Second time at the Diagon Alley

Tomorrow I will be going to the Diagon Alley for my second time. There is little time left before Hogwarts starts. I have already finished reading all my books, so I intend to buy second year's course books. I have to buy new clothes too. I grew up a bit. I don't look like very chubby anymore. My face is still round-faced but I'm a child, so I think I'm supposed to look more cute than manly. I change my hair style too. It is longer than I remember Neville's actor had in the movies. It's scisor cut and I like it kind of messy and a little bit spiky, looking like Brady Pitty in Seven or like an young version of Tom Hughes. My grandmother doesn't like it messy. She keeps side parting it and telling me to cut it more than I want.

During this year and a half my chakra points seem to be more aligned. I can do a lot of basic spells in a day. I've been using magic to daily chores already. It's so handy when it comes to brushing my teeth, taking a shower, wiping my back... I even use it to grab stuff all the time. Some times I can do some simple spells without a wand, but it is way harder. I think the wand serves as a catalyst, fortifying and accelerating the formation and speed with which chemical reactions happen inside my body while I do spells.

The same goes by the voiceless spells, whose catalyst is the magical words. It is a little bit easier than the wandless spell, because I can reproduce the words in my mind. The problem is that the spell gets much weaker. I started by pronouncing the magical words in my mind and then shortening them bit by bit. Every magical syllable has it's function in the spell so I had to figure it out how each syllable resonates in my body and what it provokes inside of me. Then I started to emulate the same reaction with my mind. It is really hard, but I'm evolving bit by bit.

The thing is they both are extremely hard and requires a lot of practice, repetition and more knowledge over magical theory, thus I am trying to develop a more advanced magical theory.

I know, for sure, that magic is related to the chakra points. For example, when I started to practice some transfiguration spells I noticed that I was using both my Sacre and Root chakra before the rest. Most of my everyday chants begin in my Laryngeal chakra point, and in most spells related to herbology I could feel my Umbilical chakra point before the rest. While I was studying Potions with my grandmother I could feel my Umbilical chakra point more, but sometimes I could feel my Frontal chakra point being active before the rest too. Maybe when they say a wizard is more gifted in some branch of magic, it is related to a natural development of a point of chakra specific.

I'm taking notes and doing some experiments about all that. The first I studied was Charms because it is the subject I practice the most, as I use it to constantly test the limits of my spell reserve. It is a very practical subject. The theory behind the Charms lies in visualization. You have to be able to visualize the effects your charm will produce, do a pattern movement and say the magical word. It works as a foundation to most spells. With respect to my chakra points, most spells from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 and 2 use my Laryngeal chakra point, while some few use my Cardiac chakra point. The opposite happens in charms related to Defence Against the Dark Arts, where my Cardiac chakra point is activated the most, followed by the Laryngeal.

In transfiguration, you must understand the materials you are working with. You have to know the composition of the object you want to use to transfigure and the composition of the object you want to transfigure to. So it's a lot more about theory than practice. The books basically teach the transformations that must happen in a given object so that it is able to transfigure itself into another object. It is harder than charms because the visualization step is way more complex, at least for now.

I did not test if I can transfigure living things, but I problably can't. First, I don't have enough knowledge on living beings, since biology used to be my worst subject in school. And second, I don't want to risk Trevor's life. I've been using a lot of spells on him, and his natural protection and regeneration capacity are amazing. Spells are harder to cast against a living thing, so I need him for keep doing tests. Just as in the books, he disappears all the time, but always comes back too. I guess its because of the food I give him. It's a magical insect that is sold as the food frogs love.

Herbology, in turn, is very close to the botany of my original universe. The difference lies in the fact that magical plants require inlaid elements of magic. Thus, various ways of providing magical energy are described. Like the original Neville, herbology is an ease subject to me. I don't know why, but I feel it is related to my Umbilical Chakra. I can feel he is way easier to activate than my others points of chakra. It corroborates with my theory that wizards do better in subjects related to their chakra point most developed.

With respect to Potions, my grandmother seems a great teacher. She is always super stern and severe and she yells a lot at me but I'm constantly progressing. Potions is a very difficult subject. I used to think it was just like cooking. You simply had to put some ingredients in the precise time, mix up a bit, and voila a super potion!

