After finishing shopping, Professor McGonagall escorted the family out of Diagon Alley and left; she had another young wizard to guide. The Greys stood outside the Leaky Cauldron, exchanged a glance, and simultaneously smiled.
"Let's find a hotel—"
"I think the Leaky Cauldron above seems to offer accommodations too—"
"No way! What if we encounter some bad guys among the wizards? It's safer to stay in a regular hotel."
"You're right, Fiona! I remember there's a nice hotel nearby that allows pets."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Vid pretended to be helpless and shook his head, holding the cage for the owl, while the couple carried the books and cauldrons swiftly to the hotel to check in.
Having put their things down, they returned to the Leaky Cauldron in less than half an hour.
Upon entering, the Greys simultaneously took out bags, pulling out a wizard's robe from inside.
Seeing Vid surprised at their actions, Fiona blinked and whispered, "While you were ordering your custom robe, I took the opportunity to buy a ready-made wizard robe. Don't just stand there, there's one for you too, put it on!"
The three of them put on their robes in a corner. Luckily, the summer weather was warm, and they wore few clothes, so the robes didn't look bulky.
Fiona even added an extra cloak with a hood for herself. Wearing the hood, only a small portion of her chin could be seen, looking very cool and mysterious.
At this point, they looked as if they could blend perfectly with the mysterious and dim atmosphere of the pub.
Ferdinand pretended to be a regular and ordered lunch, whispering to the two of them while waiting: "Though the place might be a bit unsanitary, I want to try."
"Mm-hmm," Fiona nodded, saying solemnly, "I understand! Me too."
"What's the difference?" Vid retorted, "What's the best dish in the United Kingdom? Foreign dishes!"
Sure enough, when lunch was served, the Greys exchanged looks for a long time but couldn't muster the courage to eat with the seemingly unwashed forks at the dark and dirty table.
Finally, Fiona picked up the bread using a handkerchief and reluctantly ate a few bites, while Ferdinand drank a few sips of rum.
"It's no different!"
"Worse than what you buy in the supermarket..."
As they spoke, the door suddenly made a noise, and a huge figure completely blocked the light at the entrance.
The Greys looked up and gasped.
"Oh—my goodness—" Ferdinand groaned, involuntarily blocking in front of his wife and child, "God bless—"
A very tall and burly man stood there, bending down to squeeze through the door, his head almost touching the ceiling.
His presence was so strong that most people completely ignored the tiny figure walking ahead of him.
Vid alone looked at the small child and unsurprisingly saw on the other's head—[Harry Potter], and also...
[Tom Riddle].
Unlike the Greys' fear, the other people in the pub were all happy to see the big guy, everyone greeted him with smiles, and the pub owner's tone became more enthusiastic: "The usual, Hagrid?"
"No, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business!" the giant said heartily.
"Great! Looks like he's not a dangerous figure." Ferdinand breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"What did he say, Hogwarts?" Fiona caught the words: "Vid, is he a teacher at your school too?"
She craned her neck to look over, but saw everyone in the pub stand up and gather around, lining up to shake hands with the big man's... little companion.
"Oh oh, looks like a big shot has arrived!"
Fiona immediately jumped up, tossing aside the bread missing a corner, exclaiming, "Quick! Ferdinand, Vid, let's go too!"
Unless necessary, Ferdinand never refuses her spontaneous requests, especially such small matters.
So he also pushed aside his chair and went over, mimicking others to shake hands with the boy, grandly saying, "Great to meet you, Mr. Potter!"
As if he really knew who Harry Potter was.
The surrounded Harry Potter was passively shaking hands with one stranger after another, bewildered by their various praises and admiration for him.
He inadvertently locked eyes with the black-haired boy at the back of the crowd, feeling a bit awkward under the other's curious gaze.
Harry was not yet accustomed to suddenly becoming a celebrity, feeling as if the fame was stolen.
While Vid had already turned his attention to another person—
A pale young man with a purple turban on his head cautiously approached Harry Potter, looking very nervous and speaking stutteringly, as if easily startled.
Seeing this, Fiona kindly made way, allowing him to shake hands with the "infamous" Harry Potter.
In Vid's eyes, there were two nearly overlapping names on that young man's head—
[Quirinus Quirrell]
[Tom Riddle]
...............
"Wow, wizards aren't much different from regular folks! They also chase stars!"
Fiona returned quite excitedly, while Vid didn't quite understand her excitement.
"Speaking of which, is that kid a child star in the wizarding world? It seems everyone knows him," Fiona said.
"Judging by the age, he should be Vid's classmate."
Ferdinand was not deceived by the warmth of the crowd and saw something more: "But that kid looks a bit undernourished, his clothes don't fit well, seems like he wasn't treated well by his guardians."
"Huh? That can't be right?" Fiona speculated: "Clothes... I guess it's a fashion in the wizard world? These wizards seem to not quite understand regular folks' dress sense."
"Hmm...maybe." Ferdinand looked at his son: "Vid, we saw a Hogwarts professor just now, the young man with the purple turban, you really should come and get acquainted."
"Better not, I don't think that professor seems reliable." Vid said disinterestedly.
Ferdinand pondered, momentarily unable to refute—because he also doubted that professor's capability, as he seemed incapable of speaking a single complete sentence fluently.
"Whatever, have we eaten enough?" Fiona pushed the plate away, pretending not to see that more than half the lunch was left, enthusiastically suggesting: "Let's continue shopping!"
Such a wonderful Diagon Alley, just a brief walk-through, how could it satisfy their curiosity for the magical world?