Chapter 2 - Diagon Alley
After Professor Sinistra and Professor Meron's revelations, and after Mrs West had calmed down enough and relented on her threats of calling the police, the West family had many questions to ask. Even after the professors had alleviated all her fears and worries she was still unsure about sending her youngest son to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But throughout the conversation Barney had listened intently, with a gaze of wonder and joy on his face, hanging off every word they said. The professors had explained all about the wizarding world and muggles and how they managed to co-exist for thousands of years without them ever realising. They explained all about the school in the Scottish Highlands where young witches and wizards went to develop and hone their magic skills. They also explained that though Barney was muggle-born, that somewhere in their family history would have been a witch or wizard where he had inherited his gift of magic from. They'd also reassured Mrs West they going to Hogwarts would not be a financial burden on her. Other than the initial cost of buying books and equipment at the start of each term, tuition and boarding at Hogwarts throughout the school time was completely free. Professor Meron had even done some more magic, much to the astonishment of Barney and his siblings. He had turned a toaster into a chair, made all the washing up do itself (which Barney's older brother wished he knew how to do himself to get out of doing it as chore in the future), and Meron also fixed the broken washing machine all with a swish of his wand.
By the time the pair left Barney was super excited for the school term to start in a couple of months, his siblings Alfie and Sophie were dead jealous of the adventure he would be going on and Mrs West, though slightly apprehensive and worried for her son, was very proud of him.
It was nearly two months later when Barney, his mum and siblings boarded a train for London to buy all his books and equipment for Hogwarts, a few week prior to term starting. On the journey up Barney's older brother Alfie had teased him about how he would be boiling up live frogs and bats for potions and that he would develop warts all over his nose.
Once they arrived in London they headed to the address they had been given for The Leaky Cauldron, which they had been told was the entrance for Diagon Alley, the street where all witches and wizards in the United Kingdom came to for all their magic related purchases.
Barney found himself standing in front of tiny, grubby looking pub squeezed in between a book shop and a record store.
"They must have given us the wrong address," Mrs West exclaimed, "there's nothing here".
Barney looked at the piece of paper in his hand and then up at the sign above the door which read 'The Leaky Cauldon'.
"No this is it mum, the piece of paper says The Leaky Cauldron".
"Yes but it's not here," she retorted looking up and down the street to see if it was somewhere else on the road.
Barney was confused. The pub was right in front of them. The sign above was clear for everyone to see. Even though it was only a small property, no one could miss it.
"Maybe we should go in the bookshop and ask if they know where it is?" Sophie suggested, as she also looked around to see if it might be anywhere else while Alfie was beginning to look very bored, having had to miss football practice to come along to only find the place they were looking for wasn't where it should be.
"But it's right here," Alfie declared pointing right towards the door. "There, right next to the bookshop, can't you read the sign?"
"What sign?" his mum asked, looking just as perplexed as Barney's siblings, with Alfie convinced that all the talk or magic and wizards the last couple of months had turned his brother stark raving mad.
Barney walked up to the door and put his hand on it and pushed slightly so the door opened a fraction and turned back to his family who were all staring at him. Mrs West looked hard and suddenly realised there was a door between the book shop and record store that she had not noticed before. Sophie and Alfie also both saw the door which didn't seem to have been there before. Though they still couldn't see the sign above it that Barney had mentioned, they could now see that there was indeed another building right in front of them.
Barney pushed the door open some more and heard chatter and laughter coming from inside and turned to look in. The interior looked dark and shabby and not very inviting, but still he stepped in. Mrs West cautiously followed his son in, with Sophie and Alfie not far behind, not wanting to be left alone on the street, even though the property they were entering didn't seem very warm and hospitably.
Inside were several tables scattered around the place with a few of them occupied by people dressed in unusual robes, cloaks and hats. At the back was a large wooden bar, behind which stood a gentleman, with a bald head, who was cleaning glasses.
"What can I get you folks?" he said as he put a glass on the rack above the bar.
"Erm... we're looking for..." Barney said as he glanced again at the piece of paper in his hand, "... Dia.. Diagon Alley".
