The Leaky Cauldron appeared before my eyes. I started to follow Hagrid, but I noticed my parents were still standing in the street looking perplexed.
"Come on, it's the pub the Leaky Cauldron, it's famous. It's the way muggles get into Diagon Alley. Just think about and it will show up." I grab the arms of their jackets and pulled them, just in case.
I drag them into the gloomy bar, and was annoyed to see a look of disgust on my mother's face. She believes anything less than pristine cleanliness to be utterly disgraceful and unnecessary.
"The usual, Hagrid?" the bald barman, Tom, I remember, asked as the other guests waved.
"Can't, I'm on Hogwarts business."
I was strongly reminded of Harry's first entrance into the wizard's world and I know he must have been much more nervous than I am now. But unlike Harry, no one came to shake my hand, which was to be expected. Even though none of them have ever heard of me before, I am remarkably unremarkable anyways. They took much more interest in my parents who were obviously muggles. My father looked quite fine, always going with the flow, comfortable anywhere as usual. On the other hand my confident mother seems, for the first time ever, to be trembling with nervousness. I really hope she doesn't embarrass me as making a good impression actually matters for once. We passed into the courtyard and Hagrid started rummaging around in his huge overcoat. Even my father was surprised when he pulled out a bright pink umbrella and started counting the stones on the wall.
"Three up, two across. Right, stand back."
Just as I had imagined so many times before, the brick wriggled back until there was a large archway leading into the most interesting street in the world. Just like Harry, I wished for at least two more eyes, if not more.
"Welcome, to Diagon Alley." Hagrid said before striding of into the street, "Follow me."
I looked behind me and sighed at my parents open mouths and grabbed their coats again. We followed in Hagrid's wake past the foul smelling Apothecary, people dressed in flowing cloaks of all colours and signs advertising the escape of the skeletal man, Sirius Black. We reached Gringotts, the snowy-white building towering over the rest of the street and I remembered excitedly about the rumor dragons guarding the high security vaults. I was brought back to this amazing reality when my mother painfully gripped my arm.
"Ouch! You're hurting me!" But then I saw the look on her face and I knew she was repressing a scream. She was starring at the two figures guarding the doors.
"Calm down. They are just goblins. They aren't going to hurt you." I wrenched my arm away and climbed the steps and she had no choice but to follow. My father, a geologist was immediately distracted by the marble making up the walls and began listing all the types present. I rolled my eyes and wished, not for the first time, that I wasn't related to such people. I finally dragged them over to the high counter and Hagrid told the nearest goblin that we wanted to change some money. I pulled out my wallet from my back pocket that was hanging off a chain. It contained my pitiful life savings.
"How much do we need? Put that away Hannah. You don't have to pay for your own school books." My father told me with a smile. The goblin gave him the wizard gold and I explained the money system.
"Right then. Take a look at yer school list. This first lot is gonna be mighty expensive as you have to get all the first and second year books as well." Hagrid told us and I looked at the two page long list in dismay. "But don't worry. You don't actually have t' buy all Lockhart's books. Unless, yeh want t'o' course. The git." He grinned and winked at me."
Twenty minutes later, we were all loaded down with more books than we knew what to do with and the owner of Flourish and Bolts looked as if Christmas had come early. I was so glad my father was paying for all of this, I didn't need to be told that this cost twice as much as my life's savings.
"Uniform next at Madam Malkins. I'll wait out here, if yeh don't mind." Hagrid pointed toward a robe shop. I sincerely hope this uniform one would be better than the last. We entered the shop, all unsure about what to do.
"How can I help you?" A squat witch as us.
"Umm, I'm going to Hogwarts and uhh…" I stammered.
"Out grown your old ones already, dear? You're a bit early. But not a problem." She gestured for me to stand on a footstool with a smile. She pulled a black robe over my head and stepped back. "Too small." She murmured, looking slightly surprised. I didn't look as tall as I was, on account of being wide, instead of the expected slim and thin. She pulled it over my head again, slightly mussing my blow dried hair. Before I had time to flatten she gave me another and this time started to pin up the hem. I actually got a proper witches hat to go with my robes. There was also a really nice winter clock and dragon hide gloves. My mom shook her head at what she thought was false advertising.
"There are no such things as dragons."
"There used to be no such things as witches either." My father muttered as we left the shop. With Hagrid's help we managed to get a telescope, a cauldron (causing my father to chuckle), scales and potions ingredients from the Apothecary. Mom refused to go in.
"Is there wireless internet at the school?" She asked Hagrid when we came out. He looked at her blankly, "What's that."
"Oh you know, for her laptop, to write us emails. And phones?" Realization dawned in his eyes and he laughed.
"All yer muggle technology, none of it works in Hogwarts. We use owl post in the wizarding world." I finally tuned in to what they were talking about and stopped dead in my tracks, causing my father and several other people to bump into me.
"What? No technology at all? I knew you didn't use telephones, but surely my laptop has to work?!" A note of panic crept into my voice.
