Harry Potter and the Charmed Ones
Chapter 4
-Wyatt-
Following our dinner at the Weasleys, a few things were made clear – we were going to Hogwarts (even though my mom didn't actually say those words out loud; she would just say things about how she was hiring extra help at the restaurant, and she needed to get around calling my and Chris's school and Melinda's school), and all the Halliwells were excited about it.
My cousins were constantly talking about how they couldn't wait to go to the magic school and try that weird broomstick sport, they were excited to see which House they would be sorted into, and they already loved their new Weasley friends. I couldn't really complain. After all, I'd never really fit in at my high school and there weren't many people I would miss there. Molly and Fred were nice enough and I wouldn't mind spending my year with them. Too bad I missed going to school with Dominique by a year, though.
Chris couldn't wait, although he tried to make himself sound less excited than he was. I know Chris better than anyone, so even when he would scoff after listening to our cousins chatter away about Hogwarts, I could tell it was forced. I also nearly caught him reading the book that Hermione Weasley had given to our parents in case any of us were curious about Hogwarts. It was called Hogwarts, A History and Hermione claimed it was one of the most useful books she had read in school. I'd skimmed it, but it wasn't all that interesting to me. However, I spied the familiar cover sticking out from underneath Chris's nightstand one afternoon.
A few days after the dinner, Mom, Dad, Chris, Melinda, and I were eating a quiet breakfast in the conservatory, my parents reading the paper and Melinda reading the back of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal box, when a brown, scruffy owl flew into the room, dropped a small stack of letters in the middle of the table, and took off again.
It all happened so fast that my mom didn't even have time to freeze anything. The falling letters made a startling sound as they landed on the butter dish, causing us all to jump. Dad reached for the stack curiously; there were four envelopes bound together by a string. He removed the string from around the letters and read the addresses: "This one's for you, Piper." He handed it over. "This one's for Wyatt… Chris… and Melinda."
Mom smirked over at Dad as she accepted hers. "Sorry, Leo. I guess spouses of the employees don't get formally invited to live at the school. You're just my plus one."
"Ha, ha, very funny."
The envelope was addressed to one Mr. W. Halliwell, Conservatory, Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California. I glanced around, feeling like I was underneath a gigantic magnifying glass.
Inside, there were three sheets of some kind of strange paper – it was an off-white color and felt thicker than normal paper. The first letter was short and to the point: underneath a logo that read "HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITHCRAFT and WIZARDRY," the name Antonius Ulvaeous, and a list of his honors, were two small paragraphs:
"Dear Mr. Halliwell,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardly. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Filius Flitwick,
Deputy Headmaster"
I looked up and glanced over at Chris and Melinda, both of whom looked just as astounded as I did. I leaned over to read Melinda's, and saw that her letter was the same as mine, except it was addressed to Miss Halliwell instead.
"I didn't realize it was so formal," Chris said.
I set down the letter and picked up the second piece of strange paper. It included the same Hogwarts logo on the top, followed by a long list of materials needed for the school year.
"Three sets of plain work robes, black," I read aloud. Chris and Melinda both picked up their supplies' lists as well. "One plain pointed hat, black. One pair of protective gloves, dragon hide. One winter cloak, black with silver fastenings." I looked up and raised my eyebrows. "We have to wear robes?"
"The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 3)," Melinda read from her book list.
"Hold up, I have grade 5," Chris said, checking her list.
"I have grade 7," I said.
Chris looked up at me. "So I have to jump in right to grade 5? Won't I be really far behind?"
"I'll be more behind," I said, frowning.
"A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander," Melinda continued reading. She giggled. "Why do wizards all have weird names?"
"We also need one telescope," Chris said, scanning the equipment list, "one cauldron, pewter, standard size two – what the hell does that mean? – one set glass or crystal phials, one set of brass scales, and an owl OR a cat OR a toad," he finished, over-accentuating the "or's."
"That's a lot of material," said Dad.
Mom scratched her chin. "I didn't think about how far behind the kids will be."
"Well, when it comes to wand magic, it won't matter if they're far behind," Dad reminded her. "They can't use wand magic."
Mom rolled her eyes. "Why are we sending them here again? If they can't even participate in half the classes…"
"Judging from this class list," I butted in, "the only classes we can't really do anything in are Charms and Transfiguration. But the rest don't involve wand magic at all. Like Herbology, Potions, and History of Magic."