The barman smiled and replied, "through the back. First time?"
Barney nodded as his family stood close behind him, nervous and slightly afraid of all the unusual people who were in the bar.
"Perry!" the barman shouted and a young many with black shoulder length hair and a shabby white shirt on came from a doorway behind the bar.
"Show these folks through to Diagon Alley will you? It's their first time."
Perry moved towards them and then motioned to another doorway on the far side of the bar.
"Right this way," he said in a strong cockney accent.
As Barney and his family followed Perry to the back of the pub and through a door which led on to a small courtyard, a lady at one of the tables tutted, shock her head and muttered "muggles".
Barney and his family all squeezed in to the courtyard, not wanting to get left in the pub but also not sure of where they were going as they faced a dead end. There was no other way out of the yard other than the entrance they just came through. Perry faced the brick wall in front of them and pulled out a wand from his back pocket. Barney looked on wide eyed, still overcome with amazement at seeing the magical apparatus even after Professor Meron's demonstrations in his house all those months ago. Perry gave Barney a little wink and then tapped a brick in the centre of the wall with the wand and then stood back as much as he could in the cramped courtyard. The brick he'd tapped started to rumble and then a small hole appeared in the wall as the other bricks around it started to tremble too and they all began to move apart. Barney's mum instinctively put her hand on his shoulder and pulled him back from the wall, closer to her. Alfie and Sophie both let out a gasp of shock as an archway formed in the wall revealing a cobbled street which twisted away into the distance with an array of unusual looking buildings lining the street and scores of people milling up and down it.
Barney was speechless as he looked on in wonder.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Perry announced as Barney and his family stood motionless in shock.
Perry stared at them, giving them a few seconds to take it all in before he began to usher them through the archway.
"Go on then, it's perfectly safe."
Barney was first through and didn't look back. He was too distracted to even see if his family was following behind as he took it all in. To his right were cauldrons stacked five foot high outside one shop. And further up on the left he saw a young girl coming out a shop carrying a cage with an owl in it with her parents in tow. Above the shop the sign read 'Eeylops Owl Emporium'. Sophie and Alfie were quick to follow their younger brother and take in the wonder of it all. Mrs West hesitantly followed her children, but turned back to talk to the man who had just shown then through the archway but was meet with the sight of a solid brick wall. The archway along with the man had vanished.
Barney was already racing up the street glancing in every shop window as he went. He stopped at a crowd of young children who looked a little older than himself and who were all gathered round a shop window with a display of broomsticks in. The children chatted about how much flying they'd done over the summer holidays and which broom they wished they'd owned. They were using words like 'Nimbus', 'Nova' and 'Firebolt' which meant nothing to him. Barney continued up the street. The further he went the busier it got. The street was heaving with excited children and haggard and slightly irritated adults who were carrying stacks or parcels and were being dragged from shop to shop. Mrs West finally caught up with her children as they heard a voice call out from the crowd.
"The Wests, there you are," Professor Sinistra bellowed out as she made her way through the throngs of people. "So good to see you again Barney," she said as she bent over slightly to greet him.
Professor Sinistra looked slightly flustered as she welcomed them all, but also kept one watchful eye on the crowds as she made small talk about their journey down before getting to the important business - shopping for Barney's school supplies.
"Well first off you'll need to visit Gringotts to exchange your muggle money."
"I'm sorry?" Mrs West replied looking confused. "You don't take English pounds?"
"Well no of course not, we don't use pounds and pennies. We use Galleons, Sickles and Knuts."
Mrs West looked even more confused now.
"Don't worry it's all very simple," Sinistra said as she scanned the crowed. "Eliza Bailey?" she called out to a group of girls who were stood outside a shop selling robes.
One of the girls, a tall girl with long brown hair, pale skin, rosy cheeks and a sweet smile turned towards them, said goodbye to her friends and quickly made her way over.
"Yes professor?"
"Ah Eliza are you free to take the Wests to Gringotts to exchange some money? They're muggles and have never been to Diagon Alley before. It would be much appreciated."
"Oh course Professor Sinistra," she replied with a glowing smile.
