Gryffindor Scum, Slytherin Slime by Rei-chan
Before we begin...
This is the story of Anthony and Lauren Sinclair in their first year at Hogwarts. As time goes on they start to take a very different outlook on life. Strange things start happening to them, which changes their lives forever. Will they solve the mysteries appearing now very frequently? Will Anthony ever do well in Potions? Will Lauren have one Charms lesson without storming out? Why did Anthony end up in Gryffindor, and Lauren in Slytherin? Why does Snape treat Lauren better than others? Why do I keep as so many rhetorical questions? If you like Snape, read this!
Legal stuff: Nearly everything in this story is copyright of JK Rowling and WB, but everythng else that isn't is my own creation - don't steal it! Also, a special thanks to the real Anthony and my other best friend Adam- Lucas for being such wonderful inspiration!
Chapter 1: The Stranger in the Alley: Ms. Sinclair takes Anthony and Lauren to the famous Diagon Alley. Lauren finds that things are beginning to get very strange…
"Wake up! You honestly aren't going to sleep through your first day at Hogwarts are you?" Lauren didn't reply immediately, she just mumbled incoherently and yanked a pillow over her head.
"Five more minutes..." she groaned, listening to Anthony's rhythmic snoring with her eyes closed tightly. It was too early to get up, far too early… Ms. Sinclair then shook Lauren so violently she felt she was going to be sick.
"Stop, stop! I'm awake, I'm awake!" she giggled, pushing the bedclothes back. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she asked, "any luck with the Grand Dozer?" By this she meant Anthony, her older brother, who held the record for being most difficult to wake up.
"Not yet," their mother sighed, "but I have an idea." She placed her fingers into her mouth and whistled shrilly, and in whirlwind of flapping wings and flying feathers, Gabby the small, brown barn owl appeared in the room. He hooted loudly, as if to say hello. Ms. Sinclair signalled to the owl and he fluttered above Anthony. He began pecking repeatedly at his ear, like a woodpecker attacking a tree.
"Owww!" Anthony yelled, as the sharp beak of the owl painfully jerked back and forth into his ear. "Get off me, you twat. I'm up," he said, swatting at the owl as if it were a fly. "Whoever's idea this was, it wasn't very funny," he growled groggily, still sounding half-asleep.
The Sinclairs were a common wizarding family who had lived in Lincoln for many generations. Lincoln was a small unimportant town somewhere between boredom and oblivion. Like many others, the children had lost their father in The Reign of Terror, when they were still very young. Memories of him were at the very edges of their minds; it was a long, long time ago.
Both Lauren and Anthony were now eleven years old. They weren't twins, but there was only a few months between them being born. Anthony had short brown hair, his father's hazel eyes and a round face that always wore a cheeky grin. Anthony was fond of being quite insulting, (especially to teachers) but in a humorous sort of way. If they were in good spirits, they would most likely laugh instead of punishing him.
Lauren was quite a contrast to Anthony. Although her hair was also brown, it was shoulder-length and much darker. It was very high maintenance hair that needed a lot of looking after. Lauren's eyes were ink-blue, and they lacked the happy sparkle of Anthony's. Hers were quite the opposite of happy; cold as ice, she could freeze someone with just as much as a glance. Lauren was a lot more serious than Anthony, and much more melodramatic at times. Anthony had an upbeat attitude towards life. He would always look on the bright side, but Lauren was perpetually pessimistic about things. She was somewhat of a recluse; she kept herself to herself and hardly ever spoke her mind. But if she was provoked, she was known to turn very nasty. As different as they were, they got on amazingly well. Like all your average brother and sister, they did fight at times, but in reality they were very close.
Anthony's mood eventually improved as the owl-alarm-clock prank was gradually forgotten. A few days ago, Anthony and Lauren had received their letters from Hogwarts informing them that they had been accepted into the school. The excitement in the house was building to a high degree as they prepared to leave. After a rushed breakfast, the Sinclairs approached the fireplace, trunks in hand, ready to depart for Diagon Alley.
"Now, you remember what to do, don't you?" Ms. Sinclair asked, scooping a handful of Floo Powder out of a tub. Her children nodded. Coming from a wizarding family, they had travelled via Floo many times. "Have you got everything? We're not coming back home once we get to London, and I haven't time to be owling you all week with spare underpants."
"I'm sure we'll be fine, mother." Lauren replied, smiling calmly, but her mother didn't find this very reassuring. Her kids would forget their heads if they hadn't been conveniently connected to their bodies.
"Okay, if we're all set, let's go!" she stepped towards the fireplace and drew her wand. "Incendio," she commanded, and a roaring fire suddenly began blazing where the empty space used to be. Tossing in the Floo powder, she stated, "Diagon Alley," and confidently stepped in to the fire. With a bright flash and a puff of purple smoke, she was gone.
