Harry Potter: Days Mixed in Hogwarts

"Hello, I'm Hermione Granger."

The little girl extended her hand to Loren.

"Hello, I'm Loren Morgan."

Loren shook her hand twice, finding it a bit overly formal for two kids to be engaging in such a social gesture.

"Are you also one of the chosen first-years?"

Right now, Hermione was bursting with curiosity about everything related to wizards. She had been so excited the previous night that she had barely slept.

Loren's thoughts were still drifting, but before Hermione could ask anything more—

"We'll talk later. Right now, we need to go to the Leaky Cauldron."

Professor McGonagall interrupted them, taking each of their hands with her left hand while waving her wand with her right.

"Apparition!"

Pop!

The second time felt much better for Loren than the first—the suffocating squeeze inside the "tube" lasted much shorter. Maybe he was getting used to it, or perhaps the distance this time was shorter.

On the other hand, the lively little girl beside him immediately burst into tears.

But before Professor McGonagall could comfort her, a voice—choked with sobs—spoke up first:

"Was that just now also a kind of magic?"

"Was the spell called Apparition?"

"Will we be able to learn it in the future?"

After firing off three questions in quick succession, Hermione took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and looked straight at Professor McGonagall with bright, eager eyes.

Both Professor McGonagall and Loren fell silent for a moment.

Loren hesitated—should he join in and ask questions too, showing the appropriate amount of curiosity about the wizarding world?

Professor McGonagall was momentarily stunned but then answered, "You'll learn about this once you start school. For now, I'll show you how to get from the Muggle world to Diagon Alley. In future school years, you'll have to manage on your own."

Only then did Loren and Hermione lift their heads to take in their surroundings.

In front of them stood a somewhat grimy, run-down pub, its exterior walls covered in black stains.

Passersby seemed to look right past it, as if the place didn't exist.

Professor McGonagall led them through the pub. The inside was even darker and dirtier, and the people in it were dressed oddly—some wore tall top hats, while others had robes trailing along the floor.

They, in turn, eyed Hermione's jeans and plaid jacket with apparent fascination, as if her outfit was especially interesting. Loren, dressed in clothes made by a tailor from his small town, looked somewhat outdated on the street outside, but in the pub, he seemed to fit right in.

Feeling uncomfortable under the intrusive stares, Hermione frowned deeply but remained silent.

As they passed the bar, the bartender waved at Professor McGonagall in greeting.

Professor McGonagall simply pressed her lips together and didn't say much. She led them to a small enclosed courtyard, surrounded by brick walls, containing nothing but a trash bin and some overgrown weeds.

"All you have to do is count three bricks up from the trash bin, then two bricks to the right, and tap the wall gently with your wand three times. Then…" Professor McGonagall explained while demonstrating.

The brick trembled, then a small hole appeared in the wall. The hole quickly expanded into an archway, revealing a passage to a whole new world.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley."

There was a trace of pride in Professor McGonagall's voice. Even though she performed this introduction countless times each year, she never found it tedious. Unveiling the wizarding world to a young witch or wizard for the first time was always a joyous moment.

As they stepped through the archway, a loud rumbling sound came from behind them.

Turning back, Hermione and Loren saw the archway had reverted to a solid brick wall.

Walking down the street, they passed a variety of curious shops—ones selling owls, cauldrons, and even oddly shaped broomsticks—but they didn't stop at any of them.

"Professor McGonagall, why do wizards use owls to send letters?"

"Professor McGonagall, why are cauldrons made of different materials and sizes?"

"Professor McGonagall, how do flying broomsticks work? Do they have engines? What powers them?"

Hermione was feeling a bit nervous, and she kept asking questions nonstop. Children tend to feel some fear in unfamiliar places, and their curiosity can sometimes serve as a way to ease that anxiety.

At first, Professor McGonagall patiently answered her questions. But as Hermione's inquiries kept piling on, each one following another with an insistent "why," she finally said, "Some of these questions will be answered once you start school. Others, you'll have to find the answers to yourself."

Only then did Hermione stop. She turned to her new companion.

"Loren, why aren't you asking anything? Aren't you curious at all?" she asked.

Loren looked at the little girl in front of him. Her eyes were really bright.

"Hermione, did you know? I live on a ranch, and I have two talking cats. One is very cute, and the other… not so much."

"Oh! Are they wizarding pets too? I thought you were from a Muggle family like me!" Hermione immediately followed up with another question. She had already learned from Professor McGonagall that "Muggle" was the wizarding term for non-magical people.

Professor McGonagall also took note of what Loren had just said. Talking cats? She had never kept one herself. Why hadn't she seen them when she visited Loren's house?

"The one that wasn't very cute always asked 'why' about everything… so it was given away." Loren kept a straight face, but inside, he was holding back laughter.

Professor McGonagall instantly realized he was making things up.

"Huh? Why? Because it wasn't cute?" Hermione was still immersed in the idea of talking cats. "Do you have any other cats you could give me? Even if they're not that cute." She quickly added, "Even if they can't talk, that's fine too."

Loren could barely hold it in anymore. "Because the cute cat didn't keep asking 'why' all the time!"

As soon as he said it, he burst out laughing.

Professor McGonagall also looked amused.

Hermione blinked a few times, then finally caught on. "How rude! You tricked me!" She huffed and gave Loren a light slap on the shoulder, though not very hard.

"It was just a joke!" Loren apologized between chuckles.

When they passed by Flourish and Blotts, Hermione's eyes sparkled with excitement. She was eager to rush inside and search for answers to all her questions, but Professor McGonagall didn't stop.

"Wizarding currency is different from Muggle money. We need to go to Gringotts first to exchange some wizarding money," she explained.

Discussing the surrounding shops as they walked, the group finally reached their destination.

A snow-white building stood tall, higher than the surrounding shops, with shining bronze doors at its entrance.

A goblin in a scarlet and gold uniform stood by the door. He was only about half the height of an average adult, shorter than Loren, but had notably long hands and feet.

As they entered, the goblin bowed in greeting. Beyond the entrance was a second silver door, engraved with the following words:

"Enter, stranger, but take heedOf 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 floorsA treasure that was never yours,Thief, you have been warned, bewareOf finding more than treasure there."

Inside was a grand marble hall, with long counters where hundreds of goblins sat on tall stools, weighing coins on brass scales, examining gemstones, and handling various transactions…

With Professor McGonagall's help, Loren and Hermione exchanged British pounds for wizarding money, learning about the currency system in the process.