18

Opening my eyes, Diagon Alley appeared before me. Outwardly, it looked like a street of the 16-17th century. As I understand it, the entire magical world is really stuck in this era. But there were two small clarifications in the appearance of the street.

First, it was incredibly clean, cleaner than the streets of modern cities. It is immediately obvious that the magicians of England pay attention to the appearance of their business card. As is historically known, in the Middle Ages, city streets were full of waste, but this is not observed here (which is, in principle, logical).

Secondly, she breathed mana. As soon as the passage formed, I was "washed" by a stream of mana. It felt like I was a lost traveler in the desert, having finally plunged into the purest water, like the most beautiful crystal.

These feelings, now I understand why Muggle-borns do not strive to return to the world of ordinary people. Who would exchange a life full of colors and life for a life devoid of them? I haven't even taken a step into this world yet, but I no longer want to leave it.

-An unforgettable feeling, isn't it? - the professor told me with such a smile that it becomes clear that he knows what he is talking about. -Not everyone, far from everyone, immediately realizes this difference. The difference between the two worlds, but often when they realize it it is too late.

The smile that had recently seemed understanding disappeared. In its place, another appeared, the one that appears on the faces of those people who have known the pain of loss. Just for a second, but she revealed herself to the world. This obsession lasted literally one moment; as soon as you blinked, the same bright smile of the professor appeared in its place. Perhaps it's just a mask, a mask that hides too much. Or maybe it just seemed to me.

"And you're becoming more and more interesting," Flitwick said, looking away from me with his smiling gaze. -Every moment I become convinced that you are somehow different from ordinary people. Can you tell me what?

I didn't know the answer to this question. It becomes clear that my improvised disguise is nothing compared to the power and experience of this Magician. This makes him respect him until his head rings and fear him until his knees tremble. If he saw through me so quickly, then what will happen to the other magicians?

"Don't be nervous, Calder," said the professor, walking into the aisle. -Everyone has the right to secrets.

Having said this, he headed forward along the street. After standing for a couple of seconds, I went after him. In the end, this is just the beginning, I still have everything ahead.

Walking behind the professor, my gaze kept wandering along the street. She, as expected, was more described in the books. There were a lot of different shops here. In general, Diagon Alley is not just one street. There were 3 of them here.

On the central one there were benches, shops, cafes and more. Along the sides were administrative buildings and ordinary houses. You can immediately see from her why she was called Scythe. All the buildings were either crooked or slanted, there were even those that looked like inverted pyramids. And these were not the most extravagant-looking buildings, there were also those that words cannot describe. Just a jumble of walls, corners and windows. It's immediately obvious that it's a magical street.

In general, the street was not crowded. Of course, there were enough people here, but compared to those shown in the film and book, this is nothing.

Each part of the street was quite wide, and they were about several kilometers long. Oh yes, the so-called entrance to the pub was not at the beginning of the street, as it might seem, but somewhere in the middle. He was simply coming out of the wall of some building. And the street still went in the opposite direction. What can I say – magic.

So we walked until the entrance to the bank appeared. Gringotts is definitely him. Outwardly, it looked like a mixture of a pantheon and a medieval castle, a kind of structure combining several eras. Outwardly, it completely fit into the picture of this street.

-Professor, what kind of building is this?

"Gringotts Bank is a financial monopoly in the magical world," his voice was heard. -For several centuries since his appearance, he has established himself as the ideal partner of the magical world. I foreshadow your question, yes, there were others, but they could not provide worthy competition, so they disappeared.

-But isn't a financial monopoly too much power in the hands of wizards?

-Who said that banks are owned by wizards? - Flitwick said, standing half-turned. -It is run by goblins - one of the inhabitants of the magical world and no, not too much power. They are tied to so many contracts that even Christmas trees are not decorated as much as they, the goblins, are hung with them. If you are interested in these topics, then when you are at the bookstore, buy additional literature. In the end, this is exactly why your parents gave you money and it is in this bank that we will exchange pounds.

Having said this, he headed towards the front doors, which were currently wide open. On the sides of the door stood two figures dressed in golden outfits. They must be goblins. They looked like short people with dark green skin, large heads with elongated ears and nose.

Passing through the doors I read the inscription written on them:

Rise up, stranger, but take into account:

Retribution awaits the one who sins with envy,

You want to get wealth without difficulty -

You'll have to pay a lot for it.

The treasure that sleeps peacefully in the dungeon,

Remember, it doesn't belong to you,

Thief, tremble! And know that besides the treasure

You'll find something there that you don't need at all.

These words reeked of mana so much that I felt it while standing 5 meters away from them.

"These inscriptions are a variation of the magical contract," Flitwick answered the silent question.

Together with him we entered the bank premises. Inside it turned out to be incredibly spacious and bright. There were tables on podiums along the walls, where goblins worked. We went to one of them.

