I woke up to rustling sounds. Sleepily rubbing my eyes, I sat up and lifted my covers. Blinking at the bright sunlight filtering through the windows, A rather tall figure stood at the foot of my bed. Jumping backward, I slammed into the bed post and sent my blanket sliding to the ground. It took me a moment to realize that is was only Dumbledore. He brought his finger to his lips and gestured at the other sleeping students.
I nodded, slightly nervous. What's the headmaster doing here? Did I do something wrong? Then it occurred to me: Maybe I am not supposed to be here, But that doesn't explain how my name got on the first year's list. I was utterly befuddled. He beckoned for me to follow as he exited our dorms.
No students seemed to be up yet. The halls were lifeless and silent. Our footsteps echoed through the empty halls. He led me from the Gryffindor tower to a hallway(that looked exactly the same as all the other that we had passed so far.) that had a bird gargoyle. We shared no conversation whatsoever on our way here, and Dumbledore didn't seem to want to start one anytime soon.
"Lemon drops." He said to the statue. Suddenly, the ground shook and the gargoyle started to turn, a set of staircase forming after it. I whistled in awe. He ascended the stairs, silent, yet again.
It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of interesting silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat-the Sorting Hat.
A strange, gagging noise behind him made me wheel around. Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey. I stared at it and the bird looked balefully back, making its gagging noise again. I thought it looked very ill. Its eyes were dull and, even as I watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail.
The bird burst into flames.
I yelled in shock and backed away into the desk. Looking feverishly around in case there was a glass of water somewhere, but couldn't see one; the bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash on the floor.
"Professor," I gasped. "Your bird-I couldn't do anything-he just caught on fire-"
To my astonishment, Dumbledore smiled. "About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on."
He chuckled at the stunned look on my face. "Fawkes is a phoenix, Jacob. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him . . ."
I looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one.
"It's a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day," said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk. "He's really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets." He paused.
I braced myself for him to expel me, but it never came. Instead, he said, "It has been brought to my attention that you do not have any school supplies."
I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.
"Thus," Dumbledore continued, "I am bringing you to Diagon Alley today to buy what you need for your classes later. The only thing you'll miss is a part of Breakfast."
"Okay. But how should we get to Diagon Alley?" I asked. "And I have no money, I don't think."
Dumbledore chuckled, "Funny you should say that. It's quite the opposite, actually. Your parents had a vault at Gringotts and they were pretty wealthy."
"Wait, had? What do you mean by had?" I asked, hoping that it was only a flaw. "Did something happen to my parents? Are they alright?"
Something shifted in Dumbledore's eyes, but he turned away and said, "You're right. I meant have." Walking towards the fireplace, he asked, "Are you familiar with Floo Powder?" I shook my head in response. "Just take a handful," He said, nodding to a clay pot filled with ashes. "step into the fireplace and say 'Diagon Alley' I'll go first. Please follow suit." He took a handful of the ash, stepped into the fireplace, and said, 'Diagon Alley.'
A sudden burst of green fire erupted in the fireplace, swallowing Dumbledore whole, and just like that, he was gone. My heart thumped in my chest. I as a bit nervous, but excited. Doing what he had done, I grabbed a handful of ash and said 'Diagon Alley.' The green fire hungrily enveloped me.
A second later, we were facing an archway that led onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. Dumbledore was already waiting for me.
"Where do we go now?" I asked the old wizard.
"Gringotts," He said simply.
The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons-All Sizes-Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver-Self-Stirring-Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.
I turned his head in every direction as we walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..."
A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -" There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...
We had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was a goblin.
The goblin was about a head shorter than me. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, I noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as we walked inside. Now we were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with 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.
A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and we were in a 57 vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Dumbledore made for the counter.
Dumbledore said something inaudible to the goblin and took out a tiny golden key.
"Very well," he said, "I will have Someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"
Griphook was yet another goblin. We followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.
Griphook held the door open for us. I had expected more marble. But instead, we were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. we climbed in and was off.
At first, we just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. I tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way because the goblin wasn't steering.
My eyes stung as the cold air rushed past us, but I kept them wide open. Once, I thought I saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late-we plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.
Griphook unlocked the door. A puff of green smoke came billowing out.
My jaw dropped at the vast amount of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts I had. I could feel what Harry had felt in chapter five now. Dumbledore handed me a leather pouch. I immediately started to fill the pouch with Galleons. I've never had as much wealth as I had now. Not feeling any weight in the pouch, I looked down to seen an empty bag. Shock ran through my veins. Where did the money go?
