Disclaimer: Not mine, I only own the plot of this fanfic and Carya, some parts are copied from the book, the idea with the raven and snake pet-thing is from someone else I put it in here as soon as I find out whom to give credit for that.

I hope there aren't too many mistakes since the story isn't Beta-read yet and English was and still is a foreign language for me but I'm trying. ^_^

Chapter 03 - Diagon Alley

Thanks to Snape they hadn't had to stay in there. Harry and Carya had felt very uncomfortable under those stares. Snape was relieved and a bit surprised that the Potter twins didn't ask him stupid questions like he had them expected to do. In fact they hadn't asked any questions at all, yet. He explained where they would go and in which order they would do so.

First they went to Gringotts here the twins exchanged their muggle money (they got thirty-nine Galleons, one Sickel and fourteen Knuts for their 200 pounds [I used the exchange information from the german version of 'Fantastic Beasts and where to find them']).

Then they were brought to their vaults to get out some money for school supplies but Carya found something else in her vault. It was a small leather bound book what seemed to be a diary of sort. The twins took out the supplies lists and looked through them. They were supposed to have:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

'The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) ' by Miranda Goshawk

'A History of Magic' by Bathilda Bagshot

'A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration' by Emetic Switch

'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' by Phyllida Spore

'Magical Drafts and Potions' by Arsenius Jigger

'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' by Newt Scamander

'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection' by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope set

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

They left Gringotts and got their cauldrons, potions supplies then went to Madam Malkin's to buy their robes. After that Harry and Carya were led to Flourish and Blotts to get their books. Carya got quite an amount of additional books containing some about Defense against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Advanced Transfiguration, Potions and 'Hexes & Curses: A Self Studying Guide' by Elmar Nexus because she could be quite a bookworm sometimes.

(A/N: what she didn't know was that the potions book she had bought was written by Slytherin himself, because it only read Potions on the cover and she didn't bother find an author since the potions inside looked interesting enough to her *evilgrin*)

Harry got some additional books too but he bought 'Quidditch through the Ages' by Kennilworthy Whisp and 'Hogwarts: A History' along with some other books about Wizarding Society, Charms and Theory of Magic although the latter wouldn't be on the curriculum until third year.

They already had decided to share their books because this way they could buy more with the same amount of money. When they'd finished there Snape brought them to Ollivander's to purchase their wands.

They went to a small and shabby looking shop. The sign above the door read Ollivander's: Makers of Fine wands since 382 B.C. There was only one single wand lying on a faded looking cushion that once might have been of crimson colour. A bell rang somewhere in the back of they shop as they stepped inside. Harry and Carya felt strange. Just as if they had entered a very strict library like the one in Little Whining.

The twins swallowed every single question they might have wanted to ask right now and resolved to stare at the thousands of narrow boxes that were piled on nearly endless shelves. They were piled up neatly from the floor up to the ceiling. The whole room was dusty and tingled with magic.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped and Carya stiffened a bit though her face barely showed any emotions right now.

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the shady darkness of the shop.

"Er, ... hello," Harry said awkwardly while his twin remained quiet. These were the first signs of emotion Snape noticed within the twins.

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry and Carya Potter." It wasn't a real question. It was more of a statement. "You have your mother's eyes," he said to Harry and then continued speaking to both of them: "It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

Mr. Ollivander moved closer to them. Those silvery eyes were a bit unnerving but the twins just stared back.

"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it -- it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.

"And that's where..."

Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger. Carya involuntarily took a small step backwards at this. She didn't like that kind of attention and was elated that her scar was hidden beneath her clothes.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do...."

He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Severus Snape.

"Severus Snape! How nice to see you again.... Ash, twelve inches, dragon heartstrings, wasn't it?"

"It is, yes," said Snape.

"Well, now -- Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Er -- well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Harry suddenly relaxed that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."

Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try --"

Harry tried -- but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.

"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."

Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere -- I wonder, now - - yes, why not -- unusual combination -- holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

As soon as Harry took the wand he felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of green and silver sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "

He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious..

"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"

Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather -- just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you and your sister those scars."

Harry swallowed and Carya looked annoyed along with Snape.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember.... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter.... After all, He-

Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things -- terrible, yes, but great." Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. Now it was Carya's turn to get a wand and Mr. Ollivander asked her which hand was her wand hand.

"Er... actually I can use both hands with everything. So I would say that I'm ambidextrous," Carya replied.