It is nothing like that. First, most of the ingredients can only be prepared seconds before being placed in the cauldron. That's the reason why potion classes are done by duos in Hogwarts, I guess. You have to do some magic to slice, to peel and at the same time you have to control the cauldron and move the mixture. And controling the cauldron means controling the temperature. It's like if you are cooking while you have to constantly controls temperature, mix the ingredients in a specific pattern of movements and slice or peel the next ingredient, all at the same time.

Thus, each new step in Potions means, adjust the temperature, change the mixing movements inside the cauldron, if required, and begin to prepare the next ingredient. Very complex. You basically have to decorate the whole process before you start to prepare a potion, because there is no time to keep looking at the book for instructions. For Snape to be considered a greatmaster in Potions, he must really be a genius.

But since I begun to make some voiceless spell I improved a lot in Potions. Lately, I'm able to do some simple potions alone, but I know it is more due to repetition than to expertise in the subject.

My grandmother even praised me these days.

"Are you ready, Neville?" My grandmother yells.

"Yes, yes! Let's go."

The Diagon Alley is way more crowded than the last time I was here. There are many more children and teenagers walking around the cobbled street today. Our first stop is in the cauldron shop, then the apothecary shop. I needed new gloves and a new cauldron, besides some more ingredients to practice before Hogwarts.

Our next stop is Flourish & Blott's. Oh God, how I love this store. My grandmother have to go to Gringotts again, so I make an appointment with her. 17 o'clock back to the cauldron store. It's 13:30. I still have to buy some clothes and robes in Madam Malkin's Robes for all Ocasions store. So I leave the bookstore sad. There's still a line in the Madam Malkin's store.

More than half an hour in line and when I'm starting to get upset I finally see Hermione for the first time. She was no Emma Watson, but she looks as cute as her in the first movie with a bush brown hair unveiled and some muggle's clothes. Her face was a little less cute due to her large front teeth, but, even so, she is HERMIONE GRANGER!

There are two adults with her, I suppose it is her parents. Her father was an elegant man and her mother was a very beautiful woman. They are having an ice cream happily while going to Flourish & Blott's direction. There is just one person ahead of me in line. I want to go talk to her, but what would I say to her? Calm down, Neville! You are going to see her at the Hogwarts Express. Maybe she will still be in the bookstore when I'finish here...

"Next!"

"Oh, It is me, Hogwarts clothes, all I would need as a first year."

"I remember you little wizard. Mr. Longbottom, if I'm not mistaken. You really grew up a little. Why didn't you brought to me your old clothes to adjust? I hope you did not throw them away. You can resell their fabric to me."

"Hello Madam Malkin, I did not throw the clothes off. I'm just buying a new set. My grandmother have already adjusted it. They really have high quality and your hands do an amazing job too."

"Hahahaha, such a sweet talker little boy. Here are your new clothes. I'm going to give you 10% off for being cute. "

I smile to her, pay and leave quickly. I practically run towards Flourish & Blott's. The store is enormous. I can't find her but a very beautiful store attendant come walk to me smiling. She must be about 20 years old. I notice she has quite a body and a huge pair of boobs, even with the sweater trying to hide it. I have an urge to hit on her so I also go in her direction.

"Do you need any help, little boy?"

Little boy? Fuuck! This body is a bother. I'm not at the physical age of wanting to have a girlfriend, but my mind yearns for contact with the opposite sex. I love women as much as Al Paccino character in Scent of a Woman. There is a line in this movie I always remember when I see such a beautiful lady 'Women! What can you say? Who made 'em? God must have been a fuckin' genius. The hair... They say the hair is everything, you know. Have you ever buried your nose in a mountain of curls... just wanted to go to sleep forever? Or lips... and when they touched, yours were like... that first swallow of wine... after you just crossed the desert. Tits. Hoo-ah! Big ones, little ones, nipples staring right out at ya, like secret searchlights. Mmm. Legs. I don't care if they're Greek columns... or secondhand Steinways. What's between 'em... passport to heaven.' This is my love for women. Oh God, so hard to not have one around.

"Hey, little boy? Little boy? Do you have a problem?"

"No, no, I just got a little stunned at how beautiful you are." She blushes. I turned my gaze away from hers. I have no shot with her " I want Hogwarts third year's books except for the book of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

With her face still a little red, she asks "What additional courses have you chosen?"

"Arithmancy, Study of Ancient Runes and Divination." I lie, but I will definitely choose between these three, if possible.

"Okay, I'll get them for you." She turns around and hurries out. I smile and suddenly I feel someone nudging my shoulder. I look back, and it is her.