*Thank you so much to everyone who was read, reviewed, and favorited this story. I'm still in awe that there are others who are interested in this crossover. Thanks also for your patience with the lateness of this update. I would normally write an update on my lunch break at work, but now that we're out for the summer I'm stuck with limited internet access, but I will still definitely update during the summer. This one's a wee bit short, but it would take too long to do this part all in one chapter. Part 2 will be up soon (I hope!)
Through the Looking Glass, pt. 1
"Well, Griffin," she said, motioning outwards into the room with a jut of her chin, "welcome to the other side."
Griffin turned on his stool, looking out into the dim bar. There was the general chatter of side conversations. He grabbed a few words here and there, none that meant anything to him. At first, looking past the garments being worn by the patrons, there wasn't much to catch the eye. Then, looking closer, he began to see little discrepancies. Spoons in mugs, stirring seemingly of their own volition, animals that didn't look like any he'd ever seen before. His gaze was snagged by the cover of a book, where the image was… moving? In spite of himself, his jaw dropped. He turned back towards Ginny, about to point it out to her, when he caught her mischievous grin and it occurred to him that this was nothing new to her. The novelty had worn off long ago.
He couldn't imagine ever getting used to this.
"You haven't seen anything yet," a warm voice whispered in his ear. Griffin startled a bit, having not noticed that Ginny had leaned quite close to him, and he blushed a bit when she laughed, pleased with throwing him off his guard. She tilted back her bottle, swallowing the last of her drink, and he realized he hadn't had any of his yet. Tentatively, he raised the bottle to his lips, and took a small sip.
It was glorious.
The beverage ticked him a bit as he swallowed gulp after gulp, leaving him with a mild case of what could only be described as the 'warm fuzzies.' He placed his now empty bottle on the bar next to Ginny's and leaned back on the bar, edging towards her. "What do you call this again?" he whispered. "Butterbeer," she whispered back. "Now, let's go." She hopped off her stool, and stood before him, bouncing in barely contained excitement as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. "Come on," she urged, with a 'little kid who waited too long for the restroom' strain in her voice. Griffin let her grab each of his hands in hers and pull him into a standing position, leading him out the back of the establishment and into a hidden, narrow alleyway. Only then did Ginny let go of one of his hands, using it to withdraw her wand, still clasping the other tightly over his hand. He watched closely as she tapped her wand against a seemingly random series of bricks in the wall directly in front of where they were standing.
Griffin watched the wall and Ginny watched Griffin. The larger the hole in the wall grew, the farther his jaw dropped. Finally the arched doorway appeared complete in the wall, and Griffin allowed Ginny to lead him through. The first thing to blow him away wasn't the magical aspect of the place, but the sheer numbers. The sidewalks were bustling with traffic, the shoppes were teeming. The dusting of snow left everything picturesque; a Dickensian Christmas scene.
Except the clothes weren't right.
He could have laughed at the sight of so many pointed hats, billowing cloaks, erratic color schemes. Of course, he'd seen people coming out of underground clubs in London that would have loved to get their hands on some of this garb. Griffin chuckled to himself at the thought of people running around London in these clothes, and just shook his head when Ginny gave him an inquiring look. "So," he asked her, "where exactly are we?" "This," she replied, stretching out her arm, "is Diagon Alley. It is the wizarding hub of London, and the greatest concentration of wizardry in the Isles, I believe." Griffin looked around, craning his neck to take in as much as possible. "So these stores sell magical stuff? I could just walk in and buy some ruby slippers or something?" Ginny stopped walking and turned to face him. "Well, for one, you couldn't walk in and buy anything until you switched your Muggle money over to wizarding money. Two," Ginny glanced down at his boot clad feet, "I don't think ruby slippers would be a good look for you. And what's so magical about ruby slippers, anyway?" Griffin raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "You've never heard of The Wizard of Oz?" Ginny's brow furrowed slightly, obviously in thought. "Oz… don't think I'm familiar with that place. Where is it?"
He laughed in response.
"I think we're there right now."
