June, 1971
The water droplets fell like they simply could not think of anything better to do. There was a laziness about them, as if they could barely be bothered to conform to the will of gravity. When Tala held her bare arm out of the terraced home window, the droplets that splattered on her outstretched fingers were made all the dryer by reading in front of the fireplace. They were large and cold, not like the soft droplets of rain from back home at all. Tala tilted her fingers upwards and watched the remnants of the drops run downwards like tiny rivers. On the sidewalk ahead the uneven slabs had a rainbow sheen - all that was left of a kids game of hopscotch. The outline was still there, a ghostly shadow of what it was before the heavy rains that pounded the city last night and continued on lightly this morning. Above the sky was dominated by tumbling greys, smoky and silver, but they soon the sky became dark and low with ominous black clouds and the wind picked up, howling like a wolf into the night. The first crack of lightening lit up the sky and within seconds the rolling boom of the thunder reverberated overhead. Soon the rain fell, splattering the sidewalks haphazardly and washing away the rest of the hopscotch games. Then it fell as if from buckets, pounding on the roof as if it were demanding entrance.
Tala sighed and got up from the window seat in the living room, stepping into the kitchen to retrieve a copper pot from one of its cupboards. She waited a few moments until the fire had completely died down, raindrops falling inside from the ill-conceived chimney, and placed the pot in the wet ashes to capture the rain. Tala retrieved a thick patterned blanket from the couch on her way back to the window seat, and continued reading after closing the window that looked out onto the lane.
While the sound of rain, broken by the rumble of thunder, was a soothing sound, Tala much preferred to be back in South Dakota. Even after five years, the golden plains and clear blue sky still called to her - the cold and damp streets of England never to replace them. Tala wanted to stare up at the large expanse of blue. Unlike the city she was in, that was penned in by snow-capped mountains and grey buildings, there you could see blue in every direction to the horizon, the sky even melded with the ground where thousands of blue flax flowers. All that punctuated the dichromatic scheme was the odd lonely tree, the long strands of cloud being dragged across the sky by the wind and the green grass and golden wheat. Tala wanted to hear the thundering of hooves split the silence again, as her horse galloped through the landscape. She missed the way the wind whipped her hair into the air like thick smoke, her dark hazel eyes fixated on the horizon. She longed to run free through the flax flowers again, ride a horse on a golden plain, or even just see a field of green for once. Tala was tired of reading, and as she watched her father return from work at the Ministry of Magic, all she could think of was how tired she was of seeing him come home every day, smelling like rain instead of pine and cedar.
"How was your day, my wanáȟča?" Kohana asked, smiling at his daughter.
"It was okay," Tala sighed. "Got some more reading in. I'm almost finished the last book you got me."
"Then we'll have to get you more then. Speaking of which, a very wet owl gave this as I walked down the yard. We'll have to go buy some things for you."
Tala jumped out of her seat, nearly face-planting after tripping over the blanket she was covered in. If there was one thing that was keeping her alive, it was the notion that eventually she would be getting her letter from Hogwarts, and that she could occupy herself with magical theory rather than watching English kids running down the sidewalk. Tala snatched the letter from her father and her hazel eyes scanned it immediately. She didn't waste time in ripping the envelope open to read the list of provisions and equipment, skipping the neat green cursive of the introduction letter from the deputy headmaster, Minerva McGonagall.
Tala sat back in the sofa and let the happiness soak right into her bones. From here on out, she wanted the feeling to still be there when she was old. She closed her eyes and savoured the moment, but never released her grip on the seemingly inconsequential piece of paper and ink in his hands. For the first time in forever her body and mind relaxed. Tala was in, she'd made it.
"Até, can we go now? Can we go get all my things now?"
"In this downpour?" Kohana chuckled, staring at his wide hazel eyes of his daughter.
"I don't care! We have umbrellas, and maybe the rain will let by the time we've reached our destination!" Tala argued.
"All right, all right. Go get your coat."