At this both Mr. Ollivander raised his eyebrows and Professor Snape looked really curious. Not many wizards or witches were ambidextrous. The only one Severus Snape could think of would have been the Dark Lord himself. So why was this girl?

Ollivander frowned a bit and put the boxes he had just taken back to their shelves. He then fetched some others from the back of the shop to let Carya try them out. Just like Harry she needed quite some attempts to finally find a matching wand.

After waving wands made from at least twelve different wood types and all three normally used wand cores she ended up with an eleven and a half inches Yew wand with a core made of a single phoenix feather and powdered basilisk fangs. At this Snape raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

'Basilisk fangs? In Potters wand?? Something has to be wrong here...' he thought.

They paid nine gold Galleons each for their wands, and Snape hurried them out of Mr. Ollivander's shop. After leaving the shop they asked if they were allowed to buy a pet. It was the first question they directed at Snape and surprisingly he said yes without complaint.

He even didn't say a thing when they purchased a pair of coal black ravens. But he was definitely confused and astonished when Harry and Carya Potter of all people went to buy themselves a small snake each. Even the shopkeeper gave them curious looks. They were the 'Children-who-lived' after all.

Carya got an emerald green and Harry a greenish-blue snake. The colour of their new pets matched the eye colour of the twins. Although Snape was careful not to mention his thoughts and musings he couldn't deny that he was very curious about them purchasing snakes.

After they'd finished their shopping they were brought back home by portkey. They said thanks to Snape and he was gone within a heartbeat.

As soon as Snape was back at Hogwarts he went down to his private chambers and reflected the day. He had expected the Potter children to be horribly spoiled which they actually seemed to be but they weren't as snobby as others. They hadn't asked all those stupid questions like all muggle-born children did when the were taken to go shopping.

When they hadn't asked a single questions besides wanting to buy a pet he had thought that they were arrogant in believing they didn't need to ask any questions about anything. But then he had seen what kind of books they bought. There had been some about Wizard Society and History books, too and to his surprise even some about potions, hexes and curses.

'Not very Gryffindor-like ...,' he mused. 'Perhaps they aren't as horrible as their annoying father and his sidekicks had been. Perhaps they might a bit like Lily who has always been polite even towards some Slytherins. I hope they don't turn out like James Potter and his bunch...'

Carya and Harry lay awake that night because they couldn't sleep. So they talked with each other, to their new snakes which they'd named Niamh (Harry's snake was a female) and Salazar (Carya's snake, a male one) and they started to read through their new books.

The two raven's got names too. The twins settled on Phobos and Deimos as their names. Within the remaining four weeks of the holidays they read each book they had bought in Diagon alley at least once. They already had memorised many potions, charms, hexes, curses and such.

It was quite exciting for them and soon they knew almost everything important from their course books by heart. Carya was a bit disappointed that she wasn't allowed to practise the hexes and curses she'd found in one of the books.

She gladly would've liked to test them on Dominic Rogers bull-dog. That animal had already bitten three persons and was still running around without a leash. But she was able to do something else. She knew that Dominic's dog always drank from the birds fountain at Magnolia Crescent No.5 and decided to prank him.

The girl told Harry and Dudley and they were delighted. Together an away from Petunia's eyes they brew a simple colouring potion which they poured into the fountain just before they could spot Dominic and his dreadful pet.

As always he drank from the fountain and in an instant the dogs fur was a bright pink. The three children had a hard time not to laugh because that would have given their hiding place away but it was a funny sight to see.

No one ever found out who had done that to the dog and once the bull-dog and it's owner were gone Carya poured the counter potion into the fountain. They wouldn't want to be responsible for loads of unnaturally pink birds around Surrey.

But one thing was for sure. The dog never again drank from the fountain and Dominic had to give the animal away when it tried to bit a police-officer. When Petunia heard about the pink-dog-incident she immediately suspected the twins and her son but since she had no proof she didn't mention it.

Petunia had suspected them because their father and his friends had once played a similar prank on her when they had visited Lily during the summer holidays. These days when she looked hard enough she could see a great deal of her sister in the twins.

Soon the holidays came to an end. Dudley would leave for Smeltings and the twins would go to Hogwarts. As much as the children were excited about their departure Petunia was sad. The house would seem quite empty with all her children gone.

Please Read AND Review.

Thx ^_^,

Carya

Claudia - Thx ^_^ Carya is an original character created by myself. She actually represent me *grin*. You can see a picture of her in Hogwarts clothes at: http: //www.caryablack.de/carya.htm

She is only based on myself and how I'd like to look.