Diagon Alley, Again
David had gone to bed early for three reasons. The first was he didn't want to think too much about what was happening, secondly he didn't want to encounter that man downstairs, and the third reason was to avoid the wrath of his wife, which would surely fall at some point.
The next morning when Kathryn shook him awake, he knew that it had fallen.
"What in the world possessed you to say those things last night?" she hissed at him.
"I meant every word of it, Kathryn. I do not like the idea of magic. I will allow Courtney to choose as she likes, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"Do you have any idea how much you hurt Courtney? You are rejecting your daughter!"
David sat straight up, "I am not rejecting my daughter. She is still my child and I would die for her if I needed to, but I don't like this magic. It isn't natural; it shouldn't be real. It doesn't follow the natural order of things."
Kathryn looked at him with incomprehension, "So this is because you can't find where it fits into your perfectly ordered world?" she asked incredulously.
"I don't want to talk about it any more."
"Well too bad! We are going to talk about it." Kathryn said firmly.
"Kathryn, this discussion is over. She can attend that school and develop her magic as she likes, but I will never be comfortable with it. End of discussion. We need to pack the car and get going." With that, he stood and got dressed, leaving his wife confused. David had never acted like this before.
The family vacation was considerably less enjoyable than anticipated. When Kathryn and Courtney started explaining about magic to Michael, David left the room. If they were in the car and the subject came up then David would quickly change the subject. David's birthday was even more strained because it was two days before Professor Granger would come.
On August 31st, David stiffly told his daughter goodbye and left the hotel they were staying at an hour before Hermione Granger was supposed to show up and didn't return until two hours after they had left.
When he came back in his wife looked at him and said, tight-lipped, "David, I suggest you not talk to me for a few hours, because I might regret what I will say."
Courtney on the other hand was getting to know Angela Weasley and her mother Hermione Granger. They were on their way to Diagon Alley to buy her supplies.
"Your mother gave me your money so we can exchange it at Gringotts and open you an account there. That way you can make withdrawals as you need to. After we exchange currencies then we'll get your clothes and supplies. Here we are," she said as the three of them entered a wizarding establishment called The Headless Goblin and over to a fireplace.
She took a pouch from around her belt and spoke to Courtney, "This is called Floo Powder; it's a way that we travel. You throw it in the fire, then step in, and call out your destination. Angela, will you please go first and show Courtney?"
Angela took a pinch of powder from the pouch and then threw it in the fire. It turned green and she stepped in shouting "Diagon Alley!" then she disappeared and the flames turned orange again.
"Now you try it, don't be nervous."
Nervously, Courtney took a pinch of the stuff and threw it in the fire. She stepped in and was surprised to find that it tickled. "Diagon Alley," she called out in what she hoped was a confidant voice.
She was then moving in a whirl of color, instinctively she closed her eyes and hugged her arms around herself. Suddenly she stopped moving and landed with a thump, almost falling on her face as she stumbled out of the fireplace. Angela reached out and caught her. Courtney was grateful the girl took after her father in height and strength.
A few moments later Professor Granger accompanied them out of the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley.
They went to Gringotts and the goblins exchanged her money. Courtney had to be reminded how the monetary system worked. They opened an account and Hermione told Courtney to put most of it in the vault and keep only a little bit for her supplies.
"Well, where do you want to go first?" Hermione asked their guest; Angela had already bought her supplies.
"Books first!" Courtney's eyes lit up and Hermione smiled, reminding herself to tell Ron that she wasn't the only one who enjoyed the written word.
They went to Flourish and Blotts and spent an hour there. On top of all the required books, she also emerged with a number of other books (all recommended by Professor Granger) including Hogwarts: a History, Revised and Expanded; Recent Developments in Wizarding History; So, You're a Witch: A Guide to the World of Magic for the Muggle-born Witch, and Nifty Charms they Never Teach at Hogwarts.
"I think, we had better find you a trunk next," Hermione said as she watched her student struggle with her load of books in a fashion that greatly reminded her of herself.
After getting said trunk they went to Madam Malkin's for robes and other clothing, then to the Apothecary for her Potions kit, scales and cauldron. From there, they purchased her animal, a male eagle owl, which she named Rex. Finally, they approached Ollivander's.
"What is your name young lady?" the man asked, looking shrewdly at her.
"Courtney Barnes, sir."
"Well, Miss Barnes, which hand is your wand hand?"
"I'm right-handed."
The wizard proceeded to walk around picking out a few choice wands and bringing them back to the counter.
Courtney tried all of them and they had either no response, or disastrous results. As Mr. Ollivander moved the already tried ones aside and went back for more, Courtney noticed a pile of boxes sitting at the other end of the counter. Curiously, she walked over to them.
"What are these here for?" she asked as the wand-maker returned, arms reloaded with wands.
"Those are brand new, I haven't shelved them yet. New wands normally don't work very well. They have to…settle."
They proceeded to go through the second pile with no luck. As Mr. Ollivander was gathering a third armload, Courtney decided to try the new wands.
