Chapter 3: My First Adventure in the Magical world
My birthday came and passed, we had a small party (me grandmother and grandfather), and then we had a very special dinner (we went to a burger house and had the biggest burgers I could imagine). After that we went to the ice cream shop (I got a waffle cone and triple scoop) we went back home and that's when we exchanged gifts. Grandfather got me a new journal book, he said it was to write in while I'm away, so o can read back and remember the memories or if I needed someone to talk to and there was no one around, and grandmother got me this neat toy, it was a virtual pet of sorts as well as a clock.
A couple days after my birthday Grandmother finally told me that we were going to go to London and to bring my school list. I decided to dress more casual in a pair of jeans and a jumper with the grinning Cheshire Cat on it (the one from Alice in Wonderland my favourite book and movies recently). I also decided that my runners would be the best option (my star shoes are too tight on my toes and whenever I put them on they grow even tighter and the stars grow bigger and brighter).
Grandmother got into the drivers seat of the car and motioned that I should sit in the front. I was shocked I never and I mean never get to sit in the front of the car. My grandparents always and I mean always go everywhere together. They both come to pick me up from school and to drop me off they both go shopping and to the post office. I sat in the seat questioningly, are my grandparents having a row? They never argue they never even shout even when they are cross.
'Your Grandfather is fine dear, he just isn't as comfortable with the whole magical world thing as I am, I don't think he ever will be.' Grandmother said casting her eyes to my face. I guess my face told her everything she needed to know about what as going through my head. I didn't even get to grandfather being sick... Oh gosh what type of person am I? To think that my Grandfather could be sick because of what I was, I just couldn't think that right now.
'He never really has been comfortable with it dear, ever since your father decided to get a wizards job instead of taking over your Grandfathers book store. He blamed your Mother for putting such ideas into your Fathers head you see. No matter what your Father said, your Grandfather never could accept that they were in love. She thought it was all due to her family, so she explained that she was not like her family. But that only made it worse I'm afraid.' Grandmother explained while driving down towards the ferryboat. Grandfather didn't like magic, which means there will always be a part of me that he doesn't like. And there will always be that part of me that he won't like. And I don't want to have the bookstore just like my Father. I will hurt my Grandfather just as Father did. This thought sickens me that I want to change who I am just for someone else's comfort. But that wasn't as concerning to me as this new news of my Mother. No one ever speaks of my Mother. So at age 11 my mind glossed over the gross things to the statement and just flashed to my Mother.
'What sort of family did she come from?' I asked feeling that I ought to take advantage of this rare time to talk about the one person I know the least about. She left when I was young, I couldn't have been older than five years young. There were no pictures of her anywhere, she was like someone who didn't exist
'A very bad family. They were part of the gang of followers for The Dark Lord, called Death eaters. They were the ones who hunted down your parents and... Murdered them.' My Grandmother explained in a calm voice but I could tell she was scared to tell me, even now that it has been five years since he was defeated (I was five when he came out of hiding and 6 when he was defeated). 'They were and are the Lestrange family. I assure you your mother was nothing like them.' Grandmother said softly. I nodded.
So my Mother comes from an evil family that hunted her down and killed her probably for being different from them. The first thing that ran through my head was fear if they are still out there what's stopping them from finding me? They must be nasty if they made Grandmother pray under her breathe. That must be why no one ever talks about her and why there are no pictures. No chances of her family linking her or me to my Grandparents. That way they couldn't hurt both my grandparents and I.
'Blood doesn't decide who or what you are, you and only you can decide what you are and who you are. It's that simple.' Grandmother said looking at my face. I guess she could see where my thoughts were going if my Mothers family was evil what if she really was like them then I would have to be like them too. The only way to with me from being like them would be to never go to magic school.
I smiled at her words, of course she is right. There really is no one who could make me be anything I don't want to do. No distant relative can make me be some terrible person who hurts people but because why they are. I decide who I am, and I know I'm not a terrible person, I know I am a very good person. I am the person that makes nasty girls eat their words not make them as miserable as they made me.
