Central London, Leaky Cauldron Pub.
The sensations were not the most pleasant. One moment you grab a person's hand and the next moment you are flattened. And that's not all, you were spun around, twisted, passed through the eye of a needle and the next moment spat out like an unchewed piece of meat. Hmm, not the most pleasant feeling, that's for sure. Well, at least he landed on his feet... It would have been a laugh.
The professor and I found ourselves in a secluded alley. There was a trash can nearby. If I weren't a metamorph and didn't know how to control my body, at least on a primitive level, then I would be this trash can's brother for the next five minutes.
Looking around at Flitwick, I realized he didn't even raise an eyebrow. This is what a matter of habit means.
-How are you, Calder? - asked the professor, with concern in his voice.
"Not the most pleasant feeling, you're right about that," I answered him. "And it's quite bearable, except for the desire to spit out breakfast along with yesterday's dinner."
"You're not holding up badly," Flitwick replied with a smile. – I'll tell you a secret: not many even adult magicians can restrain the urges of their stomach. There is something to be proud of, and at such an early age.
"Thank you, professor," I replied, smiling at the corner of my lips. Hmm, it doesn't really work out that I won't stand out, even in such a simple case. This is what reflex means in body control. I haven't been following him for a long time, everything comes out on a subconscious level.
-Well, I think we should go.
As soon as we left the alley, we found ourselves on a crowded street, somewhere in the center of London. There were an incredibly large number of people, all of them, like ants, running in all directions, about their undoubtedly important business. It's the middle of the day after all.
We walked along this street for some time. All the people were different, and also all were dressed differently. Adults mostly wear business clothes, and teenagers wear clothes that show their independence or that show their individuality. There were punks, goths, and many others.
There were also magicians. Now, looking at them, it immediately becomes clear that the books about Harry Potter left a lot unsaid. Well, firstly, most of the magicians were dressed like ordinary people. There was no such thing as a man wearing a woman's dress with rubber boots. They were all dressed in normal, high-quality clothing appropriate for the weather. Yes, slightly outdated, but not everyone follows fashion.
But still there were those who were dressed like in the Middle Ages. However, ordinary people did not notice such magicians. Apparently these were the notorious Muggle-repelling charms.
You may ask: How do I know that these are magicians? Do I have developed sensory skills? Alas, no. Of course, after so many years of observation and use, I have learned to feel mana. What can I say, I can even see mana.
To do this, I need to direct mana into the eyes. As soon as I direct mana there, the world blooms with new colors. Streams of multi-colored mana are visible everywhere, and it's just on the street. What can we say about the backyard of our house? There is just such a riot of colors that I associate with life. What will happen at Hogwarts? Will I go blind?
But there is a minus in vision. Items with a low amount of mana are simply not visible. They blend into the background. Please note that there is mana in any item, but in most items it is incredibly small. There is also a second disadvantage in vision. It cannot be used for a long time. My limit at the moment is 43 minutes at a time or 3 hours a day, if you don't go too far. By the way, at the very beginning my limit was 51 seconds. Development is in full swing.
So this is not sensory. Everything is much simpler and more interesting, for me and you. All these magicians greeted Flitwick who was walking nearby. Some looked respectfully, some neutrally, but they all welcomed him. There were even those who came up to us and started a light conversation.
"Professor, please resolve the question," Flitwick, looking at me with interest, nodded. -Are you quite popular among magicians? Or are these all your friends?
Laughing slightly, the professor replied:
- Undoubtedly, some of those who approached me are my good friends, I would not call it friendship. This word has much more meaning than it seems at first glance, don't you think?
-You are absolutely right, professor. Sorry for the incorrect question.
- It will be for you, I'm not offended. Everything is outrageously simple. All of them were once my students. I taught each of them. Some were students of my house, others were not.
-Did you train them all? I apologize in advance for the indiscreet question, but how old are you?
"Your question is truly indiscreet," the professor grinned. -If I tell you the answer, it won't be interesting, right? I'll just say one thing: I was not born in this century.
When I heard the answer, I was taken aback for a second. Not this century? That is, he is about 100 years old or even more? How many of these "friends" does he have? Over the years there must have been quite a few supporters on his side.
Overwhelmed by such thoughts, I continued to move after the professor.
The path came to an abrupt end. It felt like we walked for about 15 minutes, but in fact it took us no more than 5 minutes to walk to the entrance to the World of Magicians.
