uChapter II: Trouble in Shangri-Labr
The Paiges were astounded at this underground wizarding world. Even Cindra, who knew everything there was to know about Diagon Alley was in awe. She dragged her parents over to Gringotts, a wizard bank. Even the way JK Rowling described it was demeaning to the vastness of the actual building.br
As they entered, her parents gave each other a look of "What the hell is THAT thing?", meaning the goblins. Cindra leaned over to her mother and whispered, "Those are goblins mum. Although they're rather rude, I they wont hurt you....I don't think."br
They approached the counter slowly, and the goblin greeted them. Cindra politely told him that they needed to exchange their money. "How many pounds to a Galleon?" she asked.br
"Five," the goblin said bluntly. Cindra looked down at his name tag. It read 'Griphook'. She smiled remembering Harry's visit to Gringotts the year before.br
While Cindra had been daydreaming, her father had exchanged about two hundred pounds for galleons, sickles, and knuts. Cindra then exchanged her thirty pounds for a mere six galleons. It felt reassuring to have six pieces of wizard money in her pocket.br
They processed to go to Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occassions, the shop closest to Gringotts. "Hogwarts?" a woman who Cindra guessed was Madame Malkin asked her. Linda nodded and followed the woman to the back of the shop.br
There was another girl back there standing on a stool, wearing robes much too long for her. She had short brown hair and big brown eyes. "Hello," Cindra said to her. "Going to Hogwarts as well?"br
The girl nodded. "I had no idea that any of this existed. My parents are both non-magic and as far as I know, no one else in our family was ever a wizard either."br
"Yeah, I'm muggle-born too, just don't go flashing that fact around everywhere. There are some people who don't think Muggle-borns should be at Hogwarts."br
The girl blushed a bit, and thanked her for the warning.br
"I'm Cindra Paige," Cindra introduced herself.br
"I'm Lindsey Harrison."br
"Okay dear, you're done," Madame Malkin said to Cindra. She took off the robes, her parents paid for them, and they left the shop.br
Next they went to Flourish and Blotts and bought all of the required books on her list. She also bought uHogwarts, A History/u and uQuiddich Through the Ages/u, she saw many more, but didn't particularly want to turn into Hermoine Granger.br
After Flourish and Blotts came te Apothecary, then a shop that sold basic wizarding tools (cauldron, phials, gloves, telescope, scales, etc), and then Ollivanders. This was the part that Linda had really been looking forward to: getting her very own wand. "Which is your wand hand?" Mr Ollivander asked once they were in the shop. Cindra stuck out her right hand. he took out a tape measure and it began to measure her.br
"Ok, try this one," Mr Ollivander said, opening a box. "Ebony, unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Just give it a wave."br
Cindra felt quite foolish waving a wand around. Mr Ollivander took the wand from her and give her a different one. "Beechwood, dragon heartstring, eleven inches, rather flexible."br
Cindra waved this one as well. Nothing happened for the next three wands, until..."Here, try this one. Maple, unicorn hair, ten and a half inches, a bit whippy. Go ahead--"br
Cindra felt a tingling feeling go through her want as she picked up the wand from its box. She waved it, and sparks shot out from it, nearly hitting Mr Ollivander. "Ah! Here we go!" he exclaimed as he took the wand from Cindra and placed it back in its box. "What is your name by the way?"br
"Cindra Paige," she said as her parents paid for the wand.br
"Nice to meet you, Miss Paige," he said as another customer entered the shop.br
Cindra recognised the girl as Lindsey, the girl she met in the robe shop. Cindra gave her a smile and then followed her parents out of the store.br
"It's amazing, all of this," her mother said happily. "Ooh owls!" she exclaimed as they neared Eeylop's Owl Emporium.Br
"Mum, can I have one?" Cindra asked hopefully. "The letter says I'm allowed to bring one. And it would be helpful for the mail."br
"Yes! Of course!" her mother said, eyes wide as they entered the shop. Her father just grunted. Cindra couldn't tell if it was an annoyed grunt or an amused one.br
The owl Cindra chose was a beautiful snowy female. Although it reminded her greatly of Hedwig, she bought her anyway. Now the question was, waht should she name her?br
