"Luna, please slow down." Usagi pleaded. The black feline in question paused in its venture and turned its head towards the blonde girl behind her. She had tripped and now rested on her knees, which must have been nearly skinned to the bone on the rough concrete sidewalk. Her arms hugged her waist, and she suddenly realized why her stomach felt so raw. The doctors had pumped her stomach, and this also explained the soreness of her throat, where the tube must have been just hours before. She might have thrown up right there, but there was nothing left to vomit.
Also, she noted that they must have given her some sort of sleeping pills, because every time she blinked her eyelids would meld together, and she had to fight to reopen them. Her legs felt light lead weights beneath her as she rose to her feet again.
"What's wrong?" Luna inquired, turning around the face her.
"I'm so exhausted." Usagi explained, feeling that 'tired' would have been a terrible understatement.
"Just a little farther now," Luna said, turning back and continuing down the sidewalk. Usagi sensed that the cat had slowed her pace dramatically, and she was thankful. Her eyes shifted around the street sporadically, trying to keep enough liquid on the surface so she wouldn't have to blink any more than necessary. By the time they stopped in front of a building, her eyes were too blurred to read the sign swinging above the door. She blinked quickly, and focused on the words again.
The Leaky Cauldron. She could sense the place was old, worn, and out of place in the enterprise around it, a huge record store on one side and an oversized book store on the opposing side. Ironically, it sounded like a little new age store that sold faulty spell books and lots of incense. As Luna led her through the door, the bustle of the room crashed into her like a wave.
It still held the basicfeel of the shop she'd imagined, dark, stuffy, and creepy as ever, but it didn't include the hocus pocus artifacts that she'd anticipated. Stationed on the worn wooden floors was an assortment of tables, where people lounged, drinking down various drinks and talking amongst themselves. Some were talking loud; some were speaking in hushed whispers, and only a few people were silent. The bartender in the back was the spookiest aspect of the whole place. He was very bald and very toothless, walking around very awkwardly and hunched over, making people drinks.
"Stay here and don't speak with anyone if you can help it, I'll be back in a minute." Luna announced abruptly, speeding towards a door that must have been a restroom. Usagi allowed another blink and looked around aimlessly, feeling very uncomfortable. Several people were glancing at her, one person was all out staring, and they were all whispering to each other. One guy looked like he was thinking of approaching her, until a woman walked up beside her, grabbed onto her arm, and pulled her off to the side, next to a small staircase. Usagi's reaction time was so slow that it took her a few moments to realize she'd even been moved. She was about to scream bloody murder when the woman pressed a finger over her mouth.
"Whoa now, it's me." She said. The voice was absolutely unmistakable, and the scarlet eyes confirmed it.
"Luna?" Usagi asked bewildered, moving said persons hand away from her mouth. She nodded and grinned slightly at Usagi's expression. The human-versioned Luna had long, wavy hair that was the same color as her fur, and probably as long as Usagi's if it was straightened. Her eyes were the same, large and feline looking. She wore a plain set of black robes, ones that reminded Usagi of a Halloween costume for the Grim Reaper, and she still had her bright golden crescent moon in the middle of her forehead, much like Princess Serenity's. "How?"
"I'm what the wizards refer to as an Animagus, which means I can turn into an animal at will. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but you wouldn't have understood." Luna explained. "I've already booked a room for us, so you can go ahead and rest."
"Thank you," Usagi said sincerely, eagerly following Luna up the staircase. Her enthusiasm dipped about half way up, quickly being replaced by her sheer exhaustion. Thankfully, their room wasn't terribly far from the top of the stairs, and Usagi was able to collapse into bed almost immediately after Luna unlocked the door. Hair still entwined in its odangos buns and work clothes still on, Usagi slipped into a dreamless sleep almost immediately.
"Usagi, we're running behind, GET UP!" Luna screamed directly into the blonde girl's ear. Usagi opened her eyes instantly and jumped out of the twin sized bed in sheer panic. Her chest heaved up and down as she rolled onto her back and looked up at her assailant. Luna's mouth twitched with amusement as Usagi sighed with relief, and then instantaneously shot a hateful glare at her guardian.
"That was uncalled for! What time is it?" She asked.
"11 o'clock! Do you know how long it takes to buy school supplies?" Luna questioned with annoyance.
"11! I'm late for work! Nikki is going to decapitate me!" Usagi cried, jumping to her feet and searching the room for a bathroom. Luna grabbed onto her arm to stop the panic attack.
"Hello, Earth to Usagi! You escaped from a hospital last night and came to London with me; you're pretty much out of your job and your life. In fact, they'll be filing a missing persons report on you so it best if you don't venture out onto the London streets, okay? The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley are the only places you should be until you head off for school." Luna said sternly. Usagi listened quietly, staring at her hands, but the mention of Diagon Alley pulled her from her reverie.
"Diagon Alley? Where is that?" She inquired.
"Behind the pub. Now come on, we still have to buy all of your stuff." Luna pressed. Usagi blinked, vaguely remembering the size of the shop yesterday and wondering how much stuff anyone could possibly cram in the alley behind it. She walked over to the door that led into the restroom and entered it, bracing herself and turning towards the mirror. The person staring back at her still looked tired, her clothes were disheveled and wrinkled from being slept in, and her hair was the epitome of messy. One of the buns had come undone completely and the other was holding on for dear life, not to mention all the tangles, frizz, and locks that stuck out in random places everywhere.
