Since Minerva was teaching and couldn't take Cordelia shopping, she had told her that she had organised a former student to take her around London and Diagon Ally. But what Minerva hadn't said was who it was. So that morning found Cordelia pacing around wondering what the person she would be stuck with would be like.
She also worried about Connor but Minerva had told her not to. Apparently Remus had classes at different times to Minerva. So apparently the two of them had organised to stay with Connor when the other was teaching. Even though she had only met Remus a few days before, Cordelia found herself trusting him. She didn't understand why but then again she put it down to the whole familiar feeling of being a werewolf. He reminded her so much of Oz.
A few moments later, there was a knock on her door and she paused briefly, her automatic reflexes kicking in. Then she shook her head and walked towards the door. She was safe; no one knew where she was except for those who she trusted.
Opening the door, she saw someone who took her breath away. He was so different from what she usually liked but somehow it worked. He was tall, with a shock of red hair that was tied back loosely into a ponytail. He wore an earring in one ear that looked like some kind of fang. He seemed quite muscular underneath his jacket which looked like it was made from leather.
"Why hello, you must be Cordelia," he spoke first. "I'm Bill Weasley."
"Do you want to come in? I'll just be a moment," Cordelia offered. Her confidence was returning as she looked at Bill. As she once said to Buffy, when it comes to dating, she was the Slayer.
He followed her inside and watched as she gathered her coat and purse. She disappeared into one of the rooms, leaving him to look around her living room. It was rather bare, no family photos or anything. He didn't know anything about her really; he just knew she was related to his old professor.
"So are you enjoying Hogwarts so far?" he called to her.
"It's very different to what I am used to, but I am coping with the adjustment," she replied while walking back into the room. She flashed him a smile before continuing. "This place is very beautiful; you must have plenty of stories from your time here."
"Not as beautiful as some," he muttered quietly before continuing in a louder voice. "Maybe later, I'll share some of those stories with you."
Cordelia heard his muttered comment and blushed from the compliment. She ducked her head slightly and smiled. The sight had an immediate reaction within Bill. She was gorgeous. Hell, he was dreading meeting her considering that she was Minerva McGonagall's niece. He was expecting her to be a younger version of her right down to the severe bun.
"So shall we go?" he asked. He offered his arm to her which she took after a brief pause.
"Can we just make a detour via my aunt's office? I just want to let her know that we are going now."
With a brief nod, he led her through the corridors. Her face illuminating in surprise from the sights of the pictures moving and the stairs moving. She gasped at sight of Nearly Headless Nick but then waved happily at him.
"I'll wait out here," he told her once they got to Minerva's office.
"Thanks," she said before knocking on the door and entering.
Her aunt was sitting in a chair near her fireplace. She was nursing Connor who was refusing to drink his bottle. With one glance at the bottle, Cordelia knew why. It was missing the blood.
"Aunt Minnie, can I have the bottle for a second?" she asked before making a small cut in her palm.
Minerva handed it over and then watched in surprised as the baby in her arms responded to the smell of the blood from her niece's hand. Cordelia then allowed the blood to drip into the bottle and after it turned pink, she handed the bottle back to her aunt.
"Why did you do that?" Minerva asked.
"Remember Aunt Minnie, his parents were vampires. He does take after them in a number of ways. Including needing some blood, otherwise he won't eat. We think that he will grow out of needing the blood when he gets his teeth cause then he can get his nutrients from else where," Cordelia explained.
"That does seem to make sense."
"I'll pick up some pig's blood while in London," Cordy said. "I can't keep cutting myself."
With a quick kiss on Connor's forehead and a smile to her Aunt, Cordelia left the room.
Outside she found Bill Weasley taking to three students. She recognised one of them as Harry and she picked the other one as a relative of Bill. The third one was a girl around the age of Harry; her bushy hair covered her face.
"Hey Cordelia," Harry said quietly while the others were talking to each other.
"Hey Harry. What's going on?"
"Ron's upset that Bill is here, thinks he's here to spy on him," Harry sighed.
"Well it's good to see you not covered in pus."
His laughter gained the others attention and he was quick to introduce the others to her. With one look at the girl introduced as Hermonie, she knew she had someone to work on as a project. But she wouldn't say anything yet, no need to scare the poor girl.
"So are we right to go Bill?"
"Definitely am."
The two said goodbye and headed down the hallway. Part way down and Bill stopped and turned around. He called back to his brother.
"And Ron, Mum wants you to stay out of trouble this year. All of you!"
To say that Cordelia was amazed when she entered Diagon Ally was an understatement. Her eyes could barely take in all the sights that greeted her. There was people walking around in robes of all shades. There was owls and all kinds of unusual pets on offer. Since meeting her, for the first time he couldn't see the sadness in her eyes.
