Chapter Three

A/N: Hey, thanks so much to everybody who reviewed Chapter 2! That is: bella rocks, Dare2dream00, CanadianWolf, AnNaLeE m O'bRiEn, Come On!!!, love2laugh, ., EdwardCullenIsCoolerThanYou, Stregoni-Benefici, PLEASE, singersk8rgirl1426, Twilight4ever, TwilightAlice102 and msmess21907!!! Wow, that's a lot! See, I keep telling you guys, review and I'll mention you!!!

Oh, and sooo sorry this took so long, I've been in Paris with my school for a while!

Ciara

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Bella's POV:

"Where are we going?" I hissed to Edward as we attempted to walk inconspicuously through the streets of London.

"Somewhere called Diagon Alley," he shrugged moodily. I guessed he was still suffering withdrawal symptoms from the garage full of cars we'd had to leave behind in Forks. While he trusted Seth and most of the other Quileutes indefinitely, I could tell he was nervous about leaving his 'toys' in close proximity to Leah and Paul. I could sort of see his point. Stability wasn't exactly their strong point…

A couple of yards in front of us, Jake and Nessie were strolling hand-in-hand. Despite my initial unease, I couldn't help but admire the attractiveness of the couple; Nessie's porcelain skin and toffee-blonde curls contrasted beautifully with Jacob's inky black hair, russet skin and typical Native American features. And there was something in their expressions as they gazed at each other which reminded me of the expressions I saw each day on the faces of Carlisle and Esme, Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett and, most noticeably, Edward when he looked at me. It was this utter adoration that reassured me.

We turned into a street called Charing Cross Road. We wandered past countless humans who were staring in astonishment at our attractive little group. Eventually, Carlisle came to a stop outside a tiny little pub. It was dark and dingy and sort of derelict. I also couldn't help but feel that we were the only people on the street who could see it. The humans' eyes seemed to slide over it as though it wasn't there at all. It was a little eerie.

Inside, the pub- The Leaky Cauldron- was even gloomier. It was so dark that anybody lacking our refined senses would be a bit disorientated. A wizened old barman who resembled a gummy walnut waved merrily to us as we took in our surroundings.

"Hello there," Carlisle smiled politely, striding over to the counter where the man was wiping grimy glasses with a rag. "I'm Carlisle Cullen, and this is my family."

"Ah, the exchange students," the barman nodded knowingly. "Hagrid!" he called across the bar. "Your guide," he explained as an afterthought.

As the person named Hagrid rose to his feet, I couldn't help but gasp. He was huge, and that was saying something when you lived with Emmett. He almost made my mountainous older brother look puny! His hair and beard were wild and untamed, covering most of his face and leaving only a pair of beetle-bright eyes to peer through the undergrowth.

"The Cullens, I presume?2 He had a rough Scottish brogue, which was somehow welcoming despite its texture. He extended a hand and I shoved Jake forward gently. The rest of us had skin so cold it would have aroused suspicion. At least Jake could feign a fever. "Rubeus Hagrid, Professor of Care of Magical Creatures and Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. If yeh want to follow me, I'll show yeh where ta go." I noticed Jake flexing his fingers as he pulled out of the handshake and smirked to myself; this Hagrid was strong.

We filed into a small backyard, gathering around Hagrid's gigantic form. He was wearing a huge overcoat, which seemed to consist of nothing but pockets. He shoved a trashcan-sized hand into one of these pockets and withdrew a flowery pink umbrella. I saw Jake and Nessie exchange confused glances as Hagrid began counting bricks in the wall above an overflowing trashcan.

Jake turned and shot me a worried glance. "Crazy," he mouthed. I shook my head.

"Just wait," I murmured.

As I spoke, the wall seemed to split in two, the gap gradually enlarging until there was a space even Hagrid could fit through. The whole group gasped, apart from Edward and Alice, who had known what to expect, as usual.

Without thinking, I pulled Edward forward into the gap. Everybody else followed suit. Hagrid beamed down at our excited expressions through his wild mane.

"Welcome," he said proudly, "To Diagon Alley."