"The final stop, London Paddington Station. Please disembark in an orderly manner."
The swaying train finally came to a halt, the conductor's bell chimed, signaling the passengers' arrival at their destination.
Elena glanced at her copy of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," contentedly closed it, stretched her stiff neck, and looked out the window.
The night had enveloped London entirely. Unlike later years, the late 20th-century London wasn't as brilliantly lit. Pedestrians in dark coats hurried under the dim, yellowish streetlights.
"So, the next step is getting to Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron... Hmm, but wait, how do I get to the Leaky Cauldron?"
Seated alone on the train station's bench, Elena's smile gradually faded. Although her earliest memory began on the streets of London, she was actually rescued by the kind-hearted Benedictus shortly after, without wandering for hours.
Thus, despite starting her journey in the city, Elena was entirely unfamiliar with it. The Leaky Cauldron's specific location, a place that wouldn't be marked 99% of the time on a Muggle map, was a complete mystery.
It was Elena's first realization of the immense concealment abilities within the magical world without a guide.
Just the Taboo and the Muggle-Repelling Charms were enough, even in a low-intensity search, to conceal any magical passage within any city.
"Seems like I'll have to find my way to the Ministry of Magic for help..."
The nighttime train station wasn't a safe place for a young girl to linger. The warmth of the hall and comfortable benches would soon attract wandering individuals in the city.
If the original description was correct, Elena remembered the visitor's entrance to the British Ministry of Magic was near the Ministry of Defence, concealed within an abandoned red phone booth, enchanted with the number 62442 ("MAGIC").
Following the operator's instructions, a pass would be issued from the coin return slot, and the booth would descend to the Atrium on the Ministry's eighth level.
As a half-blood witch, Elena wasn't affected by the Muggle-Repelling Charm. However, the novel's source material didn't detail the exact location of this abandoned red phone booth, leaving her uncertain about the range of what "nearby" meant.
"Anyway, let's try that first."
Elena quickly decided and prepared to leave the train station. Once inside the Ministry, she could use Floo Powder to easily reach Diagon Alley.
Hoo hoo hoo-hoo!
At that moment, a peculiar owl call echoed in the air.
Immediately after, Elena felt something furry collide with her, and a small creature affectionately rubbed against her.
"Provisions? What are you doing here?"
Elena held the owl in her hands, curiously inquiring. In her memory, the owl should have stayed obediently at Benedictus's orphanage.
Hoo!
The owl perched on Elena's knee, excitedly flapping its wings. Elena noticed it carried a thick envelope.
"Stay safe, keep in touch daily. If I don't receive a reply by tomorrow's dinner, I'll inform Mr. Berli, the house-elf in charge of meals. - Benedictus"
Additionally, the envelope contained two thousand pounds, a few blank sheets of paper, and a small pencil.
"Reporting the itinerary every day. What a troublesome old man who doesn't seem to understand anything," Elena muttered under her breath. With a slight smile, she carefully tucked the envelope away.
Her current predicament couldn't be solved with pounds. Wait, aside from seeking help from the Ministry, wasn't there another way?
The silver-haired girl looked at Provisions perched on her knee, celebrating its successful long-distance delivery. How did it manage to find her over such a distance?
Elena's eyes lit up as she hugged Provisions and planted a kiss on its head.
"Provisions, I adore you!"
To Elena, magical world owls were more than messengers and delicious meat; they held vast potential for various uses.
In reality, serving as a crucial link between the magical and non-magical worlds, owls used as postal carriers, in a broader sense, could be considered magical creatures. Although lacking inherent magical abilities, they could sense magic and navigate certain magically concealed areas.
Unless intentionally hidden or interfered with by wizards, owls consistently delivered mail to the intended recipient. Hence, in a way, magical owls could be used as pathfinders or even trackers in the wizarding world.
Clutching Provisions, Elena traversed through ordinary streets, passing by a bookstore, a record shop, a hamburger joint, a cinema, and finally arrived between a large bookstore and another record shop. Sandwiched between them was a dingy, small bar. Passersby paid it no mind, as if they couldn't see it at all.
"Provisions, good work. But, hm, this letter doesn't need to be delivered."
Watching the owl enthusiastically trying to fly into the bar while holding a piece of paper in its beak, Elena smiled and retrieved the paper. It read: "London - Leaky Cauldron - Tom Abbott."
Elena's memory of the Leaky Cauldron's owner's name was thanks to the multitude of Harry Potter fanfiction writers who tirelessly mentioned (or rather copied from the books) a character named Hannah Abbott. Elena had even searched for details about the "Ironclad Hannah" to obtain this obscure bit of information. (For more details, click here.)
Otherwise, her last resort would have been sending Provisions with Galleons to guide her to Gringotts' goblin, Galwicks. However, this action would undoubtedly cause unpredictable consequences for her plans.
Shaking her head, Elena didn't hesitate further. She pushed open the Leaky Cauldron's door and walked in.
Contrary to the deserted exterior, the interior was bustling and noisy. For wizards busy all day, sitting down for a drink was quite a pleasure. In the dark and dirty space, Tom Abbott, a nearly bald and walnut-like figure, energetically attended to the guests.
No one noticed the young girl entering, and Elena was content with that. She walked straight past the bar, entering a walled courtyard. Besides a trash can and some weeds, there was nothing else.
The silver-haired girl tilted her head up, counting, "From the top brick above the trash can, three bricks up, then two across — that should be it."
Initially, she was worried about this primitive counting method's accuracy. But the moment she looked up, she realized one brick in that area seemed significantly less worn than the others, almost as if it was frequently touched or tapped.
"One, two, three..."
Elena propped her two books under her feet, stood on tiptoes, leaned against the wall, and lightly tapped the brick three times. Then, anxiously, she watched the wall.
The brick she tapped suddenly trembled and started to move, revealing a small hole that rapidly expanded into a broad archway leading to a winding cobblestone street with no visible end.
"Phew, finally here. The most important New Year's goal: getting taller."
Elena sighed with relief, a joyful expression on her face. With her left hand holding the books,
and the right one tucking Provisions on her shoulder, leaving just its small head visible, she hurriedly ran inside.
"Hope Gringotts is open 24 hours..."
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