The following morning, Leo had finished a healthy breakfast with his mother down in the huge kitchen. They had discovered secure internal hallways and doors which connected the three houses, so Louisa was able to drop in on Leo whenever she wanted to. There was an ongoing ‘lively discussion’ on the use of these doors.
Louisa was rapidly getting used to her new life. Instead of whites every day, she had fashions exactly to her taste, provided by Roland and Robert. R and R, as they came to be known as, were obviously delighted to look after Louisa. Roland and Robert were former British Airways cabin crew, they shared a mews flat behind Louisa's house.
Louisa had also been introduced to the chauffeured Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph Park Ward which was deemed to be the only suitable means of transport for her. It caused a lot of interest when she went to the goodbye drinks for the former cockroach palace staff on the previous night, as did the slightly obvious bodyguards.
At 9, a dark red Landcruiser arrived at 15 Purbeck Square. Harry got out and went to the door. The door opened and Leo came out. "What! No Bentley today." Harry motioned to Leo to get the back seat. "No! No Bentley today, I usually make use of all the carpool. We have Range Rovers, Jaguars, Mercedes-Benz, BMWs, Landcruisers, black cabs and others, just so that we’re not always so obvious. Today we’ll go to Diagon Alley. That’s a hidden street in the centre of London. It’s the centre of retail for magical people in the U.K. It has been there for ages and is completely hidden from the outside world. The outsiders are called muggles by the way. There are lot of new words for you to learn."
Leo watched the leading and trailing dark cars for a while, "They don’t seem to get separated from us no matter what the traffic is like." Harry looked around; "They are using magic, a particular set of charms which prevent anyone one else from pushing in or getting aggressive and the traffic lights always favour us.”
“Today we’ll start on a pathway which is set for Hogwarts students being trained to use magic. We’ll get you a wand, textbooks, apothecary things for potions and an owl. We use owls to carry messages and so on, something like carrier pigeons only a lot smarter."
Leo frowned slightly; "John was talking to me yesterday about how he got connected to the magic world. He said his daughter was invited to learn magic at a school called Hogwarts." Harry gave a little laugh; "Yes! Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I started there when I was eleven. Many of the students come from families with no trace of magic in them, some come from families which are half and half, such as yourself, and the rest from fully magical families, sometimes called pure-blood, and that is nothing to do with race.”
“As well, some children will have magic while other children in the same family have none, so one girl or boy will go to Hogwarts while their brothers and sisters must drudge their way through conventional schools. My mother was a witch and her sister was not, there were problems between them all their lives.”
“All these muggle relations must keep their mouths shut about magic. I have persuaded our authorities to start allowing them to do non-magical jobs in magical places. People like John, Mary, Roland, and Robert are all close relations to magical people, father, mother, and siblings. They are happy to be part of it without having the gift and the burdens."
The car stopped outside a very ordinary looking building which seemed to defy any attempt to identify it. Harry got out and walked to a plain door. Leo followed Harry into a surprising room. It was a very old-fashioned pub, with a bar, some plain tables and chairs and private alcoves. The bartender called to Harry, "Harry! Long-time no see! Don’t tell me you’re just passing through." Harry gave a friendly wave and kept walking out through a back door. The small yard at the back was surrounded by brick walls. "We are now passing through several barriers between the muggle world and the magical. Muggles are made to feel unwelcome at the front door to The Leaky Cauldron, they also must really concentrate to even see that it is there. You, being a wizard saw it straight away and didn’t feel repelled when you approached it. What we have here is the gateway to Diagon Alley." Harry drew his wand from under his coat. This was the first time Leo had seen a wand. It was just a skinny stick. Harry touched three bricks in quick order and the wall started to re-assemble itself into a gateway. “Welcome to Diagon Alley.”
Leo spent the next hours having his thoughts about magic entirely re-arranged. The people were mostly dressed very oddly. The main fashion theme was medieval. There were robes and cloaks which varied from rich in colour, fabric, and decoration to tatty, worn out and scruffy. Harry and Leo were dressed in casual street clothes, shoes, slacks, and shirts but they attracted obvious stares from the older shoppers. The younger witches and wizards seemed to be happy wearing muggles clothes, mostly jeans and printed t-shirts.
