A/N: I'm finally back! This chapter just kept saying 'no, I am not ready to be posted' and made me redo do it a bazillion times! But here it is, finally, the redone Namesake, Year of Beginnings Chapter 1. Thanks so much to all those who followed this story; really gave me the incentive and encouragement needed to get this out!
Enjoy!
Chapter 1: The World of Magic
Part 1: A literal cat lady
July 23th, 1971, 10:30
So they thought they could keep me in the house? Yeah, right.
Eleven-year-old Harrietta Olivia Grandy hung by her knees on a low branch of a tree in her backyard, swinging harder and harder until she shot her hands out and grabbed the branch above that one. She disengaged her legs and tucked her knees up to her chest so they wouldn't get in the way, then dropped to the ground and executed a perfect cartwheel.
"So you won't get into trouble in the house while I'm outside?" Harrietta had asked her sister Belladonna, nine, cautiously.
"Yes, yes, Rieta," she confirmed irritably. "You go do your flipping thingys. I've got it under control."
"If something goes wrong with the twins, Bella, I'm pinning the blame on you for suggesting this."
"Sienna and Rollo will be fine. I'm not completely irresponsible."
Rieta had snorted in disbelief. "Hallowe'en ring a bell?"
Bella scowled. "Shut it, Harrietta, or I might not do this for you."
"Sorry kiddo, but the idea's in my head now, and I've got far better blackmail material than anything you have."
"Like what, huh?"
"Oh, I've been holding it in so long, that time with the picnic rug and the corrosive acid from school might just slip my tongue…"
"Oh, just get on out there already."
And now Harrietta, or Rieta, as she preferred, was out there doing her 'flipping thingys', and having a great time of it. I just need to master the swinging drop with a cartwheel and then I move —
Rieta was jerked out of her musings when an all-too-familiar crash sounded from the house. She sprang up with a curse and raced inside.
Rieta's heart dropped when she witnessed the scene: her sister standing frozen in the doorway, caught between racing towards the scene of the crime and staring sheepishly at Rieta; Sienna with her little hands pressed to her mouth in fake contrition and badly disguised glee; Rollo standing with his hands spaced apart and a shocked expression on his face as he stared down at his feet, where lay the shattered remains of an expensive vase.
"Oh no…" Rieta moaned. "Bella, I told you —"
"It's okay!" called Sienna. "Look!"
Both older girls turned to see Sienna watching Rollo as he pulled all the pieces the vase into a little pile then arranged it so it was in a kind of vase shape.
"No! You'll cut yourself!" Rieta raced forward too late; Rollo gave a squeak of pain and Rieta saw crimson blood drip from his hands onto the porcelain.
Before any of them could act, the doorbell rang. Bella ran and opened it to reveal a tall, stern-looking middle aged woman with a stiff, straight back, dark hair done up in a bun and wearing, of all things, green tartan robes.
Rieta grabbed a quietly crying Rollo and lifted him up, then with Sienna trailing behind walked to in front of the woman, but before the young girl could say anything, she spoke in a strong voice. "Good morning, misses Grandy. Are your parents home?"
"Um…" Rieta was about to reply in the negative when she heard the familiar growl of a car being backed into their driveway. "They'll be up in a moment."
The woman nodded curtly and said, "Well, I can wait." She then bustled past the sisters and sat herself on one of the couches in the adjourning sitting room. "Let us proceed once your parents arrive."
"I need to help Rollo," Rieta told the woman.
"Of course."
Rieta gritted her teeth; this lady was acting like she was the hostess! She hadn't even introduced herself yet. "Ma'am, your name…?"
"My apologies, Ms. Grandy. I am Professor McGonagall."
Nodding curtly, Rieta hurried from the room and put a band aid on Rollo's finger, just before the door opened and Mrs. and Mr. Grandy entered.
July 23rd, 1971, 10:50
It turned out Mr. and Mrs. Grandy did not know Professor McGonagall, and she was here on behalf of a special opportunities boarding school in which she taught that Harrietta had caught the attention of.
"Now, my school is not a normal school. It… teaches the students magic." When she reached this point in her little speech the professor seemed to hesitate for a moment.
"Magic? Like magic tricks?" asked Mr. Grandy. "You're going to teach Rieta how to be a magician?"
"No, Mr. Grandy. We are going to teach your daughter real magic." Professor McGonagall then proceeded to explain to the stunned Grandys about the magical world:
"Within Britain, there are two societies: the one see around you, the Muggle, or non-magical one, and the one you don't see: the magical one, mine.
"There are magical folk all over the world, but they haven't interacted freely with the non-magical people for a thousand years, since the witch hunts of old. The fear that non-magicals have not changed since then coupled with the fact that Muggles outnumber us almost one thousand to one has made us keep the magical world secret for all those years.
"However, every now and again a magical child is born into a non-magical family, and when this occurs, they, along with almost every other magical child, goes to their nearest magical school; in Britain's case, Hogwarts.
