Chapter 61 Job Hunting in Diagon Alley

Ada arrived at Charing Cross Street when it was completely dark. This street full of bookstores, bars, and restaurants is very famous in the Muggle world. People who love detective stories will like to go to Baker Street. Those who love reading books People will choose this place and go to No. 84 Charing Cross Street.

Ada has never seen "84 Charing Cross Street", so naturally she will not understand the warmth and touching feeling of "we have been together for twenty years, but we are thousands of miles apart".

She came here just because the Leaky Cauldron is here, located on Charing Cross Street, but its real address is London's oldest pub at 1 Diagon Alley.

The old sign at the door seems to be telling its history to passing wizards. It is said that this bar was established in the early 16th century. It has experienced many ups and downs along the way, and has also witnessed the rise and fall of the magical world over hundreds of years.

Its most difficult period was probably when the Leaky Cauldron was nearly razed to the ground during Muggle planning for the place in the 19th century. The wizards spontaneously protected the place, and the bar survived the new plan.

Some people say that wizards cast a lot of forgetting spells to make Muggles ignore the location of the bar, so they avoided the bar when planning. Some people also say that wizards used the Imperius Curse to control the designers, allowing them to leave such a blank when planning.

But no matter which method was used, the Leaky Cauldron remained, leaving a place for subsequent wizards to rest.

Inside the small and dark bar, there were still a few customers who had not left. They were drinking and chatting and did not notice the little witch who walked in.

The bar owner Tom, who was skinny and with all his teeth missing, was standing at the bar wiping glasses. He heard the bell at the door and looked over.

"I remember you. You came to Diagon Alley with Professor McGonagall when Hogwarts started." Tom looked at Ada and said, "But why are you here at this time?"

People come and go in the bar every day. Tom shouldn't have any impression of a little witch like Ada, but she came with Professor McGonagall, and Professor McGonagall took good care of her, so Tom I have some impression of her.

"School is on holiday." Ada walked to the bar, "I need a room."

"You should go home, your family will be worried." Tom didn't understand Ada's situation. He didn't even know Ada's name.

Ada took out the money bag from her pocket and said: "For some personal reasons, I need to live here temporarily, and I will pay for it."

"Okay, what kind of room do you need?" Tom did not continue to ask. He opened the door just for business. There is no rule against underage wizards in the Leaky Cauldron.

"The cheapest one is fine."

Tom took out an account book from the bar and said, "Let's register it."

"Esmeralda Drizzt." Ada gave Tom her name.

"Come with me." After registering, the boss Tom walked out from the bar. He picked up Ada's suitcase and led the way.

Tom took Ada to the second floor through a beautiful wooden staircase, and the two of them walked to the innermost room.

Tom opened the door to the room, and Ada unexpectedly saw a neat and comfortable guest room, which was in sharp contrast to the dim and shabby room downstairs.

Although the room was small, the oak furniture was polished and the bed looked very comfortable. What made Ada most happy was that this room actually had a small window.

"This is the cheapest room. I can also give you an extra breakfast, which of course only has jam and bread." said Tom, standing at the door of the room.

"Thank you for your generosity, I'm very happy here."

Tom bowed to Ada, then exited the room, closing the door when he left.

After running around in London for a day, Ada was already very tired. After changing her clothes, she planned to go to bed directly. The wand was kept under the pillow by Ada. If there was any emergency, she could get it directly.

Ada, who was lying in bed, did not fall asleep quickly. She had to think about her vacation. Since she was not going to go to Surrey to join Lady Mary, she had to support herself.

Living and dining in the Leaky Cauldron every day was a big expense. Ada couldn't just go in and out, otherwise she would end up living on the streets. She now regretted handing over the small bag of galleons.

I have no choice but to work. I will go to Diagon Alley tomorrow to see if I can find a job! Ada thought.

The next day, Ada went downstairs early. It was still early and there were not many customers in the bar. Ada chose a table closer to the bar and sat down.

