The sun was shining brightly down among the bustling tourists at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. There was one young tourist who was glaring right back at the sun for being too hot, which only made the experience of carrying multiple bags all the worst. The struggling teen impulsively bought what seemed like half of what the Wizarding World of Harry Potter had to offer. She cursed the "Potterhead" inside of her for making her struggle under this heat. To be fair, she is in Florida, so she had to have anticipated this but at the moment she ignored that rational part of her brain. With a shake of her head, she disregarded the voice in her mind and concentrated on what is the best day of her life to date and continued on with her exploration.
Never having been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the teen took her time visiting all the places in Diagon Alley. If anyone saw this lady, they could tell that she splurged just a bit (please note the sarcasm). Multiple bags dangled on either arm as they swung around when she walked. The teen was determined to go to every shop at both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade in one day, so she was in a bit of a rush. In hindsight the girl should've bought the two-day pass but considering the amount of money she knew she was going to spend on merchandise and the amount of money she had in her bank account, it wasn't adding up in her favour. So, because of that, she had only a few hours left to explore all of Hogsmeade.
Starting out her trip, Gringotts was her first destination. It made sense, what do you need before a shopping spree? Money of course! The sights were amazing, it was exactly like in the movies that the teen felt like she was actually in Diagon Alley. The buildings were all slanted and quirky looking that it looked physically impossible for them to be standing as sturdy as they were. Upon entering Gringotts (after the 20 minute long wait), she couldn't take her eyes off of the goblins. She knew they were just robots and couldn't actually do anything to her, it was still freaky, especially their soul-less eyes. The teen excitedly did all the tourist attractions there, got her picture taken for her vault, rode the ride, exchanged some money, etc. Her next stop was—of course— Ollivander's.
The line at Ollivander's felt much longer than the one at Gringotts but it was worth the wait in her opinion! Even before you entered the shop you could see the thousands of boxes that held the most magical of items. There were posters along the walls that described the types of wood the wands represent and their characteristic. Each box was labeled with the character's name, and you could get an interactive wand or just a regular wand. Although the interactive wand (it lets the bearer cast "spells" around Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade at certain spots) was a bit pricier, the teen was not going to spare any expenses when it came to it.
As she was looking around the shop, she felt a hand tap her shoulder. Turing around, the face of "Ollivander" stared at her. His face was old, just like the man in the movie and he has a mysterious look on his face, like how Trelawney looked when she gave the prophecy to Harry in the 3rd film.
"Curious," Ollivander stated, looking up and down at the girl. "Come, my dear. I shall help you find the right wand, but we all know that the wand chooses the witch."
Shocked that she got picked, because as she read online most of the chosen ones were around the age of 11. Guess it was her lucky day! Ollivander lead her to a room at the back of the store where more wand boxes were. She went through the process of "finding the right wand" and of course, a couple of broken things here and there. In the end, when the mysterious music began and Ollivander pulled out one last wand, things began to get creepy.
"Of course," Ollivander muttered to himself, "Why didn't I think of it before."
He quickly shuffled to the right and began looking for a specific wand. Grabbing it off the shelf, he opened it and showed it to the girl in front of him who was anxiously waiting. Right as he opened the box, the girl noticed that she felt a breeze pass by her. Ollivander cautiously plucked the wand out from the box and examined it.
"12 ¾ inches, Rowan wood," He stated before angling it towards his eyes, "Phoenix feather for a core and quite flexible and bendy."
Like the Ollivander from the Harry Potter films, he carefully handed it towards the waiting girl. As if she was scared too, the teen lifted her arm like she was drawn to it. Once she held on to the handle, a warm feeling made its way up her arm and to her chest. The background music got louder, and the spotlight was directly on her. Before she knew it, the moment was over, and the feeling was gone.
"Be careful with that one, my dear. It's a strong one I can tell you that much." Ollivander whispered in her ear before shaking his head.
He looked dazed for a second, as if he forgot where he was. He then proceeded to tell the girl to pay for the wand if she wishes to keep it, if not she'll have to return it. After telling him that she was going to purchase it, he let her go and moved on to the next group. At first the girl was thinking of telling him she wanted Sirius' or Remus' wands, but as she looked at the wand she was given, she noticed that it wasn't one that was displayed out in the store when she was looking around. Figuring it was a limited edition, she promptly paid for it—a whopping $52!