"Nope, too much magic around. My advice is t' get an owl. Dead useful them. That's the only communication into Hogwarts." After that my mom marched right to Eeylops Owl Emporium to buy me an owl. I was still in shock but also couldn't believe my luck to actually get an owl of my own. I fell in love with the first one I saw because of blue eyes starring at me from beautiful tawny plumage. I decided to name her Tuala after a character from another favourite book.
"Jus yer wand left now. Ollivanders is always the best place. " Again we followed right behind Hagrid. People were starring at us. I had thought it was from the sight of Hagrid but then I heard a small child, "Dad! Look dad, look! Muggles! What are muggles doing here?" and I felt my face turn red. We entered the dim shop to the tinkling of a bell. It was so tiny, that with all our packages we were so squished we could hardly move. I peered through the dust for Mr. Ollivander. Suddenly, he appeared from the shadows, took in the scene before him and conjured up two more chairs.
"Good Afternoon. Rubeus Hagrid! Back again. Oak, sixteen inches?"
"Right as always, sir." Mr. Ollivander turned and peered at me with pale eyes, "A new wand for you, I presume." He stated. "I do not remember you, where did you buy your last wand?"
"This would be my first, sir." I gulped. He looked a bit surprised but then briskly pulled out a measuring tape, "Wand arm?" I held out my right and he started to taking measurements. He seemed to realize that I must be muggle born (it was fairly obvious) and began to explain how his wands were made. He pulled out a box.
"Phoenix tail feather, 8 inches, ebony. Give it a wave, Ms…"
"Van Horne." I said automatically and waved it around. He grabbed it back, "10 inches, maple and unicorn hair." Again, the same effect. Even though I was so nervous, I laughed on the inside to see the mystified looks of my parents as I tried more and more wands. "Another tricky customer." Mr. Ollivander noted happily. "Willow, 14 inches, dragon heartstring, long and bendy." There was a sudden warmth and knew this was the one before the gold and red sparks flew out of it. Hagrid and my father clapped, mom was still stunned.
"Do you believe all of it now, mom?" I asked with a grin. But she didn't return the smile. I realized that it was only now she had really found out that I was truly different. I didn't like that it bothered her more than it did me. I had expected her to be happy for me. Papa paid 7 Galleons and left the dark, gloomy shop. I tried not to think about it; instead I focused on the miraculous fact that I had a wand. There was no going back now. We went back through the wall into the Leaky Cauldron.
"Well, seems to me the best thing to do is for Hannah and I to stay here for the night and then catch the train to Hogwarts tomorrow morning. We can have dinner together if you like and then you can make yer way home. We will be leavin' at the crack o' dawn tomorrow. What d'yeh say?" Hagrid asked.
"Sounds good to me." Papa replied looking fixedly at mother.
"Oh, all right. Then we can take your computer and everything back home with us." I couldn't help it, I blanched. Hagrid laughed and slapped me in the back so hard I banged into the wall, "Don't you worry, you'll find plenty t' keep yeh busy at Hogwarts. Oh, that reminds me. Proffessor McGonagall asked me to give this to yeh." He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of one of his many pockets, smoothed it out and gave it to me. It seemed to be a permission slip of some kind.
"Where's Hogsmede?" I asked.
"Oh, it's the wizard town near the school. Only third years and up are 'llowed to go. Great place, got the Three Broomsticks, Shrieken' Shack, the Owl Post Office, Joke shop and o'course Honeydukes. Jus' need it signed to go." I handed it over to the parents to read.
"It's quite safe? It won't distract from her studies?" Mom, always worried about grades. She has always been too over protective. Even though sometimes I feel as though I live alone, I have no freedom either. She believes it is my fault that I rarely have friends but it's impossible when you can never go out.
"It shouldn't. And if it weren't safe Dumbledore wouldn't allow the student t' go." Even though she looked dubious she signed the slip and gave it back to me to my delight.
Tom, the innkeeper showed us to our rooms and I had to spent half an hour going through and taking out all my techie gear from my bags. My mom actually had to uncurl my fingers from my iPod. But how would I sleep? What if my roommates snored? When I was finished it looked as though I barely had any belongings. That will be true if my bags don't turn up. I made the parents promise to call the airline until they found everything and then to mail it to me. By owl post, I reminded myself. But at least now I had room to put all my new school things. I couldn't wait to get started, but the butterflies were back in my stomach. We ate dinner together, my mother surprisingly managed to make pleasant conversation about the wizarding world. I tried to keep the subject away from Voldemort and his recent attempts to regain power. I didn't want her to think it was too unsafe and forbid me from going. When it finally came time to say good bye, I was shocked when she started to cry. I was at a complete loss as to what I should do.
"A whole six months! I don't know how I will survive! It will seem so quiet without you! I am going to miss you so much!" She grasped me around the neck. I always knew she had a flair for the dramatics but this was taking it a bit far. She often left for 3 months at time. However, I thought it prudent to not remind her that I would stay over Christmas too. I don't think I can take more of this exaggerated sobbing. Finally, my father pulled her off me saying they would miss the train. He secretly passed me some money as he hugged me, reminded me to have a good time and study hard. They walked back out to the muggle world and I felt a twinge of loss, but at this point I was to impatient to start reading my new books to give it much thought.