The Paiges spent another hour in Diagon Alley just looking in stores and eating food. Cindra wished that she would see someone from her book, but she knew it was rather early yet for school shopping.br
On the ride home, Cindra read over half of uHogwarts, A History/u. She found it quite interesting. Once back in her bedroom, she finished that and started browing through uA Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration/u, one of her required books for class.br
After a few hours had passed, she heard the telephone ring. "Cindra!" her mother called up the stairs to her. "It's Emma!" Cindra dropped her book and ran into her parents bedroom, picking up the phone.Br
"Hello?" she said.br
"Hey Cin!" Emma said cheerfully.br
"You can hang up now mum," Cindra told her mother, and she did so. "So...what's up?"br
"Oh, I've been trying to call you all day, but there's been no answer!"br
"Sorry, we were in London today getting me some things for school." Cindra had already ruled out any idea of mentioning Hogwarts to her Muggle friends.br
"School? Already?" Emma asked curiously.br
"Oh- I was meaning to tell you. I'm transferring to a different school- a private one. I just got my acceptance letter yesterday."br
"What?" Emma sounded extremely hurt.br
"I'm really sorry. It's a boarding school- I'll be gone til June-"br
"But-but you can't! What about me? I'll be all alone!"br
"No you wont! You still have Daniel and Peter and Maggie and-"Br
"But you're my best friend! It won't be the same. What kind of school i this anyway?"br
"I-I can't tell you."br
"What are you talking about? It's a SCHOOL! Nothing to be ashamed of."br
"It's-it's a school of witchcraft and wizardry," Linda paused. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."br
"No, I'm serious! We went to DIAGON ALLEY today! I bought and owl! And a wand!...Come on over and I'll show you!"br
"Are you sure you're alright?"br
"YES EMMA! I wasn't going to tell anyone, but I had to tell you, you're my best friend."br
"Best friends don't lie to each other."br
"What are you talking about?"br
"Why would you try to make me believe that Hogwarts was real?"br
"Because it /i real Emma!"br
"Best friends don't like to each other," Emma said in a quavering voice. Then there was a click, and Cindra heard a dial tone.
The Paiges were astounded at this underground wizarding world. Even Cindra, who knew everything there was to know about Diagon Alley was in awe. She dragged her parents over to Gringotts, a wizard bank. Even the way JK Rowling described it was demeaning to the vastness of the actual building.br
As they entered, her parents gave each other a look of "What the hell is THAT thing?", meaning the goblins. Cindra leaned over to her mother and whispered, "Those are goblins mum. Although they're rather rude, I they wont hurt you....I don't think."br
They approached the counter slowly, and the goblin greeted them. Cindra politely told him that they needed to exchange their money. "How many pounds to a Galleon?" she asked.br
"Five," the goblin said bluntly. Cindra looked down at his name tag. It read 'Griphook'. She smiled remembering Harry's visit to Gringotts the year before.br
While Cindra had been daydreaming, her father had exchanged about two hundred pounds for galleons, sickles, and knuts. Cindra then exchanged her thirty pounds for a mere six galleons. It felt reassuring to have six pieces of wizard money in her pocket.br
They processed to go to Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occassions, the shop closest to Gringotts. "Hogwarts?" a woman who Cindra guessed was Madame Malkin asked her. Linda nodded and followed the woman to the back of the shop.br
There was another girl back there standing on a stool, wearing robes much too long for her. She had short brown hair and big brown eyes. "Hello," Cindra said to her. "Going to Hogwarts as well?"br
The girl nodded. "I had no idea that any of this existed. My parents are both non-magic and as far as I know, no one else in our family was ever a wizard either."br
"Yeah, I'm muggle-born too, just don't go flashing that fact around everywhere. There are some people who don't think Muggle-borns should be at Hogwarts."br
The girl blushed a bit, and thanked her for the warning.br
"I'm Cindra Paige," Cindra introduced herself.br
"I'm Lindsey Harrison."br
"Okay dear, you're done," Madame Malkin said to Cindra. She took off the robes, her parents paid for them, and they left the shop.br
