Chapter 3 The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley
Early the next morning, the first thing Zhang Xiao did when he opened his eyes was to fumble for the envelope he had placed next to his pillow yesterday.
He took the envelope and looked back and forth several times before he was foolishly sure that what happened last night was not a dream.
It made him look refreshed, even a little over the top.
Later, Zhang Xiao had to remind himself that it was just Hogwarts, after all, he was forty people in two lifetimes, so he had to be steady!
What? Do you need to add Taoism?
That’s pretty damn safe! Float directly!
The family finished their breakfast happily. As soon as they put down their chopsticks, Zhang Xiao couldn't wait to ask:
"Dad, when do we set off?"
Zhang Chengdao showed a helpless smile to his wife:
"Now!"
So half an hour later, the three of them were already sitting in the dilapidated car at home. Thanks to the bad traffic conditions in London, they were not even ten miles away from home.
Judging from the traffic conditions, it would take a while. In order to relieve the boredom during the traffic jam, Zhang Chengdao began to educate his son on some basic information about the Western magical world.
Zhang Xiao didn't expect that his father actually knew a lot about the magic world, but if you think about it carefully, it's right. As one of the heirs of the Taoist sect, you can't turn a blind eye when you come to the West, right?
It is estimated that there is also intelligence support from Dao Sect.
"The place we are going to is called Diagon Alley, which is the most prosperous wizarding street in Britain.
Its entrance is in a bar. I went there several times when I first came to the UK. It is a little smaller than our local market, but it is also quite unique. "
Li Qingshu in the passenger seat glanced at him and added:
"Don't look at what your dad says now, but he made a lot of jokes at the time.
Zhang Chengdao coughed a few times in embarrassment:
"Don't expose my shortcomings in front of my son, ahem, let's continue talking.
The bar at the entrance is called the Leaky Cauldron. In the early years, ordinary people could enter this bar. In recent decades, it has been hidden by magic.
There is an interesting anecdote during this period. In the early 19th century, the secular government here was planning to rebuild a street. Originally, according to their ideas, the bar should be demolished.
You know the Minister for Magic at the time, Ministry of Magic, right? It is the place that manages this group of wizards, which is equivalent to the government of the wizarding world. "
Zhang Xiaozheng listened enthusiastically and nodded hurriedly in agreement:
"I know, what about dad?"
"The Minister of Magic is a stubborn old man. He still adheres to the old dogma of isolation of immortals and mortals. He doesn't want to deal with ordinary people, so he decided to let the secular government dismantle him.
But the people in the magic world were not happy. They cast spells collectively, changed the plan, and kept the bar.
But this caused a lot of trouble for the designers, and they couldn't figure it out even if they were bald.
Why is there a blank area on the design plan, but this area cannot be found.
Over time, it became a legend. The disciples and grandsons of this group would hold their heads and shout when they encountered a problem,
'Oh, God! Another empty space in Charing Street! (Note 1)’
Ugh, poor designer.
Zhang Xiao silently lit the candle in his heart for the designer in charge of planning, and then laughed unkindly with his parents.
The whole car was suddenly filled with a pleasant atmosphere.
Then Dad Zhang also told some anecdotes, which Zhang Xiao had never seen in books in his previous life.
For example, the Leaky Cauldron has a very famous wine called Gamp’s Aged Social Wine, which has a history of nearly 300 years.
And as long as you drink a pint, you will get a reward of 100 gold galleons!
Unfortunately, no one has been able to get this award yet - because it tastes so bad.
Hmm... I might recommend Ron to give it a try in the future, if the boss, Tom, is willing to sell beer to minors.
He should be able to.
Another example is that there is a travel company called "Horror Tours" in Diagon Alley.
This travel company uses the high tourist mortality rate as its main selling point. The travel projects they launch include:
“Rent a vampire castle in Transylvania, follow the “zombie trail” tour, come face to face with the living dead, cruise through the Bermuda Triangle, and more”
No wonder there are so few foreigners! This kind of company has already been criticized by the families of the victims if it were to be released into the country. It seems that even a wizard cannot change the nature of seeking death.
Time passed quickly amid the laughter of the family, and Dad parked the car in front of the Leaky Cauldron.
Zhang Xiao carefully looked at this famous bar, which is a "landmark" building in the Harry Potter story.
The bar is sandwiched between a huge bookstore and a record store, and Blur's There's No Other Way is playing from the record store's speakers.
From time to time, customers are attracted by the melodious tunes and explicit lyrics and enter the store, which is in sharp contrast to the deserted bar.
But there are advantages, at least the entrance to the bar is empty and parking is easy.
Zhang Xiao looked at the shabby bars and modern shops. They were like the magical world and modern society, one ancient and decayed, the other vibrant.
Then he realized, what does this have to do with him?
I am an international student from China.
Just like what the book said, it was too dark and dirty here.
Several old women were sitting in the corner of the room, drinking unknown liquid from small cups. One of them was smoking a long pipe.
A little man in a top hat was chatting with a bar owner who had almost no hair and looked like a shriveled walnut.
The atmosphere in the bar was very lively, and almost everyone was talking excitedly about something. Zhang Xiao vaguely heard Harry Potter's name.
Have Harry and Hagrid been here before? Zhang Xiao wasn't sure because the timeline wasn't quite right, but he had vague expectations. He didn't know if Harry Potter was the same cute little shota as in the movie.
Zhang Chengdao said in a low voice:
"It's a mixed bag here, everyone is there. If you don't have enough self-protection capabilities, it's best not to come here alone."
Zhang Xiao nodded to express his understanding. When the bar owner Tom saw the visitor walking directly around the bar towards the patio, he did not mean to say hello, but continued to participate in the chat with great interest.
The family came to the patio, which was a very small place with only a trash can and some weeds.
"This is a very clever magic mechanism. The key can be a wand or other magical object."
Zhang Chengdao pointed at the brick wall and said to Zhang Xiao
"Of course, in addition to the normal way of opening the door, this can also be done"
I saw the fingers of Zhang Chengdao's hands quickly changing several weird postures, mumbling something in his mouth, and then his whole person suddenly became obscure and blurry.
It feels like looking through dirty glass.
Zhang Chengdao walked straight towards the wall, passed through it without hesitation, and quickly passed back through it, smiling at his son:
"The wall-penetrating technique is very useful! When your mother and I came to play before, we always thought the door opened too slowly.
Of course, you can only penetrate some ordinary walls without protection. Generally speaking, wizards' buildings are under protective spells. So use with caution!
Zhang Xiao's heart was surging when he saw it. Whether it was Taoism or magic, he couldn't wait to start learning immediately. The magnificent new world was right in front of him. Who could resist it?
Li Qingshu stepped forward, counted the bricks, and tapped a brick with the knuckle of her index finger.
"Okay, stop showing off. You can't wait until you see your son?"
The bricks shook and began to move. A small hole appeared in the middle, and the hole became larger and larger. Soon, a wide archway appeared in front of them, leading to a winding, endless cobblestone street.
Li Qingshu touched Zhang Xiao's head and said with a smile
"This is Diagon Alley!"
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Note 1: This slang is not in the original work and was made up by the author, but the joke exists.