On the ferry boat Grandmother decided we both need a pick me up after all today is supposed to be an adventure. We are going to get my schoolbooks and supplies and I was going to see the magical world for the first time ever. So got us Jelly babies and Fry's Turkish Delight (it's covered in chocolate its soo yummy). And she started to talk all about what she knew about the school. Such as there are four houses and each has their own mascot of sorts and their own colours. She told me my Father was in the Hufflepuff house and his animal was a badger and his colours were yellow and black.
After the ferryboat ride Grandmother drove straight to the one place I know that associates with the magical world: The Leaky Cauldron. She explained to me on the way that it was normally invisible to non-magical folk, but since she and Grandfather had a magical child they were granted the ability to see it. She said very few non-magical folk were allowed in the magical world, mostly those allowed are those that are the family of magical a children. But she said that's slowly changing all because of my Mother. My Mother she explained worked in the Ministry of Magic to aid in the better integration of the magical and non-magical folk. She fought to open the magical world to the notions of the non-magical world and open the magical world to the non magical folk
The Leaky Cauldron was filled with people, many were families with children of all ages. Most of the grown ups were wearing brightly coloured robes: bright greens and blues and purples and oranges, some wore black or grey. Some had tattered robes and all of them had pointy hats. The grown ups were all talking, ignoring the children who all looked anxious and excited to go. All I have to say is magical people wear the coolest clothes and I can't wait to wear their clothes
Grandmother had to pull me away to stop staring. She pulled me to the owner of this fine magical establishment, Tom. After they had a small talk Tom led out a door, to an alley, a dead end alley. The alley was dark and dreary and dank and smelt like old cat pee. It wasn't like there was a magical door or anything there was just a wall of red bricks. I got pulled away from the people I almost had the guts to talk to for this stinky old wet alleyway? There was rubbish everywhere and I think this has to be some sort of joke.
Tom pulled out a fancy looking stick out of his robes. The stick was dark brown and thin, the part he was holding was smooth and looked like it was formed just to his grip, the end was tapered slightly as if it were a skewer or used to poke things. He used his stick (I think it's a wand... I'm not to sure) and he taped the brick wall and the bricks sprang to life. At first they started to wiggle in place, then they started to wiggle and wobble away from the middle. Before my eyes a doorway formed. On the other side of the doorway was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.
It was an alley, with a long narrow winding street on either side were impossible tall and there seemed to be an impossible amount of shops. They loomed over the street casting long shadows. They were painted bright colours, with interesting and bizarre hues and shapes and some had paint jobs that looked like they moved. There was one building which had a roaring dragon in the paint and another had bubbling cauldrons. Some had chimneys and others didn't, but those that had the chimneys all had strange coloured smoke erupting from them. Some building also had big wide windows with all sorts of things on the other side, books, cauldrons, rats and toads, brooms, brightly coloured robes, chickens hanging upside down by their feet, and one displayed what I think as a unicorn horn. The last thing that the shops do was emit strange sounds or bubbles or smoke. All in all it as the liveliest set of shops I had ever seen. I am going to love being a witch.
Grandmother walked me through the busy crowd of young wizards all gawking at the lasting model of broom (proclaiming it is the fastest broom ever built) the Fury 5, according to one young wizard the fury series was obsolete after the Fury 2 so it's big deal that this broom beats all others. She dragged me to a big tall white building. It was ivory white. There were two great pillars on each side of the door. Above the door was a big gold sign 'Gringotts Bank'. It never occurred to me that wizards would have their own bank. I guess that makes sense it seems absurd that they would carry around a crisp set of pounds in their robes.
The inside was just as grand as the outside promised, the roofs were high and round, the floors black marble and the walls just as white as the outside walls. In the middle of the floor was the banks logo, and in the middle of the far wall was a great wooden door. Written in the door was a poem:
'Enter stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed.
For those who take, but do not earn
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floor
A treasure that was never yours
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure here.'
I read the poem twice before it dawned on me, of course a wizard bank will have wizard ways to prevent wizards from breaking in. I imagine they have spells and such to protect the whatever wizards put in this bank. Some one would probably be mad to try to rob this place after all you have to get thought the big door without getting caught and someone how find what it is you want to steal, get through all of the protection spells and anti theft enchantments, and get out all at once.