Anthony followed, but Lauren stayed for a moment to instruct Gabby to fly to the King's Cross Station.
"We'll meet you there," she said, patting the owl on the scruffy feathers that stuck out of its head. Gabby hooted with disappointment, but he knew he couldn't travel by Floo. He flapped his wings hard and took off out the window. As Gabby became nothing more than a tiny speck in the cloudless sky, Lauren shouted "Diagon Alley," at the fireplace and leapt forward. Suddenly she felt as she had been grabbed around the waist by a Giant and had been thrown fifty metres. She landed with a thud, but soon regained her bearings to see the familiar scene of Diagon Alley.
Anthony was stood in front of her, his hands on hips. "Ha! Took your time!" Lauren began to explain how she told Gabby to meet them at the station, but trailed off as she noticed a man pass them by. He was tall, quite slim and wore long black robes that spread out as he strode forward, which gave him the resemblance of a large bat. His hair was shoulder-length and black, it had a certain greasy shine to it like it hadn't been washed for a long time. Lauren knew exactly what that kind of hair was like to try and look after. His eyes were black as coal, cold and piercing, and his thin-lipped mouth wore a sour expression. Apart from being a little scruffy, he was incredibly handsome. She stared at him, awe-struck, watching his every move. He was so suave, so sophisticated. She watched him buy a copy of The Daily Prophet from a street seller and remained looking at him until he was completely out of view.
Anthony waved his hands in front of her eyes. "Hello? Anyone home?" Lauren blinked, tuning back in to the real world. "What were you doing?" he laughed, "You were just standing there with your mouth hanging open like you wanted to catch flies! You looked completely gormless!" Lauren blew a raspberry in to Anthony's stupid laughing face. Ms. Sinclair tutted, shaking her head.
"Now, now children, calm down. What was it you were looking at, Lauren?" Lauren breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't seen the mysterious man.
"Nothing. Didn't you see anything?"
"No, not really. Was there something to look at?" her mother replied, but didn't quite meet Lauren's eyes when she said. She then squeezed Anthony's hand hard, an indication that she wanted him to stop laughing. Lauren shook her head. Her secret was thankfully safe.
With the little incident forgotten, they walked all around Diagon Alley. First stop was Gringotts for their money. Since they had been living in a Muggle city for the past few years, they had to trade in their Muggle money for wizard coins. They entered the large, white marble building and were greeted by a Goblin. After speaking to him for a moment, Ms. Sinclair took her pounds and pennies and changed them for golden Galleons, silver Sickles and bronze Knuts. She handed some pocket money to both Anthony and Lauren, and Anthony swore that she was being unfair and had given Lauren more.
Ms. Sinclair ignored Anthony's protests. "Now, we'll have to go in to the vault to put some off this away." Another Goblin with ridiculously large ears directed them to a cart, and they all clambered in it. Before they knew it, they were all about to lose their breakfast. The cart sped off, fast as lightning, lurching and jumping on every turn. Lauren didn't seem to enjoy the ride but Anthony was having the time of his life. He didn't accompany his family in to the vault to look at the piles of coins; he said he'd rather wait in the cart for the ride back!
After Gringotts, they stopped at Flourish and Blotts for their books, Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for their uniforms and Ollivander's for their wands. Ms. Sinclair left the kids to get their wands on their own so she could do some shopping alone.
Ollivander's shop was packed wall-to-wall with boxes, most likely containing thousands and thousands of wands. Ms. Sinclair had once told her children that no two wands are ever the same, and Lauren didn't think there were enough combinations of cores and stick materials for that to be true. Mr. Ollivander was an old grey-eyed wizard with a mop of white hair and a wrinkled face.
"Hello there! Here for your wands, I suppose?" he asked, clapping his hands together. Lauren scowled, looking a lot like the strange man in the alley. Of course we're here for our wands, she thought, this is a bloody wand shop!
Mr. Ollivander walked in front of them and cleared his throat, preparing to speak. "A wand is the most important tool of magic. A wand is a wizard's best friend. There are many different wands suited for different kinds of people. Every wand has a different strength to another; for example, one may be good at Charms, while another may be work better with Transfiguration. Wands have their own special area of ability, just like people do. Some are stronger than others. However, there are some very unique and rare wands that prove to be extremely useful in difficult situations. Not only are they good at certain types of spells, but also they have a magical property that cannot be uncovered just by looking at them. These properties include say, navigation skills. Imagine you were lost at night. A navigational wand would help you find your home by making the Lumos spell extra bright, and the Four-Point spell more effective. Some help in dangerous situations, such as being quick off the mark at firing spells. Others may act as a Pocket Sneakoscope for people who need to know who the can and cannot trust. Those are just a few examples of what a wand may be able to do for you. So, who's first?"