Tala cheered and jumped off the sofa, running upstairs to her room. She swung open her closet door and pulled out her old cowhide jacket that was still a few sizes too big. Moments later, Kohana and Tala had Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron in London and weaved their way through the drunk masses and the thick smoke above their heads to the back alley, where they came face to face with a wall. Kohana took out his wand and tapped a few random bricks making them twist and shift out of the way and form an opening onto the cobblestone Diagon Alley. The rain had indeed let up in the short amount of time that it had taken to get to Diagon Alley. A dim light shone on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons – All Sizes – Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver – Self-Stirring – Collapsible said a sign hanging over them. Tala wished she had more eyes to look at everything. She turned her head in every direction as she and her father walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, 'Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad...' A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium – Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy. Several boys of about Tala's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Tala had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills and rolls of parchment, potion bottles and globes of the moon.
"I think we should start by going to Gringotts," Kohana stated, watching her daughter's expression of wonder.
"Gringotts? That is the wizard bank, correct?" Tala inquired, her eyes roaming over a shop called Flourish and Blotts.
"You actually listen when I speak? Surprising."
Tala rolled her eyes and followed her father to a very crooked building with a white marble facade. The first floor tilted to the left, the second to the right, but the interior was as straight as a bullet, with Goblins handling piles upon piles of gold and silver. Kohana pulled his daughter towards one of the Goblins, the counter as all as he was, and cleared his throat to gain his attention. The Goblin disinterestedly looked at the man.
"I've come to access by vault," he said, sliding a golden key onto the counter. "Name of Kohana Našá."
"Very well."
The Goblin at the counter called for another who was holding a large lantern. He handed him the key and they all walked to a dark corridor where the lantern was used as a headlight for what looked like a rickety mining cart. Everyone got in and the cart jolting forward, going down a twisting and turning metal track. Tala watched her surroundings, noticing a giant waterfall off to one side and glowing lanterns above large cast iron doors. Eventually they stopped at a vault labelled 523, which the Goblin unlocked, permitting Kohana and Tala to step inside their vault. It was filled with a respectable amount of golden galleons, silver sickles and bronze knuts. Kohana filled a pouch and they exited, returning to the bustling cobblestone street. Excited, Tala checked her list.
"First on the list is my uniform... It is so plain - do you think they will let me do some embroidery on the edges?"
"I don't know, you'll have to ask one of your teachers for that. Let's head to Madam Malkin's and get you fitted."
The two made their way to their first destination and got Tala fitted for some robes. She was poked by a few needles because she couldn't stand still, but in the end she exited the store with the first part of her list complete. Kohana then lead his daughter to Flourish and Blotts where she bought all her textbooks, but also a few books that she could read on the side such as Hairy Snout, Human Heart. It took a lot to drag the girl out of the bookstore, but the promise of a pet owl was a kick out the door. Eeylops Owl Emporium was the next stop, and the girl's eyes couldn't get any brighter at the sight of all the birds, for the owl was an incredibly wise and intuitive animal, guiding you through the veil of deception.
"Choose wisely, Tala," Kohana warned. "These animals aren't to be fooled with. We both know what the owl totem means."
"Wisdom and intuition, as well as death. I know, Até."
The girl's hazel eyes immediately landed on a Great Horned Owl, its piercing yellow eyes staring right back at her own. She approached it and held her finger out. The bird stared at it curiously for a moment then gently nipped it, climbing onto her arm seconds after. The shopkeeper smiled and gave the father and daughter all the supplies to take care of it, but Tala refused to get a cage for it, stating that the bird must be able to constantly roam free. She named it Dakotah, after her mother, and then the two Lakota continued their shopping with Ollivanders.
Kohana remained outside with Dakotah, saying that the wand-choosing 'ceremony' was best done alone. Tala gave her father a skeptical look and shrugged, heading inside to find a man with greying black hair and bright blue eyes. He smiled at her.
"Well, hello there. What's your name?" he said in a soft voice.
"Tala Našá," the girl replied confidently.
