Ch. 3
School supplies
Aug. 14 later that day
The team was awoken by a cheerful greeting. They could hear Hagrid's booming voice down stairs greeting Sirius and Remus. "So are our new group of students ready for their big day?"
Trel rolled over and placed the pillow over her head, surely he had to be joking, she had just gotten into bed. What time was it anyway? Well if they want me they can come and get me I'm fully clothes anyway.
Amy groaned and started slowly dragging herself out of bed, she didn't want to miss anything that was going to happen.
Jason woke up instantly and thought to himself, wow this wasn't a dream after all and they were going to Diagon Ally.
Savanna got up and started to dress with out any thought, putting on her silver Oakleys to top it off. They weren't in school yet.
Matt much like Savanna got up and dressed but he started making plans as to what they would need. Dumbledore would have to supply a map of the school. Where all exits to and from the ground where , how many staff members there are and where their offices were. And of course they would need permission to go all most any where they need to go. Now as a group they would need to think of a way to communicate with each other if their equipment wouldn't work. Now when would be a good time to double check that. Not that the headmaster would lie but he could be mistaken surely not all the devices wouldn't work, would they?
Niki, bright eyed, glided out of bed and since she fell a sleep in her clothes like Trel, she walking back to the front of the house in just as cheerful a mood as the voice she had heard from downstairs.
When every one except Trel was down stairs they were greeted by Lupin, Sirius, and Hagrid. Lupin looked around and saw that one of their members were missing.
"Umm, I think one of you should go and wake up Trel." Said Lupin
"Oh me can it be me. I always want to start WWIII." replied Jason excitedly. everyone snicker at the thought of Jason waking her up.
"No that will be all right I think one of the girls would be a more appropriate choice for this." sighed Lupin massaging the bridge of his nose.
At this point normally Niki would have volunteer to do this but she had waken Trel before and it wasn't pleasant.
"Savanna would you please go up and get her." Asked Lupin nicely.
"Who me! Don't you think Amy would be a better choice?" stuttered Savanna
"Oh come on Savanna she's not that bad to wake up. I'll do it " Stated Amy on her way up the stairs.
Jason started a funeral durg, Matt coughed, Niki starred at the floor and Savanna whisper a good luck.
Not even two minutes later Amy came flying down the stairs breathing heavily and persperating.
"Ok she getting up now. You guys never told me that she gotten worse since our last trip." Gasped Amy as she caught her breath.
Hagrid Sirius and Lupin all exchanged glances this time.
"Well we have to get going, so I hope that she is here soon." Hagrid stated and with that Trel slowly descended the stair case. Glaring at Amy.
"I"m ready, let's get this over." was her rather grumpy statement.
Clearing his throat Lupin looked at the group
"Okay you better get going, so you can get caught up on your studies."
"Well okay then , everyone grab hold of the coat and we'll be off again"
was the last thing Hagrid had to say , by now the excitement had caught
on and everyone was more then willing to go , unlike last time.
When they re-appeared it was in an alley that was surrounded on all four sides by a brick wall , the only exception was a door and a small window that lead back into the Leaky Cauldron and pulled out a pink umbrella count out three up and two across and tapped the wall three times and stood back to watch a hole magically create itself in the wall by re-arranging the bricks into what looked like a fancy archway , showing a busy street covered in funny clad customers that went from one store to another.
"Well then , I guess the first thing we should start with would be ..... wands" said Hagrid as he started off towards Ollivanders.
"And how are we paying for this?" asked Trel "I'm sure buttons and pocket lint just ain't going to cover the bill"
"Not a problem there , it's all covered , don't worry yer heads over a small trivial matter."
"Who in their right minds would be willing to pay for everything we'll need." commented Niki.
"Dumbledore has that all arranged ... oh , I shouldn'ta told yah that ..." he darted his eyes away for a moment then turned back towards the group "Let's not mention I said that ... oh look , here we are at Ollivanders already , oh my ... lets get your wands shall we ?"
Ushering the group in the door of the shop so no more questions could be asked , they were met by a short scarecrow like man with silvery eyes , his soft voice drawing their attention to the fact he was there. "Yes yes , Dumbledore said to expect you six , one at a time please , one at a time. Which shall go first?"
"Oh me ... I'll go first" jumping up right in front of Mr. Ollivander.
"Hmmmm , extend you wand arm , I'll need to measure it."
Amy extended her arm and watched as the silvery numbered measuring tape took measurements "Redwood , 11 inches , twin phoenix feather .... give it a wave girl , give it a wave ."
Amy gave the wand a good wave and sparks shot from the end of the wand , gliding through the air. A magical hum could be felt though the air as the wand resonated it's power.
"Good good , next ... keep it coming , keep it coming" he goaded as the next one stepped forward.
Jason stood up and followed Amy's example , holding his predominate arm out to be measured." Hmmmm , let's try this one" came his voice as he strode out of one of the isles , brushing aside the covering to display a Oaken wand , 8 inches made with a Dragon Heartstring core.
