Chapter 2: Sakura and Syaoran and Diagon Alley
If Sakura had to describe the sensation, it would have been like something had hooked onto the back of her naval and yanked her into herself. It was vaguely similar to traveling by train, if she had tied one end of a rope to a speeding locomotive and looped the other end around her waist. The next thing she knew, she felt as much as heard the rush of air and blood in her ears. By all rights it should have hurt, but she actually felt fine, ignoring some horrible disorientation.
The sunlight all around made for a decisive and dramatic indication that they were now far away from the florescent-lit night-sky of Hong Kong. A bright indication, too. Sakura had to squint her eyes immediately upon arrival. It took several seconds before she felt like she could get her bearings without blinding herself.
Once she was able to take a good, albeit still squinted, look around her, Sakura was able to place herself as being on a grassy plain in easy walking distance to Reed Manor. Her experiences wandering around the estate with Ruby stood her in good stead in recognizing the area, but much more helpful was the splendid building which stood in easy view.
"That was..." Syaoran started saying in Japanese before he was held at a loss for words. He finally concluded, "... weird."
Sakura and Mei-Ling both nodded in agreement with Syaoran's assessment of the trip they had just taken.
"I take it that's the building we're supposed to go to?" Mei-Ling asked, also in Japanese.
"Yes. That's Reed Manor," Sakura answered in the same language as she shuffled her things around to make them easier to carry. Once she was reasonably certain she wasn't about to drop something she started walking towards the building. The detail of the wooden model she still held in her hand was much more striking now that she had a chance to actually compare it to the real thing. She casually held the small model up, noting the intricate nuances the sculptor had captured.
"What're we waiting for? Let's go. I'm hungry," Keroberos said, pressing slightly ahead of the group.
"You're hungry. Why am I not surprised?" Syaoran jibed at the floating guardian beast.
"What'd ya say?" Keroberos challenged. He flew backwards so he could face Syaoran as he flew, but he continued to inexorably fly towards the manor and the food promised therein.
"Come'on. I want to see this famous Clow house," Mei-Ling said. She hurried forward as well.
Sakura and Syaoran made their way somewhat more slowly. Both of them were carrying substantially more things than Mei-Ling and Keroberos. As they approached, as if by magic, the front door opened. Sakura was almost ready to believe that Eriol and Kaho had added a new charm to the entrance to welcome visitors to the house. That impression was quickly dismissed as the tall figure of Kaho became visible in the doorway.
Kaho put her finger to her lip in a shushing motion and told the three in a low voice in English, "Go ahead and leave your things here. Eriol is currently helping someone. If you're quiet, you can go listen."
Curious as to what Kaho was talking about, Sakura left her suitcase and backpack at the entrance and followed behind Kaho. Syaoran and Mei-Ling followed suit, leaving their various belongings on the ground. Even Keroberos stayed silent as they followed Kaho up the stairs to the third floor of the manor and Eriol's laboratory.
"... but she asked a price which was too much for me to bear," Sakura heard a voice say as she drew near. The voice was speaking in English. She didn't recognize it.
"There is that," a voice Sakura did recognize as belonging to Eriol answered back, also in English. "It's refreshing to meet somebody who doesn't lose sight of what they have in pursuit of what they want."
They reached the door and Sakura was able to peek inside. Eriol was sitting on a chair behind a desk and was talking to what appeared to be a young woman of possibly Indian descent with long, wavy hair. The woman was scratching at the chin of something which appeared to be a large mouse on her shoulder. Upon further consideration, it looked a bit more like a small monkey than a mouse.
"Right. She couldn't help me directly, but she provided some advice for a much more reasonable fee. She suggested I seek you out," the woman said.
"I'm happy to help if I can, although I have my fee as well, of course," Eriol said. "You said you were looking for somebody, right?"
"Yes. A dear friend. Somebody who once held her hand out to me when I was too scared to accept it," the woman said.
"Lost friendship. That's always tricky," Eriol said, leaning back and tapping his fingers together thoughtfully. "How do you propose to pay for this?"
"Yuuko mentioned you might be interested in this," the woman said. She held out an object between her thumb and index finger. It caught the light and flashed brilliantly. Sakura recognized it as being a small, silvery ring.
"I most certainly am," Eriol confirmed. He stood up and walked over to a nearby shelf. "You know what that is, right? It's said that that ring gives the power to bring revolution to the world."
"I know," the woman answered. "It's true, but not in the way you might expect."
"That's not too unusual, especially for the more powerful magics. So let's see. What could I trade in return?" Eriol mused to himself.
"Chu-chu," the woman scolded. The creature who had been on her shoulder had managed to climb up to one of the shelves unnoticed. It had its hands in a bag. Beside it was a small pile of objects including a feather quill, a red amulet, and a toy drum which looked bigger than the bag itself did. The woman grabbed for the errant creature just as it pulled a piece of paper from the bag. Whatever was on the paper, it must have been significant. The woman gasped as she caught sight of it.
