Chapter 4 – The house of Mr. Potter
Alex looked across at Kim, they had been sat in the small hotel room for several hours as he slowly explained to her the existence of witches, wizards, demons, angels and all manner of other nightmare creatures. For a woman for whom the important facts of reality had essential just changed beyond recognition, crashing down like shards of a broken mirror, she was surprisingly calm. "So let me get this straight" she started, looking up into Alex's eyes "you're telling me that every mythical creature and fantasy beast I've ever heard of genuinely exists?" "Not at all" replied Alex with vague sense of amusement "leprechauns were just very small wizards, the minotaur was actually an unusually large centaur and unicorns have been extinct since the mass hunting of them for their hair in the 1500s" Kim laughed uncontrollably, the first time she had truly let go in Alex's company, "What?" he protested "I'm serious". Kim took a few deep breaths and looked at him, cocking one eyebrow and tilting her head quizzically. After a few minutes, she sighed and her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, it's just... I still can't quite believe it, it all sounds so normal. Ministries and extinct species, and hunting. It all seems so human, I'm honestly having trouble believing I'm not about to wake up from a very crazy dream" Alex bowed his head and whispered a short prayer in Latin, when he raised his head his body became coated in a blue fire, not burning his clothes but sucking in the surround light. His eyes became pools of blackness. He reached out and took her hand, the blue flames felt cold against her skin, and a shiver went up her spine. "You're awake alright. In a real living nightmare… tell you what, let's go see an old friend of mine, he could always explain it better than me". He shook and the flames disappeared and he appeared normal once more, taking a stunned and wide eyed Kim by the hand, he led her towards the door.
They arrived at the gates of a grand mansion just after 5pm following through a journey round country lanes and tight bends and breakneck speeds on the back of Alex's motorbike. Kim had held on for dear life, and as they dismounted she was seriously regretting ever agreeing to get on the back of the damn thing. She lent a hand against the wrought iron gates, they were heavy set with images of lions worked into them, two lions raised on their hind legs, front legs resting on an ornate G. She looked up through the gates at the mansion itself, it was massive. At least four floors, with more windows than she could count. Suddenly the gates swung inwards, without any apparent pushing or pulling. Alex began to stride ahead of her up the drive, and she hurried to keep up. He scared her, but he was the only familiar thing in this whole place, and she wasn't ready to part company with him just yet.
Alex turned and watched Kim break into a slight run to catch him up and join him on the porch, he hadn't meant to leave her behind up the long driveway, but he'd lost himself in his thoughts and his stride was far longer than hers. As she arrived next to him the door was opened by a tall man with dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail. A scrappy beard clung to his chin and a pair of thin glasses covered a pair of dark green eyes that looked like they saw a lot more than what was there to see. Alex cracked into a smile and grabbed the man's outstretched hand, clapping his other onto his shoulder "Albus old friend, it's been too long."
They walked along the wood paneled corridor and through into a large living room. The furniture and curtains were all red and gold, and a fire was burning away. Sat in a large arm chair was an old man. His long gray hair fell in waves to his chest and a long beard adorned his face. He peered out at Alex and Kim from behind a pair of round spectacles. He pushed his hair back from his face, exposing a thin lightning bolt scar on his forehead. "Hello Alex, it's good to see you again. And hello to you too my dear, my name is Harry, Harry Potter. May I ask who you are?" Kim could barely bring herself to speak. "My name is Kim" she finally managed to force out of her mouth.
For hours they talked, of events past and present, of witches and wizards, of Harry's world and of Kim's. Alex sat the entire time in an armchair, silently watching, thinking, his only movement the occasional lighting of a cigarette. Suddenly the fire burst into green flame and a man strode from it. His hair, in comparison with his brothers, was short and a paler blonde, almost ginger, but the eyes were the same piercing green. "James!" cried Harry and Albus in unison. James turned to look at Alex "we've found a lead. A girl in knocturn alley who can lead you to Bellatrix". Before Kim could ask where Knocturn alley was, or who Bellatrix was, Alex was halfway to the door. Pulling on his gloves and checking his weapons were concealed. He paused at the doorway. "Kim, stay here. Harry will keep you safe, and I need to do this alone. I'll be back" he hesitated, "I promise"….