I was pacing in the hallway upstairs, waiting for Petunia to call everyone
to breakfast. I had been practicing my lines for the last three days, and I
was sure Harry had done the same. I realized I was biting my nails, so I
put my hands down and started wringing them instead. Harry came into the
hall from his room.
"Nervous?" he asked teasingly. But I saw a frown etched on his forehead. I shook my head.
"Nope. Just worried," I replied. I chewed on my lips, running the plan through my head over and over again.
"Breakfast!" came Petunia's shrill voice up the staircase. I took a deep breath and let it out through pursed lips. I glanced at Harry and raised an eyebrow.
"Ready?" I asked. He nodded.
"Ready as I'll ever be," he said and headed down the stairs.
As I sat down in my seat at the table, I switched into acting mode. Or lying mode, which ever you prefer. I was completely calm, my feelings and emotions masked by my "game face". I smiled pleasantly at Vernon, who squirmed uncomfortably at my new disposition. I was usually stoic and bored, and when I talk I just muttered or mumbled a response to their small- talk questions. But today I was cheerful as a kindergarten teacher.
"I hope you slept well, Mr. Dursley?" I said smoothly. The words rolled off my tongue naturally. Vernon gave his collar a short tug, and glanced at Petunia.
"Er, yes, fine," he muttered. I turned to Petunia.
"And you as well, Mrs. Dursley?" I inquired. She only nodded. I suppressed a giggle at the fact that I had apparently rendered her speechless. I stayed silent for a few moments, collecting myself. Then, "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, I was meaning to talk to you about something of importance." They looked up eagerly, and I had to recover myself again before continuing. "Well, as you know, I'll be attending boarding school this year, and that my train leaves on the first of September." I leaned in as if this was some secret I was giving to them in confidence. "I realize that I am cutting it awfully short on time, waiting til the last minute to bring this up, but I was hoping that maybe you would be so kind as to drive me into London, so I can buy materials I need for school," I said, looking back and forth between Petunia and Vernon and batting my eyelashes prettily. They seemed to be having a silent conversation using only their eyes. Vernon turned to me, very business-like.
"Well, Charlotte, I would be happy to drive you into London, but we simply have too much to do today. We don't have time to take you shopping," he finished. He looked at me sympathetically. I put on my best face of disappointment.
"I'm sure whatever you could to would be much appreciated by my stepfather," I said, so sweetly I almost made myself sick. Vernon looked torn. He glanced at Petunia, who was looking very unsure. Now came Harry's turn.
"I could show her around, if you like," he put in. Vernon and Petunia glared at him. Vernon opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.
"That would work out wonderfully!" I said, trying to sound as much like Sandra D as I possibly could. "You could just drop us off in London, and Harry could show me around!" I flashed the horrified Dursleys a dazzling smile, and tried to look delighted. "It would be the only possible way I could get all my things in time," I continued, pouting. This type of lying wasn't my 'specialty', and it was very difficult. "I'm sure my stepfather would be very glad," I said, confidently. I saw Vernon's shoulders slump with defeat and I knew we had won. I had to restrain myself from jumping in the air.
"Yes, all right," he said tiredly. "If you get your things I'll drop you before I go to work." I walked calmly out of the room with Harry, but once I was out of sight, I bounded up the stairs with Harry at my heels. When I reached the top, I punch the air and did a victory dance.
"Yeeessss!" I whispered fiercely, grinning at Harry. "That was awesome!" He nodded in agreement.
"For a while there, I thought it wasn't going to work," he said, laughing. "But you were brilliant! I can tell you do this often," he added dryly. I smiled sweetly.
"Actually I do," I said evilly, and went into my room to get ready.
"We'll come back to this exact spot at 5 o'clock," Vernon reminded us for the hundredth time. "Don't be late." At that, Harry and I hopped out of the car and bounded down the sidewalk, away from his aunt and uncle and cousin. We stopped a block away from the place where we had been dropped off.
"Phew!" I said, breathing heavily. "So, where are we going?"
"Diagon Alley is this way, just the next block over. Let's go!" said Harry, and we started walking.
"So, exactly what should I expect here?" I asked, giving Harry a sidelong glance. I had been around wizards at school, but I was pretty sure it would be different in England. He scratched his head thoughtfully.
"Well, er, compared to what?" he asked, stalling. I nudged him slightly.
"Compared to Muggles," I replied tartly. Harry squirmed uncomfortably.
