Chapter 71: 71: A Holiday in Diagon Alley

The door of the Leaky Cauldron swung open with a loud clank. Inside, the usual crowd of elderly witches gossiping at their tables barely spared a glance. Upon seeing it was just a young, pretty witch, they promptly lost interest. Behind the counter, Tom, the bartender, was polishing glasses. He looked up briefly. "Good morning, Miss Chang. Just you today?" "No, I'm not alone. I'm meeting Nolan!" Cho Chang's breath hitched with excitement as she scanned the bar. When she saw no sign of Nolan, she sighed in relief. "Merlin's beard, I hope I'm not late. Mum caught me before I left and kept me talking. I had to run two blocks just to catch the bus. I must look a mess..." Tom kindly slid a glass of butterbeer toward her and resumed wiping his glass. "You look splendid, Miss Chang." Cho pulled out a small mirror, inspecting herself from every angle. Her fingers quickly smoothed out her bangs—no way was she going to take Tom's word for it. Wizards, after all, weren't exactly known for their fashion sense. Compliments on appearance? Questionable at best. "Thanks, Uncle Tom." Satisfied with her reflection, Cho took a sip of butterbeer, feeling a little giddy. It had been over a month since she last saw Nolan. Sure, she had sent him letters throughout the summer, but his replies were sparse, and when he did write back, it was rarely more than a few words. Frustrating as it was, today would be different. Today was their first date. Her first date. Cho was certain—Nolan, for all his intelligence, was just as hopeless at this sort of thing. Sharing their firsts... it made the whole thing feel a little more special. "Uncle Tom, has Nolan been by Diagon Alley this summer?" she asked casually. "Nolan? Oh, you mean Mr. Von Draugr... Yes, he stopped by once. Early this month. He was with Hagrid." "With Hagrid? That giant? That's... odd for Nolan." Cho frowned. "I always wonder, Uncle Tom—how do you remember so many people? Feels like you know half the wizards in Britain." Tom grinned, his crooked teeth gleaming. "To understand that, you'd need more than just a sharp mind, young lady. A few drops of memory potion here and there don't hurt either. When you're in my line of work, you hear enough gossip to fill a book. Might as well put some of it to use." His grin, though far from attractive, was oddly endearing. At that moment, the door creaked open again. Cho's heart skipped. Nolan? She turned eagerly, but her excitement evaporated the second she saw who it was. "Oh. Eve," Cho muttered, masking her disappointment with a forced indifference. "Nice to see you." She didn't sound nice at all. A girl with striking green eyes and dark, cascading hair stepped inside, boots clicking softly against the floor. "Oh. It's you..." Eve Stock blinked in surprise. Her lips curled into a polite, if slightly guarded, smile. "Didn't expect to run into you here, Chang." Once, the two had been friendly enough. Eve was one of the first people Cho had met on the Hogwarts Express. But things had shifted since Nolan entered the picture. Now, their interactions carried the unmistakable weight of rivalry. Cho glanced at Eve out of the corner of her eye, sensing a subtle change in the other girl. Something was... different. Had she grown taller? Or perhaps it was the sharper definition in her features, the quiet maturity that had settled in. Eve no longer looked like the shy, soft-spoken first-year from last term. There was a certain confidence to her now—cool, distant, and composed. In contrast, Cho herself had changed too. Gone was the tomboyish streak that lingered throughout her first year at Hogwarts. She wore a Muggle sundress today, light and flowing, her long black hair straightened to perfection. Even the stubborn ponytail she usually sported had been let down. She had taken great care to look her best, and Eve had noticed. Eve's gaze flickered briefly over Cho's outfit before returning to her eyes. Cho lifted her chin slightly, daring Eve to say something. Eve said nothing. But the tension in the air thickened nonetheless. The two exchanged awkward greetings before silently retreating to opposite corners of the pub—Cho took a seat in the northeast corner, Eve in the southwest. Cho's eyes lingered on Eve, who had just pulled out a small mirror, fussing over her unruly silver hair. Her slender fingers worked swiftly to smooth out the flyaways, but Cho could see the faint frustration in Eve's brow. For a brief moment, something flickered in Cho's gaze—thoughtful, calculating. Then, as quickly as it came, it was gone. She sipped her butterbeer, deep in thought. Whatever was brewing in her mind remained a mystery to the rest of the pub. By the time Cho's drink was nearly finished, Nolan arrived. Tom offered him a glass of something, but Nolan declined with a polite shake of his head. His gaze swept across the room, first landing on Cho, then on Eve. "Good. You're both here," Nolan said, his voice cool as ever. "I've heard Muggle Brits dislike being punctual. Clearly, neither of you share that habit." "We?" Cho's eyes narrowed. Something didn't feel right. Eve opened her mouth, an uneasy smile tugging at her lips. It barely lasted before she gave up. Nolan's attention wasn't on her. Nolan's tone softened, as if explaining the obvious. "Yes. You both invited me to Diagon Alley today—on the same day, at the same time. It made sense for us to come together." His gaze flicked to the pub's clock. "It's 9:40. I'm not late." Cho's smile stretched thin, but not in a good way. The agreed-upon time had indeed been 9:40, but Nolan's understanding of punctuality... felt different from normal people's. Still, that wasn't what bothered her most. It was Eve. The girl now standing uncomfortably close to Nolan, as if waiting for something—anything—to be said. "She's coming with us?" Cho's tone dropped, edged with something sharp. "Nolan, I thought you understood... I asked you out on a date." "I did understand," Nolan replied smoothly. He plucked a few Sickles from his pocket, casually tossing them onto the counter to cover both girls' drinks—along with a few extra Knuts for Tom. "Thanks for looking after them, Tom," he added lightly. "We're heading to Diagon Alley now." And just like that, Nolan turned toward the back courtyard, Eve trailing close behind. Cho puffed her cheeks in frustration. She huffed loudly, leaning on the bar with an exaggerated sigh. "I really don't understand him..." As the three young wizards disappeared into the alley behind the pub, Tom glanced at the now-empty room. The stillness settled back in like dust. He chuckled to himself, resuming his glass-polishing. "Brave lad," Tom muttered. "Hope he doesn't get cursed to death by one of his witches someday." ... "There are only two new books this year." Nolan's eyes scanned his supply list as they wandered through Flourish and Blotts. He tapped the parchment thoughtfully. "Last year's 'Dark Arts: A Self-Defense Guide' went unused. Felicia didn't bother teaching from it. I'm not sure she could even understand the material herself. This year it's finally required, but..." Nolan tilted the list toward Eve. "I doubt it's worth much. The entire section on werewolves boiled down to one useful line: Avoid them." He raised an eyebrow. "Brilliant advice." Eve stifled a giggle, leaning closer to him. "Maybe most of the textbooks just aren't that helpful to you," she teased, peering over his shoulder to double-check the list. Her cheek was almost brushing his arm as she scanned the titles. Truth be told, Eve felt lucky she could continue attending Hogwarts at all. Before leaving that morning, her mother had slipped her a pouch of coins—more than usual. Eve recognized the gesture for what it was. It was her mother's hidden savings, carefully stashed away over the time. Eve knew better than to spend it frivolously. She made sure to choose only the essentials.