Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

McGonagall arrived at precisely six o'clock and told the Dursley's everything. Uncle Vernon had yelled a lot in the beginning, saying that they would not allow it, but McGonagall threatened to turn Dudley into a pig, and he was quiet.

After informing them that a teacher from the school would be there to take Susie to Diagon Alley the next day, McGonagall left in a very unconventional way. She stepped in the Dursley's fireplace, took out a handful of sparkling powder and threw it in, saying, "Hogwarts!" and disappearing in a whirl of green flames.

Dudley was whimpering fearfully from a chair in the corner, a vein in Uncle Vernon's head was pulsing, and Aunt Petunia's lips were pursed so tight it looked painful.

Smiling to herself, Susie went to her cupboard for the night.

The next morning she fixed breakfast happily, while the Dursley's sat ashen-faced at the table. Afterwards, Susie went upstairs to brush her hair.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought about what McGonagall had told her the previous day. She had her mother's eyes, apparently, and her father's hair, and wore glasses like him as well, though hers were rectangular instead of round. She brushed her hand across the scar, thinking that it was not so strange after all; in fact it was pretty cool. Because of it, everyone in the Wizarding world knew her name, meaning – perhaps – a place she might be accepted…

When there was a knock on the door at nine o'clock, all three Dursley's jumped about a mile. Laughing, Susie bid them good bye and went to go meet her escort for the day.

Outside the door was a man so tall, the end of his scraggly black beard was barely visible from the door. He bent down, and Susie saw that he had even more scraggly hair on his head, his hands were the size of trash can lids, but his small black eyes were twinkling happily.

"Hullo there, Susan," he said merrily, "Name's Rubeus Hagrid, keeper o' keys an' grounds at Hogwarts."

"Hello, Mr. Hagrid," Susie said. "Please call me Susie."

"No, no, I won' be havin' any o that 'mister' stuff, Susie." he said, waving one large hand dismissively. "Call me Hagrid." He glanced behind Susie, and she followed the gaze to the Dursley's, who were watching fearfully from behind a door. "Shall we?" Hagrid offered, and Susie stepped out, closing the door behind her.

They took the 'Muggle' subway to London, and Hagrid completely ignored the strange looks he got while talking loudly about "the things these Muggles dream up", like parking meters and toasters.

"I got sommat for you here, Susie," he said once they sat down on the train, digging through his pockets. "I know it's a few days late but…Here we go!"

He produced a small white box. Opening it, Susie saw a pink cake with red icing that spelled, "Happy birthday Susie". Feeling slightly emotional, Susie said, "Thanks a lot, Hagrid…I've never had a birthday cake before."

Hagrid's face was stony as he replied, "Sorry 'bout that, by the way," he said, clapping Susie roughly on the shoulder, "I didn't want ter leave you with them Muggles, but Dumbledore said it was fer the best…I was the one who went ter find you, you know, after it happened. Flew you right over ter the Dursley's…"

"Really?" asked Susie incredulously, "I had a dream about a flying motorcycle once!"

"Tha' was it," said Hagrid, "Belonged to a friend o' the family…"

That reminded Susie of what she had wanted to ask. "Hagrid, why couldn't I have stayed with a wizarding family?" she asked.

Hagrid smiled at her. "I asked Dumbledore the same thing, and he said tha' he though' you should grow up away from all that," he said.

Susie could see the reason behind this…if she was as famous as everyone said for being 'The-Girl-Who-Lived' then she would no doubt have become spoiled living around such admiration. Not to mention it would be a lot less special now – but perhaps she wouldn't have had to live in a cupboard.

They finally arrived in London, and Hagrid had a hard time getting out of the train, and then had to step completely over the ticket barriers. They walked quickly through the streets of London, Susie practically running to keep up with Hagrid's long strides.

Finally, Hagrid announced, "Ah, her' it is!" they had reach an old, dirty looking pub that said The Leaky Cauldron on a lopsided sign.

Dubiously, Susie followed Hagrid into the pub.

