Harry felt like he was pulled and squeezed into a tube, only to be spitted out. When he had finally landed, his stomach and his head were spinning furiously. He suddenly felt a warm hand rubbing circles on his stomach, the other gently massaging his temples. Sure enough, Harry got better and stood up. He didn't realize he had been sitting the whole time.

Harry looked up and was immediately met by a pair of worried obsidian eyes. He smiled slightly to assure Severus that he was fine.

Snape nodded and, stepping aside, he spoke:

- Welcome to Diagon Alley.

It was the most fascinating sight Harry had ever seen. The shops, the things outside them, and the people on the street,...all were both peculiar and familiar to him. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that he had seen this before.

He followed Severus through the crowd, marvelling at the things around him. Windows stacked with swaying piles of books, quills and rolls of parchments, jars of eels' eyes and snake-like scales were set neatly on a ledge outside a shop's window, strange silvery equipments Harry had never seen before, and cauldrons of all sizes sat shimmering under the sun...

- Gringotts. - Snape said.

Harry looked up just to see a snowy white building towering over the little shops. Standing beside the heavy burnished bronze doors were two strange creatures wearing scarlet and gold uniforms.

- They are goblins. - Severus informed. - They are a branch of magical creatures descended from elves. They are regressed in form, but more cunning and wicked in nature. Goblins, unlike witches and wizards, can do magic without the aid of a wand. Make sure to remember not to rob from a goblin, as that "deed" of yours will bring dire consequences.

Harry gulped. He nervously observed the elf-like creatures. They had swarthy faces and pointed beards. Their fingers and feet were long with sharp fingernails. They bowed as they walked inside. The pair faced another pair of doors, siver this time, with words engraved upon them:

ENTER, STRANGER, BUT TAKE HEED
OF 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 FLOORS
A TREASURE THAT WAS NEVER YOURS,
THIEF, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, BEWARE
OF FINDING MORE THAN TREASURE THERE.

Severus threw a meaningful look at Harry, to which he anxiously blinked in confirm.

Another pair of goblins bowed them through the doors and they found themselves in a vast marble hall. Numerous goblins were sitting on high stools behind the counters, scribbling, weighing coins, examining gems,... There were countless doors leading to who knows where, and many more goblins were showing people in and out. The two made their way to the counter.

- Good evening. - said Severus in a strange language.

- Good evening, professor Snape. What can I do for you?

- I want access to the Potter's safe. I'm taking their child for some shopping, you see.

- He's the other one, I presume. Well then, do you have his key, sir?

Snape pulled out a tiny golden key from his robe pocket and placed it on the counter. The goblin looked at it closely.

- It is appropriate enough. Do you want to go there yourself or...?

- I would prefer the other way.

- Yes, of course. How much do you want to take?

Snape turned to Harry:

- Do you want to decide for yourself, Harry?

He immediately answered:

- No, I would rather you do that for me. I don't know anything about this and I don't want to waste my assets on anything I deem unecessary. You can tell me how this world works later.

- Wise decision. - Snape complimented. He told the goblin to take 1,000 Galleons, 1,000 Sickles and 100 Knuts from the safe. The goblin wrote it down and put it in a ram's horn. After a while, another goblin came in and handed Snape a small fabric bag. He bowed and left.

Snape then turned to the goblin and made a bowing gesture with his hand:

- Thank you. May your gold prosper and your weapons shine.

The goblin then did the same:

- And may your enemies fall before you.

~~~~~

- Do you know the language I was speaking in, Harry? - Snape asked him once they were out of the bank.

- I thought you were speaking in English. I understood it perfectly, you know.

Snape looked quite astonished. He asked Harry again:

- You...understood that?

- Yes, every word. What was the name of that language anyway?

- That was the goblin language, Gobbledygook. Each magical creature has its own language. Goblins have Gobbledygook, Veelas converse in Verdicere, Merpeople speak Mermish,... and that is only the mere tip of the iceberg. You will find out more about magical creatures and beings along with knowledge necessary for your future when you venture further into your studies at Hogwarts.

Harry's eyes widen with awe at the thought of studying at Hogwarts. Oh, the things he could learn! He almost couldn't stop himself from jumping up and down. Eventually, he calmed himself down just in time, and the only remnance of his joy was the sparkling light in his eyes. He smiled happily. He couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts.

Snape had a good long look at the boy. He definitely had lots of secrets, some were unknown even to the boy himself. He did think of a possibility that the boy was placed under blocks, but that was imhumane. However, he couldn't eliminate that prospect entirely, because if that was true, he would never forgive himself for letting the boy endure the agony. He would have to take the boy here again in a more suitable time.

Suddenly, a blur of red bumped into them, knocking Harry to the ground. Snape quickly helped him up while grimacing at the figure:

- What brings our "dear" miss Skeeter out here today? Prying for news again? Or shocking stories that only exist in your imagination?

The red figure stood up. It was a woman in her mid-forties. She had short curly blond hair. She was wearing thick make-up and a shockingly red dress. She laughed noisily:

- Dear Severus, always in for a good laugh.

Harry had never heard such grating voice like that of Skeeter. It was so annoying that it sounded like someone was stratching on glass. He shivered slightly and scrunched his face.

- You are not allowed to call me by my name, Skeeter. Remember that. - Snape scowled.

Skeeter held her hand up defensively:

- Alright, alright, the professor isn't up for a joke then.

Snape gritted his teeth:

- I repeat my question, Skeeter: what are you doing here.

She twirled her hair playfully:

- Why, your walking with the Chosen One's brother is terrific news already.

- This has nothing to do with Harry's ignorant sister. Now step aside, we've got things to do.

Snape's magic was flaring around him, emanating a dark glow. That frightened Skeeter, for she shifted aside as quickly as she could. Severus brushed past her, his robes billowing behind him as he walked away with Harry behind him.

Only when they had arrived in front of a dark shop did Snape stop. He turned to face Harry:

- Do you want to talk?

Harry was silent. He thought long and hard about it. Finally, he said:

- I'd rather not here. You will tell me otherwise, so I don't have to rush you. I can tell it is fairly complicated anyways.

Severus felt proud. The boy he looked after was an excellent example of a moderate Slytherin. It made him curious, though. How could a Potter be so Slytherin? After all, the Noble House of Potterhad been Gryffindors for hundreds of years.

The ringing of the bell pulled Severus back to the present. He turned to look at the old man standing at the doorstep:

- Mr. Ollivander.

- Good evening, professor Snape. - He spoke softly. - Do come in.

Severus lightly pushed Harry in. He talked quietly, his voice was barely above a whisper:

- This is Mr. Ollivander, a wand maker. He has been making wands for a long time. My wand and those of others before me were bought at this place, and yours too.

- I'm going to have a wand?

- Yes, you are, Harry. You are still young so you cannot do wandless magic yet. It requires a lot of practice and a powerful magic core. A magic core is a way to describe your own magic. At birth, each child is given a powerful magic core by Lady Magic, but in time, due to adverse effects from the outside, their magic cores weaken and only a few remains intact.

During the talk, Mr. Ollivander was searching and bringing out a lot of boxes, and it seemed that he wouldn't be finishing anytime soon, so Harry continued to ask:

- How can a magic core weakens? It is inside us, right?

- True, but it is the alimentation of a child that affects the core. However, there are many exceptional cases like that of Voldemort, the Dark Lord.

- Who's Voldemort?

Severus opened his mouth to answer, but seeing Mr. Ollivander was coming here, he said, his voice barely above a whisper:

I'll tell you when we get back home.

Harry threw a confused look at Severus, but once hearing Ollivander's footsteps, he curtly nodded.

- My apologies, - began Ollivander, - but I was looking for a misplaced wand. It is quite peculiar so I have to find it immediately.

- It's fine, Mr Ollivander. We don't mind a little waiting. - Snape answered.

Ollivander clapped his hand:

- Now then, let's get started. What is your wand hand, Mr Potter?

- Uh, I'm right-handed. - He hesitated. He looked at the measure ruler as it danced around him, measuring his body parts.

Ollivander spoke as he rummaged through the piles of boxes on his floor:

- Every Ollivander has a core of a magical powerful substance, Mr Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of the dragons. No two wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are the same. And of course, you will never get such good results from using another wizard's wand.

- This will do. - He said, and the ruler fell on the floor. - Now, try this one. Oak and unicorn hair. Thirteen inches. Nice and sturdy.

Harry took it. He gave it a swish. Nothing happened.

- Well, don't be disheartened. Try this one. Beechwood and heartstrings. Flexible.

But before Harry could give it a try, Ollivander snatched it and placed another in his hand:

- No, try this one. Maple and phoenix feather. Eight inches. Quite whippy. Try-

And then again he snatched it and replaced another one. And for the next hour, Harry tried, and tried, and tried, and had broken many things in the shop, but he still hadn't found his wand.

- Tricky customer, eh? Well, I was saving this combination for later, but I suppose now is the time.

He disappeared into his office, and reappeared with a strangely decorated box. The case had a mystically looking circle surrounded by floral patterns. Ollivander introduced:

- This is the finest wand I can find in the shop. Eleven inches. Rowan and unicorn hair. Now that's a strange combination. And I haven't seen rowan wands for quite some time. Now go on, try it.

Harry nervously took it, and gave the wand a swish. A stream of red and gold flame poured out from the tip of the wand, throwing dancing spots on the wall. Snape's eyes gleamed with joy as Mr Ollivander cried:

- Wonderful! Wonderful! Oh bravo! Yes, yes, very good indeed...Hm, curious... How very curious...

He was still muttering the words when he put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it.

What's so curious about it? - Harry asked.

- It is your wand's core, Mr Potter.

~💚~💜~

Hello dear readers! Can you believe that I wrote a two-scene script in 2 hours? I can't believe that myself. It's just that my group and I am going to act 'A Midsummer's Night Dream' and I'm going to pair up with my crush!!! I'm so exciting!! 😍

P.S. In case anyone wants to know:

Verdicere = veritas (the truth) + dicere (speak) => speak the truth 😁