Chapter Three
Hermione and her parents stood on the sidewalk of a London business area, all three individuals looking up and down the street for the professor who came to visit them earlier in the week. Mr. Granger pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and looked it over for the tenth time.
"We are at the right address," he murmured.
"I'm sure she'll be here," Mrs. Granger soothed, rubbing a hand across Hermione's shoulders. "We are a little bit early."
Hermione was attempting to calm down and not let her nerves race away into the blustery October day. She couldn't help thinking that it could all be a scam. Her parents already gave Professor McGonagall the tuition money for school. The woman who pretended to be a teacher at a magic school would have already run off with their money. Hermione's short lived hopes and dreams would have been lost for sure and she would have had to return to her normal school where she had no friends and was made fun of on a regular basis.
Hermione saw her dad look through the window of the record shop and nod his head interestedly at the music albums on display. Mrs. Granger was more interested in the book shop next door…well…not next door. Hermione didn't seem to notice it before, but between the record shop and book shop, there was another tiny building. It looked like a dirty, old pub. How strange that Hermione wouldn't have noticed it before. It was at that time, the door to the pub opened and Professor McGonagall stuck her head out.
"Oh, there you are," Professor McGonagall nodded to the Granger family. "Please come in," she opened the door wider and Mrs. Granger nearly had to drag her husband away from the record display case.
"I didn't even see this place? Where did it come from?" Mr. Granger whispered to his wife.
Professor McGonagall led them towards the back of the bar. "I'm sorry if you waited a long time. I was called away on business and I only just returned."
"That's all right," Mr. Granger waved away the apology. "Is this…what did you call it…Dago Alley?"
"That would be Diagon Alley," Professor McGonagall corrected, "and no this is only the entrance. The Alley is behind the pub."
"Hello professor," the bartender waved as he polished a few glasses behind the bar.
"Good afternoon Tom," Professor McGonagall nodded her head in reply.
"You got yourself a new student there professor?"
"Indeed, this is Hermione Granger, she is a muggle-born witch. I am showing her and her parents Diagon Alley, and helping them with everything they need."
"That's great! You know, only yesterday Hagrid came through here doing the same thing, except he brought Harry Potter," Tom whispered the last part of the statement.
Professor McGonagall narrowed her eyes at the bartender. "It would be wise if you kept that piece of information to yourself. Mr. Potter does not need any more publicity than he already has. He is only a boy attending his first year at Hogwarts."
Tom nodded vigorously. He was shaking so bad that he nearly dropped the glass he was polishing. "Sure thing professor, sure thing."
"This way Granger family," Professor McGonagall pointed to the back of the pub and they followed her out into a small courtyard that was walled up for privacy. One would expect chairs and flowers to be out in a courtyard but the only items were a severely dented trash can and a few weeds.
"This is the entrance to Diagon Alley," Professor McGonagall stated from over her shoulder. From her voluminous green robes, the older woman took out her wand and placed it over a brick above the trash can. She tapped the wall three times and immediately the brick seemed to…wiggle…out of the way. All of the bricks within the vicinity moved out of the way, wiggling and squirming to get away from the wand the professor held. The bricks moved until a rather large archway formed providing an opening to the winding cobbled street.
"Amazing," Hermione gasped as she and her family stepped through the archway. Instantly, the bricks closed up the gap, reforming the solid wall.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Professor McGonagall smiled. "The first item on the agenda is converting your muggle money into wizarding money, so we must go to Gringotts."
Hermione frowned, she didn't realize there was different currency for the wizarding world. The young girl sighed softly to herself; the more she heard about this strange new place the more she feared that she would never fit in. There seemed to be too much that she didn't understand.
Hermione seemed so lost in her own thoughts that she barely realized her parents and professor had stopped walking. Jerking her head up, she narrowly missed plowing into her unsuspecting father and stood awestruck at the building before her. It seemed to be a highly important building because it dwarfed the surrounding smaller shops. The edifice was a shocking pure white with bronze doors. Hermione peered closer to see a figure standing in front of the doors. The…creature…was short, even shorter than Hermione, and had a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet.