Next they went to Flourish and Blotts and bought all of the required books on her list. She also bought uHogwarts, A History/u and uQuiddich Through the Ages/u, she saw many more, but didn't particularly want to turn into Hermoine Granger.br
After Flourish and Blotts came te Apothecary, then a shop that sold basic wizarding tools (cauldron, phials, gloves, telescope, scales, etc), and then Ollivanders. This was the part that Linda had really been looking forward to: getting her very own wand. "Which is your wand hand?" Mr Ollivander asked once they were in the shop. Cindra stuck out her right hand. he took out a tape measure and it began to measure her.br
"Ok, try this one," Mr Ollivander said, opening a box. "Ebony, unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Just give it a wave."br
Cindra felt quite foolish waving a wand around. Mr Ollivander took the wand from her and give her a different one. "Beechwood, dragon heartstring, eleven inches, rather flexible."br
Cindra waved this one as well. Nothing happened for the next three wands, until..."Here, try this one. Maple, unicorn hair, ten and a half inches, a bit whippy. Go ahead--"br
Cindra felt a tingling feeling go through her want as she picked up the wand from its box. She waved it, and sparks shot out from it, nearly hitting Mr Ollivander. "Ah! Here we go!" he exclaimed as he took the wand from Cindra and placed it back in its box. "What is your name by the way?"br
"Cindra Paige," she said as her parents paid for the wand.br
"Nice to meet you, Miss Paige," he said as another customer entered the shop.br
Cindra recognised the girl as Lindsey, the girl she met in the robe shop. Cindra gave her a smile and then followed her parents out of the store.br
"It's amazing, all of this," her mother said happily. "Ooh owls!" she exclaimed as they neared Eeylop's Owl Emporium.Br
"Mum, can I have one?" Cindra asked hopefully. "The letter says I'm allowed to bring one. And it would be helpful for the mail."br
"Yes! Of course!" her mother said, eyes wide as they entered the shop. Her father just grunted. Cindra couldn't tell if it was an annoyed grunt or an amused one.br
The owl Cindra chose was a beautiful snowy female. Although it reminded her greatly of Hedwig, she bought her anyway. Now the question was, waht should she name her?br
The Paiges spent another hour in Diagon Alley just looking in stores and eating food. Cindra wished that she would see someone from her book, but she knew it was rather early yet for school shopping.br
On the ride home, Cindra read over half of uHogwarts, A History/u. She found it quite interesting. Once back in her bedroom, she finished that and started browing through uA Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration/u, one of her required books for class.br
After a few hours had passed, she heard the telephone ring. "Cindra!" her mother called up the stairs to her. "It's Emma!" Cindra dropped her book and ran into her parents bedroom, picking up the phone.Br
"Hello?" she said.br
"Hey Cin!" Emma said cheerfully.br
"You can hang up now mum," Cindra told her mother, and she did so. "So...what's up?"br
"Oh, I've been trying to call you all day, but there's been no answer!"br
"Sorry, we were in London today getting me some things for school." Cindra had already ruled out any idea of mentioning Hogwarts to her Muggle friends.br
"School? Already?" Emma asked curiously.br
"Oh- I was meaning to tell you. I'm transferring to a different school- a private one. I just got my acceptance letter yesterday."br
"What?" Emma sounded extremely hurt.br
"I'm really sorry. It's a boarding school- I'll be gone til June-"br
"But-but you can't! What about me? I'll be all alone!"br
"No you wont! You still have Daniel and Peter and Maggie and-"Br
"But you're my best friend! It won't be the same. What kind of school i this anyway?"br
"I-I can't tell you."br
"What are you talking about? It's a SCHOOL! Nothing to be ashamed of."br
"It's-it's a school of witchcraft and wizardry," Linda paused. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."br
"No, I'm serious! We went to DIAGON ALLEY today! I bought and owl! And a wand!...Come on over and I'll show you!"br
"Are you sure you're alright?"br
"YES EMMA! I wasn't going to tell anyone, but I had to tell you, you're my best friend."br
"Best friends don't lie to each other."br
"What are you talking about?"br
"Why would you try to make me believe that Hogwarts was real?"br
"Because it /i real Emma!"br
"Best friends don't like to each other," Emma said in a quavering voice. Then there was a click, and Cindra heard a dial tone.