Chapter 5- To Diagon Alley
Holly Parker opened the letter with trembling fingers. Finally, she could go to Hogwarts, learn how to do magic, and get out of the horrible island she was on. Ever since she was little, she dreamed of moving off the island and going to live somewhere warm and sunny, like southern France. Hogwarts wasn't exactly Nice or Marseilles, but it was bound to be better than the isle of Drear. Even the name of the island was dreary!
Holly pulled out the letter and read it hurriedly:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmistress: Minerva McGonagallDear Miss Holly Parker,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment
Term begins on September first. We await your owl by no later than July thirty-first.
Yours Sincerely,
Helga Von Struddle.
(Deputy Headmistress)
She quickly turned the page to her list of equipment and read it excitedly.
Equipment List:
Uniform
All first students will require:
Four sets of plain black robes
A pointed black hat
Dragon-hide gloves
A black cloak
Please label all clothes with the student's names.
Books:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment:
1 wand
1 cauldron (size 2, pewter)
1 set glass phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may bring one pet (cat, rat, owl, or toad)
First-yearn students may not bring their own broomsticks!
"Are you ready yet?" called her dad from downstairs.
"Coming!" She hurried down into the living room. Waiting for her were Nicholas, her father, her mother, and her little sister, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was five years old, and her greatest dream was to work for the Daily Prophet. She too wanted to get of the island, and make friends.
"Oops, I forgot my wand! I'll meet you in the kitchen!" Holly ran up the stairs and grabbed her wand. It was twelve inches long, and was made of wood from a mangrove tree with a single mermaid hair inside. Holly knew the mermaid who had given a hair for her wand well; she lived with her clan near the island. The hair had been given to seal a pact between her clan and the Parkers, representing the Ministry of Magic. In return, three of Holly's hairs had been given as a string for a guitar that Marine, the mermaid, carried around.
Holly grabbed her portable Bubblehead charm, and ran down the stairs, which now led to the entrance hall. She sprinted to the protected part of the coast, put on her bubble, and dove into the freezing water. Swimming quickly to keep warm, she headed towards Marine's cave.
Marine was floating in her cave, singing a song about the sea and playing an accompaniment on her three-stringed guitar. When she saw Holly she got up with a start and asked,
"What's the matter Holly?"
"I'm leaving to Diagon Alley today, and we're staying there until Nicholas and I leave for Hogwarts. I came to say goodbye."
"Well, good bye then."
"Good-bye, Marine. I'll miss you." The two friends hugged.
"You'll be fine at Hogwarts. Always remember our link through the hairs we traded. Always remember that."
"I will, Marine." Holly swam back to shore, leaving her friend waving behind her.
"What took you so long?" exclaimed Nicholas when she finally got to the kitchen. "We've been waiting for you three hours!"
"We've been waiting for her ever since she was born," said Mrs. Parker softly.
Holly smiled at her mother before glaring at her brother.
"I had to say goodbye to Marine. Now that I'm here, let's go!"
"Nicholas, you go first. I'll come after you. Next goes Angela with Elizabeth. Holly, you can go last, Okay?" Everyone nodded. Mr. Parker handed Nicholas the Floo powder bowl. He took a handful of the multicolored powder and threw it into the fire, which turned bright green. He stepped in and shouted "Diagon Alley" before disappearing into the flames.
One by one the Parkers left through the fireplace, coming out at the Leaky Cauldron. They got at room for the next few weeks and entered Diagon Alley.
They first headed towards the tall, white Gringotts building. Holly and Nicholas were looking everywhere, trying to absorb the sights around them. They rarely went to Diagon Alley, and the last time they had gone was for their eight birthday, three years ago. Everywhere there were signs advertising various goods, from cauldrons to unbreakable teacups to dragon hides and more. Old witches were haggling over dragon liver, and young wizards were trying out new racing brooms. When they finally got to Gringotts, they felt as if they had seen enough to last a lifetime.
The Parkers got some Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts out of the bank and set out to buy their Hogwarts supplies.
First things were their books. They stopped at Flourish and Blotts to buy all their course books. Their mom insisted on buying only one copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as those were mostly reference books and they could use it at the same time. Instead, they bought Hogwarts, A History.
"It's always useful to know about Hogwarts. It might at least help you find your way around if you know what can happen."
Then they headed to Madam Malkin's robe shop. Holly and Nicholas got their Hogwarts uniform while their parents got new sets of robes. They went through the rest of the list pretty quickly. The twins got an owl as a late birthday present. Their birthdays had been two weeks earlier, on the 22nd and 23rd of July. Holly had been born a little before midnight, and Nicholas shortly after. Their other birthday presents had been their wands. They named the owl Lyra.
The next two weeks were spent relaxing at the Leaky Cauldron, visiting Diagon Alley, or meeting new people. Mr. and Mrs. Parker had seen little of their friends since they had been assigned to studying Quintapeds on the Island. Holly and Nicholas met Matthew Helenst, a rather boisterous boy who was the son of their mother's best friend at school. A shyer girl named Abigail Bahlyn was the daughter of another one of their mother's friends from school. Their father's best friend invited them to come with him and his son, a quiet boy named Rowan Archer, to Ollivander's buy a wand.
"You have to see Ollivander's at least once in your lifetime," was his explanation.
Mrs. Parker and Elizabeth left them to buy some ice cream while they marched off to Ollivander's.
The shop was dimly lighted, and hundreds of wand boxes lined the walls. A small table sat in the center of the room, and it was covered with more wand boxes. Out of the darkness in the back of the room came a smooth voice,
"Good Morning. Welcome to Ollivander's."
A tall, but old man with pale eyes and long fingers came out of the darkness, following the voice towards them.
"You must be Rowan Archer. I remember when your father came to buy his wand. Dragon heartstring, mahogany. Very stiff, Wasn't it?" Mr. Archer nodded. "That was before the wand reform, when people realized that three or four types of cores didn't the variety of wizards.
"And you, Mr. Parker. Eleven inches, unicorn hair, cherry. Swishy. Good for Charms." Mr. Ollivander moved closer to them and examined Holly and Nicholas.
"Your mother had a very good wand. Phoenix feather, oak. Just right for enchanting objects.
"Your father brought you here three years ago and got wands for you. Oak, dragon scale, ten and a half inches. Mermaid hair, mangrove wood, twelve inches. Those wands were made for great things, Miss and Mr. Parker. You hold great power within you."
Suddenly Mr. Ollivander stopped his scrutinizing inspection of them and turned towards Rowan.
"Now Mr. Archer, let's try and see if we can get you a wand. Try this one: Willow, griffin feather, 13 inches"
Rowan had barely grabbed it before it got taken away.
"Pine, Sea Serpent Scale, Flexible"
"Birch, Augurey feather. Elastic"
Rowan had tried at least twelve wands before the right match had been found.
"Rowan wood, centaur hair, 9 and a half inches."
As Rowan waved the wand, brown and green sparks shot out of his wand.
"Very good! But how arcane…"
"What's arcane?" Rowan asked slowly.
"Few people named after a tree like you are actually get a wand made with that kind of wood. Very peculiar."
Rowan paid for his wand (5 Galleons and 11 Sickles) and they all left.
Holly went to bed wondering about what Mr. Ollivander had said about her wand. What made it good for great things? Was it the pact sealed within it? And did she really have great power? She went to sleep that night dreaming about having power over the weather and making England warm.