Dumbledore let out a chuckle and said, "That pouch is enchanted so that it is bottomless. If you wish to retrieve something from it, simply call."
Relaxing a bit, I tried calling for a Galleon. A single gold coin popped out and I caught it with my reflexes. Looking back at the old man with wonderment, I tossed in a few more coins and exited the vault. The goblin led us back to the carts and we were sent back to the surface.
After Gringotts, our next stop was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. She spent a few minutes measuring me, then told us that my robes would be ready in a few hours.
Dumbledore led me to Flourish and Blotts to buy my textbooks, which I deposited into the bottomless pouch. I followed him to the Apothecary, where I paid for a basic potion ingredient set, after buying a cauldron.
"Only my wand left," I said, looking down at the list. "I don't suppose that I could get an owl?"
He looked at me with a faint smile on his face. "Yes, you may. Although we are going to buy your wand first." Then he turned around and knocked on Ollivander's door.
(Reminder: he read the first six chapters already, and has knowledge of Ollivanders.)
"Good afternoon," Said a soft voice.
An old man was standing before us, his pale eyes shining like bright moons in the dark shop.
Ollivander waved me over to a small counter and started pulling long boxes out of the shelves built on the walls.
He opened one and handed the wand to me.
"Oak, thirteen inches long, dragon heartstring core." He wheezed. "Point this at the flowers over there and say, 'Aguamenti.'"
As soon as I said 'Aguamenti,' a jet of hot water blasted out from the tip of the wand, and knocked over the vase of dead flowers completely. I looked at the wand in shock. I can actually do magic! My heart felt as light a feather at this solid evidence.
Ollivander plucked the wand from my hand and handed me another one.
"Reed, ten and a half inches, unicorn hair. Point to the flowers and say 'Reparo.'"
I tried again, feeling slightly dumb. The vase trembled slightly but remained still.
He reached for yet another wand and gave it to me. Try after try, a mountain of tested wands grew. But Ollivander seemed to be getting happier and happier.
"Tricky customer, eh?" He hummed. "Not to worry, we'll find you the perfect match. Here try this, Holly, twelve inches, Phoenix core-"
I took the wand. There was sudden warmth in my fingers. I swished the wand and a stream of gold and red sparks shot out like fireworks. I glanced down at the wand in wonder.
Ollivander's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good, very good!" He cried. But then his smile faltered. "Interesting... interesting... "
Looking at him, suddenly worried, I asked, "What? Is something wrong?"
The old man shook his head. "No," he said slowly, "It's just that I recently sold a wand that is just like this one, except it's eleven inches and a half. And you, my boy, greatly remind me of that young man."
Dumbledore held out his arm for me. Right after I took it, I got the sensation of being squashed and stretched, then appeared back in the docks of Hogwarts.
"Why can't we just teleport to Hogwarts?" I asked, puzzled.
"Hogwarts is protected, so you can't Apparate onto school grounds."
A carriage pulled by seemingly nothing approached us and stopped. The wizard gestured for me to enter, then stepped on himself. It started moving in the direction of Hogwarts. He passed me a page a piece of parchment-it was my class schedule.
Eventually, the carriage arrives at the stone steps of Hogwarts. Dumbledore turns to me and said, "Now go and change into your robes and eat some breakfast." Without waiting for an answer, he headed back to his office. I ran to the boy's bathroom and changed into my newly made Hogwarts robes. Trotting back to the Great Hall with a rumbling stomach, I studied my schedule. My first class was Herbology with Professor Sprouts, History of Magic with Professor Binns, break, then double Potions taught by Professor Snape, Lunch, Charms with Professor Flitwick, lastly, Transfiguration, taught by Professor McGonagall.
To my relief, the hall was half empty by now, so when I walked in, there weren't as many stares. I slid into an empty seat at the Gryffindor table and started adding food into my plate.
Noticing that I was there, Draco came over and asked to see my schedule. He grinned and said, "Looks like we have Potions together today, and Flying on Thursday!"
Taking out the potions textbook, I flipped through it. "Do you think the teacher is going to quiz us?"
"Nah, not on the first day. Stop worrying!" Draco answered. Browsing through, I saw something that piqued my interests-a bezoar. Apparently, it was a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save one from most poisons. That's interesting.
Finishing the last of my food with a smile, I glanced at my watch. "We should get going to our classes. So see you in Potions!"
All credits for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone goes to J.K. Rowling
Jacob belongs to FredWeasley130