Violet sighed and tried to ignore the intermittent banging and teleporting of the violently purple bus. It was easier said than done. Just as well she didn't have her kitten. She would have been yowling the whole way. The loose baseboard in her door occurred to her- yes, that would be the spot for the scroll she had bought, just because Petunia absolutely forbade any of the family from doing their own decorating.
Twenty minutes later, Violet slipped into the cool darkness of Privet Drive. Vernon was at work, of course, and she deduced by the smell of sunscreen that Petunia had taken Dudley to the pool. Violet never got to go with, but the rare time alone was always a treat. And of course the air-conditioning was full blast in the empty house. God forbid Mummy's Dinky Duddydums be hot or uncomfortable for a second!
Violet found some small nails and Muggle tacks in the kitchen junk drawer, and one of Dudley's unread, thick books for a hammer. But it was all easier than expected. The baseboard that was loose concealed a few spare inches, with soft wood, and the interior wall was just drywall. It didn't even take five minutes to attach the scroll to the door, then hide her handiwork again.
Well, time to try it out. Violet turned a page of "Hogwarts: A History" as she heard a car door slam in the driveway, but fought the instinctive urge to hide the book and the rest of her items from the Alley.
Petunia and Dudley could be heard distantly in the kitchen, then his heavy tread on the stairs. Usually, he would stop on the way to his room, whether to tease her or give her some task the Dursleys wanted done.
But today, he passed straight by her door, not even slowing. It was like she wasn't there at all. Maybe it worked! Violet got the crazy urge to scream and jump up and down all at once- then decided, to hell with it! That would be a way to test the strength of the scroll!
No response from the house below, not even when she screamed as loudly as Dudley had the day he had only gotten thirty-five presents, not thirty-seven. Not when she jumped on the bed, not even when she yelled, "I'm a witch!" at the top of her lungs,
It worked. Magical objects work! And they're allowed outside of Hogwarts as long as I don't enchant them during the summers! If she had been more like Dudley, an evil grin would have spread across her face, but it just came out looking like she had a toothache.
She read for a few more hours, then began to feel hungry again. Time for another test. She climbed catlike down the stairs and into the kitchen, but Petunia seemed to look straight through her.
"Um…Aunt Petunia?" Violet tapped her bony shoulder. "I'm going to make myself something to eat."
Petunia shrugged. "All right. Go ahead. I don't want you to eat with my family…now that you're a- but you'll be fine, I taught you to cook the basics. I'll put leftovers up for you, if you want. But don't leave dishes in your room!"
"I won't. I'm scared of bugs, you know."
She only noticed me at all when I deliberately got her attention. Is that how the scroll works? She resolved to contact Mr. Cohen and praise his invention.
Violet sat on her windowsill, slowly chewing her sandwich, a bit later, when an enormous spotted owl nearly crashed into the pane. She flung the window open and tried to block the bird out- not wanting him to mistake the glass as nothing, but also knowing she did not want a wild owl trapped in her bedroom!
But instead, the owl landed silently and softly on her outstretched arm, holding up a leg with a small bag attached. Violet felt stupid saying it, but spoke: "Don't leave until I see what you've got," fumbling with the cord around one of its legs. The owl cocked its head as though listening, and stood very still.
The bag contained a tightly furled scroll and some Wizarding small change. She recognized McGonagall's handwriting from the Hogwarts letter.
Mrs. Potter,
I hope you're settling in well to the wizarding world. This is one of the owls that Hogwarts keeps. In this world, owls are used to deliver all mail and messages. I thought it would be best for you to learn this before arriving, and also allow you to stay in contact with Ms. Granger. When you get to school, you pay six Knuts per letter to ask one of the school owls to take any messages you need, but I've asked this one to be available for you until then. Attached is enough Wizarding change to send several messages. We even get our newspaper, the Daily Prophet, delivered by owls. Five Knuts a day, if you're interested. They're very smart. Just tell the owl clearly what you want and who you need them to find.
Violet rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure you're that smart- ow!" the owl had nipped her, half affectionate and half reproachful, on the finger.
"All right, all right. Are you smart enough to get me a Daily Prophet subscription and take a few letters? You can stay a while, I'll get you water." She filled an empty inkwell in the bathroom, set out an old pillow by the window, and set to writing.
Professor,
Thanks for the note and loaning out an owl. Does it have a name? I'm taking out a newspaper subscription and writing to Hermione, so it came in very useful. The directions back to the Alley really helped. My eyes have almost adjusted to 20/20 by now, so I shouldn't need glasses at school!
Hermione,
How's the kitten? I haven't yet figured out a name, but I'm going to read all of my mother's old books and the ones we bought earlier today, and choose one from there. Thank you so much for taking care of her. My guardians are leaving me alone now- the scroll works! But it wouldn't be fair to confine a kitten to one room.