"Good day to you," the professor said to the goblin when we approached him. -This young man would like to exchange Muggle currency for magical currency.

Looking up from his work, the goblin looked at us. At the sight of the professor, a strange light lit up in his eyes.

-And what is the name of this young man?

-My name is Calder Wilson. I'd like to exchange pounds for galleons. May I know the exchange rate?

-Standard exchange rate 5k1. 5 pounds per 1 galleon. 1 galleon – 17 shekels, 1 shekel – 29 knuts.

-Thank you. Then I would like to exchange 1000 pounds.

Having received the required amount, the professor and I said goodbye to the bank employee and went shopping.

The first shop we visited was the robes shop. Having entered it, we found ourselves in a standard boutique. The saleswoman immediately approached us and, having accepted our order, retired to another room.

-Professor, isn't it too early to buy robes? I'll grow out of them.

-Don't worry, all things have a set of enchantments applied to them, which regulates the set of clothes to a certain extent. You shouldn't hope that if you buy a robe once, you won't buy a new one. No, you'll have to buy a new one next year.

Nodding my head, I took the information into account. After waiting for our order for 15 minutes, we paid, left the shop and headed to the next one.

So time passed, we went into shops, bought a set for freshmen and went to another shop. So I bought school supplies, a cauldron, ingredients, etc.

Next on the list was a bookshop. Having entered it, I found myself in information heaven. So much new and unknown. How I wanted to stay here. I felt like a modern girl in a clothing boutique, I wanted everything, but I couldn't get everything.

Having ordered a list of necessary literature from the seller, we began to wait for the order.

-Professor, can I buy additional literature?

-Why not? Which one exactly?

-I would like something about medicine, history and the structure of the society of magicians. And also those books that you recommended to me.

-I understand history and other books, but medicine? Why do you need it? "Flitwick asked, focusing all his attention on me.

"You see," I began my answer, carefully choosing my words. -My parents are doctors in the ordinary world, and my father is a very famous surgeon. From early childhood I grew up in such an environment and could not help but be imbued with it. Before I discovered my magical gift, I wanted to become a doctor. But since I can't become a doctor in the ordinary world, why shouldn't I become a doctor in the world of magicians?

I fell silent. The professor watched me closely for several tens of seconds, as if he had illuminated me with an x-ray, by God. But it's worth noting that during the entire time of our communication he did not get into my head. And now he didn't.

"You've chosen an interesting future profession, Calder," Flitwick began. – In this shop you will find maximum basics. Of course, the basics are needed, but they will tell you everything you need. And the basics are the same, one set of field assistance. To fully practice medicine, by the way among magicians it is called witch medicine, you need to either become an apprentice or join the Healers Guild. Both have their pitfalls. So your path will be thorny, unless of course you turn away from it.

-What, no options at all?

-Why, yes. Firstly, perhaps there are normal basics of witchcraft medicine here. Secondly, at Hogwarts the library is much richer and wider, where you will definitely find what you are looking for. And thirdly, there is a bear in the school - Madame Pomfrey. She alone treats all the diseases in our school. If you try and prove yourself, you can become her student. By the way, she is an honorary bearer of the title Grand Master of Witch Medicine.

-Grand Master? What other levels or titles?

-Well, everything is simple here. All magicians who have entered any path of magic begin with the title of neophyte. When you enter Hogwarts, you will also receive this title. The second rank is journeyman. Holders of this title have fully mastered the basics. Next come the masters. They have mastered this science and have the right to independent activity in their chosen profession. Grand Masters. These are those who not only know their profession thoroughly, but they also brought something new to their chosen path. Archmages. These are the greatest magicians in the industry. They have immense knowledge, skills and strength. Even the Queen will bow to any holder of this title. Let me clarify right away that the gap between a master and a grand master is unimaginable, and between a grandee and an archmage is like between a neophyte and a grandee. Archmages are so rare.

-So Madam Pomfrey is incredibly strong and skilled?

"That's not enough to say," Flitwick grinned. "Even our director, who holds 3 titles of Grand Master, is afraid of Madam Pomfrey. No one knows why, but what is known for sure is that Madam Pomfrey worked at Hogwarts during the time of the headmaster's studies. And this is a very long time ago.

This information knocked me out of my potassium. It's not every day that you learn about the monsters that hide behind a bear's mask. But in the book she was given little attention, but it immediately becomes clear why she could kick both the director and the minister out of the medical unit.

So we spent the time waiting for my books. I also bought additional books such as: "Treaties and Oaths", "A Brief History of the Magical World", "The Structure of the Magical World and the Ministry of Magic". We also found a "Field Set of Witchcraft Spells" and "An Introduction to the Inner World of Magicians." Still, we managed to find a book with normal basics, the seller himself was surprised at its presence. He thought that he had sold everything.

