MERCY

Act I

NINE | Diagon Alley

"Excuse me, but may I exchange my wand, Mr. Ollivander?"

THE TWINS WISHED FOR EIGHT more eyes each as they were met with the wonders of Diagon Alley. They swiveled their heads from one side to the other in an attempt to look at everything they passed. All of the shops, the people, the items just sitting outside for anybody to see - there was too much to take in at once, but they tried nevertheless. Any and all trepidation dissolved and was swiftly replaced by wonder.

Their eyes were drawn to various mystical items, ranging from cauldrons to telescopes to some instruments that they had never even seen the likes of before. Tabitha found herself especially lured in by a shop that looked to be filled top to bottom with nothing but books. She yearned to feel the titles beneath her fingertips as she lost all of her worries in the aisles.

"Keep up, Tabby," said Harry. "We'll get lost here."

Reluctantly she hurried past the shop and fell back in step with her brother and Hagrid. The last thing either of them wanted, or needed, was for them to lose their guide along the cobblestone. Although Tabitha speculated that that would be difficult to do. Hagrid towered easily over the crowds.

Soon their attention was drawn from the windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and globes of the moon towards a pristine white building at the end of the cobblestone that towered over all of the little shops. Burnished bronze doors faced them regally, hardly offering an open invitation. But it was the figure standing beside the entrance in a uniform of scarlet and gold that intrigued the twins the most. They were about a head shorter than the Potters with a clever face, pointed beard, and elongated fingers and feet. Tabitha wondered if perhaps this was one of the goblins that Hagrid had mentioned briefly before London.

He bowed as Hagrid walked them up the stone steps. Feeling a bit rude for staring, Tabitha offered up a small smile in return. The goblin didn't return the gesture and instead pointed them towards a second pair of doors, this time gleaming in silver, with words engraved within the metal in an elegant script:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

"Gringotts," announced Hagrid. "Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it. Don't wanna mess with goblins."

Tabitha smiled at the two goblins bracketing the silver doors as they bowed them through. The one to their left returned it, although it looked rather nasty and twisted on the creature's swarthy face. She turned to see inside the vast marble hall they stood in and was met with what had to be nearly a hundred more goblins hard at work. They sat on high stools behind a large counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing odd coins in brass scales, and examining vibrant stones through eyeglasses. Even more goblins guided various people in and out of the innumerable doors around the hall.

Hagrid led the twins up to the counter. Tabitha had to crane her neck all the way back just to see the goblin at the front.

"Morning," said Hagrid. "We've come ter take some money outta the Potters' safe."

The goblin peered down at the twins. "You have their key, sir?"

"Got it here somewhere." Hagrid began digging through the pockets of his large coat and emptying the contents out onto the counter.

Tabitha looked at him curiously. "Why do we share an account - er, safe?"

"It's how yer parents set it up. Then when yeh turn sixteen, yeh'll each open yer own safe and split the money."

She nodded and looked to her brother. His attention had been stolen by the next goblin at the counter, who was focused on weighing rubies. Tabitha rubbed her palms against her trousers idly as she watched each glowing coal be placed on the brass scale with care before the goblin would scribble something down in his ledger.

"Ah, got it here."

The twins turned back to the front when Hagrid finally produced a tiny golden key. Tabitha wrinkled her nose at the moldy dog biscuits that had been scattered on the counter. The goblin didn't look too pleased, either.

He examined the key closely.

"That seems to be in order."

"Oh - an' I've also got a letter here from Dumbledore. It's about the You-Know-What in vault You-Know-Which."

Harry and Tabitha eyed the secretive exchange curiously. Hagrid passed along the letter for the goblin to read. The female Potter wondered what could be so important that the name and location had to be concealed from them, and why Hagrid had decided to discuss it with the bank with them present if it was meant to be kept secret. Then she figured that maybe she didn't want to know.

The following events blurred together for Tabitha. A goblin by the name of Griphook escorted them into a narrow passageway with a small railway that they hurtled down in a cramped cart which steered itself. Her stomach churned with the rapid motions and precarious turns, and Hagrid didn't look as though he felt much better than she did.

At last the cart halted. Griphook left the trio to climb out on their own and went for the small door tucked into the passage. A thick wall of green smoke came billowing out once opened before clearing to reveal a chamber of gold, silver, and bronze. Tabitha recognized them as Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts from the explanation Hagrid had provided about the Wizarding monetary system.

"Seventeen silver Sickles to a gold Galleon, twenty-nine bronze Knuts to a Sickle," he had educated.

They couldn't believe that they'd had this fortune buried underneath London for a decade. Tabitha knew that the Dursleys had to have been just as oblivious to it since it was still there for them to have. It wouldn't matter if they couldn't have used it - Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would have made sure that the twins never could have accessed it, out of pure spite.

Hagrid helped them pile a small portion of their newly discovered fortune into a bag each. Then the vault was sealed, they were back in the cart, and Griphook had them sailing down the tracks once more.

