Chapter 5 – Diagon Unlocked: The Market is a Dungeon
"Gold buys power. But knowledge gets it for free."
—
The Leaky Cauldron was a hole in London. A gap where nobody looked.
Harry followed Hagrid through the pub's smoke-thick air, past warped tables, stained floors, and eyes that lingered a beat too long on him. The System was silent — no popups, no notifications — but Harry could feel it watching.
They reached the back alley.
"Three up... two across," Hagrid muttered.
He tapped the bricks.
Click.
Click.
Click-click.
Click.
The stones shivered.
Harry watched as the bricks pulled away and the archway opened — not just with his eyes, but with Observe, ready the moment he felt magic stir.
[Environment Interaction: Magical Gate – Diagon Sequence]
Unlock Success – System Integration Detected
[Zone Discovered: Diagon Alley]
Map Fragment Acquired – Magical London 3.1%
Sub-Zone Classification: Market Hub
Threat Rating: 1
Special Property: Unstable Economy / Faction Overlap
Threat rating. Economy tags. Faction overlap?
Harry took a step into Diagon Alley, and it felt like stepping into a game instance. Vendors lined crooked cobblestone streets. Banners fluttered. Owls cried overhead.
To Hagrid, it was charming.
To Harry, it was a loot table.
—
The first thing Harry did was open Observe on the nearest shop:
"Cauldron Craze – Official Supplier"
[Vendor: Cauldron Craze]
Owner: Tamworth Biddlesnort
Inventory Tags: Brewing Supplies, Student Kits, Illegal Add-ons (Hidden)
Reputation Modifier: Will haggle with Gryffindors. Overcharges tourists.
Effect: Standing near gives +1 Brewing XP (passive)
Note: Shopkeeper is currently watching you. Do not show fear.
Harry blinked. The shops had personalities.
He moved on. Hagrid was distracted by a meat pie.
He scanned three more shops:
- Quality Quidditch Supplies – stat boosts from holding gear
- Slug & Jiggers Apothecary – ingredient XP
- Scribbulus Writing Instruments – improved INT XP for handwritten notes
Even books had traits. Harry paused in front of a stand:
[Book: "First Year Charms"]
+INT XP per page read
+5% retention when read before casting attempt
Bonus: Highlighted sections boost Spellcraft faster
That meant he could train magic before school.
Everything had effects. Everything gave XP.
This wasn't just a shopping trip.
It was a quest run.
He observed Hagrid for a moment.
[Hagrid – Half-Giant – Hogwarts Groundskeeper]
Faction: Hogwarts / Dumbledore Loyalty
Strength: High
INT: Low
Hidden Trait: Lies badly
Quest Status: Escort Active
Dialogue Control: Unlocked (Low Influence)
So Harry tested it.
"Can I pick which books I want?"
"Course, yeh can," Hagrid grinned. "Yer money, after all."
Free choice. Good.
Harry's inventory was still simple — just a cloth pouch and five System stash slots. But as he began selecting gear, tools, and scrolls, the System fed him new messages:
[Skill Gained: Barter Lv. 1]
[Skill Gained: Commerce Lv. 1]
[Hidden Stat: Reputation – Vendors]
Status: Neutral Curious
He was being tracked. Not just as a customer. As a player.
He pocketed the scroll for Lumos and watched the System clock a new alert.
[Quest Progress: Learn a Spell (1/1 Acquired)]
[New Skill Available Upon Use: Spellcasting]
He smiled.
One step closer.
—
The goblin sneered at Harry the moment he stepped up to the counter.
Hagrid handed over the letter. The goblin read it — and Harry watched the System glitch.
[Target: Griphook – Classification: ???]
Error: OBSERVE BLOCKED
Magic Class Detected: Deep Arcane
Warning: Attempting deeper scan will trigger countermeasures.
He pulled back. Fast.
Griphook gestured them in.
The cart ride rattled Harry's spine. The vaults below were colder than logic. The System flickered with static as they descended.
Then they reached it.
The Potter Vault.
[Vault Identified: 687 – Blood-Tied Access]
Lineage Confirmed – Player Match Detected
Unlocking…
[Progress: 100%]
[System Integration Triggered: Legacy Access]
Memory Lock – Encrypted (Progress 1%)
New Tree: ???
Status: Locked
Harry felt it in his chest. A click behind his heart.
Something ancient had recognized him.
He stepped inside.
Gold. Scrolls. A ring, long-forgotten, half-cracked and dusty.
But one message stopped him cold.
[Legacy Tree: LOCKED]
One path has already chosen you.
Requirements: ???
Warning: This tree is not reversible.
He picked up a handful of coins, enough to pay for school — and tucked two extra galleons into a separate pocket. Not for greed.
For testing.
—
Ollivanders was dust and stillness. The man himself looked like an error in the world's texture — wrong and smooth at once.
The moment Harry walked in, Observe went crazy.
[Vendor: Garrick Ollivander – Unique Entity]
Affinity: Wandcraft, Bloodline, Prophecy
Reputation: Curious Interest
Note: You are being weighed.
The first wand he picked up? Nothing.
The second? A backfire — the System triggered:
[Magical Mismatch – Feedback Rejected]
-5 HP
+2 XP (Pain-for-Gain)
The third wand… pulsed.
The fourth hummed.
And the fifth —
— lit the air like sunrise.
The System snapped like a camera flash.
[Key Item Acquired: Wand – Holly, Phoenix Core, 11"]
Compatibility: 91%
Bonding: Permanent
Passive Unlocked: Magical Feedback
Skill Gained: Spellcasting Lv. 1
Perk Progress Unlocked: Adaptive Magic Path (4%)
Harry didn't say anything.
Neither did Ollivander.
But he was sure that man saw something flicker behind Harry's eyes — and chose not to ask.
Outside, the System queued one last alert for the day:
[Side Quest Updated: Learn a Spell – Item Acquired]
[Status: Ready to Use]
He hadn't even cast it yet.
But the System had seen the intention.
And that, Harry realized, might be enough.
—
End of Chapter 5.