Chapter 5 Professor McGonagall is so scary
"Professor, where is Diagon Alley?"
"London, Charing Cross Road, Westminster District, there is the most famous road sign in the wizarding world, the Leaky Cauldron. After passing through the Leaky Cauldron, you can reach Diagon Alley."
Probably because he had answered it many times before, Professor McGonagall didn't even think twice when answering.
"The Leaky Cauldron, Charing Cross Road, Westminster, London," Andrew repeated the location. "Okay, Professor, I've written it down, so how do we get there?"
"Knight Bus, Floo Network, Apparition or use Muggle transportation." Professor McGonagall looked at Andrew and nodded. "If you are in London, I recommend using Muggle transportation, but it is a bit far here. , and there was no big Floo Network node nearby, so we apparated there.”
"Apparition? Does it mean to use a spell to change a person from one place to another?" Andrew did not forget his chatty character, "This sounds like a very amazing spell..."
"Most students will try to learn it when they reach adulthood, but it does require sufficient magical knowledge and magic power as a basis." Professor McGonagall nodded, "Grab my arm, Taylor, and don't let go, otherwise we will have some trouble. ”
Andrew takes good things for granted, and he will never be complacent when facing the unknown.
"Close your eyes, Tyler, and get ready—one, two, three."
As the last word was spoken, a strong darkness surrounded Andrew, followed by a severe squeezing feeling. He felt like he was diving into the sea, feeling pressure coming from all directions.
But the discomfort quickly disappeared, and Professor McGonagall's voice soon came, "Okay, you can open your eyes now, Mr. Taylor, it was a very good apparition experience."
Even in the intense discomfort, Andrew could still hear Professor McGonagall's voice surrounding him, as if he was checking something.
"Is there something wrong, Professor?"
"No, everything is fine, there is nothing to worry about, Mr. Taylor," Professor McGonagall said in a very affirmative tone, "I am just checking the split body on a routine basis. If you don't pay close attention, problems can easily arise."
"As I said at the beginning, one of the consequences of not regulating the use of magic?"
"Yes, Taylor." Professor McGonagall nodded, "But now you can turn your attention elsewhere. This is the Leaky Cauldron."
I've heard the name for a long time.
The surname McGonagall would hardly make people think of the wizarding world without adding Professor, but the Leaky Cauldron is different.
Andrew set his sights on the bar in front of him - or rather, the tavern. Compared to the bookstore and record store next door, it really lives up to its name.
"Perfect for a discreet entrance."
Andrew commented on it like this, "People around seemed unable to notice it and ignored our sudden appearance - is this another new magic?" "There is more than one, there are most of the spells used to conceal it. Protect this tavern and the land in front of it, but we need to enter the bar quickly, otherwise it will easily affect others' entry." Professor McGonagall nodded, and she changed her mind.
His insight and reasoning skills are both passable, and he has restraint. Compared with these, that problem is nothing.
They soon entered the bar.
Andrew noticed that when the people in the bar noticed that Professor McGonagall had come in, the temperature in the bar dropped by at least ten degrees - maybe more.
The hustle and bustle of the drinking party, the almost quarrelsome exchanges, and the hearty laughter disappeared completely, as if someone had used a magic to ban the sound here.
Not only that, most of the drinkers even seemed to be under some strange spell, their necks naturally bent down, as if they could not bear the weight of their necks.
In this atmosphere, even Andrew who wanted to maintain his character did not dare to say anything. He just followed Professor McGonagall and walked forward honestly.
When Professor McGonagall was greeting the bar owner, Andrew noticed that many eyes glanced at him quietly, but then quickly turned back - but the sound in the bar was still so quiet that the sound of breathing could be heard.
In fact, it was not until Professor McGonagall took Andrew out of the back door that the sound in the bar gradually increased, but it was not until Professor McGonagall took Andrew to a wall that the sound there was also scary low.
"Here," Professor McGonagall pointed to the wall, "Start from here, three blocks up, two blocks in, and tap with your wand."
This made Andrew's divergent thinking suddenly focus. He took note of the brick, and then noticed that with the tap of Professor McGonagall's wand, the bricks began to move quickly and quickly made way for a wide passage.
"This is Diagon Alley," Professor McGonagall said as she handed a money bag to Andrew - a very small handbag. Judging from the appearance, the shriveled money bag was enough to hold four handbags. Apparently, this is another kind of magic.
"This is the school's exclusive fund, seventy galleons, used to purchase books, wands, school robes and teaching tools. After that, thirty galleons will be provided every year to purchase subsequent books and subsequent teaching aids - money It’s not enough, I’m afraid some of your textbooks can only be bought second-hand.”
(Dobby’s original salary is set at 10 Galleons per week, and the wand is likely to be subsidized by the Ministry of Magic. The price cannot be used as a benchmark. The exchange rate issue is considered as a supplement outside the book, and the ratio of five pounds to one galleung changes with the exchange rate. Patch, so the five-to-one exchange rate was not set when the minimum hourly wage in the UK was 2.45 pounds in 1991. By the way, doctors earned about 850 pounds a week at that time, and dentists earned more)
"The gold coins in the bag are. Galleons, seventeen silver sickles make one galleon, and twenty-nine naits make one sickle.”
"The items that need to be purchased are on the follow-up list of the letter," Professor McGonagall said as she handed another letter to Andrew, "You have to read it first."
Andrew put the money bag under his left elbow and opened the letter with his right hand. In theory, he didn't need to read the first page, but he still read it carefully for a minute before turning to the table of contents on the second page.
Books on various subjects, school robes, cauldrons and materials for brewing potions (he noticed the existence of this class), wands, and even telescopes.
"Sorry, Professor," Andrew thought for a moment after learning about the cost of professional books, and then asked with a bit of pain, "Can the currency in the magical world be exchanged for ordinary currency?"
"Of course, we recruit suitable students from the Muggle world every year, but there is an upper limit on the currency exchange per person each year, and the source of income must be filled in to confirm that it is not illegal income, but Muggle-born people are exempted from filling in before graduation, but A certificate from the school is required. The current exchange rate is seven pounds to one galleons.”
(I say important things twice. The original interview clearly pointed out that exchange rates change...)
(End of this chapter)