While her hands were spreading jam on toast, Ada was thinking about how she would apply for a job in Diagon Alley later.

"Why isn't Dave here?" a waiter in the bar whispered.

"I heard he is hospitalized. Should we go to St. Mungo's to see him tonight?" another person replied.

"What happened to him? Another curse experiment?"

"Yes, his experiment failed and caused an explosion..."

"I hope you're okay," the waiter said at the beginning.

Most of the magic spells used in the magic world today are passed down from the past. If anyone can invent a magic spell, it means that he will become famous and the Sir Merlin Order will wave to him.

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Magical Injuries treats many people like Dave every year, but for many more people their whole bodies are never found.

Although the process of magic experiments is full of dangers, many people still flock to it. Some of them may have lofty ideals and want to benefit wizards, but more people still want to become famous overnight.

Ada didn't pay attention to the discussion among the waiters. There were many wizards in the wizarding world doing all kinds of weird experiments. It was normal for the waiters in the Leaky Cauldron to do magic experiments. Hogwarts The gamekeeper is still doing biological experiments!

After eating the bread in her hand, Ada entered Diagon Alley through the brick wall of the small patio.

Diagon Alley is the most prosperous commercial street in the British wizarding world. Many first-line brand stores in the wizarding world have "flagship stores" here. As stores open one after another, land space here is becoming increasingly scarce and land prices are increasing day by day, but merchants are still making a lot of money.

Ada first went to Patchi's Crucible Shop, which was the first store she saw when entering Diagon Alley from the bar. This store sold crucibles of various types and materials, but there was no shortage of people in the store. Ada couldn't find it here. Work.

Ada was not discouraged. She went from store to store in Diagon Alley and asked, feeling that she could definitely find a part-time job.

So a strange phenomenon occurred in Diagon Alley today. People who shop here can always see a little wizard coming in and out of various shops.

"Sir, are you hiring here? I can handle potion materials, and I can also sell goods..." This is in a potion store. Ada is still very knowledgeable about potions, but the boss here also did not admit Ada.

Florin Cold Drink Shop, "...Do you need a waiter here? I have work experience..."

"Mrs. Malkin, are you recruiting people here? I can do anything, and I have a good image, which can be used for publicity..." In Mrs. Malkin's robe store, Ada tried to persuade Mrs. Malkin, but Mrs. Malkin tactfully said Persuaded to leave Ada.

Ada went to the Eela Owl Store, the Magic Joke Store, the second-hand store, and the stationery store, but failed to find a job.

During today's application process, the pudgy Mrs. Malkin had the best attitude towards Ada. The shop owners either had no intention of hiring anyone, or they wanted to hire an adult wizard. Ada didn't even have an O.W.Ls certificate. It's really hard for a thirteen-year-old wizard to find a job.

She wandered around Diagon Alley for a day and only found a job at Flourish and Blotts Bookstore. The owner of the bookstore was signing a sign. He needed to hire a deputy store manager and several store assistants. He hoped that the men and witches who came to apply for the job would be good at stabilizing themselves. situation.

Ada didn't expect a high-paying deputy store manager position. She could only work here for two months, and no one would want to hire such a deputy store manager. Her goal was to be a store assistant.

Flourish and Blott Bookstore often holds temporary events such as book signings. The scene is always chaotic when these activities are held, so the bookstore owner needs someone to maintain order at the scene.

However, Ada cannot use magic openly and she is young, so this kind of job is not suitable for her. The bookstore owner did not ask Ada to be the assistant in the store, but asked Ada to be responsible for processing owl orders.

Flourish and Blotts accepts mail-in orders for books and also accepts advance reservations for large orders that are in high demand. All Ada needs to do is process these orders with other employees, but Ada's salary is lower than them.

Fortunately, Ada found this job. If Flourish and Blotts Bookstore hadn't provided this job, Ada would have wanted to go to Knockturn Alley. If Professor McGonagall found out about this, she would probably rip off Ada's skin. .