The moment Hermione stepped into the green flames, the world spun around her. It felt as though she had been shoved into a huge, rapidly rotating pipe.
Colored lights whizzed past her. She squeezed her eyes shut, holding back a gasp.
She felt a steady, strong hand grip her arm, keeping her unsteady body upright.
A few seconds later, the uncomfortable pressure and spinning came to an abrupt stop.
"You can open your eyes. We're here." Caesar's voice sounded beside her, calm and even, as if they had merely walked up an ordinary flight of stairs.
Hermione cautiously opened her eyes and found herself standing in a dingy, dim, cramped little pub.
The air was thick with the smell of old wood, burnt toast, and some kind of strange spice.
A few oddly shaped figures in shabby robes whispered among themselves in a corner.
Behind the bar, an old man who was almost completely bald and had hardly any teeth left slowly polished a glass.
Was this the first stop in the wizarding world?
A flicker of surprise crossed Hermione's mind. This was nothing like the grand, glittering entrance she had imagined.
She instinctively edged closer to Caesar, her fingers unconsciously clutching the sleeve of his robe.
Caesar glanced down at her and paused for a moment at her slightly pale face before explaining, "This is the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley."
Then he lowered his voice a little, its tone reassuring. "Most first-timers find it quite distinctive."
Caesar led her past several crooked tables and toward the pub's courtyard.
When the bald old man, Tom, saw Caesar, a trace of respect flashed in his cloudy eyes, and he gave a small nod.
The courtyard held nothing but a filthy little enclosure piled with rubbish bins. It looked completely unremarkable.
"Remember this." Caesar drew his wand and tapped a specific brick in the wall. "Count up three bricks, then across two..."
As he tapped, the brick he had touched began to shake violently. Then the bricks around it started moving and rotating, too.
A narrow archway quickly widened, eventually opening onto a broad, winding cobbled street.
Sunlight poured in at once, illuminating a magical world Hermione had never imagined.
Crowds of people in robes of every color filled the street. In the shop windows, brooms floated, owls blinked, Potions bubbled strangely, and golden cauldrons gleamed in the sun.
In the distance, a towering white building, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, looked down over the entire street.
The air was alive with sounds: vendors calling out, owls hooting, children shrieking with excitement, and a faint, almost imperceptible magical hum.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Hermione."
A hint of amusement crept into Caesar's voice as he watched Hermione's little face go utterly blank with shock and delight, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide.
Hermione was completely speechless.
She let go of Caesar's sleeve and walked a few steps forward, standing beneath the archway as she greedily took in everything before her.
This was the magical world she had dreamed of!
It was full of color, life, and endless possibilities.
"Our shopping list is long." Caesar came up beside her and handed her a piece of parchment.
"First, you need a wand. That's the most important thing. Then we'll go to Flourish and Blotts to buy your books, followed by a cauldron, scales, and a telescope."
Caesar's words brought Hermione back from her daze.
She took the list and nodded firmly, determination burning in her eyes.
She was no longer the little girl who hid behind her parents. She was standing here, in the heart of the wizarding world, with a guide she trusted beside her.
"Let's go, Professor Caesar." She looked up, her voice clear, filled with a courage and anticipation she had never felt before.
"Just a reminder: from now on, you only need to call me Professor at school, when other students and teachers are present." Caesar gave a slight nod and led the way onto the glittering cobbled street.
"...All right, Caesar."
Hermione paused for a moment, then her face lit up with the glow of victory.
She took a deep breath of the magic-laden air and hurried after him, taking her first true step into the wizarding world.
"Oh? Look who we have here. A new face."
Just as Caesar and Hermione were about to head for Ollivanders Wand Shop, a slightly shrill voice, thick with arrogance, cut in.
Hermione turned at the sound and saw a pale boy with a pointed chin.
His platinum-blond hair had been slicked back with so much pomade that not a strand was out of place. He wore an obviously expensive robe, clearly made to measure.
Beside him stood a couple who looked just as haughty. The man had a cold expression and leaned on a silver cane topped with a serpent's head. The tall, slender woman regarded Hermione with the fussy scrutiny of someone appraising an antique.
What Hermione couldn't take her eyes off was the small creature behind them. It wore clothes like a shabby pillowcase and had enormous, batlike ears.
Its tennis-ball-sized green eyes were full of fear and submissiveness as it nervously twisted its long, thin fingers.
"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."
Caesar gave a slight nod, his tone polite and even, revealing nothing of his feelings. He stepped half a pace forward, unobtrusively placing himself between Hermione and the others.
"Good day. This is Miss Hermione Granger, a new Hogwarts student."
"Muggle-born?"
The platinum-haired boy was Draco Malfoy. He gave Hermione an undisguised once-over.
His gaze swept across her bushy hair and rather ordinary clothes, and his mouth curled in a sneer.
Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, swept his cold gray eyes over Caesar and then Hermione.
He gave a soft snort through his nose, as if that counted as a greeting.
Then he seemed to turn his attention more fully to Caesar and asked, "Professor Caesar Habs, I didn't expect to run into you here. I hear you're teaching at Hogwarts?"
"Yes." Caesar's answer was brief.
Although he knew the Malfoys were all a little eccentric, Draco's attitude still annoyed him.
If Draco upset Hermione, Caesar wouldn't mind taking action right there to see how Lucius measured up.
However, Hermione's attention was almost entirely fixed on the little creature.
She completely ignored Draco's rude remark, leaned forward a little, and watched it curiously before asking Caesar in a quiet voice:
"What is that? Why is it wearing clothes like that? And it looks so uncomfortable."
Her voice was soft, but everyone present heard her.
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