"The reason for this is because if a child does not learn to control their magic it can go out of control and seriously damage the child, mentally and physically. Some magical born children are homeschooled, but as that is not an option for muggleborns like Harrietta, they must go to Hogwarts or some other magical school."
Rollo and Sienna suspended disbelief easily — instantly, they believed what the professor was saying. Belladonna withheld judgement without proof. And of course their parents didn't believe the professor at all, especially without proof.
Harrietta was highly skeptical. This was a professor, from a special opportunities school, talking about magic? But she seemed very serious, and what a story… it was so crazy it was impossible to be made up, wasn't it?
"Well, if it's true, then you'll be able to prove it, won't you, then?" she asked, gesturing subtly to the broken vase on the floor near the professor's feet.
McGonagall's eyes followed her hand, and they widened in realisation. She pulled a stick out of her robes and said, "Indeed I can, miss. Reparo!" She jabbed the stick forward
Seeing that the family was still uncertain, McGonagall rose to her feet; all eyes followed her as she smoothly became a cat,
Eagerly, Bella leaned forward. "So you're gonna teach Rieta how to do all that stuff?"
"I am, Ms. Grandy."
"Cool!"
And, just like that, it was settled.
From her robe (That sleeve was endless!), McGonagall pulled out a cream envelope and handed it to Rieta. Eagerly, she broke the seal and pulled out the first parchment.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mrs. Grandy,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress
Rieta read the letter, then slowly, she asked the questions that had popped up. "Hogwarts?"
"That is the name of our school, yes."
"Owl? What does it mean by that?"
Don't worry about that. When I return to Hogwarts to find out what other new students I will have to visit who didn't know about magic previously, I will put you down as one of the students who is coming. Owl post is the normal way for magical folk to communicate with each other — we write letters and send parcel via our owls," she explained. "All ink we use is magically programmed to go to whatever the receiver has been written down as." She indicated to the envelope, the front of which Rieta had not look at yet. It read,
Ms. H. Grandy
Third Bedroom on the Left
18 Ellerdale Road
Hampstead
London
She raised her eyebrows at the overly-specific address, but did not comment. Then she asked, "What am I to bring to this Hogwarts?"
"There is a list of materials also in the envelope," answered McGonagall.
Rieta reached into the envelope again and pulled out a second parchment. This one contained a list of strange books such as One Thousand and One Magical Herbs and Fungi, and strange objects such as cauldrons and pointed hats. She handed the parchments to her parents, who, with Bella looking over their shoulder, read them slowly, then seemed to accept them as legit. Then Mrs. Grandy asked McGonagall where they were supposed to buy all of this.
"Today we will go to a place where you can. I will escort you."
"Today?" queried Mrs. Grandy.
"When else? I have a lot of other new students to initiate, you know."
"Of course."
Wait." Rieta looked at her parents. "So, I'm going to this Hogwarts?"
"Do you want to, dear?"
Rieta was about to answer when a not-so-nice thought occurred to her. "Professor McGonagall? I suppose there is a reason we haven't heard of the magical world before now."
McGonagall sighed. "The Statute of Secrecy."
"Secrecy? So I won't be able to tell anyone." It wasn't a question, but McGonagall nodded to confirm it anyway.
"Witches and wizards are only allowed to inform family members about their magic, and, if absolutely necessary, very close friends."
"I can't tell people Rieta's magic?"
Everyone jumped; they had completely forgotten about Rollo and Sienna!
McGonagall looked sternly at the two six-year-olds. "Under no circumstances are you to tell anyone without express permission, am I understood?"
She seemed to have forgotten the age of the people she was talking to. The twins shrank back at the long, stern, incomprehensible words which they recognised as some sort of scolding and shrank back. McGonagall seemed to realise her mistake and repeated her words in a more child-friendly way.
Rieta frowned, already wondering how she was going to keep going to Hogwarts a secret. Then she pushed it out of her mind for the moment and looked back down at the book list. "Where are we going to get all these?"
"There is a hidden location in London where we traditionally buy our necessities."
"Professor?"
McGonagall looked down at Bella, who had spoken. "Yes?"
"How are we going to get there?"
"Ah yes." McGonagall pulled a folded up newspaper out of her pocket, unfolded it, and laid it out on the table. "This is a Portkey, programmed to take us to a specific location, in this case, the Leaky Cauldron, a tavern that is the entrance to Diagon Alley, the equivalent of a Muggle shopping mall."
"Muggle?" asked Rieta.
"Non-magical folk, like your parents. By the way, Mr. and Mrs. Grandy, could you please bring some money? As much as possible, preferably. We will have to buy a lot, and as Rieta has no prior knowledge of the world of magic, it would be advisable to get some extra reading material so she can learn to understand it all. You may also have to start a new bank account at some point in the wizarding bank, but that can wait until later."
