Chapter 14: 28th July 1991, Sunday: Part 2

With the grace of a newly-born calf, George clambered out of the passenger door and breathed in the fresh London air. Even the pollutant-rich atmosphere of the capital of England was a godsend after being stuck in that sweaty greenhouse of a car for over four hours. Why did Dominic have to be so insistent on driving instead of taking the train? It would have taken half the time and been twice as comfortable, especially if his foster parents forked out and bought first-class tickets. The fact that George had to repeat this whole ordeal on the way back just made it all the worse.

To release what felt like a lifetime's worth of muscle tension, George stretched his entire body. The cracking which followed echoed through the whole multi-story car park. The bone-breaking sound granted instant relief to him but the faces of Ellie and Amanda didn't share his solace.

"George! What have I told you about cracking your joints? It's not healthy", his foster mother reprimanded.

"Sorry, Amanda. I won't do it again", he apologized.

Because it was a Sunday during the summer holidays, parking wasn't in abundance in central London. After half an hour of driving around full car parks, Dominic had eventually found a spot five miles away from Diagon Alley. There was no way on earth that George was going to walk that far without doing a few stretches, no matter how much his step-sister and foster mother hated it. Every time George slept or sat down for long enough, his joints would stiffen up and ache to an unnatural degree. Growing pains weren't exactly unheard of for boys his age but he was permanently suffering with them.

Remus climbed out of the car and didn't look to be in much better shape than George. His face was pale and he was cradling his stomach like he was about to throw up. Who would have guessed that a veteran wizard could get car sick? It turned out that riding a broom through the air at a hundred miles an hour and Apparition didn't train the body against all forms of motion sickness. Only after a lot of deep breaths and nursing a bottle of water Amanda had kindly offered, Remus eventually regained some colour and was ready to start walking again.

Dominic walked around to the back of the car and opened the boot to pull out his long leather coat. While putting it on, he looked over at Amanda and ominously asked.

"Certain parts of London can get pretty hairy. Do you think we should bring extra precautions?"

Amanda smiled and gestured at Remus, "that shouldn't be necessary with our tour guide looking out for us. Isn't that right Mr Lupin?"

Remus pulled the water bottle away from his mouth and cleared his throat, "be at ease, Mrs Linwood. I'll keep us on the right track. Just make sure not to lose George and Ellie in the crowds, the summer holidays are just as busy for wizards and witches as they are for muggles."

"Well, there you have it. Now let's get a move on before it gets too late", Amanda stated before grabbing Ellie's arm and walking towards the exit.

Without another word being said, Dominic then closed the boot and locked the car. George's heart skipped a beat as he briefly saw a metallic object under his foster father's large coat. That better not be what George thought it was. Was it even worth wondering why Dominic had, what George presumed to be, a pistol? It was a well-known fact that guns weren't easy to buy in Great Britain, most legal firearms were shotguns. Of course, his foster parents had to be the exception yet again. The brass knuckles were bad enough, whipping a gun out in the middle of Diagon Alley would be... did it even have to be said?

Regardless of George's opinion of Dominic's choice of self-defence, his family were already leaving the car park and he couldn't afford to fall behind. He put those sceptic thoughts aside and followed behind Remus as he led the family down the unfamiliar street of London. Amanda was walking with Ellie whilst firmly holding her hand and George was escorted by Dominic. They felt less like parents and more like security guards as they constantly observed their surroundings. From what George had overheard in the car, his foster parents already had a basic knowledge of the hidden shopping centre for wizards and witches. If they were this on guard now, then what would they be like in Diagon Alley?

George stopped along with his armed private escort once they reached a small old pub that appeared to be derelict. The walls were leaning heavily to the left and looked on the verge of falling over. Also, the windows were completely black as if they were covered in ash which prevented anyone from looking inside. To any pedestrians walking by, the building looked like it had been in a fire and hadn't been restored. The pub didn't even look structurally sound let alone open for business. It was truly an uninviting place and a perfect location for a secret entrance to the wizarding world.

The only thing that stood out to George was the sign hung from a bracket above the door reading the Leaky Cauldron. Although the name was familiar, that wasn't what caught his eye. The sign felt weirder the longer he stared at it like there was something there but he just couldn't see it. Remus must have noticed George's curiosity about the sign and stared at it himself. After a few seconds, Remus smiled and looked back at George.

"I'm impressed that you can see it at such a young age. It took me a minute to see it for myself".

Amanda stepped forward and asked, "what are you talking about?"

Remus turned back around and pointed up at the sign, "what does that say?"

"What do you mean, what does it say? It's blank. There's nothing written on the sign", Amanda said incredulously.

Remus nodded his head and then looked down at George, "and what does it say for you?"

George answered truthfully, "it says the Leaky Cauldron."

Remus then clicked his fingers together and pointed at George, "exactly."

Dominic chipped in, "but the sign 'is' blank. How does George see something we don't? Is it something to do with magic?"

"Yes, but it's not just George. I also see the Leaky Cauldron written above me, but that's not the point", Remus explained.

"That sign is enchanted with a simple bewitchment that prevents it from being read by muggles such as yourselves. Only wizards can read it.