It was full of strange people, all of them wearing robes, some with pointy hats. As they walked by the bar, the barman said, "Ah, Hagrid! The usual, I presume?"

"No thanks, Tom, just taking young Susie here t' buy her school supplies," Hagrid said.

The pub went silent.

"Merlin's beard, it can't be!" cried Tom, rushing around the bar and seizing Susie's hand, shaking it roughly, "An honor, just an honor to have you here Ms. Potter!"

"Dorris Crockford, Ms. Potter, I can't believe I'm meeting you at last!" Said an elderly witch.

"Oh, h-h-h-hello Ms. P-p-p-p-Potter! C-can't t-t-tell you how p-p-p-pleased I am to m-m-meet you!" said a rather nervous looking man.

"Oh hullo, Professor, didn't see you there!" said Hagrid, "Susie, this is Professor Quirrell, he'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Susie thought she must have shaken hands with everyone in the building at least once, and Dorris Crockford had kept coming back for more. Finally, Hagrid managed to extract them from the crowd, and they went out into the back yard, which was empty except for a trash can.

Hagrid grinned at Susie.

"See? Yeh really are famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' to met yeh – mind you, he's usually tremblin'."

"Is he always that nervous?" asked Susie.

"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some first-hand experience…" Hagrid shuddered. "They say he met vampires in the Black Forest and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag – never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject. Now…where's me umbrella?"

Vampires? Hags? Susie couldn't believe her ears. Was everything she thought was a myth actually true? Meanwhile, Hagrid was counting bricks.

"Three up, two across." He muttered. "Right then – stand back, Susie."

He tapped the wall three times with the tip of his umbrella.

The brick quivered and shook, then a small hole appeared in the middle, growing wider and wider until they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid. Beyond it lay a street lined with shops, crowded with people, and full of strange things like bats hanging from the signs, broomsticks, owls, and large cauldrons.

"Welcome, Susie, to Diagon Alley." Hagrid said. They started down the streets, and Susie thought she might get whiplash from how much she was twisting her head around, trying to see everything.

As Susie stared at a cauldron shop with wide eyes, Hagrid nodded and said, "Yeah, you'll be needin' one, but firs' we got ter get yer money."

Susie stared at the people and the shops, taking in a broom store and a place where you could buy owls and all manner of other strange things. After only a few minutes, Hagrid announced, "Gringotts."

They had reached a white building that towered over all the other shops. Standing beside the bronze doors and wearing a scarlet and gold uniform was –

"Yeah, tha's a goblin," Hagrid said softly as they ascended the stone steps. The goblin was shorted than Susie, with a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard, and very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside, and Susie smiled and nodded politely.

Now they faced a second pair of doors, these silver, with words engraved upon them….

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.

"You'd have ter be mad to try an' rob Gringotts," said Hagrid as a pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and into a vast marble hall.

About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in ledgers, weighing coins, examining stones and jewels through eyeglasses. There were more doors than Susie could count leading off the hall, and yet more goblings were showing people in and out of these.

Hagrid stopped at a counted, and said to a free goblin, "Morning. We've come ter take some money outta Miss Susan Potter's safe."

"You have the key, sir?" the goblin asked.

"Got it here somewhere…" Hagrid said, beginning to empty his pockets onto the counter. Susie giggled as moldy dog biscuits, mice, a handkerchief, and various other objects made their appearance. The goblin wrinkled his nose.

"Got it!" Hagrid said finally, holding up a small gold key.

The goblin peered closely at it, then nodded.

"That seems to be in order.

"An' I've got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

The goblin read the letter carefully.

"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid. "I will have someone take you to both vaults. Griphook!"

Another goblin led them through one of the doors off the hall, and Susie couldn't help but ask, "What's in vault seven hundred and thirteen?"

"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid. "Hogwarts business; very secret. Dumbledore trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."