"Well, ah, they're a bit strange," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. I stopped walking and put my hands on my hips. He grinned apologetically.
"It's hard to describe," he said, and shrugged. "You'll see when we get there."
Harry led the way to the front of an old tavern, called the Leaky Cauldron. He pushed open the door and motioned for me to go in first. I nodded thanks and stepped through the door into a room full of strange people. The first thing I noticed was that everything was lit by candles. No electricity. Well, that was understandable. They didn't have electricity in the wizarding environments in the U.S. either. The second thing I noticed was that everyone was wearing colorful robes. Nothing strange there. I was used to seeing purple, turquoise, even crimson robes on adult wizards. It wasn't until I talked to them that I noticed what Harry was talking about.
"Hey, Harry!" came a booming voice from across the room. I turned to see a humongous man in a bearskin coat walking toward us. Harry grinned happily when he saw him.
"Hagrid!" he said, embracing him. "It's been too long." I shuffled my feet uncomfortably behind Harry. He glanced at me. "Oh, how rude of me! Hagrid, this is Charlotte Porter. She's from-"
"The States, aye, Professor Dumbledore told me," Hagrid interrupted. He smiled at me warmly and shook my hand. "Please ter meet ye. Ye know, ye're the first transfer we've had at Hogwarts fer years."
"Really?" I said interestedly.
"Yeah," said Hagrid, but waved the subject away. "I just came down here ter have a drink and talk ter Tom. I s'pose you'll be here ter get yer school supplies?" Harry and I nodded. "Ah, well, I'll let ye get back to that. See ye both at school!" And with that, he was out the door. I turned to Harry and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged.
"Let's go," he said. I followed him through the room, attracting curious glances. A few people stopped Harry to shake his hand. What was this? I thought confusedly. Why was Harry so popular here? I'd have to ask him later. Harry led me into an alley behind the Leaky Cauldron and stood in front of a brick wall, examining each brick carefully. I giggled, but turned it into a tactful coughing fit when Harry glared at me. I watched as Harry tapped three bricks and stepped back. I stared at the wall, where a small hole was growing and growing, until it was as big as a doorway. I gaped at Harry, who was chuckling. I gathered my wits enough to close my mouth and followed Harry into a world I could have never imagined. It looked like something out of a Disney movie. And just like inside the Leaky Cauldron, people kept coming up to Harry and shaking his hand. Harry turned to me.
"So, where do you want to go first?" he asked nonchalantly.
"The bank," I replied, still in awe of the so-called Diagon Alley. "I have money, but it's American dollars, and I need to change it to Galleons and Knuts and stuff." Harry nodded.
"All right, then, let's head to Gringotts," he said and started off down the street. I studied the stores on each side of the street. They had the strangest names, like Flourish and Blotts, Ollivander's Wand Shop, and the bank we were going to, Gringotts. It was almost like a Dr. Seuss book. I giggled at the picture that entered my mind, of Harry asking me if I wanted to eat green eggs and ham with a mouse or in a house. Harry gave me a strange look and I started to answer, but waved him off. My strange thought process would be too hard to explain to anyone else.
"Harry," I said, returning to my earlier thought of why everyone knew who he was. He gave me a questioning look. "Um, why did all those people want to shake your hand? I mean," I said with difficulty, "it's just that it seems like everyone knows you, and-" But he interrupted me.
"Wait, you don't know who, er, he is?" Harry asked. I raised an eyebrow.
"You're gonna have to be a bit more specific," I said sarcastically. He blushed, and waved his hand.
"I'll explain later," he grumbled, kicking the ground.
"Here we are," announced Harry a few minutes later. I looked up to find a huge building with Greek-style architecture that said 'Gringotts' on the front. We walked through the double doors and at first it looked like a normal, Muggle bank. Then I caught sight of the tellers, and almost laughed at my previous thought. They weren't human; they were short, about three feet tall, they had big pointy ears, and long beaky noses.
"What are those?" I asked, my mouth curved into a quirky smile. I didn't want to be rude and seem like I was mocking these rather dignified looking creatures, but they were funny looking. Harry smiled.
"They're goblins," he said. I watched in fascination as one of the little creatures scuttled past and took his seat at one of the windows. He looked at me questioningly. I stared for a moment, then shook myself.
"May I help you?" he said in a croaky voice. I suppressed a smile and nodded.
"Yes, I need to open an account and exchange American money," I replied, taking my wallet out of my pocket. He nodded and started writing quickly on an official looking piece of paper. He then handed it to me.
