CHAPTER 6
FLIGHT TO FREEDOM
"Here's the Leaky Cauldron", said Ernie, the driver of the Knight Bus. "Next stop, Knockturn Alley". Julius then stepped off of the triple- decker, violet bus and walked into the British Pub, which Muggles mistook as a run-down shack. After Julius got off the Hogwarts express, he tried to find his way to London. He asked many people how to get to London, but they all gave him strange stair like he just walked into a Star Wars convention wearing Klingon armor (he emphasized his Scottish accent to make it seem like he was a foreigner, but to the British, Scotland wasn't that foreign). He even tried to take a bus to London, but when he tried to pay with Galleons and Knuts, the bus driver told him to go to the looney bin. He couldn't even trade a hobo his Pounds for some galleons. His search was hopeless.
However, several hours later, the triple-decker violet bus came by, claiming it was for lost Witches and Wizards. Julius told them he wanted to go to the Leaky Cauldron, and that's where they took him. After dodging Muggle cars, avoiding pedestrians, and nearly running over a poor squirrel, Julius arrived at his destination.
"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron", said a middle-aged woman who was using some spell to make the clothes wipe the tables themselves. "How may I help you."
"Hello", said Julius. "I am Julius Logan. I made a reservation for your place on the fifteenth of May."
"Yes, yes", said the woman, who looked in a book. "Yeah, you're a little late, but that's okay. You don't have to pay tonight, for our Summer Sizzler deal includes two free nights."
"Okay!" exclaimed Julius. "Thanks!"
"Oh, by the way", said the woman, "there's some mail in your room".
"Mail!" exclaimed Julius. He did tell Cleo he was going to stay at the Leaky Cauldron. Maybe they could be friends after all. "What kind of owl was it? Was it a Burrowing Owl?"
"No", said the woman. "It was a giant Vampire bat. I shooed it off, but I noticed it dropped a roll of parchment into your room."
"Thanks!" exclaimed Julius. How can a Vampire bat transport mail? Only Owls could do that! Unless there was a vampire after him, but why would there be? So he ran up to his room, which was somewhat close to the staircase that lead down to the pub, and walked in. His room was somewhat dusty, which he didn't mind. It had a bed with a mattress (of course), a small night table, and a medium-sized desk with brochures on all the sights to the wizarding world, some pencils and paper, and a few candies. He began to munch on some Every Flavored Beans while he grabbed the roll of parchment, which was rather dirty and somewhat crumbled up. He unrolled the paper and opened it, and to his surprise, he saw a photo of a very scraggly man. He wore a torn up, loose robe and had thick black hair that almost covered his eyes.
"Hello", said the man. "You may not know me, but I am Attila A'Killis. In fact, no one but my parents and my apostles know who I am."
"Who are you?" asked Julius. The man didn't answer. This was obviously a recording done by some spell.
"Anyway", said Attila, "I have found out that you have a certain, well, let's say fondness of a certain girl by the name of Cleopatra Anderton." Cleo! He knew about Cleo? How did he know so much about him? "Well, I desperately need your friendship. I need it more than anything. I would've just asked you, but since you might have said, not, I was forced to take certain precautions to make you say yes." Suddenly, the camera angle of the message turned to a large machine, and Cleo was in the middle. There were two arches, the top one facing downward and the bottom one facing upward, and a large cage was in the middle. To Julius's horror, Cleo was in that cage, bound with ropes, and had several strange men wearing exotic masks all posted around her, armed with thick, jagged wands.
"If you want to see your precious girl again, you shall meet me at Stonehenge and we shall discuss my plans for you. If not, the lady shall suffer a fate worse than death." Suddenly, the camera turned back to Cleo who screamed and wriggled in her cage.
"HELP, JULIUS!" screamed Cleo. "PLEASE! MY SOUL! THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE MY SOUL! HEEEEEEELP!" Suddenly, she let out one blood-chilling scream, and suddenly the recording ended, and the pamphlet burned to ashes. Julius then pounded the side of his bed and yelled a cry of anger. It was his fault that she was in trouble! If he hadn't loved her she wouldn't be in this mess! But he might have loved another, and they would be in the same kind of trouble. Did that mean he couldn't love anyone anymore?
"I have to save her", said Julius. "I have to go to Stonehenge. But where?" Suddenly, a light went off in Julius's head, and all his bad emotions went away. There was a fireplace at the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, and it had some Floo Powder in case anyone needed to go anywhere. That's what he would do!
Julius immediately grabbed his wand, some galleons, and a map of the area. That was about all he would need for this trip. He ran towards the door, but suddenly, a large bat flew in front of him and began to flutter in his face.
"Get off of me you damn bat!" exclaimed Julius. Suddenly, the bat bit him and Julius fell down. He heard that mammals, including bats and rabbits, could transmit diseases if they bit you. He would have to go to a healer!
"That was just one bite", said a voice behind him in a Transylvanian accent. "You'll get a lot more by the time the day is over". Julius then jumped up and whipped his wand out, but he heard the same voice shout something, and suddenly he wasn't able to counter the curse anymore.
