02: Diagon Alley and the Giant

July 30th,

The doorbell at the Wick residence rang.

Upon opening the door, they were greeted by a tall woman.

She wore a deep green robe, and her stern face was framed by square glasses.

Without needing much thought, it was clear that this was the Quidditch-loving Deputy Headmistress.

Minerva McGonagall, a professor at Hogwarts and the head of Gryffindor House.

McGonagall first nodded politely, then asked the stunned John, "This is Minerva McGonagall. Mr. Wick, may I come in?"

Seeing a character from the book for the first time, John snapped back to reality and flashed a bright smile, inviting Professor McGonagall inside.

John's parents, still in disbelief, exchanged glances, wondering if their child had hired someone to play a prank.

With suspicion, the couple sat on the sofa while Professor McGonagall took a seat on the other side.

John, the main character of this visit, ended up acting as a tea-serving servant.

Once seated, Watson Wick was the first to speak. "Are you really a worker from Hugwarts?"

His expression and words were full of doubt.

McGonagall had seen countless such parents, so she wasn't offended. She calmly corrected his terminology, saying, "It's Hogwarts, and to be precise, I'm a professor."

The couple looked at John simultaneously, murmuring internally if their son wasn't lying after all.

John put on an innocent face, thinking, "I told you it's true."

Watson wasn't so easily convinced. Changing his posture, he leaned forward slightly, gesturing with his hands and speaking with a skeptical tone, "So, my son is a wizard? Are you going to take the hairs from freshly dead corpses and nail black cats to other people's doors?"

Such arrogant and doubtful words were indeed not very friendly. Even McGonagall frowned and sternly said, "Mr. Wick, only muggles trying stupid black magic would do such things. Hogwarts is a true school of magic."

"Sorry."

Watson realized his words had gone too far, but he still found it hard to believe so easily.

McGonagall knew that it wasn't easy for Muggle families to accept a wizard in the family, so she drew her wand and waved it.

The teacup Watson was holding turned into a rat, which ran up his sleeve, causing him to scream.

John, seeing magic for the first time, especially such advanced Transfiguration, couldn't help but feel excited.

After this incident, Watson fully believed what John had been saying.

No matter how skilled a magician was, it was impossible to turn a cup into a rat across a tea table.

That day, after seeing McGonagall off, Watson became a curious baby;

"John, can you turn the cup into a rat?"

"John, make the broom sweep the floor by itself."

"John, can you ride a broom and fly?"

"John..."

John was overwhelmed by his father's incessant questions. Eventually, he had to resort to his trump card, asking Mrs. Wick to chase Watson out of the room.

...

July 31st.

John had to prepare for school.

"It should be here."

Kings Cross Road.

A dingy, narrow pub stood incongruously between a big bookstore and a record shop.

However, this conspicuous place went completely unnoticed by passersby.

Muggle-Repelling Charms.

Anyone who has read Harry Potter would be familiar with this place. It's where Harry's dream began and the gateway to Diagon Alley.

This dingy, narrow pub also had a loud name, the Leaky Cauldron.

Before entering the pub, the beautiful Mrs. Wick expressed her concern, "John, you're still a child; you can't enter a pub and have drinks."

John reassured her, saying he definitely wouldn't.

After all, it was hard to like such an environment.

Upon entering the Leaky Cauldron, the mixture of sweat and sour beer created a peculiar smell that made the family of three wrinkle their noses.

They had thought the outside was messy enough, but the inside was even more shocking.

John was curious how these wizards could tolerate such a smell, especially the guy with the turban on his head.

If the pub's smell was rated 100, that person contributed at least 60.

The bald-headed owner came out from behind the bar, seeing the attire of the family of three, he knew what was going on.

"Come along, you're costing me a few Knuts just standing here."

The money-grubbing owner grudgingly made way, his words showing his displeasure, which made Mrs. Wick think wizards were indeed rude.

Under the owner's guidance, the family of three arrived at the entrance to Diagon Alley.

The Leaky Cauldron's owner demonstrated the entrance method, "Count three bricks up from the trash bin, then two bricks horizontally."

As he tapped the wall, the once solid brick wall separated, revealing the path to the magical world.

"This is magic..."

John was awestruck, as if scenes from two different worlds had appeared before him.

Even if he recalled this moment in the future, it would always remain vividly memorable.

"Sorry, could you let me through?" a gruff voice sounded from behind.

A huge figure, standing at least three meters tall, came into view.

Wearing an oversized mole-skin coat, exuding a smell that was hard to determine whether it was from beasts or too long without a bath.

Next to the giant was a small boy who looked severely malnourished.

His oversized clothes made him appear even more frail, and beneath his round glasses, his beautiful green eyes peeked out.

Noticing the lightning-shaped scar under the boy's hair, John immediately recognized his identity.

In his previous life, he had read Harry Potter, and though it had been over a decade, such a distinctive combination was hard to miss.

The Boy Who Lived.

"Hagrid and Harry."

John mumbled their names, while his parents were too shocked to speak.

Turning a cup into a rat was already astonishing, but Hagrid's obviously inhuman height frightened them even more.

Watching the giant and the boy disappear into the distance, John pulled himself back.

Although he wanted to get closer to them, it was clearly not the right time.

He still had a lot of shopping to do, but before that, he needed to visit Gringotts for some currency exchange.

Skipping over the confusing exchange rates at Gringotts.

The Wick family had a decent income.

Watson Wick was a manager at one of the Continental Hotel's chains, and Mrs. Wick ran a beauty salon.

They spent 2000 pounds to exchange for 400 Galleons.

John recalled the greedy, cunning expressions of the goblins at the counter, feeling like his family had been ripped off.

Nevertheless, they now had the funds for shopping.

Ignoring Watson's constant muttering about showing off the Galleons to his friends, the family started shopping in Diagon Alley.

Seeing dragon liver, the foodie inside John felt tempted to buy it for a taste.

However, for Mr. and Mrs. Wick, it was just a pile of bloody liver they wanted to avoid.

...

At Flourish and Blotts.

Watson almost lost a finger to the biting "The Monster Book of Monsters."

John bought all the books on his list, and a few extra on the magical world. The thick "Hogwarts: A History" was particularly hard to put down.

...

Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

Madam Malkin was a short, plump witch, but her smile was very infectious.

She was very pleased with John, saying he was born to be a clothes horse. Every outfit fit him perfectly.

After he left, Harry arrived here and met the spoiled child, Draco Malfoy.

...

The Cauldron Shop.

John worked hard to convince Watson not to buy a self-stirring cauldron for collection, as it would make a mess in the house.

But Watson thought it might make a great stew pot. When he mentioned putting it in the kitchen, Mrs. Wick decisively shut down the idea.

...

The Apothecary.

The family was grossed out by the strange items floating in jars. Mrs. Wick covered her son's eyes in fear.

Watson looked like he was about to vomit, feeling the bacon from breakfast trying to crawl out of his stomach.

Finally, they fled the Apothecary as if escaping.

...

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