"Can you connect your bank to… Muggle banks?" Rieta asked thoughtfully.
"I believe so," said McGonagall, looking at Rieta with an appraising eye. "I am surprised to say I never thought of that, but the goblins can definitely handle that, even if they may need a little encouragement. However, bring some money any just in case, please."
The two adults nodded and Mr. Grandy went to get some money while Mrs. Grandy asked, "Will we need bags?"
McGonagall shook her head. "Most of the things you will buy will fit into the cauldron we will also buy, and if I have to I will conjure up some more bags." The four who could understand the concept blinked at the offhand way McGonagall said the word 'conjure', but she was already moving on. "Now, please place a hand on the newspaper. It will take us away in —" She checked an elaborate, golden watch on her wrist that had twelve hands but no numbers, strangely enough. "Just under two minutes. Any questions?"
"Ma'am, I think I'll stay here with the twins," Mrs. Grandy told her.
"Alright, Mrs. Grandy."
Mrs. Grandy then led the twins away. As those remaining all placed a hand on the newspaper, three apprehensively and one confidently, Bella spoke up again. "Ma'am? You said that my parents were, um, Muggles, but you didn't mention me, Rollo or Sienna. Does that mean that we're like Rieta? Magical?"
"You are perceptive," said McGonagall kindly. "Yes, there is a good chance you three too are magical."
Bella gasped, then grinned a little.
"Speaking of which, how do you know Rieta is like that?" Mrs. Grandy spoke suddenly.
"Accidental magic. Miss Grandy," McGonagall turned to Rieta without removing her hand from the Portkey. "Has anything strange ever happened when your emotions were high?"
"Er…" Rieta pondered this for a moment, but before she could reply, McGonagall told them to brace themselves. With a sudden tug at her naval, she felt herself go flying through the air, then land hard on her bottom. Springing up with the ease of a trained gymnast, she looked around, and realised she was in a completely different location.
Part 2: A dissolving brick wall
'Springing up with the ease of a trained gymnast, she looked around, and realised she was in a completely different location.'
July 23rd, 1971, 12:00
The room they had landed in was similar to a Muggle restaurant, albeit a bit shabbier and with a few prominent differences. The fire in the fireplace, for instance, was green, and everyone around was wearing differently coloured robes not unlike the green ones McGonagall had on.
Speaking of McGonagall, the lady was watching her in interest. "I see you're back up on your feet already, Miss Grandy. How was the ride?"
Shrugging, Rieta replied. "It's honestly not that much different from doing a flip of the high bar in gym class, ma'am."
McGonagall looked confused for a moment, then let it go. Rieta turned, seeing that the rest of her family was getting up from the ground where they had landed and looking about them with fascination as well. "Is this the Leaky Cauldron?" she asked.
"That it is, young lady!" Said a jovial voice from behind her. She turned to see an elderly man in his late forties behind the counter of the café-like place. Seeing her confusion, he stuck out his hand to her and introduced himself. "Tom, bartender of this place! And you are?"
Rieta took the hand and shook it shyly. "Harrietta Grandy, sir. Pleased to meet you."
"Ah, I'm no sir. And pleased to meet you too. So, are you here for your Hogwarts supplies?"
Rieta's initial shyness was overridden by by the man's easy-going, infectiously good attitude. She nodded. "That's right."
Tom glanced over her shoulder at her father, who was talking with McGonagall. "Ah. Muggle-born, are you?"
Rieta hesitated, trying to figure out what he meant. Then, remembering what the professor had told them just before, she nodded again. "That's right also… I think."
Tom chuckled. "Well, good luck to you, missus! I won't hold you up anymore. Go on." And he bid her farewell, and pushed her toward the conversing adults.
"Bye, sir — I mean, Tom," she smiled, then walked off.
McGonagall and Mr. Grandy turned when she came over. "We've been discussing this accidental magic thing, Rieta," her father said. "Apparently, magical people will inadvertently cause their magic to be released and cause strange thing to happen without their control when their emotions are high."
"Oh, like that time when Henry Thompson shoved Rieta in the playground and the his hands sprouted green warts?" asked Bella curiously, joining the conversation.
"That sounds about right," McGonagall told her while Rieta looked away self-consciously. Then she realised something.
"Hey, that same sort of thing happened to Bella!"
Everyone turned to look at her, and she continued. "On Bella's seventh birthday she unwrapped a present just by clapping her hands."
McGonagall nodded. "This increases the chance that both of you are magical, then," she told the sisters.
Mr. Grandy laughed. "I'm just feeling a tad left out," she said, slightly wistful.
"Well, as interesting as this conversation is, we really must get going," McGonagall stated firmly. "Follow me."
She led the Grandys to a wall at the back of the tavern that seemed perfectly normal, until McGonagall reached up with her wand and tapped a specific sequence of bricks. The wall melted away to reveal the most incredible place Rieta, Bella and Mr. Grandy had ever imagined, or maybe even never imagined.
