Chapter Two: Diagon Alley

There are several dialogue quotes taken from JK Rowling's Sorcerer's Stone in this book. This is to convey the same story she wrote, but from another character's POV. The quotes taken directly from the book have three quotation marks (instead of two) around them to signify she wrote them and that I am citing them. Because I am transforming pieces of her work into something new this falls under the Fair Use Act. Additionally, JK Rowling has stated that she is okay with noncommercial fan fiction. All direct quotes, the Harry Potter storyline, and the characters all belong to JK Rowling.

Draco awoke before the crack of dawn, before the birds started chirping, and before his own owl Niklaus had even come home from a night of hunting. Draco sat up in bed scrutinizing the list of school supplies that had come in his Hogwarts letter.

Uniform:
First-year students will require
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

Set Books
All students should have a copy of the following:
A Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment
1 Wand
1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Draco walked over to his book shelf and took down his copy of A History of Magic, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, and One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. He was an avid reader and had read these books several times through. He also grabbed his most favorite book which was not on the required list, Hogwarts: A History. As he placed them gently in his trunk, the sun was just rising. He could hear the pitter patter of his family's house elves making breakfast.

Draco walked down the grand staircase to the delightful smell of bacon, roasted potatoes, and eggs with cheese. He wanted to run down the corridor and burst into the dining room jumping and hollering, but he remembered how his father hated such tomfoolery. Instead Draco gathered his composure and sauntered down the corridor, and opened the dining room door with an air of confidence.

His mother, Narcissa, immediately flashed him a smile of excitement and his father, Lucius, slowly lowered the daily prophet. "Good morning Draco," he said.

"Good morning Father." Draco replied, trying not to look too excited.

"Unfortunately, I have meetings all day today, but your mother has offered to take you to get your school supplies. Dinner celebration tonight though." Lucius spoke lazily and continued to read his paper.

"Okay Father." Draco responded happily. Today was one of those days where Draco felt nothing could bring him down, and besides he loved spending quality time with his mother. It wasn't that he didn't love his father, it was just that hanging out with her was less pressure.

The door to the dining room opened again and a house elf walked in carrying a tray of food. None of the Malfoy's thanked, acknowledged, or so much as looked at the creature. This was a good thing though. It meant that the three of them were satisfied. The goal of a house elf was to be so good at your job no one paid you any mind. If a house elf were to be spoken to, it would be out of anger.

Draco scarfed down his food at record pace, only slowing down when he saw his father staring at him disapprovingly. He wiped his mouth and patiently waited for his mother to finish her coffee, although his insides were ready to explode.

"Alright then," Narcissa chuckled. "I am ready to leave when you are." Draco didn't need to be told twice he jolted up from the table and held open the dining room door for his mother. They walked down the hall to a grand looking fireplace.

Narcissa grabbed an ornate vase from the mantel top. However, this was not an ordinary vase, inside was a magical transporting substance called Floo Powder. Narcissa reminded Draco that he needed to speak very, very clearly. He grabbed a handful and walked into the fireplace and shouted "Diagon Alley."

Draco felt as though he was being sucked down a large drain pipe, but he was quite used to it. He had been using floo powder to travel ever since he was little. Suddenly he popped out into a fireplace in a cozy bookstore at Diagon Alley. He stepped out of the fireplace and seconds later his mother appeared. "Pick out your books darling," she said handing him a large stack of galleons. "I am going to Gringotts to get you more money for school."

Draco walked along the shelves of books smiling to himself. He had been coming here since he was a little boy, and it was one of his most favorite places to be. Books allowed him to go anywhere, to learn about anything and everything. Draco had bought hundreds of books over the years, never putting them on his book shelf until he finished them.

Draco walked around the end of one book shelf and ran flat into a young girl with a large stack of books piled so high they covered her face. The two of them fell to the floor along with the books. Draco grimaced and looked over at the girl who was already scrambling to pick up the books. She had frizzy brown hair and front teeth that were too big for her mouth. "I'm sorry," Draco mumbled, and he reached out to help her pick them up. "Hogwarts?" he asked after reading a couple of the titles and recognizing them from the school supply list.