"That's her. What is this?" the woman asked, holding up the bag.
"That's quite a coincidence. But now that I think about it, it would be quite the story. Yes, that actually does work. Especially with that friend of yours," Eriol mused. "If you take that bag and follow where it leads, you'll find what you seek at it's ending. Are you sure you want to do this? I'm not constrained by the same restrictions as Yuuko, but I do feel obligated to point out that this isn't exactly a fair trade."
"Yes, I'm sure. This ring means nothing to me. Less than nothing. It's worth it," the woman said. She handed the ring to Eriol.
"Very well," Eriol said. He took the ring, and then picked up the feather, drum, and amulet. He handed the first two to the woman, who already had the bag, and handed the amulet to the strange creature the woman had called Chu-chu. "Then with that, our business is concluded. Good luck. You've picked a hard path to follow."
"Thank you," the woman said. "Some advice before I go; don't put the ring on. It's a heavy burden to bear, and once you do you'll never be able to remove it."
"I see. Thank you for the warning," Eriol said in return. He still held the ring up to his eye, inspecting it closely. "Ruby, can you show the lady out?"
"Right this way," Ruby said from the side of the room. Sakura hadn't even noticed her standing there, what with the transaction that had just taken place. She was in her decidedly human guise, wearing a fetching maid outfit.
As Ruby led the strange woman down the stairs, Sakura heard the woman ask Ruby, "Why do you hide your wings?"
"Eriol. You aren't going to do something foolish, are you?" Kaho asked Eriol from across the room. The seeming child was holding the ring in his right thumb and index finger, next to the ring finger of his left hand.
"Of course not," Eriol said, putting the ring down on the desk beside him. He then turned to the three children and Keroberos and said, "Ah... sorry I wasn't able to welcome you myself, but sometimes business interferes."
"Business? What kind of business was that?" Sakura asked, switching to English to match Eriol and Kaho.
"Clow used to do some trading on the side," Keroberos preempted, answering Sakura's question in English. "People would come to him and he'd help them out in return for magical items to study. It's how he got so much stuff to research, and how he could afford things like this manor."
"Nothing so serious. Just a bit of a hobby on the side," Eriol said.
"But it sounded like that woman was referred to you," Sakura said, ignoring his attempts at downplaying his activities.
"Yes, but Yuuko's something of a special case. It's not too important, though," Eriol said, bringing that particular line of inquiry to a close. "So how was your trip? It was your first time using a portkey, right?"
"It was weird," Syaoran answered, now speaking in slightly accented but very understandable English.
"It can feel like that the first time, especially when traveling long distances. You get used to it after a while," Kaho said in response.
"Wait. Syaoran-kun, you speak English?" Sakura asked in surprise.
"Obviously. You didn't think I'd come to school all the way out here if I didn't speak the language, did you?" Syaoran asked.
"I guess I never really thought about it. Where did you learn it?" Sakura asked.
"They made us all learn it in school," Mei-Ling said, in the same slightly accented but understandable English that Syaoran used.
"The government tries to push English in Hong Kong and the other colonies," Kaho explained.
"I see," Sakura said.
"Well, seeing how you've just arrived, what would you like to do first? An early lunch or a tour of the manor?" Eriol asked.
"Lunch!" Keroberos immediately called out.
Syaoran and Mei-Ling shared a glance, and then said in unison, "Tour."
This elicited a groan of complaint from Keroberos and a look of triumph from Syaoran and Mei-Ling.
"You've seen it all before so if you want to go eat first we can meet you downstairs, Keroberos," Eriol suggested.
"Great, see you all later," Keroberos said. He quickly flew away.
"You'd better not eat it all," Sakura called out after the rapidly disappearing figure.
"You can go too if you want, Sakura," Eriol added. "You've already seen everything we're going to show these two."
"No. I want to go with Syaoran-kun," Sakura said. She walk over to Syaoran's side and took his hand, causing both to smile.
"Okay. Well, there isn't too much up here besides my laboratory, so if you'll follow me," Eriol said. He led the others down the staircase to the floor below. "Over here we have the library where we keep most of the sorcery references, like Wilbert Slinkhard's 'Defensive Magical Theory,' and Merlin's 'Second Journal of Meta-Magic,'" Eriol explained, walking past one of the rooms and pointing towards it. "The third library is over there. It's where we keep most of the artificer magical references, like Owle Bullock's 'Secrets of the Darkest Art.' It's the largest library in the house so most of the other miscellaneous books end up there as well."
Something about Eriol's tour caught Sakura's attention. It took her a second before she could figure out what it was. Once she did, she suddenly interrupted in a worried tone, "Wait. That book. 'Secrets of the Darkest Art.' Is that one of those forbidden Dark Arts books?"
