Flashback: Two days before
-London
Sebastian and Nadine walked through the streets of London, their footsteps echoing as they navigated the twists and turns of the city, they got lost in more than once. Tall buildings loomed above them, mixing modern skyscrapers and ancient architecture, that perfectly showed the city's history.
Their current destination was 'The Leaky Cauldron' which was also the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley. As they approached the ugly pub seated between a bookshop and a record store, they exchanged a glance to make sure their act was on. The pub's weathered wooden sign creaked in the breeze, and the entrance looked unassuming to any Muggle passerby, able to see the sign.
Inside, the pub was dimly lit, filled with the hard scent of butterbeer and roasting meat. The wooden beams overhead gave the place a cosy, old-world charm, although it was equally dirty. Tom, the barkeeper, greeted them with a friendly nod. No one else was there.
"Welcome to The Leaky Cauldron. What can I do for you today?"
"We're here to access Diagon Alley, we're exchange students from Germany!" Sebastian replied, trying to keep his excited expression on. This was all too dirty for his taste!
Tom's eyes twinkled and he began smiling even brighter, probably an act, "Ah, first-timers, are you? Follow me."
They followed Tom through the narrow pub until Tom led them to a small, walled courtyard at the back of the inn with several trash bins in front of the walls. Eww.
"Stand back, now.", Tom instructed while he pulled out his wand. He tapped a specific sequence of bricks on the wall and with a loud rumble, the bricks began to rearrange themselves and create an archway leading into the very heart of Diagon Alley.
"There you go.", Tom said, stepping back. "Welcome to Diagon Alley. Enjoy your visit!"
Sebastian and Nadine stepped through the archway, their eyes widening for real at the sight before them. Diagon Alley was a hub of activity. Street vendors shouted out the prices of their magical wares, children darted between shops with their parents behind them, and the occasional owl flew by right over their heads to deliver messages.
The buildings of Diagon Alley were a mix of old and modern magical buildings. Shops with tall, narrow facades stood shoulder to shoulder, their windows displaying everything from potion ingredients to the latest magical gadgets. The Apothecary's windows were filled with jars of brightly coloured substances, and across the way, Quality Quidditch Supplies showcased the latest broom models, the Black Bolt DxD.
-HP-
Their first stop was Gringotts Wizarding Bank, a massive white building that loomed over all of the alley with its imposing marble facade. Goblins ran past in front of the entrance, their sharp eyes watching every passerby with a mixture of suspicion and greed. As they approached, Sebastian read aloud the familiar warning engraved into the gleaming bronze doors:
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.
Inside, the grand hall of Gringotts was a marvel of magical architecture. Crystal chandeliers cast a dazzling light across the polished marble floor, and tall, gilded columns reached up to the high ceiling.
After looking around, Sebastian and Nadine walked up to one of the tellers, who straight up ignored them.
"Good day Sir, we are exchange students from Germany and were told to come to the bank to get our stipend for our school supplies.", Sebastian said submissively, keeping up his act.
"Grunt, follow me.", the goblin answered unhappily before jumping down from his post and walking straight through a door without caring whether they kept up or not.
The ride through the tunnels of Gringotts was a vomit-inducing experience and the cart speeding along tracks that twisted and turned sharply wasn't good for their nerves. Finally, they arrived at a large, heavily fortified vault door. The goblin opened it with a complex series of taps and touches, revealing a glittering pile of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts.
"Here, this is the trust vault for your stay. It refills to 100 Galleons every other month. You may use it to buy additional supplies or needs.", the gobbling explained unhappily.
"This should be enough for everything we need.", Sebastian said and filled a pouch with coins. Nadine nodded; her eyes wide as she acted surprised at the 'large' amount of money.
-HP-
Their next destination was Flourish and Blotts, the renowned bookstore and go-to shop of the Harry Potter series. The store's exterior was quaint, with enchanted books jumping and fluttering in the window. Inside, the shop was filled with high, towering shelves, each crammed with books on every conceivable subject.
"Look at this.", Nadine said, pulling out a thick, but fresh tome, "' Numerical Enchantments: Advanced Arithmancy for the Aspiring Wizard'. It's one of the books on our list, I think?"
Sebastian nodded and said, "We'll need that. And this one too." He picked up 'Magical Beasts of the Dark', which went into detail on the latest research on magical creatures, and 'My Way Into Living Transfiguration Techniques', the go-to book for beginning with human transfiguration.
The books they selected were part of an advanced curriculum designed for the elite students at Hogwarts. They found other essential volumes like 'Theoretical Spellcraft for the Modern Wizard', which explored cutting-edge theories in spell creation and modification, as they were 'expected' to have started on spell creation already, although most schools only taught this from the fifth year, if at all. It was clearly meant to be a huge shit show. The next book was 'Potions and Elixirs: A Comprehensive Guide to Advanced Brewing', perfect for Hogwarts' specialised potion-making classes, where students mostly must explore on their own. The titles showed a clear trend towards integrating theoretical knowledge with practical applications while exploring independently. This was only possible due to the high teaching standards during pre-school and the first two years in Hogwarts. The bookstore itself showed the clear advancement of wizarding knowledge in Britain.
"Quite the selection today.", the cashier commented as she looked at their purchases after they got four more books, "You two must be part of the elite program at Hogwarts. They've really expanded the curriculum this year."
"Yes,", Sebastian replied, "it's impressive how much new material there is."
"Indeed. I remember when the most advanced thing we had was 'basic Transfiguration', at least from today's perspective. Now look at all this.", she said, waving her left hand at the vast collection of advanced texts.
With pouches full of books, they moved on to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The shop was full of students getting measured for their Hogwarts uniforms. The robes were more advanced than Sebastian remembered, all incorporating self-cleaning charms and adjustable sizes. The fitting rooms were now enchanted to provide a 360-degree view, allowing for precise adjustments according to their own wishes.
"Try this on.", a helper at Madam Malkin's said, handing Nadine a set of robes. "These are the new models, designed for both comfort and utility. They have built-in protective enchantments and can adjust their warmth based on the weather."
Nadine twirled in front of the mirror and the robes fit perfectly. "They're incredible.", she said, acting like she was admiring the unique design.
"I see you're part of the advanced program.", Madam Malkin's helper said as she made final adjustments, "These robes should serve you well. We've had to innovate quite a bit to keep up with all the new magical advancements."
'Bruh, were they told to flex their superiority on us?'
"Yes, we are.", Nadine replied, "And thank you, these feel amazing."
-HP-
After their fitting, they headed to the Apothecary, where shelves were lined with jars of exotic ingredients. The air was filled with the scent of herbs and potions, a strong-smelling mix of dragon's blood, asphodel, and moonstone. The apothecary had recently expanded its inventory to include rare ingredients from across the globe, each one labelled with its magical properties and potential uses, as he told them.
"We'll need these.", Sebastian said, picking out powdered moonstone, the essence of dittany, and a vial of basilisk venom, and a few others, "They're needed for advanced potion-making, according to our list."
The shopkeeper, an apparently knowledgeable old wizard with a long white beard, smiled as he handed over the items. "Ah, students of the elite program. I remember when Hogwarts first introduced it. I'm sure you'll find these ingredients invaluable for your studies."
-HP-
Their final stop was Ollivanders, the legendary wand shop. The narrow, dusty shop was filled with shelves of wands, each boxed and scribbled on meticulously. Mr. Ollivander himself greeted them with his usual weird charm.
"Ah, new students?", he said, his pale eyes gleaming creepily, "Or perhaps...returning ones?"
._.
"No"