Chapter 4 -School Supplies
The carriage stopped outside the Leaky Cauldron and the five stepped out and into the musty interior. Pallas was all in awe; she had never seen a place like it before or so many people in one place. They had often had visitors at the Manor but Pallas was never encouraged to meet them; usually she was kept in the schoolroom with her governess until they left. The Inn Keeper nodded politely to Narcissa as she led the children through the crowded bar and out into the courtyard beyond. Using her carved ivory wand, she tapped the bricks of the rear wall, which rearranged them into an archway, through which Pallas was greeted with her first sights, sounds and smells of Diagon Alley. It was so busy; all kinds of witches and wizards were walking around carrying baskets of potion ingredients and oddly shaped packages wrapped in brown paper and sealed with spellotape. Pallas watched as a tall wizard in long, maroon robes, with a small brown owl perched on his shoulder bartered with the Apothecary for an extra scoop of firefly wings to go with his already bulging shopping bags. She watched as the Apothecary finally gave in and the wizard went off with a smile after passing over a few bronze coins. Narcissa presented Draco with his own moneybag, bulging with coins and gave him instructions of when and where they were to meet later that day. Then Draco, Crabbe and Goyle quickly lost themselves in the crowd, two large heads and one blond one heading off towards the ice-cream parlour. Pallas wanted to explore this new place and look in all the shops and down all the alleys but Narcissa took Pallas firmly by the hand and led her off to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, the first shop that Pallas had ever been in and not the last that day. Pushing open the door Pallas was flushed with pleasure as the little bell tinkled and four or five witches came into the shop from the back room preparing to serve them. Her mother was seated on a comfortable cream sofa and was served tea by a small witch dressed in green, whilst Madam Malkin, neatly dressed in mauve, took on the personal care of Pallas. Helping her onto a footstool, Madam Malkin selected a school robe, neatly slipped it over Pallas' head and then bent down to start pinning up the hem. "Oh!" she said, surprised. The robe was a good two inches short already. Tutting, she removed the robe and turned back to the garment rail. Running her plump finger along the line of clothing, she selected another robe, checking the golden label inside the neck "Height 7 Crescents Age 13 years" it read. She frowned, looking at Pallas critically but put the robe over Pallas' head. It fitted well in length and just needed taking in slightly at the waist due to Pallas' slight frame. Pallas was thrilled to have the robe; it was standard issue uniform and quite plain, but to Pallas it was one of the most exquisite things she had ever worn. Madam Malkin removed the robe and passed it to one of her assistants who scurried off with a quick curtsey into the sewing room. Pallas and Narcissa moved to the counter where Narcissa signed the ledger and informed the witch that she would send someone later to pick up the robe and the rest of Pallas' school clothes. She also ordered a new set of Quidditch robes for Draco. Next was the wand shop. This was even more exciting than the robe shop. As she entered, she could feel the magic trapped in the thousands of wands that lined the walls, as if a breeze was whipping around her frame. She stood patiently for Mr Ollivander as he measured her in every direction and then started selecting different boxes from shelves both high and low trying to trace the perfect match. Finally he found what he was looking for and presented it to Pallas. The wand was black mahogany with a dragon's heartstring at is core, nine inches in length. Pallas' hand vibrated at the touch and a chill went up her arm as she held the delicately carved wand for first time. "A very reliable wand," Mr Ollivander informed her, "not likely to go off unexpectedly in tricky situations." They thanked him and continued on with their shopping. "We must get you an owl next," informed Narcissa, leading Pallas towards Eeylops Owl Emporium. The owls were mainly sleeping, their large eyes closed to the bright summer sun. Pallas saw a large eagle owl like her brother's. "Too large," she thought, finally deciding on a sleek barn owl with its moon like face. Narcissa looked at the clock that stood above the door of Gringotts. It was nearly two o'clock. "We need to meet your father soon," said Narcissa, and they headed off along Diagon Alley once more. Centenary Boyd's Coffee House stood behind Gringotts, a three story stone building. Boyd, being a shrewd businessman had designed it so as to provide the maximum seating inside. So on the outside of the building stood all staircases and piping that serviced the building. It was a most peculiar sight. As they moved inside, Pallas could see that it was filled with hundreds of small tables around which sat every manner of witch, wizard, elf and goblin. Everyone was drinking coffee from large cups and passing slips of parchment to each other. Every so often, the staff of Boyd's, dressed in grey robes, would replenish the cups and collect the slips. Narcissa and Pallas found a large table in one of the bow windows on the second floor. It had a grand view that reached the length of Diagon Alley in both directions. Pallas could see back to the London buildings beyond the Leaky Cauldron in one direction and all the way to the docks on the river in the other. Pallas sat and watched the business wizards carefully from her chair. At first she thought that the slips were the bills for the coffee, but as she watched more and caught snippets of the conversations, she realised that the slips represented promises. Whilst she was observing, Madam Malkin entered the coffee house and approached a well- dressed wizard who was seated at the table next to Pallas. She ordered coffee from the grey robed waiter and entered into a conversation with the wizard whose name was Mr Strudwick. Pallas heard Madam Malkin explain that she had an expensive shipment of silk ordered from China and was looking to Mr Strudwick to ensure its protection from damage by Chinese Water Dragons. The man agreed to her request and wrote on one of the slips of parchment Madam Malkin's name and details of her shipment. Madam Malkin passed him a bag containing five galleons. The waiter then came and removed the slip and pinned it to a large board at the far end of the coffee house. Above the board in large white letters Pallas read:
A Promise here you truly make, For Boyd can recognise a fake, If safe cargo is what you wish, Protected from both storm and fish And all manner of beast and foe, You will not have too far to go, So sign your name and take your chance And I your futures will enhance.
