Chapter 10 The Lively 9¾
From a Muggle's perspective, the oldest pubs in London are the White Deer in Drewry Lane, the Angels on Bermond Sewell Road, or the Lamb Flag on Rose Street.
But for wizards, the Leaky Cauldron is the oldest pub in London, as it was built much earlier than the aforementioned three Muggle pubs.
This pub also serves another purpose.
Every September 1st, Hogwarts' first day of school, the pub is packed.
This is because most British wizards are fond of experimentation, or rather, conservative.
Despite the convenient Floo Network
, Platform 9¾ has no connection.
Unless one's family is wealthy and owns a house near King's Cross Station or in the surrounding Muggle community,
young wizards from ordinary wizarding families, without taking the Knight Bus or owning a car,
can only reach the Leaky Cauldron, the oldest pub on Charing Cross Road, through the Floo Network.
From there, they can then travel by car or train to King's Cross Station.
He went straight through the railing separating platforms 9 and 10 to the platform for the trains heading towards Hogwarts.
Basil was a victim of this custom.
He got up at the crack of dawn,
pushed his cart, and, with Snowy Owl Fanta in tow, stepped into the Floo Powder-sprinkled fireplace.
Of course, for safety, his house key was still kept in the foyer.
He came out through the cave entrance and walked a full mile to the redwood tree.
Then, carrying his trunk, he climbed the long flight of steps that the redwood tree had laid down.
He arrived at the fireplace in the treehouse.
And so, as the bartender Tom was wiping glasses and chatting with a small man in a top hat,
he suddenly saw the fireplace flames turn green and leap up.
A blond boy with a droopy face and listless eyes emerged from within.
He recognized the boy instantly. It was
Little Bargil, who used to play in Diagon Alley before his grandmother passed away.
This boy, always so cheerful and sunny, was now like this.
He wiped his tears with a dirty rag. He
rushed out from behind the counter, ran to Bargil, and grabbed his hand.
"Son, are you alright? Are you going to the station today? I'll take you!"
Bargil looked bewildered, and before he could refuse,
the almost bald, walnut-like old man turned to the young man and said,
"Diego! You watch the shop, I'm taking this boy to the station!"
Ten minutes later, Bargil, already at Platform 9¾, his hands full of snacks and
his pockets overflowing with seven gallons, was still completely bewildered.
Old Tom had given him too much; he couldn't refuse.
He had already planned his route—boarding at Paddington Station and alighting at King's Cross Station.
He'd also stake out Harry at King's Cross Station and become Harry's first friend!
While earning gems, he'd see how to get [Harry Echoes] through friendships.
But...
"But I'm not short of money, am I?"
Galleons have a strong purchasing power.
These seven Galleons, if used to buy necessities like grains and oil, would be enough for his expenses for a year.
"Wait! Gilderoy Lockhart."
"And that old bastard!" His eyes narrowed, his words filled with murderous intent.
Lockhart's books are expensive, and he wanted to buy seven at once!
If things really went according to the plot,
Basil's already impoverished family would be even worse off!
In his mind, another line was added to his list of must-dos for the school year:
[Make Lockhart's fraudulent identity known to everyone!]
After all, he didn't need to maintain the plot.
The more the timeline deviated, the more gems he would get!
"Speaking of gems... if I get to know more people now, will I get more gems?"
"And does this count as making friends?"
He checked the time; it was only 10 o'clock.
There was still an hour before he had to leave.
"Don't miss it!"
"Are you tossing and turning at night because you've entered a strange magical world?"
"Are you restless because you've left your parents?"
"Are you worried about failing the entrance exam and having to go home?"
Harry felt an unusual warmth towards the blond boy in the crowd.
Every word seemed to resonate with him.
And perhaps, his smooth arrival at the station was also thanks to this boy.
Rewind to 10 minutes earlier.
10:30 AM, London, King's Cross Station.
The Dursleys, in a hurry to get to the hospital, had Dudley's pig tail cut off.
After a few sarcastic remarks, they left Harry between platforms 9 and 10.
He was about to try asking a guard
when a group of people passed by behind him,
occasionally catching a glimpse of their conversation.
"Too bad George isn't here. Platform 9¾ is bustling right now. A relative of Finn Granger, the Grand Master of the Extraordinary Society."
Harry quickly turned around and saw a black boy with dreadlocks speaking to four other boys.
They were all pushing suitcases.
They passed through the railings one after the other and disappeared from his sight.
So he followed the boys and crashed into the railing.
Then he arrived at Platform 9¾, as written on his ticket.
He saw a group of people surrounding the blond boy, as if he were their savior.
The boy possessed a strange, intimidating yet incredibly kind aura.
This caused several older students who wanted to rush over and interrupt to instinctively stop in their tracks.
"My friends, you don't need to worry about any of this!"
"Because I—have—come!"
"I'm here, and Hogwarts will be sunny!"
"Recommended extracurricular books for grades one through seven!"
A girl with thick brown hair and prominent front teeth stepped out from the crowd.
"I'll take it. How much?"
The blond boy pulled out a piece of parchment.
"One silver Sheko, my friend!"
the blond boy continued.
"A map of powerful figures in the Ministry of Magic."
A voice sounded behind Harry.
"I'll take it!"
He whirled around and saw a tall, thin boy with red hair.
The boy strode past his family towards the blond boy.
"I hope you're not up to any tricks, I'm a superintendent!"
The blond boy nodded, pulling out another parchment.
"Of course, my friend, no cheating! Two silver shicoats!"
Harry stared in disbelief at the scene,
especially noticing the boy's pockets gradually bulging.
His insides began to twitch inexplicably.
Are all the young wizards in the magical world this powerful?
Was he being allowed to attend Hogwarts too soon?
Should he attend preschool for a year first?
Harry's mind raced.
He only snapped back to reality when a voice rang in his ears.
"Impressive, isn't it! Who knew there was such a trick!"
Harry turned to see a tall, thin boy with red hair, freckles, large hands, large feet, and a long nose.
If he remembered correctly, he was a family member of the boy who claimed to be a superintendent.
The boy stared intently at the blond boy's pockets, his eyes filled with longing.
"I can't believe someone actually managed to get money from Percy."
"Yeah." Harry nodded.
A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
Making a new friend was undoubtedly a good start.
The unknown magical world, Hogwarts, would surely be wonderful.
(End of Chapter)