I borrowed this owl from Hogwarts through Professor McGonagall. Can you believe it? Owls delivering all messages and news? I didn't know an animal with a brain the size of an apricot could manage, but apparently they can. Or maybe it's the magic. Anyway, you can write back to me using the owl. Just tell it clearly that you want to find me,
When you're reading, let me know if you come across any descriptions or mentions of magical objects- NOT spells, objects with charms and the like. Apparently using them does not break the "no magic outside Hogwarts" rule, since WE didn't do the spell. I'm interested to find out what there is in this world! In time I could maybe even invent something at school and bring it home.
Do you know about the Houses? Which Hogwarts House do you think you'll be in?
Violet
Dear Mr. Cohen,
Your scroll works amazingly! I can do anything I want in my room and not be noticed, and even if I leave it, my guardians and my cousin don't seem to notice me unless I get their attention.
Violet chewed on the end of her fountain pen, thinking, then wrote:
Do you have, or can you invent, other magical objects? Especially since I'm now being ignored, I would like to get hold of some more things. Mostly so I can live more independently. Or are Wizarding home renovators a thing that exists?
I really appreciate your help and advice.
-Violet
To: Gringotts Customer Service
From: Violet Potter
Re: Faster access and exchange issues
Does Gringotts offer some kind of checking account or credit services? I appreciate that you must provide security, but I may find myself in sudden need of money, either Wizard or Muggle. Is there a linked credit card or book of checks you could send? Ideally something I could use in both worlds and currencies.
Finally, Violet stopped writing, her hand cramping as she folded the bundles of paper into the owl's small bag. "Professor McGonagall. Hermione. Mr. Cohen. Gringotts. You can handle that?"
The owl fluffed itself up importantly and seemed to nod before flying out the window.
Violet sighed- how long was owl post supposed to take? She scribbled tomorrow's plans and tacked them to her calendar. If she couldn't have a magical version, she would at least go into Surrey tomorrow and buy her own small fridge, hot plate, and kettle. Shoot, that meant another trip to Diagon Alley unless the bank wrote back quickly. She fell asleep only a few pages into her mother's old beginner Potions book.
Tap. Tap. Tap. The scroll had to be a dream or trick, and now Aunt Petunia was rapping on the bedroom door.
"I'm getting up. Ugh." Violet was on her feet again before she realized the tapping was the spotted owl, holding a scroll of newsprint.
Something huge shifted inside of her. It was just the owl! It was one of the best moments of her life, realizing she hardly had to deal with the Dursleys any more. No sooner had she given the owl its change, when another, small, vaguely gremlin-like one flew up.
Ms. Potter:
Gringotts does have credit and debit cards available. We cannot issue you credit at this time, because you are not of age. But attached in the pouch is a debit card that works in the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. As a security measure, to open the pouch, you need to let a drop of your blood fall on it to prove your identity. But after that, you will be set to make any necessary purchases.
Violet winced as she stuck her finger with a tack to open the pouch, but had to fight down a shout of joy. Access to her money! Anything she needed! For someone constantly second best, not considered, this was almost as good as being magic itself!
And finally, a third owl, a large tawny one with spectacle-like markings. Just a brief note from McGonagall thanking her for writing back and suggestions that she read the Prophet and "Hogwarts, a History" before school.
Even though she was disappointed not to hear back from everyone yet, Violet had a spring in her step as she walked into Little Whinging. She quickly found what she was looking for- a small appliance store- and struggled back to Privet Drive with her mini-fridge, hot plate, kettle, and the basics to set up her own small kitchen in the bedroom.
By the time she was back in town, Violet was thirsty and wanting breakfast. Someone was hawking water bottles and bagels on one of the street corners, near a new- looking building.
"Are you interested in joining the new gym? You just have to be twelve, dear," the muscular woman asked as she handed out the free items.
Feeling obligated, and a bit sweaty, Violet agreed to go in and see it. "It's open 24/7! Full new locker rooms with wet and dry sauna, showers, and secure storage! And then there's all these new machines-" the woman babbled.
"Wait. Did you say 24/7? Showers? Lockers?" Violet added. "Because I am twelve now. My brother is always hogging the bathroom- I live nearby-"
The woman laughed. "I have the same problem with my sister! But we have quite enough facilities here-"
"How much?" Violet cut her off.
"Er…fifteen pounds a month, with a thirty-pound damage deposit. You get a keycard for access whenever you want, a lock, a locker, free clean towels, and access to washer and dryer in case you want to wash gear."
"Where do I sign?"
And that's how I solve the Dursley problem. I'll just shower here- fifteen pounds though, and I only use it ten weeks of the year! Better do more than that here and get my money's worth. She almost laughed, remembering how Vernon and Dudley would eat themselves half sick on expensive meat at buffets. To get their money's worth.
She simply told anyone who asked why she was shopping for such a lot of things by herself later, that she was going to go to boarding school, so her guardians wanted her to learn about money, necessities, and cooking.
But she had pizza that night, meeting the driver at the corner of the street so he wouldn't ring the doorbell. She had pizza, and Dudley, below, was whining about the healthy salad he had to eat.