"Sign please," he said, handing me a quill. I took it awkwardly, used to writing with ballpoint pens, and signed on the line. When I was done, the quill and paper were snatched from me, placed deftly in a file, and shoved into a cabinet. He looked at me and smiled.
"Congratulations, you now have a vault at Gringotts bank," he said. He took a key out of a little pouch on his belt and disappeared under the desk. I heard a small click. He appeared once more and looked at me expectantly.
"And how much would you like to transfer?" he asked professionally. I handed him a check, glancing at Harry. I didn't think he had much money and I didn't want to rub it in his face.
"Three thousand dollars," announced the goblin, disappearing under his desk once more. I turned 13 different shades of red and avoided Harry's gaze, but I could feel him grinning. I took the key to my new bank account and the bank note, and stepped away from the counter so Harry could make his withdrawal. When he was done, the goblin called out in a strange language and pointed us toward yet another tiny creature.
We rode these little cars through an assortment of tunnels and caves, passing humongous iron doors, until we reached our first destination. The little goblin hopped out of the cart and scuttled over to the door. Harry clambered out, a little less gracefully.
"Vault 713," said the little man mechanically. "Key please." Harry handed him a small gold key, not unlike the one in my pocket. I leaned over my seat and squinted at what the goblin was doing. There was an assortment of locks in a circular space, but the goblin seemed to know which one was right. He pushed the key in, turned it, and the door swung open easily. Harry glanced back at me and I noticed he seemed a bit embarrassed. I craned my neck to see around him and almost gasped. There were piles and piles of gold, silver, and bronze coins, covering almost every space in the large vault. I slumped in my seat, completely confused. How did Harry have all that money? And if he was so rich, why did he live with his horrible aunt and uncle, and wear Dudleys' old clothes? I glanced back at Harry, who was rushing out of the vault, cheeks flaming. He took his seat beside me while the goblin closed the door. He looked at his feet, but I was staring straight ahead. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, the car began to move and we were speeding off toward my vault.
"I think maybe you should explain now," I said quietly. At first I thought Harry hadn't heard me over the roar of the rusty cart wheels, but he nodded.
**Please tell me what I should do to make this better. I have been getting lots of appreciative emails ("You're an excellent writer!" and such) but, not to sound ungrateful, I need more criticism. Just tell me what you don't like, or what could be better. (But by all means, keep the complements coming :P)
"Nervous?" he asked teasingly. But I saw a frown etched on his forehead. I shook my head.
"Nope. Just worried," I replied. I chewed on my lips, running the plan through my head over and over again.
"Breakfast!" came Petunia's shrill voice up the staircase. I took a deep breath and let it out through pursed lips. I glanced at Harry and raised an eyebrow.
"Ready?" I asked. He nodded.
"Ready as I'll ever be," he said and headed down the stairs.
As I sat down in my seat at the table, I switched into acting mode. Or lying mode, which ever you prefer. I was completely calm, my feelings and emotions masked by my "game face". I smiled pleasantly at Vernon, who squirmed uncomfortably at my new disposition. I was usually stoic and bored, and when I talk I just muttered or mumbled a response to their small- talk questions. But today I was cheerful as a kindergarten teacher.
"I hope you slept well, Mr. Dursley?" I said smoothly. The words rolled off my tongue naturally. Vernon gave his collar a short tug, and glanced at Petunia.
"Er, yes, fine," he muttered. I turned to Petunia.
"And you as well, Mrs. Dursley?" I inquired. She only nodded. I suppressed a giggle at the fact that I had apparently rendered her speechless. I stayed silent for a few moments, collecting myself. Then, "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, I was meaning to talk to you about something of importance." They looked up eagerly, and I had to recover myself again before continuing. "Well, as you know, I'll be attending boarding school this year, and that my train leaves on the first of September." I leaned in as if this was some secret I was giving to them in confidence. "I realize that I am cutting it awfully short on time, waiting til the last minute to bring this up, but I was hoping that maybe you would be so kind as to drive me into London, so I can buy materials I need for school," I said, looking back and forth between Petunia and Vernon and batting my eyelashes prettily. They seemed to be having a silent conversation using only their eyes. Vernon turned to me, very business-like.
"Well, Charlotte, I would be happy to drive you into London, but we simply have too much to do today. We don't have time to take you shopping," he finished. He looked at me sympathetically. I put on my best face of disappointment.
