"Oh. My. God!" Maggie shrieks. "This. Is. Awesome!"
I just roll my eyes at her.
We've just arrived at the Diagon Alley. I've already been here three times before, but for my new Muggle family this is the first time here. In fact, they found out about the wizarding world only two weeks ago. Good thing they're tough. And open-minded. Well, kind of.
The Alley is, as usual, crowded with dozens of witches and wizards wearing colourful cloaks and doing their shopping. The shops are also colourful, and they've got colourful ads on their windows advertising cauldrons, books, cloaks and many other stuff. In other words, the Alley is so noisy and colourful I'm afraid I might get a migraine, but I don't care. I'm just happy to be here again.
"Yes, it is. Now, can we get to the Gringotts?" I ask impatiently. We've got to change our Muggle money into Galleons, Sickles and Knuts.
"Gringotts?" Rodger asks, confused. "What is that?"
I sigh. Sometimes I forget how unaware of everything they are when it comes to the Wizarding world.
"It's a wizard bank", I explain. Rodger still looks confused.
"Wizards have banks?" he questions.
"Well, this one, at least. And they've got their own currency." I intentionally avoid saying "we". The Reeds are still not quite comfortable with the fact that they adopted a witch.
Like I said, they're kind of open-minded.
"That's ridiculous", Elaine mutters to herself. I feel a bit uncomfortable for her words.
"Let's just go change the money", I say and lead them to the end of the street and inside a tall, white, stone building guarded by two double doors and Goblins. We step inside an enormous entrance hall with marble floor and crystal crowns hanging from the ceiling. On the both sides of the hall there are counters, behind which rather grumpy-looking Goblins sit counting money, weighing diamonds and serving customers. I head for the closest free counter.
"Hey", I say nervously. The Goblin scowls at me with his black eyes. "I'd like to change some Muggle money into Galleons."
"Do you have your identification?" he asks looking rather unpleasant.
"I… should have it right here…" I go through my pockets until I finally find my ID and hand it over to the Goblin, who looks at it with a grimace.
"Celandine Laelynn Sagitta Reed?" he asks. "Eleven-year-old female?"
"Yeah, that's me…"
The Goblin hands me the card and turns to look at the Muggle money on the counter. I make a nervous move when he starts counting it. Finally, after counting it the second time, he hands me a bag of coins.
"Thank you", I say. The Goblin doesn't reply, and I head back to the Reeds.
"Okay", I say. "I think we can go now…"
Emma is the only one who doesn't seem happy about leaving Gringotts. Apparently she loves Goblins.
"What were those things?" Elaine asks quite disgusted when we're back on the Alley again.
"Goblins", I reply gingerly. "Anyway, I think we should buy my school robes first… Madam Malkin's is the best place, it's right over here…"
A bell rings above the door as we step into the little shop filled with different kind of robes and cloaks. There is no one sitting behind the counter, so we just wait. After a brief moment, a tall, old witch in emerald green robes appears from behind the shelves.
"Laelynn, dear", Madam Malkin welcomes me with a smile. "It's been a while."
"Yeah, it has", I say and smile a bit.
"You're eleven now, aren't you? Going to Hogwarts?" Madam Malkin asks, completely ignoring the Reeds standing uncomfortably behind me (or actually mister and missis Reed are standing uncomfortably behind me while Richard, Maggie and Emma are glancing around with wonder).
"Yeah", I answer to Madam Malkin. "I need to buy my school robes."
"Well follow me, dear. I've got another customer, too."
I follow her to a distant corner with a lot of mirrors. On the stool, there is standing a blond boy, who looks a lot like his older brother.
"Hi, I'm Scorpius Malfoy", he says with dignity and pride. I roll my eyes.
"I'm Celandine Reed", I reply as Madam Malkin starts fitting the robes on me. I don't want to give this arrogant prick the satisfaction of admitting I know who he is.
