Chapter 3:
Six days to Diagon Alley; The Orphanage:
The youngest in the orphanage took a liking to the stranger who had invaded their brother's body, as they put it, rather quickly. The older children didn't seem aware
of it, but it was no surprise to Sal that they could see the truth.
Children were always so much better at seeing the truth in the world around them.
In any case, Sal was now the designated child watcher of the orphanage. He enjoyed his new job, delighted in it even: it was almost like being a professor or head of house again.
Five days to Diagon Alley; The Library:
Sal stared in absolute delight at the shelves, upon shelves of books. They were only on the first floor! The books were free to go to anyone who wanted to read them, and there were so many books!
What a wonderful place!
"Oh, Rowena would love this," he whispered, a pang of sorrow in his chest.
She would have loved it indeed, and Helga would have as well.
He wished they could see this place.
Three days to Diagon Alley; The Orphanage Kitchen:
There were many things that Sal didn't understand in this new world. The kitchen appliances were some of them. The toaster, in particular, always made him jump.
The basin, or rather 'sink', was a strange but wonderous thing he often thought had to be magic.
However, right now, the only thought he had was 'impossible'.
He closed the door to the fridge and eyed it suspiciously before opening it once more.
The light was on.
"Impossible," he muttered, repeating the process.
"Sal!" shouted Caleb from the next room. "Stop messing with the fridge!"
"I just want to know how it works!"
Diagon Alley trip:
Sal hummed happily as he and the Hogwarts representative, Ms Sprout, entered Diagon Alley.
He was in awe of how well the magicians were doing.
Whole cities of magicians? Unheard of in Sal's time.
But here it was, Diagon Alley: a peaceful, harmonious city of magic.
Or not so harmonious, Sal corrected when a sneering young boy brushed by him and pushed him harshly with a growled: "Mudblood", whatever that meant.
Unfortunately for him, Sal knew how to use his magic to his advantage.
He would not fall because he did not wish to. His magic recognized that, but Mr. "Mudblood"?
Swears spilt from the boy's lips as he tripped over air.
"Hmm." Sal shrugged and continued following Ms. Sprout with an amused smile.
She had watched the split-second interaction with wide eyes but said nothing to Sal, which he appreciated.
They stopped by a shop filled to the brim with trunks first, after going into a terrifying bank: one that Sal had labelled 'do not anger' and moved on from mentally.
Sal, who had counted his coinage, bought the cheapest trunk he could that would still carry his books. He could apply the FeatherWeight himself, thank you, no need to spend extra for something he could do himself.
Ms. Sprout smiled at him when he asked where they were supposed to go next and showed him to a shop filled to the brim with books. Unlike the library, that he had visited with the little ones previously, these books were not free.
Disappointing but not unexpected considering how the street was, set up to function as a street market.
They moved on quickly and proceeded to procure robes from a shop, much to Sal's displeasure. He had already gotten used to this new times' fashion: slacks, sweaters, T-shirts, jeans etc. and he didn't want to wear robes that seemed to swallow his form or a pointed hat. He was going to wear them. Because it would be a waste of money otherwise, but he really did prefer muggle clothing.
Sal jumped off the stool and strolled out the door the instant the young witch pronounced him finished.
Ms. Sprout had to run to keep up with him once he was outside in the sunshine. Once she had caught up to him, she instructed him to cup his hands. Though he raised an eyebrow at her, he did as instructed.
She pressed something warm and soft into his hands. Something soft that he recognized.
"Oh," he happily breathed as he looked down into his hands. A soft white face, blue eyes, a black nose and black-tipped ears. Fur that was warm and soft. The scent of milk and a content tint of magic. It was a kitten.
The kitten mewled at him. As if to say: "Hello human, tis I."
He laughed and brought the kitten closer to his chest, cradling it gently.
"How did you know?" He asked the representative. Ms. Sprout smiled, "I just thought you could use a friend." She admitted.
Which, to be quite honest, was true. Or true enough, at least.
Salazar was lonely without his family, the other founders.
He shook his head, that was enough with the sad thoughts. He had one more stop to make before he saw his home again.
The Wand Shop.
He breathed in deeply as the kitten tucked into his chest purred and opened the door of the wand shop.
Olivanders Wands. A strange name for an equally strange shop.
A familiar and yet unfamiliar place. It was exactly where it used to be, but it looked so different. Made of stone with no thatched roof in sight. Glass windows where there used to be none.
Inside was different too. The inside was covered in dust and boxes made of brown paper called 'cardboard' stored upon the shelves. They used to be in wooden boxes stored in crates.
Sal blinked when an older man with a steady gaze suddenly appeared. For a moment he had expected a young Nicholis Olivander to appear, another friend he'd never see again he supposed.
"You're an odd one." the man declared with certainty.
Sal was pushed over to a stool before he could respond.
A flying measuring instrument appeared in front of him.
What happened next was a whirlwind of boxes and sticks. Some of them responded to his magic, while others did not.
Finally, the man handed him a slender grey stick with designs carved upon the sides. Sparks in green and blue shot from the tip. His magic sang as it made contact with the wood.
"Birch with a thunderbird feather core." The old man said, "I expect we'll be seeing great things from you."
It was nothing like his old wand, but the humming twist between his magic and this wand was just as comforting. Just as perfect, as the one his friend had made for him.
"Thank you."