Nortons' fireplace wasn't connected to the Floo Network, and Edward was a little... unsure about his attendant's appearance.
"I took a make-up exam, and the examiner added a task: Apparating with a chipmunk—luckily, the examiner didn't notice the chipmunk lost its tail after Apparating, otherwise I might have had to take the exam again." Edward spread his hands. "
Then let's take the car. At least a car accident won't cost me a tail..." Coin felt an inexplicable chill, and immediately gave up the idea of using magic to reach Diagon Alley.
Edward patted Coin's head with satisfaction; Coin was more obedient today than usual.
"Since you're going to be exposed to the magical world, your mother and I will go to the Ministry of Magic next month to complete the Floo Network procedures. This will make it easier for us to travel."
In the past, when he tried to touch Coin's hair, he always dodged, but that never happened when Rose touched him.
Perhaps Cohen's little head was filled with fantasies of the magical world.
"He may not look excited at all, but deep down he's already dying to see those fairytale worlds,"
Edward thought cheerfully as he tossed Cohen, who had begun taking deep breaths repeatedly before getting in the car, into the back seat.
Cohen's repeated deep breaths were merely a form of self-restraint—entering social mode meant being among people—and the more souls around him... Cohen's sweet scent made him hungry.
To avoid sneaking in soul treats and being caught by the Ministry of Magic's Aurors and sent to Azkaban with other pure-blooded Dementors, Cohen had to suppress these feelings.
The sweet candy tasted very similar to souls, making it a perfect meal replacement, and Cohen always carried a bagful of them when he went out.
On the way, Cohen finally realized that as an eleven-year-old with little knowledge of the magical world, he needed to display a little curiosity, otherwise it would be a bit unnatural.
"Does the magical world have those... families?" Cohen feigned complete ignorance.
"Of course there are. Where there are people, there must be aristocratic families."
Edward swerved around a slow-moving car blocking the way and ran a red light.
However, the traffic police on the side of the road seemed to have noticed Edward's behavior, which made Cohen suspect that Edward had also magically modified his car like Arthur Weasley - no wonder Edward's driving skills hadn't caused him to receive a single ticket in all these years.
Edward briefly introduced some of the more famous families in the wizarding community. There were so many families that Cohen could only remember a few names frequently mentioned in the original Harry Potter books.
"Do you and your mother have any family? The kind of wizards?" This time, Cohen wasn't pretending to ask a question; he was genuinely curious.
"We? We all come from wizarding families, right? My parents—your grandparents—are wizards. There doesn't seem to be any wizarding bloodline beyond them," Edward replied. "But your mother is a little different from me. She used to be a Burke. According to the 'pure-blood theory' of some wizards, she's considered a noble."
"Used to be?" Cohen knew about the Burke family. Although they were one of the "Sacred Twenty-Eight Families," they seemed to have fallen on hard times.
The only place you see the last name Burke is in Borgin and Burke's in Knockturn Alley, but the only owner you can see is Mr. Borgin. No "Mr. Burke" has ever appeared.
"She was expelled from the family for dating me," Edward sighed. "But according to her, she wouldn't have stayed there even if she hadn't been expelled."
"That family is all about the Dark Arts, especially when You-Know-Who was in power. They even threatened to consign her, a 'scumbag who has no progress,' to the Inferi—no wonder your mother was sorted into Gryffindor. Her courage is something a Hufflepuff like me could never hope to achieve."
"You're a bit lazy, playful, and even forgot me at the zoo for three hours last time," Cohen patted Edward's shoulder in the back seat. "But you're a good father. I unilaterally recognize you—thank you."
Regardless of Edward's minor flaws, he truly loved his family and Cohen, his Dark Arts experiment.
People should enjoy and cherish the good things they already have, rather than focusing on their flaws.
Edward was clearly touched by Cohen's sudden gratitude. In the rearview mirror, Cohen could see Edward's unshaven face tremble slightly.
"We've arrived at the Leaky Cauldron."
The car stopped between a bookstore and a record store. Cohen could see a low, shabby tavern with a chipped paint sign nestled between the two brightly lit shops.
[The Leaky Cauldron]
"This is a very famous place in the wizarding world, and it's the entrance to Diagon Alley."
Edward quietly wiped his eyes after getting out of the car, not forgetting to introduce Cohen.
"Back in the day, I was a well-known figure in Diagon Alley."
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the noise of the Leaky Cauldron and the mingled aroma of food and drink suddenly rushed towards Cohen.
Several old women sat in the corner, drinking sherry.