Sinistra turned back to the West family.
"Eliza is one of our sixth year prefects and one of our most talented Transfiguration students. She'll help you out and I'll catch up with you again shortly."
Before any of them had time to reply Professor Sinistra has disappeared into the crowds of people and was busy greeting other students and parents.
Gringotts was astounding. It was a huge white building on the outside and inside they were greeted by a vast marble hall with long elegant counters and the whole bank was manned by goblins in suits. When Mrs West first entered she was almost straight out the door again at the sight of all the goblins. But Eliza assured her they were perfectly hospitable, to a certain degree, and that she had nothing to worry about. Once they'd exchanged their money Barney left the bank with his pockets stuffed with the unusual looking currency and they were back in the crowds of the street to once again be greeted by Sinistra who meandered through the swarms of people towards them.
Professor Sinistra thanked Eliza and dismissed her as she led the West family along the street, looking carefully for the very people she wanted to see.
They arrived beside a family of three. A mum, a dad and a tall boy with dark hair, who looked a few years older then Barney and wore black robes that Barney noticed had a blue and silver emblem on with a bird in the middle and he wore a tie that matched the colours.
"Mrs Clark, Mr Clark, Jack," Sinistra said as she greeted them. "May I introduce the Wests".
The two families exchanged pleasant 'hellos'.
"Like Barney, Jack is one of our muggle-born students. He's now going into his fourth year at Hogwarts," she said as she looked at Mrs West and then turedn to Jack's parents.
"Maybe you could alleviate some of Mrs West's concerns, I know how daunting this whole process can be for muggle families."
"We'd love to," Mrs Clark replied. "I remember when Professor Sinistra turned up on our doorstep all those years ago with her colleague and told us all about the Hogwarts and magic and the like. It was ever such a shock but it turned out to be the best thing for our son."
Mrs Clark beamed as she put her arm around her son's shoulder and gave him a loving hug, which made Jack go bright red.
"Well why don't you go to the tea shop up the road and have a nice chat and I can take Barney and make a start on his shopping?" Sinistra suggested.
Before anyone had time to protest, Sinistra was leading Barney away, leaving the Wests and the Clarks to get to know each other and discuss all things magic.
Professor Sinistra led Barney on a lightning tour of Diagon Alley. First they visited Madam Malkin's where he got three sets of robes, a hat and a cloak all in black and then next on to Potage's which specialised in cauldrons. As Sinistra went she was constantly greeting students and parents, buzzing her way around the place like a crazed bee in summer. Barney struggled to keep up and almost got lost a couple of times, causing Sinistra, once she realised he was not in tow to call out for him in the crowds.
Whilst they rushed about Sinistra mentioned some of the subjects Barney would be studying. Classes like History of Magic, Potions and Charms made sense to him. But things like Herbology, and Astronomy he'd never considered being something he'd need to know about. And he had no idea what Transfiguration was and he certainly didn't like the sound of Defence Against the Darks Arts. Magic was so much more than he'd expected.
Next they stopped off at a shop whose sign above the door read 'Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment'. In here they purchased a set of crystal phials, brass scales and a pair of gloves, which Barney had been informed were dragon hide, which caused Barney to gasp out in shock and ask if dragons really existed. Professor Sinistra told him all about Norwegian Ridgebacks, Romanian Longhorns and the exceptionally aggressive Hungarian Horntails amongst others.
As they left the shop she told him he would also require a telescope but realising just how quickly they were getting through the wizard money his mother had exchanged she said she had an old one in her office at Hogwarts that he could have. Barney thanked her gratefully.
Professor Sinistra and Barney's arms were beginning to get full and tired. So Sinistra took Barney to a shop that sold trunks. After they had bought one that initially Barney didn't think would be big enough for all his new things, (he then realised it was magic and was bigger on the inside than on the outside!), they put everything inside it and Sinistra made it disappear. She assured him that it was now safely in his bedroom back home, ready to be taken to Hogwarts with him.
"Right just a wand and books left to get," she said as she looked up and down the street.
Sinistra looked between two stores, Flourish and Blotts and Ollivanders. Seeing that the former was heaving with customers and the later was empty she quickly made up her mind.