FLIGHT TO FREEDOM
"Here's the Leaky Cauldron", said Ernie, the driver of the Knight Bus. "Next stop, Knockturn Alley". Julius then stepped off of the triple- decker, violet bus and walked into the British Pub, which Muggles mistook as a run-down shack. After Julius got off the Hogwarts express, he tried to find his way to London. He asked many people how to get to London, but they all gave him strange stair like he just walked into a Star Wars convention wearing Klingon armor (he emphasized his Scottish accent to make it seem like he was a foreigner, but to the British, Scotland wasn't that foreign). He even tried to take a bus to London, but when he tried to pay with Galleons and Knuts, the bus driver told him to go to the looney bin. He couldn't even trade a hobo his Pounds for some galleons. His search was hopeless.
However, several hours later, the triple-decker violet bus came by, claiming it was for lost Witches and Wizards. Julius told them he wanted to go to the Leaky Cauldron, and that's where they took him. After dodging Muggle cars, avoiding pedestrians, and nearly running over a poor squirrel, Julius arrived at his destination.
"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron", said a middle-aged woman who was using some spell to make the clothes wipe the tables themselves. "How may I help you."
"Hello", said Julius. "I am Julius Logan. I made a reservation for your place on the fifteenth of May."
"Yes, yes", said the woman, who looked in a book. "Yeah, you're a little late, but that's okay. You don't have to pay tonight, for our Summer Sizzler deal includes two free nights."
"Okay!" exclaimed Julius. "Thanks!"
"Oh, by the way", said the woman, "there's some mail in your room".
"Mail!" exclaimed Julius. He did tell Cleo he was going to stay at the Leaky Cauldron. Maybe they could be friends after all. "What kind of owl was it? Was it a Burrowing Owl?"
"No", said the woman. "It was a giant Vampire bat. I shooed it off, but I noticed it dropped a roll of parchment into your room."
"Thanks!" exclaimed Julius. How can a Vampire bat transport mail? Only Owls could do that! Unless there was a vampire after him, but why would there be? So he ran up to his room, which was somewhat close to the staircase that lead down to the pub, and walked in. His room was somewhat dusty, which he didn't mind. It had a bed with a mattress (of course), a small night table, and a medium-sized desk with brochures on all the sights to the wizarding world, some pencils and paper, and a few candies. He began to munch on some Every Flavored Beans while he grabbed the roll of parchment, which was rather dirty and somewhat crumbled up. He unrolled the paper and opened it, and to his surprise, he saw a photo of a very scraggly man. He wore a torn up, loose robe and had thick black hair that almost covered his eyes.
"Hello", said the man. "You may not know me, but I am Attila A'Killis. In fact, no one but my parents and my apostles know who I am."
"Who are you?" asked Julius. The man didn't answer. This was obviously a recording done by some spell.
"Anyway", said Attila, "I have found out that you have a certain, well, let's say fondness of a certain girl by the name of Cleopatra Anderton." Cleo! He knew about Cleo? How did he know so much about him? "Well, I desperately need your friendship. I need it more than anything. I would've just asked you, but since you might have said, not, I was forced to take certain precautions to make you say yes." Suddenly, the camera angle of the message turned to a large machine, and Cleo was in the middle. There were two arches, the top one facing downward and the bottom one facing upward, and a large cage was in the middle. To Julius's horror, Cleo was in that cage, bound with ropes, and had several strange men wearing exotic masks all posted around her, armed with thick, jagged wands.
"If you want to see your precious girl again, you shall meet me at Stonehenge and we shall discuss my plans for you. If not, the lady shall suffer a fate worse than death." Suddenly, the camera turned back to Cleo who screamed and wriggled in her cage.
"HELP, JULIUS!" screamed Cleo. "PLEASE! MY SOUL! THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE MY SOUL! HEEEEEEELP!" Suddenly, she let out one blood-chilling scream, and suddenly the recording ended, and the pamphlet burned to ashes. Julius then pounded the side of his bed and yelled a cry of anger. It was his fault that she was in trouble! If he hadn't loved her she wouldn't be in this mess! But he might have loved another, and they would be in the same kind of trouble. Did that mean he couldn't love anyone anymore?
"I have to save her", said Julius. "I have to go to Stonehenge. But where?" Suddenly, a light went off in Julius's head, and all his bad emotions went away. There was a fireplace at the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, and it had some Floo Powder in case anyone needed to go anywhere. That's what he would do!
Julius immediately grabbed his wand, some galleons, and a map of the area. That was about all he would need for this trip. He ran towards the door, but suddenly, a large bat flew in front of him and began to flutter in his face.
"Get off of me you damn bat!" exclaimed Julius. Suddenly, the bat bit him and Julius fell down. He heard that mammals, including bats and rabbits, could transmit diseases if they bit you. He would have to go to a healer!
"That was just one bite", said a voice behind him in a Transylvanian accent. "You'll get a lot more by the time the day is over". Julius then jumped up and whipped his wand out, but he heard the same voice shout something, and suddenly he wasn't able to counter the curse anymore.