Chapter Two: The Wall That Wasn't There
Blythe thought of that strange meeting almost every day in the years that passed. It had been five years since she rescued that strange little girl and met those odd people. Everyday she walked along the same London streets in hopes of seeing them again, but she never did.
One day, while she was strolling about the city, she came across a pub she had never seen before. 'The Leaky Cauldron', the sign read. She noticed people were walking by the place as though it didn't exist. She puzzled over this for a moment, then shrugged and stepped inside. When she entered, she saw people dressed in the same garments of those she had met five years before. She smiled brightly as she looked around, then silence fell. She heard a couple of low murmurs coming from the occupants.
"It's a Muggle. How'd a Muggle find this place?"
"Where on earth did she come from? Is she a Witch that was somehow overlooked?"
Blythe looked around, then approached the bartender and politely asked, "What is this place, Sir?"
He gave her a funny look, then smiled. "Why, this is the Leaky Cauldron, deary. How'd you find the place? Muggles can't even see it. At least, they're not supposed to."
"Oh, well then, maybe I should just go so I don't make anyone uncomfortable." Blythe nodded and turned to the door. No one tried to stop her from leaving, but she heard even more comments from the patrons.
"She seems like a nice Muggle. I've never met a nice one before."
"You've never met any Muggle before.", came another voice.
"Maybe we should've let her stay. She seems very different from the rest of her kind."
Then Blythe was out of the building and the voices were drowned by the thick door. She ventured through the busy streets that Sunday morning. She looked in the shop windows and watched people go about their daily lives. She continued on her way until she reached King's Cross Station. She stopped for a moment and thought about taking a train to another city, just for a change of scenery. She made up her mind and walked in, bought a ticket and walked along to find Platform 10. As she did, she noticed a few people standing between Platforms 9 and 10. Curious as to what they were up to, she hid herself near a wall and watched. They were talking about Muggles and suddenly one young man slipped through the wall between the two Platforms.
Not knowing exactly what to make of this, and thinking mostly that it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, Blythe continued to watch in fascination as a pair of twins with fiery red hair like the others repeated the unusual process. Blythe had simply assumed this was an entire family. How many people with the same coloured hair walked around in groups like this? A man slipped through the wall, followed almost immediately by a different boy. Different because he had untidy black hair and some sort of scar on his forehead. Another red-headed boy walked through the wall, and then a little girl of the same resemblance. Blythe tilted her head to one side in curiosity. She watched the older woman, presumably the mother of the children, walk through the wall as well. Blythe took a few steps toward the wall, looked around for a minute, then placed her hand carefully against the brick. Sure enough, her hand slipped through with ease. It was the strangest sensation Blythe had ever felt. With another look around she stepped through the wall herself.
Blythe thought of that strange meeting almost every day in the years that passed. It had been five years since she rescued that strange little girl and met those odd people. Everyday she walked along the same London streets in hopes of seeing them again, but she never did.
One day, while she was strolling about the city, she came across a pub she had never seen before. 'The Leaky Cauldron', the sign read. She noticed people were walking by the place as though it didn't exist. She puzzled over this for a moment, then shrugged and stepped inside. When she entered, she saw people dressed in the same garments of those she had met five years before. She smiled brightly as she looked around, then silence fell. She heard a couple of low murmurs coming from the occupants.
"It's a Muggle. How'd a Muggle find this place?"
"Where on earth did she come from? Is she a Witch that was somehow overlooked?"
Blythe looked around, then approached the bartender and politely asked, "What is this place, Sir?"
He gave her a funny look, then smiled. "Why, this is the Leaky Cauldron, deary. How'd you find the place? Muggles can't even see it. At least, they're not supposed to."
"Oh, well then, maybe I should just go so I don't make anyone uncomfortable." Blythe nodded and turned to the door. No one tried to stop her from leaving, but she heard even more comments from the patrons.
"She seems like a nice Muggle. I've never met a nice one before."
"You've never met any Muggle before.", came another voice.
"Maybe we should've let her stay. She seems very different from the rest of her kind."
Then Blythe was out of the building and the voices were drowned by the thick door. She ventured through the busy streets that Sunday morning. She looked in the shop windows and watched people go about their daily lives. She continued on her way until she reached King's Cross Station. She stopped for a moment and thought about taking a train to another city, just for a change of scenery. She made up her mind and walked in, bought a ticket and walked along to find Platform 10. As she did, she noticed a few people standing between Platforms 9 and 10. Curious as to what they were up to, she hid herself near a wall and watched. They were talking about Muggles and suddenly one young man slipped through the wall between the two Platforms.
Not knowing exactly what to make of this, and thinking mostly that it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, Blythe continued to watch in fascination as a pair of twins with fiery red hair like the others repeated the unusual process. Blythe had simply assumed this was an entire family. How many people with the same coloured hair walked around in groups like this? A man slipped through the wall, followed almost immediately by a different boy. Different because he had untidy black hair and some sort of scar on his forehead. Another red-headed boy walked through the wall, and then a little girl of the same resemblance. Blythe tilted her head to one side in curiosity. She watched the older woman, presumably the mother of the children, walk through the wall as well. Blythe took a few steps toward the wall, looked around for a minute, then placed her hand carefully against the brick. Sure enough, her hand slipped through with ease. It was the strangest sensation Blythe had ever felt. With another look around she stepped through the wall herself.