"Dark Arts?" Eriol asked, shaking his head slightly. He had stopped walking and turned to face Sakura, prompting the others in the group to do the same. "What makes them dark?"
"They're really bad," Sakura answered with confidence. They had discussed the Dark Arts a great deal in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She had heard Professor Quirrel talk at length about how dangerous books like Owle Bullock's tome were. "They cause a lot of pain and suffering, and only Dark Witches and Wizards use them."
"Sakura, any magic can cause pain and suffering," Eriol said.
Kaho stood to the side as the byplay proceeded between the two of them. Syaoran and Mei-Ling stayed silent as well, watching the interchange.
"But the Dark Arts are evil magic," Sakura said emphatically, as Professor Quirrel had said repeatedly and as the other professors like Professor Flitwick had mentioned from time to time.
"There isn't any such thing as good magic, evil magic, light magic, dark magic, or any other labels your teachers at Hogwarts might try to put on things. There are only good and bad uses of magic," Eriol said, a touch of disapproval in his voice. "You learned the Ventus charm, right? Did you know that that's considered a jinx, and thus is technically classified as Dark Magic by the Ministry of Magic?"
"But that makes no sense," Sakura said. The Ventus charm had been the first charm she had been taught in Professor Flitwick's class.
"You're right. It doesn't," Eriol agreed. "Magic is just a tool, like a saw or a hammer. You can use a Reductor curse to mine for iron, or you can use it to kill a person. The magic isn't good or evil; it's the person using it."
Sakura thought a bit more. It had all seemed so much more clear in class with a professor in the front of the room talking definitively on the nature and evil of the Dark Arts. She looked up in askance towards Kaho, who gave her a curious look in return but didn't disagree with anything Eriol said.
Finally Sakura acceded, saying, "I guess so."
"To cut off an entire field of magic from study just because somebody you don't know declared it as being evil for reasons you don't know is foolish in the extreme, even if only because you won't know how to deal with it if somebody ever decides to use it against you," Eriol said.
Sakura nodded to herself as she thought about what Eriol had said. It made sense, but what Professor Quirrel and the other professors at Hogwarts had said made sense too. She would need to think about it more.
After that, the rest of the tour around the building proceeded close enough to the tour Sakura had been given the previous year that her preoccupied mind didn't notice any differences. Kaho pointed out the three rooms the children would be staying in, Sakura taking the same room she had had the previous year. Eriol also gave an admonition to Syaoran and Mei-Ling to not go up to his laboratory, much like the admonition he had given to Sakura the previous year. They then proceeded to the ground floor, where Kaho and Eriol took turns showing them the arboretum, study, and the various other rooms there. One thing Sakura did notice was that Syaoran and Mei-Ling had a general look of reverence and awe on their faces throughout the tour.
The tour concluded with a brief look in the kitchen before ending up in the dining room. Inside, Keroberos and Spinel Sun were both in their fake forms, standing on the table arm-in-arm, and singing as boisterously as a pair of drunk salary-men in a karaoke bar. Beside them, the entrails of their conquest were laid plain to see for all. A few bags of snacks were torn open and crumbs were strewn all about. Despite the tiredness Sakura felt for the already long day she had had, and that the time-shifted daylight outside masked, the scene still brought a wry smile to her face.
At that point the five of them broke up to their separate ways: Sakura, Syaoran, and Mei-Ling to bring their things up to their respective rooms to unpack, and Eriol and Kaho to prepare a more substantive lunch.
Sakura, Mei-Ling, Eriol, and Kaho were loitering around Diagon Alley. Eriol hadn't wanted to go there, but the trip had been necessary for Syaoran to take his W.O.M.B.A.T. examination in an official setting.
Keroberos had stayed behind at Reed Manor to prevent any of the problems which might occur if a creature relatively unfamiliar to the Western world showed up in a busy place like Diagon Alley. Spinel Sun had also stayed behind for the same reason, as well as to keep an eye on Keroberos's exuberance. Ruby Moon stayed behind to make sure Spinel Sun didn't end up in any bad situations in the event that Keroberos managed to get Spinel Sun to eat some sweets.
The appropriate adjective to use to describe the alley was a matter of debate. Sakura found the look to be charmingly medieval and atmospheric.
"It's dirty and rundown," Eriol reiterated his earlier comment. "They need to pave the roads and put in some electrical lighting."
"I like the roads. It's like being in a real life movie," Mei-Ling said, agreeing with Sakura's earlier assertion herself.
"I'm not saying there isn't a place for it, but that place should be a theme park or a museum. Why do people put up with living in a place like this?" Eriol asked.
"It'd be kind of be fun to live here," Sakura reiterated. "Hogwarts Castle isn't too different, and it's pretty comfortable there."
"Maybe for some people, but not for me. I think if more of the people here..." Eriol started saying, but fell silent as the door in front of them opened and Syaoran emerged.