Centenary Boyd.
Other wizards then gathered round. Each taking a quill, they signed their own names on the slip underneath the original agreement. At that moment, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle entered the coffee house and came over to the table. More coffee arrived, as well as a plate of pastries for the two large boys. Draco, seeing Crabbe's and Goyle's quizzical looks regarding the waiters, started to explain what was going on. Pallas listened intently. "It's kind of like an alliance," he started. "If anyone has some property that they want protecting, they come here to speak to the wizards. Between them, they agree a price for a protection spell. The greater the complexity or the higher the level of protection required, the higher the charge. Each wizard is an expert in different spells. See that stout witch over there." He said with a nod of his head indicating a woman in a dark corner dressed in layers of gaudy robes and an overlarge purple hat. "She's an expert on tempests. Father says that she can turn the sea to glass in front of any ship - if the price is right," he added. "Why do they pin those pieces of parchment on the wall?" asked Pallas. Draco was about to ignore her, but Crabbe and Goyle grunted from between their mouthfuls of cake that they wanted to know too. Draco, not one to miss the chance of remaining the centre of attention and demonstrating his superiority continued. "Once the Master Wizard has agreed to provide the protection, the Under- Wizards put their names to it, signing under it that they will provide additional spells to provide the greatest protection. Father has two Under- Wizards here that Under-spell for him. He gets to keep the payments. He once got 10,000 galleons for shipping in a Hungarian Horntail," he said boastfully. "But Draco, you forget," interrupted his Mother, "your Father is then responsible to replace any goods that are damaged if the spell fails." "Yes, that's the risk, but Father loves risks." Nobody could disagree with him. More coffee arrived, and Pallas looked idly out of the window at the crowds passing on the street below. There were a lot of people in Diagon Alley now, selling their wares or staring into the shop windows. Outside one shop there was a crowd of boys, each trying to catch a glimpse of the Nimbus Air broomstick that had been put on display there. There were now a growing number of children, who like Pallas were being accompanied by their families to get their school supplies, their arms full of books and packages. Pallas tried to work out if any would be in her year. A group had just come out of the bookshop each carrying a book in their arms. They stood out from the rest of the bustling crowd due to their bright red hair. There were three tall boys and a younger girl accompanied by another boy and girl, he with a mess of black hair and she with her long hair tied back off her face on this hot day, her elegant neck sweeping down into a simple cotton frock much like Pallas'. As Pallas continued to watch, she saw her father approaching, coming out of an adjacent alleyway on his way to meet his family. He was no longer with Goyle but was now accompanied by a smaller but completely hooded wizard who she did not recognise. As they entered Diagon Alley, they each went their separate ways as if they didn't know each other, the hooded wizard scurrying off into the crowd with a flash of silver glimmering from the sleeve of his robe. Back at the bookshop, the dark haired boy leant heavily against the wall of the shop, his new book tumbling from his hand as he raised it to his forehead as if he were in pain. His friends pressed around him in concern, but he tried to laugh it off, especially as he saw Lucius approaching. Accepting his fallen book from the smallest girl, he gave her a reassuring smile and led them off towards Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Lucius passed them without a second look and entered Boyd's. Soon he was sitting with them in the window seat.