"Yes," replied the girl. "And thank you for helping me. It was my fault for not looking where I was going."

"How could you have?" Draco laughed. "You couldn't see."

The girl's face turned bright red. "I love reading, it takes me anywhere I want to go. I am looking for some additional books to read before the start of term."

"Is that so?" Draco asked slyly. "In that case..." he mumbled while quickly scanning the book shelves. "take this one. I promise you it is the best book in this place," he said holding it out.

The young girl had to set down her entire stack in order to take it from Draco. "Hogwarts: A History," she read aloud and grinned up at him. "This is perfect, thank you! My name is Hermione Granger. I'm Muggle born so I know very little about Hogwarts and I'm sure this will fill me in!"

Draco felt his heart sink. He hadn't even considered that this girl might not be of pure blood. She seemed so normal and excited just like him, but Draco knew better than to befriend someone like her. His parents had reminded him hundreds of times that people like her were an embarrassment to the wizarding world, that they were incompetent and unworthy of magic.

"Right." Draco said, unsure of what to do. "Well, if that's all..." and he turned and walked away without another word.

Hermione stood there for a moment, wondering what she had done to offend him, before walking off to go pay for her books.

Draco collected the books that he did not already have at home in his book shelf, and waited to make sure the muggle born was gone before he went up to the counter to pay for his own books. He walked out of the shop and saw his mother waiting for him.

The two of them walked down the alleyway, Draco admiring the old buildings full of wizarding goodies. He bought his crystal phials, telescope, brass scales, and cauldron. His mother had tried to talk him into buying one made of solid gold but Draco protested stating that the list clearly stated that his cauldron should be made of pewter. Narcissa rolled her eyes but gave up trying to convince the boy.

The two of them finally made their way to Ollivander's Wand shop, and Draco froze with excitement. This was it, the moment he was going to have his very own magic wand. Narcissa looked down at him with a warm smile. "I think I should leave this part to you." She spoke softly. "I am going to pick up a few things. After you get your wand, head over to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for your robe fitting. I will meet you at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour when you are done.

Draco just nodded and slowly pushed open the door. A small doorbell rang alerting a frazzled looking old man with frizzy white hair. "Mr. Malfoy," said Ollivander in a surprised voice. "I was wondering when I might see you. You look just like your mother. I sold both her and your father their wands many many years ago."

"It's nice to meet you sir." Draco remarked shyly.

"Now," Ollivander spoke excitedly, "let's pick you out a wand shall we? Let's try something similar to your mother's wand." Ollivander pulled out a long black elegant wand. Draco grabbed it and sheepishly waved it around, but just a second later Ollivander had grabbed it back.

"I wonder..." Ollivander spoke hesitantly. "maybe you're a bit more like your father." He pulled out a thinner black wand and suspiciously held it out to Draco. Again, nothing significant happened when Draco grabbed it, turning his face somewhat pink.

"That's alright!" Ollivander reassured him, now with a much lighter tone. "I think I know what you need." Ollivander rushed to the back of the shop and left Draco standing there for about five minutes. Finally he came back with a smaller wand than the last two. It was brown with a black handle.

"Hawthorn, unicorn hair, ten inches." Ollivander spoke. "I would bet my own wand that this is the one for you.

Draco tentatively grabbed the wand from Ollivander for the third time. This time he felt a gust of wind, and green sparks shot out from the tip. Draco's eyes widened and he looked up at Ollivander. "How did you-"

Ollivander gave Draco a warm smile, but behind it was deep concern and sadness. "That is a powerful wand Mr. Malfoy," he replied. "but a sad and conflicted wand too. I'm sorry to say that Hawthorn wands feel most comfortable in the hands of someone experiencing great turmoil and conflict. I believe you have quite a rocky road ahead of you. However, there is still hope. You should keep in mind that your wand has a core of unicorn hair. Wands with unicorn hair have the hardest time turning to the dark arts. Follow your heart, not just your brain, and allow your wand to guide you in your decisions Mr. Malfoy. You may feel trapped at one point in the future, but know that you alone create your own fate."

