Chapter 16: 28th July 1991, Sunday: Part 4

Amanda mustered her courage and introduced herself to Hagrid with her signature unwavering smile. George had to give her credit where it was due, he wasn't sure if either of his foster parents would have the bottle to approach a man five feet taller than them. The motivation to accrue information must have been high enough to overcome the threat the half-giant might impose. However, he could see the apprehension in Amanda's movements and hear her voice shake. It was enough for him to know she was a little scared but those subtle nervous suggestions would probably go right over the half-giant's head.

Hagrid looked down at the woman nearly half his height, "nice to meet you too, miss. I hope I didn't startle ya, I tend to have that effect on new muggle parents."

"You knew that we're muggles? Are we so obvious?"

Hagrid chuckled, "yer jokin right? Us wizard folk can spot ya a mile away. All you muggles walking down Diagon Alley for the first time stand out like sore thumbs."

The half-giant then reclined back onto his stool, "I've gotta say though. You were the first to talk to me this year. It's been getting worse, ya know. I think it's the beard, it intimidates your kind."

Amanda and Dominic looked at each other with the same 'should we tell him' expression on their faces, but ultimately they chose to say nothing instead. 'If you haven't got anything nice to say then don't say it at all' always worked well in George's book, especially when talking to a man the size of a horse. There were a few awkward seconds of Hagrid stroking his wiry beard before he suddenly started laughing. Everyone, including George, jumped in reaction and a few of the other wizards at the bar turned around. Hagrid wiped his eyes and noticed the unfriendly frowns from around the room before settling himself down.

"I'm just pulling yer legs. I get it, Professor Dumbledore had explained it to me years ago. All of this is new and strange to you muggles and the last thing you need is a big old scary fella like me showing you around."

Remus stepped in, "now that's not true and you know it. I don't believe for one second that Dumbledore would have told you that.

People just... don't know you, that's all. Humans have the awful habit of jumping to conclusions, but that doesn't mean they're right."

That put a smile on Hagrid's tipsy face, "you haven't changed, have you Remus? Always see the best in people."

Amanda cleared her throat and asked, "if you don't mind me asking, Mr Hagrid. How long have you worked at Hogwarts?"

Hagrid pouted his lips and stroked his chin in contemplation, "haven't really thought about it. It must be... going on forty years now."

Amanda nodded curiously and continued, "you must be very satisfied working at the school to spend all those years there?"

"Well of course I am. Hogwarts is my home, my life. Couldn't think of a place I'd rather be", he enthusiastically responded.

"And what is your opinion on the current headmaster?", Amanda asked like she was reading off a tick sheet.

Hagrid more than happily answered, "what do I think of him? He's half the reason I'm there. I'll say it once, I'll say it again. Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had."

Amanda nodded her head again as if the half-giant had just passed a test, "right then. That's all good to hear. Thank you for your time, Mr Hagrid. We'll leave you to drink in peace."

Remus butted in, "yes, that'll be for the best. We'll be having a quick break and then off to the shops. I want Mr Linwood here to get nothing but the very best before it's all sold out.

Can't be having one of Hogwarts greatest wizards using an inferior wand", he added whilst patting George on the back.

"Well, it's been good seeing you again. Mrs and Mr Linwood, Mr Lupin, I better get back to my official Hogwarts duties", Hagrid said politely before rotating himself back towards the bar.

Remus turned to George's foster parents, "it's been a long drive, so how about I order some refreshments and you go and take a seat just over there? Then we'll talk and get ready to go shopping. Sound like a plan?"

Amanda's smile faltered slightly, "okay. George, Ellie, come now."

George ended up sitting with his family in the furthest and darkest corner of the Leaky Cauldron. To say that their seating arrangement was remote was an understatement, they were sitting as far away from the rest of the patrons as physically possible. George thought that Hagrid's excellent review of Hogwarts and Dumbledore might have eased his foster parent's nerves but, as far as he could tell, their on-edge behaviour hadn't lessened. Maybe he was expecting too much from them, this negative reaction could be normal for all muggle parents. It's not like he had a reference to compare to. George had already checked and there were definitely no other muggles in this pub.

After a short while, Remus walked over with a tray of filled glasses and placed it on the table. He then proceeded to hand out each beverage to every member of the family. The two glasses that were placed in front of Ellie and George were filled with a yellow carbonated liquid. Amanda and Dominic had two cups of a brown steaming fluid placed before them, and Remus sat down with a creamy orange drink with white foam on top. He took a quick swig that left a white stain on his moustache, getting a giggle out of Ellie.

Dominic picked his glass up and sniffed it, he was clearly suspicious of its content.

Remus wiped his mouth before saying, "no need to panic, not everything in the wizarding world is strange. What you're sniffing is a normal herbal tea with milk."

"You could have fooled me", Dominic placed the tea back down and pointed at George's cup, "and what's that?"

"It's just old-fashioned cloudy lemonade. Probably with a little extra fizz than Ellie and George are used to, but I used to drink it by the gallon growing up. I couldn't get enough of it", Remus reassured.

Ellie leaned forward and asked, "and what are you drinking?"

Remus lifted his glass, "this, my dear, is Butterbeer. One of the most popular drinks drank by wizards and witches alike and a personal favourite of mine."

