Chapter Four

The Crooked Street

~August 25, 2019

Sirius—

You better be coming to Diagon Alley sometime soon. Lily is driving me mad about you and your sister, and I can't survive with Alice and Frank together. You can come stay in The Leaky Cauldron with us, and then we can all go to King's Cross together. Just answer back quickly, or I swear Lily is going to burst.

—James.

"So that's it. You just want me to meet your best friend's sister and think that it'll work with us too It's not good enough that I couldn't write to June all summer?"

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, something that had become more common since going to Hogwarts. "You didn't want to just write to June. Oh no, you wanted to owl her, and tell her all about magic! Cass, they're having debated about the whole Statute of Secrecy thing anyway. Can't you wait until it's over?"

"I shouldn't have to. 'God created all men equal,' it's in our Constitution. And I'm pretty sure it means that I can tell June if I want. What makes us different enough that I've got magic and she does not? What makes us different than Dad and Mom? What've we got that they don't got?"

"Magic," Sirius said, laughing. "I'd say we've got magic. That's like asking, Why are you a girl and I'm not? Why do you have white skin and June's is black? Why does James get freckles in the sun, Alice tans, and I burn up to a shiny crisp? No one knows why or how we've got magic, Cass, people have researched it for decades. I know. I studied it too. It's one of those great mysteries in life that it makes you wonder why the Ravenclaw door knocker doesn't ask that, and gives stupid riddles instead, like why is a raven like a writing desk? Believe me, if she had magic like you, you'd know. It's—the whole idea is just still unexplained, unexplored—"

"It's fine, I get it. You can stop trying to unexplain it to me. Obviously the smart house isn't smart enough after all."

"It's not the smart one, it's the wise and creative one!" he called after her, but Cassie didn't listen. Didn't listen, or didn't want to listen? Good god, what was the difference at this point?

Cassie didn't talk to him for the rest of the day. Nor the next day, or even the day after that. That day was easiest; they did nothing but drive for eight hours, from Edinburgh and Grandma and Grandpa Campbell, all the way to London. And by the end of that trip, Cassie didn't need anything better to do than flop into the nearest bed and sleep properly.

It was Sirius that had to tell Dad where to stop the car, because he and Mom weren't able to see the place. Neither could she at first, to be honest. Once Sirius had pointed it out though, she wondered how she didn't see it in the first place: a very attractively painted sign of a bubbling pot. The Leaky Cauldron, rooms to let.

"What kind of a hotel is this?" She asked, then instantly regretted it. Her silent treatment of Sirius was still ongoing.

The inside of the place was much bigger on the inside, impossibly so, and brightly lit even at seven o'clock in the evening. Most of the tables stood empty, but every now and again was a family sitting with packages dropped all around them. In the center of the side wall was a giant fireplace, roaring even in the midst of the summer heat, but somehow not making the room feel stuffy and hotter than usual.

Sirius took off the second they got in the door, bee-lining for a girl Cassie could only assume was his referenced Alice friend. He didn't bother to help lug in any suitcases either, though he wasn't really needed for it in the end; the woman behind the counter, Madame Longbottom ("Like Professor Longbottom's wife?" "No, no relation at all," Dad said with a straight face.), just did some magic and the bags all floated upstairs after her. She showed them into rooms 10 and 11 before heading back downstairs to deal with the rest of her customers.

"Cass? Cassie sweetheart? Dad and I are going downstairs; Madame Longbottom is getting some dinner for us. Are you coming?" Mom even poked her head inside the room, but Cassie just rolled over in the bed, eyes closed.

When their footsteps receded down the stairs, Cassie opened her eyes and hopped out the bed onto the window seat. The window overlooked the back of the hotel, an empty back lot with nothing but an overflowing trashcan for company. But there were no streetlamps or any other sources of light; when it got dark, it'd be real dark, and the stars would be visible. Or should be.

She sat there entranced for a minute, maybe ten, maybe an hour. Until her peace and quiet were broken by a hammering on the door. Just as Cassie got up to open it, the door burst open all on its own with a boy around her age standing in its wake.

"Oh," was all he said for a minute, then, "you're not a hologram, are you?"

Cassie stared at him and shook her head.

"Good. I thought if Alice and Charlotte really wanted me up here so bad, it had to be like a monster in the closet or something, but the joke's on them. I've got a Kneazle—well, almost got one, we're gonna pick him up as soon as we go back to Diagon Alley for shopping. Want some treacle tart?"

He held it out to her, a slice of pie with gooey golden filling that he somehow managed to not get all over his fingers. Cassie stared at it for a full minute. "Are you sure you want to be sharing that with me?"

"Hey, as long as you're not a hologram or waiting to prank me, I'm fine. I've got more downstairs, if that's what you're worried about. I'm Frank, by the way. Frank Longbottom."

Now Cassie could see the resemblance. He had a lot of Professor Longbottom in his face, but his hair was blonde and smooth and eyes the blueness of a summer day's sky. "Cassie McClare. Just don't expect us to be friends from this," she said, taking a bite of tart. It was sweet and sticky and full of caramel-tasting goodness.