'Not planning to rob me are you?' Bill said making me look up. I saw scars on his face I didn't see then last time, I think in all the excitement of seeing wizards him being cool l being a metamorphomagus, and seeing a witch I must have missed a few things, that and I was nine not 11.
'No... I'm pretty sure there is some pretty...' I said and trailed off seeing the workers behind the bench. They weren't human. They were... I don't know short, with long fingers and long hooked noses. Some had beards and others didn't, most had really dark hair. And they all had a grudging look in their eye.
'Goblins, and in your robbery scheme try to factor in a dragon.' He said with a wink and walked my grandmother to a counter. He stepped on the other side and they started to talk about the average costs of school things and exchange rates. Bill told her it was about 5 pounds to the galleon. A galleon he showed me was a large gold coin, and it takes 17 sickles (silver smaller coins) to make a galleon, and 29 knuts (the smallest bronze coin) to the sickle. Bill gave me a cheat sheet so to speak on the matters of wizard money
They talked and finally Bill handed grandmother a bag of coins and she gave him a small key and he pulled out a big book and started to flip through it. He was muttering under his breathe the entire time, with a focused look.
'It seems she is in vault 714, and is sitting on a small fortune of her own, both of her parent set vaults have been merged to this one, her mother and father received amounts as gifts and from various wills...' Bill said and closed the book ' lets go check things out and get is young witch some pocket change, looks like you won't have to go second hand on anything after all.' He said with a very happy voice and walked us towards the big wooden door.
The other side of the big door was more like a dungeon than a bank. There were several mine car like trolleys all waiting for someone to board, Bill helped us into one. He took the drivers seat as it will and away it went zooming very very fast. I saw the stalagmites dripping from the roof and the stalactites shooting up from the floor. I saw q waterfall beside us and there were several flashes of light and a roar. Bill was right about the Dragon!
The mine car came to a sudden halt and Bill helped us climb out I was rather dizzy and some how he wasn't. Must be some magical trick you learn when you work here. Bill walked to a rock wall. There on the wall in an iron plates were the numbers '714'. He slid something back and found the tiny keyhole that fit the tiny key. There was an audible click and he swung the door open.
'Due to the enchantments, only she can take anything out of her vault.' Bill explained and handed me a leather bag (it was emerald green I will keep this leather bag forever!) 'now the galleons are worth the most, take about equal amounts of each coin, if you run out during the school year you can write to me with an owl and I'll get more to you.' He said and stood aside.
I looked in the vault and saw towers of towers or gold coins. Most of it was filled with gold. I found smaller stacks of the other two coins. I gathered them up and placed approximately the same amounts of each in my bag until it was full. Behind the piles I took was a selection of letters. Each was labeled with 'for Siobhan' and after a specific age, the first I was age 11. I took that too and slid it into my jeans pocket. I recognized the writing as my mothers every year I got a letter from her and I guess she moved the ones after I started magic school here.
I left the vault with a very heavy money bag and e climbed back up into the trolley. I didn't say anything about the let it I'm fairly certain my grandmother would have expected one. After all she was the one who gave me one every year on my birthday at the end right before bed. I kept them all in a box that I hid under my bed.
The ride back up was just was fast, but not as exciting there were no flashes of light no growls and no waterfall. I think the trolley chose to ascend a different path than the one it chose to go down. That would make the most logical sense, after all this is a magical bank with vaults and dragons.
'Now that we have money we can go about getting your things, since Grandad and I are getting you an owl, you can foot the bill for your robes, and supplies I'll get your school books and wand and such. We can start with your robes dear as you have to get measured and while you are doing that I can pop in to get your owl, you wanted the short eared owl right love?' Grandmother asked me twice before she got my attention, I was far too busy staring at a shop window that displayed magical ingredients. There was a unicorn horn and unicorn hair, and newt eyes and porcupine quills and so on. It all looked so... Magical.
'Uhh yes that's right Gran.' I said touched that she remembered all of my hard work researching what I called the perfect owl for post. I wanted one that was about medium size not too big and not too small (for both strength and speed). I also wanted one that would blend in to the most places so I could send post to more places without having my owl look out of place. The whole hiding the magical world from everyone idea, I thought it best to keep that going.
