The Boy Who Lived was very happy to see an acquaintance and ran to Makiya's side, constantly talking about his magical experiences over the last few days.
Makiya still remembered the plot from the original work, but hearing it again from Harry's perspective as a participant felt quite peculiar.
Harry was indeed very happy; he was an orphan who had been bullied by Vernon's family for a long time, and then forcibly taken to a small island in the sea to avoid letters. On his birthday, amidst a storm in the middle of the night, an 11.5-foot-tall giant suddenly appeared to tell him he was actually a wizard, and so were his parents.
Harry longed to change his situation and resolutely chose to follow Hagrid on an unknown journey. However, deep down, there was still confusion and fear. Seeing an acquaintance now made him feel less afraid, as if he suddenly had someone to rely on.
While Harry and Makiya were talking, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid were also chatting quietly.
"...So I must go to the Ministry of Magic. Those two children haven't even been out of Hogwarts for more than two years, and one of them was from Gryffindor. I'm concerned about the employment mission they accepted." As Professor McGonagall spoke, she took a golden key from her pocket and handed it to Hagrid: "Fortunately, I ran into you here, Hagrid. I'll leave Makiya in your hands."
"No problem, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid bent down to take the key, shaking his head and saying, "You can rest easy and leave it to me. I'll take good care of them. Besides, it looks like he and little Harry know each other, which couldn't be better."
Hagrid was the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, deeply trusted by Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall trusted him as well. After a few instructions, she walked over to Makiya.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Makiya." Professor McGonagall knelt slightly in front of Makiya, her face full of apology. "I have some... urgent matters to attend to immediately. This is Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, and Harry's guide. He will take over as your guide. Is that alright?"
Hagrid cooperated by flashing a smile nearby, quickly waving his large hand to greet Makiya with a kind look.
"Of course, Professor McGonagall. Please, go ahead with your work." Makiya was very well-behaved.
"What a good boy." Professor McGonagall rubbed Makiya's messy black hair, stood up, nodded to Hagrid, and turned to walk quickly out of the Leaky Cauldron.
Once Professor McGonagall's back disappeared, it was as if the play button had suddenly been pressed in the bar. The slightly stiff atmosphere vanished, replaced once again by the noise of clinking glasses and chatter.
"Hi, Makiya, I'm Hagrid." Hagrid reached out a rough, massive hand. His palm, nearly as big as a trash can lid, was covered in calluses and dust.
"Hello, Hagrid." Makiya shook one of his fingers up and down.
Harry was once again surrounded by the crowd. Everyone scrambled to shake his hand. Professor Quirrell stammered a few polite words, but when Harry reached out his hand, he pulled his own hands back, not daring to touch him.
Harry was full of questions, not understanding why.
"Makiya, this is Professor Quirrell. He's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts."
Hagrid introduced the professor to Makiya again, while Quirrell took the opportunity to move away from Harry and approach Makiya.
A smile appeared on his face, but under the influence of some mysterious power, the corners of his mouth pulled downward, making him look very strange.
'What's the situation? Is Old Voldy taking over the account?'
Feeling incredibly curious, Makiya faced Professor Quirrell's proactive hand and shook it openly, letting go after a brief touch.
"Hello, Professor Quirrell."
"Defense Against the Dark Arts is a very wonderful and terrifying subject," Professor Quirrell said in a strange tone. Then he pointed to the canvas bag on Makiya's back: "That's an exquisite cloth bag. You must have sewn it yourself, right?"
"You mean this?" Makiya took off one strap of the canvas bag and pulled the bundle from his back to his chest. "I did make it myself, Professor. How could you tell?"
Professor Quirrell didn't answer. A very strange, gloating expression appeared on his face: "I heard you grew up in an orphanage. How many do you have to make a day? A hundred? Two hundred?"
"No, Professor." Makiya shook his head. "If you make too many of these things, they won't sell."
In fact, many orphanages in London would specifically select a group of good-looking boys and girls for careful training to provide certain special services based on reproductive organs to dignitaries and wealthy businessmen, earning a large amount of British pounds.
Organizing orphans to work for money? How much could that possibly make? It was slow and unstable.
When Makiya was younger, he had worried about his own 'back door' for a long time, fearing he might be forced to 'eat crystal porridge' if he wasn't careful. It wasn't until he confirmed that his orphanage didn't engage in any shady business that he finally relaxed.
Being poor wasn't scary; once some things are lost, a person's life is ruined.
"Is that so? What a pity..." Quirrell lamented softly, his voice only audible to himself.
Hagrid stepped forward at the right time, protecting Makiya and Harry in front of him with both hands as if they were chicks. He announced to everyone in his booming voice: "Alright, it's getting late. See you around."
With that, he pushed through the crowd and led the two of them to the small courtyard behind the bar.
The courtyard was surrounded by three walls, with a trash bin placed against one. It looked like they had walked into a dead end.
'Here it comes, the classic scene!' Makiya knew what was about to happen. He had been excited for a long time when he first saw this scene, and now that he was experiencing it in person, it had a unique flavor.
Hagrid pulled out an umbrella that hid his wand. He counted three bricks up from the trash bin and then two across. The tip of the umbrella lightly tapped the wall. The bricks immediately began to move, turning and shrinking to the sides bit by bit as the noisy sound of voices rushed toward them.
A large number of oddly dressed wizards were moving through the alley. Young wizards and witches were chatting and playing while purchasing necessities according to their lists. Feather dusters hovered automatically over signs to clean dust, and unmanned brooms actively swept trash off the streets.
Harry was shocked by the sight before him, his eyes reflecting the light of excitement.
As the largest wizarding shopping street in all of Britain, Diagon Alley truly lived up to its reputation for prosperity.
To Makiya, the scale here was only average. In his previous life, he had experienced many theme parks, including facilities that imitated Diagon Alley. Both the architectural grandeur and the foot traffic far exceeded what was in front of him, but the feeling was completely different.
Fake things are fake after all. The Diagon Alley before him might not be grand, but it was full of magical details everywhere. Magic had been integrated into every aspect. If he had to use one word to describe it, it would be:
Authentic!
"Harry, Makiya, welcome to Diagon Alley!"
Hagrid led the two of them into Diagon Alley, starting the introduction from the very first shop nearby. In just a few words, he explained the function of the store, perfectly fulfilling his duty as a guide.
The novel sights left Harry dazzled, with a dazzling array of goods. Soon, Harry realized a serious problem: "Hagrid, neither Makiya nor I have any money. How can we afford the things on the list?"
"Don't worry, your money is in there." Hagrid gave a mysterious smile and pointed to a crooked white building in the middle of the street: "Gringotts, the wizarding bank. There's nowhere safer than Gringotts! Except for Hogwarts!"
With that, he winked at Makiya: "Makiya, I'm sure you must be a little rich man."