The Granger Family

The girl, a little puffed up with indignation, tugged her parents toward the two of them. When they reached The Leaky Cauldron, she let go and pointed at the pub entrance.

"Look, it's right there! You didn't believe me."

A smug expression appeared on her face. Facts spoke louder than words—this proved she had not been lying!

But to the little girl's surprise, her parents exchanged a glance and said helplessly, "Hermione, look carefully. That's a bookstore."

"A bookstore?"

Hermione looked up. The bookstore was clearly beside the pub.

"No, I mean the pub to the right of the bookstore," Hermione hurriedly said.

"To the right of the bookstore is a record shop... Oh, wait, is that a Queen Live Killers record?"

As he spoke, the man took two steps forward, wanting to get a better look.

Mu En glanced over as well. It really was a Queen vinyl record.

The two men then walked to the record shop window without a word between them. Mu En suddenly thought of the gramophone Harry had repaired and wondered whether it could be put to use...

"Dad, it's right beside you! The Leaky Cauldron!" The little girl called Hermione came over, grabbed her father's hand, and pointed at The Leaky Cauldron's sign.

"Good girl, stop fooling around." The man patted Hermione's fluffy head. "How about we go look at the bookstore instead?"

Hermione felt terribly wronged. It was right in front of them, so why were her parents pretending not to see it? They were making her look like some little girl who liked telling lies...

If this was a joke, it had gone way too far!

"She's telling the truth."

Suddenly, a somewhat childish voice sounded beside Hermione. A boy in loose clothing and a headscarf had stepped up nearby.

"Kid? What did you say?" The man looked utterly baffled.

Only then did Mu En shift his gaze from the display window and look at the couple beside him, then at the teary-eyed little girl with them.

"That's right. Your daughter wasn't lying." Mu En nodded, looking at Hermione as he comforted her.

"You weren't mistaken, girl. There really is a pub beside us, right between the bookstore and the record shop."

"I told you there was!!" Hermione happily jumped up and down while holding her father's hand, her face bright with delight.

"Sir, please don't encourage my daughter's nonsense." The man frowned, clearly displeased.

If the fellow in front of him had not seemed rather distinguished in both manner and dress, he would already have written him off as a lunatic.

Mu En waved a hand and looked at Hermione. "The only way to settle this is for you to lead them inside."

Harry also looked at Hermione from the side. "I'll take you in. Once you're inside, everything will become clear."

Having read so many books, Harry had gained some understanding of the anti-Muggle enchantments on many Wizarding World facilities. "This pub has been enchanted. Ordinary people can't see it."

"An enchantment?" The man was confused, but in the next second, he felt himself being pulled forward again.

Hermione was angry—very angry. She had to drag her parents inside and let them see properly that there really was a pub here.

Otherwise, no matter what she said, they would never believe her.

As for enchantments... sorry, she had not heard a word of that. All she could think about now was making her parents see that she had not lied.

Harry went ahead and pushed open the pub's wooden gate, taking the lead. The two adults could only be dragged helplessly toward The Leaky Cauldron.

But what they had not expected was that, as they drew closer to the gap between the bookstore and record shop, the air there seemed to twist.

A shabby, ancient door rapidly loomed before them, closing in like an animal charging at them.

Creak—

The sounds around them abruptly fell silent. It was as though they had broken through some thin membrane, and in the next instant, all kinds of rustling sounds filled their ears.

When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a dark and filthy place. In the gloomy surroundings, shadowy figures packed the pub, talking among themselves. Before long, however, people noticed the newcomers, and the noise quieted considerably.

"This is..." The man pulled his wife and daughter closer to himself, watching the surroundings warily.

"Don't be nervous. Welcome to the world of wizards." Mu En's voice came from behind them as he patted the man on the shoulder.

"Wizards?" The man looked at Mu En, then at his daughter.

Hermione was a little frightened too. This really did not look like a nice place.

Harry looked at Hermione and reassured her, "Don't worry. Although this place looks... a little scary, we just need to walk through it. The entrance is at the back."

"The entrance?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"The entrance to Diagon Alley, a commercial street for wizards," Harry explained. "You're a wizard, just like me."

"Yes, I think your daughter is a wizard. That's why she could see The Leaky Cauldron." Mu En nodded.

The man's head was spinning. Wizards... it sounded utterly fantastical, yet the facts were right before his eyes.

He gripped his wife's hand tightly to ease his nerves.

Mu En looked at Harry. "Kid, we need to go." He then headed for the pub's back door.

When they reached the courtyard behind the pub, Mu En drew his wand and began counting bricks. A voice sounded behind him again. "Sir, please wait."

Mu En turned around and saw that it was Hermione and her parents.

He was somewhat surprised. "I thought you would choose to return to Charing Cross Road. After all, what you just learned shouldn't be easy to take in..."

The man hurried over, his face full of conflicting emotions as though he were trying to organize his words. "That was what we intended, because this is just too... Sorry, I don't know how to put it.

"But I would still like to ask you some questions, about our child!"

With that, he stepped forward and extended his hand in introduction. "My name is Chris Granger. This is my wife, Martha, and our daughter, Hermione Granger."

So it was because of their child that they wanted to know more...

Mu En quickly understood the man's thoughts and shook his hand. "My name is Mu En Jones, and he's Pete."

"Pete?" Harry pointed at himself. "I... uh, yes, I'm Pete."

Harry had not forgotten that his name appeared in quite a few books, so he also felt it was right not to use his real name in Diagon Alley.

But... Uncle Mu En, were you sure you had not just made that name up on the spot?

"Hello, I'm Hermione." Hermione also took the initiative to shake Harry's hand, then noticed the little wooden stick in Mu En's hand.

"Is that a wand?" she asked curiously.

Mu En lightly tapped the bricks twice with his wand, then nodded. "Yes."

At the same time, as the wall bricks rotated, a cobblestone path appeared before them.

The bustling clamor of voices, along with the cries of owls and other animals, burst into view before them.

Harry introduced it eagerly, "This is Diagon Alley!"