CHAPTER 2 - THE MEETING
"Look mom! There it is!" Heather squinted and read, 'The Leaky Cauldron'.
Lauren smiled. Heather was the type of girl who got excited over the little things in life. "Calm down sweetie. It's not like we're going to be late or anything." She glanced into the rearview mirror to check her daughter's expression.
Heather rolled her eyes. "Duh, Mom." Seeing her mother's stern look, she hurriedly added, "I mean, I know Mom." Grinning innocently, she turned and stared out the window, her eyes wide with wonder.
Lauren rolled her eyes. She would be glad when this day was over. She was just searching for a parking spot when her husband spoke up.
"That place wasn't there before, was it dear?" She turned to where he was pointing. It was the store Heather had just read off, 'The Leaky Cauldron'.
Puzzled, Lauren shook her head. She worked in this part of town and had never seen that building before. Yet, by the looks of it, it had apparently been there for quite a while. The paint was peeling and the sign over the door was hanging by one hinge.
But her thoughts were interrupted by Heather's excited call. "Come on you guys! Let's go!" And before they could even glance at her, she had disappeared inside the broken-down building. David was after her in a second. Lauren turned and motioned for Emily to follow, then opened the door with a creak.
It was very dark, and extremely crowded. The room was filled with tables, all of which were covered with people. Lauren gaped. The people were all wearing robes of some kind! She'd never seen so many people dressed so strangely all in one place. Emily bumped into her with a soft 'Umph!' and Lauren turned to take her hand. The place was filled to capacity, and she did not want to take the chance of losing her.
"Mom? Mom! Over here!" Lauren turned at the sound of Heather's voice. She spotted Heather and David over by the bar. She hurried over, still clutching Emily's hand.
"Mom," Emily pulled her hand from her mother's firm grasp. "I'll be all right. Ok?" Rubbing her squashed fingers, Emily fell into step beside her mother.
"Mom. This is Mr. Tim. He says he can show us how to get into Diagon Alley."
Lauren looked at the man Heather was referring to. Mr. Tim was a young man, maybe 20 at the most, with short blonde hair. He was also wearing one of those robes.
"Just Tim," he said, "Follow me. Diagon Alley is this way."
Heather skipped on ahead with Emily close behind. David took Laurens hand and began walking after the girls. Lauren hesitantly followed. This was all so strange!
(A/N: Tim is Tom's son.)
They followed Tim through a door behind the bar. They ended up outside, face to face with a large stonewall. Lauren was just beginning to wonder if this all really was a joke after all, when Tim pulled out what appeared to be a stick from his robes. Taking it in his hand, he reached up and tapped some of the stones.
'What on earth is he doing?' Lauren was still hesitant to believe all this. She immediately changed her mind, however, when the wall suddenly opened up to reveal a large and crowded street lined with shops.
"This is where I leave you. If you walk down to the end of this road, you'll come to Gringott's Wizarding Bank. They'll be able to exchange your muggle money for wizard money. And before they could even ask him what a 'muggle' was, he was through the door.
"Dad! Hurry! Look, I can see the bank from here!" Heather grabbed David's hand and began to drag him down the street, heading for a large, white building. On the building were the letters
Gringott's Wizarding Bank
"Well," grinned David, "We appear to have the right place." He glanced over his shoulder to be sure Lauren and Emily were still following, then allowed Heather to drag him through the large, glass doors.
*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*
Having finished early, Krista and Aimee waited in line for ice cream. Figuring he wouldn't be too long, they were just going to grab him some ice cream and save them a table. Krista was all talked out, and Aimee was grateful. She had just about talked her ear off in Ollivander's. Now she had time to think. Not for long though. Before she could blink, Krista had left her side and joined the family in front of them.
"You don't want Fizzy Peach Fuzz. It has clumps of peach in it. And the clumps are hairy." The girl she was talking to grimaced and quickly changed her order. "No, no, no. You don't want Awesome Apple Pie either. They actually take an apple pie and shove it in the blender."
