Chapter 2: That Old Wizarding Tradition
The next day, everyone got up early, eager to go shopping in London. Lizzy's Gran arrived just after breakfast, not wanting to miss out and knowing that they'd need her guidance to find Diagon Alley. By ten in the morning, they were all ready to leave. Even the two boys were eager to see this hidden part of London. The M20 into town was busy, but not overly so, and they got to London in just over an hour. Gran directed them to park near a bookstore where they all got out, looking rather confused. Sam and Giles often shopped at the music store next to the bookstore and they couldn't figure out how there could be a hidden alley near here that they didn't know about. Gran walked up to the wall between the two stores and they were all astonished to see a door there that they'd never noticed before. She opened it and gestured for them to follow her in.
Inside, they saw that they were in what appeared to be a nineteenth-century inn. Just about everyone in there was dressed in clothing from that period. Gran nodded to a few people, but didn't stop. She led them through the inn and out a back door into a small courtyard. She walked up to the brick wall and touched the bricks in a few places with her wand. The others were startled yet again as the bricks started shifting and rattling, turning rapidly until they formed an archway in the wall.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley," she said, gesturing for them to walk through. They did, all of them trying to look everywhere at once. "Now, the first place we should go is the wizard back, Gringotts," Gran continued, leading the way towards a large building at the far end of the alley. Along the way, they saw a sign that said 'The Daily Prophet', a quaint-looking bookstore called 'Flourish and Blotts', a shop with stacks of cauldrons in front of it, and several other odd-looking shops. At the bank, Gran asked the others to wait while she took Lizzy inside. Lizzy found herself in a rather large chamber with several high counters. Behind the counters and hurrying about in and out of various entrances were strange-looking creatures that didn't seem too friendly to her.
"Um, Gran?" she asked.
"Yes, dear?"
"What are these things...people...whatever they are?" Lizzy asked.
"They're goblins, dear. They're not very friendly but they're very clever," Gran replied. As they were walking, they saw a huge man at the counter further down. He was with a boy who had very unruly black hair. They heard the man's booming voice,
"Mr. Harry Potter wishes to make a withdrawal." The goblin's reply was lost in the noise and they saw the huge man hunt through his pockets before producing a tiny, golden key, similar to Lizzy's own. The rest of that conversation was lost as they reached the counter. Gran spoke to the goblin across from her,
"We'd like to make a withdrawal, please."
"Do you have your keys?" the goblin asked, peering down at them over the counter.
"Yes, indeed we do," Gran answered, showing the goblin two small, golden keys. The goblin at the counter signaled to another one and Lizzy and her Gran were led out to a strange-looking cart on rails. After a rather wild and exhilarating ride, the cart stopped at vault number 346. Gran put something from the vault into a sack but Lizzy couldn't quite see what it was. Her view was blocked by the massive door. They got back into the cart and rode further down to vault 585.
"Here we are, Lizzy," Gran said, "This is your very own vault." The vault was opened and Lizzy could see that it had three respectably-sized piles in it. One was gold, one was silver, and one was bronze. "Now, the gold coins are galleons. The silver ones are sickles and the bronze ones are knuts. There are twenty-nine knuts to a sickle and seventeen sickles to a galleon. However, as I intend to buy you your school supplies...no, no arguing...I suggest you get out no more than ten galleons or so and maybe a handful of sickles. Just a little spending money." Lizzy scooped some galleons and sickles into a sack and they rode the wild cart back up. On the way, Lizzy saw a cart pass them that had the huge man and black-haired boy in it. It was careening down towards the vaults and Lizzy noticed that, while the boy looked excited, the big man looked rather green.
"I suggest we start by getting you your robes, Lizzy," Gran said as they left the bank and rejoined the others. She led the way to 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions'. The shop appeared to be quite busy. Lizzy saw a number of people being fitted for robes. A number of them appeared to be around her own age. As they stood waiting for their turn to be served, Lizzy noticed a tall boy talking to one of the witches who appeared to work there. She estimated him to be about her brother Giles' age of thirteen, but what stood out most about him was not so much the fact that his hair was long and tied back, but that it was grey. As he turned to leave the shop, he noticed Lizzy and her family.
"Oh, hello," he said.
"Hi," Lizzy replied.
"Hogwarts? First year?" the tall boy asked. Lizzy nodded and asked,
"Do you go to Hogwarts as well?"
"Well, I will. I'm first year, too. Oh, my name's David. David Murray," the boy said, holding out his hand for Lizzy to shake.