"Nice to meet you", Scorpius Malfoy says. He glances at the Reeds who seem to be in the completely wrong place. "Are you a Mudblood?"
I scowl at him angrily.
"There is no need to use that kind of foul language", Madam Malkin pipes in.
"I'm half-blood anyways", I tell Scorpius. He nods.
"Good."
"Why is that good?" I challenge him.
"Muggle-borns are dirty", Scorpius says like it's obvious. "I mean, they're not even real wizards."
"Let me guess, your dad told you that? Or was it your mom?" I don't give him the chance to respond. "I'll have you know, that my aunt was a Muggle-born, and in all my life I've never met a better witch."
"Then you clearly haven't met the right witches yet", Scorpius says. I let out an angry snort.
"You're an idiot", I tell him. He narrows his eyes at me, but lets it go.
"What house do you think you'll be sorted into?" he asks. I shrug.
"I haven't got the slightest clue."
"Well, I guess nobody really knows before they've actually been sorted", he says. "But my whole family has been in Slytherin, so I'll probably be one, too. But if I got sorted into Hufflepuff, I think I would just go straight home, wouldn't you?"
"There is nothing wrong with Hufflepuffs", I snap at him. "They're honest, diligent and loyal. What's wrong with that? You know, I think I'd rather like to be sorted in Hufflepuff."
It's his time to snort.
"Alright, mister Malfoy, you're ready", Madam Malkin says quickly. Scorpius steps down from the stool and glances at me before heading for the counter.
"Where are you going next?" he asks after he's paid for his robes (which are made of a ridiculously expensive kind of fabric).
"Flourish & Botts, I guess." I don't have any interest in going there with a Malfoy, though.
"Me too", Scorpius says. "Maybe we could go together?"
"Maybe, if you can stand my Muggle family", I say with a sarcastic tone. Scorpius glances at them.
"You're right; I don't want anyone thinking I'm hanging out with a Mudblood."
"Language!" Madam Malkin says. Scorpius barely even shrugs before leaving the shop. "There you go, dear, that was faster than expected", Madam Malkin says after finishing my uniform.
I take off the robes and pay for them. After that we step out of the shop. The few clouds that hovered in front of the sun when we arrived at the Alley have been chased of by the wind and the Alley is now bathing in the bright sunlight. I glance down at my list of the supplies I need.
"Okay… so, we could go to the bookshop now", I say. "I'm going to need fourteen books."
"Why did that old lady call you Laelynn?" Emma asks.
"There was some debate about what my name should be when I was a baby. My mother wanted it to be Laelynn, but she changed it into Celandine after my father died... Anyways, some people never learned the new name."
In front of the bookshop I almost bump into two blond boys.
"You missed the show, Scorpius", the taller one is saying. "Dad beat that Weasley up."
I snort and immediately catch the attention of the two boys.
"You're right, it was funny", Draco Malfoy said.
"Oh, no, no, I didn't think it was funny your daddy beat Weasley up. I think it's funny you actually think he did that", I say with a smirk. Draco narrows his eyes at me.
"What do you know?" he asks with a grimace. "Who are you, anyways?"
"She's a half-blood Muggle lover", Scorpius interjects. I raise my eyebrows. Draco's grimace grows wider, and he yanks his little brother's robes and they stalk away. I shake my head at them and enter the shop, which is completely crowded, mostly by middle-age witches. The reason is simple; Gilderoy Lockhart is signing his books. I scowl at him. The guy is a complete fraud. Too bad I need seven of his books for my school. The Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a big fan of him…
A realization suddenly hits me. The D.A.D.A. teacher isn't a fan of Lockhart – he is Lockhart. I gag.
"Celandine? Is it really you?" someone asks from behind me. I turn around and see a tall boy with messy, honey brown hair. A grin spreads across my face.
"Rhys!" I exclaim before pulling him into a hug. He squeezes me so hard I almost can't breathe – we haven't seen each other in years. I pull away and look at him. We've both got wide smiles on our faces.