What was the entrance to this strange World? Well, from the outside it's a standard pub. The dark tones of the door and walls only emphasized its antiquity; the glass was cloudy not from dirt, but from the methods of their creation, which once again shows how old this building is. A slightly lopsided sign with a telling image of a leaky cauldron, as well as the inscription "Leaky Cauldron".
-We arrived at the entrance.
The professor broke the silence.
-Is this the entrance? So to get to the magical world you have to go through the pub? - I asked doubtfully, at least I think so.
"Well, not all magicians come to the World of Magicians like that," Flitwick smiled. –You see, people like you, children from ordinary people, or those who do not know or cannot use other methods of movement pass through this entrance to the World of Magicians. You have experienced an example of this method yourself.
"Apparation," I answered affirmatively.
-That's right, apparation. Not every magician owns it, and even if he does, not everyone can apparate over long distances. There are also other entrances to the World of Magicians, but you are a freshman, and for you to go through this pub has already been a long-established tradition. It's up to you to decide whether it's good or bad, but note that this is the easiest way to show and find the entrance.
-That's understandable. However, don't ordinary people see it?
-And you look around.
Looking around I realized something. People didn't notice the pub. Moreover, they walked around the area in front of the pub, not by much, about one and a half measures, but still.
"Magic," I answered under the throne-like gaze of the professor. – Apparently some kind of spell has been cast on the pub, forcing ordinary people not to notice it, but not only to notice it, but also to bypass it. Maybe, just maybe, the spell isn't just on the pub, but in the area around it. It's like a transparent dome.
Clap clap. Flitwick clapped his hands lightly.
-Excellent analysis, young man. You are absolutely right. Every word is true," said the professor smiling. Only now did I notice the fanged smile. – Indeed, a spell was cast on the pub itself and the area around it, in the form of a dome. It diverts the attention of ordinary people and hides the pub of modern technology. For example, satellite images. Don't be surprised, we know about satellites, video cameras and so on. Even some developments were put to use, for example, a video camera formed the basis for many new spells.
After listening to the professor, I thought deeply. It turns out that magicians fully understand and are aware of the development of ordinary people. Moreover, they take their idea as a basis and create something of their own, something new. Then why is there a law against enchanting Muggle things? After all, this ban was not taken out of nowhere; something was a prerequisite.
So I stood there, thinking. The sound of a bell brought me out of my stupor. It was the professor who opened the door to the pub and waited for me to wake up.
"Sorry, professor," I said, bowing my head.
-Nothing, it happens. Well, come on in.
And I walked through the door.
Strangely enough, I found myself in a pub that is shown in historical films of the 16th and 17th centuries. The inside of the building was vast, with a lot of open space. The floor, walls and ceiling were dark in color. The room was lit by candles that were in candlesticks, as well as in a chandelier that hung from the ceiling. In the hall itself there were about half a dozen tables with two chairs next to each other. On the left there was a staircase leading up to the second floor. There was a bar counter next to the stairs. The bartender stood behind her. It was to him that we were heading. In general, the room was quite crowded, despite the height of the day.
"Greetings, professor," said the bartender.
-You will be Tom, you are no longer my student.
"It was, yes it was, but you never stop being a professor," Tom answered with a smile. -Who is this with you? Future student? New to the Magic World?
"That's right," Flitwick replied. - This is the future magician. Introduce yourself as Calder.
"Hello," I answered with a slight bow, as a sign of the neophyte's respect for the magician. -My name is Calder Wilson, a future first-year student at Hogwarts.
-Very nice, young man. My name is Thomas Creel, I am the owner of this pub. Well, let's go to the entrance to Diagon Alley.
Coming out from behind the pub, Tom headed towards the door, which was invisible at first glance, because of the stairs that hid it.
Approaching it, he opened it and let the professor and me through. As soon as we passed, Tom closed the door behind us, saying:
-Good luck to you Professor and to you, young man.
The door closed. We found ourselves in a confined space without a roof. We were surrounded by brick walls on four sides. They were identical, only the one we passed through was distinguished by the presence of a doorway.
"Get ready," said the professor. I just wanted to ask: Why?
Approaching the wall opposite the door, he took out his wand and knocked on the bricks. The wall shook. Immediately after this, it was as if a wave of visible mana passed through her and, as the apogee of this whole performance, the wall parted. Just like in the movie, each brick "crawled" out of its place and "swimmed" in the opposite direction.
As soon as this happened, a voice came from the professor:
-Welcome to Diagon Alley.
And the street appeared before me...