Hey guys I am so so so so so so so sorry for not updating in months it's unacceptable but I've just been busy and procrastinating. I'm quite pleased with this chapter and I'm really looking forward to the next one. Please please please read and review, it really makes my day when I get a review and I really do appreciate the feedback as I'd like to know if I'm doing well and what things I could be doing differently. Also, I have a proper picture for this story now! Yay! Thanks love you all! x
Chapter 4 – Unchartered Territory
It's mind-boggling how it is possible to take something as normal as, say, a street of shops, and make them completely alien.
We just stood there, ogling in amazement. The cobbled street looked endless, and it was crammed with shops selling all sorts of bizarre things. McGonagall strode with purpose through the hundreds of people dressed in cloaks, milling around and looking into the many stores which succeeded in keeping my head swivelling from side to side, trying to see everything at once.
There was Potage's Cauldron shop, which had large stack of cauldrons outside it and a humongous sign hanging over them which read: Cauldrons – All Sizes – Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver – Self-Stirring – Collapsible
There was a busy apothecary's, something called 'Eeylops Owl Emporium', which was a dark shop with a sign saying 'Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy'. A large number of boys around my age, some a few years older, were congregating outside a brightly coloured shop with what looked like old-fashioned brooms in the window, and as we passed I heard one of them say "Look! It's the new Nimbus 2000! It's the fastest model yet!" Though what a 'Nimbus 2000 was and what model it was I had no idea. I was about to ask the professor about it when I got distracted by the sign on a shop called 'Flourish and Blotts', which had a marvellous selection of books on display which looked incredibly interesting. On closer inspection, I realised with a shock that the pictures on the front covers of the books were moving, it was like there were little television screens in each book cover! 'They must be expensive!' I thought.
We finally stopped in front of an enormous white building, and the professor announced our destination as "Gringotts, the wizarding bank of England."
We walked in, trying to keep up with her vicious stride, and I struggled to take in what was surrounding me. The Gringotts foyer was phenomenal, that was the only word to describe it. Seated behind the wooden desks which lined the walls of this massive hall were strange short creatures that had mottled skin, pointy ears and created an air of cold pride.
Our group approached the main desk, and McGonagall appeared to steel herself before clearing her throat loudly.
"We would like to start a new account, and exchange some muggle money for wizarding currency please."
The goblin scrutinised us down his rather long nose, then, deeming us as genuine, signalled to another goblin. This one led us through a door and into a little office, and we sat down in the chairs in front of the desk.
"My name is Voznok, and I will be handling all of your accounting. What name is the account going to be under?"
"Katrina Evelyn Lockwood." said McGonagall.
"And is it my understanding that you would also like to exchange muggle currency for magical?"
"It is," was the reply.
"Very well. Mr Lockwood, sir, I take it you are unfamiliar with wizarding currency?" asked the goblin.
"That would be correct." my dad replied through gritted teeth. He doesn't like it when people talk down to him, and he definitely didn't like that goblin.
Voznok talked for a while about the amount of money they should put in my account and the interest rates, then went on to explain the currency exchange rate; "there are 17 Sickles in a Galleon, and 29 Knuts in a Sickle, meaning there are 493 Knuts to a Galleon. 1 Galleon is equal to £4.93, 1 Sickle is equal to £0.29 and 1 Knut is equal to £0.01. It's all very easy once you get used to it. Are there any more questions? Good. I am assuming you have a debit card with you?"
"Yes."
"Please insert it into this card reader and the amount we decided on shall be transferred into a vault here," he said, indicating an electronic card reader which I could've sworn was not on the table a few seconds ago. It probably wasn't, I reminded myself. It looked so out of place in the marble and polished wood room which looked ancient and grand. Dad looked at the piece of technology suspiciously, and I really couldn't blame him, this could all be one big con. I was desperate to believe it wasn't and it was just too elaborate to be a money scam.
My dad seemed to have the same thought process, as he put the card into the reader and entered his pin-number.
"Right then, follow me, I shall take you to your vault," announced Voznok.
After a too long ride on a rickety cart through underground tunnels, we reached my vault. The goblin opened the heavy metal door by running his fingertip down the crease between the door and the wall. We entered a cavern-like room with a pile of gold, silver and bronze coins which stood to about half my height placed on a table in the centre of the room. Mum produced a small drawstring purse from her handbag and handed it to me, which I then scooped a few handfuls of coins into. "Umm….. Professor?" I asked timidly, "Is this enough to buy my school stuff and to take to Hogwarts?"
She peered into the bag and gave me a curt nod. I could tell the goblins made her uneasy; they had a certain air of distrust and arrogance about them which made me feel as if they did not want us there.
We then departed the vault and took the rickety cart ride back up to civilisation. Once we were outside of Gringotts, out in the fresh air and beaming sunshine of August in Diagon Alley, we all deeply exhaled in relief, realising how tense we had been in there. I now had a bag of money, and I was eager to explore all of the intriguing shops around here.
"Right then," came the brisk, business-like voice of Professor McGonagall, "getting a wand could take the longest so we shall do everything else first I think. Let's start with Flourish and Blotts, we can buy your books there."
.
.
.
2 hours later….
"Right, may I see your list again please Miss Lockwood? Thank you. Yes it looks like we have everything apart from a pet and a wand. What sort of pet would you like, Katrina? I'd personally recommend getting an owl, they are very practical; they live in the owlery in school when you are in lessons and you can use them to send letters. They are also very loyal and friendly companions."
"An owl sounds great!" I said.