Mom scowled as she read over her own letter. "This is just telling me that Paige, Phoebe and I will be teaching a new class on Wiccan magic," she said, setting it down. "We're gonna have to get together sometime soon to develop a lesson plan." She sighed deeply. "This is gonna be a lot of work."
I glanced down at my list of books again. In addition to all the basic classes I was taking (Hermione had taken all of us aside and explained to Chris, Melinda, and me that since we were all at least in year three, we were allowed to take electives, and she allowed us to choose which ones. She also told me that, usually, wizards in year seven had to pass a really hard test in order to continue taking classes past year six, but that I was an exception and could take whichever ones I wanted), I also needed books for Ancient Runes (Hermione had spoken very highly about this class), Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination (Hermione had tried to talk me out of this one). Chris had decided on Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures, and Melinda chose Divination, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures.
"This is going to cost a small fortune," Mom said, listening as we rattled off our necessary books.
I then picked up the third sheet of paper, nearly forgetting it was there. The sheet was a permission form, detailing how students in their third years and above are allowed visits to a nearby village called Hogsmeade on certain weekends and that we need a parent or guardian to sign permission.
Before I could tell my parents about it, we were interrupted by a swarm of blue and white lights; Aunt Paige orbed in, holding in her hand a couple of letters. "Did you get these too?" she asked, brandishing the paper.
"You mean the letter about us teaching?" Mom asked.
Aunt Paige nodded. "Yeah. And Tamora, Kat, and Henry got letters about going to school."
"We got them, too," Melinda said, waving hers around.
"I can't believe how much stuff they have to buy!" Aunt Paige cried. "I didn't realize so many things were needed! And all these books!" Frowning, she said, "By the way, how come magical people always have such weird names? Like Phyllida Spore and Arsenius Jigger and Quentin Trimble."
"Hm." Mom glanced down at her own letter. "It says here that all students, years one through seven, will be required to take our class. But we didn't tell them to have students get a certain book, did we?"
Aunt Paige shook her head. "No. At least, I didn't. Did Phoebe, maybe?"
"It seems like it," I said, glancing down at the last book on the list. "Complete Encyclopedia of Demons, author unknown," I read.
"I didn't notice that one before," Aunt Paige said, glancing over the book list again. "But yeah, there it is. Weird. Is that book in stock in wand magic book stores?" she asked dubiously.
"Well, Phoebe probably gave them her copy," Mom said, "and more copies were printed." She scratched her chin again. "That was a good idea. But I think it'll also be a good idea if, for some lessons, we make the students copies of pages out of the Book of Shadows. Obviously we can't publish the Book or bring it to class, but there are a lot of useful potions in there."
"I agree," Aunt Paige said, nodding. She looked down at her own letter and reread a section of it. "So it says here that we won't live in the castle, but in some village called Hogsmeade. What is that? Is it far from the school?"
Mom looked at Aunt Paige. "Paige, you know that I know as little as you do. I have absolutely no idea. I'm sure it isn't too far away, or else we wouldn't be living there."
Aunt Paige shrugged. "Well, I'm just glad we won't be living at the school."
"Me too," Chris said and Mom sent him a look.
"Don't think you'll be able to break too many rules just because we aren't living there," she said.
"That's the village we're allowed to visit on some weekends," I said, holding up the permission form. "You guys have to sign that we can go."
Aunt Paige frowned. "The twins and Henry didn't get that."
"It says it's for year threes and above," Chris said, reading it.
"So, what, does that mean they can never come see us?" Aunt Paige demanded irritably.
Mom rolled her eyes. "Paige, I'm sure they'll get special privileges because we'll be living there."
Frowning, Aunt Paige said, "Yeah… you're right." She sighed heavily. "Well, I should be getting back. I left Henry to deal with three overjoyed kids, which is sometimes worse than three crying kids. I'll see you guys later. And we'll have to figure out how to get in touch with the Weasleys so they can take us to this alley place. The owl that delivered our letters flew away, so…"
"We can probably just orb over there," Mom said.
Aunt Paige nodded and pointed at her. "And that is why you're the oldest." Smiling and waving, she orbed out.
-Harry-
The day came for Ginny and I to take James, Al, and Lily to Diagon Alley for their school supplies. We were to go in the afternoon with George and Angelina, late enough so that the Halliwell family could accompany us without having to go in the middle of the night (their time). Normally we would go in the morning, as it is less crowded at that time and it gets it out of the way, so the children were simply milling around Grimmauld Place, bored, until we could go.