Anthony stepped towards Mr. Ollivander to get his measurements taken. Ollivander reached on to his desk and picked up a yellowed tape measure with faded silver markings. "Which is your wand-hand?" Anthony held out his right and Ollivander chatted as he ran the tape measure over it. "So, you are Laura's children then? I remember her wand well. It was lovely strip of beech, about twelve inches, complete with a unicorn tail hair core. I heard it helped her in Charms." He tucked the tape measure in to his jacket pocket and pulled a box down off one of the shelves. "Here, try this for starters. It is seven inches long, crafted from ash, with a mermaid's hair inside. Good for people with small hands, like yourself." Anthony held the wand for a moment while frowning at Mr. Ollivander's comment. He then gave it an artistic flick, causing a box to collapse and a bunch of wands rolled all over the floor. After they stopped firing out clouds of smoke and red- hot sparks, Lauren bent down and gathered them up, placing them back on the shelf. Ollivander sighed. "Dear, dear, that one was no good at all."
Anthony didn't find the wand that was destined to be his partner until the about the seventh suggestion from Ollivander. Exasperated, as the last wand had destroyed yet another pile of boxes, he handed Anthony an oak, feather of Hippogriff, eleven inches. "I thought you might like a slightly bigger one, and this one is also good at Charms," He sighed, bracing himself for anything else to go wrong. Anthony grasped the wand tightly and let a stream of red and gold sparkles flow from the end of it. Ollivander gave a relieved smile as the shimmering orbs filled the room, and Anthony paid his eight Galleons for it.
Next it was Lauren's turn. Hers took a lot longer; she didn't seem to react well with a mahogany, tongue of Salamander, nine inches or a teak, dragon's heartstring, twelve inches. After several choices, they finally came across a willow wand, thirteen inches long complete with the fang of a sea serpent. It was a very curious wand; she hadn't seen many that were as highly decorated as this. Although it was made from willow it was black as soot, and had the image of a large serpent with fish-like fins engraved into it. The blood-red paint used for its eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the shop. Ollivander took note of her interest in the wand.
"Like I said before, some wands are stronger than others, but this one seems to be prettier than others!" Mr. Ollivander chuckled at his own little joke. "Interesting design, isn't it? An oriental Leviathan, I believe. Great serpents of the sea like that are said to cause tsunamis."
He handed her the wand and as soon as the smooth wood touched her fingers she felt warmth spread down her arm, then to all over her body. Now the shop was filled with her own pink dust. "There you go," Ollivander said, obviously pleased that they would now finally leave the shop, "I thought this one might suit you." Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Lauren and lowered his voice. "Now this wand is good for using Curses. It would easily manage Defence against the Dark Arts, or the Dark Arts themselves." He laid a suspicious eye on Lauren as he accepted her ten Galleons, and then added, "Choose wisely."
As they left the shop, they met back up with their mother. She had several new bags in her hand full of supplies for their upcoming Potions lessons. Lauren had always found Potions intriguing; as it was the one of the only branch of magic she could perform before she got her own wand. As a precocious little child, she wanted to show off the fact that she was a witch. Her mother would not let Lauren use her wand, as Lauren was far too young at the time. As a compromise, Ms. Sinclair bought her a dinky toy Potions set and let her tinker around with that. Lauren had then developed an interest for the subject.
Even though she pleaded, Ms. Sinclair would not let her tear the bag open. Lauren moaned but her mother used the 'that's enough of that' look and changed the subject.
"I don't know about you, but I'm quite tired." she said, lifting the mounds of bags she was carrying off the ground. "Why don't we go have a drink in The Leaky Cauldron?" Both Lauren and Anthony agreed on this idea (which was a rare occasion.)
Anthony walked ahead with their mother but Lauren trailed behind. She walked slowly, turning her head to look at the shops. A fancy-looking broomstick caught her attention in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies. She read the advertising poster with wide eyes:
The Thundercloud
The fastest broom ever to fly the sky!
Her vision of the poster was quickly obscured by the reflection of a face. It was an old witch with wiry hair and watery eyes. She was staring directly at Lauren, as if she was doing something shameful. No, Lauren thought, it's just the reflection making it look that way. She's probably doing what I am, eyeing up the broom. But she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling she felt. She looked at the reflection again, the weepy grey eyes looked so sad, so helpless. Lauren took a deep breath and turned around, and there she stood. The witch with the sad eyes, and she was in fact staring at her. However, as soon as she noticed Lauren was looking back at her, she turned away.
She didn't know what, but something about that witch scared her. Lauren instinctively drew out her wand, even though she didn't know any spells that could help her in a dangerous situation. However it was better if her enemies didn't know that, as if they thought she might put up a fight they might back down. The witch's weepy gaze fell on to the wand, and she suddenly leapt back, as if afraid of it. She mouthed something that looked like "She has the wand!" She approached Lauren again, slowly drawing her own wand. It was a rotted piece of wood that was bent at the end, but still looked pretty dangerous in Lauren's eyes.