Hundreds of people like McGonagall and Tom and even some non-magical folk like the Grandy parents ("Other muggle-borns," McGonagall explained), were all crowded into a bustling, twisting street with shops of all different types, shapes and heights on the right and left.
The sun shone down, illuminating the bright colours of the whole spectacle. Aromas wafted up through the doors of some shops, nice-smelling aromas like soap and warm food, and also some foul odours that seemed to be coming mainly from an apothecary shop.
The noise was so loud Rieta wondered how it was possible they hadn't heard it all from the Leaky Cauldron (and then immediately realised — magic). There was the general hubbub of a crammed street, and then there were shops full of animals — rats and mice scurrying around with little clicks and scrabbles, cats meowing, toads and frogs croaking, and owls hooting and cawing.
All the family of four could do was stare as the professor led them down the street past shops like Eeylops Owl Emporium, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, Flourish & Blotts Bookstore, Magical Menagerie, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, Madam Malkin's Robe Shop and more.
Finally, the five stopped in front of a large, imposing building at the very end of the street, which had to be the previously mentioned Diagon Alley. It was white with great pillars standing on either side of a huge set of burnished bronze double doors which were constantly swinging as people walked in and out. Above the doors a sign hung, which simply read, Gringotts. On either side of the doors were small, human-like creatures with calculating looks on their dark, wrinkly faces and pointed grey goatees.
"Gringotts," announced McGonagall, stopping. "The wizarding bank."
"You magical folk have pretty much everything we have, don't you?" wondered Mr. Grandy.
"Of course. Schools, shops, banks, a ministry."
"A ministry for magic?" he asked curiously.
"The Ministry for Magic, yes."
McGonagall walked forward and led them through the doors. Then they saw a second, smaller set of doors, and on these words were engraved. At first glance they appeared to make a poetic verse, but upon closer inspection turned out to be a dreadful warning.
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
"Ominous," murmured Rieta. Her mother turned to her with a querying look, and in answer, Rieta pointed out the sign to all of them.
"That is creepy," agreed Bella.
"Yes," said McGonagall. "That sign has been there for as long as the bank has, which is a couple of centuries. The goblins do not take lightly anyone trying to steal from them. They guard anything under Gringotts jealously."
"Goblins?" Mr. Grandy turned to her.
"Gringotts is run by goblins, like the ones over there —" she gestured behind them to the red-and-gold uniformed creatures by the doors "— and curse-breaker wizards."
"Curse-breaker wizards?"
"Wizards whose career it is to find treasure and figure out, and thus break, curses on it for Gringotts, where any unowned wealth is stored. They are the equivalent of Muggle archeologists."
"What did you mean by 'under Gringotts', ma'am?" Bella piped up. "Don't you mean 'in Gringotts'?"
"I mean 'under Gringotts'. Gringotts itself is just the building. The tunnels and vaults where riches are stored, those go all over London, underground."
"Woah." Bella looked at the doors with new eyes.
"So how are going to go to get money?" asked Rieta.
"We will exchange the Muggle money your parents brought for its equivalent in wizarding money."
"And how does wizarding money work?"
Well, the smallest form, or the change, in Knuts — K-N-U-T-S. They are bronze, and we operate assuming they are equivalent to one penny, which they are, approximately." McGonagall paused. "Then there's Sickles — S-I-C-K-L-E-S. There are twenty-nine Knuts in one Sickle. They are black and silver, and approximately equivalent to 30 pennies." She paused again. "Lastly, there are Galleons — G-A-L-L-E-O-N-S. They a big and golden. There are seventeen Sickles and four hundred and ninety-three Knuts in one Galleon, and they are each approximately equivalent to five pounds."
"Okay," nodded Rieta, storing this useful information away in her head. Judging from the expressions on her family's' faces, they too were processing this.
Then McGonagall led them through the second set of doors. Inside them was a great, church-like hall with marble pillars and elaborate chandeliers, the walls lined with high desks, the whole place bustling just like it was outside.
The professor led them to the back of the room, where a desk stood alone against the wall. She stepped up onto the raised platform below it so that her face was elevated almost to the level of the face of a goblin. McGonagall looked up at him. "This man here would like to make an exchange of Muggle money for wizarding money," she stated, gesturing to Mr. Grandy.
"And may I see their Muggle money?" the goblin asked, extending a long-fingered, long-nailed hand towards the couple. Nervously, they each handed him their bulging purses. He opened them and emptied their contents into tray. As they fell, an invisible force separated them into different compartments, pennys, pounds and notes. The goblin snapped his fingers, and the tray sank into the marble desktop. In its place, a new tray appeared, with golden Galleons, silver Sickles and bronze Knuts, which he swept into the purses to replace the old money. There was so much, it didn't all fit — these coins were bigger.
The goblin frowned. "Would the Mr. like to open a new vault?"