"Okay " said Jason , his enthusiasm getting the best of him as he also waved it to get a similar effect as Amy had before him. "Cool"
"Okay , next one , keep the line moving" he said with delight , this wasn't going to be as hard as it first had seemed.
Savanna stepped up to the plate , putting out her wand arm as the other two previously did to be measured. "Ohhh ......" taking a box from off the top shelf. "I'll bet a wonderful Willow would be the one , 10 inches with not just one but three Unicorn Hairs imbued to it .... try it out "
Again the air lit with the sparks showing it's new owners delighted face.
Matt was next to step up , this didn't look all that hard after all , he held out his arm and let the older gent do his work , then watched as he took off to look for his perfect match.
Mr.Ollivander came back bearing a thin case , he opened it up and carefully handed the wand over. "Try this one , Cedar , 9 1/2 inches , with a single unicorn hair ..."
Matt very carefully took the wand , it seemed easy enough , everyone else had done this so he gave it a wave and quickly dropped the wand as the sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the building , sending glass shards over the alleyway outside as well as inside.
"Nonono , definitely not that one " the abashed proprietor stated as he quickly retrieved the dropped wand up from the floor and went back to examining the shelves. He selected a blood red box and brought it to the counter , having quickly forgotten the last events as he gingerly pulled a Mahogany wand out. "Here , 13 inches Dragon Heartstring , yes yes , this one should do it ... give it a wave"
Matt looked at the wand and was almost afraid to touch it after the last one but he took it in hand and cringed as he gave it a wave. The spark that flew from the end illuminated his closed eyes.
"Perfect , next one"
Trel pushes Niki forward , Niki realizing what was going on looked back over her shoulder with a look that could only be taken one way , 'thanks alot' but turned her attention back as she put her arm out to get measured.
He quickly disappeared around a long line of shelves and came back a minute later with a fresh box , looking pleased with himself. "This one , I am almost sure of it Wispy Willow , 11 1/2 inches with a Phoenix feather"
She took it out of the box he had brought , looked it over and gave it a flick as she raised her other hand up to cover her face , but as the other had before this one shot sparks from the end to illuminate her surprised face.
"Next and last but not least." Trel very nervously stepped up with her arm extended. "Hum tricky but I think..." with that he went to the other side of the store and went down to the bottom and unburied a black box. "Yes here it is" he handed the dusty box to Trel. She open the box to display a Ebony 7 1/4 with a Unicorn Hair.
"Go a head give it a wave." he motioned to Trel to go a head.
Trel hesitated then gave it a good wave, sparks shot up to the ceiling. 'humm maybe this magic stuff wasn't that bad'
"Well I think that's it. Come again if you ever need another wand, and remember if you use another wizards wand it wont work as well as your own."
They left quietly , their first taste of the magical world being complete as they heard Ollivanders voice coming from the shattered window only to watch in amazement as the window rebuilt itself.
"Man , if I could do that at home I would never have to hear about playing ball in the house again" Jason's smile grew as he watched it finish rebuilding.
"Okay , now where are we going to hit" asked Savanna , her eyes moving over the store fronts , her eyes wandering towards the crowded bookstore , the sign hanging over head announced it as Flourish and Blotts.
Hagrid noticed her eyes and where they seemed to be fixated. "We don't have to worry bout those , Lupins having those delivered later as well as yer Apothicary selections and a few other odds and ends ... now hows about we try Madam Malkin to get yer robes"
"Ewh ... clothes , shopping anybody?" said Niki , Trel's eyes popped open at the word shopping.
"Lets see, three plain black robes , one winter cloak , black with silver fasteners , one pointed black hat and a pair of dragon hide gloves fer each of yah" announced Hagrid as he listed the requirements , checking them off on his fingers as he went.
"I forgot everything was black" added Amy , well except that one year where they did get to pick dress robes.
"But weren't Ron's robes maroon with lace cuffs?" questioned Savanna , looking over at Amy.
"Yeah , but he took the lace off" added Jason as their discussion continued , having been herded into another store by Hagrid , coming face to rack with tons of different sized robes.
"More students from Hogwarts , alittle early but definitely in good time. Come in and pull up a stool" she smiled and enticed them to enter if nothing more then to occupy her bored staff.
It took little time for them to be covered in a black robe and to be converged upon by a witch each , pinning and taking measurements for each so the adjustments could be made as swiftly as possible , after all there would be teams of youngsters coming soon.
"I have got to ask , do you think my robe makes me look fat" a whiny voice drew everyone's attention to Jason , who just stood there with a straight face looking down at them.
"Jason , knock it off " giggled Savanna as she heard a few witches break out in laughter as well as her own group.
"Fine , I'll just find a mirror and ask it , they don't lie" he rebutted , with a faint hint of a grin at the corner of his mouth while he watched everyone going into fits of laughter.
While the ladies were happily making the adjustments to the robes the others looked over the dress robes , commenting to each other about the colors and designs which was good enough to pass the little time they had to wait.
They thanked the witches that brought their items out in the brown paper packages , tied with string ... as they made a hasty retreat back out into the alleyway , only to have a booming voice that belonged to Hagrid draw their attention to Floreans Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour where he sat with 6 ice cream sundaes patiently waiting for them to finish up inside the last shop they'd been too.
The group hurry over to hagrid, who they never notice left them.
"What took you so long, thought I go ahead and get us a treat. Hope you like them." asked Hagrid in a very proud voice.
Everyone sat down to enjoy their ice cream sundays as they looked around at all of the people passing by, doing their everyday business.
Trel pointed out a cute little calico kitten sitting in a store front window that read ' Magical Menagerie ' "Tell me we get to go there next " as she kept a watch on the playful thing.
"Well yeah , you'll all need a pet after all" Hagrid grinned.
"I call dibs on the calico kitty" yelled Trel
"I want a kitten too" said both Savanna and Niki at the same time.
"Blimey , cats ... keep 'em away from me , they make me sneeze"
"Well I want an owl" said Amy around a mouthful of ice cream.
"Me too" said Jason
"Guess an owl would be good" added Matt , not to sure about the whole cat thing.
"Well the only place to get a good owl is from Eeylops Owl Emporium" suggested Hagrid , it wasn't to hard to tell which group he was going to be accompanying for awhile.
Hagrid hands the three girls 10 sickles each for their cats , giving them explicit instructions not to go anywhere after they got their fur balls but to return to that spot and order up a round of drinks , having no interest in going with them to check out one of the few things he was allergic to , instead he walked the other three over to select an owl.
Amy looked around until she found an owl that was mostly white with a tint of red on his tail feathers and wings , the odd color patternings made this an instant 'love at first bite' as the owl nipped playfully at Amy's finger when she stuck it into the cage and coo'd at it.
Matt stood at the counter with what was quite literally the first bird he had seen , a huge pure white snowy owl patiently waiting for the others to hurry up , the owl looking around with just as stern a look as Matt's face held.
Jason hunted around and hunted around until he found 'Killer' , a pure black troublemaker that looked like he had been more of a hassle on it's trainer then any other bird in the area. It had been in the back room where one would expect to find those being groomed , but there was a covering over this cage which was being objected to loudly by it's occupent.
Both Amy and Jason met Matt back at the main counter , Amy proudly showing her prize off as Jason kept his well hidden under the covering. Hagrid comes up to inspect the birds they have chosen as the owner of the shop comes up to ring them out.
"Are you sure lad that you want THAT particular owl" exclaimed the concerned shop keeper , whom had a few run ins with the same bird before.
"Oh yes , we'll be just the greatest friends , he's just friendly ... isn't he Hagrid?" playing on Hagrid's well known weakness for all animals.
"Well there shouldn't be nothing wrong with him , there's a secret to every animal ... we'll take the whole lot" was the final comment to the worried shop keeper.
With the owls in hand they headed back towards the parlour to find the girls with their new kittens in hand except for Trel who had a small fur ball peeking out from one of her shirts.
Niki had aquired a small white kitten that sported black stripes much like a snow tiger would , and was at that very moment being taugt how to sit on Niki's shoulder.
Savanna , who had noticed the other group coming towards them had gently picked the kitten up from her lap and was putting it back in the cage which was a good thing for no one had noticed it against her clothing , the only marking that was not black was a white cresent moon.
The group had just finished their drinks when Hagrid announced it was time to head back. Wondering how they were getting back with all of their accumulated parcels and packages they looked to Hagrid who had just pulled out a small drawstring bag full of Foo powder. He walked towards a large fireplace set along a nearby wall.
"Alright gang ... Amy you'll go first , I'll sprinkle some on the fire so all you have to do is say 1313 clearly and you'll end up where you belong" Hagrid sprinkled the powder so it turned the fire blue , he held out a hand and helped her into the hearth.
Amy , with head bend and eyes closed loudly announced 1313 and off she went.
"Savanna , your next" he said as once again he sprinkled the fire.
Following Amy's lead Savanna closed her eyes and said 1313.
"Trel , your turn" as she was pushed from behind by Niki.
"Thanks ... anyone died from this recently" she joked nervously as she stepped into the fire and said 1313.
"Okay Niki , yer next up"
Niki walked to the fire and said 1313
Nothing happened. "You have to go into the fire Niki" said Hagrid gently.
Walking into the fire slowly she tried again.
As soon as she was gone Hagrid sprinkled the fire again as he called Matt forward.
"See you on the other side huh Matt?" commented Jason.
Matt walked into the fire not even bothering to rise to Jason's taunt , saying 1313 quietly.
"Well it's been a blast Hagrid , ,see ya soon" Jason said cheerfully as Killer squawked loudly in his cage , he danced into the fire and laughed while saying the word of the day.