Lily passed part of her time by practicing some flying in the backyard with my apparently-ancient Firebolt (although I still maintain that it is the best broom out there). However, there was only so much practicing she could get in, as we live in a Muggle neighborhood and, if she flies too high, she could be spotted. It's amazing to me that children who have access to so much magic can still find nothing to do. When I was little, if I'd had magic to entertain me, I wouldn't have known where to begin.
George and Angelina arrived at around two-thirty; the Halliwells were set to arrive at three. James, Fred, and Roxanne immediately retreated to James's room. Fred and James were both very much like their namesakes. The two would spend hours in one another's rooms, doing God knows what. Despite their two year age difference, they got along well. Roxanne, as well, is very much like her father when it comes to humor, although in comparison to her brother and James, she is more mellow and complacent and more of a rule-abider (although her record is not perfect).
Down in the kitchen, Kreacher served Ginny, Angelina, George, and I some hot tea as we waited for the time to pass. "So why aren't Ron and Hermione coming with us again?" George asked.
"They went yesterday," I explained, "because this morning they left to go visit Hermione's parents for a few days."
"Right, right," George nodded. "You know, I've still only met Hermione's parents twice, once at that time in Diagon Alley before my fourth year and then at Ron and Hermione's wedding. How come they never come to the Burrow for dinner once in a while? Angie's and Audrey's parents come over a lot. We even see more of the Delacours and they live in France!"
Ginny shrugged. "Probably because they're Muggles. I don't know how comfortable they ever were with magic."
"Every time I've met them, they seem apprehensive," I added in agreement.
"I don't get it," George muttered.
I chuckled. "It could be worse. They could be like the Dursleys."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Thank God they're not."
"Harry, did you say that Perce was going to be in Diagon Alley today also?" asked George.
"Yeah, but I dunno if we'll see them," said Harry. "Percy said they were going earlier in the day. We may catch them as they're leaving."
Suddenly, we all heard a strange noise from above us – followed by a loud thud, a high-pitched, "Ouch!" and a "Paige!"
George furrowed his brow. "Is that –?"
Ginny smirked. "I guess they're here."
The four of us jogged up the stairs to the main hallway of the house, where the three Charmed Ones were with seven of their children. All of them were on the floor near the wall.
"Since when did you suck at orbing?" grumbled Piper, standing up and pulling Melinda with her.
"I'd like to see you try it sometime," Paige retorted, helping her son up. "Orbing is only hard when I'm going somewhere I've never been before."
"What happened?" Angelina asked and the witches all jumped, not realizing we were there.
Laughing lightly, Phoebe said, "Paige orbed us into the wall."
Paige folded her arms across her chest and scowled. "This is the first time I've messed up orbing in twenty years. I'm allowed one mistake every other decade!"
"Your family seems considerably smaller than before," George observed.
Piper glanced around. "Yeah, well. We decided it would be a little obnoxious if all fifteen of us came. Leo, Coop, and Henry stayed home with the little kids that are too young to attend Hogwarts."
"It's a good thing we left so early in the morning," Phoebe said. "We get to miss out on the temper tantrums."
"That was a good idea," remarked Angelina. "Diagon Alley is rather narrow, so the less people, the better."
Ginny walked over to the bottom of the staircase and shouted up, "James, Al, Lily, Fred, Roxy, time to go!"
A stampede sounded above our heads and a moment later the five kids had joined us.
"So, Dad, am I getting a new broom today?" Lily asked breathlessly, tugging on my arm.
"Lily, I already told you," I sighed. "You have a Cruiser."
Lily frowned. "But James has a –"
I bent down to her level and put my hands on her shoulders. "I got my first broom after I made the House team, as did James. So I'll make you a deal – if you make the Gryffindor team, I'll buy you a new broom. Okay?"
The little red-haired girl broke into a wide smile. "Okay!"
It was decided that the fastest mode of transportation would be to orb – side-along Apparition was out of the question, the Knight Bus would take too long at this time of day, and Ginny and I didn't think that the Halliwells were ready to be exposed to Flooing. The Halliwells would orb us to an alleyway on Charing Cross Road so that we could take them through the Muggle entrance of The Leaky Cauldron.
Paige orbed the adults, while Wyatt orbed the children. I swayed on the spot as my feet hit solid ground after the orb and I wondered how long it would take for me to get used to it. George and Angelina were less composed and had to lean on the brick wall of the alley way to steady themselves. However, there was no chance for the kids. James, Al, Lily, Fred, and Roxy all ended up on the ground.