The girl turned to Krista and asked, "Well, if you're so smart, what do you recommend? Hmm?"
Krista grinned. It was exactly what she had been waiting for. "You'll want either the Fudge Supreme or the Handsome Huckleberry."
"What on earth is Fudge Supreme?"
"Well, Fudge Supreme is just fudge and chocolate chip ice cream all stuffed mixed together. And it is never mixed properly, so there are fudge clumps everywhere." Krista smacked her lips. "And," she said, before the girl could even ask, "Handsome Huckleberry is just a huckleberry shake. I know it sounds weird, but it is really good!"
After looking at Krista for a moment, the girl turned back the counter and ordered Handsome Huckleberry.
"Awesome!" said Krista. She waited for the family to step away from the line before she ordered Handsome Huckleberry, and Aimee ordered two Fudge Supremes.
Turning, ice cream in hand, they came face to face with the girl Krista had just finished talking to. "My name's Heather. Heather Laurent. Would you and your mom like to sit with us?"
"Well, we're waiting for my dad."
"That's all right. We can find another chair. No problem."
Krista turned to her mom, who nodded. "That'd be great! I'm Krista Kinkle by the way." Heather grinned and motioned for them to follow her, which they did, gladly.
Heather sat down at a table and Krista excitedly sat next to her. Aimee sat on Krista's other side, and set Patrick's ice cream in front of the last empty chair.
"This is my mom, Lauren, and my dad, David," said Heather, pointed at the correct person. A loud cough escaped the mouth of the younger girl seated between Lauren and David. "Oh, that's my little sister Emily. She's 8." She grinned towards Emily, who smirked, then broke into a smile.
"This is my mom, Aimee. My dad." She broke off in mid-sentence. Patrick had just walked up.
"Well, well. What's this?" said Patrick. "Have we met a new friend already?" He grinned at Krista and tousled her hair a bit. Krista glared at him and.
"You can sit by me, dear." Said Aimee. Her eyes twinkled in amusement.
"As I was saying," Krista stuck her tongue out at Patrick, who looked at her innocently. "This is my dad, Patrick." They caught Patrick up on the introductions, and then they began the small talk.
"Are your parents muggles?" asked Krista.
Heather was confused. "What's a muggle?" she asked, remembering what Tim had said.
"A muggle's someone who has no magic blood. Someone who's not a witch or a wizard."
Heather nodded in understanding. "Yeah, they both are. So is Emily. How `bout you?"
"My dad's a wizard and my mom's a witch."
Nodding, Heather asked, "Do you have any other siblings?"
"Yeah," said Krista, "Just one though. Mark's already graduated Hogwarts. He's gone to St. Mungo's to study to be a Healer." Seeing Heather's confused look, she hastily added, "A healer's like your doctor. They work at hospitals and heal people. What about your family?"
Heather was fascinated by Krista's explanations of the Wizarding World, as was Krista with the Muggle World. They spent the next hour or so chatting about this and that, quickly becoming close friends.
Their parents also chattered excitedly, Aimee and Patrick telling Lauren and David anything they wanted to know about the world they were sending their daughter into. Emily altered between listening to the adults, and listening to the girls. She was clearly bored.
After what seemed like the hundredth sigh from Emily, Lauren glanced at her watch.
"Oh my! We've been here longer than I thought! Hurry Heather, we'll be late for Emily's ballet lesson!" Heather sighed and tossed her long-since- eaten ice cream into a nearby trashcan. She gave Krista a look that clearly said, 'I wish I didn't have to go. Will I see you at school?'
Krista nodded. "I'll save you a seat on the train. See you later, Heather!" She watched her hurry after her parents and sister, who were already halfway down the road. Krista turned to her own parents, who were smiling happily.
"They're really nice, Krista." Said Aimee. Patrick eagerly nodded. Krista had to agree. Making sure they had everything, they slowly walked down the road in the direction the Laurents had taken. After all; they had a whole week before Krista had to catch the train to Hogwarts, and they planned on spending all of it together.
