20demayo Chapter 3 Shopping in Diagon Alley
Chapter 3 Shopping in Diagon Alley
The next morning, the Hawthorne family finished breakfast early and sat in the living room waiting for Professor McGonagall's arrival. The air was filled with the faint aroma of coffee and a certain indescribable sense of anticipation.
When the clock hands pointed precisely to the agreed time, the doorbell rang on time.
When the door was opened, Professor McGonagall was indeed standing outside.
"Good morning, Mr. Karen," she nodded slightly, "Are you all ready?"
“Of course, Professor!” David stepped forward, clutching a bulging wallet. “We have enough pounds, and I’d like to accompany Karen to Diagon Alley myself, is that alright?”
"No problem," Professor McGonagall nodded. "However, long-distance Apparition is a bit dangerous for someone new to magic. We'll go to the FlooNet point in Plymouth first, and then travel to London via the FlooNet."
"Is Apparition the magic that made you suddenly disappear when you left yesterday? And what are the Floo Network and its points?" Karen blinked. Although he had read about it in books in his previous life, hearing these words with his own ears still excited him.
“Absolutely correct.” Professor McGonagall’s lips curled slightly upward, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes behind her square glasses. “Apparition was indeed the spell I used yesterday, but long-distance Apparition can cause serious discomfort—” Her gaze swept over David, “especially for ordinary people without magical resistance.”
Then, her slender fingers retrieved a small packet of glowing powder from an inner pocket of her robe. "The Floo Network is much safer. It's a transportation system overseen by the Ministry of Magic, connecting thousands of registered fireplaces across Britain via specially made Floo Powder." The powder flowed in her palm like living stars. "Each connection point is a 'network point,' like Florin's Ice Cream Parlor in Diagon Alley, or Flour and Blotts, but we'll only be using it to get to London this time."
Using the Floo network, the group quickly arrived at Charles Cross Road in London, where the three stopped in front of a narrow gap between a bookstore and a record store. Ignoring the passersby, Professor McGonagall walked straight to the oak door that seemed to have been forgotten by time—the words "Break the Cauldron" were faintly visible through the peeling black paint on the door panel.
"Remember this location, Mr. Cullen." Her wand tapped the door knocker, and the rusty metal suddenly opened a pair of brass eyes. "From now on, this will be your only route to Diagon Alley."
The wooden door creaked open automatically, releasing a warm aroma mingled with the scents of butterbeer and musty wood. In the dim light, a dozen or so shadowy figures whispered amongst themselves; an old witch in a pointed hat fed her Niffler; several ragged goblins counted coins in a corner; and behind the bar…
"Good morning, Professor McGonagall." The bar owner, Tom, was wiping glasses; he was hunched over, but his smile was exceptionally warm.
"Good morning, Tom. This is Karen Hawthorne, a freshman this year."
Tom squinted his cloudy eyes and looked Cullen up and down: "Ah, fresh blood from Hogwarts! Welcome to the magical world, child."
After greeting Tom, the three of them walked through the noisy bar and arrived at the small courtyard in the backyard.
Professor McGonagall stood beside the dumpster and took out her wand.
"Remember this spot, Mr. Karen," she said, pointing to a brick, "three bricks up, two bricks down, then tap it three times with your wand."
With a tap of the wand, the brick wall seemed to come alive, the bricks receding like a tide to reveal a wide archway. A cacophony of voices, dazzling magical light, and a variety of exotic fragrances instantly filled the air.
Diagon Alley was thus laid bare before them.
"Wow!" David exclaimed, his eyes wide. Karen held her breath, her gaze greedily scanning the shops lining the street: books that seemed to bite, self-stirring cauldrons, brooms dancing in the shop windows…
"Now let's head to Gringotts to exchange our currency for Galleons with the goblins. Pounds can't be used directly here."
The streets were bustling with activity, filled with wizards in all sorts of outlandish costumes. David couldn't help but mutter to himself, "This place is like stepping back into the Victorian era..."
Gringotts' white buildings soon came into view. Before the bronze doors, a goblin in uniform stood guard solemnly. He had a sharp nose and long fingernails, and his eyes were alert and shrewd.
“Those are goblins,” Professor McGonagall explained in a low voice. “They manage Gringotts’ vaults and have an almost obsessive greed for contracts and wealth.”
"They look... really unique." David tried hard to control his expression.
Karen silently complained to herself that it was even uglier than in the movie, utterly devoid of beauty.
Passing through the bronze gate, a second silver gate bears an inscription of warning:
Please come in, stranger, but please be careful.
Those who are greedy will eventually reap what they sow.
"People rob banks in the wizarding world?" David couldn't help but mutter.
"This is just a warning. In fact, Gringotts is perfectly safe, there's nothing to worry about," McGonagall said calmly.
"Yeah, unless you're the Dark Lord or Harry Potter, don't even think about barging in," Karen thought.
Upon entering the second door, a fairy appeared and led the three to a grand marble hall, where a fairy was responsible for helping Karen complete the exchange.
The exchange went surprisingly smoothly. When Karen offered to exchange gold for additional Gallon, the goblin in charge of reception instantly lit up, her attitude becoming uncomfortably obsequious: "Honorable guest, how much gold do you wish to exchange?"
