Welcome to my Harry Potter Fic. I recently re wrote this last chapter, so it's much more coherent than before. I do intend to update this soon...College starts today for me (4/21/08) so I will be very busy...
I looked in the mirror as I passed it in the hallway on my way down the stairs, stopping to brush a lock of(mostly) black hair out of my face. It is always so tangled, and what a mess! I've never had any control over it. However, it was not always so bad. At least it was nicely wavy. It just did not like to do as it was told. The tips were glowing an anxious orange. One part of my mother's legacy to me. The Metamorphmagus gene was incomplete. Probably the genetics on the other side were interfering. I'm surprised I had any changing at all. They should have cancelled out. That might be preferable though…
I heard Dad's voice and started down the stairs again. My glasses start slipping down my nose again, so I stop to push them up, magnifying and shrinking at the same time my green eyes. Then I resumed my trip down the stairs. There was much to do, I didn't have time to waste with vanity.
Dad was waiting there, with a sad smile on his face. It has been a long time since I last saw a true and genuine smile on his face. This time I think his sadness is from what we were doing. This year marks my first at Hogwarts. However, Dad feels he shouldn't take me to the train. He doesn't want to cause any more of a stir than he has to. But he insists that he at least takes me to Diagon Alley, so I can get my things, and wait it out at the Leaky Cauldron. It was August 1st, so I had a whole month…on my own… I only wish he could come with me.
However, he just keeps smiling, and it grew a bit brighter. As he looks down at my barely closed trunk. "Hmm…it's missing something…"He mused. With a wave of his wand, silver lettering appears on all sides and the top, spelling in curvy lettering…
Tara F. Lupin.
"There. Now not even you can misplace it!"
"Very funny, Dad!"
But that got me to thinking. Has anyone ever lost his or her trunk at Hogwarts? Surely not! Or have they…Not something she'd heard about…
I watched only half-heartedly as Dad secured my trunk to my broom. I was so nervous, and not happy about the first year rules. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to take it to Hogwarts with me, as first years were not allowed brooms. So, I'd have to be without my broom, and I had to live...for a month…on…my own…That scared me. A lot.
The flight to the alley was relatively quiet. Neither of us spoke much. At the entrance, after Dad had opened it for me, he smiled and gave my head a pat, as if trying to preserve my dignity. I didn't care and hugged him tightly, which he returned.
"Don't leave me, Daddy."
"My Tara… you'll be fine…You're strong sweetheart. Just remember to be careful around strangers, and don't let anyone see you…well, you know…" I gave him a smile that was cracking, just as the tips of my hair turned a sad droopy blue as well.
"A-Alright…" One more hug, and he turned, with my broom tucked under his arm…or really…my mother's old broom…and flew away on his own broom. After staring at the sky for several long minutes, I take a deep breath and turn around to face my future. And the starting to close alleyway entrance. Adrenaline kicked in and I made a dash through the doorway that was rapidly shrinking.
Tara shook her head to get the memory to go away. She had something more important to focus on now… the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley made her feel small and insignificant. More so than usual, that is. And the first thing she had to do was the most imposing of all. At least in the building. She was standing outside Gringotts of course. Shakily, she walked though the doors and all the way to the end of the foyer. At the goblin she stopped, speaking quietly.
"Umm…I'd like to access my vault please…"
"Which number is it?" The goblin asked without looking up. That didn't help me any. My voice got quieter still.
"Vault 913."
"You have your key, correct?" Oooh, bad question…
"Er…no…my mother left it here under my name." He didn't seem happy to hear that.
"And what is your name?"
"Tara F. Lupin."
"Very well…Griphook!"
Yet another goblin came almost instantly. "Yes?"
"Take this young lady to her vault, 913."
The goblin's face fell a bit as he took the key handed to him. "Yes sir…"
As Tara followed him she swore she heard him mutter under his breath. "Again? I just finished with the last one!"
