Chapter 5

A bustling atmosphere greeted him, with wizards streaming past in a steady flow. This was Diagon Alley a few years ago. Now, as Yi Xiao stepped into Diagon Alley, only a few shops remained open, and the wizards on the road hurried past without stopping. The once lively street was now almost deathly silent, with a few leaves swirling in the wind. The harassment and attacks by the Death Eaters had inflicted irreparable damage on this once prosperous wizarding community, and it would take a long time to recover.

Although Yi Xiao always advocated careful planning before taking action, he couldn't help but be drawn to the many interesting magic shops before him. However, he would soon face the consequences of his carelessness.

As Yi Xiao walked towards Gringotts, a tall and muscular man emerged from a magic supply shop with its doors wide open.

Yi Xiao saw him at the same time the man saw him. The man's gaze fell on Yi Xiao's face, which was different from that of the British, and then on his Muggle attire, a suit. A sinister smile crept onto his face.

Yi Xiao's pupils constricted as he sensed a dangerous aura from the man. He immediately thought of the most formidable force under Voldemort in the Harry Potter world: the werewolves.

The werewolf approached Yi Xiao, looking at him with disdain. In the great master's return, there should be no filthy Muggle-borns here, even if he is an Easterner. I will give him a memorable lesson with his blood, the werewolf roared in his mind as he slowly approached Yi Xiao, unable to resist the urge to bite his pale neck.

Yi Xiao's heart was pounding. Since coming to this world, he had never faced such a formidable opponent. It seemed that his smooth sailing had made him overconfident.

Caution had always been Yi Xiao's guiding principle. He knew that even with his intelligence, he couldn't confront an enemy with overwhelming power. He had always been careful in the real world, and although he had little emotion, it didn't mean he wasn't afraid of death. He found life boring but didn't want to die so easily.

As the werewolf drew closer, Yi Xiao's hands, hanging by his sides, began to gather strength. He didn't know if his attack would be effective against the werewolf, but standing still to die wasn't his style.

The distance between them narrowed to just a few meters. Yi Xiao could almost see the yellow stains on the werewolf's teeth. At that moment, three young adults emerged from a corner ahead. They were the three main characters of the Harry Potter world: Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

The werewolf sensed the presence of unfamiliar wizards behind him, glanced at Yi Xiao one last time, and then ran into a dark alley.

Yi Xiao watched the werewolf leave, and only then did he let out a long, silent breath, his palms drenched in sweat.

Now, Yi Xiao had the chance to observe the three main characters. Harry was taller than he had expected, likely due to the actors in the movies not aging well. In reality, Harry was quite handsome. Seeing Yi Xiao looking at him, Harry gave him a friendly, shy smile.

Yi Xiao smiled back. In the original story, Harry was always kind and had a relatively good ending, but his arrival was destined to bring Harry a tragic fate.

Yi Xiao noticed that Hermione was staring at him, her hand already on her wand. She was a smart and attractive girl with a good figure. In these turbulent times, she had to be cautious of any wizard who appeared near Harry. Hermione's determined gaze remained on Yi Xiao until she passed by him.

As for Ron, he was chattering away to his two friends, seemingly oblivious to Yi Xiao. Even as they walked far away, Yi Xiao could still faintly hear Ron's lowered voice: "Look, isn't that Malfoy?"

This was Yi Xiao's first formal encounter with this world, and it was more dangerous than he had anticipated. The main characters were not fools and were not static. A single werewolf had put him under great pressure. If he approached this world with a gaming mindset, he would surely pay a heavy price.

In the end, it was his own weakness that was the problem. In the real world, he had relied on his clever tricks. This world was far more dangerous than the original, with powerful magic disrupting the order.

So, he needed to make a plan and use his talents to learn magic. Only strength was his own, and only with strength could he face whatever came next. Yi Xiao adjusted his clothes, and his life finally had some new goals and aspirations.

...

...

Soon, Yi Xiao arrived at Gringotts, which was still easy to find with its distinctive architecture. Looking at the warning written in a long string of goblin language on the door, Yi Xiao unexpectedly recalled the phrase: "For promotion and wealth, please go elsewhere; for those who fear death, do not enter here."

Yi Xiao shook his head, finding it quite out of place. Approaching a goblin sitting high up, Yi Xiao said, "I want to exchange some Galleons."

The goblin looked up, his eyes peering over his glasses. "How much?" His voice was high and thin.

"Ten thousand pounds." Yi Xiao took out the money he had prepared, which he had withdrawn when he landed. He certainly didn't want to try to find an ATM at Gringotts.

The goblin quickly brought a large bag of Galleons and completed the transaction politely. Yi Xiao didn't know if the amount was correct and didn't plan to check it there, so he distributed the gold coins into his pockets and quickly left the heavily guarded place.

...

...

"Really inconvenient," Yi Xiao thought, feeling the bulging pockets. "No wonder wizards have always worn cloaks. I must learn the Undetectable Extension Charm."

The street from Gringotts to Flourish and Blotts had a few scattered wizards, making it seem more lively, and there were no dangers. He even saw the Weasley brothers' joke shop, filled with young wizards.

Soon, he arrived at Flourish and Blotts, which was still bustling with people as the school year approached.

"What do you need, mate? This is the best bookstore in all of Britain," a clerk spotted Yi Xiao first and greeted him enthusiastically. Today was his lucky day, and he would get a commission if the store had one.

"One of each," Yi Xiao smiled at the clerk. "All the books, from textbooks to rare editions, as long as you have them, I want them."

"Wow!" The clerk was taken aback. "Someone has bought like this before, but she only meant textbooks." The clerk was delighted to have such a big customer and his tone became lighter.

Yi Xiao guessed he was talking about Hermione, which fit her style.

"But what do you need so many books for? Most people can't use that many, and I'll need to ask the manager for some of them," the clerk said as he picked books from the stacks.

"I'm from another country and plan to study here for a while. I also want to buy some books for my collection to fill my bookshelves," Yi Xiao said smoothly, not wanting to give away any details.

"No problem, you're the boss, you decide," the clerk said.

...

...

In the evening, Yi Xiao returned to his newly purchased house with a large pile of books and many strange items. Ollivander's wand shop was closed because Ollivander had been captured by Voldemort, and Yi Xiao didn't think he needed a wand.

Learning and research were his strengths, and he had been blessed with extraordinary learning abilities. Not using them would be a waste. Yi Xiao went to the supermarket to prepare for the next few days, and during this time, he would focus on studying magic to lay the foundation for his future magical journey.