But this is normal practice. Wizards and witches have been using anti-muggle detection spells for hundreds of years. I'm sure we'll have come across dozens of them if not more.

What is special is the fact that George could tell that it was bewitched just by sight alone. Now that is not normal."

Everyone was shocked by this information but none so more than George himself. That almost invisible aura around the sign was the bewitchment spell, he could physically see the magic. This revelation was particularly surprising since he didn't have this ability before he moved to the Linwood house. His patron had plenty of bewitched objects, mostly experimental medical equipment, and none of it looked weird like this sign did. He doubted it was due to its magical power, his patron definitely used more powerful tools than this rickety wooden sign.

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The only explanation he could think of was the fact he had aged one year since then, perhaps he was growing up. The sheer lack of information regarding his own body was disturbingly low and the side effects of the absence of knowledge were already starting to show. Hopefully, his body wouldn't continue to change during his time at Hogwarts, he already had enough on his plate as it was. Speaking of which, if the sign's enchantment was already visible then what would a thousand-year-old magic school look like? George could only pray that it wasn't like being inside of a massive disco ball.

"Wizards who can see magic enchantments at a glance are few and far between. Even then, the few with this ability without years of practice do not exist. At least... until George. I can hardly believe it myself, Dumbledore wasn't wrong about him", Remus said passionately.

George knew it, Dumbledore did send Remus. Not only that, but it was Dumbledore who somehow knew he was different before even meeting him. Finally, one of his predictions had been proven right, it took long enough. Still, the answer being Dumbledore wasn't a good thing. Frankly, George would have prefered it to be literally anyone else. The one wizard that he didn't have a cat in hell's chance of defeating knew too much about him, brilliant! And to top it all off, he was going to be standing only a few feet from the guy a month from now. Maybe ignorance would have been bliss in this case, at least he might have slept easier not knowing for certain.

"This Dumbledore you've spoken of. Isn't he the Headmaster at Hogwarts?", Amanda asked suspiciously.

Remus tried to back-peddle after realising his mistake, "ah, did I say Dumbledore? Erh... yes. He is the headmaster at Hogwarts. Why do you ask?"

Amanda's smile widened, "I would be awfully grateful if you could share what exactly the headmaster at Hogwarts has been saying about my son?"

Remus started to rub his hands together nervously, "don't you think we should go inside first? It's quite nippy out here."

Dominic advanced within striking distance, "I wouldn't worry about that. Now then, what was that you were saying about George and this Dumbledore fellow?"

"Hey George, I...", Ellie whispered.

"Not now Ellie, adults are talking", he half-heartedly responded.

Whatever hope Remus had of hiding this topic all but fizzled out when he had both of George's foster parents bearing down on him. Relenting was probably for the best since George didn't get the impression that Amanda and Dominic were going to take no for an answer. There was a clear look of concentration on Remus's face as he tried to think of the best combination of words that wouldn't cause any upset. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair before making his resolve.

"There is a procedure that Hogwarts has for providing muggle-borns with their acceptance letters. A professor who works at the school would arrive at their house and explain everything regarding magic and the wizarding world before handing them their letter. George on the other hand is different so the headmaster felt that it would be better if instead, I delivered his letter."

"So you don't work for the school", Amanda clarified.

Remus tried to defend himself, "I was once a prefect and have... worked under the headmaster before, just not in an educational environment. Anyway, the point is that the headmaster wanted to make sure everything was fine with George."

"And why wouldn't George be okay? Does this Dumbledore not consider us suitable guardians? Perhaps he doesn't think muggles can raise...", Amanda questioned in an increasingly accusatory voice.

Remus interrupted, "please Mrs Linwood. Professor Dumbledore is a huge advocate for wizards from all walks of life including first-generation wizards. He would never hold any prejudice against you or your husband. He simply wants to ensure George's safety from himself."

"Hey George, I really think that you should know...", his step-sister whispered again.

"One second Ellie", George mumbled back.

If he wasn't already paying enough attention to this prompt to interrogation, then now it had one hundred per cent of his attention. Anything that concerned his welfare had to take top priority, his step-sister would have to wait.

"Are you saying George is a danger to himself?", Amanda loudly inquired.

"Yes and no, it's not that easy to explain. That's why I wanted to have this talk somewhere a little more… private",  Remus responded while watching the busy Londoners passing by.

The street wasn't exactly packed with pedestrians, but enough people were walking around to have one or two overhear their somewhat heated conversation. Amanda looked around with a clenched jaw and eventually backed down.

"Okay Mr Lupin, have it your way. Just promise me that George is safe and we'll continue."

Remus eagerly nodded, "I promise that George is going to be fine. Now let's get inside before someone notices."

Is 'going' to be safe, George didn't like the sound of that at all. What does Dumbledore know that he doesn't? Neither of his foster parents seemed happy as well but, considering their rather public location, they were willing to continue this discussion elsewhere. That being said, they along with George still wanted answers. Remus was getting a temporary reprieve but not for long.

Sensing the pressure lifting off his back, Remus straightened his tie needlessly again before holding his arm against the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Now then, are the Linwoods ready to take their first step towards the wizarding world?"

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