-Melinda-
"Sorry!" cried Wyatt, although he was half-laughing. Chris was snickering also. We all bent down and helped up the Potter children while Aunt Paige peeked around the corner.
"No one saw," she declared. "Shall we go?"
Harry Potter and his wife led the way, along with George and Angelina Weasley. My mom and Aunt Paige and Phoebe followed close behind, and us kids all brought up the rear.
I was beaming and walking with a spring in my step. "I'm so excited!" I said for about the eighth time that day. "I can't wait to buy all my stuff and read all the books about this place and – just everything!"
Albus Potter smiled at me. "You're funny."
Shooting him a look, I demanded, "Why?"
Almost frightened by my tone, he blinked and said, "Oh, I – I don't know. Just 'cause you're so excited."
"Well, I didn't grow up in this world," I said. "There's so many things about this place that I don't know yet and I can't wait to learn it all!" My heart rate spiked at the very thought. After this trip, I would finally get some answers to the thousands of questions that I've had since Mom told me about this place. "I just wish I could use a wand," I added dejectedly.
"I wish I could use power through my hands," Albus said.
"Touché," I amended, nodding.
"So…" he said slowly, "what kind of power can you do?"
I grinned at him. I knew this question had to be coming. "I can freeze, move things with my hands, and see the future," I said proudly.
Albus gaped. "Wow… can I see?"
Mom had warned me not to put my powers on display as if I was "something to ogle at in a zoo." So I said, "Sorry Albus, not right now. But trust me… you'll see them soon enough."
"This is it?" I heard my mom's voice. We had all stopped walking and were standing in the middle of the street.
"This is it," Harry said. "The Leaky Cauldron."
I looked straight ahead. I didn't see anything. We were standing in between a book store and a record store and neither of them was called The Leaky Cauldron. As I glanced back and forth, I suddenly noticed a small pub situated between the two stores. I stared, my mouth open. I could have sworn that that was not there before.
"Let's go." Ginny beckoned us all to follow her, while my brothers, my cousins, and I stared in shock.
We entered the small, brightly lit pub. The place was filled with smoke from various occupants smoking out of pipes; many of the tables and booths were occupied, as well as the bar. A red-haired woman was standing behind the bar, using her wand to direct a rag to clean some glasses.
"Good afternoon, Hannah," Harry said as we made our way through the cramped pub.
The woman behind the bar smiled at us. "Harry! How are you? Taking a late trip to Diagon Alley this year? You may see Neville; he's out and about today."
"Thank you, Hannah," smiled Ginny. Harry and George hurriedly ushered us out the back of the pub as the woman named Hannah was eyeing us curiously. Ginny and Angelina followed from behind as we reached a small courtyard behind the pub.
"We have to avoid prying questions as much as we can," said Harry. "If the whole of Diagon Alley finds out that The Charmed Ones are here –"
"We'll barely get anything done," finished Ginny.
Harry took out his wand and began tapping bricks on the wall at the back of the courtyard. I saw Mom raise her eyebrows and stare at Harry, clearly thinking the same thing I was (that he must be crazy and this can't be magic). However, after a moment he stood back and the brick wall began to move. The bricks shifted and rotated slowly until eventually there was an entryway through the brick wall. Through the threshold was a very crowded and narrow cobblestone walkway, with small shops on either side of the road. The people that were walking on the street were all wearing long robes and some even had on pointed hats – I almost wanted to laugh. In any other context I would have but because this was real – I couldn't.
"This is Diagon Alley," said Harry, his voice raised slightly so we could hear him over the noise of the crowd.
"Whoa," said Henry and that summed up my feelings exactly.
"We'll have to go to Gringotts first," Ginny said. "We have to make a withdrawal and you guys will have to convert your American money to wizard money."
"Wizard money?" I repeated. Albus grinned at me.
-Albus-
It took us a good thirty minutes to get through our trip to Gringotts. Dad, Uncle George, James, and Fred went with a goblin to their bank accounts to withdraw some money for the trip, while Mum, Aunt Angelina, Lily, Roxy, and I stayed behind to help the Halliwells trade their money to wizard money.
When the goblin behind the desk took their bills and shoved a pile of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts in front of them, they all just stared.
"What is this?" Paige stated finally. "What do these… mean? How does it work? What is this?" she repeated.