"I'm sure whatever you could to would be much appreciated by my stepfather," I said, so sweetly I almost made myself sick. Vernon looked torn. He glanced at Petunia, who was looking very unsure. Now came Harry's turn.
"I could show her around, if you like," he put in. Vernon and Petunia glared at him. Vernon opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.
"That would work out wonderfully!" I said, trying to sound as much like Sandra D as I possibly could. "You could just drop us off in London, and Harry could show me around!" I flashed the horrified Dursleys a dazzling smile, and tried to look delighted. "It would be the only possible way I could get all my things in time," I continued, pouting. This type of lying wasn't my 'specialty', and it was very difficult. "I'm sure my stepfather would be very glad," I said, confidently. I saw Vernon's shoulders slump with defeat and I knew we had won. I had to restrain myself from jumping in the air.
"Yes, all right," he said tiredly. "If you get your things I'll drop you before I go to work." I walked calmly out of the room with Harry, but once I was out of sight, I bounded up the stairs with Harry at my heels. When I reached the top, I punch the air and did a victory dance.
"Yeeessss!" I whispered fiercely, grinning at Harry. "That was awesome!" He nodded in agreement.
"For a while there, I thought it wasn't going to work," he said, laughing. "But you were brilliant! I can tell you do this often," he added dryly. I smiled sweetly.
"Actually I do," I said evilly, and went into my room to get ready.
"We'll come back to this exact spot at 5 o'clock," Vernon reminded us for the hundredth time. "Don't be late." At that, Harry and I hopped out of the car and bounded down the sidewalk, away from his aunt and uncle and cousin. We stopped a block away from the place where we had been dropped off.
"Phew!" I said, breathing heavily. "So, where are we going?"
"Diagon Alley is this way, just the next block over. Let's go!" said Harry, and we started walking.
"So, exactly what should I expect here?" I asked, giving Harry a sidelong glance. I had been around wizards at school, but I was pretty sure it would be different in England. He scratched his head thoughtfully.
"Well, er, compared to what?" he asked, stalling. I nudged him slightly.
"Compared to Muggles," I replied tartly. Harry squirmed uncomfortably.
"Well, ah, they're a bit strange," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. I stopped walking and put my hands on my hips. He grinned apologetically.
"It's hard to describe," he said, and shrugged. "You'll see when we get there."
Harry led the way to the front of an old tavern, called the Leaky Cauldron. He pushed open the door and motioned for me to go in first. I nodded thanks and stepped through the door into a room full of strange people. The first thing I noticed was that everything was lit by candles. No electricity. Well, that was understandable. They didn't have electricity in the wizarding environments in the U.S. either. The second thing I noticed was that everyone was wearing colorful robes. Nothing strange there. I was used to seeing purple, turquoise, even crimson robes on adult wizards. It wasn't until I talked to them that I noticed what Harry was talking about.
"Hey, Harry!" came a booming voice from across the room. I turned to see a humongous man in a bearskin coat walking toward us. Harry grinned happily when he saw him.
"Hagrid!" he said, embracing him. "It's been too long." I shuffled my feet uncomfortably behind Harry. He glanced at me. "Oh, how rude of me! Hagrid, this is Charlotte Porter. She's from-"
"The States, aye, Professor Dumbledore told me," Hagrid interrupted. He smiled at me warmly and shook my hand. "Please ter meet ye. Ye know, ye're the first transfer we've had at Hogwarts fer years."
"Really?" I said interestedly.
"Yeah," said Hagrid, but waved the subject away. "I just came down here ter have a drink and talk ter Tom. I s'pose you'll be here ter get yer school supplies?" Harry and I nodded. "Ah, well, I'll let ye get back to that. See ye both at school!" And with that, he was out the door. I turned to Harry and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged.
"Let's go," he said. I followed him through the room, attracting curious glances. A few people stopped Harry to shake his hand. What was this? I thought confusedly. Why was Harry so popular here? I'd have to ask him later. Harry led me into an alley behind the Leaky Cauldron and stood in front of a brick wall, examining each brick carefully. I giggled, but turned it into a tactful coughing fit when Harry glared at me. I watched as Harry tapped three bricks and stepped back. I stared at the wall, where a small hole was growing and growing, until it was as big as a doorway. I gaped at Harry, who was chuckling. I gathered my wits enough to close my mouth and followed Harry into a world I could have never imagined. It looked like something out of a Disney movie. And just like inside the Leaky Cauldron, people kept coming up to Harry and shaking his hand. Harry turned to me.