Feeling particularly parched after the car journey, George lifted the glass of lemonade and downed it in one gulp. Anything less than a pint was easy for him to put away and, unlike his foster parents, he wasn't so worried about it being poisoned. It did indeed taste of fresh lemonade but Remus wasn't joking when he mentioned the extra fizz. He felt like an explosion was inside his stomach which could only be released with a burp. He tried to stifle it but a little noise bled out between the fingers cupping his mouth.

"Please George, have some manners. We're out in public", Amanda rebuked.

Remus looked astonished, "what's the rush, George? There's no need to drink so fast."

Dominic elaborated, "that's George for you. He drinks like a fish."

"And eats like a pig", Ellie added in a muffled voice.

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Not one to be outdone, George's step-sister soon followed in his footsteps but failed after the first mouthful. The explosion of bubbles went off in her mouth and ballooned her cheeks out like a chipmunk. Her eyes almost began to water before she could finally swallow what remained. Inadvertently, Amanda and Dominic saw George's and Ellie's lack of hesitation and were influenced to try their drinks which appeared to pleasantly surprise them. Only then did Remus start to look relaxed as for the first time, the Linwoods started to act like a normal family.

The harmony was soon ended by Amanda placing her tea gently down and saying, "so are all the staff at Hogwarts like Hagrid?"

Remus lowered his butterbeer away from his mouth, "what do you mean?"

"You know... on the taller side", she sensitively responded.

Remus shook his head, "no. Hagrid is one of a kind, even in the wizarding world. All of the professors are of normal height, except for one. He's a bit shorter than the rest."

Amanda paused while swirling her tea before asking, "now, what about this matter with George's safety."

Remus stopped mid-swig, "are you sure you want to talk about this here?"

"I don't see why not", she answered while casually shrugging her shoulders.

The butterbeer was then placed back down and Remus tapped the table rhythmically before explaining.

"First of all, this isn't only George's problem, this affects every single new witch or wizard around the world. It just can be worse for some more than others.

Having the ability to cast magic is... a bit like raising a dog. It needs to be well trained from a young age or it'll become uncontrollable.

That's why Hogwarts exists, it gives the next generation the best chance to master their innate talents. There, George can have access to all of his potential and become truly extraordinary..."

Remus glanced at George before continuing, "if he doesn't go, then that potential will amount to nothing. In the worst of cases, it could start to harm him.

Without the proper guidance, accidents will happen. At no fault of his own, he could become a risk to anyone around him. Any strong emotions or distress would result in... horrible things happening that I don't wish to contemplate.

I know that we're here to have a look around and debate whether this is the life you want for George... but I can't stress enough how important it is for you to take this offer seriously. There's never been a good ending for parents who don't."

One of Amanda's eyes started to twitch, "was that a threat, Mr Lupin?"

George felt like slamming his head against the table, why was Remus so bad at explaining things? That idiot had skirted around the issue of why this problem affected George in particular and set off his crazy foster mother's alarm bells all in one go. It's like he was asking to get shot.

Remus ran his hands through his hair and closed his fatigued eyes, "no Mrs Linwood, it's not a threat. As George's guardians, you and Mr Linwood are completely within your right to refuse provided George concurs. I'm merely making a plea for you to make the right choice. For George's sake."

He must have done something right with that closing argument because Amanda's eye stopped twitching.

She returned to stirring her tea and suggested, "what about private tutelage? We could pay for wizards such as yourself to train George at home. That way he doesn't have to spend ten months living in some castle in the middle of nowhere."

Remus didn't look convinced, "I've heard of that before but only in the elite wizarding families. You would have to apply to the Ministry to allow George to use magic unrestricted at your premises. Unless you had an unbelievably good reason, they would never agree to that."

"Not even with a generous donation? Money won't be an issue", Dominic contributed.

Remus sighed before elaborating, "there's not enough money in the world to make that happen I'm afraid. When it comes to ensuring magic remains a secret, the Ministry doesn't take any chances."

Amanda stopped stirring, "okay, Mr Lupin. I think we should have a look around first, and buy some school equipment George might need. If Dominic and I don't see anything too disturbing, then we'll see what George wants to do. Until then, we'll keep an open mind. I trust you'll have no issue with that."

"That sounds marvellous. Thank you for your understanding, you won't regret it", Remus excitedly spat out.

George's foster parents then looked at each other and stood up in unison, they were so in sync that their movement looked rehearsed.

"Ellie, George, we're leaving now", Amanda stated flatly.

George hid his dissatisfaction and complied begrudgingly. He was hoping that Amanda might press Remus a little harder, but she didn't seem to care why he had been singled out. Maybe she was under the illusion that outsourcing acceptance letters weren't as uncommon as it actually was. Regardless, it was looking like he wouldn't be finding anything more out today. With a bit of luck, this 'talk' would happen again before he left for Hogwarts and Remus might let something slip.

Ellie wasn't so keen on leaving quite yet, "but I haven't finished my lemonade."

Amanda smirked, "so you want to be left behind in this dark pub surrounded by strangers over a glass of lemonade?"

Ellie looked around and had a change of heart, "now that I think about it. I'm not that thirsty anyway."

Amanda said with a smile, "good girl", before latching on to Ellie's arm.

Remus then stood up and gestured for the Linwood family to follow him towards the back entrance of the pub.

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