McGonagall glanced at him. "I would advise it. You are going to have to come here every year," she told them.
"Alright," Mr. Grandy said. He nodded, and reached out for the purses.
However, the goblin ignored this and put all the money back in the tray, and asked for their surname, which Mr. Grandy gave. He then craned his head behind him and called, "Onenail!"
Out from behind the desk came another goblin, whose defining feature was one abnormally long nail on his left hand, even for a goblin. It was clear how he had gotten his name. Onenail took the tray from the first goblin and beckoned to the Grandys, plus McGonagall, who had stepped down. "Follow me," he commanded, walking off and not looking back.
The four humans hurried to comply. Onenail led them to a high, narrow door in in the adjacent wall, one of many of the same. He pushed it open and waited as they filed in, then followed, but quickly took the lead again. They went down a steep slope to a set of thin railroad tracks, at which point the goblin whistled piercingly. A small cart approached them at roller-coaster speed, but even as it came it was expanding to fit all six of them. They all climbed in, and without warning, it set off.
Onenail gripped the front of the cart with tight fingers, his extra-long nail scraping against the side with each jolt in the road. McGonagall, too, held on tight, her back hunched yet stiff. Although her face was straight, it was starting to develop a greenish tinge. Mr. Grandy's entire body was rolling and rocking with the cart as he had found no handhold before his arms were flung back by the sheer velocity of the ride. He was looking motion-sick.
But Bella and Rieta were laughing like little kids, which they technically still were. They had their arms flung back intentionally, completely trusting that the magic of the cart would prevent them from falling out. To them, it was a crazy, daredevil ride and they were having the times of their lives.
When they reached a halt, everyone climbed out, and Onenail led them to vault 616, where he placed a hand on the doorknob that had just appeared and opened it with ease. "This only works because it is an empty vault," he told them.
Inside, it was a bare chamber the size of a room, with plain metal walls. The only thing within was a golden key. Bella reached for it, but the goblin held her back with a warning finger. "If anyone could pick these up, anyone could have an unauthorised vault. Only a Gringotts goblin can penetrate the defensive spells around it now." He reached down and picked it up, but as he did there was a kind of zing in the air around them. "Now, we must make it so only a Gringotts goblin or someone with your blood can use it." He beckoned the Grandys over, while McGonagall hung back, not having entered. "Take it," he told Rieta. Her eyes widened warily, and he shook his head. "It's fine to touch now, but you must do so first because it has to be someone with magic."
"Okay." Reita held out her hand, palm up, and he placed the key in it gently. She had a moment to notice his skin was cold and leathery before Onenail withdrew his hand. Suddenly, she felt a slice of agony all over her skin where they metal lay, but it was gone as soon as it come. She gasped, and clenched her fist.
"Give it to your sister, Miss Grandy," he ordered. Rieta hesitated.
"Will it… do that to her?"
The goblin nodded. "It has to be sure of her blood. But it will pass as quickly as it did for you."
Rieta sighed, and gave Bella the key.
"Ahh!" The nine-year-old almost dropped it before the pain passed, and quickly handed it on to her father, who took it apprehensively. He bit his lip when the pain flared, but did not cry out. Then the key was handed back to Onenail, who nodded in satisfaction.
"It is done," he declared. He snapped his fingers and an envelope saying Vault 616 on it appeared, into which he slid the golden key. He handed it to Rieta, and when she took it she noticed a fading, key-shaped graze on her palm, that disappeared as she watched.
"Hold on," Mr. Grandy interrupted. "Shouldn't I take it? I am the adult, after all."
Onenail shook his head. "It must be carried by one of magical blood, at least until one purchase has been made using the gold from the vault it unlocks" he said. "Now." He snapped his fingers yet again, and the tray of Galleons and Knuts and Sickles appeared, which had disappeared unnoticed.
The goblin emptied it all onto the floor, and suddenly it was arranged in neat stacks of silver, bronze and gold. Next to the piles three drawstring bags were conjured up. He handed one to each of the Grandys, who filled them with money, and Rieta pocketed hers along with the envelope that now contained her vault key. Seeing this, Onenail pointed at it. "Do not lose that," he instructed. She nodded fervently.
The goblin looked around at them. "At any point in time, you may come here to add to or take from this vault. The key will be passed down to any with your blood, or adopted, so long as they are part of your family, for this is now your family vault. Understood?"
Nods all around, the Onenail ushered them out to where McGonagall was waiting, and closed the vault door. "It automatically locks," he informed them. Then, they went back to the cart.
"Get ready!" Rieta laughed. And another crazy ride commenced.
Part 3: A creepy man, crazy woman and closed-off boy
'"Get ready!" Rieta laughed. And another crazy ride commenced.'
