Chapter 172 Meeting at the Break the Dead Bar

Chapter 172 Meeting at the Break the Dead Bar

Henry glanced around but didn't see the Weasleys' red hair.

He walked over to the bar, where Tom was wiping glasses. Tom's eyes lit up when he saw him.

"Your Highness! It's been a long time!"

"Hello, Tom," Henry said with a smile. "I'm here to wait for someone."

Tom said warmly, "Please have a seat. What would you like to drink? It's on me!"

"A glass of pumpkin juice will do."

Tom quickly brought over a glass of pumpkin juice, along with a small plate of cookies.

Those cookies were homemade; they looked a bit hard, but they tasted pretty good.

Henry, carrying his pumpkin juice, sat down by the window.

Outside the window was a narrow alley, where several children were chasing and playing, their laughter carrying the lively atmosphere of the Muggle world.

He took a sip of pumpkin juice and looked out the window.

The windows of the Leaky Cauldron face that alley, and beyond that alley is Diagon Alley.

He remembered the first time he came here, with his parents.

At that time, my father was full of curiosity about the magical world, while my mother was a little nervous and held his hand the whole time.

Back then, he wasn't quite used to the wonders of the magical world, but now he's as familiar with it as if it were his second home.

Just then, a commotion erupted at the door.

I told you we should use Floo Powder, but you insisted on driving.

"What's wrong with driving? Driving is cool!"

"Cool? You almost bumped into Big Ben last time!"

"That was an accident!"

"Last time we almost bumped into the London Eye!"

"That was an accident!"

"And what about that near-crash into the church steeple?"

"Uh—it was still an accident."

Several red-haired people poured into the bar, led by Mrs. Weasley, who wore a deep purple robe, her hair neatly combed, and her smile warm and welcoming. She carried a large basket filled with items, seemingly for shopping.

Behind her followed Mr. Weasley, a thin man with a gentle smile on his face, carrying a worn briefcase covered with all sorts of strange stickers—presumably samples he had collected from the Muggle Misuse Control Office.

Behind them were George and Fred, their arms around each other, arguing heatedly about something.

George's hair was a little messy, and Fred's robe had a stain on it; the two looked like they had just escaped from some kind of prank.

Next up was Ron, whose hair was even redder than when we last met, looking like a burning flame in the sunlight.

He was holding a bag of honey candy and was putting it into his mouth.

Next to him was Harry, dressed in ordinary Muggle clothes, but he looked much more energetic than when he was at the Dursleys' house.

His face was rosy, his eyes were shining, and he kept smiling foolishly.

At the very back was a little girl with brown hair and bright, sparkling eyes, who kept secretly watching Harry.

Her face flushed slightly, and every time Harry turned around to speak, she immediately lowered her head, pretending to look at the floor.

It's Ginny.

Hermione isn't here; her parents will probably bring her over directly.

"Your Highness!" Ron was the first to see Henry, waving and calling out, "Over here! Over here!"

His mouth was still stuffed with candy, and his speech was slurred, but everyone could see his excitement.

Mrs. Weasley followed his gaze and her eyes lit up when she saw Henry.

"You're Henry?" She strode over, looking him up and down. "My God, Ron was right, you're really handsome!"

She reached out and warmly grasped Henry's hand.

"I'm Molly Weasley, Ron's mother. Ron mentioned you in his letter, saying how well you looked after him at school and how much you helped Harry—I've always wanted to thank you in person!"

Henry smiled and nodded.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley laughed even harder.

"Oh my, what a handsome boy! Much better looking than in the newspapers! Good skin, tall, and speaks so politely—Ron, look at him, learn from him!"

Ron rolled his eyes.

"mom----"

Mr. Weasley also came over and shook hands with Henry.

“Arthur Weasley,” he said gently, “I’ve heard so much about you, Your Highness. Ron told us everything about what happened at school. I’ve also heard about the sanctuary—well done!”

"Just call me Henry," Henry said.

Mr. Weasley nodded, his gaze filled with curiosity and admiration.

"Well, Henry. I'm particularly interested in your protected area. Charlie told me that the facilities there are built to the highest standards, and Newt Scamander is personally overseeing it—I read his books when I was young and idolized him!"

George and Fred also came over.

"Your Highness!" George said mysteriously, "We've improved that Dragonwing One; we added two wings, and now it flies much more steadily! Next time you visit the Burrow, we'll show it to you!"

Fred added, "And that 'half-invisibility' issue, we're almost done! Once the full invisibility is working, His Highness Prince Philip will be able to fly in his Rolls-Royce!"

Henry smiled and said, "My grandfather will be very happy. He's been talking about you guys lately."

""

George and Fred exchanged a glance, both revealing expressions of "we've struck it rich."

"Really? What did Your Highness say?"

"He said you two are quite interesting, and he'll take you to Buckingham Palace next time," Henry said with a smile.

George and Fred's eyes lit up even more, while Ron rolled his eyes.

"They're constantly talking about when His Highness Prince Philip will invite them, and I'm sick of it. They were saying it at dinner yesterday, when I woke up this morning, and just now in the car—Mom, aren't you going to do anything about them!"

Mrs. Weasley glared at George and Fred.

"You two behave yourselves! Stop bothering His Highness!"

George and Fred immediately stood up straight, looking completely innocent.

"We are very honest."

"Yes, we are the most honest."

Mrs. Weasley laughed in exasperation.

Percy then stepped forward and greeted Henry very formally, giving Henry the illusion that—

It feels pretty much the same as dealing with those civil servants?

Harry walked up to Henry, looking very happy and relaxed.

"You know what? Ron's mom made roast chicken yesterday. I ate three drumsticks, and Ron ate four."

Ron muttered from the side, "That's because you grabbed the biggest one first."

"You grabbed it first."

"You're talking nonsense!"

The two started bickering again, but they both had smiles on their faces.

Ginny stood to the side, secretly glancing at Henry, then at Harry, her face growing increasingly red.

Henry noticed her gaze and smiled at her.

"Hello there."

Ginny's face flushed instantly. She lowered her head and whispered, "Y--hello."

George chimed in from the side, "Ginny, you're blushing!"

Ginny immediately looked up and glared at him.

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