Caroline In Diagon Alley
Chapter Three
By: Jana~
~~Disclaimer~~
(Link doesn't work? See below.)
*****~*****
--Caroline and Gabby watched as Richard walked with confidence down the dark alley… they followed, but 2 steps behind and hesitantly…
"And you're sure it's down here?" Caroline asked skittishly as she hugged herself with concern…
"Yep." Richard replied with certainty… "I was just here last week."
"What?"
He immediately winced as he recognized her tone as displeased… "I just stopped by to get the new issue of Wizard's Weekly."
"How often do you come here?"
"Once every week or two…"
When she shook her head, he knew the conversation wasn't over, but that she was dropping it for the time being.
He found the right brick, looked around, then tapped on it three times. The wall seemed to disappear before their eyes and what lied before them was an opening to a fairly busy street…
"Cool!" Gabby exclaimed as she stepped up to touch where the wall had once been…
"That's Diagon Alley?" Caroline asked quietly, as if the people in front of her would be outraged by her presence…
"No, actually, this is Lyndling Lane…" he explained as he gestured for them to move ahead onto the street before them… "We'll get to Diagon Alley from here."
Caroline turned once through the non-existent wall and watched as the wall re-appeared right before her eyes.
Gently, he took his wife's hand and started walking towards a small shop with a sign that read: 'Teas of all sorts. Muggle teas now available'.
The shop had an odd aroma to it. Not bad, just unfamiliar to Caroline. The décor reminded her of something out of the renaissance era, but there was something about the atmosphere that put her on edge…
"Relax…" Richard whispered in her ear…
"Richard!" a small man dressed in robes of brilliant burgundy greeted… "Too soon for the next Wizard's Weekly ya'know!"
"I know. I'm here for different reasons." He replied proudly… "May I introduce my wife Caroline, and my daughter Gabby."
"I'll be! The Missus! We've heard a lot about you!" the shop owner shook Caroline's hand enthusiastically… "Honey! Come meet Karinsky's wife and daughter!"
Almost immediately a short plump woman dressed in clothes Caroline likened to something olden-day Gypsies might wear entered from a back room…
"Oh! Finally!" she exclaimed… "It is so wonderful to finally meet you my dears! Richard speaks so fondly of you both! Sincere Amore he tells us." She softly touched Caroline's face… "Such a beauty."
Caroline could only smile awkwardly…
"She's still coming to terms with all this…" Richard explained to the woman he obviously knew well… "And this is Gabby." He put his hands on her shoulders proudly…
"So nice to meet you dear." The shop owner's wife smiled as she shook the confused girl's hand… "She still coming to terms as well?"
Richard nodded… "Yes."
The shop owner stepped an inch closer… "What brings you by Richard?"
"Well…" his smile could not be contained… "Gabby has been accepted to Hogwarts."
"Oh! Congratulations sweetie! Such a wonderful school!"
"Many a wonderful witch graduated from that school!" The shop owner's wife added…
"So, you'll be heading for Diagon Alley then!"
"Yep! And we were hoping to borrow your flue."
"Of course! You have all the floo-powder you need?"
"Yep!"
The shop owner directed them towards their fireplace, a fireplace larger than any other Caroline had ever seen…
"We'll see you when you come back…" the owner's wife chirped… "We'll have a spot of tea!"
Caroline just nodded.
Richard removed a pouch from his pocket and opened it… "Now, we'll all go in together. Don't want to risk getting split up."
He stood in the middle between his wife and child, then threw some powder from the satchel into the already steadily burning fire. The flames flickered green, and Caroline took a step backwards out of instinct.
"Nothing to fear…" he told them… "On the count of three we will take one step into the fire and clearly say 'Diagon Alley'. You might want to close your eyes… your first time can make you a bit queasy."
Caroline was too confused and dumbfounded to argue or back out… so she simply nodded.
With another pinch of powder tossed at the flames, he counted to three and they all stepped forward.
