Journey to Diagon Alley
June 25th, 2025 - Noon
After an excruciatingly dull one-hour commute, they finally arrived at their stop, London.
They ascended the London Underground hand in hand and set off for the Leaky Cauldron.
The streets of London were bustling with activity, Muggles heading off to work, others running errands.
"Stay close to me," Her mother instructed.
Noa squeezed her hand tighter.
After an utterly overstimulating walk, they reached a somewhat quiet, unassuming street lined with shops. Every building looked completely ordinary, a small grocer's on the corner, a bookshop, a smokeshop, and so on. A few people were passing through each establishment, completely oblivious to the bizarre building in the center. The decrepit bar looked entirely out of place compared to its surroundings, and yet, no one seemed to notice.
"There we are," her mother sighed. "The Leaky Cauldron."
Noa pulled on her mother's dress. "Do we really have to go in there? It's ghastly."
"Don't be ridiculous, do you want your supplies or not?"
As they entered the building, Noa looked up and noticed the decaying sign, shivering at the increasing probability of mold contamination.
The bar was mostly empty, except for a few patrons here and there. Noa quickly realized that the building was only occupied by wizards. The sound of soft chatter and drinks clattering imbued her senses, along with the smell of alcohol and some type of soup she couldn't describe.
The bar was warm due to a fireplace nearby, and the only light source was candlelight, with wax drip drip dripping onto the creaky wooden floor.
Noa lifted the neck of her shirt to cover her nose and mouth. "I'm definitely going to get mold poisoning," She thought to herself.
To her immense relief, her mother was leading her into a small alleyway, and she could breathe again.
Her mother pulled out her wand, thought for a moment, and tapped methodically at the brick wall.
Suddenly, the bricks began to rearrange themselves.
When the bricks were done moving, they opened up to reveal a bustling street lined with shops, with wizard families and students of all ages carrying piles of supplies.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley."
