A/n: Not much happened, but next chapter is full of Diagon Alley goodness!
Chapter 7
As soon as they'd walked into Diagon Alley, Dou immediately discarded any ideas he'd ever had about a wizarding village. Where he'd expected tents with crystal balls for sale there were solid buildings with signs and posters like normal places. Hagrid was talking to Quatre about some bank called Gringotts, and Heero stopped immediately.
"Bank?" He asked curiously, an odd glint in his eyes. "Does this bank have a computer I can use?"
Hagrid turned to him, looking surprised. "Ain't no computers 'round here. Technology ain't needed; people use magic for pretty much everything." Heero froze, staring at Hagrid in shock. The others had their eyebrows raised quite high and were giving him strange looks. "What, were yeh raised by muggles?"
"What's a muggle?" Quatre asked, frowning at the term.
"Non-magic folk. Lots of kids at Hogwarts come from Muggle families and know nothin' 'bout magic."
"Well.. I guess that makes us muggles," Duo confessed, shrugging slightly. Heero still looked concerned.
"Is there any way I could get to a computer?"
"What do yeh need a computer for anyway?" Hagrid inquired, looking at Heero curiously.
"I don't have any money with me. I need a computer to access… it."
Hagrid nodded and gestured to the left. "The way to London's that way, but it's hidden."
Heero processed this, already moving in the direction indicated. "Wait here," he told them, setting off into the crowd. Moments later, Duo was walking beside him.
"I thought I told you to wait."
"It's a rule, Heero. Wherever you go you take backup, right? So I'm your backup." Duo gave him an odd smile. "Besides, I wanna see the secret passageway."
Heero nodded, knowing this wasn't the real answer but accepting it as such. Duo deserved that much.
~*~*~
It was nearly an hour before they returned, Heero carrying a small duffel bag and Duo grinning like a maniac. The others had resigned themselves to waiting, since they couldn't very well do anything without money. Trowa stood as they approached, eyeing Heero curiously.
"Nearly an hour. Losing your touch, Heero?"
Heero shook his head. "No. We're in some sort of past and the technology is so primitive I had to relearn it to get it to… work properly," he finished, eyeing Hagrid carefully.
Duo chuckled. "Yeah, Heero almost broke the computer when he realized it wasn't one of those quick types. He actually had to WAIT for things to load. But in the end we got the money."
"Who's the unlucky donor?" Quatre asked cheerfully. The corner of Heero's mouth turned up slightly.
"Well, being as Duo and myself are relatives of Dermail and Tsuberov they were more than happy to lend us a generous amount of money. They won't find out about it for at least three days, maybe longer considering the technology."
Devilish grins lit the faces of the pilots, and Hagrid wisely ignored the unease he felt.
"Well, yeh got yer money then? So, off to Gringotts and we'll get yeh some Wizard money."
The trip to Gringotts didn't take as long as they'd thought, and after getting over the shock of seeing actual goblins running the bank they managed to secure a vault to hold their "savings". They took a bagful of coins each and, with a few more glances back at the sneering goblins, left Gringotts.
"Now, yeh'll be needin' to do some shoppin' while yeh're here - books and the lot. Now, these coins here," Hagrid held up a gold one. "This is a Galleon. There's seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle. Remember that and yeh'll be set. Now, yeh'll be needin' some robes that actually fit yeh," he told them, eyeing Trowa's too-short robe. If the tall European was embarrassed he didn't show it.
"So just point us in the direction, Hagrid, and we'll go get us some clothes. Urm, this WILL be enough money, right?" Duo asked, showing Hagrid the bag full of gold and silver coins. Hagrid guffawed loudly.
"More than enough, trust me," Hagrid replied, chuckling. "Now, yeh should head over to Madam Malkin's for some damn fine robes and I'll be getting yer school books. Dumbledore asked me to help yeh out so yeh'd be back in time. Get goin'!" He shooed them towards the store, and the giant made his way into the crowd.
The five pilots entered the shop cautiously, as they did everything else. A short witch smiled at them. "Ah, you'll be the new ones at Hogwarts, yes? Dumbledore informed me that you'd be coming. This way, please."
"The Headmaster sure does know lots of people," Duo muttered to Quatre, who nodded in agreement.
"He gets word out quick too," Quatre added.
