A/N: Sorry! I've been juggling classes and poetry and stories and not having time for any of them. Worse, College starts on Monday....Anyway, Here's chapter two!
*word* means thoughts
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizably from Harry Potter.
Chapter 2: Trouble at Diagon Alley
Sara waited nervously. This was the day that the official was supposed to come to bring her to Diagon Alley, but the letter hadn't said at what time they'd arrive. Until they did, Sara and her parents had no confirmation about whether all this was real....At this point, it was easy to dismiss what had happenned with the envelope as simply not noticing the ticket and list. *I wish this was done and over with...*
"Stop fidgeting, Sara!" Sara's mother, Mrs. Frie, was busily cleaning the kitchen. "Why don't you come over here and dry the dishes? Something to do should help." Sara sighed and went over to help her mother. *Doing the dishes might work for Mum, but it doesn't with me. Doing something with my hands won't prevent me from thinking.* Sara thought as she dried a plate.
DING-DONG!!!
Sara practically dropped the plate she was holding. As her mother went to answer the door, she shoved it on it's stack and swung shut the cupboard door. She checked to make sure her pocket money was in her pocket, and ran into the foyer. As she skidded in, Sara began to blush. This was not the impression she had intended to make. She had wanted to seem a young lady with manners, perfectly behaved and studious - not a hyper, unruly eleven year old girl who'd never make it in a special school!
The young man standing next to her mother looked Sara up and down as she tried to stop blushing, inspecting him at the same time. This man looked rather ordinary, not at all what she had expected - He was wearing a blue sweater and jeans, not a dark blue robe and pointy hat with silver moons and stars all over them, like Merlin wore in the tales of King Arthur.
"You must be Sara. I'm Daren, the supposed 'official' that was sent to bring you and your mother to Diagon Alley." The young man grinned. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"
As Daren turned to her mother and said "After you, Mrs. Frie," Sara shook herself out of the more-than-a-little-bit-shocked feeling she was experiencing. Obviously, she was in for a lot of surprises. Checking to make sure the letter, list, and ticket were still in her pocket with her money, Sara followed her mother and Daren to the green car parked in the driveway. She slid into the back seat as her mother got in the front passenger side and Daren got in the driver's seat. Daren started the car and they backed out of the driveway.
"So, where is this Diagon Alley?" Sara's mother asked.
"Oh, it's in London. It's only about a half hour's drive from here."
They rode on in silence for a few minutes. Sara screwed up her courage and asked a question that had been bugging her since she first met Daren.
"What did you mean, when you said you were the 'supposed' official? Are you or aren't you?"
Daren laughed. "I was wondering when you were going to ask that. I work for the Ministry, but I don't really feel that the term 'official' really applies to me. But then, I just graduated from Hogwarts a couple months ago."
Upon hearing this, all the questions that had been piling up in Sara's mind since she got the letter seemed to explode out of her mouth. "You went to Hogwarts?! What's it like? You mean it's all REAL?!Are the teachers mean? Is there lots of homework? Are the other students nice? Will I be far behind because I didn't know about magic beforehand? What's it LIKE????"
"Whoa, slow down!" Daren said, still laughing. "You'll find out the answers to your questions in a couple days. And no, you won't be behind. There's lots of Muggle-born kids at Hogwarts."
"Muggle-born?"
"A muggle is our term for someone who has no magic."
"Oh."
The rest of the trip was in silence.
***
They got out of the car at a disreputable looking pub sandwiched between two more ordinary buidings. A sign above the door proclaimed the pub to be the Leaky Cauldron. Mrs. Frie shivered as she got out of the car.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"Yes." Daren looked at her face and laughed. "The entrance to Diagon Alley is behind the Leaky Cauldron. Come on, I'll show you." As he led them through the pub, with Sara and her mother trailing close behind, he waved to a couple people. "Hi, Tom. I'll make sure to come by later, " He called to the bartender, who smiled and nodded. Soon they were through, and Sara's mother gave a sigh of relief. Sara simply looked about in confusion. She couldn't see any sign of an entrance ANYWHERE...just a couple of old trashcans.