The first three gave absolutely no response. The fourth however, had a different feel. Touching it, she felt like she was greeting an old friend as it warmed in her grip. A beautiful stream of red and gold fireworks emitted from the tip.
Hermione and Angela clapped enthusiastically. Mr. Ollivander however, dropped all the wands he was holding and stared at her in disbelief.
"I never expected that wand to be sold so quickly!"
"Why? What about it?" Courtney asked, distracted.
"This wand is made of oak and is ten and a half inches long with a Phoenix feather core. After ten years of badgering, six months ago I finally convinced Albus to give me a third feather from his pet Phoenix. (Hermione gasped at this point and turned pale) Your wand core has a tail feather from the same bird that cores of Harry Potter and the Dark Lord's wands came from."
Courtney was confused, "Who're Harry Potter and the Dark Lord?"
Hermione hastily composed herself and said, "Pay for the wand and we'll explain it to you after we get you back to my house."
They did so and walked back to the Leaky Caouldron. They used the fireplace there to travel to the Granger-Weasley household in Hogsmeade.
"So, what's the deal with my wand?" Courtney asked after they had showed her the room she would be staying the night in.
"Harry Potter was a wizard about thirty years ago. He was very powerful. At the same time, there was another wizard, the Dark Lord, who was also very powerful but did a lot of bad things with his power. At Hogwarts, Harry was one of my best friends. In our fifth year however, something happened, Harry was framed for murder and nobody believed he was innocent because he was so powerful. They sent Harry to prison. Ten years later though we found out who had framed Harry. He was freed, but he felt completely betrayed and so he left the Wizarding world. No one has seen him in almost twenty years. You'll learn more in my class this year." Hermione added quietly.
Courtney could see it wasn't something that Hermione liked to talk about and so she didn't address the subject again.
That afternoon she rode her first broomstick, complements of Angela. She met her new friends' siblings (Markus was eight, Harry seven, and Mariah two) and tried some magic with her new wand.
"Mum says that technically we aren't allowed to do magic out of school, but since we haven't actually started school yet the rule doesn't actually say we can't. This is the only summer we will ever be able to do magic until we graduate." Angela explained sadly, then she brightened, "Although, Dad said that they wouldn't be able to detect my magic if I were at Hogwarts during the summer. So when Mum is up at the school during the summer and I go too, I can practice. Though, Mum wouldn't be too happy if she found out."
At dinner, Courtney met Ron. He was very enthusiastic to tell her all about how the Quidditch League worked and about the winning streak his team, the Chudley Cannons, was on. As far as she could tell Mr. Weasley had played for years as a "Chaser", then retired, and become a team coach. He bragged about his team winning the European Cup the week before and then confused Courtney to no end (because she still had no real idea what Quidditch was like) as he described the game in great detail. She resorted to smiling and nodding.
After dinner, Hermione told them to go to bed. They wouldn't be able to sleep in very long, even though they weren't going to ride the Hogwarts Express, because Hermione had to be up at the school and Ron was going to take care of Markus, Harry and Mariah.
When they were awoken the next morning, they eagerly got ready and walked from the village to the school with Hermione.
Courtney gasped at the huge castle and vast grounds that comprised Hogwarts. She was amazed, she had never seen, never imagined that such a place could exist. As they entered, she saw Albus Dumbledore. She waved excitedly at him and he chuckled and waved back. "Welcome, Miss Barnes. I told you we'd see each other again! Miss Weasley, would you mind giving your friend a tour of the school? Perhaps you could introduce her to any teachers you meet on the way?"
Angela nodded excitedly as she pulled Courtney's arm, while Hermione started talking to Professor Dumbledore.
"Has Ollivander contacted you?" she asked.
The Headmaster looked a little surprised at this, "No, why?"
"Well, I suspect the owl is on its way then. Courtney Barnes' wand is brother to Harry's and Voldemort's," she told him bluntly.
Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "That is unexpected."
"Ollivander said he didn't expect to sell that wand so soon. I understand he has been begging another feather from Fawkes?"
"Yes, now that it is in use, he'll probably want another." A thoughtful look came over his face, "I wonder what Harry is doing now." He mused.
Hermione nodded, "I don't live a single day without wondering that. I wonder if he has kept the bitterness. I wouldn't blame him if he had, but I hope for his sake, he hasn't. I have managed to move on from my mistake at that point, but I always remember it with regret."
Dumbledore nodded his understanding of her sentiments. "When was the last time you tried to contact him?"
Hermione grimaced, "Five years ago. First time I wrote him I got no answer, second time, five years ago, well, you remember what happened."
Albus chuckled.
"Why have you never tried to contact him, sir?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Before he left, I swore him a wizard's oath. I cannot break my word." Albus said sadly, "Only when he contacts me, willingly, first, can I contact him."
Wahoo! New chapter up in record time! Well, it helps that this was part of the original idea framework that has been living on my hard drive since December. Just don't expect the next one up so soon! Next chapter will be Courtney's sorting and her first letter home.