I opened my eyes and saw Diagon Alley.
From the outside, it looked like a street from the sixteenth or seventeenth century.
As I understood it, the entire magical world was indeed stuck in that era.
But there were two small details about the street’s appearance.
First, it was incredibly clean, cleaner than the streets of modern cities.
It was immediately obvious that the wizards of England cared about the appearance of their showcase.
As history knows, in the Middle Ages, city streets were full of waste.
Here, that wasn’t the case, which made sense.
Second, it breathed mana.
As soon as the passage formed, a stream of mana washed over me.
The feeling was like that of a lost traveler in a desert who finally plunged into pure, crystal-clear water.
These feelings, now I understood why Muggle-born wizards didn’t want to return to the world of ordinary people.
Who would trade a life full of color and vibrancy for a life deprived of it?
I hadn’t even taken a step into this world yet, but I didn’t want to leave it.
“An unforgettable feeling, isn’t it?” the professor said to me, with a smile that made it clear he knew what he was talking about.
“Not everyone, far from everyone, realizes this difference right away.
The difference between the two worlds.
But often, by the time they realize it, it’s too late.”
The smile that had seemed understanding disappeared.
In its place appeared another smile, the kind that appears on the faces of people who have known the pain of loss.
Only for a second, but it showed itself to the world.
This vision lasted only a moment.
As soon as I blinked, the same bright smile was back on the professor’s face.
Perhaps it was just a mask, a mask hiding too much.
Or perhaps I imagined it.
“You’re becoming more and more interesting, Kael,” Flitwick said, looking away from me with a smile.
“Every moment, I become more convinced that you’re different from ordinary people.
Care to tell me how?”
I didn’t know the answer to that question.
It became clear that my improvised disguise was nothing before the power and experience of this wizard.
It made me respect him to the point of ringing in my ears and fear him to the point of trembling in my knees.
If he saw through me so quickly, what would other wizards do?
“Don’t be nervous, Kael,” the professor said, walking through the passage.
“Everyone has the right to secrets.”
With that, he headed off down the street.
After standing for a couple of seconds, I followed him.
After all, this was only the beginning.
I still had everything ahead of me.
***
Walking behind the professor, my gaze wandered over the street.
The street, as expected, was larger than described in the books.
There were many different shops here.
Diagon Alley wasn’t just one street.
There were three of them.
On the central street were shops, stores, cafes, and so on.
On the side streets were administrative buildings and ordinary houses.
One look at it, and you could see why it was called Diagon Alley.
All the buildings were either crooked or skewed.
Some even looked like upside-down pyramids.
And those weren’t even the most extravagantly designed buildings.
Some were simply a jumble of walls, corners, and windows.
Clearly a magical street.
The street wasn’t very crowded.
Of course, there were plenty of people, but compared to what was shown in the movies and books, it was nothing.
Each street was quite wide, and they were several kilometers long.
Oh yes, the so-called entrance through the pub was not at the beginning of the street, as it might have seemed, but somewhere in the middle.
It just came out of the wall of some building.
And the street continued in the opposite direction as well.
What can I say?
Magic.
And so we walked until the entrance to a bank came into view.
Gringotts, without a doubt.
From the outside, it looked like a mix of a pantheon and a medieval castle, a structure that combined several eras.
From the outside, it fit perfectly into the picture of this street.
“Professor, what is that building?”
“Gringotts Bank.
It’s a monopoly on financial work in the wizarding world,” his voice came.
“Over the centuries since its appearance, it has established itself as an ideal partner for the magical world.
I anticipate your question: yes, there were others, but they couldn’t offer sufficient competition, so they disappeared.”
“But isn’t a financial monopoly too much power in the hands of wizards?”
“And who said the bank is owned by wizards?” Flitwick said, turning halfway.
“It’s run by goblins, one of the inhabitants of the magical world.
And no, it’s not too much power.
They’re bound by so many contracts that even Christmas trees aren’t decorated as much as they are.
If you’re interested in these topics, you can buy additional literature at the bookshop when we get there.
After all, that’s why your parents gave you money, and it’s at this bank that we’ll exchange your pounds.”
With that, he headed toward the entrance doors, which were wide open at the moment.
On either side of the door stood two figures dressed in gold.
They must have been goblins.
They looked like short people with dark green skin, large heads, long ears, and long noses.
As I passed through the doors, I read the inscription written on them:
*Enter, stranger, but take heed*
*Of what awaits the sin of greed*
*For those who take, but do not earn,*
*Must pay most dearly in their turn.*
*So if you seek beneath our floors*
*A treasure that was never yours,*
*Thief, you have been warned, beware*
*Of finding more than treasure there.*
These words were so saturated with mana that I could feel it standing five meters away from them.
“These inscriptions are a variation of a magical contract,” Flitwick answered my unspoken question.
Together, we entered the bank.
Inside, it turned out to be incredibly spacious and bright.
