"Sean, this has to be fake…"
Raymond still refused to believe the absurd letter in his hands, while Alice looked equally conflicted.
Unfortunately for them, Sean had already made up his mind.
The truth was, he didn't particularly want to attend Hogwarts either.
But he had no choice.
Now that he knew this world was connected to Harry Potter, Sean instantly understood the danger surrounding him.
Sooner or later, Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters would return and plunge Britain into chaos.
And unfortunately…
Sean lived in London.
Running away?
That had never been his style.
Besides, where could he run?
He had spent eleven years building an empire worth tens of billions. Almost all of his assets were rooted in Britain and Eagle Nation. Abandoning everything was impossible.
More importantly, Sean absolutely could not tolerate a group of lunatics running around with magic while he himself remained powerless.
What if some unstable wizard casually pointed a wand at him and cast Avada Kedavra?
Sean preferred having his fate in his own hands.
Only strength could guarantee survival.
As Raymond and Alice continued trying to persuade him, Sean suddenly stood up and walked toward the entrance hall.
A few moments later, he returned carrying a massive snowy owl in his arms.
"Sean!" Alice gasped in shock. "Put it down! It might hurt you!"
Even with Sean's physical strength, carrying such a large owl was difficult. He carefully placed it onto the sofa before letting out a breath.
"Relax," Sean said calmly. "This is Hogwarts' post owl."
Then he looked toward Raymond.
"Feed it something while I write the reply."
After speaking, Sean headed to the study and returned with paper and a fountain pen before calmly sitting at the dining table.
Meanwhile, Raymond nervously went into the kitchen and cut up several pieces of raw meat.
The owl itself was quite beautiful.
Its feathers were mostly white with faint traces of grey, and its round face made it look surprisingly adorable despite its intimidating size.
Alice's eyes instantly lit up.
"My God, Raymond," she whispered excitedly, "we should get an owl as a pet!"
Raymond still looked deeply uncomfortable around the large bird of prey.
Sean glanced up from his writing.
"Don't worry, Mum. Hogwarts requires students to bring owls anyway. I'll buy an extra one for you."
Alice immediately smiled brightly.
By the time Sean finished sealing the envelope, the owl had already finished eating.
He held the letter out toward it.
Unexpectedly, the owl didn't immediately take it.
Instead, it lowered its head and pulled a gold coin from beneath its feathers before dropping it neatly onto the table in front of Alice.
Only then did it grab the letter.
With a powerful flap of its wings, it shot out through the open window and vanished into the night sky.
Alice stared blankly at the gold coin.
"What… is this?"
"Wizarding currency," Sean explained calmly. "A Galleon. Pure gold."
Alice immediately covered her mouth.
"It even pays for its meals?" she exclaimed. "That's unbelievably cute!"
Raymond looked utterly speechless.
Meanwhile, Sean checked the date thoughtfully.
Today was the twenty-eighth of August.
The Hogwarts Express departed on the thirty-first.
That left only three days.
"I need to visit Diagon Alley tomorrow," Sean said while standing up. "That's where wizards buy supplies."
Then he looked at Alice.
"Mum, want to come?"
Alice nearly nodded before he finished speaking.
A magical marketplace?
How could she possibly refuse?
Raymond immediately grabbed Sean's arm in panic.
"You're not leaving me behind, are you?"
Sean burst into laughter.
Even Alice couldn't stop herself from laughing alongside him while Raymond stood there looking completely wronged.
…
Early the next morning, the Sebastian family left the mansion together.
Seth had already prepared an entire suitcase filled with pounds, causing Raymond to look like he was heading into a financial negotiation rather than school shopping.
Eventually, the black luxury car stopped beside a shabby old pub.
Sean stepped out first and looked up at the sign.
The Leaky Cauldron.
"We're here."
Raymond and Alice exchanged confused looks.
"There's nothing here," Raymond muttered.
Sean immediately realised the problem.
Muggles couldn't naturally perceive the magical concealment surrounding the pub.
Without explanation, Sean simply grabbed both of their hands and walked straight toward a brick wall.
"Sean—!"
Alice nearly screamed.
In their eyes, their son was literally walking directly into solid stone.
The next moment, the world twisted.
Their surroundings changed instantly.
A dimly lit pub filled with strange-looking people appeared before them.
The smell of alcohol, smoke, and old wood filled the air.
Raymond and Alice froze completely.
Meanwhile, Sean calmly scanned the room.
No one paid them much attention. Wizards and witches continued chatting amongst themselves as though wealthy Muggle billionaires appearing out of thin air was perfectly normal.
Near the counter stood a small courtyard entrance.
Sean remembered that the gateway to Diagon Alley was hidden there.
However, instead of heading directly over, he first walked to the bar and placed the gold Galleon onto the counter.
"There are no drinks for children here," the bartender muttered gruffly.
"I'm heading to Diagon Alley," Sean replied calmly. "Please open the entrance. Consider the coin a tip."
The bartender suddenly leaned forward, revealing a strange face with missing teeth and sharp eyes.
"Oh?" he chuckled. "First-year Hogwarts student?"
"Why not open it yourself?"
Sean shrugged lightly.
"As you can see, I come from a Muggle family."
"Hehehe…"
The bartender laughed strangely.
"You're not Muggles," he said while shaking his head. "Real Muggles can't even find this place."
Then he pointed toward the entrance.
"Now those people, on the other hand…"
Sean turned his head.
A family of three stood awkwardly near the doorway, looking completely lost.
The moment Sean saw the bushy-haired little girl among them, his eyebrows rose slightly.
Hermione Granger.
At the same time, Hermione's father noticed Sean looking over and awkwardly nodded politely.
Sean waved them over.
Then he looked back at the bartender.
"Tom, could you open the entrance for us?"
Tom's eyes immediately narrowed in surprise.
Most first-year students had never even heard his name before.
Sean remained calm outwardly, though internally he was relying entirely on old memories from reading Harry Potter years ago.
He remembered the important characters and major plot points, but smaller details were much blurrier now.
For example…
He had completely forgotten how to open the entrance himself.
Tom chuckled strangely before pocketing the Galleon.
"I knew you weren't ordinary," he muttered. "Happy to help, young master."
To Tom, Sean's bearing alone screamed old money and aristocratic upbringing.
No ordinary child carried himself with that level of composure.
Tom led everyone into the small courtyard and tapped several bricks in a precise pattern.
A second later, the wall began shifting.
Bricks folded and twisted apart until a massive archway slowly opened before them.
Raymond and Alice stared in complete disbelief.
Beyond the archway stretched a bustling magical street unlike anything they had ever imagined.
Diagon Alley.
After everyone stepped through, Hermione's father immediately bowed slightly.
"Thank you very much," he said politely. "I'm Wendell Granger. This is my wife and daughter."
Raymond smiled warmly and shook his hand.
"Raymond Sebastian."
The Granger family instantly froze.
Hermione's eyes widened dramatically.
"You… you're from the Sebastian family?" she blurted out. "The one famous for the arms industry?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Hermione immediately realised how rude that sounded.
Her face turned bright red with embarrassment.