Chapter Six - Circus
or I finally get to see Diagon Alley
I have only been in London once before and that was in my previous life, so I eagerly looked around myself when we parted the train station. We walked in silence once more, mainly because we couldn't talk more about the topics we have opened on the train while mingling with muggles. I'm sure we'll reopen the conversation about it when we'll break for lunch.
I glanced up at Snape who was walking beside me. I had to lean my head back a lot to be able to watch him because he was so tall. He was tol and I was smol. God damn it, Tumblr memes! Why did I have to be reminded of them right at this moment! I blushed and turned my head away from Snape, feeling embarrassed.
For those not in the know, tol and smol are words for otp pairings on Tumblr that I've read about years ago.
"We're here," Snape said suddenly and I stopped, only to see him stand a few paces behind me in front of a dingy old pub called the Leaky Cauldron. I took a deep breath to calm myself before I squealed in excitement, and walked back to where he was standing.
I watched him open the doors and when he motioned for me to go first, I obeyed. I stopped when I entered and when Snape came in and closed the doors, I went and hid behind him, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. There were so many people and the place was so small. I was usually fine with large crowds because the space was large enough so I didn't have to worry that I would walk into someone, but the Leaky Cauldron was small and as I said, there were a lot of people inside.
I grabbed Snape's hand in mine, blushing a bit at the knowledge that my hand was shaky and sweaty from nerves. I didn't dare look up to see his expression.
Thankfully, he didn't say anything and only guided me through the crowd and towards the back of the pub. I let out a shaky breath when the door behind us closed and we were standing alone in the back alley, while Snape quietly went ahead and opened the doorway to Diagon Alley. He looked through to the street and then back at me with a frown on his face.
I looked back at him, wondering what it was that he was thinking when he stretched out his hand towards me. I blinked at it, and then looked at him again, checking to see if he meant it, and then when I didn't see any rejection on his face, carefully wrapped my own small hand around his again and let him lead me into Diagon Alley.
I could see why he let me hold his hand again the moment we stepped through. The street was full of people! There were, even more, people than there were in the pub! It must have been the shopping spree for school supplies. I faltered in my steps a bit and felt Snape hold my hand even tighter in response.
"We'll go straight to Gringotts to withdraw some money and then we can go pick up your school uniform," he informed me while we were walking. I nodded and let my eyes dart around us to take as much of Diagon Alley in as possible. There was Eeylop's Owl Emporium! And I could see the Quidditch store where the Nimbus 2000 was proudly presented in the window. I could see Ollivander's wand shop at the corner and of course, the white, asymmetrical building that was Gringotts Wizarding Bank. There was a lot more shops in Diagon Alley than I thought there would be. I knew about the main ones, of course, and about some of the others that would either open in the future or were opened in the past and were closed now. There were a lot of second-hand shops, and shops that sold produce like vegetables and fruits, and next to Fortescue's there was a bakery from which I could smell the scent of fresh bread making my mouth water.
"It's amazing," I whispered in awe as I just looked at the lively street. I could see the sign that let to Knockturn Alley and there was a sign that led to Vertical Alley. I've never heard of a street like that in canon, but I've read about it in fanfictions and I wondered what Vertical Alley sold.
"How many alleys are there?" I asked when we reached another sign.
"There's five," Snape answered. "Diagon Alley, which is the main alley and sells everything a witch or wizard might need in daily life, Vertical Alley which is home to Wizarding businesses and practices, Horizont Alley hosts elite shops and restaurants, Whimsical Alley is where you can usually find fairs and other things for amusement. And then there is Knockturn Alley which you are not allowed to enter."
That last part was said very sternly and he looked down at me while talking as if he was trying to make sure I understood what he was saying and when I gave him a nod, he straightened his head up again and that was it.