She moved on to the next shops as quickly as she could seeing as she had a time limit. Grabbing a few quills and parchment at Scribbulus Writing Instruments as well as some sweets from Sugarplums Sweet Shop (she couldn't wait until Hogsmeade to get some sweets), the teen also managed to find a copy of the Marauder's Map in one of the shops. A few more Ravenclaw (that was the house she was sorted into when she took the Pottermore test) merchandise here and there and her arms were ready to fall off.
Looking around the Alley, there was one more stop she had to go to before taking the train to Hogsmeade and that was Borgin and Burkes at Knockturn Alley. Stopping right at the entrance of the place, it was a bit concerning (and fascinating) at how different the vibe is from Diagon Alley. The air seemed cold and stale, walking along further she could make out a few wanted photos of Fenrir Greyback along the brick walls. The teen was so anxious about the dark alley that she didn't even notice how there weren't any people that were walking down with her anymore. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the dim lighting of Borgin and Burkes. Grabbing the handle of the door, she swung it open. One could tell the shop was empty by how loudly the bell atop of the door rang (not that she noticed). The entire place screamed dark but at the time, the girl was sure there was nothing wrong with the place. In fact, the chills she got just made her fall in love with the Universal Studios even more because of how good of a job they did.
Walking around the shop the girl peered her head towards the aisle looking for all the merchandise that was usually scattered everywhere. She tried calling for a sales associate, but no one came forward. Instead, she became attracted to this one particular item on the shelf. It was an ornate music(?) box. Dark green with intricate gold detailing around it and a pointy top that acted as a handle. Not being able to help herself, she transferred the bags from her dominant hand to free it and reached out to open the lid. Upon opening it, a tune began to play. It was harmonious and very pleasant to the ears, a sort of siren song if you will.
The emptiness of the shop really helped resonate the song even more that the girl began to feel a bit odd. She felt all her limbs relaxing as she continued to listen to it, almost wanting to fall asleep right then and there. Right as when the girl was ready to set her bags and lie down, a burning sensation erupted at the pocket where she kept her newly bought wand. The pain was enough to make her yelp and sober her up. Realizing that the box made her feel freaky, she slammed it shut and gathered her belongings, trying her best to rush out of the store. Her yelp must have been loud enough to be heard from the back because she saw a man coming out of the storage room. Now the workers come out, she thought bitterly. However, the man that came out did not have the same happy and cheerful expressions the other workers had. The teen would've passed it off as acting but the vibe she got from this man was not a good one.
With a soft and eerie voice, the man spoke to her, "Well, well, well, a new customer I see. What can I help you find dearie?"
The girl's eyes widened at the rotten teeth the man showed her as he smiled. Her thoughts were all over the place, but the most important one was that she had to get out of there.
"Oh, um, nothing. Sorry to bother you, I must have, uh, I must have made the wrong turn. Thanks anyways!"
Without hearing for a reply, the girl made a mad dash out of the store, her bags flying around as she made her way back to Diagon Alley. She bumped into some people (oddly enough, wearing robes now that she thought about it) and quickly apologized but did not slow down. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she ran through the winding alley and it only began to slow down once she saw the light at the end of it.
Still running at full speed, she bumped (more like crashed) into a stranger, almost falling if they haven't been reaching out to her in order to stop her.
"Woah! Hey! Are you alright love? Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you," The guy that spoke seemed to be the same age as the girl.
He was tall and had a head of messy brown hair that looked windswept except there was no breeze going around. Glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose, but it still let you see his hazel eyes. A strong grip was around the panting girl's waist to keep her upright and the other hand was holding a few parcels. If she wasn't a panting mess, she would've realized how attractive this boy was.
Gathering herself from her little jog, she stepped out of the guy's hold and cleared her throat, trying her hardest not to blush.
"Uh, thanks for that, and I'm sorry for bumping into you. I guess I was just a little freaked out from back there." She pointed her thumb towards her back where the entrance of Knockturn Alley was.
The guy in front of her glanced back to where she was pointing, and his eyes went wide with disbelief. He placed a hand on her shoulders and lightly squeezed as he frantically looked over her, as if he was expecting her features to have changed.
"Clar, what were you doing in Knockturn Alley?! Are you hurt? You said you were just going to get more quills?" The unnamed guy questioned her, concern practically dripping from his voice.
Clarissa took another step back and looked at the guy in front of her with a cautious look before she questioned him, "What did you just call me? How do you know my name?"