"Blimey, Cellie! How are you?" he asks.
"I'm fine", I tell him. "They didn't let me have an owl in the orphanage, and I doubt a Muggle postman would have found the Ashwood Abbey. How are you?"
"Fine", he says. He turns around to call his family.
"Mum, dad, it's Cellie!"
And suddenly I'm pulled into a big hug by Delyth Cadwallader. I can't help but smile; I've missed them all.
"Celandine, dear, how are you?" Delyth asks as she takes a step back to have a good look at me. "Oh, look how you've grown! You're almost as tall as Rhys!" she says.
"I'm great, thanks", I say. Roderick Cadwallader is now shaking my hand wildly. "I got adopted into a Muggle family. I'm now a Reed."
"You got adopted?" Roderick asks. "That's so great! I never doubted that, though, since you've always been such a pretty face, and so charming. Oh, I'm going to have to meet them. Are they here?"
"Yeah, they're right there…" Roderick heads towards the Reeds and I turn my attention to little Ffion, who is smiling shyly at me.
"Hi, Ffion", I say and give her a friendly smile. "Do you remember me?" she nods shyly. My smile grows even wider, if possible.
"It's so great to see you all", I say. "I've really missed you guys."
"We've missed you, too", Delyth says. "I was rather worried when you where left so alone."
"I'm fine now", I say. "It could have been a lot worse."
"Yeah, you could've been adopted by a former Death Eater", Rhys jokes, earning an angry scowl from his mother. "Sorry."
"You found your books yet?" I ask him in order to change the subject.
"Nope", he says. "Got distracted. You'll never believe this: Lucius Malfoy attacked Arthur Weasley!"
"Yeah, I heard Draco boasting about it outside", I tell him. "He said Malfoy won."
Rhys lets out a loud snort that once again earns him a scowl from Delyth. "He didn't. Hagrid pulled them away from each other, but I could swear that Weasley was winning. Hey, did you see Harry Potter?"
"Harry Potter? The Harry Potter? Blimey!" I say. "He's here?"
"Yeah, and Lockhart noticed him too. He looked pretty awkward having his picture taken with that fraud. Can't say I blame him. Can't believe Lockhart's gonna be our D.A.D.A. teacher."
"Yeah, me neither", I answer glumly. "Hey, do you think he gives out autographs?"
"What, Lockhart? When does he not give out autographs?"
"No, not Lockhart" I answer and punch him lightly in the arm. "Harry Potter!"
"No, I don't think he does", Rhys says. "Some people say he's an arrogant prick but I think he's just a poor little boy who saved the world twice. Let's just leave him alone."
"Yeah, okay", I nod. "Hey, did you just say twice?"
"Long story", Rhys says. "I think we should go get our books. I'll tell you a story about last year." He grins.
After I've bought my books and other necessary stuff for school and Rhys has told me about "the Philosopher's Stone" and professor Quirrel "who had you-know-who hiding in his turban" we head for Ollivander's. Rhys wants to see want kind of wand I get. His parents are chatting with the Reeds in a nearby café.
We step inside the dusky and dusty shop. Behind the counter sits a misty-eyed, grey-haired, old man: Ollivander himself.
"Hi", I say.
"Ah", Ollivander says. "Miss de Lyra, I assume? You haven't changed at all."
"Actually, it's Reed", I say. Ollivander looks confused, so I explain: "That's my new surname."
"Ah, good, good", Ollivander says. "Well, I think I've got the perfect wand for you. It's been safe in the storage waiting for you since the day you turned six. Let me just go get it." He disappears into the shadows behind the dusty shelves.
"So, tell me about the Reeds", Rhys says.
"Well", I say, "they're okay. Mister Reed is strict and missis Reed is even more so, but they're fair. Their oldest kid, Richard, is a rather normal fourteen-year-old. He's popular and sometimes really annoying. He'd definitely be in Gryffindor. Margaret, who is twelve, is over-enthusiastic about everything, which is extremely annoying. I think she'd be Slytherin, but she's not evil, just ambitious. Emma, who is nine, is really annoying, too, but also nice and sincere. She'd be in Hufflepuff, I'd bet my life for that."