"Eeylops Owl Emporium it is then, it's this way."
After two hours I had bags of shopping galore. Robes from Madam Malkin's (which I actually really like, we have to wear a shirt, school tie and skirt or trousers underneath, robes are sort of like cloaks but also like dresses, I don't really know how to explain it.), all of my assigned reading material and some books like 'The Tales of Beadle the Bard' which is apparently a collection of wizarding childrens stories, 'Quidditch Through The Ages' (Quidditch is apparently a sport. I thought I'd read up on it) and 'Hogwarts: A History' (I really couldn't go to a new school without knowing all about its history now could I?). I also had a pewter cauldron and the basic beginner's kit of potions ingredients; some of which sounded, looked and smelled rather disgusting (who would even think of using RAT SPLEENS in a potion?!)
We fell in line after the professor and followed her to the poorly-lit shop which had attracted my attention earlier. Upon entering, we were subjected to an odour which wasn't entirely unpleasant but not a very fresh smell. It was as if we had just stepped into a barn, the smell of straw and the hooting of birds filled the thick, cloying air. Cages upon cages of different colours and species of owls lined all four walls and more were on shelves in the middle of the room. There was a desk and chair towards the back of the room, where one of those old-fashioned bells which you see in old movies shone like a dim but piercing light cutting through the gloom. There wasn't a human being in sight and the room felt eerily cold, the squawking of the hundreds of owls of all colours and sizes just added to the chill that had little to do with the temperature. Prof. McGonagall strode up to the desk and tapped the bell with her wand. It emitted a surprisingly loud, clear note which seemed to cut through the surrounding ruckus. At once a short, balding old man hobbled through the doorway at the back of the room which was the only space not covered with birdcages.
"What can I do for you?" he asked.
"This young lady would like to purchase an owl, Hogwarts student, first year," was the explanation provided.
"Well take a look around. I'm sure you'll find an owl to suit your liking."
I timidly stepped towards the nearest wall. This seemed to house the smaller variety of birds, there were some which were absolutely miniscule! I could have fit a couple of them in my palm!
After a few minutes of browsing, I came across a magnificent, majestic bird whose colouring was decidedly autumnal, and very beautiful. Her liquid amber eyes were large, set into a round, cute face, and they stared straight into mine, right into my soul. I put my finger through the mesh cage and stroked the back of her head. She closed her eyes and nudged her head into my hand.
"I think we'll be taking this one."
We bought my new owl and the necessary supplies for keeping her and departed the shop.
"She's so beautiful!" Iris gushed, the first thing she'd said since we'd entered the store!
"She is." Mum agreed, "what are you going to name her, Katrina?"
"Autumn" I said, "she looks like an Autumn don't you think?"
…...
"Ollivander's wand shop," announced the professor. We were stood in front of a faded black shop with the name of the establishment in peeling gold lettering on the front, and as we entered a bell chimed faintly to alert this 'Ollivander' (wherever he may be, as the shop looked pretty deserted) of the arrival of prospective customers. We filed into the small waiting area and took in the dingy sight. It had become apparent rather early on in this process that many wizarding shops preferred to keep their lighting to a minimum, so by now we weren't as creeped out. I made my way towards the counter, but leapt back when a ladder on wheels slid out of an aisle between shelves with an eerily ghostly-looking man on it. He was very pale with white hair and cold, pale blue eyes which sent chills down my spine. This man was very old, there was no doubt about it, and his eyes seemed to have seen a thousand years and stared deep into my soul.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" he asked in a high, clear voice which matched his eyes perfectly. He didn't wait for an answer. Instead he strode over to the shelves stacked to the ceiling with boxes and started pulling various rectangular boxes out at random. Back he came with an armful of assorted boxes, and dumped them onto the counter. He chose the box on top, opened it and took out a polished stick of wood. It was then presented to me and I took it, unsure of what to do. I was suddenly aware that I looked very stupid; I had no idea what was supposed to happen!
"Give it a wave, girl, what are you waiting for?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, as if this was obviously the done thing. I gave the wand a flourish, and nothing happened. Feeling rather foolish, I handed it back to him. This didn't surprise him, however. He seemed to have anticipated this, and had another one ready to hand to me. "Try this one. 10 ¾ inches, Redwood, Phoenix feather, quite bendy." I took it and at once felt a warmth spread across my hand, like it was radiating from the wand, and gold sparks erupted out of the tip.
"That's the one," said McGonagall cheerfully, "the wand has chosen you. We'll take this one please."
"That will be six galleons please."
We paid and took the wand. I skipped out of the shop, my family tagging along behind and McGonagall strode briskly beside me, her expression seemed to soften a little when I thanked her for her help.
…
The train ride home simply flew by, and before we knew it we were sitting in our living room sorting out all of my purchases ready for school. I led the professor out and thanked her again.
"I'll see you at school, Miss Lockwood. I suggest you read 'Hogwarts: A History' before term begins. I think you will find it beneficial to your understanding of our world and the school ways. Goodnight."
And with that, she departed quickly. She walked regally down the road, and I watched her go. Suddenly, she just vanished, disappeared into thin air! My eyes widened in surprise and amazement, oh how new and exciting this was! I couldn't wait to ask her how she did that, but I'd have to wait until September. I couldn't wait! But for now, I had my family to get back inside to.
We meet again... I hope you enjoyed it and I promise to update a lot more frequently than I have been. Please review and put me on alert/follow me (I don't know the exact terminology but you know what I mean) so you know when I update. Toodle pip!