"About 100 ounces," Karen replied, feigning calmness, but she keenly noticed that Rapunzel's breathing had quickened considerably. The fairy's wrinkled, green skin flushed an unnatural red, and even the gold balance pendant hanging around her neck began to tremble slightly.
"However, you won't be exchanging it this time; you'll have to wait until your next trip to Gringotts."
"Of course!" The fairy's voice suddenly turned shrill. He frantically pulled a piece of gold-embossed parchment from under the counter, his fingers sparking a string of green fire as he ran it over the paper. "Honorable guest, you may come to the pull ring at any time! Gringotts provides exclusive service access for VIPs—"
Professor McGonagall coughed softly, and the goblin slightly toned down his overly eager attitude. But Karen could still see the veins throbbing behind his pointed ears, a testament to the goblin's instinctive craving for gold.
Another contract was pushed forward, the parchment displaying the constantly changing exchange rate. Karen noticed that the Gringotts gold-to-gallon exchange rate was 15% higher than the normal rate. Even more striking were the additional terms in the corner: transactions exceeding 100 ounces of gold would be eligible for private vault storage.
"Okay, I understand. I'll bring gold next time," Karen said to the pull ring after reading the contract.
"We look forward to your next visit." As the pull-ring bowed, Karen heard a few envious hissing sounds coming from the other counters. Several goblins were peeking out from behind ledgers, their yellow eyes gleaming greedily in the dim hall.
As the three approached the bronze gate, the pull ring remained in an exaggerated bowing posture.
After leaving Gringotts, the three headed straight for Madam Malkin's Robes boutique.
"Are you buying Hogwarts uniforms, dear?" Madam Malkin—a plump and kind-looking witch—greeted us with a smile.
As expected of a tailor from the magical world, the measuring tape flies automatically, the safety pins float, and the scissors cut with precision even without human intervention...
"The clothes will take time to make," Mrs. Malkin said finally after all the measurements were taken. "You can come back to pick them up later."
After paying the deposit, Karen suddenly asked, "Madam, do you accept owl mail order? I'd like to order some clothes for my family."
"Of course, darling! Just provide the accurate size and style requirements."
Following the list, the subsequent purchasing proceeded swiftly: first, Karen went to the crucible shop and picked out a standard-sized crucible made of pewter.
Then came the pharmacy, whose strange smell made David wrinkle his nose as soon as he entered. It was filled with all sorts of bizarre medicinal herbs: sticky lizard eyeballs, powders shimmering with an eerie light… After buying the items on their list, they fled as if their lives depended on it.
Next, at Flourish and Blotts, Karen not only bought the textbooks on her list but also purchased "Essentials of the History of Magic," "Introduction to Alchemy," and other introductory books related to magic. Afterwards, Karen inquired about mail order options, and the bookstore owner readily agreed to her request for owl mail order.
Then came the purchase of an owl. At the owl shop, a snow-white snowy owl caught Karen's eye. It held its head high with haughty pride, its amber eyes seemingly able to see right through people. Karen bought it without hesitation. The shop assistant even gave her some food that owls need.
The final highlight was Ollivanders wand shop.
In the cramped shop, piles of wand boxes reached all the way to the ceiling. Shavings and an ancient, mysterious aura filled the air.
"Is anyone here?" Karen asked as she entered the store.
"Good afternoon," a soft voice came from the shadows. "A new student at Hogwarts?"
Mr. Ollivander's large, silvery-white eyes were frightening. He emerged from behind the shelf like a ghost. His gaze locked onto Cullen: "Let's see which wand will choose you..."
"May I ask your name? You may call me Mr. Ollivander."
"Sir, my name is Karen Hawthorne."
"Yes, Mr. Hawthorne." Ollivander gestured for a measuring tape. "So, Mr. Hawthorne, which arm do you usually use?"
"I'm right-handed, sir."
The measurement process was even more meticulous than that of Mrs. Malkin: from shoulder to fingertip, wrist to elbow, and even head circumference and interpupillary distance were recorded.
"Try this first," Ollivander said, handing over a wand. "Grapevine wood, phoenix feather, nine inches."
As soon as Karen grasped the wand, a burst of violent energy exploded, and boxes on the shelf crashed to the ground.
"No, not that..." Ollivander became even more excited. "Ah! Perhaps black walnut would suit you better? Dragon heartstring, eleven and three-quarters inches."
When Karen's fingers touched the wand, a warm current spread from his palm throughout his body. With a gentle flick, golden sparks flew from the tip of the wand, swirling upwards like fireflies on a summer night.
"Perfect!" Ollivander clapped his hands. "Black walnut symbolizes keen intuition and powerful insight, while the dragon heartstring endows it with great strength and wisdom... It seems you are destined for an extraordinary path, Mr. Hawthorne."
Karen carefully twirled the wand in his hand. The black walnut wood gleamed with a deep, dark brown sheen in the candlelight. As his fingertips lightly touched the handle, a warm pulse emanated from the point of contact, as if the wand had come to life.
"Thank you for your patronage. That'll be seven Galleons in total," Ollivander said.
After buying the wand, Karen and her companions went to Madam Malkin's shop to pick up the clothes they had made.
Then they went to a snack shop and bought some snacks unique to the magical world.
The items on the list had been purchased, and Professor McGonagall led the Cullen father and son out of Diagon Alley and took them home.