It had been a five day journey for Merlin, and he was both nervous and excited; never had he been so far from Ealdor. London was much different from home, Merlin assessed. The air buzzed with the sounds of neighbors chattering, bags rustling, and footsteps pounding the beaten cobblestone streets. There was so much he wanted to see, but Gaius told him that they had no time to stop, and instead led him to a small corner pub. The sign above the door read 'The Leaky Cauldron'.
"Right this way, Merlin." Gaius said, opening the door and prodding Merlin through gently. Merlin walked in with great hesitation, wondering what could possibly be the reasoning of coming in here.
It wasn't anything spectacular, as far as Merlin could tell. There were a few men in the back of the dusty pub, mumbling to each other. A man behind the counter polishing glasses turned towards the door upon hearing them enter.
"Ah, Gaius! Lovely day, ain't it? Come for a bite to eat?"
"Oh, not today, Thomas. I'm just bringing young Merlin through. He'll be starting at Hogwarts this year." Thomas put down his glass and leaned over the counter, extending his hand to Merlin.
"Another student, eh? Good to meet you, lad! And coming in from the Muggle world, too- it's never easy. Good luck to you, boy."
"Thank you, sir." Merlin replied, grasping the man's hand in a timid shake. Gaius nodded Thomas the barman goodbye and steered Merlin through the back of the building. They emerged in a small courtyard, home to nothing more than a rubbish bin and a large brick wall.
"You're going to enjoy this, Merlin." Gaius rolled up his sleeves and placed his bare hands against the wall. He started to chant in an ancient tongue, the likes of which Merlin had never heard before. He tapped a few bricks, and Merlin saw his eyes flash gold.
"Now stand back." Clutching Merlin's shoulder, they took a step back. The bricks, as if being moved by invisible hands, started to twist and turn and shift. A large doorway was formed, and on the other side a street like Merlin had never seen before.
People in bright cloaks and hats bustled around the alley. There were so many shops with weird and magnificent artifacts. It was much better than even London, Merlin thought. As they walked through the arch Merlin made sure to take in everything, but it was quite overwhelming.
"Can we go into the shops, Gaius, please?"
"Of course, Merlin! Let's go get you fitted for robes first, how about?" Merlin followed closely behind the physician, trying hard not to be swept away in the stream of shoppers. There was a line leading out of Madam Malkin's Robes when they arrived.
"I guess we chose the wrong day for shopping, haven't we? The alley is much busier than usual what with school starting tomorrow." Gaius said, eyebrow arched. Merlin didn't mind though; as the line moved slowly, Merlin took in the sights and sounds. He saw many children his own age pass by, though none of them caught his attention like a boy and girl sitting on a bench outside of the book shop. The boy was blond, and looked very well kept. He had an air of superiority on his face that Merlin found off putting. His expression was almost of boredom as he flipped lazily through the pages of a book and talked to the girl. The girl, on the other hand, looked kind and curious. Her dark red hair was done up in an elegant braid. Her pale green eyes wandered around until they met Merlin's, which quickly looked away while his ears went pink. Merlin strained his ears to listen to the boy.
"-of course father will make sure I'm in the proper house. Can't have his son stuck in Hufflepuff, now, can he?" Merlin couldn't make sense of his words.
"Alright, Merlin. You're up." The girl still stared at Merlin as he rushed inside, thankful for a reason to escape. Immediately he was pulled up onto a stool, a woman pinning material around him as tapes fluttered about, measuring his waist, height, arm length, and shoulders. The robes were basic black, but he noticed some students had green, blue, red, or yellow linings.
"Excuse me, Miss?" Merlin asked the woman.
"Mhmm?" She murmured, a needle in her mouth. A pair of scissors was cutting material above her.
"Why do some of the robes have different colours?" She removed the needle and started to sew the pieces of material together.
"There are four houses at Hogwarts. Every student gets sorted into a house, and that house dormitory is where the student stays during their schooling. There's Gryffindor for the brave, Ravenclaw for the wise, Slytherin for the cunning, and Hufflepuff for the loyal. After you're sorted we will send you new robes with your house crest on it." She continued to work while Merlin thought about which house he'd belong in. None of them sounded bad to him.
"Hello!" A girl's voice called out. Merlin snapped out of his thoughts and turned around. On a stool behind him stood a pretty girl with darker skin. Her hair looked a bit frazzled, but her face was warm and welcoming. "My name is Guinevere, but everyone calls me Gwen for short."
"I'm Merlin, nice to meet you." Merlin went to hold out his hand, but his seamstress gave it a smack ("No moving!").
"You're starting your first year, aren't you? I am as well. I didn't even know I would be attending Hogwarts- neither of my parents are magical. It's all so exciting, isn't it? I hope I get into Ravenclaw." Merlin felt relieved that he wasn't the only one of non-magical lineage. "Oh, I guess my robes are done, I best be going! It was lovely meeting you, Merlin. Maybe I'll see you on the train?" Gwen stepped off her stool and hurried out the door. Merlin watched through the window as she joined up with the boy and girl outside the book store. The two girls linked arms and started away together while the boy trailed behind.
After his robes were complete, Merlin met with Gaius outside. Gaius had picked up the rest of his supplies while Merlin got fitted. He handed Merlin a cauldron filled to the brim with books, potion ingredients, parchment, and quills. Gaius walked Merlin back to the entrance of the alley.
"You'll be staying above The Leaky Cauldron tonight, and I'll pick you up tomorrow morning for the train."
"Thank you, Gaius." Merlin said, clutching his cauldron tight to his chest. "For everything."
"No trouble at all." Gaius replied smiling down at him. "Now off to bed, and rest up, boy. You've got quite a journey ahead of you."