Tables stood on pedestals along the walls, behind which goblins worked.
We headed toward one of them.
“Good day,” the professor said to the goblin when we approached.
“This young man would like to exchange Muggle currency for wizarding currency.”
Looking up from his work, the goblin glanced at us.
When he saw the professor, a strange light lit up in his eyes.
“My name is Kael Massimo.
I’d like to exchange pounds for Galleons.
May I ask the exchange rate?”
“The standard exchange rate is five to one.
Five pounds to one Galleon.
One Galleon is seventeen Sickles.
Seventeen Sickles are twenty-nine Knuts.”
“Thank you.
Then I’d like to exchange one thousand pounds.”
After receiving the required amount, the professor and I said goodbye to the bank worker and went shopping.
The first shop we visited was a robe shop.
We went inside and found ourselves in a standard boutique.
A saleswoman approached us immediately, took our order, and disappeared into another room.
“Professor, isn’t it too early to buy robes?
I’ll grow out of them.”
“Don’t worry.
All clothes have a complex of charms that adjust the fit to a certain extent.
Don’t expect to buy a robe once and never buy another.
No, you’ll have to buy a new one next year.”
I nodded, taking the information in.
After waiting about fifteen minutes for our order, we paid and left the shop, heading to the next one.
And so the time passed.
We went into shops, bought the first-year supplies, and left for another shop.
I bought school supplies, a cauldron, ingredients, and so on.
Next on the list was the bookshop.
Entering it, I found myself in an information paradise.
So much that was new and unknown.
How I wanted to stay there.
I felt like a modern girl in a clothing boutique.
I wanted everything, but I couldn’t have everything.
After ordering the necessary literature from the bookseller, we waited for our order.
“Professor, may I buy additional literature?”
“Why not?
What exactly did you have in mind?”
“I’d like something about medicine, history, and the structure of wizarding society.
And also those books you recommended.”
“I understand history and the other books, but medicine?
Why do you need that?” Flitwick asked, focusing all his attention on me.
“You see,” I began, carefully choosing my words.
“My parents are doctors in the ordinary world.
My father is a very famous surgeon.
From early childhood, I grew up in that environment, and I couldn’t help but be influenced by it.
Before I learned about my magical gift, I wanted to become a doctor.
But since I can’t become a doctor in the ordinary world, why not become a doctor in the wizarding world?”
I fell silent.
The professor stared at me for several tens of seconds, as if he were looking right through me.
But it’s worth noting that during our entire conversation, he hadn’t tried to get into my head.
And he didn’t now.
“You’ve chosen an interesting future profession, Kael,” Flitwick began.
“In this shop, you’ll find the basics at most.
The basics, of course, are necessary, but they’ll only tell you so much.
The basics are just a field first-aid kit.
To fully study medicine, which wizards call medical magic, you need to become an apprentice or join the Healer’s Guild.
Both have their pitfalls.
So your path will be thorny, if you don’t veer off it, of course.”
“So there are no other options?”
“Why not?
There are.
First, there might be decent basics of medical magic here.
Second, Hogwarts has a much richer and broader library.
I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for there.
Third, the school has a mediwitch, Madam Pomfrey.
She single-handedly heals all the ailments in our school.
If you try hard and prove yourself, you might be able to become her apprentice.
By the way, she is an honorary Grandmaster of Medical Magic.”
“Grandmaster?
What are the other levels and titles?”
“Well, it’s simple.
All wizards who embark on the path of any kind of magic start with the title of Neophyte.
You’ll receive that title when you enter Hogwarts.
The second title is Apprentice.
Those who possess this title have fully mastered the basics.
Next come Masters.
They have mastered the given science and have the right to independent practice in their chosen profession.
Grandmasters are those who not only know their profession thoroughly but have also brought something new to their chosen path.
Archmages are the greatest wizards in their field.
They possess boundless knowledge, skills, and power.
Even the Queen would bow to any holder of this title.
I should note that the gap between Master and Grandmaster is unimaginable, and between Grandmaster and Archmage is as great as between Neophyte and Grandmaster.
Archmages are that rare.”
“So Madam Pomfrey is incredibly powerful and skilled?”
“That’s an understatement,” Flitwick smirked.
“Even our Headmaster, a holder of three Grandmaster titles, is afraid of Madam Pomfrey.
No one knows why, but it’s known for certain that Madam Pomfrey worked at Hogwarts when the Headmaster was a student.
And that was a very long time ago.”
This information threw me off balance.
Not every day do you learn about the monsters hiding behind the mask of a mediwitch.
And in the books, so little attention was paid to her.
But it immediately became clear why she could kick both the Headmaster and the Minister out of the hospital wing.
And so we spent our time waiting for my books.
I also bought additional books such as “Oaths and Contracts,” “A Brief History of the Magical World,” “The Structure of the Magical World and the Ministry of Magic.” I also found “A Field Guide to Healing Spells” and “An Introduction to the Inner World of Wizards.” We managed to find a book with decent basics.