Daren winked and walked up to one of the trashcans. He took a long, thin stick out of one of his pockets and tapped one of the bricks on the wall behind the trashcan with it. *That must be a wand...* Sara thought. *Wow!*
Starting with the brick Daren had tapped, the bricks had begun to rearrange them selves. Soon an archway had opened up before them, leading into a busy street lined with shops and businesses, with ahumongous gold and white building at the end. Sara's mother gasped. Sara herself, younger and better able to take in the sudden existence of magic, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her forward, saying "Come ON, Mum! Look at all these shops!"
Daren smiled and said, "Welcome to Diagon Alley! Slow down Sara, and quit pulling at your poor mother. You don't even know where to go yet. Before you go exploring the shops, we need to go to Gringott's. Those shops won't accept your muggle money. You need to exchange it for galleons, sickles, and knuts."
Mrs. Frie looked worried. "How much will she need?"
Daren looked at Sara. "Wellll...."
The two adults moved farther ahead to discuss money. Sara watched them, frustrated. Why shouldn't SHE know? When her mother dropped back again, all she said was: "You're expensive, you know that?"
A few minutes later they were in Gringotts. Daren told her that the short, ugly humanoids at the counter were goblins and not to call them short, ugly humanoids. Sara giggled. When her mother returned with a pouch filled with coins, she refused to tell Sara how much it was. She felt like snarling at her mother, but resisted.
"What do you need, Sara?" Mrs. Frie asked.
"Ummm...
3 sets black work robes, a black pointed hat, a pair of dragonhide gloves, a black winter cloak with silver fastenings all with name tags. The Standard Books of Spells grade 1, A History of Magic, Magical Theory, A Begginner's Guide to Transfiguration, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Magical Drafts and Potions, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection. A wand, a size 2 pewter cauldron, a set of glass or crystal phials, a telescope, and a set of brass scales. It also says that I can bring an owl, cat, or toad. Mum, PLEASE?"
"Please what?" Sara's mother was looking really harried.
"Please may I have a cat or an owl? Plllleeeasssee?"
Her mother sighed. "We'll see."
***
A half hour later, Sara had everything except a wand. No pet as yet, though.
"Where do we go to get the wand?"
"Olivander's." Daren replied.
"I see it! It's right over there! Next to the store with all the animals!"
"If you say one more word about a cat, you won't get one."
"Shutting up."
"Thank you."
They entered Olivander's. Daren smiled and pulled Mrs. Frie back. "Don't worry. Mr. Olivander will do it all...you'll see." Indeed, the next few minutes were a whirl of confusion as Sara tried wand after wand that different work. Finally, she found a wand that shot silver and blue sparks, not to mention the rose petals, when she held it.
"Padouk, slightly whippy, two unicorn hairs and a dragon heartstring. Interesting combination. Six galleons and two sickles, please."
Sara's mother payed, and they left the shop. Just as they stepped out, a large black-and-white calico cat went streaking out of Magical Menagerie, the pet shop next to Olivander's, knocking down chairs and umbrella stands, with a woman wearing a white apron hot on its tail.
"Get back here, you beast! I'm going to kill that man who sold me that unbreakable lock! GET BACK HEEERRRREEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"
The cat ran through the crowd and leapt straight into a startled Sara's arms, where it immediately began to purr. Breathing hard, the lady from the shop came up to them. To Sara's surprise and joy, her mother offered to buy the cat for her.
"Sure, and thanks for taking the beast of my hands. That girl's been through every lock and locking spell we've been able to come up with. That'd be one galleon."
Sara's mother paid, and Daren began to laugh.
"what's so funny?"
"Who'd ever think that one cat could cause so much damage in Diagon Alley?" he replied, gesturing at all the people setting chairs, stands and tables back upright.
"What a great idea!" Sara said.
Daren and Sara's mother stared at her.
"WHAT?!"
"The name! I'll name the cat Trouble!"
Daren laughed. "That she certainly is."