"That man isn't wearing any shoes," Mrs. Granger pondered curiously.
"That is not a man," Professor McGonagall stated. "It is a goblin." She merely nodded at the creature as they passed and Hermione noticed how he bowed low. Hermione attempted a smile at the goblin but she could have sworn he growled in response. Keeping her eyes forward, she saw they arrived at another set of double doors; these were silver instead of bronze. Hermione pushed forward once she saw there were words engraved upon them.
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 floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
Hermione shivered at the threatening words. All types of scenarios ran through her head of goblins attacking people as they ran out of Gringotts. She supposed as long as she didn't attempt to steal anything she would be all right, but there was something in the goblins eyes as her parents exchanged the necessary muggle money for wizarding money, that told Hermione they didn't exactly care for humans. As the group left the building, the goblin stationed outside opened the doors for them.
Hermione paused as she passed the creature and looked him in the eyes. "Thank you," she smiled although everything in her being pleaded with her to run away she waited for the creature's response.
The goblin merely stared at her for the longest time, but surprised her as he bowed so low to the ground that his long nose nearly brushed the floor. Feeling a weight inside her lift, she ran after her parents and teacher and began to look forward to the other items she needed to buy.
"Hermione, do you have that list?" Mr. Granger looked down at his daughter. "The list that tells us everything you need?"
"Yes, it's right here." Hermione pulled the envelope out of the back of her jeans pocket and took out the paper that had already been severely creased from the amount of times she had read and re-read the words.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or something similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
"We'll start there dear," Mrs. Granger stopped Hermione as she read the letter out loud. "Where do we get her clothes Professor McGonagall?"
"Let us go to Madame Malkin's for all your uniform needs," the professor led the way.
As they walked to the shop, Hermione parents told her what they learned about the money exchange.
"It would appear that there are three different types of coins," Mr. Granger held in his hand the coins. "The gold ones are Galleons, silver are Sickles, and bronze are Knuts. If I remember correctly, seventeen Sickles equal one Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts are equal to a Sickle."
Hermione attempted to do the math on how many Knuts would be needed to equal a Galleon, but before she could they had already arrived at the store. The lady who greeted them, Madam Malkin, was short but had a kind smile for her and Hermione's parents. The young girl enjoyed receiving new clothes, albeit they were robes and everything was in black, not my best color, Hermione thought as she twirled before the mirrors in her robes.
After the clothing shop, they headed towards the book store, Flourish and Blotts, which Hermione was very excited about. She bought the necessary books off the school list:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) – by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic – by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory – by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration – by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi – by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions – by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection – by Quentin Trimble
Hermione also found an interesting book titled Hogwarts a History by Professor Archelaus Garino. She figured it would be important to know all that she could about the school she was about to attend before she started classes. All the other students who had wizarding parents would already know the information, Hermione couldn't allow herself to fall behind.
"This is a new beginning," Hermione murmured as she held the book in her hands.
"What was that dear?" Mrs. Granger glanced up from the book shelf she was perusing.
"Nothing mum," Hermione answered. "Let's go on to the next shop."
Moving from store to store, Hermione picked up the rest of her items: a cauldron, telescope, brass scales, a set of glass phials, and at Professor McGonagall's suggestion a basic set of potion ingredients. Last, but not least, the weary group stood before the shop that contained the last item on the list. The store was narrow and looked worn down. Letters that once looked golden and full of life were now peeling and Hermione could barely read the sign.
Olivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
Hermione found herself interested in the concept of having magic around for that length of time. It would be interesting to read more about where magic originated from and what has changed from the start of the wizarding world to today. Her father placed an arm around her shoulder, smiled down at his only daughter, and gently led her into the building. If it weren't for Mr. Granger's guiding arm, Hermione may have been out there all day contemplating the meaning behind the words on the sign.
The door triggered a bell as they stepped through the door way. The inside was just as bare and seemingly unkempt as the outside. The only furniture was a tiny chair that looked as if it had been broken on numerous occasions. Shelves lined the walls and Hermione assumed that the boxes that sat on the shelves were the wands.