The flames didn't hurt… they almost felt… cool. They all stated clearly 'Diagon Alley', then everything began to swirl around. Caroline closed her eyes as nausea came over her, clutching Richard's arm harder than before… if that were possible.
--"Caroline?"
She could hear Richard's voice, but didn't dare open her eyes, or open her mouth to speak…
"We're here Caroline… you can open your eyes."
She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was in a small pub or tavern, the patrons watching the three new arrivals with curiosity.
"You alright Gabby?" he asked his daughter…
"Yeah! That was fun! Can we do it again when we go home?"
Richard smiled… "Yes."
--They exited the pub out onto the street. The very crowded, bustling street was full of young kids with a similar list of needed supplies in their hands, cheerfully chattering on about what they still needed to buy.
"First, we go to the bank." Richard informed…
"We went to the bank already." Caroline reminded him…
"We went to a Muggle bank. They don't take US currency here in Diagon Alley. They take Wizard currency. But, they will exchange our currency at Gringotts."
He walked with purpose, Gabby and Caroline trailing behind as they looked around them in awe. It wasn't a lot different from a busy street in the Muggle world, but it was different enough to be fascinating to someone who had never been.
When they entered Gringotts, Caroline immediately startled at the sight before her…
"What are-- Who are--" she stammered, trying to complete a coherent question…
"Who are the bank employees?" Richard grinned at Caroline when she nodded, her eyes darting from one creature to another…
"They're Goblins. Grouchy, but fairly harmless. All business." He informed as they approached an open window…
"Yes?" the Goblin behind the counter offered his services to Richard…
"Karinsky. Vault number 811."
"Key?"
He handed the Goblin a small silver key, and the small creature took it, then inserted it into a box…
"For verification…" Richard whispered to Caroline…
"Yes sir, and what may I help you with today?"
"We would like to exchange US currency please."
The Goblin nodded… "Of course."
--Once back out on the street, Caroline fought to keep close as Richard and their daughter looked over and babbled about the list of supplies she would need for attending Hogwarts.
She felt out of place, even in the presence of her husband and daughter. Before she realized what had happened, she became separated from them. She'd only looked away for a moment, but that was all it took to lose sight of them.
Frantic, she called out for them, but the noise created unwanted attention. With a frenzied pace she darted in and out of the sea of people, trying to find them, becoming frightened at the thought of being lost in this strange and unfamiliar world.
She felt like she couldn't breathe, all the people around her making her feel slightly claustrophobic as they bumped their way past her. With effort she made her way to a clearing, a section of the street where it connected to another street… it nearly deserted in contrast to the rest of the area.
She stood on her tiptoes, trying to spot Richard, knowing spotting their much shorter daughter would be difficult, but she couldn't see either of them. The sting of tears could be felt and she blinked several times, trying to stop herself from crying, but without luck. She turned away from the street and began to wipe her eyes when she saw a sign on the sparsely occupied street that shot off from Diagon Alley.
"Knockturn Alley…" Caroline muttered… "Maybe they went down there."
Slowly, nervously, she took a few steps onto the side street, her blood immediately running cold. This place had an eerie feel to it, unlike Diagon Alley where the overall atmosphere suggested happy people with exciting business. This place felt unfriendly and foreboding, and not at all welcoming of a 'Muggle' she was guessing. But still she walked along the nearly empty street, trying to spot the familiar face of her husband amongst the unfamiliar shops and people.
"Lost, eh?"
The voice was like nails on a chalkboard, and Caroline spun around to see to whom it belonged. An elderly woman with long, stringy, gray hair stood hunched over slightly, old age affecting her posture, her smile showing her yellow teeth… what few she had left.
"Dangerous for a Muggle like you to be alone in these parts." She added as Caroline stared at her…
"How did you know…?"
