Afterward, John’s family discussed it and decided to go to Diagon Alley together to buy the necessary items once both parents had time off work.
According to the letter, the wizarding world had its own unique currency: Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts.
In simpler terms, they were gold coins, silver coins, and bronze coins.
This was because they were physically shaped like coins.
One Galleon was roughly equivalent to five British pounds in Muggle society, so its purchasing power was quite substantial.
Well-off families like his could prepare enough pounds themselves and go to Gringotts, the wizarding bank in Diagon Alley, to exchange them for the corresponding amount of Galleons.
Young wizards from ordinary families could use their acceptance letters to apply for a student loan at Gringotts.
Of course, this was unnecessary for John.
During the past few days, John had been reading the book on Hogwarts history and had learned a great deal about the school.
Hogwarts was located in a certain highland in Scotland.
Muggles could not enter by normal means, and they could not even discover its existence.
The school was co-founded in the tenth century by four founders, which led to the division into four different houses.
Each house corresponded to one of the four animals on the school crest.
The lion, symbolizing courage and strength: Gryffindor.
The badger, symbolizing loyalty and resilience: Hufflepuff.
The eagle, symbolizing wisdom and foresight: Ravenclaw.
The snake, symbolizing shrewdness and ambition: Slytherin.
The first thing every new student did upon arriving at Hogwarts was to be sorted into their respective house.
“It’s so hard to guess.
For someone like me, full of courage and wisdom, yet also shrewd and loyal, which house will I actually be sorted into?” The book also described quite a bit about the structure of Hogwarts Castle.
To be honest, he could not understand a large portion of it because he did not recognize many of the words.
They were likely wizarding terminology or spell names.
He was particularly interested in the architectural feature known as the Moving Staircases.
It was said that the stairs were constantly shifting, with 142 different patterns.
He found it very intriguing.
Every day after that, John immersed himself in the joy of reading the book.
Until August 15th.
Today was the day his parents did not have to work, so they would head to Diagon Alley with John.
Because there were many unknown factors and they worried they might not have enough time, the family left home very early.
Charing Cross Road was located in the heart of London, with people coming and going every day.
The fact that the Leaky Cauldron could operate in such a busy place without ever being discovered proved that the wizards’ Muggle-Repelling Charms were quite effective.
After arriving at the location, John’s family walked around for a while.
The Merricks kept looking left and right, but they simply could not find the Leaky Cauldron.
John, however, noticed a storefront across the street with a hanging sign.
The sign was completely blank.
As John slowly approached, a magical scene appeared.
The blank sign automatically revealed the image of a cauldron, and the words “Leaky Cauldron” appeared within it.
“Found it.
The Leaky Cauldron is right there.” John pointed toward the pub across the street and spoke to his parents.
However, when the Merricks looked in the direction he was pointing, they only saw a bookstore and a record shop.
There was no Leaky Cauldron.
Seeing that his parents still could not see it, John led them directly to the pub’s door.
Only after they pushed the door open did they feel as if they had simply been distracted and missed it earlier.
They did not find the pub’s appearance abrupt at all.
It felt quite natural.
The light inside the Leaky Cauldron was somewhat dim, but with the help of the morning sunlight, John could still see the interior clearly.
There was only one bar counter in the pub, with a small blackboard next to it listing drink prices.
In the center were several old wooden tables and chairs.
The grayish-white walls were covered with various paintings he had never seen before.
At the very back of the pub was a massive fireplace, large enough for three or four people to enter at once.
Next to the fireplace was a wooden staircase leading to the second floor.
There were already quite a few people inside the pub.
Some were dressed no differently from ordinary Muggles, while others wore long robes similar to Professor Snape’s or pointed wizard hats.
While John’s family was looking around, a hunched, bald man walked toward them.
“Oh, welcome!
You must be a new Hogwarts student this year.
I’m Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron.” Tom, the owner, walked up to John with a smile and greeted them warmly.
“Hello, sir.
Yes, I’m a new Hogwarts student this year.
My name is John Merrick.
A Hogwarts professor said that if I want to go to Diagon Alley, I should come to the Leaky Cauldron and find you.” John had originally planned to go to the bar and ask who the owner was, but he had not expected the owner of the Leaky Cauldron to notice them first and start the conversation.
“Oh, of course.
Term is starting soon, and many young wizards from Muggle families like yours have been coming to the Leaky Cauldron.” Tom recognized the purpose of these three new faces at a glance, which was why he had approached them.
“Come with me.
The entrance to Diagon Alley is in the back courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron.” Tom gestured toward the back courtyard and led the way.
As they walked through the pub, John suddenly noticed a wanted poster stuck to one of the support pillars.
Because the portrait on the wanted poster actually moved, just like a moving picture, he looked at it with curiosity.
The more he looked, the more familiar the face became.
Wasn’t this the escaped convict he had seen on TV some time ago?
Sirius Black.
Why was this person also wanted in the wizarding world?
Tom, who was walking ahead, noticed that John had stopped.
He turned back and saw John staring at the wanted poster with a surprised expression.
“Sirius Black, heh.
I’d advise you not to be too curious about him.
He hates Muggles more than anything.
Back then, he blew up a street and killed thirteen Muggles before the Ministry of Magic caught him.” “He is still the only criminal in history to have escaped from Azkaban.
To catch him, the Ministry of Magic even sent his wanted poster to the Muggle world.
You must have seen it in the newspapers or on TV.” Seeing John’s curiosity about the man on the poster, Tom introduced him in a grim tone.
Combined with his eerie smile, it made one’s heart tighten.
Azkaban.
John had read about it in the book before.
It was a prison specifically for wizarding criminals.
It was said that those who violated the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy could be sent there.
He had previously thought it was some small prison, but now it seemed to have quite a reputation.
“But you don’t need to worry too much.
Hogwarts is the safest place in all of Britain.
Going there to study, you won’t be in any danger.” Seeing the Merricks looking frightened and extremely worried, Old Tom chuckled and continued.
Hearing this, the Merricks felt much more relieved.
“Come on, the entrance to Diagon Alley is right here.” After clearing their doubts, Tom led them to the back courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron.
It was a small courtyard with a red brick wall in front and a trash bin in the bottom-left corner.
Old Tom walked over to the trash bin and pulled a wand from his robes.
“Watch closely, young wizard.
Three bricks up from the trash bin.” Tom pointed his wand at the red bricks and moved it upward three times.
“Then two bricks across, and tap it three times with your wand.” Since the bricks above the trash bin were already at the far left of the wall, counting two bricks across actually meant two bricks to the right.
As Tom tapped that brick three times with his wand, a magical scene unfolded.
The red brick wall in front of them suddenly began to shake.
Then the bricks started to rotate and retract, slowly splitting open to reveal a small archway.
A bustling alleyway appeared before the eyes of John’s family.
“Welcome to Diagon Alley.” ____ Hi Guys!
I’m here with yet another HP fanfic.
This’ll be a relaxing journey of uncovering the wonders of magic.