Chapter 167: A Trip to Diagon Alley
Chapter 167: A Trip to Diagon Alley
In the early morning, as the sun began its ascent, Albert opened his eyes and awoke from his slumber. He turned his head slightly towards the door, hearing familiar footsteps echoing in the corridor.
The next moment, there was a knock on the door, and Nia's voice called out from the other side.
"Wake up, Albert! Time to get up!"
As Albert got out of bed, covering a yawn and stretching his arms lazily, the door opened, and Tom slipped in through the crack. He scampered onto a chair and then leaped onto the table, landing comfortably on the soft cushion.
"Looks like Tom really likes this cushion," Albert said, reaching out to pat Tom's head and smiling at Nia. "Why don't you head out, and I'll get changed."
"Hurry up! Dad said we need to arrive in London before 10 o'clock," Nia urged, ushering Tom away while also remembering to take his cushion with them.
"That early?" Albert was a bit surprised.
"He said it's better to start early so we have plenty of time to explore Diagon Alley," Nia explained, leaning against the wall. It was clear that she agreed with Herb's plan.
After all, this was a family trip to Diagon Alley—a day out for the Andersons in the wizarding shopping district.
Without setting off early, the rest of their itinerary would feel rushed.
During breakfast, as Albert made his way downstairs, Nia suggested bringing a camera to snap a few photos, but Albert immediately vetoed the idea.
"Doing that would only make you stand out, and that's not a good thing."
"They… they look down on ordinary people, don't they?" Daisy furrowed her brows, choosing her words carefully.
She refrained from using the word 'discrimination'.
"Yes, a portion of the wizarding community does think that way," Albert didn't deny it. "They feel that their possession of extraordinary powers makes them superior. In fact, the entire magical world is quite backward; you'll realize that once we're in Diagon Alley. But sometimes, you can't deny that magic is pretty amazing and can solve a lot of problems. However, the majority of wizards are very old-fashioned in their thinking, or you could say they're insecure and afraid of persecution. Yes, Muggles have a big part to play in that as well."
In fact, if magic and technology could be combined… Albert quickly dismissed the impractical thought.
Reformers were usually the unlucky ones who perished on the front lines.
For a small fry like Albert, living a peaceful life was of utmost importance. Even if the world were to self-destruct in three hundred years, it had nothing to do with him.
Until the end of the meal, they avoided discussing the rather unpleasant topic further, focusing instead on things to keep in mind during their visit to Diagon Alley.
At half-past eight, Albert and his family set off for London in their car.
In the UK, this was considered quite early for most people.
It took the Andersons a while to reach London, but soon enough, Herb led them to the large bookstore and record shop.
"Is this it?" Nia asked, looking back and forth between the two shops with a confused expression. "Where's the pub?"
"We're here," Albert nodded.
"During the time you were at Hogwarts, I came here a few more times, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't find that pub," Herb sighed in wonder. "Magic is truly a marvelous thing."
"There's a spell cast nearby to hide it from Muggles," Albert explained. "The effect of the spell is to make Muggles overlook certain things, preventing them from accidentally stumbling into the Leaky Cauldron."
"How do we get in, then?" Daisy asked.
"Just follow me," Albert took Nia's hand. "Don't be nervous; just act natural."
With Albert's help, the Anderson family finally entered the Leaky Cauldron.
"I can't believe I didn't notice this pub was here!" Nia exclaimed as she followed Albert into the pub. The sight that greeted her made her shrink back, and she hid behind Albert, clutching his hand tightly.
It was inevitable, for the pub was too dimly lit and dirty. There were a few odd characters sitting inside—an old lady smoking from a pipe, a balding, disheveled old man, and a middle-aged man who was clearly drunk. No matter how you looked at them, this group was a far cry from the people Nia usually associated with.
Albert gave a slight nod to the bartender, Tom, ignoring the stares from the others, and led his family towards the backyard.
"Don't worry, you're just here to do some shopping," Albert reassured, noticing Daisy biting her lip.
Although Daisy appeared as calm as ever, Albert knew that she had a habit of biting her lip when she was nervous.
"The environment here is even more… rundown than I imagined," Daisy surveyed the backyard. "Is the entrance here?"
Ever since Albert's visit to Diagon Alley last year, the Anderson family had known that the entrance to Diagon Alley was located in the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Yes," Albert took out his wand and tapped the third brick above the trash can from the left. He then gestured for everyone to step back.
As the archway to Diagon Alley opened in the wall, Nia looked on in awe and exclaimed, "This is so incredible!"
Albert smiled and said, "Welcome to Diagon Alley."
"I didn't expect Diagon Alley to be an actual street," Daisy observed the wizards walking by and the old shops lining the narrow lane. She was beginning to understand Albert's description; this place did seem quite old, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it backward.
"Where are we headed now?" Daisy asked.
"Let's go buy books first," Albert replied.
