Destinies Collide

Diagon Alley

August 8th, 1988

The issue with forgetting to ask for specific directions, Michael mused, was needing to take the time to locate where he needed to go, but also the difficulty of landing a parking spot once said destiny was reached, he noted a good five minutes after spotting the dingy pub in Charing Cross Road, between a bookshop and a record store, and circling past it a least twice in search for somewhere to park his beloved Aston Martin.

Michael was unaccompanied when he finally stepped past the worn threshold of the Leaky Cauldron, having left Harry at the office under Sarah's supervision for the moment. For the entrance to the main magical shopping district of London, it didn't look very impressive, with a dark atmosphere and shabby furniture, but for some reason, the small pub also felt homey, like a good place to put your feet up and have a good meal after a long day.

Mentally shaking off the urge to ask for a drink, he focused instead on the people in the pub. There was a man hidden behind a newspaper sitting in a corner and nursing what looked like beer while two older ladies in peculiar dresses were making their way towards the back of the pub, it wasn't a lot of movement but, given the time of the morning, he wouldn't have been surprised to find they'd just opened up.

"Can I help you?" a friendly-looking fellow asked once he stepped further into the pub, startling Michael from his observations.

"Oh, right, I'm looking for Tom?" He replied, having searched for a man with a nametag and found none.

"That would be me," the mostly bald man replied, wiping his hands on the side of his 1vest. "What can I help you with, young man?"

"I was told you would open the passage to the Alley for those who can't. I'm a squib, you see." Michael explained, sticking to the story that had proved convenient so far, even without proof of the fact or the contrary.

"Of course, it's no trouble, just follow me," Tom agreed with a smile, though Michael still spotted the pitying look in the man's eyes before he turned to lead the way.

Fortunately, he'd hardly associated himself with the definition of a squib before Mrs Malfoy explained it was probably the reason he could read Harry's letters, or he had a feeling he might take some offence to such a look.

Tom led him through the bar and out the back into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds near a high brick wall. He watched as Tom reached into his sleeve and pulled out a wooden stick much like Mrs Malfoy's, if slightly different in design, striding towards the wall and tapping a couple of bricks in random order.

"There you go, and have a good day." Tom wished as he made his exit. Michael was about to voice his confusion when the bricks in the back wall started to fold outwards into each other, slowly creating a passageway wide enough to pass through and revealing the most chaotic shopping district he'd ever laid his eyes on.

He took a deep breath and stepped through the archway.

Walking into Diagon Alley was tantamount to travelling at least a couple of centuries back and then skipping sideways into a fantasy novel. With their pointed hats, low-hanging sleeves, gowns and long cloaks, Michael felt like his work suit made him stand out more than he'd expected amongst the more old-style clothes in the bustling street.

The stores were something else entirely, he noticed as he went further down the alley, even what seemed familiar was completely foreign. Piles and piles of books proclaimed to teach from how to hex your friends to the history of werewolves - those are real too? - and what one could at a glance think to be a food stall had jars with pickled eyes and cut-out tongues. What had the apparent popularity of a sports store, with children hectically buzzing around in excitement, sold flying brooms of all things! Distracted as he was, the walk to the large white building at the other end of the alley barely registered and he only took notice of the marble structure once he caught sight of the creatures at the front in scarlet and gold uniforms.