Professor McGonagall Was Terrifying

"Professor, where is Diagon Alley?"

"London, Charing Cross Road in Westminster. You'll find the most famous landmark in the Wizarding world there: The Leaky Cauldron. Go through it, and you'll reach Diagon Alley."

Professor McGonagall answered without even thinking. She had probably explained it many times before.

"London, Charing Cross Road in Westminster, The Leaky Cauldron," Andrew repeated. "All right, Professor, I've got it. So how do we get there?"

"The Knight Bus, the Floo Network, Apparition, or Muggle transport." Professor McGonagall looked at Andrew and nodded. "If we were in London, I'd recommend Muggle transport, but it's rather far from here, and there's no major Floo Network connection nearby. We'll use Apparition."

"Apparition? You mean a spell that takes someone from one place to another?" Andrew hadn't forgotten his talkative persona. "That sounds like an incredible spell..."

"Most students try to learn it when they come of age, but it does require sufficient magical knowledge and power," Professor McGonagall said with a nod. "Take my arm, Taylor, and do not let go. Otherwise, we may have a problem."

Andrew did as he was told. He had no intention of acting as though he knew better when facing the unknown.

"Close your eyes, Taylor. Ready—one, two, three."

As she spoke the last word, a dense darkness enveloped Andrew, followed by a crushing pressure. It felt as though he had dived underwater, with the pressure bearing down on him from every direction.

The discomfort soon vanished. Professor McGonagall's voice followed: "There. You may open your eyes, Mr. Taylor. A very successful Apparition."

Even through the intense discomfort, Andrew could tell that Professor McGonagall's voice was moving around him, as though she were checking something.

"Is something wrong, Professor?"

"No, everything is intact. Nothing to worry about, Mr. Taylor," Professor McGonagall said firmly. "I was merely checking for Splinching, as a matter of course. It can easily happen if you don't hold on tight."

"One of the consequences of not using magic properly, like you mentioned earlier?"

"Exactly, Taylor." Professor McGonagall nodded. "But you can turn your attention elsewhere now. This is The Leaky Cauldron."

Andrew had heard plenty about it.

Without "Professor" attached, the name McGonagall hardly brought the Wizarding world to mind. The Leaky Cauldron was different.

Andrew looked at the pub—or rather, the little tavern—in front of him. Compared with the bookshop and record shop on either side, it certainly lived up to its name.

"A perfect place for a hidden entrance."

That was Andrew's assessment. "The people around us don't seem to notice it. They ignored us appearing out of nowhere, too—is that another kind of magic?"

"More than one. This tavern and the ground in front of it are protected by most of the concealment spells we have. But we should go inside quickly, or we may get in someone else's way." Professor McGonagall nodded. She had changed her mind again.

His powers of observation and deduction were sound, and he had self-control. Compared with those qualities, that little issue was nothing.

They soon entered the pub.

Andrew noticed that when the patrons saw Professor McGonagall come in, the temperature seemed to drop by at least ten degrees—perhaps more.

The rowdy drinking, the conversations bordering on arguments, and the hearty laughter vanished completely, as though someone had cast a spell forbidding sound.

Worse, most of the drinkers seemed to have fallen under some strange charm. Their heads naturally bowed, as if their necks could no longer bear their weight.

In that atmosphere, even Andrew, who wanted to keep up his persona, didn't dare say a word. He simply followed Professor McGonagall obediently.

While Professor McGonagall greeted the barman, Andrew noticed quite a few furtive glances in their direction. Each quickly turned away again, and the pub remained so quiet he could hear people breathing.

In fact, the noise only began to rise little by little after Professor McGonagall led Andrew out the back door. Even by the time she brought him to a wall, it was still frighteningly quiet behind them.

"Here." Professor McGonagall pointed at the wall. "Three bricks up and two across from this one. Tap it with your Wand."

Andrew's wandering thoughts snapped into focus. He memorized the brick, then watched as Professor McGonagall tapped it lightly with her Wand. The bricks began shifting rapidly, soon opening a broad passageway.

"Diagon Alley is through here," Professor McGonagall said, handing Andrew a Money Bag. She had taken it from a tiny handbag, though the limp Money Bag looked large enough to hold four handbags of that size. Clearly, this was another kind of magic.

"This comes from a dedicated school fund: seventy Galleons for books, a Wand, school robes, and other supplies. After that, you'll receive thirty Galleons each year for additional books and supplies. It isn't quite enough, so I'm afraid you may have to buy some of your textbooks secondhand."

(Based on Dobby's originally stated wage of ten Galleons a week. Wand prices are likely subsidized by the Ministry of Magic and cannot serve as a benchmark. This is a note on exchange rates outside the story. The five Pound Sterling-to-one-Galleon rate was also later qualified as changing with the exchange rate, so this does not use that five-to-one rate for 1991, when the minimum hourly wage in England was 2.45 Pound Sterling. Incidentally, doctors earned around 850 Pound Sterling a week at the time, and dentists earned more.)

"The gold coins in the bag are Galleons. Seventeen Silver Sickles make a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts make a Sickle."

"The items you need to buy are listed later in your letter," Professor McGonagall said, handing Andrew an envelope. "Take a look first."

Andrew tucked the Money Bag under his left arm and opened the letter with his right hand. In theory, he didn't need to read the first page, but he spent a full minute reading it carefully before turning to the list on the second.

Textbooks for every subject, school robes, a Cauldron and ingredients for brewing potions—he noted that there was a class for that—a Wand, and even a Telescope.

"Sorry, Professor." Andrew thought about what he knew of the cost of specialist books, then asked with some reluctance, "Can Wizarding world currency be bought with ordinary money?"

"Of course. We admit suitable students from the Muggle world every year. There's an annual limit on how much each person can exchange, and you have to declare the source of the money to confirm it wasn't obtained illegally. Muggle-born students are exempt from that declaration until they graduate, provided the school certifies their status. The current exchange rate is seven Pound Sterling to one Galleon."

(One important point worth repeating: the original interview explicitly stated that the exchange rate changes...)