"How are we going to get to Diagon Alley?" Felix asked, somewhat curious.
"Apparition. It's a very convenient spell, but not always comfortable," Dumbledore said, drawing his wand. "Hold on tight, my boy. Try not to be sick."
Felix felt his vision blur, and then the world began to spin violently. Yet, amidst this chaos, he saw a clear network of spatial pathways—a narrow dimensional tunnel, barely wide enough for two people to squeeze through.
He felt himself being sucked into a tight rubber tube and then spat out again, his original space instantaneously exchanged with another.
In the blink of an eye, they appeared in a small alleyway. Perhaps due to his innate talent, Felix himself felt no particular discomfort. Himari, however, in his schoolbag, was meowing frantically, clearly distressed.
"How do you feel?" Dumbledore watched Felix with concern. "Most wizards experience some adverse reactions their first time Apparating."
"I feel perfectly fine," Felix said, gently stroking the little cat's head to calm her down. "I feel like I could do that a few more times."
"Oh, you truly are a natural-born wizard. Wool's Orphanage always seems to produce some geniuses," Dumbledore mused, though the latter part was more to himself, not intended for others to hear.
The two of them walked down the alley, eventually stopping in front of an inconspicuous little pub.
"The Leaky Cauldron," Dumbledore introduced. "It's a very famous place. The Leaky Cauldron is enchanted to ensure that ordinary Muggles, without being led, won't discover it!"
It was a tiny, rather grubby-looking pub. People hurrying by didn't give the little establishment a second glance; their eyes slid from the large bookshop on one side of the street to the record shop on the other, as if the pub were completely invisible.
Though it was a famous spot in the wizarding world, the interior was quite dark and shabby. Nine elderly women sat in a corner, sipping small glasses of sherry; one of them was smoking a long clay pipe. A young man wearing a tall hat was chatting with the old barman, whose bald head looked like a swollen walnut. As they entered, the hum of conversation immediately ceased, and everyone nodded and smiled in greeting at Dumbledore, who returned their salutations politely.
The barman picked up a glass and said, "Professor Dumbledore, are you here to pick up a new student yourself?"
"Indeed, a new student from a Muggle orphanage," Dumbledore replied.
"How's little Harry doing? He'll be off to Hogwarts this year too!" Tom said, as if mentioning something delightful, and others nearby pricked up their ears.
"Hagrid will be responsible for seeing to Harry!" Dumbledore explained, then led Felix out into a small, enclosed courtyard at the back, where there was nothing but a brick wall.
"The entrance to Diagon Alley is here. You must remember how to get in," Dumbledore said, lightly tapping a specific sequence of bricks on the wall three times with his wand. "Alright, stand back, Mr. Chance."
The brick he had tapped quivered and began to move. A small hole appeared in the middle, which grew wider and wider. Soon, a broad archway, large enough for two people to walk through side-by-side, stood before them, leading to a winding, cobbled street whose end was out of sight.
Turning around, Dumbledore spread his arms wide and said to Felix, "Welcome to Diagon Alley."
Following Dumbledore, Felix stepped into the magical world for the first time.
He understood that from this moment on, his life would bid farewell to the mundane. The fame and fortune of ordinary people would no longer be his pursuit; his future would be intertwined with legend.
It would all begin in this alley before him.
The alley was bustling with all sorts of strange shops, street vendors, and people making purchases. Most of them recognized Dumbledore and nodded to him in greeting.
The old man led Felix through the alley, nodding to passersby while explaining to Felix what each shop sold and what he would need to buy.
Finally, they arrived in front of a snow-white building that towered over the smaller shops around it.
"This is Gringotts," Dumbledore announced. "Gringotts is the wizarding bank. You'll need to exchange your Muggle currency for wizarding money here—gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts."
Beside Gringotts' gleaming bronze doors stood a goblin, clad in a uniform of scarlet and gold. He was about a head shorter than Felix, with a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard, and very long fingers and feet.
The goblin bowed as they entered. They then faced a second set of doors, silver this time, upon which were engraved the following words:
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 was1 never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.