AN: still nothing to say . . . except shout-outs!
SatanBarbie - ummmmmm, is your review good or bad? It's kinda hard to tell . . .
SainNikki - we'll keep it going as long as we can!
Princess Chisu - we're not even sure as to why Draco kidnapped Violet . . .
swayland - neither can we! (we have no plot, we write as we go!)
Eve Granger - see response for Princess Chisu
michelle - your review didn't show up . . .
Okay, somehting tells us that there was a glitch in the comp and that we didnt get nearly all the people that reviewed, so if we didn't give you a shout-out but you reviewed, feel free to cuss the computer out in your next review because IT DESERVES IT!
Disclaimer: do we have to repeat ourselves? You should know this by now.
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Violet twisted her hair around her finger. She was in a carriage, headed for Hogsmeade. She looked outside, and saw the things pulling the carriages. Frankly, they scared her.
"Harry, what are those, um things pulling the carriage?"
"Oh, those. They're Thestrals. You can only see them if you've seen someone die," said Harry quietly.
"Can you see them?" Violet whispered.
"Yes."
"Oh," was all Violet could say.
"What are you two lovebirds whispering about?" asked Ron. Hermione kicked him, not too subtly.
"OW! What was that for?"
"For being an idiot. And besides, you made Violet blush."
"Blushing is a normal human reaction." This time, Violet gave Ron a sharp kick.
"GEEZ! What IS this, 'Bash on Ron day'?"
"Nope! I just kicked you for being and idiot, and, you DID make me blush, so consider this payback" Violet said and she smiled innocently. By then, the carriages had entered Hogsmeade, so they all got out, went into the Three Broomsticks, and headed over to their fireplace.
"Violet, have you ever traveled by Floo Powder before?" asked Harry.
"Uhhh, no," said Violet nervously, wondering what on earth 'Floo Powder' was.
"Oh, well, it's very simple. You just take some of the powder, drop it in the fireplace, step into it, and say the name of the place you're going, which is, in this case, Diagon Alley," he explained. "One of us will go first, so you can see how it's done." Ron volunteered to do this, since he had traveled by Floo Powder the most. He did exactly as Harry had said, and he disappeared into emerald green flames. Instead of making Violet more comfortable, it made her even more scared.
"Uh, Harry, can Hermione go before me, too? Just so I can make absolutely sure that I can see it done properly?" asked Violet, even though she was just delaying.
"Sure," said Harry, and Hermione, too, disappeared into green flames.
"Your turn," said Harry, smiling at Violet. "Just remember to speak clearly, keep your eyes shut, and make sure your elbows are tucked in, and you'll be fine."
"Right," she said, and took some of the sparkling powder in her hand, which she dropped into the orange flames, turning them emerald green once again. She stepped into them, took one last look at Harry, and said, loud and clear, "Diagon Alley!" and felt herself twisting and spiraling through a maze of fireplaces. She kept her eyes shut tight and her arms crossed and pressed to her chest, as Harry had advised, and landed several seconds later in a dingy pub, Ron and Hermione there, waiting for her.
"I though we were going to Diagon Alley?" she remarked to them.
"We are!" said Ron. "We just have to go through the Leaky Cauldron to get there," he said.
"The Leaky Cauldron?" asked Violet, perplexed.
"Where we are now," said Hermione.
"Oh," said Violet, as Harry appeared next to her.
"Well, follow me everybody," he said, and led the way out behind the Leaky Cauldron to a courtyard. He got out his wand and tapped the third brick to the left, and the magical archway that leads to Diagon Alley appeared. Harry had a sudden memory of his first time here, and said to Violet, "Welcome, Violet, to Diagon Alley!" Violet looked at the cobblestone road filled with shoppers with awe and wonder.
"Oh, where do we go first?" she said, excited.
"First, we have to go to Gringotts and get you some money," said Hermione, starting to walk. Harry, Ron, and Violet followed her.
"Gringotts?" asked Violet.
"Wizard bank," said Harry. "It's run by Goblins."
"Goblins?!" exclaimed Violet.
"Don't worry, they're not too bad," said Harry.
"Very clever, but not very friendly," added Ron. This didn't comfort Violet much.
"But, Harry, I don't have an account at Gringotts," said Violet, her heart sinking.
"You mean a vault? I figured that. You'll be using some of my gold," said Harry, as if they had agreed on this weeks ago.
"But, Harry, I couldn't possibly take your money!" said Violet, but knowing there was no way around it.
"Violet, my parents left me a very good bit of gold. So much, in fact, that I could buy all of mine, yours, Ron's, and Hermione's school supplies for this and next year and probably still have enough left over to put a rather large down payment on a house," said Harry. "You using some of my gold is not going to bother me in the slightest."
"Well, all right . . ." said Violet, as they came up to the snowy white building that towered above all the rest.
0o0
Once the four of them were back out of Gringotts, blinking in the sunlight, and Violet's pockets full of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts, she didn't know where to go first.
"Well, now that I have money, where do I go first?" she asked her three companions.
"I would suggest getting your books, first," said Harry. "Did you get a Hogwarts letter?" he asked.