"The child is evil… must be… destroyed!" The witch stuttered, raising her wand high in the air.
Lauren screamed, "Leave me alone!" She performed the only spell she could think of. Thrusting her wand forward, she shrieked "Avis!" Two small birds streamed out of her wand and flapped into the witch's face. She cried out as the birds pecked at her cheeks and got their talons tangled in her stringy hair. In the confusion of it all, she dropped her wand. Lauren snatched this chance to run for her life, to find her mother and Anthony. She heard the witch call out to an unseen person, but she kept on running. However, even though she continued to run faster she seemed to be getting slower and slower. The world around her became blurry. Colours and shapes blended together, normal faces turned terrifying and they yelled at her the words that stung her mind, "Evil! Evil!" She covered her ears to block out the noise and felt her eyes grow heavy… heavy…
"EXPELLIARMUS!" a voice barked, and almost immediately afterwards there was the sound of a wand bouncing on to the stone paving. "Stupefy," spoke the voice again, this time in an almost mocking tone. Lauren heard the sound of another person's anguish, as he was stunned on the spot. Lauren's arms and legs seemed like they were made of lead, she felt like she had been stunned too. She jumped a little as a long-fingered hand touched her shoulder.
"I'm not going to hurt you," spoke the voice, but not in a soothing tone, it was more of a statement of facts. Lauren felt another hand grab around her waist helping her up, but she couldn't stand. "Are you alright?" the voice asked, although it didn't sound at all concerned about whether see was hurt or not. Lauren got the feeling that they only said it because they wanted to make sure she was alive, and if she was, that was fine. Lauren felt herself being lifted up, and her was pressed against their robes. Her rescuer was nice to help her but certainly didn't smell very good. It was a musty, damp sort of smell, a smell most probably gained from their living conditions. She forced her eyes open to see who it was, but her vision was still fuzzy. All she could make out was a blurred black shape that said, "Where are your parents?"
"Uhh…" she felt as if she had a memory lapse, having to search her mind for something that had happened only a few minutes ago. A flood of memories returned to her. "The Leaky Cauldron." She didn't know if had heard her until she recognised the familiar buzz of voices and clinking of glasses that is only found in a pub.
"Lauren!" she heard her mother cry, "What happened?" Her voice was stricken with panic. "I turned around and you weren't there - I was so worried- then I thought you might have gone ahead to The Leaky Cauldron and you weren't here either, oh!" She started to sob bitterly, which prompted Lauren's rescuer to speak.
"Well, Mrs…"
"Miss," she said, sniffing hard, "Miss Sinclair."
"Miss Sinclair," he continued, and to be considerate he lowered his voice. "Your daughter was attacked."
"Oh no! By who?" She began crying harder, but no emotion was shown in her rescuer's voice.
"It was a man with indistinct features, I'm afraid I might not be able to recognise him. I wouldn't worry yourself, though; your daughter has only suffered an Impediment Curse and a Full-Body-Bind. Think yourself lucky that no Unforgivable Curses were involved. Your daughter's injuries are just a minor scratch." Ms. Sinclair ignored his insensitivity, and thanked him a whole lot for his help. She was disappointed that he rejected her offer to buy him a drink (he apparently had business to attend to.)
Anthony helped Lauren on to a chair, although was irritated that their mother wasn't going to punish her for wandering off.
"She's suffered enough already!" she whispered sharply to Anthony while handing Lauren some of his chocolate. She unwrapped it and chewed it gratefully and felt herself calming down. Their mother spent the next few minutes explaining how she had half a mind to take them home right then if it weren't for them starting school that day. In the middle of a sentence, she stopped suddenly, a look of realisation creeping across her face.
"What's up, mum?" asked Anthony, snatching his remaining chocolate away from Lauren.
"Oh, nothing, really. I just remembered who that man was, that's all."
As Lauren's strength started to return to her, Ms. Sinclair decided to pass the time until they had to go to the station, and to get their minds off the attack by telling them about Hogwarts.
"At Hogwarts, there are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. (Anthony spat out some of his drink with laughter as she said 'Hufflepuff.') Our family have been Gryffindors for generations, apart from Uncle Marcus who went to Durmstrang, but that's beside the point. Gryffindors are brave, selfless and heroic. Hufflepuffs are loyal and persevering. Ravenclaws are hard working and intelligent. As for Slytherins, Slytherins are just a little power-hungry and ambitious. Ambition can lead one of two ways, and for most Slytherins, it's the wrong way. Did you know that You-Know-Who came from Slytherin?" She noticed their worried faces, and decided to reassure them. "I wouldn't let it bother you, every member of our family who went to Hogwarts was a Gryffindor, and since family members more often than not go in the same houses, Gryffindors you shall be."
Like it so far? I hope so! Believe me, it gets better!
