Once they were alone in the car on the way to the Leaky Cauldron, Maverick finally asked Isabella what their mothers had been talking about.

Everything! Isabella's mother had spilled all the beans, with Isabella stuck sitting awkwardly between them. Maverick thought that if it were him, he would have no problem faking a faint to get out of it.

He was glad to hear that his mom was okay with their relationship.

Her only worry had been that Isabella was still in school, but after Silvia patiently explained how things worked in the wizarding world, she had come around.

"What?" Isabella asked, glancing sideways at Maverick, who was at the wheel with a silly grin on his face.

Maverick scratched his nose. "Nothing... bet you were really embarrassed," he said with a chuckle.

Isabella rolled her eyes and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Of course I was! If I'd known, I would've gone with you to meet your No-Maj queen," She said, looking at him with an expression, clearly plotting some payback for leaving her alone.

"Right, right…" Maverick nodded, still laughing. "Next time, I'll make sure to take you."

They talked more, and before it was four o'clock, they reached Charing Cross Road and parked the car near the Leaky Cauldron.

Maverick noticed Isabella was slowly returning to her usual relaxed tone with him, which he was glad for. He really didn't want her being awkward around him all the time. It was her straightforwardness that had attracted him in the first place—well, that and the fact that she looked gorgeous.

"What a weird way to enter the center of magical Britain..." Isabella couldn't help but comment, standing next to Maverick in front of the worn-out looking pub.

Maverick chuckled softly. "For centuries, Muggle-borns have used this place as a gateway— their first glimpse into the magical world." He glanced at Isabella with a small smile. "It may look old, but it holds countless stories."

Isabella shot him a sideways glance, raising an eyebrow. "You sound like an old man."

He laughed, raising his hands. "Hey, I read it in a book!" With that, he pushed the creaky door open and gestured for her to follow. "Come on, let's go."

Chime, chime.

With the soft sound of bells, Maverick and Isabella stepped inside. It looked the same. It felt the same. Even the customers seemed the same, sitting at their usual spots, murmuring over drinks or flipping through copies of the Daily Prophet.

Maverick let out a nostalgic sigh. Just then, a familiar voice called out from near the bar.

"Well, well, if it isn't a familiar face! Back from your trip abroad?"

Looking ahead, Maverick spotted Tom behind the bar, his usual friendly tone matched with his ever-odd appearance.

Next to him was a little blonde girl, reading a book that rested on the counter. She was probably sitting on a tall stool, her head barely reaching above the surface as she focused on the pages.

Maverick walked up to the counter, with Isabella close behind. As they passed the long tables, a few customers glanced their way. Maverick barely noticed—he was used to the curious stares by now. Isabella, however, didn't spare them a second glance and completely ignored the attention.

"Mr. Tom, it's been a while! Good to see you," Maverick greeted.

Tom returned the greeting with his usual wide grin. To anyone else, it might seem a little creepy, but Maverick knew it was sincere.

Maverick glanced at Isabella, a small smile on his face.

"Bella, this is Mr. Tom, the landlord of this place," he said, then turned to Tom. "Mr. Tom, this is Isabella, my girlfriend..."

Isabella blushed slightly, but only for a moment. She gave a polite little bow. "Pleasure to meet you, sir..."

"Girlfriend, you say..." Tom said, grinning even wider, making Maverick sigh.

Just then...

"Wow... your hair is so beautiful..." A new voice suddenly interrupted, making all three of them glance toward it.

The little blonde girl, who had been completely lost in her book, was now staring at Isabella with wide, admiring eyes.

"Ah..." Tom made a small sound and gestured to the girl. "This is my granddaughter, Hanna," he said with a wide smile. "She likes to visit during her Muggle school holidays..."

Hanna, still staring at Isabella, blinked and quickly looked down at her book, her cheeks turning a shade of pink.

"Why, thank you, Hanna..." Isabella smiled warmly. "Yours is beautiful, too..."

Hanna gave a shy smile, her eyes flicking back to her book, though she clearly looked happy.

Maverick watched the girl, and his memories stirred. Future wife of Neville... he thought inwardly, but kept it to himself. He didn't want to say or do anything that might change the plot—not until he was absolutely confident in his own strength.

"Hello..." Maverick spoke up, drawing the girl's attention. Hanna slowly raised her head, shyly thanked Isabella, and then glanced at Maverick.

