To Muggles, wizards may tread the same soil, but their lives are an entirely different world.
A simple Muggle-repelling charm could once carve out land solely for wizards—no taxes, no oversight. Of course, that was in the past.
As Muggles delved deeper into the world, wizards could no longer simply claim vast stretches of land at a stroke. For various reasons, they began to plan wizarding villages and build large neighborhoods—a concept once unimaginable.
As wizards gradually grew accustomed to Muggle cities and occupied certain areas within them, many old customs were abandoned—most notably the traditional trading markets.
While formal schooling had largely suppressed the old family-based wizard education, purebloods of noble heritage still held schools in contempt. Some struggling families even had to hide their family crests when sending children to places like Hogwarts, to avoid bringing shame.
Of course, things were entirely different now. Even though Slytherins still muttered terms like "Mudbloods" from time to time, they had to accept a fact: Muggle-born wizards received the same education, breathed the same air, and even outperformed them academically.
The worst part? Those Mudbloods could crush them with overwhelming skill. Without family legacy spells or inherited knowledge, they might be suppressed for life.
There was no choice—school-based advantages were too great. Even just the number of familiar wizards in a school outmatched those with traditional education. Outside a few isolated regions, traditional wizard education and the old market system had been buried in history.
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What was the market system?
Simply put, it wasn't much different from Muggle marketplaces. Wizards may be more introverted, but research always required materials, most of which couldn't be gathered personally.
Before stores existed, wizards met weekly on a designated plot to trade, exchanging all sorts of bizarre and exotic goods.
Although Ollivanders in Diagon Alley became internationally famous, it too began as a stall in a market. Unlike others, Ollivander already accepted orders—you could provide your wand core or select from recommended options. At the next market, the master would bring your finished wand personally.
It wasn't until Ollivander inherited the family business that wands became truly standardized. He gambled most of the family fortune to stop custom orders, instead letting customers select from finished wands. Each wand was carefully crafted with a unique wood and core combination, waiting to meet its destined owner.
This revolutionary approach and dedication to quality made Ollivander the most esteemed wand master. Before him, wands were essentially chaotic.
Don't imagine wand-making was always glamorous—Ollivander's family once used cat whiskers as wand cores. A very dubious practice.
Ollivander's success aside, other stalls were chaotic. No one knew who you were trading with—white wizard, black wizard, mute, disguised fairy, or shape-shifted creature. The Ministry of Magic simply didn't care.
If this had been a Muggle world, the market would have gradually expanded into towns. But wizarding society was different.
Most importantly—wizards valued Muggle goods and people based on need.
Aside from some Muggle herbs being usable in potions or dark experiments, just the demand for fresh blood and Muggle food alone drove transactions.
Once Muggles built towns, wizard markets naturally relocated. Diagon Alley was constructed alongside London itself.
With inventions like Floo Powder and Apparition, shopping was easy. Wizards could buy groceries in Diagon Alley without issue. Initially, some still preferred traditional markets, but Diagon Alley's rise was unstoppable—it completely replaced the old trading markets.
The reason was simple: Muggle-born wizards.
Purebloods despised Muggle interaction, but Muggle-borns didn't. Especially when discrimination made finding jobs impossible, they naturally resold Muggle goods. For convenience, they set up in Muggle-populated cities.
It was straightforward—wizards adapted to practical needs. Fresh groceries from Muggle-run shops were far superior to supplies stored for fifteen days.
From humble beginnings, this London street expanded uncontrollably, crushing all traditional markets and becoming the top shopping destination for wizards.
Globally, the trend was the same. Traditional markets gradually disappeared, left abandoned.
Yet, thanks to repeated Muggle-repelling charms over the years, these areas became land neither wizards nor Muggles could inhabit—desolate and barren.
The place Allen and his companions were heading to was one such abandoned market—a remote plot overgrown with wild grass deep in the mountains.