small adventure

Walking down Diagon Alley felt mystical somehow; there were so many shops I hadn't known were there before. One shop, called 'The Potion Peddler,' as the name suggests, sells rare potions and potion ingredients from faraway lands. The shop itself looked like a Druid lived there, with all the magical trees either hanging from the roof or sticking to the doors and windows.

Then there's a shop called 'Curios for Curiosities,' a strange little store between 'Honeydukes' and 'Flourish and Blotts.' This shop sells and trades enchanted items, old or new, as long as the enchantment is interesting. No, really, that's what's written on the door beside the half-broken doll hanging there,with its eyes popping out and vanishing, only to pop out again a second later. That's one interesting enchantment.

There's also a shop called 'The Owlery Exchange,' which handles anything related to messenger owls, be it their treats or their treatment in case they get sick. This reminded me to look for my owl, Hedwig. Just as I was wondering where Hedwig could be, I caught sight of my destination: 'Ollivander's.'

Walking inside Ollivander's shop for the second time in my life, I was surprised by the sight. If you didn't know, I can see and feel magic and magical energy. My magic sight had been turned off until now, but I opened it instinctively when I entered the shop, and it was a sight to behold. It truly made the idea that magic is a beautiful thing sink into my mind. As I was fascinated by the sight, I began to walk around the shop, inspecting the wands, while the grimoire in my hand slowly emitted magic for a few seconds before settling into a soft glow that wouldn't attract attention.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, I didn't expect you to come here again so soon," a slightly aged voice came from behind me. Turning around, I saw the old man Ollivander standing between the shelves on what appeared to be a moving ladder with eyes on each side. Man, the magical world is weird.

"Mr. Ollivander, I'm going to need a new wand; my old one has unfortunately broken," I told him as I continued to browse the shelves for anything interesting. I felt something probing directly into my magic and soul, which I immediately shut down by sending a magical pulse in the form of high-frequency light that would temporarily blind someone. Turning back to Ollivander, I said in the coldest voice I could muster, "Please refrain from doing that again, lest I have to gouge your eyes out and make you eat them. My soul is not for the likes of you to examine. I've already had a dark parasite before, so you'll have to excuse me for being touchy about anything soul-related."

"Ugh, I apologize, Mr. Potter. I was just checking if it was really you. Your magic has a different feel to it since the last time I saw you," Ollivander said quickly while nursing his eyes and casting spells on them.

"Yeah, you try dying and coming back to life again, and let's see what your magic feels like then," I said sarcastically, looking at him.

"No need to be sarcastic, Mr. Potter. But I have a question, if you wouldn't mind?" He asked. I gestured for him to continue with my hand, and he asked me one foolish question: "What is it like on the other side? I mean, how does it feel, you know? Death?"

I looked at him as if he were the stupidest person on earth. Maybe my expectations of wizards are still too high, even after everything. But still, I answered, "Well, first of all, I didn't cross into death's realm; I was only in limbo momentarily to solve my parasite situation. If you're asking about limbo, it's just one of the realms connected to death's domain. Wizard's limbo is a shapeless dimension that tortures those who defied death and magical laws until they are turned into nothingness. So if I were you, I'd be careful about doing that. Otherwise, there's nothing to fear, really. Death is simply that—death. Just like how magic is just magic." I really should start controlling my urge to educate idiots about their foolish questions.

While I was musing with a soft smile on my face, Ollivander's eyes shone as if he had just had a conversation with Merlin. He quickly came down the ladder and started walking toward the back of the shop.

Hearing footsteps coming from the back of the shop broke my musings. I looked at Olivander, now covered in dirt, carrying an equally dirty box in his hands. The way he gazed at it with obvious affection creeped me out. Man, I'll say it again: wizards are weird.

"Here you go, Mr. Potter. A 13-inch elder/ebony hybrid wand with a double core of phoenix tail feather and thestral tail hair. This is my one and only successful experiment in the subject of wand resonance and their merger. These were two different wands, Mr. Potter, and it took me 777 tries to succeed. This is my only proof of success. I'm entirely certain that you'll achieve great things in the future," the old man said as he handed me the open wand box.

Taking the wand in my hand gave me a strange new sensation. I suddenly knew exactly how this wand was made, why it was made, what it does, and how it does it. It felt like gaining a new connection to magic. I understood why wizards don't succeed in wandless casting, but this new bond also helped me recognize how bonds feel. I sensed two weak bonds with me, so I did the only logical thing: I pumped magic into them, which did the trick. The bonds fell into place, and I realized they were the bonds between my Hedwig and my Invisibility Cloak.

I raised my head and looked at Olivander, pondering if I should tell him that his greatest creation was the product of pure magical phenomena.

"Well, Mr. Olivander, I guess I can thank you by telling you that this wand was created by a magical phenomenon generated by your crazy persistence, a lot of coincidences, and meeting the requirements of an unknown ritual that helped you in creating it," I said with an unsure tone. He stayed quiet for a few seconds before he suddenly started laughing hysterically. After a minute or so, he quieted down and wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

"Thank you, Mister Potter. You just assured me that miracles happen for those who are persistent enough. Truly, thank you," his voice was both emotional and clear at the same time.

I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before asking for the price, which he didn't want. So, I simply dropped about 500 Galleons on his desk before leaving the shop with a final thank you.

Walking out again, I was reminded that the only clothes I had on me were my prison clothes, which were quite dirty. I made my way toward a clothing shop named "Gladrags Wizardwear." Going inside, I dropped about 15 Galleons in front of the woman and asked her for auto-fitted wizard attire with self-cleaning and auto-size adjustment. One minute later, I walked out looking like a proper wizard for once.

Now, how do I get Hedwig to come to me? Just as I was asking myself this, my grimoire came to the rescue again, siphoning some magic. With a popping sound, I was greeted by the confused hooting of one snowy white owl named Hedwig.

"I'm so glad to see you, girl," I said in an emotional voice. Hedwig replied with an angry nip on my ear before hooting in a pleased manner after hearing my apology for leaving her. We continued talking for a while before I came up with the idea of writing a letter to the Ministry and having her deliver it. This is going to be fun.

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pat reon/ hunter20