeter could write about anything without fear.
With the cart filled to the brim with books, Wayne finally stopped. Just as he was about to head to the checkout, he noticed the thickest book tucked away in an inconspicuous corner; it was at least five inches thick.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be "Hogwarts: A History."
Wayne felt a surge of joy; he had actually been wanting to buy this often-cited book from the original text, but hadn't been able to find it. The clerk had even said it was out of stock, but here was one hidden in the corner.
Squatting down, Wayne pulled the hefty book out with some effort; although it looked a bit dirty, it was brand new. He didn't mind; as long as it was readable, that was what mattered.
"Ouch!"
Two exclamations of pain rang out at the same time.
Just as Wayne was about to stand up to check out, he felt a sharp pain in his head, having bumped into something hard. Rubbing his head and stepping back a little, he finally saw what he had collided with.
It was a little girl.
With a fuzzy head and thick, tousled brown hair, she looked somewhat disheveled; at that moment, she was holding her chin in pain, revealing her large front teeth.
Wayne couldn't help but laugh.
With such distinct features, who could she be but the legendary Miss Know-It-All?
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