"Good afternoon," a voice echoed from across the room. Hermione nearly jumped in the air as she heard the man who walked towards them. He was an elderly man with a shock of white hair sitting haphazardly on his head and wide, pale eyes behind a pair of wire rimmed glasses. Mr. Olivander's eyes rested on Hermione as he looked her up and down. For close to a minute, he merely looked deep into her eyes, and Hermione had an unsettling feeling he could see deep into her soul.
"Ah," he nodded his head. "I have just the wand for you young lady."
The old man flitted around the shelves searching for a wand he no doubt thought would be a perfect fit for Hermione.
"Here it is," Mr. Olivander called out triumphantly. He came to stand before her, cradling a spindly wand in an opened box. "Try this one," he gently lifted the wand and placed it in Hermione's outstretched hand.
Instantly, Hermione felt a warmth race down her arm and through her entire body. As if she instantly knew what to do, she brought her wand down and from the tip streamed a series of colorful fireworks, sparks that lit up the entire room.
"Very impressive," Mr. Olivander muttered. He took the wand from Hermione's hand and at once the young girl felt as if something integral to breathing was taken away. Already Hermione was addicted to the magic that lay inside her and surrounded her.
"I always say that it's the wand that chooses the wizard," Mr. Olivander stated softly as he closed the box. "Every Olivander wand has a core of powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Olivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
Hermione nodded slowly, drinking in the information.
"The wand that chose you…Miss Granger…is pine wood with dragon heartstring, 10 and ¾."
Hermione could barely contain her glee at finally having a wand. Everything else the wand maker said barely registered. It wasn't until after they left the shop and was walking back to the Leaky Cauldron that she wondered how Mr. Olivander could possibly know her name since she nor her parents gave out that information.
As they stood outside the Leaky Cauldron, on the muggle side of London, Hermione thanked Professor McGonagall profusely for taking her to Diagon Alley.
"It was nothing Miss Granger. I am only glad that I had the time to visit with you and your parents. I hope you have become somewhat acclimated to the wizarding world. It may take some time to understand everything, but I know you will do fine at Hogwarts."
"Thank you again Professor," Mr. Granger nodded his head as he placed an arm around his wife and daughter.
"Before I forget," the professor reached into her robes and pulled out an envelope. "Inside is your ticket to the Hogwarts Train. It leaves on the first of September from King's Cross station. The rest of the information is on the ticket. I will have someone waiting for you to help you board the train." She handed the envelope to Hermione and stepped back towards the pub.
"I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall spoke to Hermione. "Have a good day Mr. and Mrs. Granger."
Hermione stared down at her ticket and the numerous bags she and her parents were carrying. The only thing she could think was the stretch of time between now and September 1st.
"How am I going to wait that long before learning to become a witch?" Hermione shook her head in wonder.
Sorry for the delay but this was a longer chapter. I think it would be so much fun to shop at Diagon Alley. I would probably spend a lot of my time at Flourish and Blott's. So, Hermione was trying to do the math, did anyone else try to figure out how many Knuts go into a Galleon?
Thanks to runrigrocks, ObsessedRHShipper, tashposh wealsly, and milan4ever.
LuvinReadin – thanks for reading and reviewing. I do think Hermione is a bit nerdy and she's not the Hermione we know as of yet because I feel that she is really just an insecure girl who hides her feelings behind her bossiness and all the information she can instantly regurgitate. I feel when she starts off at Hogwarts she's like that because she wants to feel like she belongs and when she becomes friends with Harry and Ron…someone's got to be the voice of reason to those two and it may come off being bossy but it's really concern. I'm trying to get into the head of Hermione. Thanks for the comments and please keep reading.
. – I did wonder why Hermione's parents didn't mind her leaving to go to school, especially a school they don't understand a bit! I feel that as doctors, they are very consumed with their work but they still love their daughter. They want what's best for her and going to a magical school is the answer. Thanks for the review!
Keep reading and reviewing everyone!
