SMILE » n. longbottom

xli

"LONDON, PART TWO"

The Leaky Cauldron has been and currently is the doorway between the the Muggle world and the wizarding world. The building was painted fully black, and seemed to not direct attention towards it by Muggles that passed on the street.

As the limousine paused for a moment to the curb of where the building had welcomed them, two people stepped out of the car: two people unrecognizable to the Muggles that wandered around London. The girl had worn black jeans and a white clean blouse, she wore her hair in a tight bun above her head. The boy that wore shaded glasses that stepped out of the limousine after she had stepped out wore a clean black suit. The two paused for a second before stepping through the doors of the black building, where a metal sign stuck out into the street where it read: The Leaky Cauldron.

Inside of the building there was a table that the two curled around where witches and wizards laughed along with each other about some topic and drank whatever the bartender of the Leaky Cauldron had to offer. The two figures that had just walked through the front doors of the building slowly weaved themselves through the multitude of parties that had gathered around the table or bar to the back door where a wall of bricks surrounded them as them stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron's back door.

"Have you been to Diagon Alley before?" the girl, Alana, wondered about the guy who hovered behind her as if he had been programmed to show no emotion. Before he could answer, she added quickly, "I assume that you have, but I'm just wondering if you have or have not yet."

Jayden chuckled for a while before stating: "Yes, I have." He walked up to the brick wall that had been opposite of where they stood, took out his wand and tapped some individual bricks and returned to the side of Alana where they both stared in amazement at the moving brick wall that eventually formed into a doorway to Diagon Alley.

The alley was filled with many witches and wizards varying in age, and the alley itself had many shops stacked side-by-side. The cobblestoned pavement was uneven and often surprised new-comers of the location; to say the less: the alley was very appeasing.

"Where are you thinking of heading first, Miss Wallace?" Jayden Brooks mumbled low enough for Alana to hear, so Alana searched Diagon Alley for some activity or shop to enter.

"I was thinking of getting my new school books, and some new clothes perhaps. So we should go to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions," Alana figured. She spotted a shop that had cages of owls inside of its windows, "Maybe Eeylops Owl Emporium. That's always fun, right?"

"I suppose," Jayden agreed along. "If I may suggest, you should not purchase an owl today, maybe get your parents permission. An owl is a big responsibility, especially if you are going to Hogwarts."

Alana scoffed, "Of course I know that an owl is a big responsibility. It's just that it's cool to look, ya'know?"

"Sure," Jayden concluded, following shortly behind Alana as she walked to the first shop that she had wanted to visit: Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Alana Wallace walked through the front doors of the clothing store, and was met up with a lady who stayed at her side — pointing out certain robes and attire.

Jayden slowly tracked the two around the store standing at certain distances to avoid suspicions. The lady offered Alana black silk skirts and white dress shirts that the Hufflepuff seemed to adore tremendously. Once Alana was done wandering around the store, looking through the possible purchases, the old lady rung her up at the front desk where Alana paid for the new school uniforms. The lady then folded the many outfits into two bags hat read "Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions" on both sides.

Alana spotted Jayden immediately, as he was standing next to the front door; so she called out, "I was beginning to wonder where you had gone. I'll let you know that I was beginning to enjoy myself."

"You and your sarcasm," Jayden laughed at Alana sarcastic tone, as she was indeed worried, as Jayden could tell. He sighed, thinking that he would be carrying a hundred pounds of literature for Alana soon enough, "We should be heading to the glamorous Flourish and Blotts, I presume?"

"Yes, that's right," Alana nodded. She frowned as she pulled out a long list of books that Alana would need for her fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The two walked down the alley and walked into a store where select books filled the windows, and the sign above the door read "Flourish and Blotts".

Alana had retrieved the books that had instructed her to have ready for her fifth year at Hogwarts with the help of Jayden, and finished paying for her books at the front. As what had previously happened at the clothing store, happened also at the book store as well. Jayden and Alana met up and headed out of Flourish and Blotts.

Just as they did, one of Alana's mother's eagles swooped low and landed on the shoulders of Alana, to which she freaked out a bit until she realized the bird had a piece of parchment attached to its talon and had been waiting to see the Wallace girl. "It's one of mothers," Alana stated to Jayden, whom had looked confused as ever, even with shaded-out, black glasses.

"Ah," Jayden responded to awe to the bird that had just appeared, and he held the compartment that was attached to the eagle's talon and carefully retrieved the piece of parchment paper. He looked about the paper before okaying it and giving it to Alana Wallace to read.

"Dear Alana,

Once you have retrieved everything you need from Diagon Alley, you should be heading straight back to the mansion.

With much gratitude, your father."

"Do I really have to go home?" Alana groaned, she motioned for the eagle to return back to the mansion. She rubbed where the eagle's talons had been.

Jayden groaned as well, but he still had looked neutral, as if he had no opinions. He pondered, "Your father instructed that, I don't think that we have a choice, Miss Wallace."

"Ah," Alana nodded and rolled her eyes slightly. She had been having a great time out of the hospital, and now her parents wish for her to limit her time out of the mansion? "Well, then; shall we head out to the street at the front of the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Indeed," Jayden nodded, he helped Alana with her bags, practically taking every one of the books for her Hogwarts year that had been wrapped in parchment paper and tied together with all a thin white string.