Sakura could tell with a glance that things had not gone well. Still hoping against hope, she asked, "How did it go?"
Syaoran hit his fist against the wall to his side, undoubtedly doing more damage to his hand than to the rock. He growled out, "That was dumb. What does the question of if some flying carpet should be referred to Wizengamot have to do with magic?"
"Wizengamot? What's that?" Sakura asked. "We never talked about that in school."
"See? That's what I mean," Syaoran said, on the verge of shouting but not actually crossing that line.
"I did try to warn you that the test was hard," Kaho said. "I know that even some of the professors at Hogwarts wouldn't pass a W.O.M.B.A.T. on their first try."
"Then why do they use that test?" Mei-Ling asked.
"It's tradition," Eriol scoffed.
"If it's that useless then can't you do something, like talk to the headmaster?" Syaoran asked Kaho.
"I might be able to, but it really is better for you to start in the first year anyway," Kaho said.
Syaoran bristled at this.
"No. Listen to me. I'm being serious. You're the most talented wizard in the Li family this generation, and you're probably in the top 10% of wizards in the whole world. I know that and you know that. But they do things differently here than you're used to," Kaho said.
Sakura nodded her head in silent agreement to Kaho's words. She had had a lot of trouble in many of her classes at first, and still had issues with some subjects.
Eriol added, "There are a lot of basic things you just don't know about Western magic, like how to identify plants and how use a wand. There will already be some stigma against you for being 'from the colonies.' There's no reason to make yourself more of a target by skipping a year, especially if you aren't ready for it and more."
Syaoran grumbled and eventually said, "But I wanted to be in the same class as Sakura-chan."
"We can still study together and see each other outside of class," Sakura reassured Syaoran. "And this way I can help you if you get stuck on any of your homework, too."
"Thanks," Syaoran said, somewhat mollified but still clearly upset.
"Well, so long as we're here we should probably go ahead and get the school supplies you two need. No sense in making an extra trip back home. In addition to Sakura's new books we'll need to get you some uniforms, a wand, and some books too, Syaoran. Actually, Sakura, you've grown a bit since last year if I'm not mistaken so we should probably get you some new uniforms as well, since we'll be going to Madam Malkin's anyway," Kaho said.
"There's also the question of Syaoran's familiar. Have you decided if you want to get one?" Eriol asked.
"I think so. I think I want to get a cat," Syaoran said.
"A cat?" Mei-Ling asked.
"It makes more sense than an owl or a toad for when I go back to Hong Kong," Syaoran explained.
"Wait, a wand?" Sakura asked, interrupting the flow of conversation. "Can't Eriol just make a wand for Syaoran-kun like he made one for me?"
"I could, but I don't have any appropriate supplies. We have plenty of wood, but no good cores," Eriol said. "Remember how I had Syaoran hold all of those things a few days ago? I was checking if any of them would be suitable for him, but none of them responded quite right."
"So that's what that was for," Mei-Ling said.
"Can't you just use another one of Kero-chan's feather's again?" Sakura asked.
"No. They'd never get along. There's too much of a character mismatch. The wand would probably spend all of its time zapping Syaoran. As funny as a constantly backfiring wand would be, it'd be almost useless to use and very dangerous at Hogwarts," Eriol said.
"Professor Mizuki?" a voice then called out as they were passing a tall building labeled as being Gringotts. The group stopped and looked around to locate the source of the voice.
"That is you Professor Mizuki. Thank you for your help over the summer," the voice then said as the familiar figure of Lisa emerged from the crowd. She still kept her long blonde hair loose so it fell in curls around her head, and her growth over the year meant she still managed to edge out Sakura in height despite Sakura's own growth. "Why, you are here too, Sakura. Good afternoon."
"Lisa? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.
"The same thing you are, I suspect. I am shopping for school supplies," Lisa said.
"On your own? Where are your parents?" Kaho asked tensely.
"Father is just over there, working in Gringotts," Lisa said, pointing to the large building she had approached from, "and Diagon Alley is a safe enough place. Besides, if I get into any trouble, I always have this."
Lisa held out her wrist, around which was a small clear bracelet. Sakura didn't recognize it, but Kaho gave a nod in acknowledgment and relaxed a bit.
"You're right. We're here shopping too, although we haven't managed to get anything yet," Sakura said.
"I just got started myself as well. If you would care to join me I would enjoy the company," Lisa said.
"Sure. We're about to go get a wand for Syaoran-kun," Sakura said.
"That sounds lovely. I always rather enjoy looking around Ollivanders. However, who is Syaorankun?" Lisa asked.
"That's right. I forgot to introduce you. This is Syaoran, Mei-Ling, and Eriol. They're some friends of mine from back home. This is Lisa, she's a friend of mine from Hogwarts," Sakura said, introducing them respectively.
"Nice to meet you" and "it's a pleasure to meet you" chorused as the introduced parties greeted each other.