Frank shrugged. "Sirius is your brother then? All I know is that A. he's the guy that ends up eating all my treacle and B, Alice gets into this mood of making especially bad puns when he's around."

"Yeah, you're better off running when that happens. Nothing good can ever happen when my brother starts acting goofy. He's just about the prediction that the world is gonna end."

"As soon as I get that Kneazle, he won't be stealing my treacle ever again. Are you coming to Diagon Alley with us tomorrow? I think my Dad waited 'specially for yours."

"That would just be really creepy. What's a Kneazle?"

"Just about one of the awesomest creatures in the world. You should read Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them, it'll tell you everything. 'Course I think part-Kneazles are less expensive and cuter, but whatever Dad says is fine with me. I just need one. They've got a sense of good and evil you see. They're practically watchdogs, but in cat form. Great, right?"

"Hey. If it does the job and stops Sirius from messing with this stuff, I'm game. You said you got more of this stuff, right?"

They ended up staying awake late into the night, late being only ten by the time Dad and Longbottom found them. Until they did though, Frank had shown her around the whole hotel, brought her into the kitchens to gorge out on treacle and Chocolate Frogs, and been in his room. One wall was covered, floor to ceiling, in the little cards. Most prominent, not surprisingly, was his dad.

But by the next morning, there was more noise than ever before. Downstairs were the Potters, James and Al and Lily, who'd be starting at Hogwarts too.

"I hope you're all ready to go," Dad said by the breakfast table, "because money's already changed, so we're good to go. Sirius, you don't mind going with—"

Sirius and the James high-fived with Alice. "Awesome."

Professor Longbottom would come with Dad to watch her, Frank, and Lily, while Mom went with Mrs. Potter, Lily's brother Al and Frank's sister Charlotte. Sirius, overjoyed, was going with Alice, James and the Harry Potter—the only reason she remembered was from Frank's Chocolate Frog card wall. It was decided to meet up by Ollivander's at the end of the day, to watch them get their wands, then move on from there. Frank's Kneazle shopping would have to wait another day if there wasn't enough time.

"First things first, you all need new robes," Professor Longbottom said once everybody set off in their separate ways. "Madame Malkin's, in you go."

The witch there was nice enough; she stood them all up on stools to fix their robes to just the right length where they wouldn't drag all over the floor. Personally, Cassie liked them long, gliding behind her, until she tripped over the extra train. Frank and Lily were laughing, her face was bright red, and then there was another first year customer in the store to get fitted, a girl named Dorcas Meadows.

Once they were out of that store, they were Galleons lighter and several thin boxes heavier. The packages only grew higher as they went into the apothecary for ingredients and vials, scales, a cauldron and telescope. In Flourish and Blotts, they met Mom and Mrs. Potter, Mom reading a book on wizarding photographs. Dad decided to stay with them for a little while.

Still with some time, Longbottom took them out for ice cream by a place called Fortescue's; Cassie secured a triple chocolate scoop with caramel drizzle, while Frank bought a vanilla-raspberry with chopped nuts and Lily got a banana split mess with chocolate sauce. And still, somehow no one else was ready, so Longbottom took Frank and Cassie to find Frank's new pet Kneazle.

The Magical Menagerie could have been bigger on the inside like the Leaky Cauldron and still not make a difference. The walls had wall-to-ceiling coverage of cages, taking up all of the room. And the smell… it stank to high heaven like a farm. That was basically the place. A wizard farm. Inside a storefront on the street.

"You know that bloke who wrote Fantastic Beasts?" Frank whispered to her. "Newt Scamander? He had entire habitats. For his animals. Inside of his suitcase. This is normal, really—aww, look at the baby Kneazles!"

There was a whole litter of them, bright-eyed and fluffy-haired. Frank had to take them all out and pet them one by one, but when he held the last one, a gray ball of fur with yellow eyes, he couldn't let go. "I'm gonna name you Newt. You make sure that Sirius and Alice and James never touch my treacle again, understand?"

The cat nodded at him very seriously. With the same seriousness, Frank put Newt on the counter. "I'm taking him. Isn't he cute Cassie? Cass—"

She was still looking at the Kneazles. One of them was looking right back after, a brown and white calico cat with big green eyes like her own. The cat purred and rubbed its back against her hand, closing its eyes in pleasure as it did, and Cassie couldn't look away.

"She definitely likes you." The store-owner nodded at her. "Kneazles don't usually take to humans, but they're great protectors. She's the runt and the nicest one of the litter. You can have her for ten Galleons, nine Sickles."

"Oh, I—I don't have the money, I'm not sure where my Dad is at the moment—"

But Longbottom put some money over the counter anyway. "He can pay me back later, and I don't think he'll want to come back for a while—is that him outside?"

"Oh good lord."

A purple bus was weaving violently through the streets, Dad staring at it in horror. He looked as though he was about to be sick.