~Rei
Before we begin...
This is the story of Anthony and Lauren Sinclair in their first year at Hogwarts. As time goes on they start to take a very different outlook on life. Strange things start happening to them, which changes their lives forever. Will they solve the mysteries appearing now very frequently? Will Anthony ever do well in Potions? Will Lauren have one Charms lesson without storming out? Why did Anthony end up in Gryffindor, and Lauren in Slytherin? Why does Snape treat Lauren better than others? Why do I keep as so many rhetorical questions? If you like Snape, read this!
Legal stuff: Nearly everything in this story is copyright of JK Rowling and WB, but everythng else that isn't is my own creation - don't steal it! Also, a special thanks to the real Anthony and my other best friend Adam- Lucas for being such wonderful inspiration!
Chapter 1: The Stranger in the Alley: Ms. Sinclair takes Anthony and Lauren to the famous Diagon Alley. Lauren finds that things are beginning to get very strange…
"Wake up! You honestly aren't going to sleep through your first day at Hogwarts are you?" Lauren didn't reply immediately, she just mumbled incoherently and yanked a pillow over her head.
"Five more minutes..." she groaned, listening to Anthony's rhythmic snoring with her eyes closed tightly. It was too early to get up, far too early… Ms. Sinclair then shook Lauren so violently she felt she was going to be sick.
"Stop, stop! I'm awake, I'm awake!" she giggled, pushing the bedclothes back. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she asked, "any luck with the Grand Dozer?" By this she meant Anthony, her older brother, who held the record for being most difficult to wake up.
"Not yet," their mother sighed, "but I have an idea." She placed her fingers into her mouth and whistled shrilly, and in whirlwind of flapping wings and flying feathers, Gabby the small, brown barn owl appeared in the room. He hooted loudly, as if to say hello. Ms. Sinclair signalled to the owl and he fluttered above Anthony. He began pecking repeatedly at his ear, like a woodpecker attacking a tree.
"Owww!" Anthony yelled, as the sharp beak of the owl painfully jerked back and forth into his ear. "Get off me, you twat. I'm up," he said, swatting at the owl as if it were a fly. "Whoever's idea this was, it wasn't very funny," he growled groggily, still sounding half-asleep.
The Sinclairs were a common wizarding family who had lived in Lincoln for many generations. Lincoln was a small unimportant town somewhere between boredom and oblivion. Like many others, the children had lost their father in The Reign of Terror, when they were still very young. Memories of him were at the very edges of their minds; it was a long, long time ago.
Both Lauren and Anthony were now eleven years old. They weren't twins, but there was only a few months between them being born. Anthony had short brown hair, his father's hazel eyes and a round face that always wore a cheeky grin. Anthony was fond of being quite insulting, (especially to teachers) but in a humorous sort of way. If they were in good spirits, they would most likely laugh instead of punishing him.
Lauren was quite a contrast to Anthony. Although her hair was also brown, it was shoulder-length and much darker. It was very high maintenance hair that needed a lot of looking after. Lauren's eyes were ink-blue, and they lacked the happy sparkle of Anthony's. Hers were quite the opposite of happy; cold as ice, she could freeze someone with just as much as a glance. Lauren was a lot more serious than Anthony, and much more melodramatic at times. Anthony had an upbeat attitude towards life. He would always look on the bright side, but Lauren was perpetually pessimistic about things. She was somewhat of a recluse; she kept herself to herself and hardly ever spoke her mind. But if she was provoked, she was known to turn very nasty. As different as they were, they got on amazingly well. Like all your average brother and sister, they did fight at times, but in reality they were very close.
Anthony's mood eventually improved as the owl-alarm-clock prank was gradually forgotten. A few days ago, Anthony and Lauren had received their letters from Hogwarts informing them that they had been accepted into the school. The excitement in the house was building to a high degree as they prepared to leave. After a rushed breakfast, the Sinclairs approached the fireplace, trunks in hand, ready to depart for Diagon Alley.
"Now, you remember what to do, don't you?" Ms. Sinclair asked, scooping a handful of Floo Powder out of a tub. Her children nodded. Coming from a wizarding family, they had travelled via Floo many times. "Have you got everything? We're not coming back home once we get to London, and I haven't time to be owling you all week with spare underpants."
"I'm sure we'll be fine, mother." Lauren replied, smiling calmly, but her mother didn't find this very reassuring. Her kids would forget their heads if they hadn't been conveniently connected to their bodies.
"Okay, if we're all set, let's go!" she stepped towards the fireplace and drew her wand. "Incendio," she commanded, and a roaring fire suddenly began blazing where the empty space used to be. Tossing in the Floo powder, she stated, "Diagon Alley," and confidently stepped in to the fire. With a bright flash and a puff of purple smoke, she was gone.
