I'm sorry that this has been delayed. I've had a lot to think about
lately, so I hope everyone forgives me. Heehee.
Erin coughed as she slid out onto the hearth of the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione offered her a hand, and Erin flinched under the misunderstood gesture. "Sorry," she mumbled. Hermione smiled and pulled the other girl to her feet.
"I hate that stuff!" Harry spluttered, falling out onto the floor himself, Ron right after him. "Never again! Never!" He stood and brushed himself off.
The troop stepped out into the street. Professor McGonagall had given them all the leave (after much careful persuading from Hermione in which she argued that they had the permission slips for Hogsmeade and whatnot) to take Erin to Diagon Ally.
"Well, I suppose we must go to Gringotts first. Dumbledor assured me that you would have an account," Hermione confirmed, and then marched up the street, leading the way.
Erin gazed about at the shops lining the street in awe. She had never seen anything like this. There was Quality Quidditch Supplies, an eyrie of owls and flacons, a shop of robes, and at the end of them all, a great white building that leaned heavily to one side with a set of steps leading up to the from door that was titled with a grand sign that said simply: Gringotts Wizard's Bank. They climbed these steps and went inside the warm building.
"Um. Ron," Erin whispered. "What are those things?"
"Oh. Those are just goblins. Don't worry about them." Ron shrugged but Erin was not having pleasant inward thoughts. They approached a counter behind which a goblin sat, stamping away at various pieces of parchment. The one before them ceased the rhythmic stamping and looked at them.
"A bit late for Hogwarts students, is it not?" it said.
"We have a new student that came in late and needs supplies. Her name is Erin Abernathy and we need to get to her vault," Harry said.
"And does Erin Abernathy have her key?" Hermione grimaced and Harry looked worried and bit his lip. Ron looked like he was about to beat his head upon the counter. No one had remembered the key.
"Yes, she does." Erin pushed up from behind them and pulled a key from under her shirt. "Here," she said and slid the key off it's chain and handed it to the goblin. He looked closely at it, then nodded.
*~*
"Okay," Harry said, stepping out of Flourish and Blotts, carrying some of Erin's books in a cauldron. "I say you get a owl."
"Harry," Hermione rebutted. "Erin still has to get a wand. That's much more important than any old owl. Here, Erin, how much do you have left?" Hermione counted the Sickles, Knuts, and Galleons in her head.
"See, now? That's plenty enough for an owl and a wand," Ron said. "Come on, Erin. Do you want an owl? They're great for sending letters back and forth to people."
"I-I guess so. Sure." Ron took her by the wrist and dragged her into Eeylops Owl Emporium. Erin looked questioningly at Hermione, who just shrugged, rolled her eyes and sighed. Harry and Ron were pointing out different birds that she might get while Erin looked about and had her eye caught by two lamp-like eyes. She strode over to them and from within their cage a quiet hoot came out. In the dim light, she could see that it was light gray and kind of small. She talked to it quietly and it hooted again. "Hey, guys." The others came over. "What about this one? He's on sale."
"Probably sick, then. Don't get him," Ron said.
"But I like him," Erin protested. She lifted down the cage and the owl nibbled at her fingers. "I don't think he's sick. I'm going to get him." She took him to the cashier and paid for him. Then, throwing one of her new cloaks over the cage, went out into the sunlight and light snow again.
"Now, for the wand," Hermione said and pointed across the street to a shabby looking shop with a sign that said Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
"That guy's been around a while," Erin commented. The others laughed a little and they entered the dimness of the shop.
"Ah. Erin. I've been looking for you. A little late, I see. That's all understandable," said a little old man coming from behind a shelf. "It seems only yesterday that your mother walked in those doors just as you did. Such a shame about the accident."
"If I may ask.. What accident?" Erin inquired.
"I see. Unfortunate collision during Quidditch practice. She was the best keeper Scotland ever had, you know. That Oliver Wood is almost beating her though. Brilliant player that Wood. Anyway.. I'm sure you didn't come in here to talk about Quidditch." Then he hurried down an aisle of shelves. Slowly, he took a box down from one of them and brought it to her.
"Now you must remember that the wand chooses the wizard, not vice versa. Here, give this one a swish. Yew. Unicorn hair and dragon heartstring." Erin took it, and waved it a bit, an explosion coming from the tip and causing bubbles to come out of Ron's nose.
"No, no.. I don't think so. Maple and pheonix feather." He handed her another. This time, Ron was left in a foul-smelling puff of smoke. "No. Definitely not. How about this one. An elf suggested this to me. Handsome fellow, he was, picked out a nice branch for me too. Off a tree I fear I will never see again. Mallorn, he called it. Yes, he even supplied one of his hairs for it. Said he was the prince of some wooded realm." Ron's robes were on fire in no time and he was cursing the wand shop. "Absolutely not!" cried Ollivander.
"Holly and unicorn hair." Ron ducked in time to have a great jet of purple flames fly over him.
"Swish that way, next time!" He complained.
"Ah.. This is an odd one. Thirteen inches long with a core of the hair off of a Thestral winged horse. They say they're bad luck, but I wouldn't believe it. Here, give it a flick."
Erin took it, but was overcome with heat and she saw an abusive hand come towards her and a white horse. The sound of a stinging slap echoed through her head and she cried out against it. She dropped the wand and fell back against a bookcase behind her and saw no more.
~*~
"Give her room," Ollivander ordered. Erin woke up and looked hurriedly about.
"What happened?" she asked. "What just happened to me?"
"You had some sort of vision," Harry said. "And you created a Patronus against it. I don't know how, though."
"This is no doubt her wand, but she is powerful with it and she must learn to keep that power under control. There is one to help her.." His voice faded off. "Look for the one who stays with two and knows the wind. They can help her."