"Wait a second. You are that boy Sakura told us all about last year, are you not? So you heard how good a school Hogwarts is and decided to join your cute girlfriend here?" Lisa teased. Meanwhile Kaho once again started leading the now slightly expanded group onward.
Syaoran blushed a bit, and then said in a self-conscious way, "Kind of."
Sakura blushed a bit as well at Lisa's description of the situation.
"That is so romantic! I want a boyfriend, especially one who will cross the world to be with me," Lisa said. Sakura could practically see cartoon hearts floating around Lisa's head.
"I thought you and Wayne were together," Sakura said, confused.
"What? Me and Wayne? No, no, no. It is nothing like that," Lisa said, possibly a touch too quickly while shaking her head. "He is just a friend."
Sakura didn't pursue the subject, nor ask why a touch of pink had started showing on Lisa's cheeks either. Instead she pointed to a sign ahead and asked, "Is that Ollivanders?"
"Yes, it is. Best wand shop in the entire city," Lisa confirmed.
Kaho held the door open while Eriol, Sakura, Syaoran, and the other children entered. Immediately the shopkeeper greeted the group with a soft but enthusiastic voice. He said, "Ah... Miss Turpin. Back so soon? It's a pleasure to see you again. I'm lucky your parents are so generous."
"Not today, Mr. Ollivander. We are simply here so Syaoran can purchase a wand," Lisa said, although she had already started eying the boxes which lined the room. The look and layout of the store gave the impression that it was a dusty, old, esoteric library.
"I see. Well, Miss Syaoran, which is your wand arm?" Mr. Ollivander asked Sakura.
"Hoe? No, I'm Sakura and I already have a wand. This is Syaoran," Sakura said. She pulled Syaoran's hand forward while simultaneously stepping back herself. This resulted in Syaoran being between her and Mr. Ollivander.
"Ah, I do beg your pardon, young sir. So Mr. Syaoran, which is your wand arm?" Mr. Ollivander asked.
"I cast most of my magic with my right hand, if that's what you're asking," Syaoran answered.
"Very good. Now can you please hold out that arm?" Mr. Ollivander asked. He pulled out a tape measure.
Syaoran held out his arm while Mr. Ollivander used the tape measure to measure the full length of it from shoulder to finger. The man then walked away. Syaoran was compelled to continue to hold his arm out. Despite the fact the tape measure was no longer being held, it continued to measure different parts of Syaoran's arm and hand. It then moved over to his body, and eventually to his head.
"That will do," Mr. Ollivander snapped out, interrupting the tape measure as it was measuring the length of Syaoran's nose. It collapsed to the ground like a non-magical version of itself. "Why don't you have a try with this, a nice maple with dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Perfect for dueling."
Mr. Ollivander held the wand out to Syaoran, who picked it up and held it like a short sword in front of him. This prompted Mr. Ollivander to say, "Don't just stand there. Give it a wave."
Syaoran waved the wand. Nothing appeared to happened.
"No. That's no good at all," Mr. Ollivander said, pulling the wand out of Syaoran's hand. He then stuffed another wand into Syaoran's grip with his other hand, saying, "Maybe an ash and veela hair instead?"
Syaoran waved it with a similar apparent lack of effect.
"Thought not. Try this. Birch and acromantula fang," Mr. Ollivander said.
The process continued for a prolonged period of time without any visible effect. The repetition and lack of visible progress was tiring, but only for Syaoran and the spectators. As they continued, Mr. Ollivander only seemed to grow more and more energetic.
By the time Mr. Ollivander handed Syaoran the eleven-inch oak wand with a dragon scale core, it was obvious to Sakura that Syaoran was thoroughly worn out from the process. Sakura couldn't fault him. She was worn out just from just having watched him. Overall, she thought Eriol's way of dealing with wands made a lot more sense. Even so, Syaoran humored the shopkeeper by swinging the latest wand which had been forcefully thrust into his hand with a lazy and half-hearted swish. This caused a stream of red and gold sparks to erupt from the wand like a firework. It managed to visibly startle Syaoran.
"Excellent. It looks like we've located you your wand," Mr. Ollivander said. "So, that's one wand then, unless you've changed your mind, Miss Turpin?"
"No, no, I am quite alright," Lisa said in response despite carrying three boxes in her arms. She pulled open her purse, and then closed it a few seconds later with a frown and started putting the boxes back onto the shelves.
"Very good. That will be seven Galleons for one wand then," Mr. Ollivander said. He collected the golden coins from Kaho.
"Before you go, do you mind if I have a look at your wand, Miss Sakura? Only I like to see what the other wand makers are up to. Call it a professional curiosity, if you will," Mr. Ollivander asked.
Sakura looked to Eriol for guidance, who shrugged and nodded back. She then pulled out her wand and handed it over to Mr. Ollivander, saying, "Sure."