The street was paved with cobbles, the shops were ancient, just like the Shambles in York. The wares sold in the shops were really odd. Harry took Leo to Ollivander’s. “When I first came here old Mr Ollivander sold me my first wand. He is still around but doesn’t do as much as he used to. He had a hard time in the Wizards War. The shop is run by younger relations now.”
Leo came away from Ollivander’s with a wand described as mahogany, 11″, pliable. Harry said that it was the same as his father’s wand. The other shops came and went in a blur. Books, potions, dragon hide gloves, and a cauldron were shrunk into tiny packages and stowed in a backpack which never seemed to increase in weight. Harry insisted that Leo get an owl. When they went into Eeylops Owl Emporium a handsome barn owl flew to Leo and perched on his shoulder. The selection was already made.
Harry was upbeat about the day and announced their last stop; Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. Leo stopped outside the shop which looked stranger than anything else on the street. “What is this place?”
Harry gave Leo a sideways look which didn’t reassure Leo. “It’s a joke shop. It’s very typical of the magical world, if you are serious about something you start out doing the opposite.” The shop inside was a mass of colour, distracting motion from things that shouldn’t be moving and a thousand different smells ranging from foul to delightful. The young staff smiled and waved to Harry as he made his way to the rear of the displays. Leo followed Harry and they went through a door into a larger room, this room was filled with some more familiar displays of what could be smart phones, cameras, and home security systems. A tall red-haired man broke from a conversation with the one other customer and strolled over. “Wotcha Harry! Need your phone upgraded? The latest model is just out.”
Harry gently placed the palm of his hand on the redhead’s chest. “Hold on Ron! Before you blab too much, I’d like to introduce you to your next customer. This is Leo Blake, he needs a mirror-phone that works properly and isn’t full of little bugs, of any sort.” Harry was grinning and Ron laughed in response. “OK Harry, the model before this one. Shall we set it up now?”
Harry shook his head quickly, “No, no, let him take it home and we’ll set it up later. By the way I should make a proper introduction. Leo is my brother, by adoption. He is Sirius’ son, who no-one knew about for twenty-two years.” Ron’s jaw dropped so much it nearly hit the floor. “Before we go too much further, he is also Viscount Pimlico and Baron Purbeck, for real. Sirius could have been those as well, but I guess he had too many criminals wanting to kill him to think about it. “
Leo reached out and took Ron’s unresisting hand gave a firm shake. “Pleased to meet you Ron. I’m always Leo by the way, none of this titled stuff. I haven’t thought about it before. This is the first time I’ve been introduced like that and it would be just too weird to be known as anything but Leo. So, you’ve known Harry for a while?”
Ron came up for air. “Yeah! We started at Hogwarts together. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude, but I don’t think that I’ve met a person with a title before.”
Harry grinned, “Yes, you have Ron. The Slytherin house ghost, the Bloody Baron, and Sir Nicholas the Gryffindor house ghost.” Ron gave Harry what used to be called ‘an old-fashioned look’; “Harry! They have been dead for hundreds of years; Leo is alive, or he seems to be. I don’t know of a single real magical lord.”
Harry nodded; “There are some wizards who wish they were, and a few who try to call me Lord Potter. The truth is that the nearest I get to be one is the lord in landlord, which I am in a small way. Anyway, the big news is that Sirius isn’t the last Black although the family name is now Blake. There are a lot of people who would love to know this, of course. You can let the Weasley clan know. Kingsley is talking to a selected group in the Ministry and the Wizengamot so the news will get out pretty soon. I’ve been shopping all morning up and down Diagon Alley with Leo and that was noticed. Leo, I paid for all your stuff with wizard credit from your account at Gringotts. That means that all those merchants have your real name as well.”
Leo looked around; “My head is beginning to spin again. Somebody will have to explain a lot of the things you mentioned.”
Harry looked concerned; “Right Leo, we will get going now. Ron, can we have that mirror-phone. Charge it to Leo’s account.”
