Chapter 4
Professor Sinistra led Sainz toward the kitchen, clearly intending to use the Floo Network to reach Diagon Alley via the fireplace.
Sainz played along, feigning confusion. "Sorry, Professor, I think the door should be in the opposite direction."
"Mr. Autumn," Sinistra replied with a knowing smile, "Diagon Alley is in London—more than four hundred miles from here. We'll need a quicker method of travel. One you'll get very used to: the Floo Network."
"You're heading to the kitchen… it's the fireplace, isn't it? Just like in the stories."
"Exactly. You're quite sharp, Mr. Autumn."
She drew her wand with a practiced flick. Sparks burst from the tip, igniting the fireplace in an instant.
"This," she said, holding out a ceramic pot, "is Floo powder. Take a handful, toss it into the fire like so, and clearly say your destination."
As she spoke, she scattered a pinch of the powder into the flames. The fire flared, shifting from yellow-red to emerald green. The heat dimmed, replaced by a strange chill.
"Understand?"
"Got it."
"Good. Once you walk into the fire, state your destination clearly. Let me repeat: Diagon Alley."
"Diagon Alley," Sainz echoed.
"Perfect. Go ahead—you first. I'll be right behind you."
Though Sainz already knew the Floo Network was safe, stepping into green flames wasn't something he could do entirely without hesitation. Still, he didn't show it. He bade the professor farewell, stepped into the hearth, and tossed in his powder.
"Diagon Alley!" he called out.
Anyone who's ever visited Diagon Alley knows: for the so-called most prosperous wizarding shopping street in Britain, it's… quaint.
In his past life, Sainz had often wondered where exactly one arrived when using the Floo Network into Diagon Alley. This time, he had a definitive answer: a public-use fireplace in the middle of the street, tucked away like an inconspicuous delivery entrance.
As for the experience of traveling by Floo—those who know, know. It's definitely no bullet train. Just like Harry once described, it felt like being spun inside a washing machine. Fortunately, Sainz had a strong stomach and recovered quickly.
He stepped out and cleared the way just in time for Professor Sinistra to follow.
"Well done, Mr. Autumn," she said, adjusting her wide-brimmed straw hat. "Most Muggle-born students mess up their first try—wrong names, wrong exits. Oh, and by the way, Muggle means someone without magic."
She gave him an approving nod. "Now come along, there's a lot to get through. Let's start by checking your supply list. First stop: Gringotts. It's at the far end."
Sainz walked beside her through the bustling alley, playing the wide-eyed first-timer to perfection. He stopped to glance at enchanted teacups, levitating brooms, owls in brass cages, and a rabbit that turned into a top hat and back again.
The crowd was mostly young students and their families. Sainz towered above many of them—almost a foot taller than the average first-year.
"Professor, do wizards travel by fireplace everywhere?" he asked, keeping up the act.
"Not just by Floo, Mr. Autumn," she replied. "More advanced wizards often prefer Apparition—a spell you'll learn in your later years."
"And for those who can't Apparate?"
"They usually take broomsticks or the Knight Bus."
"How do you catch the Knight Bus? Is there a stop, like a Muggle station?"
Sinistra chuckled. "Nothing that complicated. Just hold your wand up in the air and it'll come to you. Quite convenient, really. Every wizard needs a wand, and soon you'll have your own."
Of course, Sainz knew all this already. But he asked anyway—to double-check the facts, and to provide a plausible source for his future knowledge.
"Is the fireplace the only way to get here from the Muggle world?" he asked.
"Not at all. There's a proper entrance at the Leaky Cauldron, just off Charing Cross Road in London. I'll show it to you later."
At that moment, they reached Gringotts.
"You can exchange Muggle currency for Galleons here," she said, with a touch of amusement. "Unbelievable that Muggles treat colored paper as money. Truly pitiful."
Sainz didn't bother correcting her. Explaining the evolution of credit systems and fiat currency would only come off as boring, if not suspicious.
Gringotts towered over the other shops—a gleaming white building guarded by goblins in red-and-gold uniforms. One stood by the heavy bronze door like a Muggle hotel doorman, barely three feet tall, with pointed ears, long fingers, and sharper eyes.
They stepped inside.
Gringotts' second door was infamous in its own right, with a goblin-written warning etched across its surface:
Stranger, beware...
For those who take but do not give,
Will face retribution most severe.
If you seek treasure not yours to claim,
Thief, beware—you may find more than gold.
Sainz read the words and thought, Paranoia made manifest. Every customer looks like a thief to these guys.
They entered the grand marble hall. Dozens of goblins sat behind long counters, some weighing coins, others inspecting gems with magnifying glasses. A dozen doors lined the walls. The traffic—both goblins and wizards—was nonstop.
Sinistra led him to a counter. "This is a first-year student. He needs to exchange some money."
The goblin peered over his half-moon glasses. "Place the Muggle paper on the scale, little wizard."
Sainz did as instructed, laying down all one thousand pounds. The goblin muttered, "So much," clearly annoyed, but checked the bills and counted out two hundred Galleons.
The rest of the shopping trip was divided into two parts. To save time—or so the explanation went—he and Professor Sinistra split up. In truth, Sainz simply didn't want anyone knowing where he bought his wand.
Books, robes, cauldrons, scales, telescopes, and—most importantly—a wand were all purchased.
Later, Sinistra took him through the Leaky Cauldron and showed him how to open the brick entrance to Diagon Alley. With that final detail taken care of, she brought him back the same way they had arrived.
"Are you sure you can find Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on your own?" she asked. "It's at King's Cross in London."
"Yes, Professor," Sainz said with quiet confidence. "It's not hard. Especially for someone who's been independent this long."
"Very well. I'll see you at Hogwarts, then."
"Thank you for all your help today, Professor. I've learned a lot. See you at school."