"Look mom! There it is!" Heather squinted and read, 'The Leaky Cauldron'.
Lauren smiled. Heather was the type of girl who got excited over the little things in life. "Calm down sweetie. It's not like we're going to be late or anything." She glanced into the rearview mirror to check her daughter's expression.
Heather rolled her eyes. "Duh, Mom." Seeing her mother's stern look, she hurriedly added, "I mean, I know Mom." Grinning innocently, she turned and stared out the window, her eyes wide with wonder.
Lauren rolled her eyes. She would be glad when this day was over. She was just searching for a parking spot when her husband spoke up.
"That place wasn't there before, was it dear?" She turned to where he was pointing. It was the store Heather had just read off, 'The Leaky Cauldron'.
Puzzled, Lauren shook her head. She worked in this part of town and had never seen that building before. Yet, by the looks of it, it had apparently been there for quite a while. The paint was peeling and the sign over the door was hanging by one hinge.
But her thoughts were interrupted by Heather's excited call. "Come on you guys! Let's go!" And before they could even glance at her, she had disappeared inside the broken-down building. David was after her in a second. Lauren turned and motioned for Emily to follow, then opened the door with a creak.
It was very dark, and extremely crowded. The room was filled with tables, all of which were covered with people. Lauren gaped. The people were all wearing robes of some kind! She'd never seen so many people dressed so strangely all in one place. Emily bumped into her with a soft 'Umph!' and Lauren turned to take her hand. The place was filled to capacity, and she did not want to take the chance of losing her.
"Mom? Mom! Over here!" Lauren turned at the sound of Heather's voice. She spotted Heather and David over by the bar. She hurried over, still clutching Emily's hand.
"Mom," Emily pulled her hand from her mother's firm grasp. "I'll be all right. Ok?" Rubbing her squashed fingers, Emily fell into step beside her mother.
"Mom. This is Mr. Tim. He says he can show us how to get into Diagon Alley."
Lauren looked at the man Heather was referring to. Mr. Tim was a young man, maybe 20 at the most, with short blonde hair. He was also wearing one of those robes.
"Just Tim," he said, "Follow me. Diagon Alley is this way."
Heather skipped on ahead with Emily close behind. David took Laurens hand and began walking after the girls. Lauren hesitantly followed. This was all so strange!
(A/N: Tim is Tom's son.)
They followed Tim through a door behind the bar. They ended up outside, face to face with a large stonewall. Lauren was just beginning to wonder if this all really was a joke after all, when Tim pulled out what appeared to be a stick from his robes. Taking it in his hand, he reached up and tapped some of the stones.
'What on earth is he doing?' Lauren was still hesitant to believe all this. She immediately changed her mind, however, when the wall suddenly opened up to reveal a large and crowded street lined with shops.
"This is where I leave you. If you walk down to the end of this road, you'll come to Gringott's Wizarding Bank. They'll be able to exchange your muggle money for wizard money. And before they could even ask him what a 'muggle' was, he was through the door.
"Dad! Hurry! Look, I can see the bank from here!" Heather grabbed David's hand and began to drag him down the street, heading for a large, white building. On the building were the letters
Gringott's Wizarding Bank
"Well," grinned David, "We appear to have the right place." He glanced over his shoulder to be sure Lauren and Emily were still following, then allowed Heather to drag him through the large, glass doors.
*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*
Having finished early, Krista and Aimee waited in line for ice cream. Figuring he wouldn't be too long, they were just going to grab him some ice cream and save them a table. Krista was all talked out, and Aimee was grateful. She had just about talked her ear off in Ollivander's. Now she had time to think. Not for long though. Before she could blink, Krista had left her side and joined the family in front of them.
"You don't want Fizzy Peach Fuzz. It has clumps of peach in it. And the clumps are hairy." The girl she was talking to grimaced and quickly changed her order. "No, no, no. You don't want Awesome Apple Pie either. They actually take an apple pie and shove it in the blender."