"Wand it is then."
They approached the narrow shop and Barney admired the exquisite gold letting of the sign and the magnificent display of wands in the windows, seemingly hovering in mid air in a circle formation.
Just then a rather squat woman with grey wavy hair that was partially obscured by a patched hat paced up to them rather out of breath.
"Aurora..." the woman said as she took a second to catch her breath. "Aldridge, Miguel and Wells have bought a load of whiz bangs from Weasley's and have been setting them off in Gringotts. The goblins are furious!"
"Give me strength," Sinistra fumed. "Will you excuse me Barney, I have to deal with some fifth years who will be spending all of first term in detention."
And with that the two witches quickly made their way back up the street, the crowds seemingly parting by magic as not to impede their charge.
Barney turned back to the shop, still gazing in wonder. The warm lights inside making it look so inviting.
"The wand chooses the wizard," came a voice from behind Barney, in a slightly menacing tone.
At startled Barney turned around and saw a very tall boy with blonde hair and glasses standing behind him. He noticed on his robes he had a green and silver emblem with a snake on it.
"Sorry didn't mean to make you jump. First year I'm guessing?"
"Yeah, " Barney replied somewhat timidly.
"The wand chooses the wizard, that's apparently what old Ollivander use to say."
"Is he the owner?" Barney asked.
"Use to be, he's passed away several years ago. Dercyble runs it now. But Ollivanders is part of the heritage of Diagon Alley. There would have been an outcry if he'd tried to change the name. It's a right of passage for every wizard to get their wand from Ollivanders."
Barney felt nervous. And unsettled. And a little scared. Up until now he's only been excited about the prospect of going to Hogwarts. But everything was catching up with him, the whole prospect of learning to be a wizard now seemed daunting to him.
"What if I'm not a very good wizard?" a dejected Barney asked as he looked down at the ground and toyed with some loose gravel with his foot, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
"Worried you won't live up to your parents expectations? Every kid from a strong wizarding family feels that way when they start Hogwarts."
"But I'm not from a wizarding family. I'm what you call muggle-born."
"Oh, well then you're lucky," the boy replied.
"Really?"
"Yes, there's no expectations of you, you have nothing to live up to. You can go to Hogwarts free of any burden and just enjoy yourself and do as well as you can."
A smile began to reappear on Barney's face.
"I come from two very prominent wizarding families and my parents are both pretty famous wizards. My dad studied and wrote the book '101 Uses of Mandalor Venom' which won just about every academic award going. And my mum writes the Ned Flynn books."
Barney looked at him with an expression of bewilderment.
"Right you're muggle-born so you've never heard of Ned Flynn, which now makes you one of my favourite people," the boy beamed. "But I'm sure you will eventually, you won't be able to go to Hogwarts without someone telling you about them or giving you a copy to read."
"What are they about?"
"A boy wizard. A boy wizard who happens to be blond and wear glasses so naturally when I started Hogwarts and when everyone found out who my mum was, everyone thought Ned Flynn was based on me."
"And was he?" Barney asked.
"Sort of, but only in appearance. I've never been as good as flying as Ned is. But as you can imagine I got teased a lot about it and it didn't make my first year at Hogwarts all that great. I had a lot to live up to and had to make my own mark in life. But you, you don't have any of that. You can just be yourself and enjoy it."
Barney thought for a second. It was true. His mum and siblings had no idea about any of this. About what to expect. About what sort of magic he'd be able to perform. Even Barney didn't know what to expect. He was going into this as a blank canvas with no expectations on his shoulders and it made him feel at ease.
"I'm Eben by the way," the boy said as he held out his hand to him.
"Barney," he said as they shook.
"Well are you going in? Come on I'll come with you."
Eben was already walking towards the door before Barney had time to answer and he followed Eben in, grateful of having someone with him.
Inside the shop was filled on all sides by shelves with what seemed like thousands of narrow boxes piled up to the ceiling. Barney gazed around and started to examine some of the boxes more closely but was distracted as he caught sight of movement out the corner of his eye from behind the counter. A little creature with large ears, bulging eyes and wearing a dark blue robe climbed up on to the counter.
