Chapter Two

Not too long after the sun rose, and unable to stand it any longer, I raced down the creaking, antique stairs to the lower level. "Lizie! Lizie!" I squealed, throwing open the two huge doors that led to the master bedroom, light flooding into the room from the window in the hallway. "You will never guess what I just got!" I took a flying leap and landed on the bed on the other side of my grandmother. Her eyes flew open when I hit the bed. "What in heavens name are you going on about, child?" She said as she attempted to sit up in her half asleep state. "I got my letter! I'm going to Hogwarts!"

I squealed again and gave the bed a little bounce. Lizie smiled, "Well, congratulations Julian. I knew you would. I wasn't sure what they'd make of you being as old as you are already, but it looks like they worked it out just fine. Now, run back upstairs and get dressed, then we'll have some breakfast and take you over to Diagon Alley . . . you can never get too much of a head start on gathering all your supplies." I nodded and bounced back onto the floor, making Lizie grin at my obvious excitement and raced back up the stairs to get dressed.

Two excruciatingly long hours later, breakfast consumed and travel cloaks donned, Lizie and I stood side by side facing her enormous fireplace. "Ready?" she asked, grasping my hand as we stepped into the fireplace and were surrounded by a cloud of emerald smoke as Lizie threw a handful of floo powder to the ground and shouted "Diagon Alley!" I felt a sudden, strange jerking sensation and before I knew it I was tumbling out of a fireplace in a little cafe on Diagon Alley.

Lizie and I dusted ourselves off as best we could and made our way out of the shop and onto the bustling street. Despite the early hour, there were people everywhere, going here and there, all dressed in wizard robes and cloaks, toting packages and baskets and all sorts of things. There were dozens of shops lining the narrow street and it was all I could do to take everything in and not explode from excitement.

"First things first." Lizie said, starting out towards the massive, white building ahead with the words "Gringotts Bank" etched into the marble above the entry doors. Reaching the double bronze doors, and the goblin sentry dressed in a red and gold uniform, we walked through to the next set of silver doors bearing the famous warning to anyone dumb enough to try and play thief while inside. I was awestruck at the sheer size of the place, and barely noticed that we had reached one of the many counters that filled the massive front room. "What can I do for you today?" The small, rather grizzly looking goblin from behind the counter asked us, almost glaring as he peered at us from behind his gold rimmed spectacles. "Vault number two twenty three, please." Lizie said, sliding a tarnished gold key across the counter.

Several minutes later, we were pressed together inside a tiny cart headed for the vault beneath bank. The ride was fairly short because Lizie's vault wasn't very deep, but the speed of the whole thing was impressive and a bit unnerving. I clutched the sides of the cart to keep my balance, but it didn't do much good.

By the time we reached the vault and exited the wooden ride, my legs felt like Jell-O from trying to hold myself upright. The goblin inserted the key and when the vault door swung open, Lizie said to me, "Julian Marier Potter, your inheritance." My mouth dropped open. Inside were at least twenty large stacks of gold galleons, and dozens of smaller stacks of silver and bronze sickles and knuts.

"What do you mean, my inheritance?" I stammered. "This is all mine?" Lizie nodded. "Julian, this vault contains the life savings of three generations of Potters. It has been passed down from father to son for nearly one hundred years. This was your great grandfather's vault, my late husband Alexander's father Henry. Then it became Alexander's after he passed, then your father Rupert's, and now it is yours. You are his only living heir since you have no brothers. Traditionally, you wouldn't be able to recieve you inheritence for another two years, but education is something that must be taken very seriously and one must have the means to purchase supplies." She smiled and winked at me, and I grinned. Filling up a small velvet bag that Lizie had tucked into the pocket in her cloak, we exited the vault and made our way back to the surface.

"Where to next?" I asked Lizie as we stepped back out into the sunlight of Diagon Alley. I pulled my letter with the list of supplies out of my pocket and studied it. We decided to start with the most important supply on the list, and quickly made our way down the street to a shabby little shop on the right. A sign above the door declared "Ollivader's Wands. Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C."

The shop bell clanged as we entered and a willowy looking young man with the same moon-like eyes that ran in his family walked out from behind a shelf filled with narrow boxes.

"Good afternoon!" he sad cheerily, smiling and nodding at us. "Welcome to Ollivander's. Are we buying a wand today?" Before I had the chance to answer, he had whipped four boxes off the shelves and fast as lightening, had the wand from the first box out and in my hand. "Eleven inches of vine wood and unicorn hair. A bit snappy, if I do say so myself. Give it a wave." He said, still smiling and nodding. I waved the wand, a bit cautiously, but nothing happened. He snatched it back and just as quickly had another in my hand. "Birch and phoenix feather. Ten inches. Quite flexible." I swished it from left to right. Nothing. "Hmm . . ." The shop keeper said, turning back to the shelves and quickly scanning the narrow boxes, none of which bore any labels, as if he could see straight through the cardboard shells.

"AHAH!" He yelled, making both Lizie and me jump. "Holly and dragon heartstring. Ten inches. Very bendy." He held it out, and I carefully grasped the end. The minute my hand hit wood, I felt it. This was my wand. A flick of wrist produced a shower of tiny blue stars to burst from the end. The young Ollivander burst into applause. "Very good, yes, very good indeed!" I rolled my eyes at his over enthusiasm, but couldn't stop myself from smiling right along with him.

For the first time in my life, I felt like a real wizard.

That's it for now . . .
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