"What the?..." Jake wondered, as he, Haley, Nerk, Lao Shi, Sun, and Dominic all stood as humans in Lao Shi's electronics shop. Each was gripping their own luggage while holding onto a broken plastic Frisbee in the center of their makeshift circle.

"Remember," his master warned him, "whatever you do, young ones, do not let go."

Jake didn't have long to think about that before he suddenly felt himself lurching to the side, as if falling and spinning all at once. Up and down had disappeared, and Jake was beyond terrified when he suddenly slammed onto his back. Above him he could see the ceiling of a room and felt immensely embarrassed, thinking he'd somehow tripped while gramps was trying to do his magical mojo. The sight of his friends also splayed on the floor beside him, however, relieved his fears, and it only took a quick glance to notice that they were no longer in his grandfather's shop.

"Greetings, everyone!" A cheery voice piped in. Near the entryway to the room, which Jake was now confident was a typical living room given the couches, coffee table, and a few shelves decorated with knick knacks, stood a handsome middle-aged man in a very nice suit. He had short trimmed black hair, though it naturally spiked upwards, a broad and heavy nose, slightly round cheeks, pale blue eyes creased with laugh lines, and he stood back straight and shoulders level. It was an impressive display, all things considered, though Jake's appreciation was dimmed by his lingering disorientation.

He could see the Dragon Masters had maintained their composure somehow, and turned dazed to his grandfather before slurring, "What just happened?"

"That, my good fellow, is called a Portkey," the gentleman in the doorway replied. "A common wizard's method of transportation when moving in a large group, with the added benefit that anyone can tag along, wizard or otherwise!" The man beamed with joy before suddenly understanding Jake's confusion. "Oh, I'm so sorry young man; I've neglected to introduce myself. My name is Benjamin Stout. Many here simply call me Stout, though in private you of course know me as the English Dragon," he explained while approaching Jake and offering his hand.

Jake accepted the gesture and, with Stout's assistance, rose to his feet and shook his hand in return. "Sorry if we messed up your crib, yo. My name's Jake, Jake Long." Stout seemed pleased and turned to help up Haley and Nerk, each introducing themselves as well in turn. Jake had never met someone so cordial before and wondered if it was because Stout was just exceptionally well mannered or because this was how all Brits acted.

Stout then turned to greet the masters, though they were already well acquainted and quickly dove into small talk about their travel by Portkey and how they felt about the upcoming trip. Jake walked over to the wide living room window and brushed the curtain aside to a see narrow street outside lined with multistoried brick homes so close and thin that they looked like they had been smashed together. The sky was overcast and a few people wandered up and down the sidewalks, going about their business in drab clothes, umbrellas clutched in anticipation of the swollen clouds above.

"You know," Jake began, mumbling to himself, "it really doesn't look that different from New York City."

"Still doesn't beat Sydney, though." Nerk chided, standing next to Jake to look outside. Jake reflexively rolled his eyes.

"Sorry there aren't enough kangaroos and koalas for you, Nerk," Jake said. Now that they had finally arrived in London, a lot of the apprehension that had been building in Jake was starting to ease itself. Completing their journey in what felt like seconds with the Portkey created an illusion that they had not just in fact travelled thousands of miles from his home. "You can always go back if it's too hard for you."

Nerk saw through the provocation and retorted with, "Only if you quit first, mate." Haley, meanwhile, seemed fascinated with the world outside and clearly couldn't contain herself. "Woah now, little sheila, you're gonna go blind if you keep looking all bug-eyed like that," Nerk joked, seeing Haley's excitement.

She turned quickly to him and Jake, her body shaking with anticipation. "Let's go, guys! We can fly around, see the sights, feel the air on our wings! I wonder what British air feels like…" she trailed off.