Anthony followed, but Lauren stayed for a moment to instruct Gabby to fly to the King's Cross Station.
"We'll meet you there," she said, patting the owl on the scruffy feathers that stuck out of its head. Gabby hooted with disappointment, but he knew he couldn't travel by Floo. He flapped his wings hard and took off out the window. As Gabby became nothing more than a tiny speck in the cloudless sky, Lauren shouted "Diagon Alley," at the fireplace and leapt forward. Suddenly she felt as she had been grabbed around the waist by a Giant and had been thrown fifty metres. She landed with a thud, but soon regained her bearings to see the familiar scene of Diagon Alley.
Anthony was stood in front of her, his hands on hips. "Ha! Took your time!" Lauren began to explain how she told Gabby to meet them at the station, but trailed off as she noticed a man pass them by. He was tall, quite slim and wore long black robes that spread out as he strode forward, which gave him the resemblance of a large bat. His hair was shoulder-length and black, it had a certain greasy shine to it like it hadn't been washed for a long time. Lauren knew exactly what that kind of hair was like to try and look after. His eyes were black as coal, cold and piercing, and his thin-lipped mouth wore a sour expression. Apart from being a little scruffy, he was incredibly handsome. She stared at him, awe-struck, watching his every move. He was so suave, so sophisticated. She watched him buy a copy of The Daily Prophet from a street seller and remained looking at him until he was completely out of view.
Anthony waved his hands in front of her eyes. "Hello? Anyone home?" Lauren blinked, tuning back in to the real world. "What were you doing?" he laughed, "You were just standing there with your mouth hanging open like you wanted to catch flies! You looked completely gormless!" Lauren blew a raspberry in to Anthony's stupid laughing face. Ms. Sinclair tutted, shaking her head.
"Now, now children, calm down. What was it you were looking at, Lauren?" Lauren breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't seen the mysterious man.
"Nothing. Didn't you see anything?"
"No, not really. Was there something to look at?" her mother replied, but didn't quite meet Lauren's eyes when she said. She then squeezed Anthony's hand hard, an indication that she wanted him to stop laughing. Lauren shook her head. Her secret was thankfully safe.
With the little incident forgotten, they walked all around Diagon Alley. First stop was Gringotts for their money. Since they had been living in a Muggle city for the past few years, they had to trade in their Muggle money for wizard coins. They entered the large, white marble building and were greeted by a Goblin. After speaking to him for a moment, Ms. Sinclair took her pounds and pennies and changed them for golden Galleons, silver Sickles and bronze Knuts. She handed some pocket money to both Anthony and Lauren, and Anthony swore that she was being unfair and had given Lauren more.
Ms. Sinclair ignored Anthony's protests. "Now, we'll have to go in to the vault to put some off this away." Another Goblin with ridiculously large ears directed them to a cart, and they all clambered in it. Before they knew it, they were all about to lose their breakfast. The cart sped off, fast as lightning, lurching and jumping on every turn. Lauren didn't seem to enjoy the ride but Anthony was having the time of his life. He didn't accompany his family in to the vault to look at the piles of coins; he said he'd rather wait in the cart for the ride back!
After Gringotts, they stopped at Flourish and Blotts for their books, Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for their uniforms and Ollivander's for their wands. Ms. Sinclair left the kids to get their wands on their own so she could do some shopping alone.
Ollivander's shop was packed wall-to-wall with boxes, most likely containing thousands and thousands of wands. Ms. Sinclair had once told her children that no two wands are ever the same, and Lauren didn't think there were enough combinations of cores and stick materials for that to be true. Mr. Ollivander was an old grey-eyed wizard with a mop of white hair and a wrinkled face.
"Hello there! Here for your wands, I suppose?" he asked, clapping his hands together. Lauren scowled, looking a lot like the strange man in the alley. Of course we're here for our wands, she thought, this is a bloody wand shop!
Mr. Ollivander walked in front of them and cleared his throat, preparing to speak. "A wand is the most important tool of magic. A wand is a wizard's best friend. There are many different wands suited for different kinds of people. Every wand has a different strength to another; for example, one may be good at Charms, while another may be work better with Transfiguration. Wands have their own special area of ability, just like people do. Some are stronger than others. However, there are some very unique and rare wands that prove to be extremely useful in difficult situations. Not only are they good at certain types of spells, but also they have a magical property that cannot be uncovered just by looking at them. These properties include say, navigation skills. Imagine you were lost at night. A navigational wand would help you find your home by making the Lumos spell extra bright, and the Four-Point spell more effective. Some help in dangerous situations, such as being quick off the mark at firing spells. Others may act as a Pocket Sneakoscope for people who need to know who the can and cannot trust. Those are just a few examples of what a wand may be able to do for you. So, who's first?"
