After the Hogwarts letters were dutifully delivered by hardworking owls, Diagon Alley suddenly became lively.
Since morning, Harold could hear loud, startled voices coming from outside.
Though the voices were crisp, they weren't pleasant to the ear—in fact, they were kind of annoying.
Ollivanders Wand Shop finally welcomed its first customers. Garrick stood behind the counter, squinting as he carefully observed the young wizard in front of him, who was so nervous he couldn't stop twisting the hem of his robe.
"No need to be nervous, child. I've seen many picky customers, but they all leave satisfied. I'm sure you will too," Garrick said patiently, trying to soothe the newcomer's nerves.
"Here, try this one—hawthorn, unicorn tail hair, twelve and a quarter inches, excellent flexibility."
Garrick enjoyed the process of choosing wands for first-years and always remained patient. Even though this new student had been taking quite a while, there wasn't the slightest trace of irritation in his tone.
Harold sat off to the side, watching with interest as the new student picked up the wand—and accidentally set off a firework inside the shop.
"Oh no, not that one…" Garrick quickly snatched the wand away before more trouble could unfold.
"Another picky one, I see. But no worries, I'm sure we'll find the perfect match for you… Let me think…"
The new student grew even more anxious.
At that moment, Harold heard someone call his name. He turned and saw a familiar face watching him inside the shop.
"Harry?" Harold blurted out. "What are you doing here… buying new books?"
"You could say that." Harry nodded, then shook his head. "Actually, because of… certain things, I'm temporarily staying at the Leaky Cauldron. And I remembered you live in Diagon Alley too, so I thought I'd stop by."
"Staying at the Leaky Cauldron…" Harold's eyes flashed slightly.
He remembered—Harry had lost control of his magic in a fit of anger and turned one of his annoying relatives into a balloon… Was it an aunt? Or a cousin?
Then Harry had run away from home and ended up in Diagon Alley.
"I'd say you should've done that long ago," Harold said as he stepped out from behind the counter. "I've heard Ron talk about your uncle and aunt—they sound like total magic-hating lunatics."
"They are," Harry said, hanging his head and sighing. "A few days ago, Ron called me, and they threw a massive tantrum. They even locked up my spellbooks—I couldn't even do my homework."
"Exactly why you should've come to Diagon Alley sooner," Harold replied. "Sure, the rooms at the Leaky Cauldron are a bit pricey, but I'm pretty sure you can afford six Sickles a night.
"And meals are included. Two months would cost just under twenty-two Galleons. Not a bad deal, really."
"Yeah, I'm already regretting not coming sooner," Harry admitted.
His vault at Gringotts still had a hefty fortune—he could probably live in the Leaky Cauldron for centuries without running out of money.
"But Harold…" Harry suddenly noticed Harold's index finger and blinked. "That's quite a… unique ring you've got there."
He almost said "ridiculous-looking," but changed it last second.
But seriously, the ring looked just like a snake—especially the face, which resembled a vertical slit pupil. It was downright creepy.
Harry glanced at it again, and an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.
Felt like something a Slytherin would wear…
Harry frowned slightly at the thought—but quickly shook it off.
Probably just a coincidence. Harold couldn't possibly be in Slytherin.
He shook his head again. "Doesn't it feel uncomfortable wearing such a big ring?"
"Not really," Harold replied.
The Serpent's Eye was indeed large and conspicuous, but Harold hardly noticed it. Whether using his wand, picking things up, or eating, it didn't feel any different—as if the ring wasn't even there.
"How come I've never seen you wear it before?"
"I just got it recently… Anyway, let's head outside."
Meanwhile, Garrick was still busy finding the right wand for the new student. Not wanting to interrupt—or let Harry keep staring at the ring—Harold led him out onto the street.
This was probably the busiest time of the year in Diagon Alley. The streets bustled with witches and wizards, and occasionally you could spot Hogwarts professors.
When new students from Muggle families visited for the first time, they were usually accompanied by a professor. That kid in Ollivanders, for example, had come with Professor Sinistra. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
But since he was taking so long choosing a wand, she'd gone ahead to buy other supplies.
Harry looked excited. As soon as they stepped onto the main street, he couldn't help saying, "I want to explore Diagon Alley a bit before term starts. Harold, since you've lived here for a while, you must know all the cool spots, right?"
"This crummy place? What's there to see?" Harold said instinctively.
"I mean…" Harold quickly corrected himself, "Diagon Alley is just a shopping street, really. Not all that exciting."
"But if you want to have a look around anyway, I suggest starting with a Florean Fortescue ice cream. It's the most popular treat in Diagon Alley. You can eat and think about where to go next."
"And if you've got Galleons to spare, then yeah, Diagon Alley can be a pretty fun place."
"I've got plenty—I just withdrew some from Gringotts half an hour ago." Harry shook his pouch, and it jingled loudly with Galleons.
Just then, they happened to pass by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Harry went up and bought two large cones, topped with chopped nuts and chocolate.
"So Harold, what do you usually do?" he asked, handing Harold one. "Do you just make wands all day?"
"Most of the time, yeah," Harold replied. "But I slack off sometimes, let myself relax."
"And where do you go when you do?"
Harry stared curiously at him.
He'd been to Diagon Alley plenty of times before, but always came and left the same day. He'd never really explored the most famous magical street in Britain.
He'd heard there were over a hundred shops here, but the only ones he'd visited were Flourish and Blotts and Madam Malkin's—the ones tied to school shopping.
This might be his only chance to properly explore, and he wanted to know what Harold, a Diagon Alley local, usually got up to.
He didn't know the area, but he could just follow Harold's lead. That had to be safe.
Harold quickly figured out what Harry was thinking.
Even if he personally thought Diagon Alley was shabby and dull, Harry clearly saw it differently. And since he didn't have anything urgent to do, he decided to play along.
"All right, I'll show you what I usually do around here," he said, and turned toward the entrance to lead the way.