Vault 713 had no keyhole like the Potters' did. Instead the twins watched entranced as the goblin simply stroked the door gently with his finger and the seal melted away. Inside the vault was a solitary package that looked less than impressive with its grimy wrapping composed of what seemed to be the run-of-the-mill brown paper. Hagrid slid it into his coat pocket.

Tabitha's curiosity burned inside of her, but she dared not to question its contents. Whatever it was must have been important and, more than likely, none of her business.

One more wild cart ride later found them standing outside in the sun that was now blinding after re-emerging from the darkness of Gringotts. Neither twin knew what to do with themselves. Not only were they in an entire world that they had been hidden from for a decade, but they were now in possession of more money than even Dudley had ever been gifted.

Hagrid sent them off to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions while he headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron for a "pick-me-up." They were escorted to the back of the shop by Madam Malkin herself, a squat woman with a kind smile and cheerful disposition that helped to put Tabitha at some ease in the new environment.

"Hogwarts, dearies?" she greeted before either twin could speak. "Got the lot here already - another young man being fitted for his robes in the back right now, in fact. Come, follow me, love."

The young man in question was a boy who looked to be around their age with sharp features and hair so light it seemed to lack any color at all. He stood on a footstool getting his black robes pinned by another witch. Madam Malkin nudged Tabitha onto the available stool and slipped a similar robe over her head before starting to pin the long material to the right length.

"Hello," greeted the boy. "I suppose you two are attending Hogwarts as well?"

"Yes." Harry managed the response that Tabitha was unable to provide.

"Father is getting my books and Mother is looking at wands. After this I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I think I'll bully Father into buying me one and smuggle it in somehow. I don't see why first years aren't allowed one of their own."

The boy reminded both twins strongly of their cousin. Tabitha couldn't help the grimace that crossed her features at the comparison. It only mingled with the nausea settled in her stomach. She rubbed her fingers together absently to avoid wiping the sweat on the robes while Madam Malkin continued to pin them.

Harry stepped a bit closer and sent her a reassuring glance when he noticed her nerves getting to her again.

The boy didn't seem to notice. "Have either of you got your own broom?"

"No."

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"No."

Tabitha wondered what "Quidditch" was. She supposed she could probably find a book on it in the bookstore they had passed earlier. If only to satisfy her curiosity - if it was as sporty as it sounded from the way the boy was talking, then she doubted it would be of much interest. Still, she yearned to learn whatever she could about this new world.

"Well, I do," drawled the boy in his bored tone. "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 two will be in yet?"

Harry and Tabitha felt stupid, and it wasn't a good feeling for either of them. They had worked hard to prove their guardians wrong in that regard, academically, so to be so uneducated on the Wizarding World did not sit well with either of them. Especially with the arrogance this boy was exuding. Tabitha scowled at the attitude.

Madam Malkin finished her robes quickly and gestured for Harry to take her spot.

The boy next to them continued talking as though either of them were truly listening to what he was saying anymore.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they? I know I'll be in Slytherin like the rest of my family. Imagine being in Hufflepuff, though - I think I'd just leave, wouldn't you?"

Standing by the window, Tabitha noticed movement from the corner of her eye and looked. Hagrid stood just outside with two large ice creams. He waved at Tabitha as she made eye contact. The nervous girl couldn't help but smile at the giant softly and wave back. Something about Hagrid made her feel comfortable and at home, and that was something neither she nor Harry had really experienced before outside of their own company.

"I say," exclaimed the boy suddenly, "look at that man!"

"His name's Hagrid," said Tabitha finally, turning back to them. "He's the gamekeeper at Hogwarts."

"Father told me he's some sort of servant. Apparently he lives in his hut and gets drunk before setting fire to his bed trying to do magic. Some sort of savage. So why is he with you? Where are your parents?"

Tabitha bristled at the way he spoke of Hagrid. As little as she cared for the boy before, she was starting to dislike him more and more. He might have even been worse than Dudley. The short look on Harry's face showed his feelings aligned with hers.

"They're dead," said Harry plainly.

"Oh, sorry," said the boy, though he didn't sound all that apologetic. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."

"The other kind shouldn't even be let into Hogwarts, don't you think? They're not the same, they've never been brought up in our ways. Imagine not even knowing about magic until you've received your letter! I think they should just keep it in the old wizarding families. What're your surnames anyway?"

Madam Malkin finished Harry's fitting just as quickly and dismissed the twins. She was their savior in that moment, as neither of them wished to continue listening to their apparent peer. They escaped the shop quickly with only small goodbyes exchanged out of politeness.

Hagrid let them enjoy their ice cream while walking down the brick path. They stopped to get parchment and quills - they were both delighted to learn that the bottle of ink changed colors. Then they entered the one place that Tabitha had been itching to visit since they first arrived in Diagon Alley: Flourish and Blotts.

Books filled the shop from floor to ceiling in large shelving units. There were texts as large as paving stones and as small as postage stamps, books filled with foreign symbols and with nothing in them at all. Tabitha was entranced. She piled her arms full of materials, some from her list of requirements and most additional titles that had captured her attention. Most of the books she ended up buying had to do with creatures that she had been brought up to believe were mythical.

