Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
(I plan on updating every Sunday)
Chapter 2: I Feel New Found Pity for Santa Claus
It was dark. I was shooting through innumerous fireplaces. My mind felt like gooey cake mix; whenever I tried to open my eyes even the slightest, burnt charcoal and ashes barraged them along with my nose. Straining my eyes to try and figure out what colors were slipping by me churned my stomach and made me nauseous. I shut my eyes tight and let myself go with the ride but the feeling of being constricted was overwhelming.
NOTE TO SELF: Even though stepping into silvery green flames "unharmed" and teleporting elsewhere sounds awesome…Do not do it! Santa Claus, you have my respects…Going through chimneys is NOT fun…
What felt like decades later I suddenly felt a jerk in my stomach and I was launched out of the portal. I breathed in as much fresh air as I could and heaved it out in a great sigh. Lying on the floor I tried to feel my legs and I unsteadily pushed myself up with my gritty hands. I attempted to scrape off the grit on my hands on my jeans but I just ended up with my hands more caked than before. The room in which I had entered was small and warm, dimly lit by an oil lamp in the corner. A petite bed sat snugly next to a matching charity. Baby blue curtains danced in the air by the summer breeze playfully tussling it.
The calm in the room was disrupted when a women's voice suddenly grunted "oof!" followed by a great "thunk" behind me. I turned around and saw dust and ash flying around and a disheveled looking Clementine face down on the floor amongst it all. She groaned and started muttering something like "I'm too old for this" while turning around to lie on her back. She lazily extended a hand in the air and I quickly grabbed it while grabbing the other to pull her up. Once up she stretched gloriously and several cracks could be heard while her limbs stretched. Turning towards me with a twinkle in her eye she asked me "sooooo, how was your first experience with magic?"
Remembering the tight journey, my sore elbows and knees, and the lack of air I said in a raspy voice "one word: thrilling."
With a dry laugh she said "Good! That's how a wizard should think! As a wizard myself, you get to experience new and often strange things but it is all worth it!" She looked around the room and with her facial expression it seemed like she liked it.
"This is where you'll be staying for the time being till school begins." She paused and said "Some friends of mine took care of your father's memory so now he thinks that you are in a friend's house abroad and that you'll be attending school there."
"That's…good…"For some reason I felt guilty as if I were the one who changed his memories. It felt wrong to change someone's memories no matter how they are.
I think she sensed my feelings and told me to go take a shower and to get some sleep.
"I'll just be downstairs. It's so dark down there they won't notice how dirty I am! Please, don't come down."
Before I went to bed it seemed like Clementine came back up while I was in the shower and left me a plate of food. I devoured the snacks whilst reading my journal of stories and wondering if I can add anything new now that I'm actually in the wizarding world. That night I fell asleep with visions of everything my mind connected to the word: magic.
I slowly came out of my dream in the morning and with all the memories of the night prior I was full of energy…What's breakfast? I want to go outside! I asked Clementine when we would leave but she excused herself to go to the bathroom; meanwhile I approached the window where up until now I noticed that sounds of shuffling feet, murmurs and low music could be heard. When I looked I was greeted by a desolate backyard of some home with an abandoned play set. The noises must be coming from below. A strong sense of curiosity mingled with my excitement and I couldn't resist the urge to wander downstairs. I sat on the bed and tried to calm myself, thoughts of my father slipped in my mind and I felt kind of happy to be out of the house not under his hard gaze of scrutiny. Reading had been my only escape and the characters within the text my only friends. I let my mind wander through all the books of mythology and fantasy that I've read and I couldn't help but wonder if elves, warlocks, goblins and dragons existed. Now more than ever did I want to leave the room! Luckily at that moment Clementine walked out with her brown hair somewhat managed and the grit on her face only a phantom now but the one thing different about her was the fact that she was wearing a cloak with a satchel and carrying a spindly violet hat to match with her attire. She smiled and motioned for me to use the bathroom next.
Finally we left the room and I followed closely behind Clementine through the dim narrow hall. We reached the end of the corridor and started walking down a flight of stairs. The noises that I had heard were getting louder and louder and I could now make out the sounds of liquid being poured in glasses and the fast chatter of people talking. We reached the entrance of wherever the noise was coming from and my scope of vision expanded from the narrow stairwell to a dark and shabby pub. People were sprinkled around, some of them sat in corners chatting idly with their friends, a man sat in a booth reading a heavy novel with what seemed like a spoon stirring his coffee for him and a balding man sat at the front talking to the old bartender. Clementine greeted everyone courteously and maneuvered skillfully through the maze of chairs jutting out and random tables till we exited the bar, entering a small courtyard.
"What was that place?" I asked.
"The Leaky Cauldron" She answered.
I didn't ask another question because Clementine then proceeded to pull out her wand and approach a brick wall. She stood in front of it and studied it a bit before stepping back and with the tip of her wand tapped the wall three times and where she had touched it began to quiver. Soon a hole became bigger and bigger till a very large archway welcomed us to a street that twisted and turned until it was out of sight.
"And now, welcome to-Diagon Alley." She flourished her hands and bowed.
As we walked she grinned while pointing out various shops that apparently were either "rip-offs" or "a heavenly beings gift to wizards" she would state these matter of factually and would tell me that I would need to know what stores to be weary of and trust. We passed by Glittering cauldrons, strange concoctions, flying broomsticks and hooting owls…It was like a strange dream. My mouth watered and my stomach growled demanding to be fed because of the scents that drifted out of open windows were foreign to my nose. I felt my feet wandering to different store windows by themselves and Clementine pulling me along with her explaining that we need to pick up money first from Gringrotts the wizarding bank. People were buzzing everywhere and sometimes they just seemed to appear out of nowhere. We passed so many stores that my mind was swimming with magical instruments and most importantly the most exciting discovery of all: the book store.