"Dercyble we have customers," the creature called out in a high pitched voice to someone who eventually emerged from the stacks behind.
A rather skinny but tall gentleman who must have been nearly seven foot stepped towards the counter. He was bald, with a rather long face, an elegant moustache that curled up at the ends, large round glasses and he had on a maroon suit with a black cravat.
"Ah Mr Cinders, haven't broken your wand have we?" the gentleman asked having seen Eben but not caught sight of Barney yet.
"No don't worry, still got the wand you sold me five years ago and it's been serving me very well indeed. No we need a wand for Barney here," Eben said as he reached over and pulled Barney towards the counter. "He's a muggle-born."
The little creature let out a squeal of excitement.
"Well, well," Dercyble said as he adjusted his glasses and peered over the counter to get a better look at Barney. "Finding the right wand for a muggle-born is no easy task, but very rewarding when we find the right one."
The creature was now jumping up and down on the counter shaking his hands in eagerness.
"Dooley?" Dercyble called out as he stroked his chin and the creature stopped bouncing about. "What do you think? Unicorn, phoenix or dragon core?"
"Phoenix... no unicorn... no dragon," the creature exclaimed as he once again began to bounce up and down on the counter.
"Maybe ash? Exceptionally loyal," the gentleman pondered. "Fir? Extremely stubborn, or cyprus? Very pure. What do you think Dooley?"
"Or holly, yes holly, no yew, yes definitely yew or maybe hawthorn, yes... no... holly, yes holly or maybe elm?" Dooley beamed, struggling to contain his excitement and almost nearly falling off the counter more than once.
The gentleman turned and started examining the stacks behind the counter, still rubbing his chin as he continued to contemplate. Every now and again he'd reach for a box, pulling it out slightly to only say to himself things like 'no I don't think so', 'oh we can do better than that' and 'definitely not' before pushing the box back in again.
Dooley had now climbed down from the counter and was examining the shelves on the other side of the counter, running up and down ladders to look at boxes high up as he stood at barely more than three foot tall.
Eben began to look around, pulling out boxes as well to see the descriptions written in italic on top. Barney stood in the middle of the shop feeling a bit lost and helpless. Eventually he stepped over towards Eben feeling a little stupid whilst everyone busied themself looking around.
"What does he mean by unicorn, dragon and... er..."
"Phoenix?" Eben said, helping Barney to finish his sentence.
"Yeah."
"It's what the core of the wand is made of. There are others but they are the three most common ones. Unicorn hair, dragon heartstring and phoenix feather."
Barney was still just as confused.
"Here, my wand..." Eben said as he removed his wand from his robe pocket, "... is ash with core of unicorn hair. Different cores and different woods have different properties and is what makes each wand unique. That's why it's important to find the right one."
Barney looked at Eben's wand but didn't dare touch it. It was dark in appearance but a streak of silver seemed to glaze across it as Eben moved it in his hand.
Dooley was pulling boxes off shelves and every now and again he'd pick one and throw it over towards the counter. Sometimes they'd land up top and others would miss and fall on the floor. Dercyble had now started to amass a small collection of boxes tucked under his arms but continued to look for more possibilities.
Dooley was struggling to reach a box that caught his attention as he stood at the top of a ladder. But it just a little too far for him and he continued to stretch, willing his arms to somehow get a little bit longer to reach. Barney saw the ladder he was standing on start to rock. Instinctively he moved to steady the ladder but instead was just in time to catch Dooley who fell straight into his arms with the box he was trying to reach clasped in his hands.
"Thanks Mr Barney," Dooley gushed, his large eyes all a glow with gratitude.
Barney was about to put him down on the floor but he couldn't take his eyes off the box in the creature's hands. He was somehow drawn to it. Dooley could seem him staring at the box so he offered it towards him. Barney placed Dooley on the counter and took the box from him and carefully opened it. Dercyble looked over at the pair.
"Interesting. Dragon heartstring and beechwood. Nine inches. That wand has been here a long time. A very long time indeed," he said as he put the boxes he was carrying down.
