Capítulo 4: Chapter 04: Diagon Alley
"How are we getting to Diagon Alley?" Owen asked curiously.
"Apparition. It's a convenient spell, but not the most comfortable one," Dumbledore said, pulling out his wand. "Hold onto me tightly, child, and try not to get sick."
Owen felt the world blur around him, spinning and twisting, but amidst the chaos, he saw a clear pattern—a narrow tunnel of space barely wide enough for two people.
He felt himself sucked into a tight rubber tube before being spat out at the other end. The space he had once occupied had swapped with a new one in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, they were in a different alley. Perhaps due to his talent, Owen didn't feel any particular discomfort. His cat, Himari, however, was meowing loudly in protest, clearly unsettled by the experience.
"How do you feel?" Dumbledore asked, concerned. "Most first-time Apparition travelers experience some side effects."
"I feel great," Owen replied, soothing the distressed cat with a gentle stroke. "I could do that a few more times."
"Oh, you are born to be a wizard. Wool's Orphanage has a knack for producing geniuses," Dumbledore mused aloud, though the last part was more to himself than anyone else.
The two walked down the narrow alleyway, finally stopping in front of an unremarkable little pub.
"The Leaky Cauldron," Dumbledore introduced, "A famous place, enchanted so that no Muggles can notice it without someone leading them."
It was a small, grimy bar. People hurried past without sparing it a glance, their eyes gliding from the bookshop on one side of the street to the record store on the other, as if the pub didn't exist at all.
Inside, the Leaky Cauldron was dim and rather shabby. Nine elderly women sat in the corner sipping small glasses of sherry, one of them puffing on a long pipe. A young man in a tall hat was chatting with the bald-headed barman, whose scalp resembled a swollen walnut. The moment they entered, the hum of conversation stopped, and every head turned to greet Dumbledore with a nod or a smile, to which he politely responded.
"Professor Dumbledore! Picking up a new student personally?" called the barkeep, raising a glass.
"Indeed, a new student from a Muggle orphanage," Dumbledore replied.
"How's young Harry doing? He's starting at Hogwarts this year, isn't he?" Tom, the barman, said with cheerful interest, and those nearby perked up to listen.
"Hagrid will be escorting Harry," Dumbledore explained, before leading Owen into the courtyard. All that was there was a brick wall.
"This is the entrance to Diagon Alley," Dumbledore said, tapping the bricks with his wand at a particular spot. "Watch carefully, Mr. Owen, this is how you enter."
The brick Dumbledore had touched quivered, then began to move, forming a small hole in the wall that grew larger until it was wide enough for two people to walk through side by side. Beyond it lay a cobblestone street that wound and twisted out of sight.
Turning to Owen, Dumbledore spread his arms wide. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."
For the first time, Owen stepped into the magical world.
He knew, in that moment, that his life would never be ordinary again. The fame, fortune, and success sought by ordinary people would no longer be his goal. His future was destined to be intertwined with legend.
Everything began here, in this small alley.
The alley was bustling with strange and fascinating shops, street vendors hawking their wares, and people shopping, many of whom recognized Dumbledore and greeted him with a nod or a smile.
As they strolled through the alley, Dumbledore introduced Owen to the various shops and explained what items he would need to buy from each of them.
Eventually, they arrived at a towering white building, much taller than the other shops around it.
"This is Gringotts," Dumbledore explained. "The wizarding bank. You'll need to exchange your Muggle money for wizard currency—Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts."
Standing beside Gringotts' gleaming bronze doors was a goblin in a deep crimson and gold uniform. He was shorter than Owen, with a shrewd, dark face, sharp beard, and long, spindly fingers and toes.
The goblin bowed to them as they passed through the first set of doors. Beyond lay a second set, made of silver, with these words engraved upon 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."
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