"Where?"
"Oh and you don't need any robes."
"Okay," Elaine said as the girl, Margie she had said her name was, left.
* * * * *
"Are you ready to go to Diagon Alley?" Her uncle said.
"Yes." Elaine replied.
"Then lets be on our way," her uncle said handing her some dust.
"Err, um, what am I supposed to with this?" Elaine asked puzzled.
"Throw it into the fire, then step into the fire and say 'Diagon Alley.'"
"Well okay," Elaine said as she did what she was directed to do. She looked up an saw that she had started to zoom up the chimney. She closed her eyes, and was extremely grateful she hadn't worn a skirt. Suddenly she felt herself drop onto the ground.
"Ow! That hurt!" Elaine said as she got up.
"Sorry, I forgot to warn you about that," She heard her uncle say from behind her.
"Oh my God! You scared me!"
"Sorry. I am going to go and get some more potion supplies and quills, while you go and get your supplies. Here is some money. The bronze ones are the Knuts, the silver coins are sickles, and the gold ones are galleons. Here is your list of the supplies you need, if there is any change you can use it to buy what you want," Her uncle said.
"Oh, okay. Um, Uncle Severus, I was wondering… what are houses. I mean in school."
"Well there are four houses Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. The Headmistress will explain the rest."
"Ok, what house were you in?"
"Slytherin."
"Ok, I'll see you later," Elaine said as her uncle walked off. She turned and looked down the cobblestone path. "Where should I go first? Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, or Olivander's Wanda? Hmmm, better go for the wands," Elaine said as she walked into the wand store. "Hello, is anyone here?" She yelled into the seemingly empty shop.
"Oh, hello Miss Sampton. I've been expecting you for quite a while. I wonder why you never arrived, but that's in the past. I am Mr. Ollivander. Please hold out your wand hand, that's the hand your write with I mean," A man said as he came out of the shadows. He was very peculiar looking with silver eyes.
"Oh, hello, um my right hand then," Elaine said holding out her right hand.
"Now, lets take your measurements. Good, good," He said taking out a measuring tape and letting it measure by itself. "Now lets see, try this one, Unicorn hair and maple, 10 inches." She took the wand in her hand and waved it around a little, but nothing happened. "No, no, try this one. Dragon heartstring and cherry wood, 11 inches." Again nothing happened. After she had tested about ten wands he gave me a very unusual looking wand. It was a dark mahogany brown that was swirled with a lighter brown. "Here, try this one, Phoenix Feather and Weeping Willow, 11 ½ inches long. Supple and good for elemental magic." As soon ad Elaine took the wand in her hand, she felt a warmth run through her fingers and up her arm. Her fingers seemed to know there place on the wand, and as she held it, she thought that it felt like something that some has had for a long time. With a great swish of her arm, red and gold sparks came flying from the wand.
"Ah, bravo, bravo! Now let me wrap it for you. Now that I think of it, this wand is very much suited to your special powers," Mr. Ollivader said wrapping her wand. "That will be 10 galleons. Have a nice day." And with that Mr. Ollivander disappeared into the darkness of the store.
"Hmmm, I think I will grow to like you wand."
* * * * *
After Elaine had bought everything on her list, she went back inside the bookstore to look up a specific subject: elemental magic. She must have looked through dozens of books, but finally she found one that seemed very useful: A Force's Guide to Elemental Magic. She went to the cash register and bought it. She looked in the little purse, and found she still and plenty of galleons, Knuts, and sickles.
"What should I buy?" Elaine wondered aloud.
"How about a pet? A girl needs a pet," the man at the cash register said. So Elaine headed down to Eeylops Owl Emporium.
"Owls, what in the world could an owl be for?" Elaine said thinking aloud.
"Why for mail, of course! They make good companions too, but for companionship I would have a dog over an owl any day!" A man standing near her said.
Mail? What a laugh it will be when Nikki gets her mail by owl, he he! Elaine began looking around at all the owls using a special owl light. She was just considering buying a tawny owl, when a snowy owl caught her eye.
"Wow, you sure are pretty. What is this marking? Oh, a star, how pretty! You know, I think I'll get you," Elaine said as she went up and paid the owner two galleons and six sickles for the newly named owl Kirra.
* * * * *
"What is that?" Elaine's uncle asked in disgust as he spotted Chaffon.
"Well, I'm going to want to mail my friends Nikki, and Krystin, so I thought I could buy an owl with the money I had left over, and mail them with that. Also she's is really pretty, and really amiable."
