"Be prepared; the ride will not be pleasant," said Tiara with a hidden smirk.
However, she did not explain and told him to hold tightly to her arms. Christian heard a cracking sound before feeling that he was spinning nonstop. When he stopped, Christian made a great effort to keep his breakfast in his stomach.
"Didn't vomit? Not bad."
"Apparition. You can learn it when you're 17, at least officially. If you make decent progress in school, I have no problem teaching you early."
Christian did not comment on his mother's words, which hinted that she would break the law. Instead, he focused on his surroundings.
"Come," said Tiara as she led him from the hidden corner where they appeared. She pointed to the street across from them, "What do you see?"
Christian observed the street and soon saw something, "The people…they seem to be ignoring that dirty pub."
"That's an enchantment called the Muggle Repelling Charms. Anyone who is not a wizard or witch will actively ignore this place, thus creating the perfect environment to hide."
"How fascinating," muttered Christian, and Tiara led him inside. Christian looked around for a few seconds, but his attention was soon diverted by the loud sound of the bartender.
"Tiara? Is that you? I haven't seen you in months," said Tom, smiling, but his mouth was missing a few teeth.
"You know, I'm always traveling. This is my son, Christian."
"So, you're Christian. She mentioned you a lot, but you rarely showed up," said Tom with an amiable smile.
"It's nice to meet you."
"Are you attending Hogwarts this year? No, school has already started."
"Next year," chimed in Tiara. "I'm just here to get some early supplies."
"It's good to shop early. Do you want anything?"
"Two butterbeers," she ordered, and soon afterward, Christian saw two cups floating from the back of the pub before settling before them. He looked at it before looking at his mother, "Does this have alcohol in it?"
"Do you think I would offer it to you if it did?"
"Never know with you."
"Nothing, ma'am," Christian swiftly replied before sipping his drink; it was refreshing and comforted him.
"Delicious, isn't it?"
"So, what do you think?"
"Of what?" he asked, not stopping drinking.
"Of the wizarding world."
"Well, the first impression is not ideal," replied Christian tactfully. The few wizards he saw dressed and looked weird; he was raised not to judge people by their appearance, but he could not help it. This is just a small part of the wizarding world; maybe the other people he will meet will be different.
"Don't expect too much," added Tiara, who seemed to know what he was thinking. "All aspects of wizardkind's life are ancient, archaic, and old-fashioned, including fashion, architecture, laws, and culture. As a result, the speed at which they grow and develop is miles behind Muggles."
"But won't that cause major problems?"
"More than you can imagine." Tiara stopped this subject as this was not the time to introduce her son to these issues; he was still young, but she did not want to instill her views into him. She wanted him to see the world and come to his own conclusion.
Tiara headed to the back, where she placed her wand in three different places on a wall. "Remember this for when you come here on your own."
"I will, but where are we going?"
"Gringotts—the Wizarding Bank. I don't have much money on me, so we need to get more."
"So, they have an economic system. Somehow, I feel I would not be surprised if you told me they still barter."
"They are not that backward," Tiara rolled her eyes before explaining the Galleon, Sickle, and Knut system. She told him how 1 Galleon equaled 17 Sickles and 493 Knuts, and 1 Sickle equaled 29 Knuts.
"This seems overly complicated. Why not use a denomination of 10? Or, is it something like the exchange price is based on a complex system that calculates the value of gold as it fluctuates?"
"No. As far as I know, that has been the exchange price for probably hundreds of years, if not longer."
Christian looked at his mother, baffled and not knowing what to say.
"One thing you must understand is that, because of magic, 99% of wizards and witches do not have any common sense or understanding of logic. They grew up in an environment where it was common to mess with the laws of physics."
"I don't really understand what you mean," admitted Christian.
"Let me give you an example. If you're building a house, you must ensure it's built straight and with the proper support. Otherwise, it will fall. However, with the correct enchantment, building a crooked house or one that is S-shaped that lasts for decades is very easy.
"I'll give you a second example: look at that box over there. Do you see it?"
"You could guess its size by looking at it, correct?"
"However, with magic, I can extend that box's interior dimension to contain an entire mansion. Imagine living in a world where things were common — how could you develop 'normal' common sense or even logic?"
"I see your point, but I still feel like things like common sense and logic are necessary and maybe should be taught in school."
"You're correct, but not everyone sees it that way." Tiara secretly shook her head. "Any more questions?"
"Why are you different? You've lived most of your life in the magical world, so shouldn't you be like them?"
Tiara paused, "The magical world in Haiti is not as separated as in Europe or other parts of the world. When I was young, I had plenty of Muggle friends and neighbors. However, that's not the primary reason I'm so different.
"A little before I was pregnant, a terrible war was happening in the magical world. Your father did not want us to participate in any capacity. Thus, we were forced to hide in the Muggle World with a different identity. That's when I began changing my ways of seeing the world.
"Later, I had to travel all over the world, which allowed me to create contact with all kinds of people, Muggles included." She often needed to translate her findings from different tombs and ruins. Sometimes, she could not find aid from scholars from the magical world and had to interact with the ones in the Muggle World.
Her actions can be considered as breaking the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. However, she never got caught since she rarely had to use magic to get what she wanted.
"Your adventures sound wonderful. You should tell me all about them."
"One day, but not now."
They soon arrived at the bank, and Christian met this magical creature known as a goblin. Then, he experienced a bumpy ride to their family vault, which he was shocked was full of galleons.
"Are we rich in the magical world?" he asked.
"You could say that."
"Where did all of this money come from?"
"30% of it is from your dad's family. Although they were not super rich, they were well off due to an Enchantment Shop that sold magical artifacts. As for the rest, they are the results of my exploits. You would be surprised how valuable old relics are in the magical world."
"So, Tomb Raiding is a profitable job?"
"If you're good at it and have the funding to plan for an expedition. Otherwise, your only choice is to become a Curse Breaker for others."
"Curse Breakers? That sounds like an interesting profession."
Tiara took the money she wanted before leading them out.
"Where to next?" Christian asked excitedly. Everything around him was new, which also meant interesting. He could not wait to explore and learn more.
"Olivander— we need to get you a wand."
"A wand? Does that mean I will be able to use magic soon? I wonder what kind of wand I will get."
"We'll know when we get there," she replied with a smile.