"So where to first?" she asked excitedly.
He took her towards Ollivander's. Although Professor McGonagall believed that Cordelia probably wouldn't be able to use a wand, she believed that there was no harm in trying. She had a theory that the Hellmouth may have suppressed any magical talents.
Bill opened the door and ushered Cordelia inside. He waited expectantly for the girl to be shocked by the appearance of Ollivander's as he looked slightly weird. But Cordelia didn't act the way he expected.
"Oh my god, you're a Wamandan demon. Do you have relatives in America?" she asked.
"Why Miss Chase, you would be correct. I understand you helped to save a clan over there. I am greatly in your debt. Why are you in London?"
"I… I needed…" she stumbled before breaking down.
"The news was true? Angelus is dead?"
"Yes. And…"
"And the others were killed protecting you and the Destroyer?" he asked softly, making sure that Bill didn't hear.
"Never refer to him as that again! He is just a baby," she hissed out after looking around the room. Bill was looking around the store, not paying attention to what was happening between the two at the front of the room.
"My apologies Miss Chase, I will refrain from calling him that again. His secret is safe with me," he replied. Raising his voice he continued. "Let's see which wand choses you…"
He handed her one and motioned her to wave it around.
"12 inch, willow, with slayer blood as a core."
Cordelia waved it but hoped that it wouldn't be the wand that would choose her. It just didn't feel right.
"No not at all. This one is 9 ½ inch, made from mahogany and with the core of a single unicorn hair."
Once again the wand didn't feel right in her hands and there was no reaction when she waved it. He snatched it away and kept giving her new ones to try. None worked and Cordelia was beginning to be depressed. Maybe she shouldn't be here, not in Diagon Ally and definitely not in Hogwarts.
Finally Ollivander handed her a wand which tingled in her hand. It felt like home and she waved it around to see diamond like sparkles in the air. She gasped and looked at the wand. It was perfect in her mind; delicate but at the same time strong.
"Wonderful dear! Absolutely wonderful," Ollivander shouted while clapping his hands. "11 inches, made from oak that was blessed by a priest and has a very unusual core but for your experiences I believe it works. Three drops holy water and a drop of blood from a half demon."
"Oh! Was it a Bracken demon?" she asked, hoping that it was.
"Yes, I believe you know the creature that was used in the core."
She smiled at the gift he had given her. She had another link to Doyle. No wonder it felt so right to her. She couldn't have asked for anything better.
"How much do I owe you for the wand?" she asked.
"Nothing my dear, consider it a thank you for saving my clan."
She smiled and him and turned to Bill. When he looked at her, she nodded and the two of them turned to leave.
"Thank you for everything Ollivander."
After plenty more shopping, Cordelia was finally beginning to tire. She had bought heaps of new robes to wear as well as 'muggle' clothes (as Bill had called them). She had also bought several new pairs of shoes, but there was one place remaining to look at. She wanted a pet for Connor as well as an owl for herself.
They walked into the store and Cordelia began looking around. There was a small black owl that looked like it was brooding. She laughed aloud at its expression and hurried to the shop keeper.
She organised to buy the owl and went to the next store to continue to shop for an animal for Connor. Although he was still extremely young, she wanted something that he could grow up with. A small kitten with red fur streaking through its dark brown seemed the perfect gift.
Bill then escorted her to an ice cream parlour where they sat down to eat an ice cream. Cordelia was patting the kitten and was deciding on a name for the two pets. She knew automatically what to call the owl, and Angelus fitted it perfectly. He had the brood down pat.
"I think that the kitten should be named Siren," Bill suggested as the kitten began to make a lot of noise.
"Nonsense, that is ridiculous!" Cordy laughed at him while settling the cat back down. "I'm thinking Wini."
"Wini?"
"After Winifred Burkle, one of my friends who were killed when I came here. She was so intelligent but also had two sides to herself. One was plain and normal, like the brown fur. But if someone threatened something she considered part of her family, she let them know. She got so angry, kind of like the angry red in the fur."
"She sounds like someone who would fit in well with our family."
Cordelia sobbed slightly and nodded. She missed them all so dearly and hoped that by some miracle that they managed to get out alive. But she knew that with Lilah leading the lawyers, it would have been bloodshed.
"Do you think you'll ever go back?" Bill asked.
"Some day but not right now, I wouldn't be able to cope."
"Well when you do, if you want someone to go with you, let me know and if I am still around, I'll come with you."
"Thanks Bill," she said. "Can we head back now?"
"Certainly."