Erin coughed as she slid out onto the hearth of the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione offered her a hand, and Erin flinched under the misunderstood gesture. "Sorry," she mumbled. Hermione smiled and pulled the other girl to her feet.
"I hate that stuff!" Harry spluttered, falling out onto the floor himself, Ron right after him. "Never again! Never!" He stood and brushed himself off.
The troop stepped out into the street. Professor McGonagall had given them all the leave (after much careful persuading from Hermione in which she argued that they had the permission slips for Hogsmeade and whatnot) to take Erin to Diagon Ally.
"Well, I suppose we must go to Gringotts first. Dumbledor assured me that you would have an account," Hermione confirmed, and then marched up the street, leading the way.
Erin gazed about at the shops lining the street in awe. She had never seen anything like this. There was Quality Quidditch Supplies, an eyrie of owls and flacons, a shop of robes, and at the end of them all, a great white building that leaned heavily to one side with a set of steps leading up to the from door that was titled with a grand sign that said simply: Gringotts Wizard's Bank. They climbed these steps and went inside the warm building.
"Um. Ron," Erin whispered. "What are those things?"
"Oh. Those are just goblins. Don't worry about them." Ron shrugged but Erin was not having pleasant inward thoughts. They approached a counter behind which a goblin sat, stamping away at various pieces of parchment. The one before them ceased the rhythmic stamping and looked at them.
"A bit late for Hogwarts students, is it not?" it said.
"We have a new student that came in late and needs supplies. Her name is Erin Abernathy and we need to get to her vault," Harry said.
"And does Erin Abernathy have her key?" Hermione grimaced and Harry looked worried and bit his lip. Ron looked like he was about to beat his head upon the counter. No one had remembered the key.
"Yes, she does." Erin pushed up from behind them and pulled a key from under her shirt. "Here," she said and slid the key off it's chain and handed it to the goblin. He looked closely at it, then nodded.
*~*
"Okay," Harry said, stepping out of Flourish and Blotts, carrying some of Erin's books in a cauldron. "I say you get a owl."
"Harry," Hermione rebutted. "Erin still has to get a wand. That's much more important than any old owl. Here, Erin, how much do you have left?" Hermione counted the Sickles, Knuts, and Galleons in her head.
"See, now? That's plenty enough for an owl and a wand," Ron said. "Come on, Erin. Do you want an owl? They're great for sending letters back and forth to people."
"I-I guess so. Sure." Ron took her by the wrist and dragged her into Eeylops Owl Emporium. Erin looked questioningly at Hermione, who just shrugged, rolled her eyes and sighed. Harry and Ron were pointing out different birds that she might get while Erin looked about and had her eye caught by two lamp-like eyes. She strode over to them and from within their cage a quiet hoot came out. In the dim light, she could see that it was light gray and kind of small. She talked to it quietly and it hooted again. "Hey, guys." The others came over. "What about this one? He's on sale."
"Probably sick, then. Don't get him," Ron said.
"But I like him," Erin protested. She lifted down the cage and the owl nibbled at her fingers. "I don't think he's sick. I'm going to get him." She took him to the cashier and paid for him. Then, throwing one of her new cloaks over the cage, went out into the sunlight and light snow again.
"Now, for the wand," Hermione said and pointed across the street to a shabby looking shop with a sign that said Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
"That guy's been around a while," Erin commented. The others laughed a little and they entered the dimness of the shop.
"Ah. Erin. I've been looking for you. A little late, I see. That's all understandable," said a little old man coming from behind a shelf. "It seems only yesterday that your mother walked in those doors just as you did. Such a shame about the accident."
"If I may ask.. What accident?" Erin inquired.
"I see. Unfortunate collision during Quidditch practice. She was the best keeper Scotland ever had, you know. That Oliver Wood is almost beating her though. Brilliant player that Wood. Anyway.. I'm sure you didn't come in here to talk about Quidditch." Then he hurried down an aisle of shelves. Slowly, he took a box down from one of them and brought it to her.
"Now you must remember that the wand chooses the wizard, not vice versa. Here, give this one a swish. Yew. Unicorn hair and dragon heartstring." Erin took it, and waved it a bit, an explosion coming from the tip and causing bubbles to come out of Ron's nose.
"No, no.. I don't think so. Maple and pheonix feather." He handed her another. This time, Ron was left in a foul-smelling puff of smoke. "No. Definitely not. How about this one. An elf suggested this to me. Handsome fellow, he was, picked out a nice branch for me too. Off a tree I fear I will never see again. Mallorn, he called it. Yes, he even supplied one of his hairs for it. Said he was the prince of some wooded realm." Ron's robes were on fire in no time and he was cursing the wand shop. "Absolutely not!" cried Ollivander.
"Holly and unicorn hair." Ron ducked in time to have a great jet of purple flames fly over him.
"Swish that way, next time!" He complained.
"Ah.. This is an odd one. Thirteen inches long with a core of the hair off of a Thestral winged horse. They say they're bad luck, but I wouldn't believe it. Here, give it a flick."
Erin took it, but was overcome with heat and she saw an abusive hand come towards her and a white horse. The sound of a stinging slap echoed through her head and she cried out against it. She dropped the wand and fell back against a bookcase behind her and saw no more.
~*~
"Give her room," Ollivander ordered. Erin woke up and looked hurriedly about.
"What happened?" she asked. "What just happened to me?"
"You had some sort of vision," Harry said. "And you created a Patronus against it. I don't know how, though."
"This is no doubt her wand, but she is powerful with it and she must learn to keep that power under control. There is one to help her.." His voice faded off. "Look for the one who stays with two and knows the wind. They can help her."