Draco's eyes were wide by the time Ollivander had stopped speaking. "Now I hope you'll excuse me, but I should probably get back to work." Ollivander finished. Draco nodded and thanked Ollivander before heading out the door.

The last place on Draco's list was Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. He opened the door to see a small happy witch dressed in mauve robes. "I'm here for my Hogwarts robe fitting," said Draco.

"Alright dear" the witch responded. "Head to the back and stand on that pedestal. My assistant will take care of you." Draco did as he was told and the other witch began to work. Suddenly the door opened again and another boy who looked to be about his age walked in. He had wild dark hair and large circular glasses. He walked over and stood on the pedestal right next to Draco.

"Hello!" Said Draco. "Hogwarts too?"

"Yes!" Said the boy.

"My father's next door buying my books, and Mother's up the street looking at wands" Draco lied. Most first-year wizards were accompanied by both their parents when they went school shopping for the first time. It was considered a great occasion, and he didn't want the boy to know that his father had chosen to skip it, or that he had to get his own school supplies by himself.

"Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms, I don't see why first years can't have their own" Draco continued trying his best to sound casual, although he already had been given a broom for his birthday. To many wizarding families, including the Malfoy's, appearance was everything and Draco wanted to put his best foot forward.

"I think I'll bully Father into getting me one, and then I'll smuggle it in somehow." Draco rambled trying to sound cool and rebellious. "Have you got your own broom?" Draco asked.

"No," said the boy.

"Play Quidditch at all?" Draco asked.

"No," responded the boy again.

"I do," said Draco, this time telling the truth. "Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say I agree." Draco smirked at the boy, deeply hoping he was coming across as intimidating yet impressive. "Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No" responded the boy in an uninterested tone. Draco wondered why he was not engaging him in conversation.

"Well no one really knows for sure until they get there do they?" Draco admitted. "But I know I'll be in Slytherin." Draco said with false confidence. The truth was that he was terrified of ruining the family tradition of everyone being sorted into Slytherin. Draco hoped that if he said he would be in Slytherin out loud enough, it would come true.

"All our family have been," Draco continued. "Imagine being in Hufflepuff. I think I'd leave wouldn't you?"

"Uh-" the boy started, but Draco cut him off.

"Say, look at that man." Draco said, nodding at the window. The man Draco was referring to was large with long scraggly hair and a mangled beard.

"That's Hagrid," said the boy with a sudden surge of interest. "He works at Hogwarts."

"Oh," said Draco. "I've heard of him from my father. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"

"He's the game keeper," said the boy.

"Yes exactly," said Draco. "I heard he's the sort of savage, lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk and tries to do magic and ends up setting the fire to his bed."

"I think he's brilliant," the boy protested.

"Do you?" Draco said with a bit of worry and disgust. He wondered if he was talking to another muggle born, and felt quite annoyed that everyone he had been running into today was just a stupid muggle born and not a real witch or wizard. "Why is he here with you? Where's your parents?" Draco asked.

"They're dead." Said the boy.

"Oh, sorry," responded Draco, feeling a little better. "but they were our kind weren't they?"

"They were a witch and wizard if that's what you mean," said the boy now clearly upset.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you?" Draco pried. "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?"

The boy didn't have a chance to respond as the witch told him he was done. The boy jumped off the pedestal and Draco called to him, "Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose."

The witch who was working on Draco's robes finished up and he leapt down from the pedestal. He paid for his uniform and left, walking to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour to meet his mother.

She was sitting outside on a bench in the shade, and she had bought him his favorite flavor of ice cream, chocolate raspberry with nuts. "Thank you Mother," he said kissing her cheek, and the two of them enjoyed the beautiful afternoon together.