The carriage stopped outside the Leaky Cauldron and the five stepped out and into the musty interior. Pallas was all in awe; she had never seen a place like it before or so many people in one place. They had often had visitors at the Manor but Pallas was never encouraged to meet them; usually she was kept in the schoolroom with her governess until they left. The Inn Keeper nodded politely to Narcissa as she led the children through the crowded bar and out into the courtyard beyond. Using her carved ivory wand, she tapped the bricks of the rear wall, which rearranged them into an archway, through which Pallas was greeted with her first sights, sounds and smells of Diagon Alley. It was so busy; all kinds of witches and wizards were walking around carrying baskets of potion ingredients and oddly shaped packages wrapped in brown paper and sealed with spellotape. Pallas watched as a tall wizard in long, maroon robes, with a small brown owl perched on his shoulder bartered with the Apothecary for an extra scoop of firefly wings to go with his already bulging shopping bags. She watched as the Apothecary finally gave in and the wizard went off with a smile after passing over a few bronze coins. Narcissa presented Draco with his own moneybag, bulging with coins and gave him instructions of when and where they were to meet later that day. Then Draco, Crabbe and Goyle quickly lost themselves in the crowd, two large heads and one blond one heading off towards the ice-cream parlour. Pallas wanted to explore this new place and look in all the shops and down all the alleys but Narcissa took Pallas firmly by the hand and led her off to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, the first shop that Pallas had ever been in and not the last that day. Pushing open the door Pallas was flushed with pleasure as the little bell tinkled and four or five witches came into the shop from the back room preparing to serve them. Her mother was seated on a comfortable cream sofa and was served tea by a small witch dressed in green, whilst Madam Malkin, neatly dressed in mauve, took on the personal care of Pallas. Helping her onto a footstool, Madam Malkin selected a school robe, neatly slipped it over Pallas' head and then bent down to start pinning up the hem. "Oh!" she said, surprised. The robe was a good two inches short already. Tutting, she removed the robe and turned back to the garment rail. Running her plump finger along the line of clothing, she selected another robe, checking the golden label inside the neck "Height 7 Crescents Age 13 years" it read. She frowned, looking at Pallas critically but put the robe over Pallas' head. It fitted well in length and just needed taking in slightly at the waist due to Pallas' slight frame. Pallas was thrilled to have the robe; it was standard issue uniform and quite plain, but to Pallas it was one of the most exquisite things she had ever worn. Madam Malkin removed the robe and passed it to one of her assistants who scurried off with a quick curtsey into the sewing room. Pallas and Narcissa moved to the counter where Narcissa signed the ledger and informed the witch that she would send someone later to pick up the robe and the rest of Pallas' school clothes. She also ordered a new set of Quidditch robes for Draco. Next was the wand shop. This was even more exciting than the robe shop. As she entered, she could feel the magic trapped in the thousands of wands that lined the walls, as if a breeze was whipping around her frame. She stood patiently for Mr Ollivander as he measured her in every direction and then started selecting different boxes from shelves both high and low trying to trace the perfect match. Finally he found what he was looking for and presented it to Pallas. The wand was black mahogany with a dragon's heartstring at is core, nine inches in length. Pallas' hand vibrated at the touch and a chill went up her arm as she held the delicately carved wand for first time. "A very reliable wand," Mr Ollivander informed her, "not likely to go off unexpectedly in tricky situations." They thanked him and continued on with their shopping. "We must get you an owl next," informed Narcissa, leading Pallas towards Eeylops Owl Emporium. The owls were mainly sleeping, their large eyes closed to the bright summer sun. Pallas saw a large eagle owl like her brother's. "Too large," she thought, finally deciding on a sleek barn owl with its moon like face. Narcissa looked at the clock that stood above the door of Gringotts. It was nearly two o'clock. "We need to meet your father soon," said Narcissa, and they headed off along Diagon Alley once more. Centenary Boyd's Coffee House stood behind Gringotts, a three story stone building. Boyd, being a shrewd businessman had designed it so as to provide the maximum seating inside. So on the outside of the building stood all staircases and piping that serviced the building. It was a most peculiar sight. As they moved inside, Pallas could see that it was filled with hundreds of small tables around which sat every manner of witch, wizard, elf and goblin. Everyone was drinking coffee from large cups and passing slips of parchment to each other. Every so often, the staff of Boyd's, dressed in grey robes, would replenish the cups and collect the slips. Narcissa and Pallas found a large table in one of the bow windows on the second floor. It had a grand view that reached the length of Diagon Alley in both directions. Pallas could see back to the London buildings beyond the Leaky Cauldron in one direction and all the way to the docks on the river in the other. Pallas sat and watched the business wizards carefully from her chair. At first she thought that the slips were the bills for the coffee, but as she watched more and caught snippets of the conversations, she realised that the slips represented promises. Whilst she was observing, Madam Malkin entered the coffee house and approached a well- dressed wizard who was seated at the table next to Pallas. She ordered coffee from the grey robed waiter and entered into a conversation with the wizard whose name was Mr Strudwick. Pallas heard Madam Malkin explain that she had an expensive shipment of silk ordered from China and was looking to Mr Strudwick to ensure its protection from damage by Chinese Water Dragons. The man agreed to her request and wrote on one of the slips of parchment Madam Malkin's name and details of her shipment. Madam Malkin passed him a bag containing five galleons. The waiter then came and removed the slip and pinned it to a large board at the far end of the coffee house. Above the board in large white letters Pallas read:
A Promise here you truly make, For Boyd can recognise a fake, If safe cargo is what you wish, Protected from both storm and fish And all manner of beast and foe, You will not have too far to go, So sign your name and take your chance And I your futures will enhance.