July 23rd, 1971, 12:30
After leaving Gringotts, the family's day was a whirlwind of strange shops and buys. Along with her standard set of books for first year, Rieta also bought some extra books for background reading about the wizarding world, including Famous Wizards and their Deeds, Wizarding Households in the mid-1900s and even Wizard Studies for Dumb Muggles — as opposed to Muggle Studies for Dumb Wizards, that is.
She bought Wizarding Families, Pureblood and Mixed as well. And of course, Hogwarts, a History, eager to learn more about her amazing-sounding new school. Then McGonagall pointed her towards a book called Magical Racism Towards Non-Magical Folk — Both Sides of the Story, telling her that due to her blood status as a muggle-born and not a wizard-born, or a pure-blood, she needed to understand this when her advice was questioned. She also was recommended to buy a book called Wandlore, as most wizards knew about this growing up. So Rieta bought those, too.
Everything they got fit in Rieta's new pewter cauldron, which they had purchased first thing, and McGonagall put what she called a feather-light charm on it so they could carry it.
When they passed Quality Quidditch Supplies, and saw the newest broom model proudly displayed in the window (Comet Two Twenty), Rieta asked what this 'Quidditch' was. McGonagall explained the basics to her, about being on broomsticks and about Chasers and Keepers and Seekers and Beaters and about Quaffles and Bludgers and Snitches and about scoring and catching the Snitch and the seven hundred different ways to commit a foul.
Rieta though it all fascinating, and promptly bought a book called Quidditch Through the Ages. It was the newest edition, featuring information up until 1970. Apparently, one was released every ten years.
To her disappointment, however, she was not allowed to buy a broom, as McGonagall reminded her first years were strictly prohibited from bringing one to Hogwarts, but cheered her up by reminding her that there was always second year, when she might even get onto the house team.
Rieta got four sets of robes, shirts and ties — three for everyday wear and one for formal occasions. Madam Malkin, owner of Madam Malkin's Robe shop, was a squat, kindly, middle-aged lady who bustled around measuring and adjusting and tapping things with her wand until she declared she had the perfect set for her, saying it would grow with her over the year, but to make sure and come here next year to get a new set, and every year after that, too.
The robes and ties she bought were all plain black, and the shirts plain white. But Rieta spotted sample robes where the threading was differently coloured, with either green, blue, red or yellow, and the rim of the collar on the white shirts also had those colours.
When she asked about this, McGonagall told her that first years had not been sorted yet, so their robes and shirts had to be plain. Next year she could get colour-coded uniforms. Immediately after she got placed in a house, however, her ties would change colour and she would receive a badge with her house's crest on it.
That brought them to the topic of houses, and McGonagall explained to the curious Rieta and Bella about Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. She told them how each house had its own primary and secondary colours, and its signature animal, and these components were what made up the crests.
Ravenclaw: primary colour — blue, secondary colour — bronze, with its animal being a raven. Hufflepuff: primary colour — yellow, secondary colour — black, with its animal being a badger. Slytherin: primary colour — green, secondary colour — silver, with its animal being the snake. Gryffindor: primary colour — red, secondary colour — gold, with its animal being the lion.
The professor told them about her being the head of Gryffindor. She told them about the main traits that each house's members had to possess to get there; Hufflepuff: loyalty; Gryffindor: bravery; Ravenclaw: intelligence; and Slytherin: ambition.
After hearing this, Bella instantly surmised, completely confidently, that Harrietta would be in Slytherin.
"And why is that, Belladonna?" asked McGonagall, hiding the fact that she was scared of yet desperate to hear the answer.
"'Cause she's super ambitious!" Bella declared, throwing her arms out dramatically and accidentally whacking a passerby in the face.
After apologising profusely to the poor witch, McGonagall spoke once again to Bella, as Rieta blushed at this open revealing of her dream. "Everyone has ambitions, why should this define Harrietta? There is more to Slytherin than ambition."
"And what would those be professor?" Bella raised an eyebrow. "You haven't exactly told us any more than that."
"Well, there's cunning, subtlety, self-preservation, determination, and traditionalism, to name a few."
Rieta shrugged. "I've got those."
Mcgonagall pursed her lips. She didn't want to believe that this nice young lady would end up in Slytherin, although she supposed Belladonna knew her own sister better that she did. But it was not either of their decisions to make; the Sorting Hat would choose.
An hour and a half after leaving Gringotts, Mr. Grandy noticed something. "Look, Rieta," he said, nudging her. "There's only one thing left on your list." He pointed. "A wand!"
"Ah yes," murmured McGonagall, overhearing. Then louder, to the rest of the group, "This way to get Harrietta her wand!"
McGonagall led the way back down Diagon Alley to a shop near the entrance. It was rather old and shabby looking, and the building itself was tall and narrow. The only thing in the window of this shop was an ancient-looking wand on a faded purple cushion. In elegant curling script above the door were the words: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
"Since 382 B.C.? Is the owner really that old?" asked Rieta.