Rhys grins.
"So, what house did you get sorted in?" I ask him.
"Ravenclaw", Rhys says with pride.
"Nice", I reply. "I think I'll be put in there, too."
"Oh, you will", Rhys says. "I can tell by the way you dress. When did you become a goth, anyways?"
"About two years ago."
"Here it is", Ollivander says, appearing from the shadows with a blue box in his hands. "Silver lime and Unicorn hair, twelve inches, nice and supple." He hands me an ornamental, light wand. I take it, and a strange wind blows my hair to my face as red and orange sparkles come from the end of the wand.
"Perfect", Ollivander says and packs up the wand. "That'll be seven Galleons, thank you."
I pay for the wand and Rhys and I leave the shop to go look for our parents. Er – his parents and my adoptive parents.
"Silver lime!" Rhys says once we're out of the shop. "Blimey! You didn't tell me you were a Seer!"
"I'm a clairvoyant, to be accurate", I tell him. "Er… my aunt thought there might be Seers among my fathers ancestry, but since he died before I started showing any signs of clairvoyance… well, I don't really know anything about it."
"So – what, you like prophesy or something?"
"Well, um, no. I can read people's Auras, intentions and sometimes I know things that have happened in the past or hear people's thoughts…"
"You hear people's thoughts?" Rhys blurts.
"Sometimes, yeah, and I can sometimes predict little stuff like Quidditch which of course takes all the fun out of it. But sometimes I know the test answers in advance, which can be really handy." A wide grin spreads on my face.
"That is so cool", Rhys says with admiration.
We walk in silence until we pass the Eeylops Owl Emporium, when Rhys suddenly says:
"You don't have an owl, do you?"
I shake my head. "No, like I said, they wouldn't let me have owls in the orphanage."
Rhys grins. "Then we're got to get you one", he says.
"What?" I blurt.
"Yeah, you totally need one", Rhys says with a serious expression on his face.
"I don't know… I should ask Rodger and Elaine about it…" I ponder.
"Well, let's go ask, if it means so much to you."
We run down the Alley until we find the café the Reeds and Cadwalladers are sitting at.
"Um, Rodger, Elaine…" I start with uncertainty. "Can I… can I have an owl?"
"A what?" Rodger blurts confused.
"An owl."
"Why would you want an owl?" Elaine asks.
"Well, they deliver wizard post… and stuff… thought it might be useful to own one." I scratch the back of my head awkwardly.
"Wait, owls deliver the wizard post? What happened to postmen?" Rodger asks.
"They don't have them in the wizarding world", I say, carefully avoiding the word "we".
"I love owls!" Emma exclaims. "Mom, dad, can we get one?"
Rodger and Elaine glance at each other before Rodger says: "Fine, you can have a bloody owl. But if I find one dead mouse in our house, the bird is gone."
"Thank you!" I exclaim before giving them both a brief hug. Rodger looks confused and Elaine looks delighted.
"Emma, you want to come?" I ask Emma, whose face immediately lights up and then Rhys, Emma and I head of to go buy "a bloody owl".
I end up buying a brown little owl, who I name Neri, even though Emma wants to call her Daniella.
"What's wrong with Daniella?" she whines.
"It's too long, and I prefer Neri anyways", I tell her, my voice mixed with irritation.
"But why?" She really doesn't know when to stop.
"Because it was my mother's name", I snap angrily at her. She goes silent, looking worried. I see Elaine glance at me with concern in her eyes.
"Never mind", I mutter and quicken my steps to catch up with Richard, who is ogling over some broomsticks.
(A/N: I made Scorpius Draco's little brother because it was a logical name for a descendant of a Black and I liked it better than let's say Aquarius. Sorry if this is confusing... Thanks for reading!:))