Hogwarts: The Dark Prodigy

Broken cobblestones, pergaments flying through the air, golden lights rising from the shops... There were wizards, apprentices, merchants on every corner, minding their own business, but to Dante it all seemed completely magical.

"How are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked, noticing his transfixed gaze.

Dante took a deep breath and looked around again. "I didn't... imagine it like this... I've heard stories about this place, but... but it's so much more... so much more alive!"

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "It's one thing to learn about the wizarding world from books, quite another to experience it in person."

As Dante surveyed the shops around him, he noticed a gold embroidered sign rising in front of them:

Madame Malkin's Robes - Robes for Every Occasion.

Dumbledore opened the shop door with a slight nod. "This is our first stop. You can't start school without your Hogwarts robes, can you?"

When Dante stepped through the door, he found a dimly lit shop with hundreds of different robes lining the walls.

MADAME MALKIN'S ROBES

Dante had never seen so many robes in one place. On the shelves along the wall were gaudy ceremonial robes with bright purple embroidery, evening gowns with light tulle, even self-cleaning robes.

Just then, Madame Malkin emerged from behind her desk and walked toward them.

"Ah, Professor Dumbledore!" she called cheerfully. "And I see a new Hogwarts student! Let us take this young gentleman's measurements at once."

Dante felt a little uncomfortable as his eyes scanned the racks. He had never been measured by a tailor before. He wore his family's house clothes, but now... this was different.

Madame Malkin took out her magic measuring tape and touched Dante's shoulder. The tape measure began to move on its own, taking his measurements.

"Oh, you have a very shapely figure," she said. "The Hogwarts robes will be black, of course, but you can have your family crest embroidered in gold or dark green if you wish. Rosier, isn't it?"

Dante paused for a moment. He wondered what the name Rosier meant to the people here. But he remembered the message Dumbledore had given him: You must make your own way.

"No, just plain black," he said firmly.

Madame Malkin raised her eyebrows slightly, but said nothing. In a few minutes, Dante's well-fitting robes were ready.

Dumbledore turned to Dante and smiled slightly. "Are you ready for our next stop?"

Dante nodded. As he packed his robes and left, he realized that he was still under the spell of the shop's magical atmosphere.

But the next place would be much more interesting.

FLOURISH & BLOTTS BOOKSHOP

As Dante walked beside Dumbledore, his eyes fell on the large bookshop in the middle of Diagon Alley.

A large sign hung over the entrance to the shop: Flourish & Blotts - The Greatest Collection of Books for Wizards!

As they walked through the door, he smelled the scent of parchment wafting through the air. The shelves were full of books. Some books were turning pages by themselves, others were murmuring to themselves.

"Do you like books, William?" Dumbledore asked.

Dante frowned. "Of course I do. But sometimes one needs more practice than theory."

Dumbledore winked. "Some knowledge is so valuable that even practice cannot teach it."

Dante nodded and began to pick up the books on the school list. "The Standard Spell Book (1st Class)", "A Thousand and One Spells and Curses", "The Basics of Potions"...

But then one book caught his attention.

"Secret Ways to Defend Against the Black Arts"

The book was old, the cover worn, but it felt as if it had been waiting to be picked up by Dante. He took it from the shelf and turned the pages.

Just then, Dumbledore's voice came.

"Quite an interesting choice."

Dante looked up. "This book... it's not on the course list, but I think it might be useful."

Dumbledore tilted his head slightly. "There are some things you shouldn't have to learn from a syllabus alone."

Dante thought for a moment. Then he decided to buy the book.

When they had gathered all their books, they went to the cash register. The clerk bowed respectfully to Dumbledore and wrapped Dante's books.

As Dante left Flourish & Blotts, he was still thinking about the books he had bought. In particular, the book that had caught his eye at the last minute, 'Secret Ways of Defending Against the Dark Arts', echoed in the back of his mind. But Dumbledore didn't give him much time to think.

"Now for the most pleasant part, William."

Dante tilted his head to the side and looked at Professor Dumbledore. "What part?"

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "The pet."

Dante thought for a moment. He had never had a pet. His parents, especially his aunt, thought animals were unnecessary. But most of the students at Hogwarts had owls or cats or frogs. Why shouldn't he?

Dumbledore shoved his hand into his robes and rummaged through his bag for a moment, then looked up at Dante. "Do you think you'll get an owl, a cat or maybe a frog?"

Dante shrugged. "I don't know, but..." He paused and then added confidently. "Let's go and see."

Dumbledore nodded and together they walked down Diagon Alley. When they came to the Eeylops Owl Emporium and Magical Pet Shop a few blocks away, Dante was excited by the chirps, meows and occasional growls coming from inside.

When they opened the door and stepped inside, the atmosphere of the shop changed instantly. There were huge eagle owls on the shelves, tiny owls with small and fluffy feathers, various magical cats with their shimmering fur, and even different kinds of frogs. There were even strange little monsters in some of the cages - perhaps magical creatures.

Dante walked toward the owls. He reached his fingers toward one cage, but quickly pulled them back when a wide-eyed owl inside looked at him sternly.

"Hmm, doesn't look very friendly," he muttered.

Dumbledore folded his hands in his robes and bowed his head slightly. "Owls are honorable and powerful animals. But not everyone's soul is compatible with an owl."

Dante nodded and moved to another area. Several different cats stared at him intently, some trying to get close to him. But he had no special feeling for any of them.

Then... he heard a voice.

It was different from the other sounds in the shop. It was neither chirping nor meowing... It was like a whisper. But without words, just an almost mesmerizing sound that echoed deep in his ears.

Dante involuntarily stopped where he stood. His eyes blurred, his ears only hearing the sound. Slowly, he turned around, looking around, and finally his eyes fell on the cages in one of the dark corners of the shop.

There was... something there.

In the shadows stood a slender snake with jet-black, shiny scales. It was small, but without the delicacy of a hatchling. Its eyes glowed like two small yellow lights, and it was as if... as if it were calling to Dante.

Dumbledore watched in silence as Dante slowly approached.

"It's called communicating without speaking, William," he whispered, but Dante barely heard him.

The snake curled slightly in its cage and lifted its head to look at him. Without a moment's hesitation, Dante held out his hand.

"Be careful, young man!" the shopkeeper shouted. "It's an Asiops snake, and it's very poisonous!"

But Dante didn't seem to heed the warning. He had already opened the cage. The snake was suddenly on the move... but it didn't attack.

Its black body quickly wrapped around Dante's wrist and settled down, almost as if it belonged to him. The warmth of it, the slight smoothness of its scales gave Dante a strange feeling, but at the same time he felt it was right.

The shopkeeper gasped in horror. "This... This is not normal. This snake will never accept someone like this."

Dante looked into the snake's yellow eyes. At that moment, a whisper appeared in his head.

"You're... different."

His eyes opened wide. "You..." he murmured, but he couldn't finish the sentence. The serpent spoke in a language only he could hear.

"I am yours. You are mine."

Dumbledore watched the scene and raised his eyebrows slightly. His expression showed that he understood that Dante could speak snake. But he did not speak it. He just tilted his head slightly, as if weighing something inside.

Dante wanted to gently take the snake by the wrist and put it back into its cage, but it was coiled stubbornly around him.

The shopkeeper shook his head from side to side. "That snake will go to no one but you now, young man."

Dante looked at Dumbledore. "What do you want me to do?"

The professor shrugged slightly. "Some things choose us, William. You too must make a choice."

Dante thought for a moment. Then he nodded slowly. "Okay," he said. "I'll take it."

The shopkeeper, still puzzled, made no further objections. He gave him a special case for the snake, but Dante preferred to carry it directly on his wrist.

When they stepped outside, Dumbledore gave Dante a long look. "You have a special path, William. And sometimes it will take you in directions you never expected."

Dante smiled as he felt the snake move gently over his body. "I guess I won't feel alone anymore."

Dumbledore nodded. "Sometimes loneliness leads to unexpected friendships."

________________

Dante walked down the alley with Dumbledore, carefully carrying the package containing the cauldron. The black snake on his shoulder stirred slightly, lifting its head and looking around. Its scales glistened faintly in the sunlight. The small creature seemed to be resting on Dante's shoulder, but everyone who passed by gave him uncomfortable looks.

Dante was quick to notice. Wizards and witches crossing the street glanced at him out of the corners of their eyes, some shifting their paths slightly. A mother pulled her child close and hurried away, while an old wizard frowned uncomfortably.

Recognizing the situation, Dumbledore tilted his head with a slight smile. "William, I think you should keep your friend out of sight for a while. Many wizards may be prejudiced against snakes."

Dante glanced at the snake on his shoulder. Nox was staring at him with glossy black eyes, as if trying to figure out what he meant. An uneasiness crept into him. He knew that Nox was not dangerous. But the others didn't know that, and he had no intention of finding out.

He took a deep breath and instinctively whispered softly.

"Embrace."

The snake made a slight hiss and moved immediately. It slithered down Dante's neck and up his arm, wrapping around his wrist. The cold scales curled up, brushing lightly against his skin. The small creature now looked like a bracelet.

Dumbledore looked at Dante over his glasses and nodded in satisfaction. "Very impressive," he said quietly. "Your Parselmouth talent is quite natural. It is a rare thing."

Dante looked down at the snake on his wrist. It was completely instinctive for him. As if he had been speaking this language since he was a child.

"You said it wasn't a bad thing," he said, turning to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded. "And I still agree. Parseltongue is a tool, like any other magical ability. How you use it determines whether it is good or bad."

They walked on, Dante weighing these words in his mind. Nox was motionless on his wrist, but Dante could feel his presence.

Then Dumbledore gestured to a small shop ahead.

"And now," he said, his voice taking on an excited tone, "perhaps the most important part."

Dante looked at the sign and felt suddenly excited.

Ollivanders - 382 B.C.

The legendary shop where the wands were found.

A warmth rose in him. This was where he would find proof that he was truly a wizard. He would find his own wand.

Dante took a deep breath and stepped inside as Dumbledore gently opened the door. The old wooden shelves were filled with hundreds of wand boxes. The thin layer of dust in the air made it seem as if no one had been in there for years.

An old man emerged from the back. His silvery hair fell over his shoulders, and his pale eyes stared intently at Dante.

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