A snowy white building towered above all the other buildings surrounding it. Gringrotts. We walked up to its burnished bronze doors and passed a-"goblin," Clementine whispered answering the question forming in my mind. The next door after that one had a sign warding off thieves. I asked Clementine what form of security they had inside the bank and she responded with "let's just say that the last time someone broke in there they hadn't discovered him until over a decade later… still in the vault." I shivered as we walked inside the bank, our footsteps echoed off the marble walls. We passed various goblins doing paperwork, measuring precious jewels the size of my fist and doing business with witches and wizards. Clementine stopped at one goblin's desk with a face full of scorn and wrinkles revealing old age. Maybe I was making faces or something because he sneered at me and he looked over at Clementine and drawled: "What is your business with us today?"
"We've come to withdraw money from vault 777 for Lady Heartfilia here."
"Do you have your key?" He looked down at me from his high desk.
Confused I quickly looked at Clementine and saw that she was rummaging through her pockets and a moment later brought out a spindly key. She gave it to the goblin and he brought it up to his squinting eyes and nodded. Hopping off his stool he led us to a large door and in a second we came upon a small little cave like room with tracks leading through tunnels.
THE EVENTS FOLLOWING ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEARTED SO THEY HAVE BEEN CENSORED OUT.
After a crazy ride through Gringrotts tunnels and someone almost puking…I'm not naming names here. Clementine and I stood outside the bank blinking away the sunlight. My pockets felt heavy with money and I was free to do and buy whatever I wanted with it! My eyes caught several stores that I wanted to raid and buy anything my hands landed on but Clementine said we have to buy the most important thing first: a wand. I followed her through the busy streets and I couldn't keep my eyes still for one second I kept my hands in my pockets and fingered the money to make sure that it's still there. Finally we made it to a small dusty store called Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." We entered it and although the stores small appearance it looked larger than it really was due to the fact that dozens of bookcases lined the walls with small boxes inside. Dust hovered in the air when the door opened and tickled my nose. My eyes had to adjust to the different lighting again because the store was hardly lit at all save for a couple lamps. A man cleared his throat somewhere from where I guess the counter should be. Clementine and I approached the man and he leaned close towards me and said "I've been expecting you Lady Heartfilia. I knew that it is around this time that you would be old enough to attend Hogwarts." His eyes glowed knowingly.
"It's been a very busy day for me…But, I find pleasure in embarking new students on the journey of magic." His eyes met Clementine's and he said "Clementine! Er…Marian Clementine! I see you still have your wand! Let's see, 7 in. Oak, veela hair and durable…very nice one indeed." Clementine thanked him but he began to shuffle to the nearest book case and said "you just never know" he studied the boxes "magic is so flexible" He delicately slid three of them out "You really just don't know how a wizard will bend it." He opened a box and took out a wand and handed it to me, "10 in. yew and unicorn hair. Just wave it around a bit." Clementine gave me the slightest nod and reluctantly I swung the wand just a little bit before he snatched it out of my hands.
This process repeated at least a dozen times with Mr. Ollivander becoming more and more excited and the small pyramid of wands growing. Through these moments I wasn't really sure what he was waiting for until finally he handed me one stating "maybe this one…12 ½, English Wood, Dragon Heartstring and slightly springy…" When I held the wand a sudden warmth spread from my fingertips all through my body to my heart and a shower of red sparks went flying. This is what he was waiting for. I stared at what the wand did and excitedly looked up at Clementine, she had a wide grin spreading on her face and Mr. Ollivander nodded his head knowingly. "Your mother had a wand like yours…a wand meant for greatness and she had the talent to match it but she met your father and…" He looked at me without continuing. "All our wands are unique, no two are the same. Some specialize in charms, transfiguration or defensive magic. You'll find out what your wand can do through the years. Just today I sold one of my more powerful wand's brother to a boy who is destined to do many great things in his life…You'll possibly have the chance to meet him in school."
Clementine had showed me what money to use to pay Mr. Ollivander for my wand and then we left. I was happy to leave the store. I lightly traced the designs on my wand with my finger and thought of my mother. It felt nice to know that we have similar wands and that at one time she was in that store. Well you learn something new every day.
Again we were outside and the sun was blinding. "You might want to put your wand somewhere safe. I can hold on to it for you." She opened the satchel at her side and I put it inside. We began strolling through different streets and we came across the book store that had caught my eye earlier. I looked at Clementine for permission and with her assent ran inside with the pouch of money at my side jingling merry. The smell of parchment and ink hit my nose and to my surprise it was actually kind of loud for a bookstore. Not that I mind or anything. I attacked the bookcase closest to me and found that it contained books on different hexes and charms. I grabbed one book and flipped the pages catching glimpses of illustrations and long paragraphs. "That's a good one." A soft voice said beside me. I turned and a petite girl with short baby blue hair and kaleidoscope eyes stood beside me holding a chunky book of her own.
"My name is Levy McGarden. What is yours?"
"Mine is Lucy Heartfilia, nice to meet you." She brightly smiled and asked "do you like to read?" her eyes widened expectantly.
"Yes! What books have you read?!" Levy began going down a list I believe she may have memorized.
I have found a kindred spirit! Our conversation went something like this: "I've read this..." You've read that too!?" "How did you like that?!" "Oh my gosh!"
Yes, the joys a bookworm experiences when coming across one of its own people.
A voice in the distance called out my new friends name and she put down the book she was holding and said "I hope we are in the same house Lucy! See ya!"
The rest of the day Clementine and I picked up more of my supplies for school and when I went to bed I dreamt of glittering cauldrons, twinkling astronomy maps, dusty books and of what is to come.
I feel like I rushed this chapter a bit…I guess I just want to get to the main plot! =)