A/N: I deleted the Prologue because it was useless and awfully written. I merely included what I wanted to say in this chapter. Enjoy.
I'm doing this as fast as I can. It's satifying to write this story, one I've dreamed of for so long. It's really too bad nobody's reading this...
The place was absolutely packed. There were stores lined up side-by-side with no room in between. Gwen had to fight just for space to move. None of that mattered to her - all she could see were the wonders in front of her.
There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Gwen had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon and everything else you could possibly dream up.
Every person seemed to be wearing robes. She realised with a start that this was the apparel of witches and wizards. Her clothing stuck out of the crowd here. This was confirmed when she got several judgemental stares from haughty looking adults with family crests embroidered on their robes. "Muggle" she heard them whisper as they passed. The word sounded like gibberish to Gwen but their tone of voice made their meaning very clear. She did not belong.
On her right were several kids her own age or younger with their noses pressed up against a glass. They were admiring what appeared to be a glossy, fancy broom. As she neared the window, she overheard them talking about how it was the Nimbus 2000 and the fastest racing broom yet. She spent a good five minutes admiring the item, amazed by idea of it.
There were carts set up all down the street. She heard vendors advertising their pumpkin juice and gagged. She simply despised pumpkins. Another was selling lie detecting machines and amulets to ward off dark magic.
As she continued walking, looking for a shop in which to buy any of her supplies, she was cut off by a large man exiting a shop. When she thought large, she meant twice as tall as a regular man and at least three times as wide. Following him was a young, timid boy with jet black hair that wouldn't stay in place and clothes that looked just like hers - quite normal. He was carrying a satchel full of what appeared to be coins. All Gwen could make out was the shape of the contents. He looked up and tugged on the man's sleeve before asking a question. After obtaining his answer, the boy looked up the street and saw Gwen. He apparently registered her aloneness and her clothes because he was immediately set at ease and even chanced a smile at her, which she returned with a cock of her head and a huge grin. That was the first time she had felt comfortable in her new environment and she quickly ran to catch up.
"Um e-excuse me" she mumbled, pulling on the giant man's sleeve, just as the boy had done.
He clearly couldn't hear her from way up where he was because he didn't respond and he just kept moving. The boy glanced at her, clearly surprised that she had come over and he too looked up at the man, waiting to see if he would respond. When he didn't, he pulled on his sleeved quite hard and hollered "HAGRID!"
Then the man came too and he looked down, noticing Gwen for the first time. "Well yer a new face. A firs' year at Hogwarts, shoppin' are you?"
"Well yes, and I was wondering if you knew where I could buy my things?" She pulled out her wallet and the man looked confused for a moment before recognition crossed his face. The boy looked almost sympathetic and quickly shook his head, waiting for the man to explain her dilemma to the clueless girl.
"Muggle money? You can't buy anything' with that here. You'll have ter exchange it at Gringotts"
"Gringotts?"
The boy quickly intervened. "Hagrid, I don't think she knows. I think she grew up Muggle - like me. You'll have to give her more info than that. Can't we go with her?"
Gwen glanced up from her shoes long enough to smile at him. He looked to be genuinely happy to try and help. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen. "Sorry Harry, but we can't. I gotta deliver the - uh - package to Professor Dumbledore as soon as possible. We can't help you today miss."
"Th-that's alright. Really. I can do it. I'll be perfectly fine to figure it out. But could you please tell me where to buy these things?"
Hagrid looked the girl up and down. She was small, just taller than Harry, but then again she was only eleven. Sometimes she would lapse into a scared little shell and when that happened she tended to stutter. However, he could see that she was a tough nut and a charismatic little witch. Her hair was the big tip off that she knew just who she was and Hagrid made special note to make sure she found her way fine when she got off the train.
She held her list up to him and he marked off all of the stores that carried her supplies:
UNIFORM - Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions
COURSE BOOKS - Flourish and Blotts
WAND - Ollivander's Wand Shop
CAULDRON - Potage's Cauldron Shop
GLASS/CRYSTAL PHIALS - Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment
TELESCOPE - Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment
BRASS SCALES - Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment
OWL/CAT/TOAD - Magical Menagerie / Eeylops Owl Emporium
**You can buy your quills and parchment at Amanuensis Quills**
"An' Gringotts is the big, white building straight ahead. Jus' ask to exchange Muggle money and they'll take care of it." Hagrid bent down and handed the little girl a peppermint humbug from his pocket before straightening up and telling Harry that they had best be getting on their way.
"Oh…well thank you Hagrid. I really appreciate your help. I'd better be on my way as well. I've got a lot of things to buy." Gwen looked up at Hagrid and in that instant, he saw the same thing he had seen in Harry, something he hadn't seen in forever - the mutual feeling of friendship. He felt sort of bad that he couldn't stay and help the little Muggle-born find her way but the Stone was immediate business.
"I'm Harry, by the way. Harry Potter." He flinched slightly, waiting for the inevitable reaction he had been receiving all day from every witch or wizard he had spoken his name aloud to.
"And I'm Guinevere Montgomery. But I much prefer Gwen, if you don't mind. I suppose I'll be seeing you at Hogwarts then?"
"I suppose."
"Well, goodbye Harry"
"Bye Gwen"
She marched off, trekking in the direction of Gringotts with her head held high. Harry stared after her for a moment. She was the only one so far that didn't know who he was and he sort of liked that. She was also what he considered to be his first friend ever. He secretly hoped that she would be in his classes before shaking himself from his thoughts and running to catch up with Hagrid, who had continued towards Flourish and Blott's to buy Harry's books.
