Atropos → george weasley

xxv. marwood vs. the mudblood

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twenty five

marwood vs. the mudblood

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The Finch-Fletchleys wearing fine dress and Macmillans in wizard robes were looking extremely conspicuous—both styles standing out in completely different but equally strange ways on the ordinary Muggle street. People were giving the ragtag group odd looks, but no one seemed to notice the rundown pub behind them, the sign outside in the shape of a cauldron with bright green contents running over.

The Leaky Cauldron.

Ottilie and her parents stopped before going inside to greet the other two families.

Clutching at Kanna's sleeve was Adelaide, who was physically vibrating in an effort to stop herself from hugging all of these new people.

"And this is my younger daughter, Adelaide," said Kanna. Adelaide waved enthusiastically to the group. Ernie waved back. Ottilie was just glad that no one was looking at her sister like she was a freak because she wouldn't let it slide only because these people were her friends' families.

"So, where is this place? Is it in that record shop or the bookstore?" asked a girl around sixteen wearing a pink Houndstooth minidress, mary jane pumps, and a shoulder bag that Ottilie assumed was expensive but wouldn't know.

Justin's sister. Ottilie couldn't remember her name for the life of her.

"Right there, Emma," said Justin, pointing at the sign.

Emma looked over her shoulder. Ottilie watched realization flood her eyes.

"Looks like it's abandoned to me," she said, lip curling in disgust. "Are you sure this place has passed health inspections?"

"Muggles see it differently than do wizards," Milo explained gently. He walked to the door and held it open for the group. One by one, the families entered the dark, dusty inn. The Macmillans first and the Muggle families after them. Justin's parents had clearly already been there, so they hardly reacted to the table of hags eating raw liver or the dwarfs day-drinking at the bar.

Emma wrinkled her nose at the liver as they walked by. "Yeah, it still looks like a dump." 

Ottilie made sure Ernie saw as she rolled her eyes.

Adelaide, whose reaction Ottilie had worried about, examined her surrounding with mere curiosity, almost as though she hadn't yet noticed there was anything strange.

But Simon was reacting almost exactly how Ottilie feared he would.

Ottilie pretended not to notice her father's hesitation as they walked in. However, she almost ran into his back when he stopped abruptly to stare at something.

It was hard to tell what exactly had startled him so much. It could have been the hags or the dwarfs, or perhaps it was a group of young adults playing Exploding Snap, roaring in laughter as they dove out of the way of a burst of flame. Maybe it was the two middle-aged wizards loudly discussing their woes involving a pixie infestation of some Muggle tax office in Cornwall.

("I can still hear that shrieking when I close my eyes to sleep at night.")

As they sat down, she caught him staring at the short, stocky witch walking around the room to clean tables. She was pointing her wand at dirty plates and bowls, muttering some spell that compelled them to lift into the air and assemble in a stack hovering above her head.