"But how can I afford these? I don't have any money." Harry looked up, a little anxious, at Hagrid, who was almost as tall as the sky in front of him.
"Your money is right there, Harry—Gringotts, the wizarding bank! Nowhere is safer than there, except for Hogwarts, of course, after its security upgrade." Hagrid smiled, pointing forward, then reached into his overcoat, rummaging for something.
Harry walked into Gringotts with a hint of confusion, and then he understood how much wealth his deceased parents had left him. Harry's father, James Potter, was a pure-blood wizard from the Potter family, an ancestor of Linfred of Stinchcombe, the inventor of many potions, and his grandfather was Fleamont Potter, the creator of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, so his family was very wealthy.
After Hagrid led Harry to withdraw some money, he did not leave immediately but continued deeper into the Gringotts vaults, taking a small parcel from Vault 713. This was an extra task Dumbledore had instructed him to complete, especially after the old man learned from Alan that storing wealth in Gringotts seemed less secure than imagined.
After solving the money problem, Harry followed Hagrid on a shopping spree in Diagon Alley, purchasing all the teaching supplies needed for school, such as a wand, textbooks, a school uniform, and a cauldron. During this time, Hagrid also gave him an owl as a birthday gift. Having lived with his incredibly harsh aunt and uncle for years, Harry rarely experienced the warmth of the world, which also made him look forward to his upcoming life as a wizard even more.
"Alright, our last stop is the Silver Lightning Trading Company. There you'll find the last part of the teaching supplies you need, and the Silver Flash blind boxes you asked about earlier are also sold there. I bet you'll love it there. Many young wizards can't move once they step into that shop for the first time, which is why I'm taking you there last." Hagrid helped Harry carry his numerous bags, laughing in his deep voice.
"Is that Silver Lightning Trading Company very famous? I've heard many people talking about that shop along the way. Blind boxes, records, even jewelry, candy, perfume—what kind of shop is it? How can it sell everything?" After wandering for half a day with Hagrid, Harry had become much more relaxed due to their familiarity, and his speech was much smoother now.
"Haha, that shop isn't just famous in Diagon Alley; every wizard in Europe knows the name of the Silver Lightning Alchemy Development Company." Hagrid, as a minor shareholder of the trading company, felt honored and proudly showed off to Harry. "There, you can buy the most magical alchemy tools, such as magical gramophones, records, music boxes, lamps, various amulets, and so on. Additionally, because the company cooperates with many foreign businesses, there are also many good things imported from abroad—food, drinks, daily necessities, everything! It's incredibly diverse!" Hagrid spared no effort in introducing his own shop.
"Wow, isn't that like the supermarket I used to visit?" Harry grew more and more curious after hearing Hagrid's introduction and eagerly walked deeper into Diagon Alley.
However, before they even got close, Harry had already recognized the company. There was no other way; the main reason was that this trading company was simply too conspicuous. Its black background with silver lettering sign, even in this hot summer, glowed like a neon light, constantly emitting specks of magical light, giving people a sense of understated luxury. At the same time, the number of pedestrians lingering at the entrance of the trading company was the highest in all of Diagon Alley. Wizards going in and out almost formed a continuous flow of people. Fortunately, the space inside this shop was large enough; otherwise, there might be long queues outside the main door.
Through the glass display windows below, one could see the exquisite products displayed inside, such as a set of crystal lamps placed on the foremost side. These lamps were completely different from the electric lights Harry had seen before. They could actually float in mid-air, like scattered rhomboid crystals in a vacuum. These crystals varied in size, and their shapes were very regular and harmonious, clearly the product of meticulous carving. Furthermore, although they looked very dazzling, the light they emitted was very soft. Combined with their exquisite shapes, they gave people an ethereal and illusory feeling.
Just as Harry marveled at the beauty of this set of crystal lamps, his gaze was drawn to another style of lamp next to them: seven or eight large flowers floating in the air. These flowers varied in shape and type; some were already in full bloom, while others were still in bud form. The petals of these flowers were constantly emitting a light that was not dazzling but very bright, and Harry could also clearly feel a coolness. After concentrating and confirming, he was certain that these lights actually had a temperature! And they could bring a refreshing coolness, like a breeze passing through summer shade.