"In broad daylight? Now Hales, normally I'm the one coming up with bad ideas." Jake countered. The adults had seen their conversation and Jake took the opportunity to include them, asking, "What do you think, G? We've got no plans until tomorrow morning, right?" Even though he knew his grandfather wouldn't allow it, Jake really wanted to get out of the stuffy abode and explore the new city as well.

"Young dragon," Lao Shi began, almost sounding a little disappointed. "We've only just arrived and you already intend to unravel all of the English Dragon's attempts at preserving secrecy? There are more pressing matters to concern ourselves with," Lao Shi finished, turning back to Stout, only to see the man deep in thought with his left arm across his chest and his right hand stroking the stubble lining his chin.

"You know, that may be a splendid idea," Stout mused, the surprise visible on the faces of everyone in the room. "You can prepare for tomorrow by becoming acquainted with the wizarding community! It's decided, we're off to Diagon Alley!" Stout boomed before exiting the room with a flourish, the sounds of his footsteps audibly banging as he feverishly climbed the staircase and ran here and there around the floor above them. He soon returned to the six of them, all still very bemused by the sudden change of events, carrying a pile of grey, heavy woolen cloaks, one already draped around his own shoulders.

"Quickly now!" he encouraged, passing them around to everyone present. "I just received these recently from a good friend of mine. He calls them Concealing Cloaks. They will automatically adjust to the dimensions of your body so as not to allow any onlookers to see what is beneath. However, they are also a terribly hideous color, so they do not make for the best formal attire, to be sure," he finished with a disgusted tone. Once they all held one in hand, he drew their attention to his neck where two sets of drawstrings for the cloak were visible. The first was already noosed, clasping the cloak to his neck. The second remained unknotted and the cords dangling lazily. Stout reached up and tied the two strings together, allowing his audience to watch as the formerly loose cloak gracefully slid over his form and shaped to it perfectly. Even Stout's shoes were hidden entirely, and only his cheery face departed from the sheet of grey that surrounded him.

They all diligently followed suit, soon becoming a crowd of morose travellers blending into the grey-scaled background that was urban London. They walked the streets alongside the unsuspecting humans, Stout having agreed with Lao Shi that even the normally calm and collected Brits would react quite poorly to dragons flying above them. Before long, Stout led them past a bleak little pub and into a back alley where a dead end and a few trash cans awaited them.

"We are nearly there, and now would be a good time to assume your dragon forms," Stout suggested, looking up and down the alley for any wandering passerby. "We wouldn't want anyone seeing me with six humans now, then six dragons at Hogwarts, and somehow manage to put two and two together." The masters nodded in agreement, and grew into their dragon personas, the students soon following their lead. The enchanted cloaks performed well, immediately lengthening to cover their new height, tails, and wings. They were still monstrously large for normal humans or wizards, and even with their wings flattened and tails curled the cloaks still bulged behind them as if they all had hunched backs. Otherwise, with their hoods drawn they did not appear to be anything more than that, unless someone took the time to closely inspect their faces beneath.

Pleased with the results and wearing his silly grin, Stout turned his attention back to the brick wall and closed his eyes in focus. Jake was about to voice his confusion when Stout's hand escaped his cloak and smoothly ran across the surface of the brick wall in front of them. The bricks slid and danced apart, revealing a bustling street beyond filled with some of the most eccentrically dressed people and erratic buildings he had ever seen. Jake unknowingly whispered, "It's even crazier than the Magus Bazaar."

"That is because this," Stout gestured to everything beyond the arch they now stood beneath, "is Diagon Alley, the hub of all magical merchandise and trade in Great Britain. If you are in need of special alchemical ingredients, lost tomes of knowledge, or anything in between, you will surely find it here." It was so different from the Magus Bazaar, so much to take in and see, that Jake could already feel another headache coming on. He realized the sensation was becoming rather common these days.

As they walked into the growing crowd of snapping hags, boasting warlocks, and rampaging children, the group of cloaked figures began to attract quite a few stares and nervous glances. Lao Shi could feel the unwanted attention and suggested, "Benjamin, why don't you show the young dragons around and answer their questions. We three will do our own…research…in the meantime."

