The next morning, after doing his morning exercises and breakfast, he resumed his reading.
He was once again charged with synthesis, and some recipes required him to wait until the concoction rested in the cauldron. And so, he had free time to go back to his book.
He soon learned just who the old man really was. Albus Percival Dumbledore. To make things short, he was pretty much the strongest wizard of his age. He put down Grindelwald and became a hero as a result, getting numerous titles attributed to his name. Even now in his old age, he was still highly influential, both inside Britain, and internationally.
Harry would never imagine that World War 2 was fought by the wizards as well, though against a completely different opponent.
The book then moved to the topic of Voldemort, or You-Know-Who, as the masses called him, being so afraid to utter his name.
It was there he found the truth about his parents.
They never died in a car accident.
They were killed by Voldemort.
And somehow, he survived that night, as a mere infant.
Harry didn't know how to react.
Should he be happy that his parents were such brave people, standing up to the Dark Lord like that? Or should he be sad, that their death was not an accident. Rather, a murder, committed by the the worst wizard in the history of the Wizarding World.
The masses believed he was dead but Dumbledore believed otherwise. And so, he put him with the Dursleys, away from the Wizarding World and all its dangers.
His suffering for eleven years… it was all because of him.
Harry wasn't sure if he agreed with Dumbledore's decision. But, now that he had Ayesha, he couldn't be that angry at him.
He had to talk to him about this later on.
He then moved away from the history lessons into the spells.
As promised, he could find a couple of beginner spells there for him to learn. He still didn't have his wand though, so all he could do was to memorize their chants and movements.
And then, one month later, Dumbledore returned.
"Are you ready, Harry?"
"I'm ready." Harry smiled.
They were now standing outside the hut. Behind them was Ayesha and Nio, gleefully watching from a distance. It didn't take long for Dumbledore to charm them, as they now believed he was a quirky, somewhat odd wizard that they could trust.
Oh, and of course, Nio demanded him to show her a spell. He obliged by making her levitate for a good minute, to Ayesha's chagrin. Nio, of course, was perfectly fine with it.
"For today's excursion, we will be visiting Diagon's Alley. I assume you already know what it is?"
"Yes, Sir!" Harry readily replied. "It's a wizard's market! I can buy my wand there!"
"Hmm, well, that's good enough, I suppose." Dumbledore scratched his beard. "And how about you two?" He switched his gaze to Ayesha and Nio. "Do you want to come as well?"
"E-eh?" They both spoke at the same time. "We can?"
"Of course. What makes you think you cannot? Although, I would have to ask you two not to tell anyone about this world. Same with you, Harry."
"Why not?!" Nio asked.
"Because, young lady, there are… dangers… that I would rather not bring to this world. Harry, have you told them about the Wizarding World?"
Harry shook his head.
"I see. Then, this trip would be a nice surprise." Dumbledore winked.
The old wizard then took out his wand. "Please, give me some distance. I shall draw the runic circle."
Harry nodded and stepped away, moving backwards to be with Ayesha and Nio.
Dumbledore began moving his wand around in a deliberate way, aiming it on the ground near him. To Harry's surprise, lines began to form. Slowly but surely, they formed a decorated circle around the old man.
"Please, step inside."
Gingerly, the trio did.
"Now, close your eyes. Oh, and try to stay still. Dimensional travel can be quite bumpy, I'm afraid."
And then, their world went white.
When they opened their eyes, they were in a completely different place entirely.
Tall buildings surrounded them to their left and right while a wall stood behind them.
"Welcome... to Diagon Alley." Dumbledore smiled.
"Wow, this is amazing! There's so many people around!"
"And they're all dressed so weirdly! This really is a land of wizards!"
It didn't take long until Ayesha and Nio became akin to country bumpkins who entered their very first city. Their eyes were filled with stars and they looked around with opened mouth.
Truthfully, Harry wasn't that far off from them. But, he was still able to keep his excitement in check.
"Dumbledore, Sir! Where are we going?" he asked. "Are we getting my wand? I know there's a wand shop around here somewhere!"
"Not yet, Harry." The old man chuckled. "First, we have to get you and your friends proper wizard robes first. If you haven't noticed, you three are drawing quite the attention."
Sure enough, now that Harry looked around, he noticed more than a few wizards stealing glances in their direction.
"Here we are. Madam Malkin's place. Home to all the clothes you need as a wizard."
The shop didn't look that impressive from the outside, if Harry had to be honest. But then again, he couldn't expect a wizard clothing store to be like a Muggle one. Being somewhat shady-looking like this only added to the mystery after all!
Dumbledore entered the shop first, followed by Harry, Nio, and then Ayesha.
"Ah, wonderful. No other customers." Dumbledore spoke to himself.
The shopkeeper soon appeared and the moment she saw Harry and co., she immediately rushed to their location.
"Oh my, such unique clothing! Tell me! Where do you get them from?"
"Umm, I…" Harry took a step backwards.
"Madam Malkin, if you would."
Dumbledore then explained the circumstances. They were foreign wizards who had just arrived in London and so, they would require clothes that would fit with the locals.
Wow, he really is a smooth liar, Harry noted.
"I see! I see!" The madam smiled. "Don't worry! I'll fetch all three of you something fitting! But first, I will have to take your measurements!"
Harry wasn't sure if he liked the glint in her eyes.