"Your grandfather is one of the kindest people I know. You're very lucky."

Maverick's words made Hanna smile widely, and her awkwardness disappeared instantly.

Tom chuckled, his grin widening. "That's very kind of you to say, young Maverick."

Maverick returned the smile, though his brow twitched slightly at the next question.

"Here to book a room?" Tom winked, his wide grin in place. No matter how playful the gesture was meant to be, it always came off as a bit creepy when it came from Tom.

"Diagon Alley!" Maverick replied quickly. "Isabella's an American witch... I'm giving her a tour."

"Right, right. Well, you go ahead. Have a good time," Tom said, gesturing with his hand, his grin never fading.

Maverick nodded and glanced at Isabella. "Come on, let's go..."

They both gave Hanna a friendly smile once more before walking away.

Maverick led Isabella out to the back of the pub, into the empty courtyard.

"What's this place...?" Isabella asked, eyeing the brick walls and the couple of barrels scattered in the very empty courtyard.

Maverick chuckled, walking up to the front wall and pulling out his wand. "Watch..."

Just as he was about to tap the wall, a voice called from outside.

"Just a moment, please..."

The voice carried a heavy British accent. Maverick and Isabella turned to see a middle-aged woman entering the courtyard. She wore a green robe and a pointy hat, her outfit practically shouting, I'm a witch.

"Thank you..." the woman said before turning around and gesturing with her hand. "Hurry up. The sun won't wait all day."

A moment later, another figure stepped through the door—a little girl dressed in normal Muggle clothing.

The woman turned back to Maverick and Isabella. "Thank you," she said with a polite smile.

Maverick smiled back. "It's nothing..." He turned again, raising his wand.

As he tapped the wall in a circular pattern, the woman took a good look at Maverick and Isabella.

When he finished, Maverick glanced at Isabella, curious to see her reaction.

The bricks began to twist and shift, rearranging themselves into an arched entrance. To his disappointment, there was no amazement on Isabella's face.

She simply raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "What?... You do realize I'm a witch, right? Long before—"

"Ahaha..." Maverick laughed nervously, cutting her off. He should have expected this lack of surprise from Isabella. But he couldn't help it—he had been blown away the first time he saw the magic.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

However, the little girl who had come with the woman looked utterly awestruck. "Brilliant!" she exclaimed, her wide eyes glued to the entrance.

The three of them glanced at her, amused.

"Well, yes... welcome to Diagon Alley," the woman said to the girl with a warm smile. "The heart of magical Britain."

She then turned to Maverick and Isabella. "Are you both foreigners?"

"I am. He's not," Isabella answered quickly, pointing to Maverick before he could speak.

"A British Muggle?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow at Maverick.

Scratching his head, Maverick let out a small pulse of suppressed magic, just enough to dispel any doubts.

The woman's eyes widened in shock. "Such precise magical energy manipulation... I've never heard of someone so young at the Great Magus rank!"

Maverick instantly regretted his decision.

Seeing his reaction, the woman softened, realizing she might have overstepped. "Ah, forgive me. I never meant to pry, young man."

Maverick quickly waved his hand, brushing it off. "It's fine. I'm no Great Magus. Just a little better at concealing my magic..." he explained, thinking quickly of a plausible reason. He had no intention of revealing his advanced ability in magical energy manipulation to anyone outside his circle just yet.

'A little?' the woman thought, doubtful. She wasn't sure even she could suppress her magic with such ease.

From what she could sense, even with just magic suppression, Maverick's control over Magical Energy Manipulation was at least as good as hers.

But in the end, she decided not to press the matter. Prying into someone else's magic, in her view, was very rude, and she wasn't the type to do that.

Quickly brushing off her curiosity, she gave a small smile and said, "I'm Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Gesturing toward the little girl beside her, she added, "This is Skyler Woodly, one of our new first-years starting this term."

This time, it was Maverick's turn to be surprised; her youthful appearance momentarily threw him off guard.

He had read that McGonagall was one of the elite Great-Mages of Britain, and unlike in the Harry Potter books, witches and wizards had longer lifespans the higher their rank.

Even Mr. Scamander, nearing a hundred, only had white hair but looked far younger and healthier than anyone his age should, he thought inwardly.

