Erin felt a thump and she was still her head spun and she wanted to throw
up, it seemed as if she could not focus on anything and her mouth was as
dry as bone. She sat for a minute before trying to pull herself up, she
rose brushing a layer as soot off her jeans and sweater.
"It can be a little shaky the Floo system that is, child," came a voice.
For first time Erin realized she was not alone she was in a very dark and
shabby looking pub a few men and woman sat around at tables reading and
drinking strange looking concoctions. But what astonished was that they
were all wearing, they all wore ankle long robes of different colours and
one woman was actually wearing a pointed witch hat while others had their
hats placed on table or chairs. The woman who had spoken to her was quite
old her hair was grey with streaks of white and her face had smile lines on
it. She wore plain black robes to the ankle her feet were covered with
sensible looking black shoes and her pointed black hat sat on a chair next
to her. She had a serious face framed with square glasses her hair was
drawn back in a tight bun. She was a woman in Erin's opinion not to be
messed with but she was smiling at Erin so Erin smiled and nodded hoping
she didn't look too confused.
"Come sit down girl for heaven sakes you look as if you're about to
collapse," commanded the woman patting the seat next to her. Erin mutely
obeyed but as she sat down she felt safer not to mention a good deal
steadier and her stomach was beginning to settle down.
"Do you have an adult or guardian who was suppose to come after you I hope
your parents did not expect you to do your shopping in Diagon Alley alone,"
the old woman told Erin sternly.
"How did you know I was shopping?" asked Erin curiously.
"Well what else would you be doing in Diagon Alley your for Hogwarts I
expect," answered the woman watching Erin as if wanting to know if she
really was alone. Much to Erin's relieve there was a small explosion and
her aunt appear not looking not the least bit flustered and with much less
soot on her then Erin. She peered around the room and spotted Erin and
smiled in relieve.
"Erin dear you gave me a fright I though you might have wondered out into
Diagon Alley alone," she told Erin sweeping over and handed Erin her
suitcase and her letter from Hogwarts.
"If not for my presence who knows where she might have been liable to
wander off to Miss Tailor," the old woman told her aunt.
"Professor McGonagall," barked Erin's aunt in astonishment "I had not
expect to see you here this is my niece Erin Tailor'Conner I'm taking her
to get her school supplies," explained Aunt Megan.
"Jennifer's daughter," muttered Professor McGonagall and Erin thought she
heard a touch of sadness in Professor McGonagall voice "it's nice to meet
Erin I taught your mother and I expect to be teaching you."
"What do you teach?" asked Erin politely.
"Transfiguration," replied Professor McGonagall.
"What's that?" asked Erin frowning she'd never even heard that word before.
"You don't know?" answered Professor McGonagall sounding surprised.
"Erin dear will find the owner for me and tell him that Megan Tailor and
her niece have arrived and oh get him to take your suitcase to the room I
booked for you," requested her aunt, Erin picked up her suitcase and headed
off behind her she could hear loud whispers. Erin walked up to the bar
there stood an old tooth less man who was completely bald. Erin approached
him cautiously he looked at her with a toothless grin.
"Hi I um I'm looking for the owner of this place," stammered Erin, she had
no doubt offended the man but he smiled back at her.
"This be the Leaky Cauldron miss and I be betting your Megan Tailor's niece
got a nice old room ready for you here I'll be taking that suitcase," he
told her smiling he hefted up her suitcase Erin made to follow him but then
she saw her aunt at the door motioning for her. She followed her aunt into
what looked like a paved back yard, her aunt headed directly for the back
wall, out of her handbag she pulled a very thin willow rod about 10 inches
long Erin look at it curiously.
"My wand, wands allows us to perform many different types of magic,"
explained her aunt she raised her wand and seemed to count the bricks of
the wall she then tapped three times on a brick which was about shoulder
height. A small gap began to appear but then it grew wider and wider and
higher enough to fit her father two times over and the scene before Erin
took her breath away. They stepped through an archway into a wide street a
thousand different scents and sound bombarded Erin's senses. Things Erin
never dreamed off where display through out those streets she could believe
her eyes and most astonishing of all those streets where filled with robed
men, women and child all wizards and witches.
"I never dreamed anything like this existent," whispered Erin. Her aunt
smiled and took Erin's arm and led her down the street.
"Most don't some children who are magical have Muggles parents and they are
just as surprised and astonished as you," said her aunt. Erin peered which
seemed to be full of plants and bugs and smell sickening inside in one of
the displays something glowed.
"You can look into the Apothecary shop later dear," hear aunt told her
urging her down the street.
"What's Apothecary," asked Erin staring back.
"That's the place where we buy all the substances to make Potions dear
that's another subject you'll be learning at Hogwarts," explained her aunt.
They had stopped in front of a huge white stone building the front steps
led up to enormous white doors.
"What does that place sell," asked Erin gaping at the huge marble palace.
"Oh this isn't a shop it's a bank dear a wizard bank Grigotts by name it's run by goblins clever little things when their not rebelling," her aunt told her climbing the stairs and flinging open the doors. A skinny little thing dressed in red and gold with a pointed chin and a beard greeted them it was about as tall as Erin's shoulder and smiled wickedly. Behind it was a pair of silver doors they had some engraving of them Erin bent over to read it, her aunt tugged at her arm pulling her on. They stopped at a desk, another goblin waddled over to meet them smiling with a mouth feel of pointed yellow teeth. Erin began to slowly back away she wasn't sure she much liked goblins. "How may I help you," it asked gruffly tapping its long fingernails on the desktop. "We wish to make a withdrawal from the Tailor vault," answered her aunt fumbling in her purse and producing a gold key. "Scratch," yelled the goblin waving his long bony fingers. A goblin with a chin as sharp as a lead pencil appeared at there side he gave then a wicked smile. "Right this way please," he told them smiling and beckoned with a claw like finger. "Um where are we going?" asked Erin as Scratch led them through a pair of small wooden doors. "I told you dear this is a bank, our family the tailor have had a vault here for years it's where our family stores it's money and other choice items," Erin's aunt explained it's only being broken into once during the second coming." "The second coming." "A dark time in magic history we try not to talk about it, anyway most of the vaults are under Grigotts so we catch a small train down," Erin sensed her aunt reluctance to talk about what she'd called the second coming. So she was quiet as they climbed into a small rickety train driven by the goblin Scratch the train wound it's way deeper and deeper underground there was no light so Erin only saw snap shots of what was around her flash of strange creatures the odd flash of fire. The wind blew hard against Erin's face and made her eyes water she felt a strange thrill at the speed of the rickety old train. Her aunt said nothing but stared outside into the black with a distant look on her face, the train finally came to a sudden violent screeching stop. It stop in front of a large gold door with the named Tailor engraved elegantly in rubies, on the from of this door there was a porthole with a keyhole in the middle much like a door you might see on a submarine Erin thought. Erin jumped out of the train with a thump in contrast to her aunt who slid out with a dancer's grace. Her aunt produced the key she had shown the bank manger goblin placed it in the lock turn it 360o clockwise then back a bit. The popped open giving a clear view of the interior of the vault. It was stacked entirely on one side with flat gold, silver and bronze cylindrical coins. "Do wizards use a different currency to normal peop. I mean Muggles," stammered Erin. "Yes dear, there's the gold pieces which are Galleon and the seventeen Sickles those are the silver ones to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts which are the bronze one to a Sickle," she told Erin grabbing handfuls of gold and silver and shoving them into her handbag. The other side of the vault of litter with a range of items jewellery, statues, art, books and along with a great deal of items Erin could identify. "Is all this yours?" asked Erin surveying the contents of the vault. "Well mine and yours you see your mother and I were the sole heirs to the family fortune, and when she died you became an heir," explained her aunt. "Half of this is mine," exclaimed Erin her eyes glued to a strange jade carving twice her size. "Well I have your share in trust until your eighteen but basically yes, interesting carving that, your great great uncle brought it back from New Zealand after the island was first discovered, amazing some of the things we learn from those Maori wizards." Erin nodded not really understanding what she was talking about. "Come on then time to shopping," declared her aunt gliding back out to the train.
"Oh this isn't a shop it's a bank dear a wizard bank Grigotts by name it's run by goblins clever little things when their not rebelling," her aunt told her climbing the stairs and flinging open the doors. A skinny little thing dressed in red and gold with a pointed chin and a beard greeted them it was about as tall as Erin's shoulder and smiled wickedly. Behind it was a pair of silver doors they had some engraving of them Erin bent over to read it, her aunt tugged at her arm pulling her on. They stopped at a desk, another goblin waddled over to meet them smiling with a mouth feel of pointed yellow teeth. Erin began to slowly back away she wasn't sure she much liked goblins. "How may I help you," it asked gruffly tapping its long fingernails on the desktop. "We wish to make a withdrawal from the Tailor vault," answered her aunt fumbling in her purse and producing a gold key. "Scratch," yelled the goblin waving his long bony fingers. A goblin with a chin as sharp as a lead pencil appeared at there side he gave then a wicked smile. "Right this way please," he told them smiling and beckoned with a claw like finger. "Um where are we going?" asked Erin as Scratch led them through a pair of small wooden doors. "I told you dear this is a bank, our family the tailor have had a vault here for years it's where our family stores it's money and other choice items," Erin's aunt explained it's only being broken into once during the second coming." "The second coming." "A dark time in magic history we try not to talk about it, anyway most of the vaults are under Grigotts so we catch a small train down," Erin sensed her aunt reluctance to talk about what she'd called the second coming. So she was quiet as they climbed into a small rickety train driven by the goblin Scratch the train wound it's way deeper and deeper underground there was no light so Erin only saw snap shots of what was around her flash of strange creatures the odd flash of fire. The wind blew hard against Erin's face and made her eyes water she felt a strange thrill at the speed of the rickety old train. Her aunt said nothing but stared outside into the black with a distant look on her face, the train finally came to a sudden violent screeching stop. It stop in front of a large gold door with the named Tailor engraved elegantly in rubies, on the from of this door there was a porthole with a keyhole in the middle much like a door you might see on a submarine Erin thought. Erin jumped out of the train with a thump in contrast to her aunt who slid out with a dancer's grace. Her aunt produced the key she had shown the bank manger goblin placed it in the lock turn it 360o clockwise then back a bit. The popped open giving a clear view of the interior of the vault. It was stacked entirely on one side with flat gold, silver and bronze cylindrical coins. "Do wizards use a different currency to normal peop. I mean Muggles," stammered Erin. "Yes dear, there's the gold pieces which are Galleon and the seventeen Sickles those are the silver ones to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts which are the bronze one to a Sickle," she told Erin grabbing handfuls of gold and silver and shoving them into her handbag. The other side of the vault of litter with a range of items jewellery, statues, art, books and along with a great deal of items Erin could identify. "Is all this yours?" asked Erin surveying the contents of the vault. "Well mine and yours you see your mother and I were the sole heirs to the family fortune, and when she died you became an heir," explained her aunt. "Half of this is mine," exclaimed Erin her eyes glued to a strange jade carving twice her size. "Well I have your share in trust until your eighteen but basically yes, interesting carving that, your great great uncle brought it back from New Zealand after the island was first discovered, amazing some of the things we learn from those Maori wizards." Erin nodded not really understanding what she was talking about. "Come on then time to shopping," declared her aunt gliding back out to the train.