Since Herb had exchanged a large number of Galleons last year and hadn't spent them all yet, they didn't go to Gringotts this time, much to Nia's disappointment at not being able to see the goblins.
However, the magical shops lining the cobblestoned alley soon captured Nia's attention.
Albert was pulled by Nia into Flourish and Blotts, with Herb and Daisy following close behind.
Nia's eyes lit up at the sight of the fascinating magical books on display.
After entering the bookstore, Herb communicated with the shop owner to purchase the books Albert would need for the upcoming term.
In fact, only one book was required—the 'Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2' for Charms class. The rest of the textbooks from the previous term would continue to be used.
"Is this book for sale?" Albert asked the shop owner, pointing at a book on the display rack.
"Yes, it is for sale," the owner explained. "It's Mr. Mog McDougal's new work, and I hear he only printed a hundred copies."
"All hundred copies were sold out?" Albert was a bit surprised, as he had thought Mr. Mog McDougal's books wouldn't be very popular. "Why didn't he print more?"
"Apparently, the content is quite difficult, and ordinary people can't understand it at all. So, Mr. McDougal felt there was no point in printing more since they wouldn't sell. That's what I was told, at least," the owner explained. "If you're interested in ancient runes, I recommend Mr. McDougal's 'Comprehensive Guide to Basic Ancient Runes.' It's a very accessible book."
"So, Mr. McDougal printed a hundred copies of that book just to give them away as gifts?" Albert muttered to himself. It made sense, as who would buy a book they couldn't understand? It didn't seem like something people would buy just for collection purposes.
"Don't you already have a copy of that?" Nia asked, confused.
"Alright, let's go!" Albert said, taking the book and paying the owner one Galleon before leaving with Nia in tow.
There were still many other things they needed to buy.
For instance, they had to restock various potion ingredients from the apothecary.
Nia, however, didn't like the apothecary one bit. The strange and eerie ingredients on display scared her quite a bit.
Before leaving the apothecary, Albert asked Herb to buy a bottle of Essence of Dittany. With this, any future injuries could be quickly healed without leaving scars.
After Albert's introduction, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were quite impressed and decided to buy another bottle to send to Grandpa Luke. It was a valuable item that couldn't be found in the Muggle world.
As Albert's school robes from last year were now a few inches too short for him, he needed to visit Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to get some new ones tailored.
Here, Albert ran into some familiar faces—the McDougal sisters and their mother, who were there to pick up their custom-made robes.
The two parties didn't exchange any words, and after Mrs. McDougal paid, they left with their purchases.
"You know them?" Daisy asked curiously.
"Yeah, we know each other from the same club," Albert replied casually.
This time, Nia didn't insist on getting a custom-made robe for herself. She was content to watch the entire process of Madam Malkin tailoring a robe for Albert.
While Albert restocked his ink, quills, and parchment at Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, Nia's attention was captured by a beautiful model of the celestial spheres—a large glass ball containing a model of the solar system.
However, Herb didn't buy it for her as he thought it was purely decorative and held no real value, especially for its steep price of 15 Galleons.
Nia was a little dejected.
But Albert secretly told her that if she performed well in school, he would help persuade their parents to buy it for her.
Nia's mood instantly brightened, and she promised to study hard.
After purchasing all the necessary items, the Anderson family continued to stroll through Diagon Alley, even popping into the Magical Menagerie to buy some treats for Tom.
Whenever they felt tired, they would rest under the sunshades outside cafes, snacking and chatting about their experiences in Diagon Alley.
During their wanderings, Albert also ran into Wood, who was shopping with his family. The Keeper reminded Albert not to forget to buy a broomstick.
"A broomstick?"
Albert briefly explained the sport of Quidditch to his family, and Herb asked if they should visit the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop, as they had passed by it earlier.
In Herb and Daisy's eyes, their son was exceptional, and a simple game like Quidditch surely wouldn't be a challenge for him. Moreover, from Wood's tone, it seemed he believed Albert had what it took to join the Quidditch team.
"No need," Albert politely declined. "If I successfully join the team, I'll buy a broomstick then."
"Oh, alright," Herb respected Albert's decision, but on their way back, he couldn't help but ask, "You don't seem to like Quidditch very much?"
"To be precise, I don't like the training part of it," Albert thought about it and answered honestly. "It takes too much time, and I think I could be doing other things."
"I think Albert just finds Quidditch training troublesome," Nia interjected. "In the past, he gave up on basketball and tennis very quickly, and even with karate, which he chose to learn, he only stuck with it for a few months."
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson fell silent, well aware that their son was knowledgeable about many things but often lacked the persistence to delve deeper. If not for his laziness, he might have achieved notable results in some field.
Hmm, it seemed like Mr. and Mrs. Anderson's brains automatically blocked out the part about Albert wanting to enter the financial industry.
(End of Chapter)
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