"So, where do you want to go first?" he asked nonchalantly.
"The bank," I replied, still in awe of the so-called Diagon Alley. "I have money, but it's American dollars, and I need to change it to Galleons and Knuts and stuff." Harry nodded.
"All right, then, let's head to Gringotts," he said and started off down the street. I studied the stores on each side of the street. They had the strangest names, like Flourish and Blotts, Ollivander's Wand Shop, and the bank we were going to, Gringotts. It was almost like a Dr. Seuss book. I giggled at the picture that entered my mind, of Harry asking me if I wanted to eat green eggs and ham with a mouse or in a house. Harry gave me a strange look and I started to answer, but waved him off. My strange thought process would be too hard to explain to anyone else.
"Harry," I said, returning to my earlier thought of why everyone knew who he was. He gave me a questioning look. "Um, why did all those people want to shake your hand? I mean," I said with difficulty, "it's just that it seems like everyone knows you, and-" But he interrupted me.
"Wait, you don't know who, er, he is?" Harry asked. I raised an eyebrow.
"You're gonna have to be a bit more specific," I said sarcastically. He blushed, and waved his hand.
"I'll explain later," he grumbled, kicking the ground.
"Here we are," announced Harry a few minutes later. I looked up to find a huge building with Greek-style architecture that said 'Gringotts' on the front. We walked through the double doors and at first it looked like a normal, Muggle bank. Then I caught sight of the tellers, and almost laughed at my previous thought. They weren't human; they were short, about three feet tall, they had big pointy ears, and long beaky noses.
"What are those?" I asked, my mouth curved into a quirky smile. I didn't want to be rude and seem like I was mocking these rather dignified looking creatures, but they were funny looking. Harry smiled.
"They're goblins," he said. I watched in fascination as one of the little creatures scuttled past and took his seat at one of the windows. He looked at me questioningly. I stared for a moment, then shook myself.
"May I help you?" he said in a croaky voice. I suppressed a smile and nodded.
"Yes, I need to open an account and exchange American money," I replied, taking my wallet out of my pocket. He nodded and started writing quickly on an official looking piece of paper. He then handed it to me.
"Sign please," he said, handing me a quill. I took it awkwardly, used to writing with ballpoint pens, and signed on the line. When I was done, the quill and paper were snatched from me, placed deftly in a file, and shoved into a cabinet. He looked at me and smiled.
"Congratulations, you now have a vault at Gringotts bank," he said. He took a key out of a little pouch on his belt and disappeared under the desk. I heard a small click. He appeared once more and looked at me expectantly.
"And how much would you like to transfer?" he asked professionally. I handed him a check, glancing at Harry. I didn't think he had much money and I didn't want to rub it in his face.
"Three thousand dollars," announced the goblin, disappearing under his desk once more. I turned 13 different shades of red and avoided Harry's gaze, but I could feel him grinning. I took the key to my new bank account and the bank note, and stepped away from the counter so Harry could make his withdrawal. When he was done, the goblin called out in a strange language and pointed us toward yet another tiny creature.
We rode these little cars through an assortment of tunnels and caves, passing humongous iron doors, until we reached our first destination. The little goblin hopped out of the cart and scuttled over to the door. Harry clambered out, a little less gracefully.
"Vault 713," said the little man mechanically. "Key please." Harry handed him a small gold key, not unlike the one in my pocket. I leaned over my seat and squinted at what the goblin was doing. There was an assortment of locks in a circular space, but the goblin seemed to know which one was right. He pushed the key in, turned it, and the door swung open easily. Harry glanced back at me and I noticed he seemed a bit embarrassed. I craned my neck to see around him and almost gasped. There were piles and piles of gold, silver, and bronze coins, covering almost every space in the large vault. I slumped in my seat, completely confused. How did Harry have all that money? And if he was so rich, why did he live with his horrible aunt and uncle, and wear Dudleys' old clothes? I glanced back at Harry, who was rushing out of the vault, cheeks flaming. He took his seat beside me while the goblin closed the door. He looked at his feet, but I was staring straight ahead. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, the car began to move and we were speeding off toward my vault.
"I think maybe you should explain now," I said quietly. At first I thought Harry hadn't heard me over the roar of the rusty cart wheels, but he nodded.
**Please tell me what I should do to make this better. I have been getting lots of appreciative emails ("You're an excellent writer!" and such) but, not to sound ungrateful, I need more criticism. Just tell me what you don't like, or what could be better. (But by all means, keep the complements coming :P)