"Deary, I've been a witch longer than you've been alive… I know a Muggle when I see one." Her smile changed to an almost evil grin, and her eyes changed to match... "Why not come with me? I can help you find who you are looking for..."
She slowly shook her head as she started to back away… "Uh, no… no thank you…"
The witch took a step towards her, but then abruptly stopped…
Caroline jumped in fright as she backed into someone, and she yelped as she turned quickly, fists raised…
Richard grabbed her hands to stop her from striking him… "It's just me Caroline…"
His voice was a welcome, soothing sound, and she threw her arms around him and clutched him desperately…
"I couldn't find you…" she mumbled against his chest… "I took a wrong turn…"
"It's ok." He consoled her, holding her as he walked with her towards Diagon Alley… "Knockturn Alley is not a good place to be…" he informed…
"Why is it there? Why have it at all?"
"It's like a bad section of town… why are there 'bad sections' in almost every city and town? There just is."
"That woman…?"
"A dark witch…" he informed in a quiet voice…
"How can you tell?"
"I can tell."
"Mom! There you are!" Gabby exclaimed as she saw them approach… "You ok?"
"She's fine. Just a little unsettled." Richard replied…
Caroline forced a smile… "I'm fine. Let's go get your stuff."
--The list was very specific… and one by one they purchased everything she would need. Robes, a cauldron, books, a wand…
The buying of the wand was an interesting experience. The shop owner stated more than once that the wizard doesn't choose the wand, the wand chooses the wizard.
He handed Gabby several wands, asked her to give it a flick, then odd things would happen. Papers would go flying, boxes would fall off shelves… then the shop owner would take the wand and hand her another one. Finally, after at least 6 tries he was happy with the result, and rung up the purchase.
--Last to be acquired, Richard bought his daughter an owl…
"They are great as a companion and he will be useful for delivering mail."
"Delivering mail?" Gabby asked her father…
"When at Hogwarts, you won't be using 'regular' mail… you will send your letters by owl. We will then respond by owl. It's faster and more reliable… when you have a well trained owl."
*****~*****
--"Gabby is already asleep…" Caroline informed as she entered the bedroom…
"Doesn't surprise me…" Richard replied… "She had a busy day."
"Same here." She yawned and stretched before climbing into bed… "I feel like I could sleep for a week."
He watched her lay back and close her eyes, her breathing deep and relaxing. She was comfortable in his presence again, and he smiled as he leaned over her, kissing her softly…
"I love you." he whispered…
There was a slight smile accompanying her response… "I love you too."
He kissed her neck, nuzzling against her ear… "I want to make love to you."
"Mmmm… I don't know if I have the energy…"
He licked her earlobe, drawing invisible circles with his tongue… "I have enough energy for both of us."
With just one eye open, she contemplated his words… "Why does that statement not seem as innocent as one might think?"
His smile instantly put her at ease… "Do you trust me?"
"Explicitly."
After a few uttered words Caroline couldn't make out, he kissed her deeply… passionately…
Was it her imagination? Was it a coincidence? Did she just happen to catch her 'second wind' at that moment? She wasn't quite sure, but with his kiss she found an energy she didn't possess 2 minutes ago.
She caressed his body hungrily, a need growing in her… aching to be filled.
"What did you do?" she whispered breathlessly…
"Ssshhh… just let me love you…" He kissed her to silence her, his hands roaming her body… "I'll answer your questions later…"
She sighed and submitted to him completely, their love ascending to new heights as she placed all her trust in him once again, since learning of his status as wizard.
THE END?
**Authors Note: I may or may not go further with this. I originally had not intended to follow Gabby to Hogwarts, and I had definitely not planned on having her meet with the original Harry Potter characters, since I pictured this taking place more like in the year 2010. But, if the creative urge hits me, I may continue this at least till Gabby gets on the Hogwarts Express at platform 9 & 3/4.
Disclaimer located at:
http://www.geocities.com/janaonwheels2001/disclaimer.html