"A marvelous idea!" Stout replied, understanding the dragon's desire to split the intimidating group and embracing his role as tour guide. "We can meet back at the Leaky Cauldron, the pub we passed by, at, say, sundown?" At Lao Shi's approval, he beamed and beckoned Jake, Haley, and Nerk further into the crowd, intent on showing them all he could in the little time they had.

Despite Stout's best efforts at explaining what they came across, Jake's head was still swimming after the first hour. They had toured through shops filled with strange creatures, animal parts moving around in jars, enormous books, and even normal clothing (at least, as far as wizards were concerned). Brooms hovered in window displays with young wizards crowding around to see, though they quickly made room as Jake approached to grovel as well. Haley had been entranced by a seamstress that tailored dresses in the sill of her shop, watching the enchanted needle sew and embroider the silk at the witch's command. They even entered the Gringotts Wizarding Bank after Nerk had asked Stout about the strange coins that the wizards seemed to be exchanging like currency. The building was outstanding, and Jake was surprised to find it run by goblins and not leprechauns, though he had to admit they shared many similarities when one saw Nerk looking at his pile of gems and protectively circled his arms around it.

By the time dusk fell upon the marketplace, most of the shops were closing for the night and the crowds had become trickles of activity. The dragon trio and their 'wizard' guide walked back towards the pub when a thought came to Jake. "Yo, Stout, if you were worried about people linking us to the dragons if we came here as humans, why did you stay the same? Won't people think it's weird for you to be showing us around?"

"Why, of course not!" he said, as if the answer were obvious. "I am, after all, the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic. If anything, I'm doing my job by maintaining peace and making sure you three don't cause any trouble!" he added with a laugh at insinuating they needed to be controlled. He soon added, "My apologies, Jake. I thought your grandfather had informed you of my disguise."

"It is pretty convenient, when you think about it." Haley commented, realizing the significance of Stout's acting skills. "Having all of the Ministry of Magic's resources to track down disturbances with magical creatures must make your responsibilities as the English Dragon quite easy to fulfill." They had just reached the Leaky Cauldron and noticed two cloaked dragons sitting at a booth in the corner. Stout led his wards over to the booth and the two Dragon Masters in attendance, Sun and Dominic, stood at their arrival.

Stout couldn't help but chuckle at Haley's intuition. "You've quite the sharp apprentice, Sun!"

The Korean Dragon smiled at the compliment, before suddenly recalling something important. "Lao Shi left to run some last minute errands," Sun explained, "and he said not to wait for him. He will meet us back at your home, Benjamin." The English Dragon simply nodded in understanding.

"In that case, let us be on our way! I fear if we stay any longer, Tom may have a stroke," he joked, nodding in the direction of the man behind the bar giving them glances filled with suspicion and fear. The group briskly left, flying home through the dark sky at the approval of Stout, and relaxed into Benjamin's makeshift floor beds. The time zone change had taken its toll, and the travellers were burnt out. Jake felt a pang of concern for his grandfather, but he trusted his master's judgment and soon drifted off into sleep.

Regardless of how early they had gone to bed, however, Jake still felt exhausted when morning arrived and the small home came to life with the sounds of worried pacing and frantic preparation. Lao Shi had made it back in one piece, though his errands hadn't dulled his nerves, appearing just as anxious as everyone else. Jake did his best to help ease the tension through jokes and his usual unconcerned behavior, he himself of course comforted by his own blind confidence. Their bags packed and cloaks drawn, the dragons stepped into a couple of taxis and departed for King's Cross Station.

They had a train to catch.


As always, if you have any opinions or advice (positive or negative), PLEASE review and comment! Any feedback is great feedback, and it lets me know you at least cared enough to respond! This is my first fanfic, so I'll take what I can get.