[Soul Strength: 27]
With very high Soul Strength, these old ladies didn't look like they were easy to mess with.
But Cohen couldn't understand how the woman among them could drink and smoke at the same time. Did she have two esophaguses?
Behind the bar, Tom, a middle-aged man with nearly no hair and a shriveled, walnut-like appearance, was wiping glasses and chatting with a nearby customer.
[Soul Strength: 19]
Boss Tom looked like he needed more practice; his Soul Strength wasn't even as high as Rose, who had always lived in Muggle society.
Edward and Coin's arrival attracted a few glances, but none of them recognized Edward, assuming he was just another passing wizard.
This made Edward a bit embarrassed at first.
"Huh, it seems a ten-year absence does make you a stranger..." Edward pushed Coin towards the other end of the bar. "Let's go buy your school supplies first."
Passing through the noisy long tables, Coin was led to a brick wall in the backyard of the bar.
However, Coin's observations had almost clarified the question that had been puzzling him. The Soul Strength of an adult wizard is roughly between fifteen and forty, and this applies to everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.
Edward's Soul Strength of 10 was unusually low, and there might be some specific reason behind it. But if Edward and Rose didn't want to reveal it, Coin didn't intend to pry into the details.
Let everything develop normally first. It will take some time for me to grow and gain a firm foothold in this magical world.
Fortunately, Dumbledore had tacitly allowed Cohen, a Dark Arts experiment, to continue existing; otherwise, Cohen might still be struggling with his identity.
"...Count two bricks across, then three bricks up..." Edward muttered to the note Rose had given him, tapping another brick three times with his wand.
Cohen's mouth twitched. Who had designed this stone door in Diagon Alley that required a hand gesture code to open
? Could there be Muggles entering the Leaky Cauldron? Was such a secondary security door necessary?
"Because drunk people from the Leaky Cauldron are always causing trouble in Diagon Alley," Edward pocketed. "Luckily, Rose remembered. Otherwise, after ten years, I'd have almost forgotten how to get in."
The brick he had tapped trembled and began to move, a small hole appearing in the middle that grew larger and larger.
Within seconds, a wide archway appeared before Cohen, leading to a winding, endless cobblestone street.
"Ooooooooooooooo!"
Although Cohen had imagined walking down a street like this in his past life, reading novels and watching movies, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement when he actually entered Diagon Alley. The
morning sun cast a dazzling light on any surface that could reflect it: cauldrons, gilded shop signs, lenses, various metal instruments... The streets were bustling with people, the cries of vendors and the laughter of wizards. The entire world seemed to be contained in this street. The
bustling crowds came and went, the streets filled with sweet souls. Cohen couldn't help but peel a toffee and hold it in his mouth, so that the passing little wizards wouldn't take a sip.
Led by Edward, Cohen passed through Prince's Potions Shop, the Broomstick Shop, and Eeylops Owl Emporium
. "Do you want an owl?" Edward paused in front of Eeylops Owl Emporium.
"Is it a fairy?"
Cohen had no idea about raising animals.
"I mean, can it just eat and not poop? Or can it not eat or poop at all?"
"What are you thinking..." Edward was a little confused by Cohen's occasionally erratic thoughts. "Of course it will eat and poop - but you don't have to think so much about raising an owl."
"Hogwarts has an owl shed. You just need to feed it some snacks from time to time to strengthen your relationship."
"It depends on what kind of animals you like. If you like kittens, puppies, newts, etc., we can go to the Magical Creatures Shop next door to pick out other pets." Edward felt that Cohen didn't seem to have much interest in raising an owl, so he quickly changed the subject.
"With an owl, you won't have to run to the post office to deliver my letters... Let's go with an owl. Compared to other animals, it seems easier to keep."
Cohen considered his experience with pets and felt that the chances of keeping an owl alive at Hogwarts were higher—after all, Hogwarts had an owlery, not a cat shed or a dog shed.
Actually, animal souls were of little use to Cohen. While he could absorb them, they were tasteless.
Cohen had once tried to absorb the soul of a small gray mouse that appeared in his bedroom, but he gave up after only a small sip—it was no different from drinking plain water, and it didn't improve his soul's integrity at all. Owls were
probably similar; they couldn't be used as a soul-repairing agent.
"Let's go buy a wand first, then we'll come back here and pick one for you." Edward ruffled Cohen's hair. "If you see anything you like on the street, just tell me. Your mother left us a full seventy-seven Galleons and a bag of Sickles for shopping—"
"Maybe I'll buy a few more books. It's always good to learn more."
