Heyo! I'm just in the zone lately! This chapter would have been out faster if the power hadn't gone out, my keyboard hadn't broken, I hadn't gotten grounded, and if I could have worked on it when my parents weren't here. Yep it's been kinda hectic.
Surprise surprise, this chapter is longer than the first part! I was kinda shock at the word count.
Disclaimer: I won't be seeing you in court J.K. Rowling...
One wild cart ride and money exchange later, we emerged from Gringotts and into the blinding sunlight. I had exchanged a 100 pound note and the galleons and sickles filled my bag three fourth's of the way.
"Might as well get yer Uniforms," said Hagrid, nodding towards a robe shop that sported a sign saying Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
"Listen, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the leaky cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He looked a bit green, so we set off for the shop alone.
The witch who owned the store smiled cheerily at us, "Hogwarts, my dears? Got the lot here ― another student being fitted up right now."
At the back, a pale, narrow boy was balancing on a stool while an assistant pinned up his robes. Madam Malkin put me on a stool next to him and began to measure me while Harry waited for his turn.
I blushed deeply when the boy looked over right when she measured my waist; I still was pudgy and tightening the fabric didn't help much. But the boy ignored me and spoke to Harry.
"Hello. Hogwarts, too?" Harry turned slightly to address him, "Yes."
"My father's next door buying books and my mother's up the street looking at wands," He said. "Then I'm going to drag them off to looks at racing brooms." This boy was another Dudley!
"I don't think it's fair that first years can't have one. I think I'll bully father into getting on and smuggle it in somehow." I felt a strong surge of sympathy for his dad.
"Have either of you got a broom?" He finally acknowledged me. "I shook my head and Harry said no. "Play Quidditch at all?" He pestered. "What on earth was that? I was feeling rather foolish.
"I do ― Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?" Once again we had no clue what he was talking about and said no.
The boy just continued to talk about something called a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff. They were "houses" according to the boy.
Madam Malkin finished on me and Harry took my place on the footstool. "I say, look at that man!" The boy said abruptly, motioning to the window with a nod.
Hagrid was standing there, grinning at us, and holding ice cream cones. "That's Hagrid!" I exclaimed, happy at the thought of ice cream. "He works at Hogwarts." Harry added.
"Oh, I've heard of him. He's sort of a servant isn't he?" The boy mocked. "He's the gamekeeper," I could tell Harry was getting irritated.
"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage ― lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed." I clenched my fists, angrily.
"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly. "Do you?" The boy sneered. "Yes and he knows more magic than you do." I retorted. His head snapped to me, "I'll know more than he will soon enough." He snapped.
"Why are you with him? Where are your parents?" He turned back to Harry. "They're dead," said Harry in a clipped tone. "Oh, sorry," The boy said without the slightest tone of remorse.
"But they were our kind, weren't they?" He demanded. "They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."
"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"
As he said this, I realized that he was talking about people like me and Harry. But before I could say anything, Madam Malkin finished Harry's robe and he got down from the stool.
"Well, I'll see you two at Hogwarts, I suppose," The boy said in a drawling tone. A little bell hung in the doorway, jingled as Harry pushed the door open and we fell back into the crowded street.
We joined Hagrid and took the cones he offered. Mine was blueberry and peanut butter and I had to eat it quickly so it wouldn't drip.
Harry was being more quiet than usual, so Hagrid asked, "What's up?" I could tell he was lying when he said "Nothing," Hagrid let the matter rest after that.
We had just left a store where we bought ink, quills, and parchment, when Harry asked Hagrid about Quidditch. "Blimey, I keep forgettin' how little you two know ― not knowing about Quidditch!"
"Don't make us feel worse," Harry said. Harry and I told Hagrid about the boy in Madam Malkin's
"― and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in ―" I complained with a spark of fury in my voice.
"There are some families that believe they're better than us; Purebloods. Codswallop, I say. Some of the greatest wizards an' witchs are halfblood or muggleborn." Hagrid said.
"So what is Quidditch?" Harry asked. "It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like ― like soccer in the Muggle world ― everyone follows Quidditch ― played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls ― sorta hard ter explain the rules." Hagrid attempted to explain.
"What about houses? What are those?" I asked next. "You mean the school houses. There's four of em'. Gyrffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but ― "
"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," Harry said sullenly. "Cheer up, Harry. If you are, I'll make sure to be there with you!" I assured him. That made him smile.
"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin." Hagrid said. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin."
Our next stop was a book store; Flourish and Blotts. I stared up in wonder at the shelves which were stacked with all sorts of books, even ones that didn't have the appearance of a book. Some were even floating in between shelves!
Harry and I found little black leather book filled with curses. I had just laughed at a particular one that I thought would be fun to try on Dudley, when Hagrid dragged us away from it.
