World Men à la Mode

Chapter Thirty-two - London

        Oh, how you loathed the sound of your cellphone's alarm clock in the morning. Given that it was only four-thirty in the morning, the noise sounded even more obnoxious. Amilia once again had beaten you to the shower, not that you minded this morning. You took your turn in the bathroom and readied yourself for the day. The two of you were packed and down in the lobby by five with the rest of your friends and the two boys. Once boarded on the bus, you headed off to the train station to board the Eurostar. You got through security okay, except for the rude British Customs officer you had to deal with to get to your platform.

        The second downside, the first being that officer, was that your train was delayed not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times in a row due to electrical issues. By the time you got on the train, it was nearly nine o'clock. The only upside to the morning was that Francis was coming with for the ride to London, saying he was going to visit a friend for a few days in the next town over. You sat with Samantha for the ride and decided on taking a nap. Samantha was kind enough to wake you a few minutes before the train arrived in London at St. Pancras Station, which housed King's Cross and the famous Platform 9 ¾ from the Harry Potter series.

        Your local tour guide for London wasn't there with the bus yet, courtesy of Alfred texting him and letting him know that you would be late on account of the Eurostar delays. So, Alfred gave the group free reign of the area, saying you could grab a snack at the convenience store in the station or check out Platform 9 ¾ and the gift shop located next to it. You opted to do both, going off with Valerie, who was a huge fan of the book and movie series, and Lily, who just wanted to walk around and stretch her legs. Francis and Alfred tagged along for shits and giggles.

        Your first stop was the convenience store near the exit of the building. You felt a tickle forming in the back of your throat, letting you know that you were possibly about to contract a cold. You grabbed some cough drops that were roughly fifty pence each for a pack of ten, cold medicine, and tea just in case you really did catch a cold. You also grabbed a quick snack, as did the rest of your small group before heading over to Platform 9 ¾.

        To say the area was crowded was an understatement. There were people pressed together in tight lines to have their picture taken with a cart that was halfway into the wall with luggage on it. People that were at the front were choosing the appropriate scarf with the colors representing their houses to get their picture taken with. The gift shop wasn't much better in terms of crowds either, but you did end up buying a Niffler plushie for your cousin and a wand made out of chocolate for yourself.

        Time passed by quickly, leading tup you returning to where the convenience store was to regroup with the remainder of your friends. In the meeting spot, there was an additional man with short blond hair and quite possibly the thickest eyebrows you had ever seen. His eyes were a vibrant lime green, and he was fair skinned. He hand on a pair of dark green cargo shorts with a t-shirt of the same color to match. He wore a simple pair of black sneakers with ankle high white socks. He opened his mouth the speak, but he caught sight of Francis first, who happened to be waving at him.

        "You! What in the bloody hell are you doing here?!"

        "Well, I just finished touring these lovely ladies around Paris, and I wanted the visit Lucille since I heard she was nearby."

        The man with the eyebrows rolled his eyes. "What makes you so sure she wants to see you?"

        "We group up together! I practically helped raise her!"

        "Doesn't mean she'd want to see you. Just look at my relationship with my brothers. Allistor helped raise me, but he can't stand me half the time." He turned to you with a point look. "He hasn't been harassing you and your group while you were in his territory, right?"