'Oh yay,' She thought sarcastically, reaching for the hairbrush and fully releasing the bun that had survived.
"An hour! I told you we were late and you still took an hour getting ready!" Luna exclaimed angrily, getting looks from most everyone in the pub. Usagi reddened with embarrassment at her irate companion.
"I spent the whole time showering and trying to rescue my hair. I think I may have produced the world's biggest hairball combing through all of those tangles." She explained. Luna's mouth twitched with a repressed smile and she sighed.
"Alright, whatever, just come on. Normally, I would have a letter for you with a neat little seal on the back saying you're accepted into Hogwarts and their awaiting your letter, blah blah blah. Unfortunately you're a little late for that so you only get the supply list." Luna said, handing her the parchment and leading her towards the back alley. Usagi glanced at the list and then back up at Luna, more interested on this alleyway of magical markets. When they entered the area, Usagi raised her eyebrows in a perplexed manner.
"Wait a minute; don't tell me we're shopping out of the trash can." She said flatly, eyeing the metal bin with distaste. Luna rolled her eyes at the pigtailed girl and pulled out her wand. Usagi shrugged and turned back to the list in her hands.
"Come on!" Luna demanded from in front of her. Usagi looked up and nearly dropped the parchment in her hands. She quickly rushed through the open archway to join Luna at her side and blinked as the opening closed behind her.
"Hey Luna, this list isn't right." She said after a few moments of observation for the marketplace around them. Luna turned to her with confusion.
"How so," She asked, peering over at the parchment.
"The eye of newt is clearly missing." Usagi declared matter-of-factly, pointing at the list for emphasis. Luna rolled her eyes a second time.
"Ha ha, very funny," She replied sarcastically. Usagi chuckled to herself at her own humor and sprinted up the steps to a large white building that Luna had led her to. They passed through the two sets of double doors, Usagi not even bothering to read the inscription next to the doors as she slipped the list into her pocket and looked up. She gasped audibly.
"Luna, what are those things?" Usagi whispered towards her wavy-haired companion.
"Goblins," Luna replied simply, stopping in front of the desk that stood at the end of the walkway they'd been traveling down. The goblin sitting on the other side paused in weighing a large red crystal and peered at them distastefully with its beady eyes.
"May I help you?" He asked rather curtly, blinking so slowly that Usagi wondered it he might be falling asleep. Luna dug into her robes and pulled out a shiny golden key.
"Vault 14," she stated clearly, sliding the key across the counter. The activity of the bank seemed to freeze, so quickly that Usagi looked around to make sure time hadn't stopped on her. All eyes seemed to shift towards the blonde girl at once, and she tensed visibly. After a few seconds, the goblin across from Luna reached a bony hand over and pulled the key all the way to his side of the counter, picking it up and inspecting it carefully.
"Very well, follow me." He said just as slowly, though the disrespect had been removed. Luna motioned for Usagi to follow her as she, in turn, trailed after the goblin. Usagi shuffled behind her slowly, still nervous under the gazes of so many people. She was grateful when they slipped behind a large red curtain and up a narrow staircase, away from the prying eyes of the bank employees. They emerged in a vast white hallway with marble floors and huge golden vaults every fifty feet or so. As they moved onward down the hall without so much as a word, another two people following a goblin were passing by in the opposite direction. Usagi craned her neck to hear what the younger was saying.
"So you will buy the brooms then, father?" He asked, looking at the older blonde expectantly. Said father shifted his cold blue eyes towards his son impatiently before turning them back towards the paper in his hands.
"Yes, Draco," He snapped. The young boy smirked with satisfaction, but it quickly faded as Usagi's giggle reached his ears.
"What are you laughing at?" He growled, turning towards the girl with an unpleasant look.
"Nothing, really. I just thought that buying brooms seemed like a silly thing to do. Are you going to fly them too?" Usagi questioned mirthfully, picturing the classic cliché of a hook-nosed woman riding a broom in front of the moon.
"Of course," He sneered, not changing his irritated look. Usagi snorted with laughter as the witch in her mental imaged was replaced with the boy standing in front of her, hook-nosed and warty. The icy glare she received from the blonde boy finally brought her to her senses.
"I'm sorry, I'm really not trying to be rude I'm just new to this whole witch thing. My name is Usagi, and it's nice to meet you." She said rather quickly, sticking her hand out into the space between them for him to shake. Completely taken aback, Draco couldn't even think to call her mudblood before he was shaking her hand.
"Draco Malfoy." He replied, pulling his hand away from overenthusiastic shaking and blinking in confusion. Usagi blinked as well, and turned her head to look down the hallway. Luna and their goblin guide were far ahead of her, as she realized with a frown.
"Well Draco Malfoy, I'm being left, so I'll talk to you some other time. I'm going to Hogwarts, so if you go there maybe we can be friends." Usagi flashed a dazzling smile at him and sped off down the hall at an inhumanly fast pace. Draco blinked again, shrugged, and quickly walked towards the exit of the hall, where his father had already disappeared down the staircase.
Well, another chapter revision completed, thank god; another big improvement as well, though not as drastic as the prologue. -shudders in horror- It's late now, so I'm not working on anymore tonight, but I'll fix up the next chapter soon. Also, the new chapter is in the works so be on the look out for that.
SachiNyoko "I see things no one wants to see." (Brittney, my pal)