According to Gran's list we started with my robes. The rob shop (Madame Malkin's robes for all occasions) had several displays of school robe. It looked like they all belonged to different schools, the one under Hogwarts are the only ones I cared about. They were black, with arms that went to the wrist and the bottom hem above the ankle, they had a clasp to be done up near the top, they also came with a good that draped down in the back. The insides of the robes were all lined with red. The clothes under the robes were what you would expect at a private school, black trousers, with a white shirt a grey v neck sweater and a tie. The tie was stripes red and gold. The sweater also had a small amount of the red and gold stripes an inch for math hem.
Once inside it was all business, I had no time to ask Madame Malkin any questions. She stood me up on a stool and asked what school. I told her Hogwarts and she took my measurements and asked how many sets. I said three. She placed three shirts, vests, ties (they were black), and skirts neatly folded in a pile. She took even more measurements and added a cloak to the pile (it came with a silver clasp and a silver pin with the Hogwarts coat of arms embossed into it). She drapes black robes over me and had me hold my arms up while she pinned it to the right length. My arms got sore but the stern look in her eye made me not want to move them for any reason.
At last she was done and packaged up all three sets of my robes and black pointed hat into a brown paper parcel. I handed her over the coins to pay she was very patient in my learning the coins and she helped me in the end. The good news was at the of that I had almost masters the wizard money and gran walked in with my owl. Instantly I named him Geronimo, I wish I had thought of a noble name, but he was an oddball and he still is the oddest owl I had ever met. For starters he likes to cuddle.
Our next stop was the wand shop, this was one place I was really looking forward to. I had no idea how one goes about shopping for a wand but I hoped they came in fun colours and maybe It's like shopping for a pet its all about ability. Maybe this is when I have to pick which lines of magic I do, or maybe it's all about my height or eye colour or something weird.
The wand shop was called Ollivander's, it was a very long shop. Dusty windows and faded paint. The sign was old too. I thought it was probably a family run business, the Ollivander family I had assumed. Grandmother didn't seem to mind the creepy way the dimly light shop looms over us and walked inside. The door hit a small bell that chimed through the entire store. But when we got to the counter the shop looked empty if not closed
Grandmother sat down as an empty shop is all she had expected to find. There was a small thud and even louder 'Umph!' Before someone emerged from the back covered in dust their glasses askew and a large tear in the left sleeve of their robe. Their hair was so covered in dust I could be blonde or brown or even black and I wouldn't have been none the wiser. And the Wizards arms were filled with thin long boxes.
'New student?' He looked at me leaning his head to the side to see me around his boxes. 'Just one second.' He said and stood on one foot trying to balance the boxes in one hand while the other reaches for his own wand, he gave it a flick and a wave and the boxes but themselves away, the dust disappeared from his hair (which was sandy blonde) and the tear in his robes repaired itself. He dusted off his hands and looked me over and a tape measure started to measure me on its own accord.
'Now let's see, strong Flynn blood yes he was a gifted at charms and potions a curious combination and Lestrange she excelled at jinxes, counter curses and hexing objects.' The wand wizard muttered to himself and climbed up a ladder and rolled himself along row after row of thin long boxes. He carefully pulled one out and opened the box. He placed the wand in my hand and instantly a bird erupted from it and started to peck him. The bird looked almost like my dear Geronimo.
'Nope.' He said shaking his head after he waved his wand and the bird disappeared. He took the wand back placed it gingerly back in its box and set the box aside and set out back to find yet another wand. He spent a lot longer in the back and came out with his arms filled with boxes. He had the look that this was going to take a while. I glanced back at grandmother and she had pulled out one of her books.
We had tried several large piles of wands before the wizard ran his hands though his hair looking q little exasperated. He looked me over and muttered under his breath and stare at me intently for a minute. (This is what I now call the Harry Potter moment they happen quite often, I not being 11 and having read the books, watched the movies seen the play and even read the fanfictions… so many… slash fans, and shipping (I don't even… I just can't even what is 'shipping'?) and alternate universes.. but for now I am innocent and only 11). It as awkward and uncomfortable and his eyes lit like he had the most genius idea ever and ran to the back. There was a lot of excited statements like Never had I thought' or 'Not even Grandad sold one' and lastly 'first ever sold, and I get to sell it'. I had to muffle my giggles at his excitement. There was several thuds and when finally he came back holding a very dusty wooden box, this was not a cardboard box it as dark mahogany wood with an iron latch. Slowly he worked the latch open and pulled out a golden brown wand, there were swirls of darker brown and light brown throughout the wand. It looked almost like it was taken straight from the tree, a little smoothing things over, some slight tapering at the end. It was a magic stick.