Mr. Ollivander carefully took Sakura's wand and twisted it back and forth while looking deeply at it. He then held it between his two hands and lightly bent it. His face scrunched up with a puzzled look, and then he bent her wand further with more force.
"I've never seen a wand like this before. What is it? Mahogany?" Mr. Ollivander asked.
"Teak," Eriol corrected him.
"Teak?" Mr. Ollivander repeated back. "No wonder it's so long. Interesting twist in the core here and here. And here too. Phoenix feather core?" Mr. Ollivander asked.
"Something like that," Sakura said. She didn't know much about phoenixes but understood them to be flying fiery birds, which sounded similar enough to Keroberos minus the bird part.
"I thought so. So the magic goes from here to here... and... hmm..." Mr. Ollivander mused to himself. He gave the wand a quick flick towards a bare wall and then handed it back to Sakura.
"Quite the unconventional wand you have there. I'd love to have a talk with its creator and hear what he or she was thinking. It's efficient, to be sure, but most opinionated. You said you can use it?" Mr. Ollivander asked.
Opinionated. That was one way to describe Keroberos. Sakura had to suppress a slight laugh as she held her wand in her hand at the ready and offered, "Yes. Do you want a demonstration?"
"No, that's quite all right. I believe you, and I'd never suggest you violate the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. All I can say is that you must be quite the remarkable young witch," Mr. Ollivander said. He then turned to Mei-Ling and asked, "What about you, young miss? Do you mind if I have a look at your wand as well? It's just your companion's was so interesting."
"I don't have a wand. I'm a squib," Mei-Ling said in a tone which could have been a boast. Both Mr. Ollivander and Lisa gasped at this declaration.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed," Mr. Ollivander said.
"I am so sorry to hear that," Lisa agreed. "Do not worry, nobody thinks any less of you for it. Some of the best families have squibs from time to time."
"They're always doing research and they'll find a cure for it eventually," Mr. Ollivander added.
"Don't talk like it's some kind of disease," Mei-Ling angrily retorted. "I can still beat you in a fight, with or without a wand."
Mr. Ollivander coughed, and then after a momentary pause said, "Right. Well if our business here is finished then I will bid you a good day."
He gave a stiff bow to the group as they left the shop. On the way out, Lisa checked the content of her purse one last time before finally leaving with a frown.
"It probably makes the most sense to get your books next. Flourish and Blotts is just over there," Kaho said.
The group proceeded to the bookstore. Syaoran handed his wand over to Mei-Ling as they walked. Mei-Ling spent the time examining his wand and playfully waving it around in manner similar to how Syaoran had waved it in the store earlier. It reminded Sakura of what Tomoyo had done with her own wand before she had started practicing charms in earnest in Japan.
Kaho slowed down and the rest of the group slowed down to match as the bookstore came into sight. There was something of a crowd gathered in front of the building.
"Maybe we should go visit Madam Malkin's for your uniforms first. It's a bit further, but I think we should try to avoid whatever is going on in there," Kaho suggested.
Several people were hurrying out of the store as she spoke. Almost as if to confirm Kaho's suggestion, a man with stark red hair emerged from the building. His natural look of joviality was ruined by how he was nursing a bleeding lip. A stern looking woman with equally vivid hair followed just behind, shouting at him. Two other adults without such prominent features followed just behind them both.
"That sounds like it's probably a good idea," Sakura agreed.
"We can come back later. Madam Malkin's is over this way," Kaho said. She led everybody in a wide arc around the store and whatever was going on inside it.
Sakura followed closely behind, being sure to give the store a wide berth just like Kaho had. As she walked she felt a hauntingly familiar sensation. It took her several seconds to place it as being similar to what she had felt the few times she had met Harry Potter. Turning her head towards the bookstore and the feeling, though, she was unable to spot anybody who looked like the boy in question. Instead her eyes were drawn to what appeared to be a clump of red-haired boys clustered around a red-haired girl. The girl was staggering under an enormous stack of books.
Then, in a blink, they were out of sight. It took Sakura a second to realize that she had actually recognized some of the boys in that clump. It took two more seconds before she realized who they were.
"Wasn't that Fred and George Weasley back there? I hope they aren't in any trouble," Sakura said. She turned around to take another look to verify their presence, but couldn't re-spot them anywhere.
"What, back there?" Lisa asked, craning her neck to try to get a better angle at the vanishing store. "I do not see them anywhere."
"It wouldn't surprise me in the least. Fred and George are always causing trouble. If it was them I wouldn't worry too much about it, Sakura. Those two always manage to avoid any serious consequences," Kaho said. She also turned her head around for a quick peek backwards before returning her gaze forward and leading the group away from the scene towards Madam Malkin's.
They didn't make it that far. Along the way, while passing a store labeled Eeylops Owl Emporium, Syaoran brought everybody up short, announcing, "There. That's the familiar for me."