It took them about half an hour to each get five robes. Quatre, amazed by how quick the witch was, gave her a very generous tip. They left the store after that, searching the crowd for any side of the giant Hagrid.
"Well, Quatre, you keep giving out tips like that and Heero's gonna have to get another donation from our past OZzie friends," Duo joked, grinning as Quatre blushed.
"She was very courteous and worked REALLY quickly! I think she deserved a tip!"
"Yes yes, very honorable Quatre. Now can we get going?" Wufei griped, glaring at the crowd of witches and wizards walking through. Not many people spared them a glance as they moved about the busy streets.
"There yeh are!" came Hagrid's bellow, and the five looked toward him calmly. Others around had jumped at the loud voice, but the pilots were not trained to jump at such things. "I got yer books yeh'll need fer yer classes. Got yeh some quills and parchment too."
Heero visibly paled. "Quills… and…"
"Parchment?" Duo squeaked out, looking equally pale.
"Well, yeah," Hagrid told them, as if it were completely obvious.
"Uh… is it totally impossible to NOT use parchment? And maybe use… say… a laptop? Maybe?" Duo asked in a pleading tone, looking desperate. "I mean, so that I can actually read the things I'm supposed to… study or whatever?"
Hagrid frowned and looked unsure. "Well… I guess it'd be okay fer yeh to use one 'o those…"
Duo immediately brightened, and even Heero looked more relaxed. "Great!"
Wufei, however, took the bag with quills and parchment. "I'd much prefer to use these, thank you Hagrid."
The giant blushed crimson, mumbling a quiet "yer welcome". He obviously wasn't used to being thanked so formally.
He coughed slightly. "Well, Dumbledore already got yeh yer Potions and equipment for that, so all that's left besides yer computer is a wand and some broomsticks."
Trowa looked curious. "Broomsticks? We're not really going to fly on broomsticks, are we?" Quatre's eyes brightened and he looked at Hagrid excitedly.
"Well, yeah. Yeh do. Yer signed up fer flyin' classes. And if any of yeh wanna join the house Quidditch team then yeh'll need a broomstick of yer own."
"Quidditch?"
"Sport like soccer played on brooms."
The boys looked at him blankly but said nothing. Soccer was obviously something of this time and not their own. The only sports they had, really, were virtual reality ones.
"Now, brooms! I supposed yeh'll be wanting top 'o the line brooms?"
Duo shook his head quickly. "No, no. Not me. If you don't mind, I'll just get a broom that's good enough to do the classes on." Heero agreed, along with Wufei. Quatre grinned.
"I'd like the best broom on the market if you would, Hagrid. I'm very interested in this Quidditch you were talking about." Trowa said the same soon after. Hagrid nodded.
"Alright, that's three regular brooms and two top o' the line, comin' right up. Yeh boys get yer wands, and I'll take care of yer brooms. Then we'll head on back to the castle, alright?"
The boys nodded and entered the wand shop. An old man with wide, silvery eyes greeted them.
"We're here for wands," Heero informed him, watching him carefully. The blankness in the man's eyes unnerved him.
"Of course, of course, right this way…" The man, a Mr. Ollivander, wasted no time before asking them which hand they wrote with and taking their measurements. In a little over half an hour they each had their own wand, apparently perfectly suited to each other.
"It's interesting," Ollivander had said when they'd all received their wands. "The wands of Mr. Yuy and Mr. Maxell contain heartstrings from the same dragon. Mr. Winner and Mr. Barton have wands with hairs from the same unicorn. And you all, including Mr. Chang, have the same oak in your wands. It's very interesting."
The boys, keeping their remarks to themselves, waited until they'd left the shop before discussing how creepy Ollivander was. Duo came up with an elaborate theory about how his eyes were evil demons trying to steal people's minds, but his story was cut short when Hagrid returned. The boys, feeling like nuisances, quickly relieved him of all their parcels and thanked him.
"No need to be thanking me," Hagrid said, a flushed red from the gratitude. "Now that all yer shopping is done, it's time to get back to the castle fer lunch."
"Great!" Duo shouted, grinning widely. The others rolled their eyes at his enthusiasm, ignoring the alluring thought of the previous night's supper looming in their minds.
Motivated, the boys moved quickly back towards the castle.
***
Woo ^^