A/N: For those of you that didn't know, padouk is a type of reddish orange wood. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was a bit longer than I expected...Please review!
*word* means thoughts
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizably from Harry Potter.
Chapter 2: Trouble at Diagon Alley
Sara waited nervously. This was the day that the official was supposed to come to bring her to Diagon Alley, but the letter hadn't said at what time they'd arrive. Until they did, Sara and her parents had no confirmation about whether all this was real....At this point, it was easy to dismiss what had happenned with the envelope as simply not noticing the ticket and list. *I wish this was done and over with...*
"Stop fidgeting, Sara!" Sara's mother, Mrs. Frie, was busily cleaning the kitchen. "Why don't you come over here and dry the dishes? Something to do should help." Sara sighed and went over to help her mother. *Doing the dishes might work for Mum, but it doesn't with me. Doing something with my hands won't prevent me from thinking.* Sara thought as she dried a plate.
DING-DONG!!!
Sara practically dropped the plate she was holding. As her mother went to answer the door, she shoved it on it's stack and swung shut the cupboard door. She checked to make sure her pocket money was in her pocket, and ran into the foyer. As she skidded in, Sara began to blush. This was not the impression she had intended to make. She had wanted to seem a young lady with manners, perfectly behaved and studious - not a hyper, unruly eleven year old girl who'd never make it in a special school!
The young man standing next to her mother looked Sara up and down as she tried to stop blushing, inspecting him at the same time. This man looked rather ordinary, not at all what she had expected - He was wearing a blue sweater and jeans, not a dark blue robe and pointy hat with silver moons and stars all over them, like Merlin wore in the tales of King Arthur.
"You must be Sara. I'm Daren, the supposed 'official' that was sent to bring you and your mother to Diagon Alley." The young man grinned. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"
As Daren turned to her mother and said "After you, Mrs. Frie," Sara shook herself out of the more-than-a-little-bit-shocked feeling she was experiencing. Obviously, she was in for a lot of surprises. Checking to make sure the letter, list, and ticket were still in her pocket with her money, Sara followed her mother and Daren to the green car parked in the driveway. She slid into the back seat as her mother got in the front passenger side and Daren got in the driver's seat. Daren started the car and they backed out of the driveway.
"So, where is this Diagon Alley?" Sara's mother asked.
"Oh, it's in London. It's only about a half hour's drive from here."
They rode on in silence for a few minutes. Sara screwed up her courage and asked a question that had been bugging her since she first met Daren.
"What did you mean, when you said you were the 'supposed' official? Are you or aren't you?"
Daren laughed. "I was wondering when you were going to ask that. I work for the Ministry, but I don't really feel that the term 'official' really applies to me. But then, I just graduated from Hogwarts a couple months ago."
Upon hearing this, all the questions that had been piling up in Sara's mind since she got the letter seemed to explode out of her mouth. "You went to Hogwarts?! What's it like? You mean it's all REAL?!Are the teachers mean? Is there lots of homework? Are the other students nice? Will I be far behind because I didn't know about magic beforehand? What's it LIKE????"
"Whoa, slow down!" Daren said, still laughing. "You'll find out the answers to your questions in a couple days. And no, you won't be behind. There's lots of Muggle-born kids at Hogwarts."
"Muggle-born?"
"A muggle is our term for someone who has no magic."
"Oh."
The rest of the trip was in silence.
***
They got out of the car at a disreputable looking pub sandwiched between two more ordinary buidings. A sign above the door proclaimed the pub to be the Leaky Cauldron. Mrs. Frie shivered as she got out of the car.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"Yes." Daren looked at her face and laughed. "The entrance to Diagon Alley is behind the Leaky Cauldron. Come on, I'll show you." As he led them through the pub, with Sara and her mother trailing close behind, he waved to a couple people. "Hi, Tom. I'll make sure to come by later, " He called to the bartender, who smiled and nodded. Soon they were through, and Sara's mother gave a sigh of relief. Sara simply looked about in confusion. She couldn't see any sign of an entrance ANYWHERE...just a couple of old trashcans.