"We were just trying to find out how to curse Dudley." Harry explained. "I'm not sayin' that's not a god idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."
We bought our cauldrons, scales, and telescopes. The Apothecary was pretty amazing. I had to cover my nose though; the smell was overpowering.
After that all that we had left to buy was our wands. "An' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present." I didn't know that! I should have known that!
"Oh gosh Harry, I didn't realize it was your birthday! I'm sorry!" I apologized. Harry's face flushed a faint red, "That's ok Lindy. You don't really have to ―"
"I know I don't have to," Hagrid cut him off. "Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at ― an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."
We entered Eeylops Owl Emporium. While Harry and Hagrid looked at the owls, I traveled to the other side of the store which housed cats, turtles, rats, and toads; even some snakes.
Harry picked out a snowy owl and paid for her. I hung back telling them to go on and that I'd catch up with them at Ollivanders.
I had stayed to buy a cat and since Hagrid was allergic, I didn't want to be near him when the cat wasn't in a carrier.
I stopped at a small cage that was in a corner. Inside was a black cat with green eyes, only one year old according to the sign. Her eyes seemed to grow as she stared at me. Cooing softly, I stuck my finger in and wiggled it, but snatched it back when the cat hissed and clawed me.
"That's odd, usually that one gets along with everyone." The wizard behind the counter remarked. I held my injured finger in my fist and continued looking.
But none of them appealed to me like the black cat did. Finally I quit looking at other cats and bought the black one.
She was calm as the wizard lifted her out and placed her in a carrier, but snarled again when I peered in. I smirked and stuck my tongue out at her.
I proudly left the store and marched toward Ollivanders. I opened the door with jingle of a bell to see Hagrid standing next to a pile of smashed wood and an old man handing Harry a long, thin brown box. " ― terrible, yes…. But great." The man was saying.
There was a pause and the man looked up at me; Harry and Hagrid also turned. "Lindy! I see you got a… cat." Hagrid hesitated. I smiled sheepishly, "Sorry Hagrid. I'll make sure she stays in her carrier."
I put the cage in the opposite corner and the man, who I now assumed was Mr. Ollivander, came forward. "If you would hold out you're wand arm." I wrinkled my brow in confusion. "What arm do you favor?" He asked.
"I guess that'd be my left." I said as I stuck it out, palm up. He measured it and other lengths of my body for some reason, but I didn't question him.
"Here, try this. Holly and Dragon heartstring. Eleven inches, brittle." He handed me a wand and I swallowed. What would happen?
I glanced nervously at Harry and he gave a little nod and a waving motion. So I grasped the wand and flicked it downwards. Not even a moment after, Mr. Ollivander took it back and gave me another to try.
This one was Cedar with unicorn hair, ten and three quarters, pliable. It was also taken away quickly. I tried at least five or six more wands before he offered me one more.
"Apple. Dragon heartstring. Twelve and a half inches, surprisingly swishy. Give it a turn." Hoping that this was the one, I made a figure eight and red and blue sparks flew out.
I laughed and Mr. Ollivander smiled wide. "Very good! Well done!" He wrapped my wand up in a brown box. Harry and I paid for our wands and Mr. Ollivander bowed us from his shop.
The sun was low when we left Diagon Alley and returned to the muggle world. We arrived at the train station, our trunks and packages in tow.
"Got time for a bite to eat before yer train leaves," Hagrid said. He bought us hamburgers and we sat at a table that was overlooking the train station. I absent-mindedly watched the trains leave and pull in as I fed bits of meat to my cat, who I had named Lucy.
I dusted my hands off when I finished and cleared my throat, "Why is Harry famous?" I asked bluntly. It had been bothering me all day.
Hagrid sighed, "It's even harder to explain twice…" But he finally told me about You-Know-Who and that he had been hunting Harry's parents. I nearly cried when he got to that fateful night.
Harry was silent through it all. "I'm very sorry Harry." I said solemnly. He nodded but still said nothing. "Are- are you ok?" I ventured.
"…Everyone thinks I'm special," He said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry ― I mean the night my parents died."
"Don't you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts ― I did ― still do, smatter of fact." Hagrid said with a kind smile.
"And I'll be there too! So at least you'll know someone even if we aren't in the same house." I piped up. We shared a smile and Hagrid stood up to leave.
Harry and I jumped on a train that would take us home. Hagrid handed us envelopes. "Yer ticket fer Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September ― King's Cross ― it's all on the ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys Harry, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me…. See you two soon."
The train pulled away and we sat back down in our seats. Harry looked back for Hagrid, but he had vanished.
I read back over this and realized that a lot of words and ideas I thought I had come up with myself, was already in the book. It kinda scares me to know that I'm thinking in Harry Potter O_o
Please review! I got three wonderful reviews last chapter, let's make it at least four this time!