Chapter 3

"I don't buy it."

Jade and Sarah were sitting on their jackets so they wouldn't get wet from the soaking ground. A thunderstorm had just passed, leaving mud and rainwater everywhere.

"I know. That Dumbledore guy was obviously bonkers."

Dumbledore had left right before the storm. He told the girls all these wild tales about how wizards and witches exist all over the country, and that they were two of them. He even set fire to a trash can by just looking at it, but the girls knew it must have been faked. Because magic didn't exist, everyone knew that.

"He is definitely missing a few screws up there," Jade commented, tapping her temple. Sarah grinned.

The girls decided to get some food from downtown. It would be a sort of vacation for them, since they hadn't been there for a few months. On their way, they spotted a pub near a corner that hadn't been there the last time they were there. A sign over the sturdy wooden door said that it was called the Leakey Cauldron. They had a strange feeling about the pub, so they asked a passerby about it.

"Excuse me," Sarah said sweetly to a man. He looked at her. "Could you please tell me when that pub over there was built?"

The man's eyes shifted from the hair salon to the left of the pub, to a small clothing store on the other side. "What pub?" He looked at Sarah as if she was mad.

Sarah frowned. "That one," she said, pointing. The man just looked annoyed and walked away.

Overcome with curiosity, the girls pushed open the door and entered. It was an old and grimy place, with some strange people inside. The majority of them seemed like normal people, but there were some exceptions. There was a pair of women who were extremely beautiful at a table near the center, but when one of them laughed at the other, her face contorted into the head of an ugly bird. Another man had hair completely covering his body, from to toe. There was another man sitting in the corner, who looked like he had fangs. And Albus Dumbledore was sitting at a table to the right of the entrance, clutching a mug of brandy in his bony fingers.

"Jade and Sarah," Dumbledore said, smiling. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Have you ever thought you were special?" Albus Dumbledore asked the two girls. They each had an untouched glass of lemonade in front of them. Both girls raised their eyebrows.

"Really, if we were special, I don't think we'd be stuck living like we do right now." Sarah said bitterly.

"One should really have a more positive attitude, you know."

"Bite me."

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "It is sad that someone of your youth would talk as if they were older, though I think that you have an excuse.

Sarah glowered, but said nothing. Jade sat unmoving, her face revealing no emotion. Dumbledore continued.

"You were both born on April 19th, 1980, in your mother Lyndasty's home. For reasons of her own, she put you into the Foster Care system."

"Thanks a lot, mom." Jade spat venomously. Dumbledore seemed sympathetic.

"I understand that you've had some troubles in the past which-"

"That's an understatement." Jades eyes flashed dangerously. Dumbledore paused, having seen that same expression before. He saw it years ago, on the face of their mother. It was the combined emotion of anger and sadness. That conversation was ending.

"Very well. As you have seen, the people in this pub are different than normal. There are a few who aren't human, but the majority are. They are wizards and witches, living in hiding from the non-magical world. You are two of them." The old man paused, waiting to see if the two of them would interrupt. They didn't. "Young witches and wizards of your age go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn to control their magic. If you are interested, you are welcome to attend."

As Dumbledore finished his speech, he sat back, took a sip of his brandy, and waited for their answer.

"I'm still not sure about this magic thing," Sarah said. "All these people here who look weird could just be freaks. No offence," she added, seeing the hairy man peer at her. He looked away.

"Yeah," Jade continued for her sister. "I'm doubtful, too."

"Well then, let me prove it to you." Dumbledore bounded up from his seat and started briskly walking to a door on the right wall of the room. With only a slight hesitation, the twins uneasily followed.

The room he led them too had only a trash can and a solid brick wall. Dumbledore tapped the wall with his wand that he drew from his cloak three times. Then, to the twins' amazement, the bricks in the wall started shifting to the side. In less than a minute, the bricks had shifted enough to form an archway to the most amazing and extraordinary place the girls had ever seen.

Jade and Sarah looks around wondrously at Diagon Alley. With all the colors and things to see, the girls wished they had twelve more sets of eyes. They were mesmerized and awed at the sight, and Dumbledore started to lead them forward, a smile on his face.

A/N

Hope you liked it!! Rate and review please! XOXO – Lyndasty Black