Mum chuckled. "The gold ones are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles, and Knuts are the bronze ones. There are twenty-nine Knuts in one Sickle and seventeen Sickles to one Galleon."
"That's it?" said Piper, as Phoebe and Paige shoveled their money into their purses. "That's so much simpler than our money system."
Once everyone had reunited with their money, Mum decided that it would be a good idea to start at Flourish and Blotts.
"What's that?" asked Melinda loudly.
"It's the bookstore here," explained Mum, leading the way.
Melinda turned to me, beaming. "Awesome!"
"So do you like reading or something?" I joked.
"A little bit," she grinned. "I mean, I do like reading, but I'm so excited to read these books, because –"
"I know, I know," I said, "you already told me."
When we reached the bookstore, Mum paired us all up so that the Halliwells could find their books faster. Fred with Wyatt, James with Chris and Henry, Lily with Prue, Roxy with Tamora and Kat, and Melinda with me; we all split up to cover as much ground as possible.
First, I picked up my books, Melinda trailing behind me with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Once I had finished, I grabbed her book list and glanced over it. Since this was her first year at Hogwarts, she had to get all of her main books, as well as her elective books. "So you're taking Divination, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures?" I said.
She nodded. "Are those any good?"
"Care of Magical Creatures is," I responded. "Hagrid teaches it – he's a good family friend. I've heard Arithmancy is hard and Divination – well, I've heard mixed opinions."
Melinda peered over my shoulder at the book list. "Which book is the Divination book?" She scratched her chin. "I can't tell which books go with which subjects."
I chuckled. "Just follow me."
I led her to the fortune-telling section, picking out the book Unfogging the Future. "This is the Divination textbook," I explained. She grabbed it and immediately started flipping through it. "Here's One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, for Herbology," I said a moment later. "The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection is for Defense Against the Dark Arts."
We made our way slowly throughout the store, picking out all of Melinda's required textbooks as we went: The Standard Books of Spells (Grade 3) for Charms (she experienced a mild freak-out when realizing that she would be reading book 3 before books 1 and 2, so to keep her from purchasing them, I promised her that she could borrow my books for grades 1 and 2); Numerology and Grammatica and Book of Numerology, both for Arithmancy; Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them for Care of Magical Creatures; A History of Magic for History of Magic; Magical Drafts and Potions for Potions; Intermediate Transfiguration for Transfiguration; and Complete Encyclopedia of Demons for the new Wicca class.
Once Melinda had all eleven books balanced in her arms, her face glowed. I don't think I have ever seen anyone so excited to buy books before, except maybe my cousin Rose. Uncle Ron tells me that Aunt Hermione was like Rose when she was little, except more exaggerated, but I just can't see it.
We found my parents, Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, and The Charmed Ones at the front of the store. They were all holding copies of Complete Encyclopedia of Demons and glanced up as we approached. Piper's jaw dropped at the sight of her daughter with eleven large books.
"Good lord, we have to buy all these?" she exclaimed. Within the next minute, Chris, James, Henry, Wyatt, and Fred had all reunited with us, and both Wyatt and Chris had enormous stacks of books as well. "You guys are lucky you only have one kid going to Hogwarts," grumbled Piper to Phoebe, with Paige nodding in agreement, as Prue, Tamora, and Kat teetered over with their own book stacks.
Piper flat-out refused to let Melinda buy any more books than the eleven that she was required, but after we'd paid and were leaving the store, Melinda said that she didn't really mind. "I have eleven books to read by the time school starts," she confessed, "and that's more than enough. Well – actually, just ten. I don't need to read Complete Encyclopedia of Demons because I know everything about it."
Melinda went through similar excitement spasms, although not as intense, with every store we went to. She quite enjoyed getting a cauldron and a telescope and really enjoyed buying her Hogwarts robes. I have honestly never seen anyone that happy to buy three sets of boring, black robes. She laughed as she picked out a pointed hat, remarking that she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to wear it with a straight face. She kept running her hand over her dragon hide gloves and explained that she'd never felt anything quite like it before.
After getting all of our necessities out of the way (the Halliwells were all struggling to carry their numerous bags and packages, while my siblings, cousins, and I just had our new books), Dad said we could take a quick look around Quality Quidditch Supplies.
I was the odd one out when it came to flying in my family. After all, my dad is a Quidditch legend at Hogwarts, being the youngest seeker in a hundred years and leading the Gryffindor team to victory on a number of occasions. And Mum was a professional Quidditch player for a few years and now writes about Quidditch for The Daily Prophet. James is a Chaser for the team, and Lily is on track to join the team this year as well.
