Jack Smith and the Theory of Charms: Chapter 2: Diagon Alley: Part 1

That Saturday Jackson's parents reluctantly took him downtown. They'd looked up the Leaky Cauldron online, but they couldn't find it on any website. His mom hadn't seen the owl and was suspicious that the two of them were playing a joke on her. Luckily she had some errands she wanted to do near where the instructions said to find the Leaky Cauldron, so she didn't take too much persuading.

So it was that Jackson found himself walking down the street with his parents looking for a pub for wizards. The instructions put it between two shops, and his mom had been to both of them. The whole way there she swore there was nothing between them.

"You see," she said as they rounded the corner to see the two shops. "There's Bailey's Books, and there's Johnson's Records," she said pointing to each in turn. "And there's nothing between them."

As Jackson looked however, he did see the front of a pub with a wooden sign hanging over it that looked like an old cauldron. Jackson smiled as he took his mom's hand as the letter had instructed and began walking toward it. "Just trust me, mom." He could hear her sigh behind him as she followed. "Dad, hold mom's hand."

"I'm holding it, Jackson."

When they reached the door, Jackson pushed it open and stepped inside, and stifled a laugh as he heard both his parents gasp, the pub suddenly appearing to their eyes as the letter had said it would.

The pub was old and in serious need of refurbishing, but Jackson was more interested in the people inside. Most of them, including the men, were wearing dress like things. They were usually in dark colors, and it looked similar to the kind of thing people wore to graduations. Robes, Jackson thought. So different from outside the pub.

The instructions in the letter said to show his letter to the bartender, and he would help them through the back entrance. Jackson walked over to the bar with the letter in his hand, but the bartender held up his hand toward him and said, "Muggleborn?" Jackson opened his mouth to reply, but the bartender, looking at Jackson's parents, smiled and said, "Of course you are. You're the fifth one today. Come on." He turned to his left and walked along the bar, waving them to follow. They soon reached a back door which led to a walled courtyard, empty except for a trash can and weeds growing through the cobblestones. The bartender pulled a ten inch stick from his jacket pocket and said, "Once you get your own wand you'll be able to do this on your own, but if you can't find the right brick you can come and ask me. But it's this one, right here." He pointed with the wand. "It's three above the top of the trash can, and two to the right. Then you just tap it three times with your wand." He did so, and the brick began to move, pushing into the wall. The bricks around it began moving as well, and an opening quickly formed, resolving itself into a massive archway. "There ya go. Welcome to Diagon Alley. You should be able to find everything you need inside, but you'll be wanting to start at Gringotts to exchange for some wizarding money."

Jackson thanked the bartender and dragged his parents behind him, both of whom were still gaping at the archway that had been a wall only moments before.