Anthony stepped towards Mr. Ollivander to get his measurements taken. Ollivander reached on to his desk and picked up a yellowed tape measure with faded silver markings. "Which is your wand-hand?" Anthony held out his right and Ollivander chatted as he ran the tape measure over it. "So, you are Laura's children then? I remember her wand well. It was lovely strip of beech, about twelve inches, complete with a unicorn tail hair core. I heard it helped her in Charms." He tucked the tape measure in to his jacket pocket and pulled a box down off one of the shelves. "Here, try this for starters. It is seven inches long, crafted from ash, with a mermaid's hair inside. Good for people with small hands, like yourself." Anthony held the wand for a moment while frowning at Mr. Ollivander's comment. He then gave it an artistic flick, causing a box to collapse and a bunch of wands rolled all over the floor. After they stopped firing out clouds of smoke and red- hot sparks, Lauren bent down and gathered them up, placing them back on the shelf. Ollivander sighed. "Dear, dear, that one was no good at all."
Anthony didn't find the wand that was destined to be his partner until the about the seventh suggestion from Ollivander. Exasperated, as the last wand had destroyed yet another pile of boxes, he handed Anthony an oak, feather of Hippogriff, eleven inches. "I thought you might like a slightly bigger one, and this one is also good at Charms," He sighed, bracing himself for anything else to go wrong. Anthony grasped the wand tightly and let a stream of red and gold sparkles flow from the end of it. Ollivander gave a relieved smile as the shimmering orbs filled the room, and Anthony paid his eight Galleons for it.
Next it was Lauren's turn. Hers took a lot longer; she didn't seem to react well with a mahogany, tongue of Salamander, nine inches or a teak, dragon's heartstring, twelve inches. After several choices, they finally came across a willow wand, thirteen inches long complete with the fang of a sea serpent. It was a very curious wand; she hadn't seen many that were as highly decorated as this. Although it was made from willow it was black as soot, and had the image of a large serpent with fish-like fins engraved into it. The blood-red paint used for its eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the shop. Ollivander took note of her interest in the wand.
"Like I said before, some wands are stronger than others, but this one seems to be prettier than others!" Mr. Ollivander chuckled at his own little joke. "Interesting design, isn't it? An oriental Leviathan, I believe. Great serpents of the sea like that are said to cause tsunamis."
He handed her the wand and as soon as the smooth wood touched her fingers she felt warmth spread down her arm, then to all over her body. Now the shop was filled with her own pink dust. "There you go," Ollivander said, obviously pleased that they would now finally leave the shop, "I thought this one might suit you." Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Lauren and lowered his voice. "Now this wand is good for using Curses. It would easily manage Defence against the Dark Arts, or the Dark Arts themselves." He laid a suspicious eye on Lauren as he accepted her ten Galleons, and then added, "Choose wisely."
As they left the shop, they met back up with their mother. She had several new bags in her hand full of supplies for their upcoming Potions lessons. Lauren had always found Potions intriguing; as it was the one of the only branch of magic she could perform before she got her own wand. As a precocious little child, she wanted to show off the fact that she was a witch. Her mother would not let Lauren use her wand, as Lauren was far too young at the time. As a compromise, Ms. Sinclair bought her a dinky toy Potions set and let her tinker around with that. Lauren had then developed an interest for the subject.
Even though she pleaded, Ms. Sinclair would not let her tear the bag open. Lauren moaned but her mother used the 'that's enough of that' look and changed the subject.
"I don't know about you, but I'm quite tired." she said, lifting the mounds of bags she was carrying off the ground. "Why don't we go have a drink in The Leaky Cauldron?" Both Lauren and Anthony agreed on this idea (which was a rare occasion.)
Anthony walked ahead with their mother but Lauren trailed behind. She walked slowly, turning her head to look at the shops. A fancy-looking broomstick caught her attention in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies. She read the advertising poster with wide eyes:
The Thundercloud
The fastest broom ever to fly the sky!
Her vision of the poster was quickly obscured by the reflection of a face. It was an old witch with wiry hair and watery eyes. She was staring directly at Lauren, as if she was doing something shameful. No, Lauren thought, it's just the reflection making it look that way. She's probably doing what I am, eyeing up the broom. But she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling she felt. She looked at the reflection again, the weepy grey eyes looked so sad, so helpless. Lauren took a deep breath and turned around, and there she stood. The witch with the sad eyes, and she was in fact staring at her. However, as soon as she noticed Lauren was looking back at her, she turned away.
She didn't know what, but something about that witch scared her. Lauren instinctively drew out her wand, even though she didn't know any spells that could help her in a dangerous situation. However it was better if her enemies didn't know that, as if they thought she might put up a fight they might back down. The witch's weepy gaze fell on to the wand, and she suddenly leapt back, as if afraid of it. She mouthed something that looked like "She has the wand!" She approached Lauren again, slowly drawing her own wand. It was a rotted piece of wood that was bent at the end, but still looked pretty dangerous in Lauren's eyes.