The girl turned to Krista and asked, "Well, if you're so smart, what do you recommend? Hmm?"
Krista grinned. It was exactly what she had been waiting for. "You'll want either the Fudge Supreme or the Handsome Huckleberry."
"What on earth is Fudge Supreme?"
"Well, Fudge Supreme is just fudge and chocolate chip ice cream all stuffed mixed together. And it is never mixed properly, so there are fudge clumps everywhere." Krista smacked her lips. "And," she said, before the girl could even ask, "Handsome Huckleberry is just a huckleberry shake. I know it sounds weird, but it is really good!"
After looking at Krista for a moment, the girl turned back the counter and ordered Handsome Huckleberry.
"Awesome!" said Krista. She waited for the family to step away from the line before she ordered Handsome Huckleberry, and Aimee ordered two Fudge Supremes.
Turning, ice cream in hand, they came face to face with the girl Krista had just finished talking to. "My name's Heather. Heather Laurent. Would you and your mom like to sit with us?"
"Well, we're waiting for my dad."
"That's all right. We can find another chair. No problem."
Krista turned to her mom, who nodded. "That'd be great! I'm Krista Kinkle by the way." Heather grinned and motioned for them to follow her, which they did, gladly.
Heather sat down at a table and Krista excitedly sat next to her. Aimee sat on Krista's other side, and set Patrick's ice cream in front of the last empty chair.
"This is my mom, Lauren, and my dad, David," said Heather, pointed at the correct person. A loud cough escaped the mouth of the younger girl seated between Lauren and David. "Oh, that's my little sister Emily. She's 8." She grinned towards Emily, who smirked, then broke into a smile.
"This is my mom, Aimee. My dad." She broke off in mid-sentence. Patrick had just walked up.
"Well, well. What's this?" said Patrick. "Have we met a new friend already?" He grinned at Krista and tousled her hair a bit. Krista glared at him and.
"You can sit by me, dear." Said Aimee. Her eyes twinkled in amusement.
"As I was saying," Krista stuck her tongue out at Patrick, who looked at her innocently. "This is my dad, Patrick." They caught Patrick up on the introductions, and then they began the small talk.
"Are your parents muggles?" asked Krista.
Heather was confused. "What's a muggle?" she asked, remembering what Tim had said.
"A muggle's someone who has no magic blood. Someone who's not a witch or a wizard."
Heather nodded in understanding. "Yeah, they both are. So is Emily. How `bout you?"
"My dad's a wizard and my mom's a witch."
Nodding, Heather asked, "Do you have any other siblings?"
"Yeah," said Krista, "Just one though. Mark's already graduated Hogwarts. He's gone to St. Mungo's to study to be a Healer." Seeing Heather's confused look, she hastily added, "A healer's like your doctor. They work at hospitals and heal people. What about your family?"
Heather was fascinated by Krista's explanations of the Wizarding World, as was Krista with the Muggle World. They spent the next hour or so chatting about this and that, quickly becoming close friends.
Their parents also chattered excitedly, Aimee and Patrick telling Lauren and David anything they wanted to know about the world they were sending their daughter into. Emily altered between listening to the adults, and listening to the girls. She was clearly bored.
After what seemed like the hundredth sigh from Emily, Lauren glanced at her watch.
"Oh my! We've been here longer than I thought! Hurry Heather, we'll be late for Emily's ballet lesson!" Heather sighed and tossed her long-since- eaten ice cream into a nearby trashcan. She gave Krista a look that clearly said, 'I wish I didn't have to go. Will I see you at school?'
Krista nodded. "I'll save you a seat on the train. See you later, Heather!" She watched her hurry after her parents and sister, who were already halfway down the road. Krista turned to her own parents, who were smiling happily.
"They're really nice, Krista." Said Aimee. Patrick eagerly nodded. Krista had to agree. Making sure they had everything, they slowly walked down the road in the direction the Laurents had taken. After all; they had a whole week before Krista had to catch the train to Hogwarts, and they planned on spending all of it together.