"Well, yes, but I didn't think to bring it," said Violet, blushing.
"That's okay. I brought mine, just in case. You can use it," he said, pulling a piece of folded parchment out of his pocket and handing it to her.
"Thanks, Harry," she said.
"Well, Harry and me are going to head to Florean Fortescue's for some ice cream, so we'll trust you, Hermione, to help V get all her school supplies," said Ron.
"Boys," said Hermione as they walked away. "Well, Violet, like Harry said, I would advise getting your books first, so we'll head to Flourish and Blotts," said Hermione.
0o0
After an hour and a half, Hermione and Violet had managed to get all the required books, robes, and supplies she needed, except a wand. Violet said that she wanted Harry and Ron there in addition to Hermione when she got it. It just seemed like a special event that she wanted all her friends to see. She and Hermione looked for Harry and Ron for about 15 minutes before they found them goggling at the latest model of the Nimbus series of broomsticks in Quality Quidditch Supplies. Violet lingered there for as long as she dared. She desperately wanted to buy a broom, but it was Harry's money, and she was only spending as much as she needed. She was so deep in thought about this, even after leaving the shop, that she didn't notice when Harry, Ron, and Hermione, steered her into a store called Ollivander's Wands. She got quite a shock when she looked up and found herself in what reminded her of a very strict library. Then, a man just sort of appeared from the shadows, which creeped her out big time.
"Ah, Miss Dumbledore. I was wondering when I'd be seeing you," he said. Violet gulped. She seemed to have lost the ability to talk, so she just nodded. "It will be very interesting to see which wand chooses you," he added.
Violet found her voice. "Excuse me sir, but what do you mean, 'which wand chooses me'?" she asked uneasily.
"Ah, Miss Dumbledore, it is the wand that chooses the wizard, not the other way around," he explained. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Well, I'm right handed," she said uneasily.
"Right," he said, and began to rummage among the shelves, disappearing from view. He returned a minute later with a long thin box. He opened it, took out the wand, and handed it to her. He described it as "Willow, eleven and a quarter inches, unicorn hair core, slightly whippy." She took it from him, and when she didn't do anything, he said, "Well, give it a wave!" So, Violet, (feeling very foolish) waved it around, and when nothing happened, Mr. Ollivander took it back and replaced it in the shelves, returning a few seconds later with another one.
"Ebony, ten and a half inches, dragon heartstring, rather pliable," he said, handing it to her. Violet, feeling rather disgusted that this wand contained part of a dragon heart, waved it rather half-heartedly, and was rather relieved when Mr. Ollivander snatched it back. This continued for some time, until, 20 wands and an exhausted arm later, he handed her a wand with the description, "Mahogany, thirteen inches, phoenix feather, non- flexible." She grabbed it and felt warmth spread throughout her entire body, and then she waved it and red and gold sparks flew out of the tip. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all clapped, and even Mr. Ollivander offered his congratulations as he wrapped up the wand in its box and handed it to Violet, who paid seven Galleons for it. She looked over at Harry, beaming. He thought her face looked like the morning sun when it was that happy.
A very pretty morning sun.
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AN: [S.S] You know what? We started this story as being set in March, right in the middle of the school year, but then we decided to write something set before then so you would understand what we were talking about. It was supposed to be just a prologue, but instead it's four chapters and growing!
[M.W] YOU LIKE MY WORK!! YAAAAAAAY!!!!!
[S.S] Excuse me? YOUR work? Who typed almost this WHOLE chapter because YOU'VE only read half of the first book of the HP series?
[M.W] Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh . . . you . . .?
[S.S] That's right, ME! Now, go sit in your corner and think up ideas for the next chapter! --Looks at readers with a guilty expression-- Uhhhhh, I mean, go sit in your corner and . . . uhhhh . . .oops . . . (I really did type most of this chapter; Mystery Writer really has only read half the first book, and no, I do not torture M.W into thinking up ideas for future chapters. I was just saying that for fun, right M.W?)
[M.W] Right. (Inner me: you know peanut butter and bananas-
[S.S] AND CHEERIOS!!!
[M.W] . . . Uhhhhh . . . right, and cheerios . . . make a very good sandwich combo!)
[S.S] That's what I had for lunch today!
[M.W] . . . Right. (Look who's gotten into the sugar stash . . . AGAIN . . .)
[S.S] HEY! FYI, I have not had ANY chocolate chip cookies today!
[M.W] --Holds up cookie-- Look, a cookie! --Throws cookie-- GO GET IT!!
[S.S] COOOOOKIIIIIIIIIIE!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! --Runs after cookie--
[M.W] Sorry about that. --Points to little purple button at the bottom left of the screen-- Now, review this chappie please! I'll give a cookie to all of you who do! --holds up another cookie--
[S.S] --returns, shoving first cookie in her mouth-- MY COOKIE!!!!!!!! -- runs after Mystery Writer--
[M.W] --runs away-- PLEASE REVIEW BEFORE ALL MY COOKIES GET STOLEN!!!!! (and before my sugar-high co-author kills me!)