Centenary Boyd.
Other wizards then gathered round. Each taking a quill, they signed their own names on the slip underneath the original agreement. At that moment, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle entered the coffee house and came over to the table. More coffee arrived, as well as a plate of pastries for the two large boys. Draco, seeing Crabbe's and Goyle's quizzical looks regarding the waiters, started to explain what was going on. Pallas listened intently. "It's kind of like an alliance," he started. "If anyone has some property that they want protecting, they come here to speak to the wizards. Between them, they agree a price for a protection spell. The greater the complexity or the higher the level of protection required, the higher the charge. Each wizard is an expert in different spells. See that stout witch over there." He said with a nod of his head indicating a woman in a dark corner dressed in layers of gaudy robes and an overlarge purple hat. "She's an expert on tempests. Father says that she can turn the sea to glass in front of any ship - if the price is right," he added. "Why do they pin those pieces of parchment on the wall?" asked Pallas. Draco was about to ignore her, but Crabbe and Goyle grunted from between their mouthfuls of cake that they wanted to know too. Draco, not one to miss the chance of remaining the centre of attention and demonstrating his superiority continued. "Once the Master Wizard has agreed to provide the protection, the Under- Wizards put their names to it, signing under it that they will provide additional spells to provide the greatest protection. Father has two Under- Wizards here that Under-spell for him. He gets to keep the payments. He once got 10,000 galleons for shipping in a Hungarian Horntail," he said boastfully. "But Draco, you forget," interrupted his Mother, "your Father is then responsible to replace any goods that are damaged if the spell fails." "Yes, that's the risk, but Father loves risks." Nobody could disagree with him. More coffee arrived, and Pallas looked idly out of the window at the crowds passing on the street below. There were a lot of people in Diagon Alley now, selling their wares or staring into the shop windows. Outside one shop there was a crowd of boys, each trying to catch a glimpse of the Nimbus Air broomstick that had been put on display there. There were now a growing number of children, who like Pallas were being accompanied by their families to get their school supplies, their arms full of books and packages. Pallas tried to work out if any would be in her year. A group had just come out of the bookshop each carrying a book in their arms. They stood out from the rest of the bustling crowd due to their bright red hair. There were three tall boys and a younger girl accompanied by another boy and girl, he with a mess of black hair and she with her long hair tied back off her face on this hot day, her elegant neck sweeping down into a simple cotton frock much like Pallas'. As Pallas continued to watch, she saw her father approaching, coming out of an adjacent alleyway on his way to meet his family. He was no longer with Goyle but was now accompanied by a smaller but completely hooded wizard who she did not recognise. As they entered Diagon Alley, they each went their separate ways as if they didn't know each other, the hooded wizard scurrying off into the crowd with a flash of silver glimmering from the sleeve of his robe. Back at the bookshop, the dark haired boy leant heavily against the wall of the shop, his new book tumbling from his hand as he raised it to his forehead as if he were in pain. His friends pressed around him in concern, but he tried to laugh it off, especially as he saw Lucius approaching. Accepting his fallen book from the smallest girl, he gave her a reassuring smile and led them off towards Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Lucius passed them without a second look and entered Boyd's. Soon he was sitting with them in the window seat.