Chapter Three
THE LEAKY CAULDRON
After more than two mounths, the long-awaited day finally came. It was fortunate; Lily couldn't have possibly waited any longer.
They woke up early in the morning because the meeting was fixed at three in the afternoon, and they needed about seven hours to get to London. Lily was almost out of control; she could not eat and went on running around in the kitchen, so her parents had to threaten that they wouldn't go if she didn't calm down.
Finally, at 7:30 she and Peter left for the train station. Lily was already in the car when Margaret got closer to her husband
"Dear..."
"I know, Margie, I know. I'll take her wherever she wants to, and I'll buy some presents. I just hope she won't be too disappointed when she finds out..." said Peter.
"Of course she will be! She didn't talk of anything but that the whole summer! Oh, you just cheer her up. It's a lesson she had to learn, I guess"
"Yes... but I don't think I'll ever forgive mum for this shitty trick! I really don't get what she did it for..." he muttered, entering the car.
* * *
The journey was boring and almost neverending for Lily. She had brought some books, but she wasn't able to read. She just stayed there, watching out of the window.
The train finally arrived at their destination. They took a taxi. The driver did not know about the pub, but brought them where they asked
"Here you are. You see, I never make mistakes! There's no pubs here, sorry" Lily stood there, staring at the book shop without seeing it. She was really close to cry.
Peter looked at his little girl, sighed and decided it had come the moment he had so long feared. He had to help his daughter to come back to reality. She was eleven, though. It was time she learned someting from life.
"Come on, darling" Peter put his arm around her shoulder "The Leaky Cauldron does not exist, as Hogwarts does not exist. They just could not. Don't be sad, darling. It was a good dream while lasted."
"Oh, daddy!" she hugged him tightly, crying.
Peter hugged her tight. How could his mother do this to her?! He knew grandma was strange, but this... it was just too much to bear.
"Excuse me, sir," said a man as he approached. He was strangely dressed, in an old fashioned top hat, a very long brown coat that made it difficult for him to walk, and... pajamas?
"What do you want?" Peter sounded rude, but he didn't care much. It was not the moment to interrupt, couldn't that odd man see?
"I heard you talking of The Leaky Cauldron." Peter got suspicious. Lily looked at him, still crying.
"Yes?" answered Peter, growing suspicious.
"Ah! Very well, then you must be..." the man took a little journal from his pocket, reading something on it.
"Evans," Lily said hopefully. "I'm Lily Evans."
"Yes, here you are. Please, come with me. I apologize for the trouble! Every year it's the same! I've told them several times it was not a good idea to make the meeting here, but they never listened..." the man walked through black door they hadn't noticed before, right between a book shop and a record store.
The door lead inside the Leaky Cauldron. It was a dark and modest pub, with only a few people inside. Everyone was strangely dressed, just like their guide. Three old women stared at Lily and her father with a kind of disgust.
"This way, this way..." the odd man guided them through the main pub to a back room.
"I think it should begin in some moments," said the man as he opened the door, leaving space to let them in.
The room was larger than what they had expected, but so crowded that Peter and Lily hardly found their way in. Some chairs had been placed to make it look like an auditorium, but there were far from enough. At least everybody in the room looked normal, judging from the way they dressed and the questioning look in their eyes.
Peter started speaking with a man who had brought two twins. Lily decided to give a deeper look at the room. She sneaked off through the talking crowd. Some paintings were hanging on the wall, all covered by sheets. Lily looked around. No one was watching her. She lifted one.
"Oh!"
"AAAHHH!!!!" Lily screamed so loud that all the chatter in the room stopped at once, and everyone was looking at her. She had left the width, that was now covering the picture again. There was a woman portrayed, and, when Lily had looked at her, she had MOVED! The woman had covered her face with her hands, looking disappointed to be seen.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Lily run toward he father
"Lily! What have you..."
"Daddy, I lifted one of those sheets... I didn't wanna do anything bed, just take a look, and then the picture was..."
"Please, everyone! We are about to begin," called a woman standing before the chairs. She was tall, with raven locks and an emerald dress. She had a very strict face, even if it was now relaxed.
"My name is Minerva McGonagall..."