The young witch had to practically be dragged out of the shop with her new purchases. She was excited to get a chance to read them. Harry on the other hand was just a little disappointed that Hagrid hadn't let him get any of the books on curses he had been looking at - he had been looking forward to learning how to curse Dudley.

Hagrid took them to the apothecary next. Tabitha was almost as fascinated by the merchandise there as she had been in Flourish and Blotts. Jars of dried herbs and roots and colorful powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling in a macabre display that captivated her. Unfortunately Hagrid only let them leave with a pewter cauldron, a collapsible brass telescope, and a set of scales each. She supposed that was for the best anyway - she would have absolutely no idea what to do with anything else (she didn't even know what exactly to do with what she had already).

"Just yer wands left," noted Hagrid as he read over their list. "Why don't yeh head on o'er to Ollivanders, I gotta get summat."

The twins were pointed towards a shabby-looking shop. Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC decorated the front in gold letters peeling off the dusty window. A single wand on a worn maroon cushion was on display. They shared a look with each other before Harry pushed open the door and held it open for his sister before following behind her.

Magic seemed to course through the dust particles floating freely around inside the tiny building. It vibrated within Tabitha in a foreign yet almost comforting rhythm, like this was where she was meant to be. Like she finally found a place where she belonged after being an outcast everywhere else. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled at the powerful sensation lingering in the silence.

"Good afternoon."

Tabitha jumped at the soft greeting. Her hand instinctively sought out her brother's, and her racing heart calmed some as she felt his fingers squeeze hers comfortingly. Standing before them was an older gentleman that neither of them had seen emerge from the back of the shop. She observed him briefly before realizing that he seemed harmless enough with his kind smile.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she managed to summon up a small smile of her own in return. "Hello. Are -"

"Ah, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you two soon. Harry and Tabitha Potter." It wasn't a question; he knew who they were, just as nearly everyone else seemed to. "You both have your mother's eyes. Why, it seems only yesterday both of your parents were in here buying their first wands."

Ollivander approached the twins with a sort of gentle kindness that held them steady.

He reached up and touched the scar on Harry's forehead. "I am sorry to say that I sold the wand that did it. Powerful wand, and in the wrong hands . . . Well, if I had known what that wand was going to do, I never would have sold it."

There was a pause where nothing but silence filled the space between the three bodies thickly. Then Mr. Ollivander drew back his hand and gave a smile.

"Right then. Let's get started, shall we?"

The twins were handed wand after wand, handling them only for a second before having them snatched away and replaced with yet another one. It seemed rather silly to Tabitha as they waved the wooden sticks around. Until finally they were each handed one that, when swished gently, spread warmth throughout their fingertips and sent a spray of red and gold sparks through the air, crackling softly before they hit the ground. They watched in awe at the lights display before Mr. Ollivander had them hand them back over and began wrapping them.

Ollivander explained their wands to them, as though it really meant anything to the siblings. Harry's wand, which sort of reminded Tabitha of a small branch, was crafted from thirteen and half inches of yew with a core of Phoenix feather. Tabitha's wand, which adorned a design of a vine twisting around the shaft, was only nine and a half inches and made from acacia wood and a phoenix tears core.

"Curious, very curious," muttered the wand maker to himself, stealing glances at the clueless duo. "I remember every wand I have ever sold. It just so happens that the phoenix whose tail that feather came from, and whose eyes from which those tears fell, gave just one other feather and no more tears. It is very curious that you two should be destined for these wands, when its brother gave you that scar, Mr. Potter."

Tabitha felt queasy again all of a sudden. She looked down at the rectangular box wrapped in brown parchment paper in her hands. It seemed sinister in that moment, as though the wand itself were evil purely because of its components. She didn't know if she could use the wand knowing that those tears were linked to her parents' death.

"I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. and Miss Potter," said Ollivander. "He-Who-Must-Be-Named did great things, remember - terrible, but great."

"Excuse me, but may I exchange my wand, Mr. Ollivander?" Tabitha glanced back up at him almost pleadingly. She did not want to own that wand any more than she wished to use it now.

Ollivander adopted somewhat of a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Miss Potter, but the wand chooses the wizard, not the other way around - and I am afraid that your wand has chosen you to be its master."

Tabitha jumped as a loud knocking pounded on the glass behind them. Standing at the window was Hagrid with a grin on his face trying to get their attention. Harry paid for both of their wands and led his sister out of the wand shop, knowing she was upset and needed to get some fresh air at the very least. Hagrid waited for them and proudly displayed a caged owl as soon as they stepped outside.

The snowy owl was positively beautiful with her brilliant white feathers speckled with contrasting black and grey. Her yellow eyes were alert as she trained its gaze on the eleven year olds but didn't necessarily seem aggressive. She seemed more curious than anything.

Hagrid smiled. "Happy birthday!"