'Acacia wood, with a Dragon heartstring core, this wand is fairly hard might lean towards the brittle side and it's a comfortable 13.5 inches long.' He told me narrowly concealing his excitement and delight. He gently placed it in my hand and just this once nothing exploded, nothing erupted out of the end, no loud noises. All the handed as that it glowed an eerie gold and he almost squealed with glee.
'It chose you! It's settled then, I'll be right back can't just give that wand away without...' He said and ran back to his back room. I stared at grandmother and she put her book away and was standing up at hot counter pulling out the set rate of seven galleons for my wand. He ran back holding a big book and another box with the letters in gold 'wand servicing kit'. He placed them on the counter and took the wand from me and slipped it into a satin bag and back into its box and placed that too on the counter.
'Take care of this wand, it's a rare one, the book name kit are free of charge.' He said and placed everything a bag and took grandmothers money and handed me the bag. I smiled, I have a rare wand, I have a rare wand. I have a wand to rare I got a free book and a wand service kit! But I suppose this means I'll need a book to care for my owl Geronimo (I am standing by that name, besides he has gone by the name all through my Hogwarts time and up till now I doubt I can just change it) as well.
Our next stop was to get the usual supplies, and this I told Grandmother not to worry I would foot the bill on this one. She chuckled and agreed. This shop was wonderful it was filled with quills and ink bottles, and rolls of parchment and journal books, and candles that never burn out (for those long nights) candles whose was never spills, quick dry ink and spill proof ink bottles, spell checking quills, quick notes quills, self-writing quills, colour changing inks and so on. I bought ten different join two books (for notes notes, I reasoned ten should be enough for class notes, a book for spells and potions), I bought a roll of 500 ft of parchment that has length markers along the margin, a package of rainbow coloured quills and a package of white ones, several bottles of ordinary black ink, a bottle of colour change ink, a bottle of no spill ink, and several candles a candle that never goes out and a candle whose flame changes colour ever hour (guaranteed to burn for 12 hours a colour.)
With my moneybag considerably lighter grandmother took me to the apothecary to pick up my potion supplies kit. The shop smelt like mint and something foul. Grandmother paid quickly and left as fast as she could she said the smell made her feel sick. After that we got my scales, dragon hide gloves and brass telescope (I wanted silver I said it would look so much nicer but she said no). Then it came time to go to the cauldron shop. There were gold ones, and iron ones, and silver, but I needed pewter so that's what I got. No fancy self-stirring cauldrons made of silver for me.
Our final stop of the day was the book shop, the long awaited book shop. Grandmother told me if I wanted to any books on top of my schoolbooks I could pay for them. I told her that was just what I was thinking. The first books we got was my school books, which included, Magical Draughts and Potions, The Standard Book of Spells, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, A History of Magic and A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration. Grandmother went to go pay for the, while I found other books for background reading.
I found a book about owl care, How to Keep Your Magical Companion in Tip Top Shape Beak to Tail Feathers. This book is sure to help me ensure I took the best care of Geronimo. I then sought out a book to tell me all about Hogwarts and decided on Hogwarts, A history, revised. This had school maps and had the revisions on maps and protection charms and policies and history of course. I then found a book called The Rise and Fall of The Dark Lord, volume 1 and volume 2 (the second of course about his second rise and fall). Beside that there was a book filled with the entire collection of the Chronicles of Harry Potter. I walked into the section labeled Help for your first year at Hogwarts, and the first book that caught my eye was a small one, labelled First time with a Quill No Problem, Learn How to Write Like a Pro! The next book was Revisions, Essays, Spell Practice and Potion Prep? Learn How to Manage Your Schoolwork. Clearly there is the 'Like a Pro' line of books. The last book I found was Introduction to Quidditch and Other Wizard Conventions.