Maverick blinked, quickly recovering from his brief startle, then returned the greeting. "I'm Maverick Caesar, and this is Isabella," he said, motioning to her. "She's an American witch visiting London for the first time, and I'm just showing her around the magical side of Britain."

"It's nice to meet you," McGonagall said, nodding and smiling at Maverick and Isabella. "Let's head inside while the sun is still up."

Maverick nodded, gave Isabella a quick glance, and then walked in.

After half a year, he was back. The bustling shops, the chatter of witches and wizards, and the scent of magical potions filled the air, and the alley still buzzed with its familiar, vibrant energy.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Maverick said with a smile, giving Isabella a quick glance.

"If you're showing her around, you're welcome to join us," McGonagall offered. "I'm here to help young Skyler gather her supplies, so we'll be visiting all the important spots."

Maverick figured she probably just wanted to know more about them—or more specifically, about him. He thought about it for a moment, then decided it wouldn't hurt. McGonagall seemed like a good person, at least from what he remembered of her.

He glanced at Isabella first to make sure she was okay with it, and to his surprise, she was already nodding. He chuckled and replied, "Sure, ma'm. Thank you."

"Call me Professor McGonagall," she said with a smile.

"So, Professor," Isabella said as they started walking, "can you tell me a bit about Hogwarts? I've only heard bits and pieces from my Ilvermorny teachers and my dad."

McGonagall's smile grew. "Of course," she replied, leading the way with Maverick and Isabella on one side and Skyler on the other.

By the time McGonagall had finished briefing them on the Sorting and the Houses, they had neared Gringotts Bank.

"Speaking of," McGonagall glanced at Maverick. "You say you're a British wizard, but I've never seen you at Hogwarts..." She paused, then added, "Of course, if it's not convenient to answer—"

"It's alright, Professor," Maverick interrupted, gesturing with his hands. "I am indeed a British wizard. But I took my exams at Ilvermorny. Just finished my NEWTs not too long ago," he answered vaguely, not revealing too much.

"NEWTs, really? How did you do? I'm curious," McGonagall asked, raising an eyebrow.

Maverick thought for a moment and decided to answer truthfully. Since his future plans involved Hogwarts, outright lying to the vice principal didn't seem like a good idea.

"Hmm... perfect in Transfiguration, Charms, and DADA. Excellent in Alchemy and Potions."

McGonagall's eyes widened. "Perfect in Transfiguration? That's the Outstanding grade in Britain... Achieving the very best in Transfiguration on the NEWTs is extremely rare." Her voice held genuine surprise before shifting to a more regretful tone. "Now I'm jealous that Ilvermorny managed to snatch up such an outstanding student right from under our noses."

Maverick scratched his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. He hadn't realized that a perfect score in Transfiguration on the NEWTs was so rare. He probably should've downplayed his Transfiguration grade, like he had with Alchemy and Potions, he thought.. But what was done was done.

They reached the door to Gringotts, and McGonagall glanced at Skyler. "Come, my dear. Let's go exchange the pounds your father gave for galleons." She then looked at Isabella and Maverick. "Will you both be coming?"

Maverick glanced at Isabella.

"We have a branch in America, so we'll wait outside," she replied, glancing over at a clothing store nearby. "We'll be over there." She pointed to the shop.

McGonagall nodded. "We'll see you both in a moment then..." She smiled at them before leading Skyler into the bank.

After they entered, Maverick turned to Isabella. "I didn't know you were so interested in Hogwarts."

Isabella smiled at him. "Who wouldn't be? It's considered the oldest wizarding school in the world, and she's the vice-dean."

Maverick chuckled. "True. That's what they say in the books. And it really does sound impressive." He raised his elbow toward her and winked. "Shall we?"

Isabella glanced at his elbow, confused for a moment. Then, understanding, she blushed and slowly linked her arm with his.

The couple began walking slowly toward the shop, enjoying the quiet moment. Maverick couldn't help but chuckle, which only made Isabella more embarrassed.

"Come on... I'm still me, Bella," Maverick said, trying to ease her tension. It worked, and she gradually relaxed, letting go of her awkwardness.

"I know," she muttered, embracing his arm a little tighter.

A short walk later, they reached the shop with the sign that read Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Come on, I want to see the difference in British magical fashion," Isabella said, dragging Maverick inside.

—————————

Author's Note:

Just a quick update — up to Chapter 69 is already available on P AT r30n!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic