Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Rewritten

Chapter 5: Diagon Alley

Author's Note: Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. It's longer and took longer to write. Do review and let me know your thoughts. 

Diagon Alley was incredible. Harry looked around, soaking everything in. The cobblestone pathway that they were standing on stretched on for thousands of feet in either direction. In the middle of the pathway was a separate lane marked with yellow vertical bars. Harry wondered what that was for. A moment later, he got his answer. A boy, perhaps fourteen years of age, zoomed past them on a skateboard. Harry was sure it was magic. The speed was incredible and kids using them were performing somersaults and leaping over obstacles like speed bumps without slowing down.

Forcing hi eyes away from the skateboarders on the middle line, Harry looked around. Behind him were a long of line of fireplaces. As he watched, a green fire appeared in one of them and a woman in long robes stepped out of the grate as the flames disappeared. She looked perfectly calm for a woman who had just stepped out of a fire as she hurried down the street.

Next to the fireplaces were benches and a long line of parked skateboards and a ticket stand. Harry was sorely tempted... maybe he could try it out after he retrieved his inheritance... Then he noticed a sign on the ticket stand saying: Minimum Age – 12. Disappointed, he turned away.

There were long rows of three storey buildings to either side of the road. Some were narrow, no more than twenty feet wide. But a large building diagonally opposite to Harry, built of gleaming white marble, was at least two hundred feet wide. Three steps, made of the same white marble led up to impressive bronze double doors. Glowing, 3-D magical letters hovering just above the doors proclaimed the establishment to be GRINGOTTS WARLOCK BANK.

To its left was a shop called Zabini Magical Equipment. Through the glass windows, Harry could see that the inside of the building was not three floors but a single one. Products had been stacked ceiling-high and spiral staircases allowed customers to inspect wares that were displayed higher up. Harry saw everything from telescopes to gardening tools.

To the right of Gringotts was Madam Malkin's Clothes for All Occasions. Opposite Gringotts were three shops, Flourish and Blotts Book Store, Mr. Kurt's Stationery and Ollivander's: Wandmakers since 600 BCE.

A loud gasp came from Michael. "Look", he cried, pointing with a trembling hand. Harry followed Michael's finger and looked through the gaps between the fireplaces. The pavement of the sidewalk ended abruptly twenty feet away from them. Past that was... Harry blinked twice. Then he rubbed his eyes under his spectacles and looked again. The sight before his eyes did not change. Past the pavement was empty sky.

Harry began walking towards the edge closely followed by the others. When he was almost at the edge, Dumbledore said, "That's far enough, Harry." Harry peered down over the side and saw a sight to top everything he'd seen so far. Spread out about a mile below him was a city.

"That's London!" exclaimed Hermione. "I recognize some of the buildings... We're in a street hovering in the sky!"

"Not a street, Hermione" corrected Dumbledore. "We are in a floating settlement called The Sky District, the capital of Magical Britain.

Face shining with excitement, Harry glanced at Dean who was grinning. "What happens if someone falls sir?" asked Dean.

"There is a magical net below that catches those who are unfortunate enough to make that blunder. But divers can only be retrieved by Ministry workers, a time-consuming process, so I suggest that you all step back."

They obeyed him, but reluctantly.

"We have much to do and little time to do it in." From his pocket, Dumbledore drew five bulky red velvet pouches. "Inside each of these pouches you will find warlock money." He pulled a golden coin out of one pouch, about the size of a bottle cap. It was stamped with a serial number and crossed wands. The other face was blank. "This is called a Galleon. A Galleon is divided into twenty silver Sickles and a Sickle is further divided into fifty bronze Knuts.