With my moneybag lighter, my cauldron filled with school books, and supplies and arms filled with bags Grandmother and I made our way back to e leaky cauldron and to the car. As tired as I was I just couldn't sleep in the car. It as too dark to read through any of my new schoolbooks and Grandmother told me that I could start tomorrow. We had dinner on the ferryboat (burgers and chips) and we even found some veggies to feed my owl as we both didn't have a mouse handy. The rest of the ride back I was thinking about the secret letter I had in my pocket, I had decided it was for me and that I should read it and then decide if isn't something my grandparents should see, but I can't help but think that if my mother were here this wouldn't be a problem.
I carried everything up to my room (it took several trips), I arrange it do my owl cage is by the window and all my books on my bookshelf and parchment, journal books, quill and ink all on my desk everything else in my cauldron. I changed into my pyjamas before I turned on my lamp and crawled into bed (it was far too late so my Grandparents sent me straight to bed). I opened it and read the letter.
'My dearest Siobhan,
There are so many things I wish I could say to you on this day, the eleventh birthday is big for the magical a world. It was the day your father and I were going to tell you all about being magic, going to school and the whole magical world. But as I'm sure you know, the Dark lord rose again, and... I don't know if you are ready for this but, I came from a family of dark wizards. They took my being different as being a family traitor. I loved your father and I loved you deeply, I had to leave you see, if my family knew about you, I fear the things they would do. But this letter is not about them it is about you and you turning eleven.
You are a witch just as I am, I hope you are as beautiful as I had hoped you would be. There is something I want you to know and never forget, you and only can decide who you become and heat you become, magic is not innately good or bad either is any magical family. Blood, nor colour, nor even magical talent and dictate what you become only you can decide that for you.
While you are at school, don't worry about what house you are sorted in. The sorting hat is never wrong, it can see your true self. You don't have to be good at all types of magic not everyone is good at all types, when it comes to your 5th year, don't worry about your test scores. All that matters is that your do your best, and for your 6th and 7th year take the classes that interest you, that's the only way to get through them. And most of all make friends, they don't have to be in your house to make a good friend. Friends can help you study read you new things and interesting magic. You could even visit over the summers
The last piece of advice I can think of to tell you is to try new things. You never know what food you might like, what animal you might be fond of, what books you would like to read even sports unless you try. You can try all sorts of school clubs and societies and even the quidditch team. Explore the school learn its secrets for they are plenty, you have seven years at Hogwarts to grow and decide who you are and what you are. You only have Seven years to learn everything you be able to go out on your own in the magical world.
Don't worry, the headmaster Albus Dumbledore is finest wizard ever, if there was ever a wizard who can help you it would be him. If you need help and the other school professors can't help talk to him. He will see what I see in you. Even if you get into trouble he will listen to your side no judgements.
Your loving mother'
I read the letter several times thrilled to just have something that my mother wrote. Her writing was neat and cursive and fancy. The ink she used was emerald green and she signed it even fancier. I decided then that this letter was going to come with me to school. I opened my bedside drawer to keep it safe until I had to pack and something slid out of the envelope. It was a small silver pendant on a silver chain, I held it up and the pendant was something that I saw on my mother every day. It was hers! The pendant was small and tread drop shaped and there was a pattern that I could never really make out what it was. There was a clear squiggle boarder but inside was always up for interpretation. Sometimes I saw fish other times I saw Angels, but right now I see wings bird wings. At the very top was a very small wing but the bottom was two wings a complete set. She told me it was for luck. There was a second note inside the envelope.
'This is my most powerful good luck charm, I found it in my room one day and it's brought me good fortune ever since, I wore when I got sorted into Ravenclaw, which was just what I wanted, I was wearing this when I met your father. Wear it always and it will bring you the same luck it gave me. Remember it's not what you want it's what you need.'
I smiled at the note and decided it too was too precious to leave at home. I put the necklace on and looked down at my moths necklace. It was small and simple but it promised to bring me good luck, what I need not what I want. I couldn't remember a time when she wasn't wearing it, it always fell out of her shirt when she leaned down, it was always something she fiddled with, it was always there. I felt a sudden wave of sadness, she was really gone and she wasn't going to be coming back.
