Chapter 7: Adventures On Diagon Alley
Newt stopped walking in front of a Victorian townhouse surrounded by a garden. From what Annie saw, the house had 3 floors. The famous basement which Newt used to guard most of his fantastic beasts could not be seen, since it was a basement…duh.
Annie had seen Newt's house in the second "Fantastic Beasts" movie, but once they were inside she couldn't believe her own eyes.
This was Newt Scamander's house and she was with him in it.
The walls were painted in a light beige tone, plants were scattered almost everywhere. There was a stairwell that led to the rest of the floors and presumably to the basement. They were now in what seemed to be both a dining room with a kitchen and a living room area.
The kitchen was big and Annie could smell all the different spices stored there, countless of drawers stuck in together. The dining table was in the kitchen but distinguished with a shiny candle holder and porcelain plates.
She could smell food which probably Bunty, Newt's housekeeper made.
Just looking at Newt and having seen him so many times before she actually met him, he seemed more concerned for his magical beasts than for his own well-being.
'I bet he even forgets to eat sometimes.', Annie smirked while picturing Newt with an apron and a motherly expression on his face preparing food for his beasts with such concentration, that he did not pay attention to his stomach begging him for food.
"Annie. Wake up from whatever joke you've created for me."
Suddenly, Newt's voice rang out and she was broken out of her imagination.
She looked at Newt as if asking him how he knew to which he replied, "I know that look."
He looked at his clock and said worriedly, "We don't have a lot of time before the Hungarian Horntail worsens. Follow me!"
They exited the kitchen and started going down through the stairwell. At the bottom, Annie could feel an invisible barrier that let her in because of Newt.
'Protective spells!'
"Wow!" Annie said out loud, astonished as soon as they entered the basement.
The "basement" actually opened up to a desert, so vast she could not see where it ended.
'Newt's extension charm.'
And that was not even half of the basement. Annie wondered how something like this was possible. But she had to remember she was in the Wizarding World now, where the impossible was made possible.
She took a step toward Newt when he stopped her and said, "Wait for me here. If you go with me to where I've stored the Horntail dew, we won't be out till tomorrow. I'll show you around another time."
Disappointed, Annie nodded. She would see everything another time.
Newt vanished and reappeared almost instantly with a small glass bottle with grey liquid on the inside.
"What's this?", Annie asked curiously.
Newt smiled and explained, "This is Horntail Dew. It will help the Horntail's body to accept the last two parts of the antidote. Without it, his recovery won't be successful."
Annie opened her mouth to respond, but Newt's hand took hers saying, "We don't have much time."
And they vanished again.
"Uff!"
Annie's feet struck the ground and she let go of Newt's hand. She held onto her knees and said angrily while breathing rapidly, "At least, warn me, Newt! I'm not used to it like you are!"
"I am sorry!" Newt apologized with a sigh.
Still breathing rapidly, Annie raised her head and her mouth went wide open in shock.
Around her, wizards and witches were walking around, with their pointed hats with wands in their hands casually walking around and seeing to their business without acknowledging the two newly arrived individuals standing on the street.
Kids were flying on brooms and owls were following them with eyes full of wisdom.
Shops were lining the streets, their grey stone buildings standing proudly over, but in another contrast with the muggle shops in New York, the ones here offered anything you could imagine.
Next to a quidditch store with brooms and sports mantles displayed in the front, there was a magical candy shop.
Annie could see countless kinds of candies flying themselves into bags for the customers to purchase, most of them being kids shouting excitedly next to their parents, who were trying to shush them.
Then, there was a regular mantel shop, a potions shop, and a toy shop. Next to the wand shop, there was a man playing music from a magical machine, swaying his wand. Nobody was listening to him and Annie got a bit annoyed.
If she had grown up with magic all around her, she would never have taken it for granted. In this sense wizards were the same as muggles, both taking what they have for granted…
Annie tried to shake the unpleasant feeling off. What the hell was she thinking of?
"Is this.. Diagon Alley?" Annie asked Newt. But she already knew it.
To which he replied calmly, "Yes."
"Holy shit!" She blurted out loud.
She was on Diagon Alley.
DIAGON ALLEY!
One of the trademarks of the Wizarding World.
She only wished she could have more time to explore around and try and get familiar with it, but she knew they were in a hurry, so she looked at Newt.
Taking a strand of his golden brown hair from his face with his hands and looking overwhelmed by the crowds of people, he pointed his hand to their left.