Sakura looked at where Syaoran was pointing, towards a small dark gray owl sitting on a stand outside the store.
"What? You want to get that owl?" Mei-Ling asked.
"Yes. It's perfect," Syaoran confirmed.
"I thought you said that you wanted to get a cat," Sakura said.
"I changed my mind. I want that owl," Syaoran repeated.
"Are you sure? If you want an owl, there are a lot more of them inside the store," Eriol suggested.
"Yes, I'm sure," Syaoran said.
Nevertheless Syaoran allowed himself to be persuaded to go into the store to see several of the other owls within it. They passed row upon row of owls covering all the different sizes and colors Sakura had heard of, plus a couple she hadn't heard of before. However Syaoran failed to have a reaction with any of them.
After several minutes of halfhearted searching, Syaoran was the proud owner of a new owl. It was the same small gray owl he had pointed at to begin with.
They then continued on their way towards Madam Malkin's. Syaoran had a big grin on his face as he walked onward, carrying his new owl in her cage.
Service at Madam Malkin's was very different than the time Sakura had gotten her robes in preparation for her first year at school. Unlike that costume shop with its racks upon racks of clothing, Madam Malkin's was a smallish store.
Madam Malkin had each of the students stand up on a footstool in turn as she or her assistant placed a generic length robe on the child, pinned the robe to the correct length, and then adjusted the size appropriately. The personal touch of the service was much more friendly than the department store nature of the costume shop the previous year, and unlike the wand shopping earlier, the process didn't seem to take an eternity.
With the uniforms purchased, the final stop was the return trip to the bookstore to purchase the various books needed for the coming school year. Whoever the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was, it was a reasonable assumption that he or she was a big fan of Gilderoy Lockhart. Almost all of the new books Sakura needed to buy had been written by him.
That very same author was signing books at Flourish and Blotts as well. Outside of the store, the large crowd from earlier in the afternoon had mostly dispersed. This revealed a sign declaring that Gilderoy Lockhart would be in the store and signing copies of his latest book. The sign had gone unnoticed during the commotion the last time Sakura had passed by.
Inside the building there was a small group of reporters comparing notes with each other. There was also a small crowd, standing more or less in a line. Most of the crowd was comprised of witches of all ages. Beside them, the shopkeeper was doing his best to move traffic through as quickly as possible. At the front of the crowd was a dashing figure of a wizard wearing a powered-blue robe and matching wizard hat angled in a particularly debonair way over his wavy hair.
The shopkeeper's attempts to keep traffic flowing were partially impeded by the inclination for all of the witches to dawdle as they approached the front of the line, and then to outright stall when talking to the wizard. However the was only partially impeded, as all of the witches behind the lucky person in front did their best to assist the shopkeeper in moving the group forward so they might have a chance to bask in the wizard's megawatt-bright smile.
"That is him. That is Gilderoy Lockhart himself. I simply must have a chance to speak with him and have him to sign a book for me," Lisa proclaimed, promptly getting into line herself.
"So he's famous then, this Gilderoy fellow?" Syaoran asked, getting in line himself as well.
"You do not know who Gilderoy is?" Lisa asked. "I thought everybody knew who he was. He has a Third Class Order of Merlin, and is a five-time winner of Witches Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award."
"Witches Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award? That makes him important? What next? Firmest handshake? Best brushed hair?" Mei-Ling asked. Despite her words she had also gotten in line with Lisa, Sakura, and all the others.
"Hush you. You do not know how lucky you are. Gilderoy is one of the biggest names in the wizarding world. There are countless people who want more than anything to be able to meet him," Lisa said. She was craning her neck to see how many people were in front of her. The line seemed relatively short, and the shopkeeper was still doing his best to keep the traffic flowing so it moved rather quickly as well.
"Let me guess, they're all women?" Syaoran asked, pointing to the cluster of witches both in front of and behind their small group.
"There are many wizards who would adore meeting him as well. I suspect that the scene earlier might have been due to too many people trying to fight for his attention. The store manager is being quite strict with the queue now, as you can see," Lisa said.
"What makes him so great then?" Sakura asked.
Eriol answered, "According to his own books he's done a number of fantastic things, many of which weren't even known to be possible before he did so and have not since been repeated. For example, he claims to have cured a werewolf of his lycanthropy using a Homorphus charm. It is unfortunate that nobody has been able to get Mr. Lockhart to explain what that is. The search for a cure for lycanthropy has been a major field of research for quite some time and nobody has been able to reproduce the effect he self-reported, or has any knowledge of this Homorphus charm."
"See? Exactly that. He is quite amazing. There is also the time he fought all those ghouls in 'Gadding with Ghouls.' I still get shivers every time I read how he managed to use a tea-strainer to entrap that ghoul while he fought against being overcome by the venom coursing through his body," Lisa said.
"If he's so great then why didn't he save those people in here earlier from whatever happened to them?" Mei-Ling asked.