The bookseller himself was surprised by its presence.
He thought he had sold them all.
These two books were as necessary to me as air.
Especially the second one.
After all, I was a Metamorphmagus.
***
Leaving the bookshop, we headed to the wand shop.
Shrugging, I entered the shop.
Inside, it was exactly like in the movie.
The same mustiness, dust, and boxes of wands.
As if the directors had seen the shop firsthand.
As soon as the door closed, a man appeared next to me.
He was the owner of the shop, Garrick Ollivander.
He looked like a middle-aged man with gray hair and slightly mad eyes.
“Welcome to Ollivanders.
I am both seller and owner of this establishment.
How can I help you, young man?”
“Hello.
My name is Kael Massimo.
I’ve come to buy my wand.”
“Ah, a first-year.
Wonderful, wonderful.
You’ve come for your first wand.
Wonderful.
Tell me, which hand do you use?”
“I’m ambidextrous.
I can use both my right and left equally.”
“Oh,” Garrick said, drawing out the word.
“That’s not something I see often.
Not often at all.
This will be interesting.”
With that, he waved his hand.
Following his gesture, a silver measuring tape began to measure me.
It measured not only my hands but also my torso, head, and legs.
Why?
The shop owner himself disappeared behind the shelves.
A couple of minutes later, he returned with three boxes.
Putting them on the counter, he called the tape back and beckoned me over.
“Let’s try this one.”
He took out a strange wand.
It was curved and had a pink color.
I took it in my hand and felt nothing.
I waved it, and again, nothing.
“Not a match,” Ollivander said and handed me another.
“Try this one.”
As soon as I took it in my hand, Garrick snatched it out of my grasp.
I didn’t even get a good look at it.
“No, no.
Definitely not.
Completely wrong.
How could I have been so mistaken?”
Putting the box away, he moved on to the third wand.
Taking it out, he looked at it for a few seconds before handing it to me.
“Try this one,” Garrick said, handing me an ordinary-looking wand.
As soon as I took it, I felt it.
It was the same feeling as when I entered the magical world, only much stronger.
Mana began to fill me much faster and more willingly, if that makes sense.
What are these wands anyway?
Limiters?
Concentrators?
Or something else?
One thing is clear: my wand is definitely not a limiter.
“Wonderful,” Ollivander’s voice snapped me out of my daze.
“Vine wood and unicorn hair, eleven inches.
An interesting combination.”
“What’s so interesting about it?”
“You see, vine wood is a rarely used material,” he said.
“The druids considered anything with a woody trunk to be a tree, but vine wands have such a special character that I was glad to continue their ancient traditions.
Vine wands are not very common, and I’ve noticed that their owners are almost always witches and wizards who strive for high goals, whose vision extends beyond the ordinary and who often surprise those who think they know them best.
Vine wands attract people with hidden depths, and I’ve noticed that they are more sensitive than others.
Reliable sources indicate that these wands can perform magic simply by entering the room of a suitable owner, and I have personally witnessed this phenomenon twice in my shop.” Garrick paused for a couple of seconds and then continued.
“Unicorn hair gives the most consistent magic and is the least subject to fluctuations and blockages.
Wands with unicorn hair are the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts.
Such wands are the most loyal of all and usually maintain a strong attachment to their owner, regardless of whether the owner is a wizard who has completed their magical education.
A minor drawback of unicorn hair is that they do not produce the most powerful wands, though this can be compensated for by the wood.
Also, they are prone to melancholy when treated very poorly, which means the hair may “die” and require replacement.”
He fell silent again, thinking about something.
He shook his head and continued.
“So, what am I getting at?
It’s all about the combination.
Unicorn hair and vine wood make for an interesting combination.
First and most simply, the ability to perform strong charms.
Second, and far more interesting, in this combination, the wizard who owns the wand is capable of using the Dark directions of magic.
Note, not Evil, but Dark.
After all, the druids were known not only for good deeds, weren’t they, young man?”
I could only nod.
At home, I would need to study this wand thoroughly.
“That will be seven Galleons.”
“I’d also like a holster and a wand care kit.”
“Very well.
I’ll get them now.
Altogether, that will be nine Galleons.”
After paying, I put on the holster, placed my wand in it, and left the shop.
Filius was waiting for me at the exit.
“Well, we just need to buy you an owl, and we can go home.”
“You’re right, sir.”
“Let’s go,” he said and headed toward the necessary shop.
When we arrived, we bought an ordinary dark gray owl.
I named her Athena, after the goddess of wisdom.
The owl is her symbol.
After buying everything we needed, we left Diagon Alley.
Apparition is an amazing ability.
I’ll need to master it.
Handing me over to my parents along with my purchases, the professor gave me my train ticket, told me how to get to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and, after saying goodbye, left.
Well, my day wasn’t over yet.
I still had to discuss everything with my parents.
After all, my disguise hadn’t been completely successful.