Meeting Harry Potter

Meeting Harry Potter

After buying everything, Professor McGonagall saw the family out of Diagon Alley and left. She had another young wizard to guide. Outside The Leaky Cauldron, Mr. and Mrs. Gray exchanged a look and grinned at the same time.

"Let's find a hotel first—"

"I think The Leaky Cauldron upstairs offers rooms too—"

"No! What if we run into bad wizards? A regular hotel would be safer."

"That's right, Miss Fiona! I remember there's a nice hotel nearby that allows pets."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Wade shook his head in mock helplessness and carried the owl cage. One of the couple held his books while the other carried the cauldron and the rest of their things, and they hurried off to check into a hotel.

After putting their things down, they returned to The Leaky Cauldron in less than half an hour.

Once inside, Mr. and Mrs. Gray simultaneously pulled bags from their pockets and took out Wizard Robes.

Seeing Wade stare at them in surprise, Fiona blinked and whispered, "While you were being fitted for your uniform, I bought some ready-made wizard robes. Don't just stand there. There's one for you too—go put it on!"

The three of them slipped into the robes in a corner. Fortunately, it was hot in summer and they were already lightly dressed, so the robes did not make them look bulky.

Fiona had also bought herself a hooded cloak. Once she pulled up the hood, only a small part of her chin could be seen, making her look cool and mysterious.

They now looked fully capable of blending into the pub's mysterious, dim atmosphere.

Ferdinand ordered lunch while pretending to be a regular customer. As they waited for the food, he quietly said, "This place might not be very hygienic, but I want to try it."

"Mm-hm." Fiona nodded solemnly. "I understand! Me too."

"How different could it be?" Wade quipped. "What kind of food tastes best in Britain? Foreign food!"

Sure enough, when lunch was served, Mr. and Mrs. Gray stared at it for a long time. Neither could summon the courage to eat at the black, grimy table with forks that looked as though they had not been washed.

In the end, Fiona used a handkerchief to pick up some bread and forced herself to take a few bites, while Ferdinand took a few sips of rum.

"It's not any different!"

"It tastes worse than the stuff from the supermarket..."

As they spoke, the door suddenly opened with a bang, and a huge figure completely blocked the light from the entrance.

Mr. and Mrs. Gray looked up and immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

"Oh—my God—" Ferdinand groaned, instinctively stepping in front of his wife and son. "God bless us—"

An extraordinarily tall, burly man stood there. He bent down and squeezed through the doorway, his head nearly brushing the ceiling.

His presence was so overwhelming that most people completely overlooked the little figure walking ahead of him.

Only Wade looked at the skinny child and, as expected, saw the name above his head—Harry Potter, and...

Tom Riddle.

"Wow, wizards aren't that different from ordinary people! They chase stars too!"

Fiona was still excited when she returned, though Wade had no idea what she was so excited about.

"Say, is that kid a child star in the Wizarding World? It seems like everyone knows him," Fiona said.

"Judging by his age, he should be Wade's classmate."

Ferdinand had not been swept up by everyone's enthusiasm and had noticed more. "But that child looks malnourished, and his clothes don't fit very well. It seems his guardians haven't treated him properly."

"Hm? That can't be, can it?" Fiona guessed. "The clothes... maybe that's the fashion in the Wizarding World? These wizards don't seem to understand how ordinary people dress."

"Um... perhaps." Ferdinand looked at his son. "Wade, we also saw a Hogwarts professor just now—the young man wearing the Purple Headscarf. You should have come over and met him in advance."

"Forget it. That professor didn't seem very reliable," Wade said without much interest.

Ferdinand thought about it and found it hard to argue—for he too doubted that professor's abilities. The man did not seem capable of speaking even a single complete sentence fluently.

"Never mind, we've eaten enough, right?" Fiona pushed away her plate, pretending not to see that more than half the lunch remained. "Let's keep shopping!"

How could one hurried trip through such a marvelous Diagon Alley possibly satisfy their curiosity about the Wizarding World?