"It is a family business, Ms. Grandy. The current Mr. Ollivander is fifty." McGonagall gestured towards the shop. "Granted, it may not look like much, but this place produces the best wands in all of Europe, as proven by those who buy them. Go on." She gave the eleven-year-old a little nudge in the direction of the door. "We'll be waiting right outside."
"You mean I have to go in by myself?"
"I will come in to get you if you are in for too long. Admittedly, Mr. Ollivander can get a little… overexcited."
Mr. Grandy interrupted. "I don't like the idea of Rieta going into that place all by herself. Are you sure it's safe?"
"Perfectly sure. Although he may… I believe the phrase often used to describe this is 'creep out' Harrietta here, Garrick Ollivander would never hurt a fly."
Mr. Grandy stepped back, albeit reluctantly. Rieta swallowed her nerves, walked up to the door, pushed it open and slipped in.
There was no one inside. The interior of the shop had two main components: a counter in the corner with a bell and a measuring tape on it, and, stretching back and up as far as Rieta could see, stacks and stacks upon stacks and stacks of long, rectangular, blue-grey boxes.
Rieta walked cautiously towards the counter and pressed down on the bell. A sharp ding! Cut through the silence of the shop, and a second later an old man with flyaway white hair and round silver eyes was in front of her.
"Good afternoon," he said in a soft, quiet voice.
"Um… good afternoon, Mr. Ollivander?" Rieta stuttered.
"That's right. And you are?" Ollivander moved closer, his eyes unblinking.
"Oh, Grandy. Harrietta Grandy."
"And I suppose you are here for your wand?" Ollivander asked rhetorically. "Now, which is your wand arm?"
"Um… my dominant arm? That would be my left one." Rieta stuck out her left hand.
"Yes, yes, that will do. " He walked towards her, around the counter. As he went he took the tape measure, and when he reached her he unrolled it and measured Rieta from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and 'round her head. He then let go of the device, which continued measuring all different aspects of Rieta's body on its own.
He started walking away, talking as he went. "There are four components in a wand: the type of wood, the core, which is always a strong magical substance like unicorn hair or dragon heartstring, the length, and the flexibility. All four make up a wand. These aspects reflect on the wizard's personality, and often their magical forte. Professor McGonagall's wand, for example, is incredible for Transfiguration, which she also is incredible at. She teaches it at Hogwarts in fact. Did you know that?" Without waiting for an answer, Ollivander went on. "No two wands are the same, and your wand will always produce better results for you than for another wizard. If you disarm or defeat someone, you can use their wand quite well, better than if you are given it. The closer their wand is to yours, the easier it will be. Your wand is, in essence, you. You do not choose the wand. The wand chooses the wizard." Despite how far away from her he was going, RIeta could still hear Ollivander loud and clear. "Now, let's see which wand will choose you…"
Ollivander picked up a box and turned back to see that the tape measure he had let go of was still measuring. "That will be enough," he said, and it fell to the ground in front of Rieta. He beckoned her, and she came over. Opening the box, Ollivander pulled out a long, dark wand. "Oak, ten inches, sturdy, with a dragon heartstring core." He placed it in her left hand.
"What do I do now?" Rieta asked, unsure.
"Give it a wave!"
Rieta did so, and suddenly a box behind Ollivander broke in half and was revealed to be empty. She hardly had time to process this before the oak wand was snatched out of her hand and replaced by a new one.
"Try this," Ollivander told her. "Poplar, eight and a half inches, slightly flexible, with a coral core."
Waving it, a tremor ran through Rieta's body, and she shuddered, dropping the wand. Ollivander shook his head. "No, no, no. How about… Ah. Maple, twelve inches, flexible, with a unicorn tail hair core."
Again it was snatched out of Rieta's hand.
This happened about five more times — willow wood, vine wood, reed, beech, holly. Dragon heartstring, kelpie mane, phoenix feather, thunderbird tail feather. Seven and a half inches, eleven inches, ten inches. Bendy, stout.
Until, finally, Ollivander handed her a very flexible, ten and a half inch, silver lime wood wand with a unicorn tail hair core. When Rieta waved this one, a soft glow emitted from the end, pulsating and glowing, until it slowly faded out. Her hair, which was still out so it was hanging down at her hips, flared out around her shoulders. Exhilarating power flowed through her, and she grinned.
"Yes, yes, yes!" cried Ollivander, pulling the wand out of Rieta's grasp and hurrying to his counter with her trailing behind. "This one, this is it." He placed it on the countertop and put it into the box it had come from, then wrapped it up with crinkly brown paper. "Silver lime… that's rare. Eight Galleons, six Sickles." Rieta handed him the money, and he handed her the wand in return, saying, "You may want to find out about your wand. Unicorn hair, silver lime. Loyalty, very much leaning on mind over matter —"
"But I don't put mind over matter!" disagreed Rieta. "I know I don't!"
"Perhaps you don't know yourself as well as you think." And with those words, he ushered her to the door. "Great doing business with you, and a very interesting wand you've got there!"