I needed these two books like air, especially the second one. After all, I'm a metamorph.

After leaving the bookstore we went to the stick store. Having led me to the entrance to the shop with the telling name "Magic Wands from Ollivander," the professor remained outside without commenting on it.

Shrugging my shoulders, I entered the shop. Inside it was exactly like in the film. Still the same mustiness, dust, boxes of sticks. It's as if the directors saw this shop with their own eyes.

As soon as the doors slammed shut, a man appeared next to me. This man was the owner of the shop, Garrick Ollivander. He looked like a middle-aged man with gray hair and slightly crazy eyes.

-Welcome to Ollivander's Laka. I am both the seller and the owner of this shop. How can I help you, young man?

-Hello, my name is Calder Wilson. I came to buy my wand.

-Ahh, freshman. Wonderful, wonderful. Have you come for your first stick? Wonderful. Tell me which hand do you use?

-I am ambidextrous, I am equally proficient in both the right and the left.

"Oh-oh-oh," said Garrick in surprise. – This doesn't happen often, not often. It will be interesting.

Having said this, he waved his hand. Following her wave, a silver measuring ruler began to measure me. She measured not only her arms, but also her torso, head, and legs. For what?

The owner of the shop himself disappeared behind the shelves. A couple of minutes later he returned with 3 boxes. Having placed it on the counter, he recalled the rulers and called me over to him.

-Let's try this one.

He took out a strange wand. It was curved and pink in color. Taking it in my hands, I didn't feel anything. I waved it and again nothing.

"It doesn't fit," Ollivander said and gave another. -I'll try this one.

As soon as I took it in my hands, Garrick snatched it from my hands. I didn't even look at her.

-No no. Absolutely not. Completely unsuitable. How could I have been so wrong?

Having put down her box, he proceeded to her wand. Having taken it out, he looked at it for a few seconds and only then handed it to me.

"Try it," said Garrick, handing me an ordinary wand.

As soon as I took her, I felt: she. It was the same feeling as when entering the magical world, only much stronger. Mana began to fill me much faster and more willingly, or what? What are these magic wands? Limiters, concentrators? Or something else? One thing is clear - my wand is definitely not a limiter.

"Wonderful," Ollivander's voice brought me out of my stupor. – Grapevine and Unicorn Hair, 11 inches. Interesting combination.

-What exactly is interesting?

"You see, the vine is a rarely used material," he said. - The Druids considered anything that had a tree trunk to be a tree, and vines make wands with such a special character that I was glad to continue their ancient traditions. Grapevine wands are not very common, and I have noticed with interest that their owners are almost always witches and wizards, striving for high goals, whose vision goes beyond the ordinary and often amazes those who think they know them best. Grapevine sticks are attracted to people who have a lot hidden inside them, and I have noticed that they are more sensitive than others. Reliable sources indicate that these wands can produce magic simply upon entering the room of a suitable owner, and I personally witnessed a similar phenomenon twice in my store," Garrick fell silent for a couple of seconds and continued. -Unicorn hair gives the most persistent magic and is less affected by vibrations and blockages than others. Unicorn hair sticks have the hardest time transitioning to the Dark Arts. Such wands are the most loyal of all and usually retain a strong attachment to their owner, regardless of whether the owner is a wizard who has completed his magical education. A slight downside to unicorn hair is that it doesn't produce the most powerful wands (though this can be offset by the wood the wand is made from). They are also prone to melancholy if treated very poorly, which means that the hair may "die" and will need to be replaced.

He fell silent again, thinking about something of his own. He shook his head and continued:

-So what am I getting at? It's all about combination. Unicorn hair and vine make an interesting combination. The first is the most primitive - the ability to create powerful spells. The second is much more interesting. In this combination, a magician who wields a wand is able to use Dark directions of magic, mind you, not Evil, but Dark. After all, the Druids were known for more than just good deeds, weren't they, young man?

All I could do was nod. You will need to study this wand at home.

-You have 7 galleons.

-I would also like a case and a wand care kit.

-Very good, I'll bring it now. In total, you have 9 Galleons.

Having paid, I put on my holster, placed my wand in it and left the store. Filius was waiting for me at the exit.

-Well, all that's left is to buy you an owl and you can go home.

-You're right, sir.

"Let's go," he said and headed towards the desired shop.

When we arrived at the store, we bought a regular dark gray one. I named her Athena, in honor of the goddess of knowledge. The owl is its symbol.

Having purchased everything we needed, we left Diagon Alley. Apparation is an amazing ability. You will need to master it.

Having handed me over to my parents along with my purchases, the professor gave me a ticket, told me how to get to the platform and, saying goodbye, left.

Well, my day is not over yet. We still need to discuss everything with our parents. In the end, the disguise was not completely successful.