Ron came to attention, “At once m’lord.”
Harry snorted, “Shut-up! That’s not funny!”
Ron handed over a mirror sized box. “Remember! Mum invited you to lunch on Sunday, no working on the weekend. I’m sure Leo will be welcome too.”
Harry and Leo left the WWW shop with the magically slim and light backpack and headed straight for The Leaky Cauldron.
Harry found an alcove in the pub, Leo flopped down in a corner. “I’m trying to take in a lot of stuff today. Something you could tell me; what is Gringotts?”
“Ah! Well, that’s easy and not so easy. Gringotts is the wizards bank. If we had kept going you would have seen a big stone building, quite grand. Gringotts is owned and run by goblins, very magical people, short and very tough. You need to be a lot further into the magical life before you get to deal with them. One thing about them is that they are honest with the money entrusted to them. The old Pimlico vault is still there and earning wizard money for you.”
Leo looked blank. “You’re saying there is even more money?”
“Yes, I know you don’t need any more right now, but there will be.”
“When is this going to end!”
Harry looked concerned, “We should have a drink and then go back to Purbeck Square.”
Harry went to the bar and came back with butterbeers, “These are just a bit alcoholic, they won’t hurt, and there are snacks coming.”
At that moment, a young witch in purple robes rushed up to Harry. “Mister Potter, Can I ask you a question?”
“Hello Daphne, Oh! Ah! Well, I suppose so. Please sit down. Daphne, I’m Harry for you, not Mister Potter.”
Daphne sat down next to Leo without looking at him. “Can you tell me anything about the reports from America about the Murphy gang? They say that they might be coming here because of the pressure MACUSA is putting on them over there.”
Harry gave a confident smile. “Daphne, that will not be happening. We know all about them and they don’t know anything about us. You can put that in your column, from an anonymous source of course.”
Daphne smiled, “Of course! Thanks a lot Harry.”
Harry nodded to Leo, “Daphne, I’d like you to meet Leo Blake. Daphne is a journalist; she has a column in The Daily Prophet.”
Daphne turned to Leo, “Hi! I haven’t met you before, have I?”
Leo opened his mouth to speak but then he suddenly looked around, confused. “Ho! What was that?”
Daphne gasped, put her hand over her mouth, a look of horror came over her; “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Harry stared at Daphne; “Daphne, what happened? What are you sorry about?”
Daphne hissed at Harry; “Harry! This man has no defences! You can’t let him wander around here like this! I didn’t mean to do it! I just gave him a little nudge! You know! Just to see if he would react.”
Harry whispered; “Legilimens.”
Daphne sat up straight; “Any wizard wouldn’t let me see anything. Even a child has some defence, but Leo has none!”
Harry whispered; “You saw his whole mind?”
Daphne nodded. “I’m sorry Leo. I didn’t mean to do it.”
Leo didn’t understand any of it. “Sorry for what? I just thought that my whole life flashed in front of my eyes; like they say when you have a near death experience. I’ve had that riding my motorcycle at times.”
Harry gave deep sigh. “Leo, this is a bit of accidental magic. Daphne can use magic to read minds. Normally wizards and witches grow up in magical homes where they learn to resist attempts to see into their minds. Even a muggle born student at Hogwarts is young enough to develop some defences. You, on the other hand, have no such preparation. The mind reading magic is called Legilimency. The defence is called Occlumency. Leo, as a matter of urgency, you have to learn Occlumency.”
Leo looked wary; “OK, how do I do that?”
Harry looked at Daphne; “Daphne, you already have all of Leo’s thoughts in your memory. You are far more adept at Legilimency and Occlumency than anyone I know, especially me. They tried to train me at Hogwarts, but I just didn’t get it. I want you to train Leo at least to the stage where he can safely mix with wizards and witches.”
Harry gave a sly grin, “I noticed that it took hardly any time at all to read his whole mind.”
Daphne looked from Harry to Leo and back again; “Oh! Well! I don’t know! He has a lot more in him than most Slytherins I had to deal with.”
Much to Harry’s relief Leo smiled and then laughed out loud.
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0oLjFeKq8
