Christian followed his mother to the bookstore and bought all the books he needed for seven years and many extras; he loved reading, and his mother indulged him this time since he wanted to know as much as possible regarding the wizarding world.
Their next store was Potage Cauldron Shop to buy the materials for Potion Class, followed by a trip to buy his owl. His mother asked him if he wanted another pet, but he had to decline after knowing only owls, toads, and cats were allowed in school.
His aunt was allergic to cats, and he could not bring a dog to school, so Christian decided to acquire an owl. He looked at the shop, surveying each owl individually. Most of them looked the same to him, but he still wanted to be careful.
"Hmm?" He looked at a specific owl. He swore he saw the owl's eyes had suddenly turned red. He walked closer to it to observe, and it was nothing but a regular owl, albeit slightly thinner than usual. Christian felt a sense of familiarity as he gazed at this creature, almost similar to when he first held his wand.
"I want this one," he said to his mother and the seller. He did not know why he felt this way about this owl, but he still chose it. Holding the creature in its cage, he smiled, "I will call you Sango—just like the God of Thunder."
"Excellent name," praised Tiaria. "Almost as good as my Joy."
"Joy?"
"My owl. I name him after Joyboy—the Voodoo Spirit of Music, Dance, and Freedom."
"That is a good name."
Their next stop was Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, where they tried various flavors from the wizarding world. Christian had to admit this experience was probably his favorite so far. It also helped that the owner, Florean, was a chatty individual who told him myriad odd facts about wizarding history; the entire experience was very enjoyable, and Christian's good mood continued as he visited the Honeydukes to try wizarding candy.
The experience was marvelous; he always waited in anticipation of what flavors he would receive. And even when it was something terrible, he did not mind. His favorite part was, of course, the different effects he experienced.
Some candies would steam blow out of his ears, making animal noises ( the toad was his favorite since his throat inflated like one), and even breathing fire.
"I wonder how this thing is made," he wondered in fascination.
"I don't know, but we can try to find some books on the subject," replied Tiara, who suddenly heard a vague voice calling her from somewhere. She looked around before noticing a shadow waving to her through the window.
"Zed, wait here for a few minutes. I saw an old acquaintance."
"Oh, okay."
"Don't move; It will only be in a few minutes."
Christian nodded, a little distracted as he was about to try a new candy. Time passed, and he did not know how long, but it felt like he had been waiting for hours, and unfortunately, the downside of eating so much sweets was beginning to weigh on him.
"Where is she?" muttered Christian as he looked through the window. "Hmm? What is this?"
Christian saw a glowing white trail, and as soon as he laid eyes on it, he was sure he had heard whispers. No, he was convinced he had heard whispers as they became increasingly clearer. Out of instinct, he followed the white trail but soon realized it was rapidly disappearing, so he rushed.
Around a corner where the trail ended, he saw a person disappear. Sadly, he did not see the person's face. However, he did see a crest on the latter's cuff: a small ember or flame, not drawn fluidly but composed of sticks. It was like someone used stroke brushes to draw the flame.
"What's going on?" muttered Christian, looking around for the disappearing individual. He guessed the latter used the Apparition Spell his mother had told him, but he did not know why this person had that strange trail behind him.
'Forget it,' he thought before walking away. However, after taking a few steps, panic began to rush through his mind—he was lost.
"No, no, no, this can't be happening." Ever since he was young, he had the worst sense of direction possible. Despite his excellent memories, it was hard for him to learn any navigation skills, including remembering the route from his school to his house. To this day, he has not learn how to use a compass despite his mother's best attempts to teach him.
The only exam he has ever failed was his Geography Cardinal Direction Test. According to his aunt, God thought he was too perfect, so he used his sense of direction to balance him out.
Christian looked around but could not identify anything. How could he? This was his first visit here, and he had not begun the torture process of memorizing every street and corner. So, his fear and panic intensified.
'Calm down and breathe,' he told himself, inhaling and exhaling deeply; he remembered what his mother told him to do if he ever got lost: nicely ask someone to borrow their phone to call for help.
'No one has a cellphone here, but I could ask them for directions to the Honeyduke.'
Christian immediately executed the plan and slowly walked around, trying to find anyone he could ask for help. But when he did, he regretted it. He came face-to-face with an old witch dressed in a dark robe with only five remaining black teeth. A strange odor like puce emanated from her—her entire demeanor screamed witch that ate children.
"Child, are you lost?"
"Oh, no. My mother was taking too long, so I came to get some fresh air."
"Lalalalalala. It's not a good thing for children to lie," said the witch, opening her mouth like she was a whale about to swallow everything. Christian ran. He did not hesitate or waste any time; he ran.
Thud!
He had not traveled more than ten meters before feeling something binding his feet, and he fell to the ground. He rolled around to see the ugly witch slowly approaching him.
"NO. GET AWAY FROM ME!" A power came out of nowhere from his body and pushed the witch away. Christian was shocked but only momentarily as he realized his feet were free. So, he continued running, and this time, traveling a good distance. Although he still did not know where he was, he was happy that he got away, or so he thought.
He heard the sound of something crackling, similar to fireworks, and to his horror, the child-eating witch was in front of him. A rush of adrenaline, fear, and anger rushed into Christian's head, and he screamed: "DON'T GET IN MY WAY."
He somehow summoned his magic again as he made a pushing movement, generating an even more powerful force than before.
"Protego!" calmly said the witch before waving her wand to the side, easily blocking his feeble attack. "Incarcerous." A rope materialized from the witch's wand and bound Christian's legs, hands, and neck.
"A beautiful child, albeit one who likes to lie. However, I can forgive such small flaws. Come, call me grandma." Christian had already closed his eyes, praying that his mother would come and save him. However, nothing happened as he was still in this situation.
"Oh, why are you quiet now? Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
Christian had begun to lose hope. Then, he heard the sound of a bird followed by an agonized scream. He opened his eyes to see the witch bleeding in one eye while a crow flew above them. The crow dived down at the perfect angle and took the second eye, making the witch scream even louder. Finally, she disappeared.
"Mom?" he asked, and the crow turned to face; he was shocked as this creature had red eyes and a brilliant silver line weaved through the feathers on its back. The creature looked at him before flying into the distance, and Christian was baffled about what had just happened or what to do. Luckily, the crow returned a few seconds later and motioned with its head.
"You want me to follow you?"
The crow nodded as if it understood his words. Christian hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing. His restraint disappeared after the witch left, so he left this street under this creature's guidance. After a few minutes of walking, he saw the Honeyduke store in the distance, along with his mother looking around with the word worry written all over her face.
He wanted to rush into her arms, but thought about offering his gratitude to his savior. Alas, the creature had long disappeared, and he could not find it. Although perplexed, he decided not to dwell on it too much and rushed to his mother.