Diagon Alley, this lengthy, winding cobblestone street, was filled with the most enchanting wizarding shops in the world.
How noisy, bustling and vibrant!
Draco used to scorn such clamorous environments, and even today, he still frowned at the sight of crowded throngs.
To a Malfoy, noise signified a lack of order, neither elegance nor propriety.
However, having experienced the period of oppressive rule by the Dark Lord in his memories, he had learned to appreciate and treasure this long-lost prosperity.
Groups of black-robed wizards, with foolish, cheerful smiles upon their faces, walked noisily through the streets. Occasionally, streams of people entered the various shops.
Those underage wizards did not even need to glance upward to see the shop signs. Through the spotless windows, they could observe a vast array of magical items: broomsticks, robes, telescopes, silverware, medicines, potion ingredients, spellbooks, quills, parchment, phials, pets, lunascopes...
Draco quietly observed the bustling scene of people coming and going, and a sense of unreality suddenly overwhelmed him. Diagon Alley in his dreams had not been like this.
He clearly recalled its desolate and bleak appearance. The scene was so vivid and distinct, as though it had occurred yesterday:
Large notices posted by the Ministry covered the ostentatious shop windows, displaying photographs of wanted Death Eaters, usually laughing maniacally, with distorted faces that horrified all the wizards who saw them—his mad aunt Bellatrix had been among them.
And the streets, once neat, clean and orderly, became filthy due to the chaos and destruction caused by the Death Eaters. The shops were ravaged by repeated attacks from the mob and left in tatters. Even Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, which he had loved visiting as a child, was shuttered—also the work of Death Eaters.
For some reason, the Dark Lord in his previous life had not even spared a peaceful ice cream shop proprietor.
Fortescue had been kind to all the young wizards who enjoyed his ice cream, regardless of their backgrounds: Muggle-borns, pure-bloods, even Death Eaters' children.
Even when Lucius was imprisoned in Azkaban, when Draco's life had reached its nadir, Fortescue would hand him ice cream with a smile instead of spitting at him like other shopkeepers.
Before his death, Fortescue had appeared in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor, tortured by the Cruciatus Curse until he was insane.
With a complex feeling of indebtedness, Draco had once secretly delivered him food. At that time, he had vaguely heard Fortescue muttering fragmented words such as "The Elder Wand... Ravenclaw's Diadem..."
That was worth pondering, Draco thought.
The Dark Lord was searching for the Elder Wand? What was that?
The Dark Lord never wasted time on useless people; he would not hesitate to use the Killing Curse immediately. The Dark Lord would not torture someone without reason unless that person possessed information extremely important to him.
Most wizards only knew Florean Fortescue from the ice cream parlor he operated. Only a few pure-blood wizard families might recall that the ice cream shop owner was a descendant of Dexter Fortescue, a former Headmaster of Hogwarts.
That being the case, it was not impossible that he knew some exclusive secrets.
Obviously, the Dark Lord cared greatly about what Fortescue had mentioned, and this object did not merely exist in legend, but was real.
This was a breakthrough. He recalled how the Dark Lord frequently changed wands in his later years. After his own wand was destroyed in battle with Potter, he had even confiscated the wand his father, Lucius, cherished as much as life itself.
Regrettably, however, the wand was only used once by the Dark Lord before it was ruthlessly destroyed. Draco remembered it had been damaged during the Dark Lord's aerial duel with Potter.
The Dark Lord had called Lucius's shattered wand "a supreme honor, a great sacrifice," but Draco considered this pure pretense and the sacrifice meaningless.
Although Lucius never commented on this to his son, Draco had witnessed his father's expression falter as he surrendered his wand. He had hesitated.
After learning the wand was damaged, Lucius maintained a blank expression, but Draco saw him tighten his grip on the serpent-head cane with its hollow core. He had been distressed.
But the Dark Lord felt no remorse. He was desperate to find a new wand.
Later, the wand of the deceased Dumbledore appeared in the Dark Lord's possession. Draco still remembered the smug smile on the Dark Lord's face after acquiring that wand.
It seemed necessary to establish some rapport with the amiable Fortescue, hoping to extract information from him. Draco, holding his mother's hand, hurried past the ice cream parlor, a gleam in his eyes.
The Malfoy family walked along the winding cobblestone path, standing out among the many simply dressed wizards.
The entire family was elegant and aristocratic, their bearing different from ordinary people. They all exuded confidence, pride, and self-importance. Additionally, the sun was exceptionally bright today, and their platinum blond hair was so striking it was impossible not to notice them.
"Attracting attention" meant one should always maintain dignity and walk with eyes forward, rather than glancing about.
For instance, at this moment, when Draco heard several boys near the window remarking enviously, "That is the new Nimbus 2000—top speed—", he had to keep his gaze straight ahead instead of gaping at the broomstick with envy like someone who had never seen anything of worth.
In his previous life, he had been reprimanded by his father before this very window for behaving "too disgracefully." In this life, it would never happen again.
Besides, Potter already possessed a Nimbus 2000 this year, and he did not wish to have the same model as the Savior.
Be patient. Once the Nimbus 2001 was released next year, the Nimbus 2000 would be obsolete. He pursed his lips and decided to make do with his Comet 260. Hogwarts did not permit first-years to bring broomsticks anyway.
As for Potter? That was the privilege of a favored Gryffindor Seeker, Dumbledore's special treatment for the "Boy-Who-Lived." Draco did not believe he could receive such exceptional consideration.
As he pondered this, he had already entered Gringotts with his parents.