Daren winked and walked up to one of the trashcans. He took a long, thin stick out of one of his pockets and tapped one of the bricks on the wall behind the trashcan with it. *That must be a wand...* Sara thought. *Wow!*
Starting with the brick Daren had tapped, the bricks had begun to rearrange them selves. Soon an archway had opened up before them, leading into a busy street lined with shops and businesses, with ahumongous gold and white building at the end. Sara's mother gasped. Sara herself, younger and better able to take in the sudden existence of magic, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her forward, saying "Come ON, Mum! Look at all these shops!"
Daren smiled and said, "Welcome to Diagon Alley! Slow down Sara, and quit pulling at your poor mother. You don't even know where to go yet. Before you go exploring the shops, we need to go to Gringott's. Those shops won't accept your muggle money. You need to exchange it for galleons, sickles, and knuts."
Mrs. Frie looked worried. "How much will she need?"
Daren looked at Sara. "Wellll...."
The two adults moved farther ahead to discuss money. Sara watched them, frustrated. Why shouldn't SHE know? When her mother dropped back again, all she said was: "You're expensive, you know that?"
A few minutes later they were in Gringotts. Daren told her that the short, ugly humanoids at the counter were goblins and not to call them short, ugly humanoids. Sara giggled. When her mother returned with a pouch filled with coins, she refused to tell Sara how much it was. She felt like snarling at her mother, but resisted.
"What do you need, Sara?" Mrs. Frie asked.
"Ummm...
3 sets black work robes, a black pointed hat, a pair of dragonhide gloves, a black winter cloak with silver fastenings all with name tags. The Standard Books of Spells grade 1, A History of Magic, Magical Theory, A Begginner's Guide to Transfiguration, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Magical Drafts and Potions, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection. A wand, a size 2 pewter cauldron, a set of glass or crystal phials, a telescope, and a set of brass scales. It also says that I can bring an owl, cat, or toad. Mum, PLEASE?"
"Please what?" Sara's mother was looking really harried.
"Please may I have a cat or an owl? Plllleeeasssee?"
Her mother sighed. "We'll see."
***
A half hour later, Sara had everything except a wand. No pet as yet, though.
"Where do we go to get the wand?"
"Olivander's." Daren replied.
"I see it! It's right over there! Next to the store with all the animals!"
"If you say one more word about a cat, you won't get one."
"Shutting up."
"Thank you."
They entered Olivander's. Daren smiled and pulled Mrs. Frie back. "Don't worry. Mr. Olivander will do it all...you'll see." Indeed, the next few minutes were a whirl of confusion as Sara tried wand after wand that different work. Finally, she found a wand that shot silver and blue sparks, not to mention the rose petals, when she held it.
"Padouk, slightly whippy, two unicorn hairs and a dragon heartstring. Interesting combination. Six galleons and two sickles, please."
Sara's mother payed, and they left the shop. Just as they stepped out, a large black-and-white calico cat went streaking out of Magical Menagerie, the pet shop next to Olivander's, knocking down chairs and umbrella stands, with a woman wearing a white apron hot on its tail.
"Get back here, you beast! I'm going to kill that man who sold me that unbreakable lock! GET BACK HEEERRRREEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"
The cat ran through the crowd and leapt straight into a startled Sara's arms, where it immediately began to purr. Breathing hard, the lady from the shop came up to them. To Sara's surprise and joy, her mother offered to buy the cat for her.
"Sure, and thanks for taking the beast of my hands. That girl's been through every lock and locking spell we've been able to come up with. That'd be one galleon."
Sara's mother paid, and Daren began to laugh.
"what's so funny?"
"Who'd ever think that one cat could cause so much damage in Diagon Alley?" he replied, gesturing at all the people setting chairs, stands and tables back upright.
"What a great idea!" Sara said.
Daren and Sara's mother stared at her.
"WHAT?!"
"The name! I'll name the cat Trouble!"
Daren laughed. "That she certainly is."
A/N: For those of you that didn't know, padouk is a type of reddish orange wood. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was a bit longer than I expected...Please review!
