After finishing their shopping, Professor McGonagall escorted the family out of Diagon Alley and then left—she still had another young witch or wizard to guide.
Standing outside the Leaky Cauldron, the Grays looked at each other and grinned.
"Let's find a hotel first—"
"I think I saw the Leaky Cauldron offers rooms upstairs—"
"No way! What if we run into some bad wizard? Staying at a normal hotel feels much safer."
"You're right, Miss Fiona! I remember there's a nice hotel nearby that even allows pets."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Wade shook his head with mock helplessness, carrying the owl cage, while his parents carried his books and cauldron and quickly checked into the hotel.
After putting away their things, they were back at the Leaky Cauldron in less than half an hour.
Upon entering, the Grays simultaneously pulled out a bag and each took out a wizard robe.
Seeing Wade's surprised look, Fiona winked and whispered, "While you were getting fitted for your robes, I bought ready-made ones. Don't just stand there, yours is in there too—go change!"
The three of them changed into their robes in a corner. Luckily, it was hot in the summer and they weren't wearing much, so the robes didn't feel bulky over their clothes.
Fiona had even gotten herself an additional hooded cloak. Once she put the hood on, only a small part of her chin was visible, giving her a cool and mysterious vibe.
At this point, they looked like they belonged in the shadowy and mysterious atmosphere of the pub.
Ferdinand ordered lunch, acting like a regular, and said quietly while they waited, "This place might not be the most hygienic, but I want to try it anyway."
"Mhm." Fiona nodded solemnly. "I understand! I feel the same way."
"What difference does it make?" Wade muttered. "What's the best food in Britain? Foreign food!"
As expected, when the food was served, the Grays stared at it for a long time, eyes wide, but neither had the courage to use the visibly unwashed fork on the dark, grimy table.
In the end, Fiona used a handkerchief to hold a piece of bread and forced down a few bites, while Ferdinand sipped some rum.
"Nothing special about it."
"Worse than supermarket food…"
As they were talking, the door suddenly creaked open, and a massive figure blocked all the light from outside.
The Grays looked up and gasped.
"Oh—my God—" Ferdinand groaned, instinctively shielding his wife and son. "God help us—"
A towering, burly man stood at the entrance. He ducked and squeezed through the doorframe, his head nearly brushing the ceiling.
His presence was so overwhelming that most people completely overlooked the small figure walking in front of him.
Only Wade looked at the scrawny child—and unsurprisingly saw the words above his head: [Harry Potter], and also...
[Tom Riddle].
Unlike the terrified Grays, the rest of the pub was delighted to see the giant. People greeted him with smiles, and the bartender's tone grew warmer. "The usual, Hagrid?"
"No, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business today!" the giant replied good-naturedly.
"That's great! Doesn't look like a dangerous type." Ferdinand sighed in relief and wiped his forehead.
"What did he say, Hogwarts?" Fiona had caught the name. "Wade, is he also a teacher at the school?"
She craned her neck to look, only to see the rest of the patrons standing up and lining up to shake hands with the big man's... little companion.
"Oh, oh, oh! Looks like someone important just arrived!"
Fiona leapt up at once, tossed aside her half-eaten bread, and shouted, "Come on, Ferdi, Wade, let's go too!"
Unless absolutely necessary, Ferdinand never refused her spontaneous whims—especially when it came to something so trivial.
He got up and followed the others, mimicking them as he shook the boy's hand and even said solemnly, "An honor to meet you, Mr. Potter!"
As if he actually knew who Harry Potter was.
Surrounded, Harry Potter could only go with the flow, shaking hands with one stranger after another, looking utterly bewildered as he listened to their praise and admiration.
He accidentally met eyes with the black-haired boy at the back of the crowd. The other boy studied him curiously, and Harry couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
He still wasn't used to being a sudden celebrity, and the fame felt unearned somehow.
Meanwhile, Wade had turned his attention to another person—
A pale young man wearing a purple turban was cautiously edging closer to Harry Potter, his expression extremely tense, his speech halting and stuttering like someone easily frightened.
Seeing this, Fiona kindly made room so the man could shake hands with the "famous" Harry Potter.
But in Wade's eyes, the man's head carried two nearly overlapping names—
[Quirinus Quirrell]
[Tom Riddle]
...
"Wow, wizards really aren't so different from regular people! They're starstruck too!"
Fiona was still excited on the way back, though Wade had no idea what she was so excited about.
"Was that kid like a child star in the wizarding world? It seemed like everyone knew him," she said.
"Judging by his age, he's probably Wade's classmate."
Ferdinand, however, wasn't blinded by the crowd's enthusiasm. He had noticed more than others. "But that kid looked kind of malnourished. His clothes didn't fit either. It seems like his guardian isn't taking good care of him."
"Hm? That can't be right, can it?" Fiona speculated, "The clothes... maybe they're just wizard fashion? These wizards don't seem to understand normal clothes too well."
"Hmm... maybe." Ferdinand turned to his son. "Wade, we just saw another Hogwarts professor—the young man with the purple turban. You really should've come over to meet him."
"No thanks. He didn't seem all that reliable to me," Wade replied, disinterested.
Ferdinand thought about it and couldn't argue—he had his doubts about that professor too. The man could barely string a full sentence together.
"Anyway, we've eaten enough, right?" Fiona pushed her plate away, pretending not to see that most of her lunch was untouched, and said with great enthusiasm, "Let's go shopping again!"
That magical Diagon Alley—they had only just skimmed the surface. How could that possibly satisfy their curiosity about the wizarding world?
______________________________________________
If you want 15 chapters ahead, check out my Patreon:
patreon.com/PureParadox