"I did what I could, young witch, but there's only so much I can do in a crowded place like this. I could hardly hurt them just for being my adoring fans," Gilderoy answered Mei-Ling's question. While they had been talking, Sakura and the others had somehow gotten to the front of the line. Gilderoy continued, "If I had known how envious my other fans would have been then I would never have agreed to give Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived as I'm sure you know, and one of my greatest admirers, a complete signed collection of all my books. By the time I had realized my mistake, it was too late and another fan had started a fight over it. In the end, all I could do was to help usher the group out before they disturbed the other patrons of this establishment."
The shop keeper gave a snarl at this but did not otherwise comment.
"Unfortunately I must ask you to be brief. As you can tell the clerk here has no patience. I always enjoy speaking with my fans, but you understand, don't you?" Gilderoy asked.
"Of course. Can you sign one for me, please? Make it out to your biggest fan, Lisa Turpin," Lisa asked.
"Right," Gilderoy said. He pulled one of the large books off the stack next to him and, flourishing a gigantic ornate peacock feather, signed the inside of it with practiced speed.
Once Sakura saw his signature was complete, Sakura ventured asking, "Excuse me, but I have a question. Why are so many of your books on the Hogwarts textbook list this year?"
"So you're all Hogwarts students? How lucky for you. I just announced earlier today that I'll in fact be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts there starting this year, so you'll have the chance to get to know me in much more detail," Gilderoy said.
Lisa's hands flew to her mouth and she gasped loudly.
Gilderoy either didn't notice or was accustomed to the reaction, as he continued without pause, "As your new teacher it is my honor, no my sacred responsibility to educate you to the highest level possible. My books are clearly the best in the market, and it is my duty to ensure you only use the highest quality learning materials possible."
Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Eriol and Kaho exchange a glance. She couldn't understand what wordless message had passed between the two of them.
"You are going to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year? Really?" Lisa asked. Her voice had substantially increased in pitch and it sounded like it was being squeezed out. "That is marvelous."
"It is?" Syaoran asked, skeptically.
"Yes, it is. Gilderoy, I mean Professor Lockhart is an honorary member of the Dark Force Defense League and has a great deal of experience facing the Dark Arts. Professor Quirrel from last year was a qualified teacher, but it will be wonderful to have somebody with so much practical experience teaching us how things really work," Lisa said.
Gilderoy seemed to bask in Lisa's words, subtlety moving his head this way and that way as if to try to find the most striking pose while his award-winning smile beamed visible from across the entire room.
"So he has a lot of experience?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. He has been to Tibet as a special adviser to help them with an ill yeti, and once he mediated a dispute between two communities of hags which threatened to spill over into a nearby village," Lisa explained.
"Let's not forget the banshee, and werewolf, and troll, but you are right, Laura. To tell you the truth, I would be more than happy to stay all day and chat with you, but these people here have only until half-five and I'm sure all of them are waiting for me to sign their books," Gilderoy said, casually motioning for them to move out of the way.
During their conversation, the line of women and occasional man behind the group had become visibly impatient. The number of people waiting to speak with Gilderoy had grown slightly as well. Sakura and the others allowed themselves to be dismissed and started walking off to buy the rest of the school books for the year.
"Didn't you say your name was Lisa?" Mei-Ling asked, looking over Lisa's shoulder as she stared at the copy of "Magical Me" Lisa had received. "He signed your book wrong."
"He did?" Syaoran asked, looking over Lisa's other shoulder. He read out loud, "To my most admiring fan, Linda Terrapin."
"That's terrible. Let's get him to fix it," Sakura suggested. She turned back to Gilderoy.
"Sorry, but there are others waiting for their turn. I appreciate that you want to spend all day talking to me, but it's only fair to everybody else. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to wait until September when classes start to fawn over me," Gilderoy said.
"What a pretentious git," Syaoran said as Sakura turned back, defeated.
"Thank you, Sakura, but I do not mind. Everybody will be so jealous of my signed book. I am so happy I got to meet Professor Lockhart and that he shall be teaching us this year," Lisa said.
Sakura had no idea what a "pretentious git" was but she found she was more in agreement with Syaoran than Lisa in regard to their new professor.
The rest of the book purchases proceeded without incident, ignoring the fact that Sakura and Lisa struggled under the eight books they had to purchase. Syaoran couldn't move at all with the more than dozen books on his purchase list. At first he had tried to juggle them in his arms before he gave up and let Mei-Ling give him a hand with carrying half of them.
Lisa looked tempted to get back into line and have Gilderoy sign all of her new purchases, but the long and steadily growing number of people waiting ended up dissuading her.
With their shopping completed, Lisa peeled off and headed into Gringotts as they passed by the building. As she did so she bid everybody a fond farewell and expressing her looking forward to seeing them again in the coming school year.
Last Updated: June 8, 2014
