"..Long time no see." Gary smiled sheepishly.
Alfrina had been nagging him to come out and play, even asking James to deliver letters for her, but Gary had always made excuses. One day, it was the land in the garden being completely dug up by a shameless neighbor; the next, it was the neighbor's broom breaking his windowpane.
Gary didn't want to be like this, but at the time, he was hospitalized at St. Mungo's for half a month and truly couldn't come out. Every time James visited him, he would bring Alfrina's letters, and the two of them would rack their brains in the hospital room, thinking of various excuses to refuse Alfrina.
This time, when Alfrina asked him to Diagon Alley, Gary had just been discharged, so he agreed to her request.
Gary didn't want to face Alfrina's gaze, so he chose to change the subject. "Where's Black? Are the three of us going to wait here for him indefinitely?"
In a flash of inspiration, he shifted the topic to Black, the only one not present.
"Oh, come on, Shafik, did you get hit by an Eye-Blinding Charm? I've been right next to you all this time and you didn't notice?"
A lazy voice suddenly came from Gary's side, startling him. He instinctively moved half a step in the opposite direction, then immediately stopped.
"Hi, Sirius!" James grinned.
This couldn't be blamed on Gary; Black's change was simply too drastic. After just one month, Black's height had shot up like willow branches sprouting in spring, his shoulders had broadened, and his hair had grown long, making him appear even more dashing and handsome.
He was like a completely different person from the scrawny boy he was before.
Gary scrutinized Black for a moment, then took a step back. Black was now at least two sizes larger than him, wearing a Muggle sweatshirt that made his muscles seem even more inflated. Gary felt that if he dared to provoke him, Black could punch him right back to St. Mungo's.
"Alright, everyone's here. You three hurry and lead the way; I've never been to Diagon Alley before." Alfrina broke the awkward silence. She jumped down from the wooden bench.
"Come with me, Alfrina, I'll take you." James pulled Gary, slightly nudging Black with his shoulder, separating the two.
"Muggles... I mean, people like your parents, need to be accompanied by other Wizards to enter the Leaky Cauldron. They usually can't find this place." James explained to Alfrina as he led them towards Charing Cross Road.
"And behind the Leaky Cauldron, there's a small path that leads to Diagon Alley. We'll take that path this time."
Now, James and Alfrina were in the middle, with Black and Gary on either side, the four of them walking in a line.
Being slightly further away from Black's intimidating physique finally allowed Gary to breathe a sigh of relief.
They walked for about ten minutes, returning to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron.
"This is it. Come on in." James pushed open the pub door, letting the three behind him enter.
Alfrina looked around curiously, examining the interior decorations of the pub.
The pub appeared very dim and simple, with only one bar counter and a few tables in the shadows of the corners.
There were a few people dressed in "strange clothes" huddled in their seats, drinking.
Alfrina was a bit disappointed; the decor here gave her a rather poor first impression of the magic world.
"Newcomers again?" Tom heard the door open and came over to greet the customers, discovering that Gary and his companions had brought a new face.
"Yes, she's also a first-year, just like us." Gary explained, "Brother Tom, we need to go to Diagon Alley to buy our books and wands."
"Oh, go on, go on." Tom stepped aside. As Gary passed, he noticed Tom smiling at him.
What did that mean? Gary felt bewildered.
Then he heard Black let out a cold snort from behind him.
He didn't know who Black was targeting. Gary's personality was sensitive and suspicious, and he thought Black was displeased with him again. Thinking of Black's large build, Gary quickly sped up, catching up to James and Alfrina ahead.
The four walked through the small path behind the pub, reaching a wall.
"Hmm... A dead end?" Alfrina felt very strange. She saw a large trash can placed against the wall.
Why would there be a trash can at the end of a dead end?
James moved aside, and Gary, who had caught up, solved the problem for her.
"This is it, Alfrina. From the trash can, count up three bricks, then two bricks horizontally."
Gary counted the bricks one by one, finding the target.
He pulled out a short, thin wand from his pocket.
This time, he heard Black scoffing again from behind him, clear as day in the quiet alley.
Gary's face turned crimson, about the same color as the flame sprayed from a Blast-Ended Skrewt's tail.
"This is... my mom gave me a children's wand... This brick has to be opened with a wand."
Black laughed even louder this time, likely because Gary's wand was too ugly.
Gary had one more thing he hadn't said: the children's wand allowed him to better control his magic, achieving the effect of controlling his condition.
Of course, this kind of wand couldn't cast spells; at most, it would just make a few sparks pop out of the tip of the wand.
Gary resolved not to bother with Black and poked the brick hard with his short wand.
The brick wall began to move, and Alfrina gasped in amazement. A small hole first appeared in the brick wall, then hundreds of bricks moved in an orderly fashion until they formed a wide archway.
"Cool!" Alfrina whistled, her golden hair swaying, light in the girl's eyes.
"Through this archway, you can reach Diagon Alley." Gary pointed to the end of the archway.
The four walked along the archway, quickly reaching the end of the path, turned a corner, and entered Diagon Alley.
The roads here were all paved with cobblestones, and the streets were bustling and lively.
"Alfrina, you'll need to exchange some Galleons first... that's the currency. You can't use pounds in the magic world. We need to go there, Gringotts." Gary pointed to the magnificent building in front of them.
"You guys go ahead, I need to browse the Quidditch Supplies shop." Black asked his good friend, hands in his pockets, "James?"
"Uh..." James looked left and right. Today was supposed to be about helping Alfrina get acquainted with the magic world, but Gary and Sirius didn't get along, and Sirius had suggested they split up...
James was a bit indecisive.
Gary considerately helped him out, "You go with Black. Alfrina and I can manage Gringotts."
"That's great!" James also wanted to check out the new brooms and maintenance potions at the Quidditch Supplies shop, so he excitedly pulled Black away.
"How many pounds did you bring?" Gary asked, turning back after James and Black disappeared into the crowd.
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