Cohen thought for a moment, feeling he needed to compare the magic books readily available in bookstores with the ones he could find at the Goodwill Shop to see if there were any overlaps. This would save him a little Goodwill—after all, the shop not only had books but also rare magical creatures and magic items.
Ollivander's, the wand shop, was a small, shabby little shop. It wasn't until Cohen walked in that the long, narrow, and deep interior dispelled the stereotype of a small shop.
Thousands of boxes, almost stacked to the ceiling, lined the walls. The long room, combined with a silence so quiet that even the sound of breathing echoed in the corridors, felt like someone entering a strictly controlled library.
"It's bigger inside than outside..." Cohen raised an eyebrow.
He thought of a certain blue telephone booth.
"'The Application of the Stretch Charm in Architecture' is a very good professional book," a soft voice said. "If you're a child who enjoys research, this book might suit you well."
An old man slid down from the roof on a movable elevator. Only then did Cohen notice that even the ceiling above was filled with wand boxes—even forming an archway made of boxes.
"Good morning." Ollivander's eyes were very light, a stark contrast to Cohen's dark pupils.
"Good morning, Mr. Ollivander," Edward greeted politely. "This is my son, Cohen, Cohen Norton."
"Edward! Nice to see you again. The last time I saw you was thirty years ago... Alder wood, unicorn hair, thirteen and a half inches, moderately flexible. Are you still using it?"
"Ah, yes, yes." Edward displayed his wand, indicating that he had been taking good care of it—but Cohen saw Edward secretly cast a silent cleaning spell on it behind his back.
"Hmm..." Ollivander clearly saw through Edward's trick, but he didn't point it out. Instead, he turned his gaze to Cohen. "Come on, young Mr. Norton, let me see... which arm do you use your wand with?"
"My right."
Cohen smelled a sweet scent in the air, the scent of souls, but not solely from Ollivander.
The scent grew stronger, and a large number of souls were approaching Cohen.
Cohen instantly understood the reason.
It was the wands. Wands were selecting the wizards who entered the shop. It must be some kind of tradition—but Cohen didn't seem like a good target.
Oh my god, wands really do have souls?
Cohen swallowed, as if someone had shoved a delicious cake under his nose...
But doing so would surely scare the wands to death—for Cohen could clearly sense that the souls of the wands had all retreated the moment they approached him.
I haven't done anything bad yet.jpg
Besides, some of these wands were overreacting. Cohen noticed that they didn't have a "soul strength" label, and even if they smelled delicious, he didn't think he could eat them at the moment.
After expertly explaining wand construction and the axiom "the wand chooses the wizard," Ollivander began moving through the shelves, busily selecting long boxes and carrying them downstairs.
"Try this one first, young Mr. Norton,"
Ollivander selected a box and prepared to open it.
"Made of beech wood and dragon heart nerve, nine inches long, very flexible—"
"Crack!"
Before the wand could even be pulled out of the box, there was a crackling sound and a blinding red flash, then the box snapped shut.
"I didn't do anything,"
Kohn said, raising his hands to clarify, noticing the strange looks Ollivander and Edward were giving him.
"Strange...strange..." Ollivander muttered. "Not this one, maybe this one?"
The next victim of the fright was a seven-inch maple wand with a phoenix feather.
"Rip!"
This one reacted even more violently. The moment the box was opened, it pierced the cardboard seal like an arrow and shot towards the back of the store.
Until it nailed itself to the wall at the far end.
"No, not this one either..."
Cohen suspected Ollivander's had no effective method for identifying the connection between wands and wizards. Perhaps every young wizard, like Harry and himself, would have to try almost every wand in the store before finding the one that truly belonged to them.
An unknown amount of time had passed before Cohen and Edward were already dozing off in the store.
Yes, Mr. Ollivander only had to run around changing wands, but Coin and Edward had much more to consider: when would lunch be, when would Coin pick up his owl, and when would Edward be able to rush off to the Hellfire Club's Dungeons & Dragons (Dungeons & Dragons) board game meetup...
finally.
"Phew..."
Ollivander breathed a sigh of relief after opening the last wand box and hearing no wands emitting an indescribable shriek and escaping.
"Elderwood, unicorn hair, twelve inches long—give me a break—an odd combination..."
Coin stood up curiously and peered at the wand that seemed unfazed by him.
Odd...was it because the elderwood, representing death, and the unicorn, representing goodness and purity, were paired together?
No, was there something wrong with having a Dementor make a wand from unicorn hair?!
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(End of Chapter)