Barney carefully pulled the wand from the box. It was very slender and had a slight twist to it at one end. On the wand were some faint markings, like letters but not like any letters Barney had ever seen.
"Yes that wand has been in Ollivanders long before my time," Dercyble continued. "Many a young wizard has tried out that wand but the wand has never took."
Eben had stopped looking at boxes and joined the others at the counter, who were all looking at Barney with curiosity.
"Well?" Dercyble said. "Give it a try."
Barney was not sure what to do. He held the wand out in front of him feeling a little stupid but he could see everyone staring at him. He gripped the wand harder and concentrated on the tip of it. Suddenly he felt a tingling in his arm and impulsively swished the wand up into the air. A cascade of green and gold sparks exploded from the end making the room glow. Dooley once again jumped up and down on the counter in glee and Barney grinned from ear to ear.
"The wand chooses the wizard," Eben commented.
"Indeed," Dercyble replied.
With his wand purchased Barney and Eben headed back out into Diagon Alley and were walking towards Barney's next destination of the book shop when Professor Sinistra, accompanied by Barney's family, found them. Sinistra noticed the wand Barney clutched in his hand.
"I see you've got your hand then?"
Barney offered Sinistra his wand to inspect. She carefully handled it, bending it slightly in her hand to see how much give it had before holding it up to her nose and smelling along it.
"Beechwood?"
Barney nodded as Sinistra continued to examine it.
"And the core?" she asked.
"Dragon."
"Yes a very fine wand Mr West," she said as she passed the wand back to it. "It will serve you very well."
Sophie and Alfie were quick to crowd around their brother and see his new wand, wanting to have a go with it. Alfie snatched it from his brother's hand and swung it around but to his disappointment nothing happened.
"Well I'll see you around at Hogwarts then," Eben interrupted as he began to make his way into the crowds to meet his friend.
"Yes. Thanks," Barney shouted after him as he managed to wrestle his wand back from his brother.
"Thank you Mr Cinders," Professor Sinistra added before turning to Barney's mum. "One of our top students going in to his sixth year. Excels at Potions just like his father and his mother was exceptional at Herbology. Could have been a great herbologist if she hadn't gone into writing."
Alfie was trying once again to get a hold of his brother's wand as Mrs West intervened, embarrassed that they were making a show of her in front of all these new people.
"Right lets go to Flourish and Blotts and get your text books," Sinistra announced.
This didn't sound as exciting as any of the other items Barney had to get today but he reluctantly followed the professor with his family in tow.
The book shop was still heaving when they got there. But luckily Sinistra made quick work of collecting all the books he needed using magic so they didn't have to spend ages traipsing around the store. As they made their way to the till to pay, Sinistra said her goodbyes and left them to it. Barney noticed a stack of large red books, which had on the cover a small boy riding a broom. But what was most extraordinary about these books was that on every one of the covers the picture of the boy was moving. The image showed the boy zooming about on a broom. Barney looked at the title which read 'Ned Flynn and the Sorcerer's Revenge by Ettemya Cinders'. Barney picked up the book and held it as he watched the boy continue to fly around the cover. He was tempted to ask his mum if he could get it as well but he knew she had already spent so much on him today and he didn't have many coins left in his pocket that he grudgingly put it back down.
After the bookshop they couldn't help but be drawn to a shop where the window had arms stretching out of it putting a top hat on a head. The sign read 'Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes'. Inside was a mix if chaos and excitement. Children were running around everywhere and sounds of giggling mixed with explosions filled the air. Barney used some of the last of his wizarding money to buy his brother some puking pastilles to help him get out of any science exams which he always dreaded and he bought his sister some Bertie Botts every flavour beans. The latter of which they all enjoyed on the train home until Alfie got a smoked mackerel one and suddenly his puking pastilles seemed to be surplus to requirement as he rushed to the toilet to throw up.
It had been a very long day and Barney was knackered by the time that got home. Once he got to his room he collapsed on his bed, noticing his new trunk at the foot of it. All the excitement and wonder of the day had taken it out of him. But the real adventure hadn't even begun.