THE LEAKY CAULDRON
After more than two mounths, the long-awaited day finally came. It was fortunate; Lily couldn't have possibly waited any longer.
They woke up early in the morning because the meeting was fixed at three in the afternoon, and they needed about seven hours to get to London. Lily was almost out of control; she could not eat and went on running around in the kitchen, so her parents had to threaten that they wouldn't go if she didn't calm down.
Finally, at 7:30 she and Peter left for the train station. Lily was already in the car when Margaret got closer to her husband
"Dear..."
"I know, Margie, I know. I'll take her wherever she wants to, and I'll buy some presents. I just hope she won't be too disappointed when she finds out..." said Peter.
"Of course she will be! She didn't talk of anything but that the whole summer! Oh, you just cheer her up. It's a lesson she had to learn, I guess"
"Yes... but I don't think I'll ever forgive mum for this shitty trick! I really don't get what she did it for..." he muttered, entering the car.
* * *
The journey was boring and almost neverending for Lily. She had brought some books, but she wasn't able to read. She just stayed there, watching out of the window.
The train finally arrived at their destination. They took a taxi. The driver did not know about the pub, but brought them where they asked
"Here you are. You see, I never make mistakes! There's no pubs here, sorry" Lily stood there, staring at the book shop without seeing it. She was really close to cry.
Peter looked at his little girl, sighed and decided it had come the moment he had so long feared. He had to help his daughter to come back to reality. She was eleven, though. It was time she learned someting from life.
"Come on, darling" Peter put his arm around her shoulder "The Leaky Cauldron does not exist, as Hogwarts does not exist. They just could not. Don't be sad, darling. It was a good dream while lasted."
"Oh, daddy!" she hugged him tightly, crying.
Peter hugged her tight. How could his mother do this to her?! He knew grandma was strange, but this... it was just too much to bear.
"Excuse me, sir," said a man as he approached. He was strangely dressed, in an old fashioned top hat, a very long brown coat that made it difficult for him to walk, and... pajamas?
"What do you want?" Peter sounded rude, but he didn't care much. It was not the moment to interrupt, couldn't that odd man see?
"I heard you talking of The Leaky Cauldron." Peter got suspicious. Lily looked at him, still crying.
"Yes?" answered Peter, growing suspicious.
"Ah! Very well, then you must be..." the man took a little journal from his pocket, reading something on it.
"Evans," Lily said hopefully. "I'm Lily Evans."
"Yes, here you are. Please, come with me. I apologize for the trouble! Every year it's the same! I've told them several times it was not a good idea to make the meeting here, but they never listened..." the man walked through black door they hadn't noticed before, right between a book shop and a record store.
The door lead inside the Leaky Cauldron. It was a dark and modest pub, with only a few people inside. Everyone was strangely dressed, just like their guide. Three old women stared at Lily and her father with a kind of disgust.
"This way, this way..." the odd man guided them through the main pub to a back room.
"I think it should begin in some moments," said the man as he opened the door, leaving space to let them in.
The room was larger than what they had expected, but so crowded that Peter and Lily hardly found their way in. Some chairs had been placed to make it look like an auditorium, but there were far from enough. At least everybody in the room looked normal, judging from the way they dressed and the questioning look in their eyes.
Peter started speaking with a man who had brought two twins. Lily decided to give a deeper look at the room. She sneaked off through the talking crowd. Some paintings were hanging on the wall, all covered by sheets. Lily looked around. No one was watching her. She lifted one.
"Oh!"
"AAAHHH!!!!" Lily screamed so loud that all the chatter in the room stopped at once, and everyone was looking at her. She had left the width, that was now covering the picture again. There was a woman portrayed, and, when Lily had looked at her, she had MOVED! The woman had covered her face with her hands, looking disappointed to be seen.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Lily run toward he father
"Lily! What have you..."
"Daddy, I lifted one of those sheets... I didn't wanna do anything bed, just take a look, and then the picture was..."
"Please, everyone! We are about to begin," called a woman standing before the chairs. She was tall, with raven locks and an emerald dress. She had a very strict face, even if it was now relaxed.
"My name is Minerva McGonagall..."