As Gwen entered Gringotts, she noticed a chubby boy about her age and an older woman with a ridicules peacock feather hat. Though the woman seemed intimidating, the boy looked rather nice and she ventured over with the intent to learn more of the magical world.
"Um hello." she calmed her nerves and capped her stutter.
"Hello dear." The old lady pointed her finger at the boy one last time and then turned to Gwen with a pleasant smile on her face.
"I'm s-sorry to bother you but I've been called Muggle-born and I have a few questions if you don't m-mind?" she internally punched her brains out for stuttering and sounding like a complete idiot. She glanced at the boy and gave him a nervous half-smile, which he returned with a rather shocked expression.
"Yes. Of course. I completely understand."
"What is a Muggle? And what is Wizarding money?"
"Oh yes. A Muggle is a non-magical person. You may call them mortals. And Wizarding money is rather confusing but you look like a rather bright girl so I suppose you can follow."
"Yes ma'am. I think I can."
"Here. I've got one of each here. Gold one is a Galleon, silver's a Sickle and the bronze is a Knut. There twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle and seventeen Sickles to a Galleon. I do hope I helped."
"Yes. Thank you. I really appreciate that."
Twenty-some minutes later she exited the large bank with a pouch full of the alien money and a new vault in her name. She planned to deposit any extra money she had left over in there and would gradually fill her vault with emergency money. When she got home, she would start by cashing her university savings. She wouldn't be needing it where she was going.
Gwen looked down at the first item on her list - robes. A little while later she was fitted with several neat school uniforms. She was told that her ties and scarves would be supplied once she was sorted into a House.
After learning of all the Houses, she sort of hoped for Ravenclaw. Of course, it wouldn't really matter where she was put, as long as she was at Hogwarts.
She then collected her course books with the intent of reading them later. They all seemed fascinating and she had almost wanted to buy a couple years up as well. However, she didn't want to turn into an egg-head and she supposed that first year texts would be enough to keep her occupied for a length of time.
As she purchased the rest of her things, the truth of what was happening to her began to sink in. She was a witch and she was going to spend nine months of the year for the next seven years away from her family. She was about to go to a boarding school that would teach her all about magic and it wasn't a dream or a fantasy. It was real.
Once she had the rest of her things gathered, Gwen looked at her list and was pleased to see that she was ready to purchase her wand. As she neared Ollivander's Wand Shop, she double checked that it was the correct place on her list. Unfortunately, one Harry Potter wasn't paying attention either and they crashed into each other.
"I'm sorry. Sorry. Are you all right then?" he glanced down at the girl he had bumped into, expecting her to lash out at him harshly for his clumsy ways. He realised with a giant smile that it was Gwen that he had knocked over. Despite his delight that he had met up with her again it only made him feel worse about causing her to fall.
"Oh, perfectly alright I suppose. It was my fault I'm sure. It always is. Can't even walk straight without tripping every minute. I have to go and I guess you have to too and I'm sorry for bothering you" She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile before continuing towards the wand shop.
And just like that, their second meeting came to an abrupt end.
Ollivander's Wand Shop was dingy and smelled of hundreds of years of dust. Guinevere entered the shop timidly, creeping up to the man behind the counter. He looked as if he could be as old as the world itself and she hardly doubted he was.
"Well, you look vaguely familiar," his voice sounded as a door that had been left unopened for too long would, creaky and fragile. "I must have serviced someone or another of your relatives. Martha Montgomery perhaps? The name, does it ring familiar to you?" He leaned over the counter to peer at her and Gwen was suddenly worried that he would topple over.
"Y-yes sir, Mr. Ollivander. She was my aunt. How would you know her?" Her stutter had returned and she desperately hoped he hadn't noticed yet.
"You didn't know she was a witch then. Ah, judging by your expression, you didn't. Tragic it was, killed in the war. The War against… Him. But I am unsure if you would know the battles of which I am speaking. Perhaps not, but it is not my tale to reveal. A young Hogwarts student no doubt. They will explain all when you arrive. Your name?"
"Er….um….yes, of course….Guinevere Montgomery. My-my wand sir? May I purchase it now?"
"Hmm, of course….then let's begin…Holly perhaps, with unicorn hair… no… then vine wood with Thestral hair…no…"
Each wand failed and failed, rejecting poor Gwen's attempts to use them and some not responding at all. The little girl had been through too much already, learning she was a witch and traversing Diagon Alley alone. But finally Ollivander felt that sense of peace he always felt when he held a child's proper wand in his hand.
As she took it in her hand, it seemed to hum with power. She felt a tingle of magical electricity run up her wrist and into her shoulder.
"Blackthorn, with dragon heartstring. Eight and one-quarter inches. Fairly flexible but not bendy. This is a powerful wand, made for strong enchantments. You must be destined for great things. Use it well."
"But may I not have an easier wand? This is all too grown up for me." Gwen felt intimidated by the dominant wand.
"No, the wand chooses the wizard, or the witch and that wand has chosen you. No other wand will obey you like this one, no other wand will serve you like this wand and no other wand will you perform so well with."
And with that, Ollivander took his payment and disappeared into the depths of his shop and the young witch left, holding her new wand.