As she got in the cart, she held onto the sides of the cart tightly. It looked as though someone much stronger had been doing the same only minutes before.
As the cart came to a stop, Tara looked at the vault and wondered how much was in there. The money had been set aside by her mother for her education, and her father absolutely refused to touch, nor could he. The key was under her name, and the Gringotts goblins wouldn't let him, even if he had asked. He said it had been for me, and that my mother would want it used for me.
As the door opened slowly, Tara's eyes lit up. There were stacks of Galleons, piles of Sickles, and miniature mountains of Knuts. More money than she'd seen in her LIFE! Griphook, seeing her reaction chuckled. "Aye, a lot isn't it."
Tara simply nodded, a bit dumbfounded.
Griphook chuckled again and poked her with one long spindly finger. "Well, go on… fill your bag."
Tara nodded and filled her bag so it would be hard pressed to hold anymore. Girl and goblin climbed back into the cart, and shot out to the surface again. After politely thanking Griphook, she started toward Madame Malkin's robe shop. Inside, she almost hesitated, hearing a rather rude boy talking loudly to another one. She waited at the front of the store, hoping the one boy would leave. She watched as one boy left, and then heard a voice calling, which she assumed was calling her.
"Oh, dearie, here for robes? Hogwarts, right? Over here."
Just her luck, the voice led her over to where the boy with the rude voice was getting his measurements done as well. He stared at her for a few seconds before starting a conversation over. "Hogwarts?" She nodded shyly. A bit more idle words passed between them before he started talking about Mudbloods. Tara was normally a fairly clam person. But she couldn't stand much more of this. When he started on about how purebred families are superior…She lost it a bit.
"Look! If you don't like them so much, go start your own school, specifically for pure breds! In the meantime, save your breath! No one really wants to listen to it!"
The boy was so shocked at being spoken to this way, it took him a while to respond. The witch working on his measurements was finishing, which meant shortly he'd be out of here. "Why you-"
"Bring it on!" The tips of her hair were red now, as she turned to glare at him. But before anything could really happen, the boys robes were ready. As he was being shuffled out, the blond boy sneered at her. "You'll regret this."
Tara snorted derisively. For at least this moment, she wasn't scared at all. "I'd like to see you do anything about it."
The boy hurried out of the shop, flushed with anger and probably a bit of embarrassment. Tara's hair calmed down to normal black that she preferred to keep it at. Beneath her, Madame Malkin sighed with relief as she put the finishing touches on the last robe. While Tara slipped out of it so it could be folded, she spoke with great pleasure as one might expect from a witch of her appearance. She hadn't been that jovial moments before. "Thank heavens he's gone! I thought he'd never leave! What's your name, dearie?
"Tara."
"Full name?"
"Tara Lupin"
Madame Malkin nodded and waved her wand at the stack of robes she'd been making for Tara. Then the woman lifted the hem to show, in silver embroidery, her name. Tara gasped. That had been another 3 sickles and 10 knuts for the personalized robes. "Madame, what was that for?"
"For saving my poor old ears from having to listen to that boy a moment longer. I think they would have fallen off…"
Tara couldn't help but giggle, very grateful though. Now she wouldn't lose those either. She gathered the robe, wondering how she knew what color to put it in. But her trunk was just off to the side…yes, that was probably it.
"Now, off with you dearie, but come back soon!"
Tara smiled and waved as she left the shop to get the rest of her stuff. Next stop was for her potions materials. But first…a cauldron. Solid pewter, right? She consulted her list.
