Hello everyone!
This is my first ever fic to be published, so be nice. English is not my first language so feel free to correct me. xo
- Lord Voldemort was significantly weakened but not defeated at the battle of Hogwarts
- Follows along the lines of J.K. Rowling's story unless something else is stated (for example. Snape and Dumbledore are dead etc.)
- James II, Scorpius, Albus Severus etc. does not exist in this universe. No one has had children yet.
- This fic takes place seven years after Deathly Hallows, which makes the Golden Trio and their classmates 24 years old and our protagonist Charlotte 22.
- Everything HP belongs to J.K. Rowling.
- Charlotte is my OC
The autumn morning was crisp and rather cool, the air was clear which made it easy to breathe and the leaves on the trees had already started to turn a golden colour. The Diagon Alley was busy with its usual activity, full of witches and wizards running errands or doing some shopping. If you were to switch out the exciting shops, like Ollivander's and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, to muggle ones and maybe make the people populating the street wear suits instead of cloaks the alley would look surprisingly similar to any other street in London.
I took another deep breath of the fresh air, it felt like it gave me energy and sharpened my senses, I always got a bit dizzy for a second when I apparated but the cold, autumn air helped to clear my head. I had always loved Diagon Alley, ever since I made my first visit as an eleven year-old girl that was soon to start at Hogwarts. As a muggleborn, Diagon Alley was my first real encounter with the wizarding world and I could still remember how absolutely breathtaking I found the alley. To be honest, twelve years later the welcoming shops and the grand Gringotts Wizarding Bank still amazed even though I had visited Diagon Alley many times since that first, breathtaking visit. The alley was one of the most magical places in London and it would always hold a special place in my heart, along with Hogwarts.
"You are quiet today, Charlotte." The voice of Neville Longbottom woke me up from my nostalgic reflections.
"Oh, I'm sorry". I answered with a smile as we opened the door to Ollivanders. "I was just remembering the first time I visited Diagon Alley, just weeks before I started Hogwarts."
"I remember my first time at Diagon Alley too." Luna Lovegood said in her soft voice. "I was not yet old enough to get my Hogwarts letter, but father took me here because Diagon Alley is a great place to find wrackspurts."
The image of a very young Luna and her father looking for some strange creature no one else had heard of brought a smile to my face. The Lovegoods were strange but very likeable in ther own, quirky way.
There were hundreds and hundreds of wandboxes in the shop, all stacked from floor to ceiling. I had no idea how Mr Ollivander could keep them apart - the boxes had different colours and designs, some were red, others purple and a few were black but none of the boxes had any letters or numbers indicating the length, suppleness, kind of wood or core.
The reason for our visit to Diagon Alley was to get a new wand for Neville, his old one had been broken in half in a brawl with a few Death Eaters just a couple of days ago. It was seven years since the battle of Hogwarts and while Harry potter and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix had succeeded in significantly weaken Lord Voldemort he and his following was not completely defeated. The following years had been reasonably calm but it was no secret that Lord Voldemort was on the rise once again. The terror attacks by the Death Eaters against both muggles and wizards had become more frequent and there was an increasing aversion towards muggleborns. The year after Albus Dumbledore's death everyone with muggle parents were not allowed back to Hogwarts. It was later decided, when Professor McGonagall became headmistress, that everyone were to retake that year at Hogwarts since the education had been lacking under Voldemort's reign. However, because of my experiences the mere thought of hostility towards muggleborns still sent shivers down my spine.
"Mr Longbottom, Miss Lovegood, Miss Arrington. Welcome." Mr Ollivander himself appeared behind a shelf.
"Good day, Mr Ollivander." Neville replied and placed the splints of wood that once were his wand on the desk. "My wand broke the day before yesterday, is there anything that can be done?"
I could almost hear Neville's heart sink when Ollivander told him that there was nothing he could do to mend his old wand. A wand was like an extension of yourself and I could not blame Neville for mourning his old wand like one would mourn the death of an old friend. It made me squeeze my own wand, still in my right hand, extra tight. It was a beautiful creation of shiny, jet-black ebony wood with a dragon heartstring core, 12 and ¾ inches long. Along the shaft were decorative carvings which gave it a more feminine look. It was a powerful wand, made for magnificent spells and dueling.
Half an hour later we left the wand shop, Neville with a brand new wand in hand. After testing out a number of different wands, he had ended up with one made of cedar wood and unicorn hair. Ollivander had told us that wizards and witches with cedar wands were very loyal people, which surely did apply to Neville.
"Hey, would anyone fancy an ice cream at Florean Fortescue's?" Asked Luna as she kept walking when I stopped outside the quill shop to look at a beautiful, grey speckled quill.
"Ice cream in November? This strangest thing to come out of your mouth, Luna. And that is saying something." Said Neville.
"Cold autumn weather is not a reason to not eat ice cream!" I called out to my friends.
I quickly turned around to follow my friends to the ice cream parlor. In my haste to catch up to Luna and Neville I did not pay attention to my surroundings and and suddenly, before I had time to react, I clumsily crashed straight into someone.