Back outside, Mr. Grandy immediately asked how it went, to which Rieta replied positively.
"Can we see your wand, Rieta?" Bella asked. Her big sister nodded and ripped off the paper, the opened the box and showed them all. It was a pale silver, well, as silver as wood could get, and about the length of three of her fists.
When McGonagall looked, her eyebrows rose to her hairline. "Is that silver lime?" she queried.
Rieta nodded. "Silver lime, ten and a half inches, very flexible, unicorn tail hair core," she informed the professor.
"Silver lime. Interesting. You really need to read that wandlore book you bought."
"What's your wand, professor?"
"Fir wood, nine and a half inches, stiff, with a dragon heartstring core."
"Incredible for Transfiguration?"
The professor smiled. "Did Ollivander tell you about me teaching it at Hogwarts?"
"Yes. What is Transfiguration?"
"A branch of magic — the name is self-explanatory. I'll be teaching you it at Hogwarts."
"Cool!"
Soon they were back in the Leaky Cauldron with all their purchases, preparing to leave. Rieta was talking with Tom, who had taken a break on a seat next to the green fire while his assistant ran the tavern for a while. Rieta had pulled up a chair beside him and was telling him all about her experience in Diagon Alley. In return, he told her all about what the wizarding world was like. He also explained why the fire was green — his fireplace was a main Floo Powder stop. And then he explained about Floo Powder. He told her what it had been like growing up in a wizarding family, and explained some concepts she had heard and had questions about.
Then, out of the blue, a boy came tumbling from the fireplace and crashed into Rieta, knocking her and her chair over. Quickly, she tucked up and rolled when she hit the ground, smoothly getting to her feet just in front of the crash zone. She turned to see the boy standing up and staring at her. Tom, who had been getting up, sat back down again, relieved.
He grinned apologetically. "Sorry about that. My brother pushed me off my feet just before I went at the other end. I was going to offer to help you up, but I can see you don't need that." He stuck out his hand. "Sirius Orion, at your service. Last names don't matter."
He looked her age, so eleven, and was wearing heavy black robes with silver stitching. On his chest was a black, green and silver crest saying Toujours Pur. Rieta filed this information away for future research as it was the only clue she had to his surname, as he clearly wasn't telling her. His hair was black, shoulder length and slightly more curly than her own.
Seeing her hesitation, Sirius Orion's hand drooped. "Come on, I am sorry for sending you sprawling."
Rieta arched and eyebrow, but gingerely took his hand and shook it. "Forgiven, and I'm Harrietta Grandy. I must ask, though, are all wizarding methods as unrefined as the... Floo, was it?"
Sirius, who was now grinning shrugged. "Muggleborn? Well, most take a bit of practice but are eventually smooth. But some can have mishaps, like with now."
Suddenly out of the fire stepped a tall, composed lady who looked a lot like Sirius, except not nearly as, well, nice. Rieta instantly deduced this was his mother.
Her eyes flickered immediately to her son, and then to his hand, still clasping Rieta's, and then to Rieta herself, and then to her clothes. Her white face became even whiter. "SIRIUS ORION BLACK!" she screamed. "What have I told you about consorting with mudbloods?!"
The tavern went quiet, all conversation dying away into a thick silence (the only person who had noticed Sirius before this had been Tom, incredibly) and every head turned to stare at the three. Sirius's expression went from happy to scowling furiously in an instant, then it went blank. He stepped away from Rieta and fell in with his mother, who was staring contemptuously at the young girl.
Tom stood up for real this time. "Madam, I must ask you to take your foul language away from this tavern," he said, respectfully but with an underlayer of anger.
The woman held Tom's gaze for a moment, then snapped,"Fine." The woman spun around. "Come, Sirius," she ordered, and he walked behind her as she left for the brick wall which was the entrance to Diagon Alley, muttering about "blood traitors."
Once the duo had exited, talking in the room returned, but it was more subdued than before. From behind her, Rieta, was slightly frozen, heard a soft voice say, "Come, Ms. Grandy. We're leaving." She turned to McGonagall, who had the newspaper Portkey out again. The professor spread it out on the table and one by one she and the Grandys placed hands on it. "Ten seconds," McGonagall stated.
Rieta turned and waved goodbye to Tom, who raised his hand in return and smiled, a bit sadly. Then there was a sharp tug at her navel and her world spun out of control before she was dumped on the floor of her own sitting room, back at home once again.
A/N: So as you can see, there's been a lot of layout change. Not so much with the content, but can you get where I'm heading? Also, the next chapter is going to skip ahead about twenty-six years... but that's a secret, so shhhh!
Anyway, I'm going to be indisposed for a few weeks, but I'll do my best to write during that time and update ASAP when I'm back. Thanks for putting up with probably the worst consistent updater on FanFiction . net!
As always, review!
Bye!