Three sets of plain work robes
One plain pointed hat for day wear
One pair of dragon-hide gloves
And the following set of books:
'Standard Book of Spells, Year 1' By Miranda Goshawk
'A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' By Phyllida Spore
'A History of Magic' By Bathilda Bagshot
'Magical Theory' By Adalbert Waffling
'A beginner's guide to Transfiguration ' by Emeric Smith
'Magical Drafts and potions ' by Arsenius Jigger
And Also:
'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' By Newt Scamander
'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection." By Trimble
All students must be equipped with:
One wand
One standard size 2 pewter cauldron
"Okay then…Standard size 2 Pewter Cauldron coming right up…" Tara found her cauldron very quickly and soon was pulling it along toward the apothecary. Or rolling it was more appropriate 20 some minutes later, she was exiting the smelly apothecary with a much heavier cauldron in tow.
"Now what? Hat, check! I picked that up at Madam Malkin's! Gloves…"
She glanced down into her cauldron and searched out the black colored dragon hide gloves, then checked it off the list with her quill. "Looks like next is the bookstore…"
Flourish and Blotts was an amazing place. She loved the smell, the taste of the air, and the feeling of the spines of the books beneath her hands. The whole place had a lovely atmosphere. She picked out her books and paid for them, with a few others that had grabbed her attention, sorry that she had to leave so soon... It was such a shame.
Once inside the Owl's Emporium, She had a tough decision to make. The handiness of an owl, or the comfort of a cat. Both had their advantages… She must have stood there for a good 10 minutes before making her decision. She walked out with a cage balanced precariously on top of the cauldron's contents.
And a wicker basket in hand.
The cage held a snowy white owl with green eyes. In the basket, was a kitten with black fur and white, almost silver, around her eyes and the tip of her tail, as well as around her ankles. She was going to be one pretty kitty when she grew up. The cat too had green eyes. Perhaps oit was just the assumption that green eyes should stick together.
Tara looked down at her list again, satisfied with her purchases so far, but definitely nearly ready to go to the Inn.
One last thing… her wand… Dad had recommended Ollivanders, so she headed there. She poked her head inside the musty shop. "Hello?"
A ladder came sliding down a shelf of wand boxes carrying a man with creepy eyes and graying hair. "Ah… a customer." He looked over her for a moment or two. "A Lupin, eh? Nice wand your father has…11 ½ inches, dragon heartstring, mahogany. Now lets see..."
Tara jumped as a silver measuring tape appeared out of nowhere and started taking odd measurements. Sure, the normal ones were there too, but also things like the space between her nostrils and the circumference of her thumb. Finally, it was done and disappeared with a crack.
"Alright, try this…phoenix feather, maple, 10 inches."
He handed her the wand and she had held it only a second before he snatched it out of her hand and handed her another.
"Try this one… Oak, dragon heartstring, 9 ¼ inches."
Same thing happened with this one…and with the next…and the next…and the next…
The pile was now 3 feet high off a chair
"No…try this, ebony and unicorn hair, 7 inches."
She gripped the wand and felt a slight feeling in her fingers, and thought this might be the one, but Mr. Ollivanders snatched it away.
"No, not quite, but we were close that time weren't we? Very close…"
He wandered to the back of the aisle on the far right and pulled out a box covered in dust. "Hmm…Unicorn hair, Rosewood, 8 3/4 inches."
As soon as she gripped the wand she felt lighter than air and wondered if she was floating off the ground, or if the ground was dropping. This one felt like it was made for her. Or was she made for it? Slowly the feeling faded. Mr. Ollivanders was smiling. "Interesting…"
"Sorry if this is prying, but what's interesting?"
"We don't use rosewood often for wands. Hard to fashion, though they last a long time. It's also one of the more magical woods, like holly, and birch. The Ollivander's family only made 3 wands of rosewood. But those with such wood in their wands have great magical potential, as seen by two great wizards who also have rosewood wands. Perhaps you've heard of them? Godric Gryffindor and Albus Dumbledore. Yours is the last rosewood wand we have left. Or should I say had?"
Tara blushed slightly, and didn't say a thing as she placed the money for her wand, 7 galleons and 14 sickles on the counter, and left with her wand. Time to turn in for the night and wait for September first to come… a whole month. Geez…