Susie nodded as they stepped through another door. She had been expecting more marble, but instead they were in a narrow stone passageway lit by torches. A small cart came hurtling up the tracks when Griphook whistled, and they all climbed in, though Hagrid had some difficulty.

Soon they were speeding through the maze of twisting passageway, and Susie had never had so much fun in her life. Up, down, right, left, left, left, right, down, middle fork, right, right – no matter how hard Susie tried, she couldn't keep the directions straight. Soon she gave up and just enjoyed the ride. The cart, she surmised, must have been magical, because Griphook wasn't steering.

Though her eyes stung from the cold, damp air, Susie kept them open, not wanting to miss a thing. Once, she thought she saw a burst of fire at the end of a passageway and turned to see if it was a dragon, but it was too late. They had plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and the floor.

"I can never remember," Susie said to Hagrid, "what's the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite?"

"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid gruffly. "An' don' ask me questions righ' now. I think I'm gonna be sick."

He did look quite green, Susie saw, and when the cart finally stopped and they all climbed out, Hagrid had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from shaking.

"Vault six hundred and eighty-seven." Griphook announced, and opened the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, but as it cleared Susie saw mounds of gold, silver, and bronze coins.

"All yours." Hagrid said with a slightly shaky smile.

All mine? Susie thought incredulously. It was amazing enough to be a witch, but now she even had all the money she could ever want. She could buy herself new clothes, maybe glasses that actually helped her see…

Hagrid helped Susie pile as much as they could into a bag.

"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts to a sickle. It's easy enough. Right, that should be enough for a few terms. We'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and could we go more slowly?"

"One speed only." Griphook said.

This time, they went even deeper and gathered speed. The air became colder and colder as they turn sharp corners and went rattling over an underground ravine. Susie learned over the side to try and see what was at the bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled her back by her shirt.

There was no keyhole at vault seven hundred and thirteen.

"Stand back." Said Griphook. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away. Susie let out a gasp.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped there." Griphook said importantly.

"How often do you check if anyone's inside?" asked Susie nervously.

"About once every ten years." Said Griphook with a nasty grin.

Something amazing had to be inside that vault, Susie was sure. She leaned forward, expecting to see brilliant jewels at the least, or perhaps a powerful magical object, but at first she thought it was empty. Then she noticed a grubby little package wrapped in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid stepped inside and picked it up, tucking it away inside his coat. Susie wanted desperately to know what it was, but she knew Hagrid couldn't tell her.

"Come on then, back ter that infernal cart." Said Hagrid. "And don' talk ter me on the way back. It's best if I keep my mouth shut."

Soon they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Susie didn't know where to go first now that she had a bag full of money. She didn't know how many Galleons were to a pound, but she knew she was holding even money more than Dudley had ever had.

"Here," said Hagrid, stopping in front of Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. "Migh' as well get yer uniform. Listen – do you mind if I slip off fer a pick-me-up at the Leaky Cauldron?"

He did look quite sick, so Susie nodded and stepped into the robe shop by herself, feeling nervous.

A boy around her age was standing on one of the podiums. He had white-blond hair that was slicked back and gray eyes.

"Oh dear, another one," said a frazzled looking witch, rushing over to add a pin to the boys pant leg, "Get up on that one, will you?"

Susie quickly climbed up onto the podium, and the witch hurriedly draped a black robe over her, then rushed to the back.

"Starting Hogwarts this year as well?" asked the boy in a bored sort of drawl.

"Yes," said Susie as the woman – whom she thought must be Madam Malkin – came back and started to stick pins in the robe.

"Where do you think you'll be sorted? I know I'll be in Slytherin, my family's been in it for centuries, but imagine being in one of the others, especially Hufflepuff," he shuddered. "I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

Susie stared at the boy curiously, wondering if these were the boy's own opinions, or his family's. Not knowing which it was, she answered in a firm but kind tone, "Hufflepuffs are caring, loyal, and hard-working," she said as Madam Malkin stitched up her right sleeve. "I'd be honored to be in Hufflepuff, myself." She was more hoping to be in Gryffindor, honestly – like her parents, but to her, any of the houses sounded pretty good. Cunning, wise, loyal, brave – they were all good attributes. Why didn't he think so?