And just as Harry thought he had experienced the magic of this set of lamps, a budding flower suddenly bloomed, and then he saw more than a dozen flower fairies made of light fly out from it. These flower fairies were dressed in exquisite dresses made of flowers, and behind them were two sets of petal-shaped wings.
"Look! They're out! They're out! I told you the garden symphony fairies appear on time every hour!" As these flower fairies flew out, the young wizards gathered in front of the display window almost cheered in unison. They had clearly been waiting there for a long time. At the same time, these young wizards excitedly waved at the flower fairies, seemingly summoning them.
Before Harry could wonder for long, he knew why these young wizards were so excited. He saw that after the flower fairies appeared, they actually flew directly through the glass display window! They flew out onto the street and continuously weaved through the crowd. Some individual fairies even timidly approached the young wizards.
"Wow, she's coming closer to me! She seems to like me, Mom! They say people who are approached by a garden symphony fairy will have good luck all day! I'm going to open a blind box!" A young girl approached by a flower fairy shouted excitedly to her parents beside her, as if people approached by these creatures made of light truly gained some special fortune.
And just as Harry looked enviously at the young girl, he suddenly saw a fairy already close to his face, looking at him with a mischievous smile. Harry was overjoyed to discover this and then carefully cupped his hands, trying to let the fairy land in his palm. But the fairy seemed to have no weight at all; even when it stepped on his hand, he couldn't feel anything.
"Phew!" The flower fairy observed Harry with interest for a moment, then puffed her cheeks and blew at him. Harry felt a refreshing cool breeze caress his skin, and he caught a faint floral scent. After blowing the cool breeze at him, the flower fairy suddenly burst into colorful speckles and dissipated into the air.
"Hagrid! Did you see that? She… she seems to like me, and she blew on me! Do you think this can really bring me luck?" Harry looked up at Hagrid beside him, his face full of pleasant surprise.
"Haha, maybe it really can, you never know. Looks like you're going to have good luck today." Seeing Harry so excited, Hagrid encouraged him without dampening his spirits.
"Really? Then maybe I can also try to open one of those blind boxes they mentioned. Also, these lights are really beautiful, are they very expensive?" Harry shifted his gaze back to the display window. At this moment, the flower lamp that had released the fairies had closed again.
"Hehe, these lamps are indeed not cheap. See… just now the crowd was blocking it, look at the signs below them." Hagrid pursed his lips and pointed forward.
Seeing Hagrid's gesture, Harry lowered his head and found an exquisite display board standing beneath the lamps: 'Summer New Arrivals Grand Launch, Enjoy Coolness This Summer: Dream's Edge Lighting Set eighty-eight Galleons, Garden Symphony Lighting Set one hundred and eight Galleons, Order Now and Receive ten High-Grade Magic Wicks!'
"So that crystal lamp set is called Dream's Edge, and the flower lamp set is named Garden Symphony!" Harry had no concept of prices in the wizarding world, so after witnessing the magic of these two types of lamps firsthand, he didn't realize how significant the price truly was.
"Yes! That Garden Symphony set was even inspired by my cabin." Hagrid looked at Harry with a smile, then gently nudged him. "Come on, Harry, let's go in quickly. It's much more interesting inside than out here."
"Mmm!" Harry was even more curious about the shop now, so he eagerly followed Hagrid inside.
"Wow!" Harry had lost count of how many times he had exclaimed today, but he still couldn't help but cry out when he truly saw the scene inside the shop.
As soon as he stepped indoors, Harry felt a cool sensation, a stark contrast to the scorching heat on the street, and melodious music reached his ears. The ceiling, over five meters high, was filled with various magical lamps of different designs, including flying birds and beasts, as well as sun, moon, and star shapes, among which were the two sets he had seen outside the display window.
At the same time, the nearly thousand-square-meter superstore was almost entirely filled with people. In front of every shelf, there were many wizards either selecting or discussing the products in front of them, looking incredibly lively.
However, Harry's gaze was drawn to a corner of the trading company, because that area was currently crowded with a group of young wizards. These young wizards were gathered around a counter, on which a small mountain of colorful boxes was piled. These boxes looked about a palm's width, almost identical in shape, and the material they were made of looked like wood or metal to the naked eye. But from how easily the young wizards could hold them in their hands, they shouldn't be very heavy.