The true Heir of Salazar Slytherin - Book 1

Chapter 9: Diagonally Through Diagon Alley

He stepped out into the sun, it was a beautiful warm summer day, and it was even better now that Hadrian was officially his son. Salazar looked around for James and his son, spotting them at "Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour" across the street. Hadrian looked much better, a bit anxious because he wasn't with him but better now that he ate something. He walked up to them. Hadrian seemed to be relieved to finally be with him again.

"And did you have a nice ice cream?" he asked while sitting down on the empty chair next to Hadrian.

"Yes, James got me a 'Hogwarts Special'. It really looked like a small castle with little chocolate bats flying around it. It was so cool," Hadrian rambled excitedly.

"It's good to see you're well. I feared it might be too much for you again."

"Some time ago, my head started buzzing again because it was a bit much, but now it is fine again," he said while slightly blushing.

The waitress came to their table, and Salazar ordered an iced coffee.

"Hadrian, I want you to tell me when things get too much for you. I don't want a repeat of this...incident. Okay?" he told him. The worry was clearly showing on his face.

Hadrian nodded. "I'll tell you when it happens again, but now I'm really okay."

He was concerned that Salazar would want to go back home. But he wanted to explore this street and its shops a bit more, and the buzzing in his head had entirely vanished while he ate his ice cream.

"So what do you think about a nice stroll through Diagon Alley after I finished my coffee?" he asked, sipping said drink he just received.

Hadrian's face brightened up upon hearing that. He wanted to see so much, especially the bookstore and the apothecary. He loved cooking despite his aunt regularly beating him because it wasn't as she wanted it. From what he had heard the last days, brewing wasn't that different. So he wished to see if he could get a potions book for beginners and perhaps the ingredients for some of the potions to try.

"I'd like to go to the bookshop I saw. After that, perhaps a short visit in that shop that sells the stuff for brewing, please?" he asked nearly pleadingly.

"Of course, why not? The shop that sells stuff for brewing is an apothecary," Salazar corrected him, amused over Hadrian's wording. "Though I doubt you will find a book in the bookshop that we don't have at home," Salazar laughed. "I only have to visit 'Eeylops Owl Emporium' before we return back home, but the rest is up to you."

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Hadrian observed the people passing them while Salazar drank his coffee.

There were so many different people here. Some were dressed as any mundane person, while others wore long simple robes. Some were with a few ornaments, some without, like Salazar's, and a few people looked like they just escaped a loony bin. They wore such bright colours and crazy mixes of those. It was a real eyesore.

He watched them as they talked to each other, looked at shop windows or bargained with a street peddler over the price of an object.

It was fascinating to observe for Hadrian. Finally, however, Salazar finished his coffee and paid for everything, so they got up. They first went to the bookshop "Flourish and Blotts" because it was right next to the café.

Hadrian strolled around the shop, looking at the books there, sometimes opening one and looking inside at the index. Still, they all didn't interest him that much. Only when he reached the section with the potions books, he stopped. Salazar, who followed him, now stood right next to him while James stayed outside the shop so that he wasn't in the way and could look out for people they definitely didn't want to meet.