I, however, have never been that interested in Quidditch. I've been flying since I could walk – that's pretty much a necessity in this family – and I'm alright at it, but I just don't see the fun in Quidditch. Never have, never will. I grew up playing scrimmages with my siblings and cousins, and I knew from the first time I played that I didn't really like it. I'm not the only one, though. Hugo, Lucy, Molly Victoire, and Louis aren't big Quidditch players either. The Quidditch players of the family – James, Roxy, Fred, Rose, Dominique, and Lily – tend to pick on the non-players.
I wondered which group Melinda would fall into, the players or the non-players. If I was a betting man (and I should be, because I'm told I'm good at reading people), I would say that Chris and Prue would be the Quidditch players, and Wyatt and Henry would be non-players. Tamora and Kat are pretty quiet, so I'm not too sure what they were interested in. I was also torn about Melinda. She definitely had enough energy to fit in on a House team and she seemed like she would want to explore every single aspect of the wand-wielding world, including Quidditch. But that doesn't mean she could actually play the game.
"Whoa," breathed Melinda and Chris in unison as we walked in. Chris immediately made a beeline for the Lightning Strike 5000, the newest model out. Wyatt looked unimpressed, but Prue admired the broom from over Chris's shoulder.
"Mom, can I get a broom?" asked Chris.
"No, you may not," snapped Piper. "Chris, you've never used one before. Do we even know if you'll be able to use a magical broom?"
My mum nodded. "Yes, Muggles can use them, so I'm sure you will be able to."
"So, can I?" Chris asked again.
"No!" said Piper. "You've never flown before. How about this: if you learn to fly and make the sports team at the school, I'll buy you a broom. You get the same deal as the Potter kids."
"Okay!" accepted Chris.
"Same for me?" asked Melinda.
"Sure," said Piper.
"You wanna learn to fly?" I asked.
She nodded enthusiastically. "It's probably so cool!"
I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I'm not that good, though."
"That's okay," she said. "I probably won't be either. I just wanna learn. Can you teach me?" she asked, beaming.
"Me?" I repeated, as Mum and Dad started ushering us out of there, before James and Lily attempted to hide the brooms behind their backs and walk out of the store with them. Piper and Phoebe as well pried their children away from the brooms and Dad led us the Magical Menagerie.
"Sure! Why not?"
"Well…" I stammered. "James and Lily are a lot better than me –"
Melinda laughed. "I told you, Albus, I don't care about being good. You can fly, right?" I nodded. "Then I want you to teach me."
I blinked. "Okay."
She smiled triumphantly and then looked around as we entered the Magical Menagerie. She gasped loudly. "Mom!" she cried, stalking over to a fluffy, white cat. "I want this one!"
Piper sighed and clicked her tongue. "Mel."
"Please, Mom?" she begged. "What other animal am I gonna get? A rat? A toad? An owl? What do I need an owl for?"
"So you can send letters to your parents while you're at school?" suggested Mum cheekily.
"But Mom's gonna be teaching there and living in some Hogs-village near the school!" exclaimed Melinda. "Oh, please Mom, I want this cat!"
"Well, if Melinda gets a cat," said Chris, "I want an owl."
"What do you need an owl for?" Piper exclaimed.
Smiling innocently at his mother, Chris replied, "To send letters to my parents while I'm at school?"
Piper glared at Wyatt. "What do you want?"
Wyatt shrugged. "Nothing. I don't need a pet."
"Mom," came Prue's serious voice. "I. Want. This!" She pointed at a Puffskein.
"Mom!" cried Tamora and Kat together.
Piper turned to my dad and sighed. "Thanks for bringing us here."
A half hour later, we were ready to leave Diagon Alley. Four Halliwell girls, and Chris, had a new pet: Melinda, the white cat that she had cleverly christened Snowy; Chris, a small owl that he named Elf, after much probing from the girls; Tamora and Kat, a cream-colored rat that they named Delilah; and Prue, a Puffskein that she called Timothy. Wyatt maintained that he did not want a pet and Henry agreed with him, although Melinda said it was probably because Henry worshipped Wyatt and would do everything he said.
We bustled out through The Leaky Cauldron, past a staring Hannah and all the curious stares of other patrons back to Muggle London and Charing Cross Road. We reentered the alley that Paige and Wyatt had orbed us to before; they first orbed us back to Grimmauld Place before orbing themselves home.