"From America, I see. Let's determine whether our good British wands suit you, eh?"
They tried wand after wand, but nothing was truly working. Tala ended up making a few jars explode, some books fly off shelves, even made something in the back of the store whistle a constant high-pitched noise.
"I do own a few American-made wands sent to me by a dear friend... perhaps I could part with one."
"Oh, no, I could not possibly!"
"Hush now, it would be of more use to you than it is to me, sitting in its box at the very back of my shop," Ollivander said, heading towards the furthest part of his establishment and picking out a box from the very bottom shelf. "It is made of Snakewood, with a Thunderbird tail-feather core. Give it a wave, will you?"
Tala observed the patterned wood wand for a moment before picking it up, but even before waving it she felt a rush of warmth go through her body and a light wind tousled her dark hair. She blinked a few times, looking directly at the wand, then up at Ollivander who was smiling softly.
"I told you it would be of better use in your hands."
"Why didn't any other wand work? Is it because I am not from here?"
"The wand chooses the wizard, Tala. It is hard to say why this particular wand chose you, but Snakewood is usually good for healing as well as defensive magic."
"And the Thunderbird tail-feather?"
"Very temperamental, not easy to master. It is good at Transfiguration and and offensive spells."
"So it is an all around good wand? Fascinating." Tala reached into her jacket and pulled out her pouch of money. "How much do I owe you, Mr. Ollivander?"
"Oh, please, if I had made it myself there would have been a price tag on it, but since it was given to me, I couldn't possibly charge you for it."
"Wait, so, you are giving me a wand? For free?"
"I suppose I am."
Tala grinned and thanked the shopkeeper before stuffing her wand into her boot and waltzing out the shop, announcing to her father that she'd gotten a free American wand in a British shop. Kohana doubted her for a moment, but upon seeing the marbled Snakewood wand, he marveled at it, commenting the rarity of Snakewood wands.
The rest of the equipment was easy to find and quick to purchase until they got to the apothecary to stock up on basic potion ingredients. There was an infinite amount of different potion ingredients, all labelled and waiting to be weighted behind the counter of the shop. Kohana thought it best to deal with this himself, and let Tala wander the shop with Dakotah on her shoulder. The girl stared at jars filled with grotesque creatures and objects, which enlarged or shrunk depending on the angle you looked at them. She heard a bell, signaling that someone else had entered the shop. Tala heard a few words in a foreign language then some shuffling, which ended up being a boy her age being shoved out of the way by what looked like to be his mother. Immediately, the woman began demanding service despite Kohana already being there. Tala pulled a face at the woman behind her back. The boy nearby chuckled. She turned to the boy, who was definitely Asian, his dark hooded eyes and straight black hair giving it away.
"Should you be laughing? That is your mother, no?" Tala asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Sorry, I just don't get to see many people go against her in any way," the boy said softly, looking to the ground. "If they do it's usually my brothers and they get hit with a wooden spoon."
"Pardon? A wooden spoon?"
"Yeah, Chinese mothers, you know?"
"No, I do not know. I am Lakota."
"It's better that way, trust me. Wait, Lakota? You're American?" He looked at the supplies she was carrying. "But you're going to Hogwarts?"
"Yes. I moved here five years ago from the United States," Tala explained. She extended her empty hand, which shook Dakotah a little. "Tala Našá."
"Noah Xiang," the boy replied, finally looking up at Tala and shaking her hand. "I moved here when I was two. Directly from Beijing."
"Are you going to Hogwarts as well?"
"Yeah, it's my first year too."
"Then I hope we'll spend some time together."
A pink tinge rose to Noah's cheeks as he looked at Tala, who was beaming at him, eyes closed and dimples showing. He wondered for a moment what it would be like to live in her head for a while, mind swimming with happy and confident thoughts like her smile. She wasn't like her family, strict and condescending, Tala was a burning fire, wild and free. He found himself smiling too. Maybe she'd make a pretty good friend for his parents to hate...