"The child is evil… must be… destroyed!" The witch stuttered, raising her wand high in the air.
Lauren screamed, "Leave me alone!" She performed the only spell she could think of. Thrusting her wand forward, she shrieked "Avis!" Two small birds streamed out of her wand and flapped into the witch's face. She cried out as the birds pecked at her cheeks and got their talons tangled in her stringy hair. In the confusion of it all, she dropped her wand. Lauren snatched this chance to run for her life, to find her mother and Anthony. She heard the witch call out to an unseen person, but she kept on running. However, even though she continued to run faster she seemed to be getting slower and slower. The world around her became blurry. Colours and shapes blended together, normal faces turned terrifying and they yelled at her the words that stung her mind, "Evil! Evil!" She covered her ears to block out the noise and felt her eyes grow heavy… heavy…
"EXPELLIARMUS!" a voice barked, and almost immediately afterwards there was the sound of a wand bouncing on to the stone paving. "Stupefy," spoke the voice again, this time in an almost mocking tone. Lauren heard the sound of another person's anguish, as he was stunned on the spot. Lauren's arms and legs seemed like they were made of lead, she felt like she had been stunned too. She jumped a little as a long-fingered hand touched her shoulder.
"I'm not going to hurt you," spoke the voice, but not in a soothing tone, it was more of a statement of facts. Lauren felt another hand grab around her waist helping her up, but she couldn't stand. "Are you alright?" the voice asked, although it didn't sound at all concerned about whether see was hurt or not. Lauren got the feeling that they only said it because they wanted to make sure she was alive, and if she was, that was fine. Lauren felt herself being lifted up, and her was pressed against their robes. Her rescuer was nice to help her but certainly didn't smell very good. It was a musty, damp sort of smell, a smell most probably gained from their living conditions. She forced her eyes open to see who it was, but her vision was still fuzzy. All she could make out was a blurred black shape that said, "Where are your parents?"
"Uhh…" she felt as if she had a memory lapse, having to search her mind for something that had happened only a few minutes ago. A flood of memories returned to her. "The Leaky Cauldron." She didn't know if had heard her until she recognised the familiar buzz of voices and clinking of glasses that is only found in a pub.
"Lauren!" she heard her mother cry, "What happened?" Her voice was stricken with panic. "I turned around and you weren't there - I was so worried- then I thought you might have gone ahead to The Leaky Cauldron and you weren't here either, oh!" She started to sob bitterly, which prompted Lauren's rescuer to speak.
"Well, Mrs…"
"Miss," she said, sniffing hard, "Miss Sinclair."
"Miss Sinclair," he continued, and to be considerate he lowered his voice. "Your daughter was attacked."
"Oh no! By who?" She began crying harder, but no emotion was shown in her rescuer's voice.
"It was a man with indistinct features, I'm afraid I might not be able to recognise him. I wouldn't worry yourself, though; your daughter has only suffered an Impediment Curse and a Full-Body-Bind. Think yourself lucky that no Unforgivable Curses were involved. Your daughter's injuries are just a minor scratch." Ms. Sinclair ignored his insensitivity, and thanked him a whole lot for his help. She was disappointed that he rejected her offer to buy him a drink (he apparently had business to attend to.)
Anthony helped Lauren on to a chair, although was irritated that their mother wasn't going to punish her for wandering off.
"She's suffered enough already!" she whispered sharply to Anthony while handing Lauren some of his chocolate. She unwrapped it and chewed it gratefully and felt herself calming down. Their mother spent the next few minutes explaining how she had half a mind to take them home right then if it weren't for them starting school that day. In the middle of a sentence, she stopped suddenly, a look of realisation creeping across her face.
"What's up, mum?" asked Anthony, snatching his remaining chocolate away from Lauren.
"Oh, nothing, really. I just remembered who that man was, that's all."
As Lauren's strength started to return to her, Ms. Sinclair decided to pass the time until they had to go to the station, and to get their minds off the attack by telling them about Hogwarts.
"At Hogwarts, there are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. (Anthony spat out some of his drink with laughter as she said 'Hufflepuff.') Our family have been Gryffindors for generations, apart from Uncle Marcus who went to Durmstrang, but that's beside the point. Gryffindors are brave, selfless and heroic. Hufflepuffs are loyal and persevering. Ravenclaws are hard working and intelligent. As for Slytherins, Slytherins are just a little power-hungry and ambitious. Ambition can lead one of two ways, and for most Slytherins, it's the wrong way. Did you know that You-Know-Who came from Slytherin?" She noticed their worried faces, and decided to reassure them. "I wouldn't let it bother you, every member of our family who went to Hogwarts was a Gryffindor, and since family members more often than not go in the same houses, Gryffindors you shall be."
Like it so far? I hope so! Believe me, it gets better!
~Rei