The boy glared, and seemed about to say something else, but Madam Malkin said, "There, you're all done dearie." And he left immediately.

"Alright, love, your robe is finished," stated Malkin, "but you'll need to put these on so I can adjust them and make a few more in the right sizes." She handed Susie a dark gray skirt, three different sweaters (one button-up, one without sleeves, and one with long sleeves), a black tie, and two white shirts, one short-sleeved and one long-sleeved..

As Susie walked out of the dressing room, she saw that the store was occupied by another child her age, though this one looked much nicer.

As Madam Malkin went to the back to get another robe, the girl said, "Hi, I'm Kellah Spinks. Are you new to Hogwarts this year too?" She had dark skin and black hair done in tiny short braids. Her face was round and kind-looking, and Susie liked her already.

Susie nodded and introduced herself. "Yes I am. I'm Susie Potter."

The girl's eyes grew wide, and she gasped. "You're really Susie Potter? That's amazing! I've always wanted to meet you. I can't believe we're in the same year!" she paused for a moment, then grimaced slightly and added, "Sorry. I'm sure you don't like people to make a big deal about it, right?"

Susie shook her head gratefully, saying, "Not really. I mean, I like that I fit in here and I think it's really cool that I'm famous, but I'd rather people want to get to know me, you know? Not just The Girl Who Lived, or whatever they call me."

Kellah nodded understandingly. "My parents both have jobs at the Ministry and had to work, so I came here alone." She explained.

"Well…would you like to finish your shopping with me? Since I live with Muggles, the school sent one of the teachers to help me, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Kellah's eyes brightened, and she nodded enthusiastically.

It didn't take long for them to be finished, and Malkin explained that the uniforms would be transfigured to show their house colors once they were sorted. Susie liked the uniforms a lot, not to mention the fact that they fit, and almost asked to wear them out, feeling ashamed of her ripped, too-long Capri pants and stained yellow blouse next to Kellah's normal blue skirt and striped pink and purple shirt that weren't blemished or torn and were actually made for a child rather than a woman. Hagrid showed up then, carrying – to Susie's surprise – a large cage that contained a snowy white owl.

"Jus' though' I'd get yer sommat for yer birthday, seein' as you haven't had much." He said sheepishly when Susie thanked him happily. "Who's this?" Hagrid asked, noticing Kellah, who was staring up at him amazedly.

"Oh, this is Kellah Spinks," Susie introduced, "Kellah, this is Hagrid."

Hagrid beamed when Susie asked if Kellah could go with them, shaking Kellah's hand and enveloping her whole arm.

They went to the wand shop – Ollivander's – first, at Susie's suggestion, and Hagrid stayed outside, both because there wasn't enough room, and because they weren't sure if owls were allowed

Kellah went first, trying about a half-dozen wands before a dark brown one with spirals around it shot out yellow and blue sparks. Ollivander said it was made of birch, and had a unicorn tail hair core. Susie couldn't believe that unicorns were actually real, and wondered anxiously what would be in her wand.

Then it was Susie's turn, and Ollivander got misty-eyed, telling the girls about James and Lily Potter's wands.

It seemed to Susie as though she tried every wand in the shop, all with disastrous consequences. Finally, Ollivander whispered, "I wonder…" then he disappeared down a row, coming back seconds later with a black wand that had a design on the middle and bottom in bronze. Susie picked it up, and it immediately shot out red and gold sparks.

"Curious…" said Ollivander quietly.

"Sorry, but what's curious?" asked Susie cautiously.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss Potter. The phoenix whose feather lies in that wand gave one other feather…just one. It is curious that you shall be destined for that wand when its brother gave you that scar." He pointed one gnarled finger at Susie's head. "I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you, Miss Potter. After all, He Who Must Not Be Named did great things. Terrible, oh yes, but great."