It was the potion store. Its coloring made it somewhat extinguished from the other shops on the street with its pink and grey bricks. The sign on top read: "Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary".
"Follow me.", Newt said, moving his hands anxiously, probably because of his social anxiety.
He opened the door and both of them went inside. There were drawers and drawers, a dozen, maybe even a hundred, heads of small bottles showing off. The atmosphere in the room, unlike the refreshing exterior of the building, was all in dark colors. It all made Annie feel tired, just like its owner.
Sitting behind a desk in the center of the room was who Annie assumed to be Mr. Mulpepper. We could keep on talking about him, but his presence looked unpleasant and Annie wasn't feeling comfortable so, that's all we needed to know about him by now.
"H-hello! Would it be possible for me to have a bottle of Hemorus Recedous?" Newt asked in a hurried tone.
"No, I'm afraid we don't have it", replied the dull potioner.
"I'm sorry, but can you double-check? It's required for an emergency and we don't have a lot of time…". Newt was determined to get what he required, and as much as he was shy, he wouldn't let it slide. Annie saw a new Newt standing next to her.
All of a sudden, she could feel something dragging its presence towards her.
She turned her head in that direction and she felt as if every potion was calling out to her. Not only that, but she felt like she knew every single potion in this shop, its contents, abilities.
'What's going on?' She thought and started walking in the direction of the pull and she stood in front of a shelf in the back of the store where potions seemed to be half-forgotten. She stretched her hand up front and took a bottle glowing in golden light. She didn't know why, but she wanted to have this bottle. She needed to have this bottle.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your… conversation, but what is this?" She turned around and asked.
Newt and the shopkeeper, who were almost shouting looked at her, startled.
Newt's face had turned red.
The shopkeeper cleared his throat and replied drily, "This is nothing but a failed experiment. The person making this was attempting to create Liquid Luck."
He sighed drily and carried on, "It has been here for years and since nobody has been interested in buying it, I've deemed it disposable. It's just trash."
'Trash?' Annie frowned and turned to look at the bottle. She could see words written on top of the bottle.
Narrowing her eyes, she read -Remnants Of A Lady Luck Potion(Failed!) - Can be turned into the potion by adding 2 drops of Rhinewood sap - Can be further upgraded to [Angel's Luck] by adding 4 drops of Rose oil, 2 strands of Unicorn hair and Wolfsbane in 150'C.
"What? What's this? Angel's Luck?" Annie was pleasantly surprised. She looked at the other bottles and she could see instructions, descriptions, abilities, recipes, etc.
'Is this.. Is this my unique ability?' Annie couldn't control her excitement. Just thinking of the things she would be able to do made her want to scream and shout.
But, now was not the time.
She turned around and looked at Newt with sad, puppy eyes again.
And, just like last time, Newt was overpowered and he asked the shopkeeper, "I want it, how much does it cost?"
Looking at both of them as if they had gone crazy, the owner moved his hand indifferently, "It's yours, you don't need to pay anything."
"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Mulpepper. And, can I get 2 drops of Rhinewoord sap, 4 drops of Rose oil, 2 strands of Unicorn hair and Wolfsbane, please?" Annie nodded with gratitude and asked Mulpepper who was taken aback by her.
"Uh.. sure, you can. I have plenty of stock of all of them."
"Now Sir, can I please have the Hemorus Recesous?", Newt asked with a tired sigh.
Staring at him, the shopkeeper swung his wand and a small dark bottle appeared on top of it. Smirking at him, he said, "I wanted to see how red your face can get until I finally gave it up. My last bottle. Very valuable."
Newt thanked the shopkeeper and they were outside again with everything.
"Now, the only thing left is on Knockturn Alley," Newt said and looked at Annie with a worried expression.
"Knockturn Alley? But that's.."
"Yes. I know. That's why I need you to stay close to me. That place can be a tad dangerous if we're not careful."
"Very well."
On their way to Knockturn Alley, Annie felt something strange from above. So, she raised her head and saw a couple of men walking on rooftops, looking straight at her and Newt. Her blood boiled instinctively, but she turned back her head and kept walking beside Newt, whose mind seemed to be someplace else…
The crowds were gone, and now only suspiciously looking people were lingering on the streets. Annie wanted to ask Newt how he could come here so carelessly when suddenly...
The same men Annie saw walking on rooftops earlier were standing before them. She looked at Newt with fear in her eyes and asked, "Newt. Who are these people?"
Staring at the men with his wand at the ready, he replied,
"Grindelwald".