"You can't send mail with an owl to muggles! What did you do with the rest of the money?" He asked as if Elaine was a simpleton.
"Well, I bought a book, and I opened an account at Gringotts, and put my last ten Galleons, five Sickles, and seven Knuts in it," Elaine said, trying not to get mad. "And if I can't mail my muggle friends, then I can use Kirra to mail my wizard friends over the summer. I will be getting friends you know."
"What is your owl's name?" Her uncle asked with a hint of suspicion.
"Kirra, I got it from the book I bought," Elaine said innocently.
"What book?" Her uncle said from behind clenched teeth.
"It's called 'A Guide to Elemental Magic.' It's really interesting, did you know that Kirra is a type of elemental magic, it is plants, the full name is Kirramental, but I shortened it. Well, didn't you expect that I would just stay outside the door twiddling my thumbs, I knew you would be talking about me, and I learned some very interesting things, I am a force, even though I still have no idea what that means, the god-damned book doesn't say anything about it, but I will find out. Oh, and what really pisses me off is that you kept all of this from me! And what was that about 'that's the reason her'? I want to know!" Elaine exploded. People in the street stopped and looked at the strange pair, a pretty young girl, and a foreboding man.
"I will not tell you here. The walls have ears." And with that he was silent the rest of the trip.
* * * * *
"Okay, I have my backpack, my books, my schedule, my pens and parchment, (she had refused to use quills, they are just so primal!) My cauldron, my potion ingredients, my robes, my hats, my gloves, my coat, and my stamps, and envelopes! I think I am ready!" Elaine said to the innkeeper as she checked her school equipment once again. The innkeeper smiled at Elaine, she had grown quite fond of the girl, and her anxiety at starting the new school was quite funny.
"You forgot your wand, your owl, and your favorite book," The innkeeper said.
"Oh my gosh, I did!" She said running up to her room. "I am sorry I left you Kirra," she said and hurried downstairs.
"Elaine, hurry up, your uncle is here!" Elaine heard the innkeeper call from downstairs.
"Okay!" She yelled back. Elaine grabbed the remaining stuff I her room and ran downstairs. Her uncle was there waiting. He grabbed her trunk and helped her into the carriage.
* * * * *
"Hello again Miss Sampton," Professor McGonagal said to Elaine. "Now, the students are all gathered in the hall for dinner, you will be introduced and then you will come into the hall. I will then tell you to what to do. Is this understood?"
"Yes, umm do they have to watch me be sorted? Couldn't I do it in private?" Elaine said nervously.
"No, now wait here," Professor McGonagal said exiting into the great hall. Elaine could hear Professor Dumbledore talking, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. After a few minutes she was able to make out only the words "rarely…new student…pleased to say…would like to…Elaine Sampton." Elaine supposed that was her cue. Elaine took a deep breath and stepped through the door. She couldn't help but feel that all eyes were on her, judging her right there. She could hear a few people whispering, and a few quiet giggles.
"Now, Elaine, will you please put on this hat, it will sort you," Professor McGonagal said pointing to a hat on a stool in the middle of the room. Elaine bit her lip and went and put it on.
"Well, well, well what have we here?" Elaine heard a voice say. "I remember when your uncle was sorted, definitely a Slytherin he was, but you, now you are different. You have a lot of bravery in you, almost to the point of too much bravery, but you also have a way of getting what you want when you want it, hmmmm…I think Gryffindor suits you better though, better be GRYFFINDOR!" Elaine heard the hat shout out the last word. She took the hat off, and went to the table under the banner that read Gryffindor. Elaine was glad to see that the people were cheering. She saw Harry Ron and Hermione at the end of the table. They waved her over and she sat between them.
"Ha ha! Look at Snape! He's absolutely livid!" Ron said. Elaine nervously glanced at her uncle, Ron was right, he was livid. Elaine decided now was the right time to lay low for a while.
"Congratulations on becoming the newest Gryffindor chap, you just won me five galleons," A boy with hair like Ron's said.
"Yes, absolutely spiffing! Love the outfit too darling! Hey Fred, I bet you two galleons that Elaine here will be Hogwarts newest heartbreaker!" A boy who looked exactly like the other one said.
"Now, why would I bet against you on that? It is quite obvious my dear brother."
"Yes, I suppose so, well cheerio!" And with that they left.
"My brothers, Fred and George," Ron said. "They think they're funny."
"Well, it's getting late, and you need to unpack your stuff, so what do you say to calling it a night?" Hermione asked. Elaine Harry and Ron answered in the affirmative and climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