"Neville! We've been looking for you all day!"

Mr. Potter was coming towards them down the street, Alice, Sirius, and James running ahead. Sirius looked around at the packages, obviously searching for something specific. "Where's your owl? You're gonna get an owl, right?"

Then he spotted the cat. "A cat. You could have gotten an owl, send messages back home, but… you got a cat. How is—"

He didn't get to finish because both cats hissed at him.

"Yeah, that's right. You better watch out now, because there are two Kneazles watching my treacle." Frank petted Newt fondly.

Cassie picked up her cat and petted the soft fur. "What Frank said. You've got an owl. I made my own choice and if you wanted to influence my decision, you should've been there."

"I think we're up to wands now," Longbottom said quickly. "Come on, Frank, Lily, Cassie."

Ollivander's was the best shop of all, all quiet and still with the scent of forgotten magic. A lone bell announced their arrival, causing a girl their age to pop up from behind the counter. "Incoming!" she called before disappearing again, and a couple came out from the back.

"Neville, welcome back. I trust your wand is still in good working condition. Cherry and unicorn hair?"

"You've got your uncle's memory, Merc. These three are going to need new wands for Hogwarts. Frank, Lily, Cassie, meet Mercury Ollivander, his wife February, and daughter July. She's going to join you in Hogwarts this September, am I right?" He pronounced the girl's name like the month.

"It's Julie with a 'y', Neville. But aside from that, you always are." Ollivander stared for a long moment at the three of them with silvery eyes that matched the silver in his red hair. "I can recall every wand that I've ever sold for the past thirty years; it must be an Ollivander thing. I sold wands to both of your sisters, Mr. Longbottom, both of your brothers, Ms. Potter, and to your brother, Ms. McClare. Larch and unicorn hair to Alice; aspen and unicorn hair to Charlotte; redwood and dragon heartstring to James; alder and phoenix feather to Albus; and red oak with a Thunderbird feather for Sirius. Let's see what you all get, shall we?"

A tape measure darted around, measuring the three of them, while Mrs. Ollivander climbed up shelves and dropped down boxes. When the tape measure crumpled in a heap on the floor, Ollivander opened one of the boxes to show off the contents.

"Let's start you with this, Mr. Longbottom. Pear and dragon heartstring, thirteen inches, stiff. Try it out, go on."

But no sooner did Frank take it when Ollivander snatched it from him. "That's not right, that's not right..."

Mrs. Ollivander presented him with a wand instead. "I have just the one for you. Acacia and dragon heartstring, thirteen and a quarter inches, springy. I think you'll really like this one..."

He took it and waved it, causing the glass from the front window to shatter. Mrs. Ollivander snatched that one from him too.

"I think he's more of a Kneazle whisker kind of bloke," the girl called July said, opening up a box. "Try this one. Chestnut and Kneazle whisker, thirteen inches, slightly pliable."

Frank took it again and waved it, a look of euphoria on his face. The room glowed brighter, highlighting the sparkles in the air. "Yeah," he said drunkenly, "it's really good..."

"Nicely done, July!" Mr. Ollivander high-fived his daughter. "The Kneazle whisker idea really clinched it, I think. Chestnut prefers wizards with a skill for taming magical beasts, those with talents in Herbology, and those who are great fliers. I do think you would happen to possess all three, especially with your young Kneazle over there.

"Ms. McClare, you're up. Let's see what we can fix you up with. Apple and phoenix feather, twelve inches, give it a wave—no, that's definitely not it," he said as the wand sent a jet of fire at the shelves.

"Try a poplar and phoenix feather," Mrs. Ollivander pressed. "Noooo, not that one—"

"Cedar and dragon heartstring?"

"Beech and unicorn hair—"

"I think we're close. Hornbeam and unicorn hair, twelve and a quarter inches—"

But July took it even as she tried to wave it. "The hornbeam is good," she said slowly. "I like the hornbeam for you. I think you're a Thunderbird kind of girl. Do you have one, Mum?"

A warmth spread through her fingers as she took the new wand now. With a blinding flash, several cheerful yellow birds fluttered from the tip, which Ollivander vanished with a wave of his wand.

"Hornbeam wands usually choose those with a single, burning passion—an obsession of sorts, some might call it. They also personalize to the witch or wizard in question and will absorb your code of honor so that it will never go against your principles. It certainly looks like a good fit for you.

"Onto Ms. Potter over here. July, what say you first?"

They went through the process again, taking much faster. Lily had only tried one of Cassie's rejects, then one of Frank's, until she was presented with her wand. "Reed and dragon heartstring," Mr. Ollivander said, nodding. "Best suited for bold and eloquent speakers, and protective friends. I hope we hear about your adventures someday."

With all their packages in tow, Cassie followed Professor Longbottom back to the Leaky Cauldron. Mom, Dad, and Sirius were all sitting with drinks and wide grins. "How's it feel, Cass? You all ready?"

Cassie held her Kneazle up to rub her face against the fur. "I think I'm more ready now than I'll ever be."