"I'm Elizabeth Fawkes," Lizzy responded, shaking Dave's hand, "This is my Gran, Mrs. McColloch, my parents, Reverend and Mrs. Fawkes, my brothers Samuel and Giles, and my sister Victoria." Lizzy indicated each person as she introduced them to Dave.
"Madam McColloch," Dave said, "I haven't seen you in a long time. Since you retired from St. Mungo's, actually."
"I'm delighted to see you again, David," Gran asnwered, smiling at him, "I moved to Lizzy's town when I retired and, although I am hooked up to the Floo Network, it's a Muggle town."
"Oh, I see," Dave said, watching the family. Although he just met them, excepting Lizzy's Gran whom he already knew and liked, they all seemed so friendly and easy-going that he liked them immediately as well. "Well, Madam McColloch, you know that old wizarding tradition. The one where the first witch or wizard that a Muggle-born witch or wizard meets gets the honour of buying their school supplies. Elizabeth is a new witch, she's Muggle-born, and since I'm the first wizard you've met, I get to buy all her school stuff."
"Ah, but I'm a witch and they 'met' me first," Lizzy's Gran replied.
"That doesn't count. You're her family. It has to be the first non-family witch or wizard. That's me," Dave insisted. Gran knew a fair bit about this boy. He was an orphan, raised by his godparents, but he was extremely wealthy. There was, in fact, no such 'old wizarding tradition', but she knew enough about David to know that he got a great deal of pleasure from being able to buy things for his friends. She also knew enough to know that he'd never take no for an answer.
"Oh, very well," she gave in, "But just the essentials, mind."
"Of course, ma'am," Dave replied and led Lizzy and her Gran over to the matronly woman who seemed to be in charge of the store. "Mam," Dave said to her.
"Yes, dear?" she replied.
"This is Elizabeth Fawkes and her Gran, Madam McColloch. You probably remember her, Head Healer at St. Mungo's. They're here for robes. Elizabeth is a first year at Hogwarts," Dave told her, then continued, talking to Lizzy and her Gran, "This is Madam Malkin. She owns the robe shop."
"Ah, yes, indeed I do remember. How are you doing, Catherine?" Madam Malkin asked Gran.
"Very well, thanks, Grace," Gran relied.
"Put Elizabeth's robes on my tab, Mam," Dave told Madam Malkin, "You know, that old wizarding tradition?"
"Old wizarding tradition?" she asked.
"Yeah, the one I 'reminded' you of when the Weasley twins were starting at Hogwarts?" Dave said, winking at her so that the others couldn't see.
"Oh yes, THAT wizarding tradition," she replied, smiling. She bustled over to Lizzy and began measuring her for robes. When she was done, she smiled at them and said, "Now then, these should be ready in about an hour. Perhaps you can get your other shopping done in the meantime."
"Yes, thank you," Lizzy said. Gran led the way out of the robe shop and over to Flourish and Blotts. She bustled about, picking out all of Lizzy's required school books while Lizzy browsed the shelves. Dave appeared from between two tall shelves, carrying a rather large book.
"Here, Elizabeth," he said, "Add this to your collection. I think you'll find it interesting." Lizzy took it and saw that the title was "Hogwarts: A History".
"Thanks, Dave," she said, "This does look interesting." She put it on top of the growing pile on the counter. Gran tried to pay for the books, but Dave got there first, paid quickly, and wouldn't hear of letting her pay him back for them.
They spent the next hour in a similar fashion, buying Lizzy all the equipment listed on her sheet. Finally, all that were left to buy were her wand and an owl. Dave took them to Ollivander's wand shop and led the way in.
"Hello?" he called out. Moments later an elderly man appeared from the back of the store.
"David!" he said, clearly pleased to see him.
"Hello, Mr. Ollivander," Dave said, "This is Elizabeth Fawkes. She's starting at Hogwarts and she..."
"Needs a wand. Of course," Ollivander said, then he noticed Lizzy's Gran, "Madam McColloch, how nice to see you again. It's been quite a few years now."
"Yes indeed, it has," Gran replied, smiling. Ollivander took out a measuring tape and began measuring Lizzy, the tape doing the job on its own as Ollivander started making notes.
"Which is your wand hand?" he asked Lizzy.
"Wand hand?" she asked, perplexed.
"Are you right-handed or left-handed?" Dave asked her.
"Oh, right-handed," Lizzy said. The measuring tape immediately measured her right arm, from a variety of different angles. Ollivander bustled away pulling out several long, thin boxes from the shelves.
"Right then, that's enough," he told the measuring tape, and it dropped onto the floor. Ollivander offered Lizzy one of the wands. She took it hesitantly.
"Give it a wave," Ollivander told her. She waved the wand slightly and was rather startled as several other boxes flew off the shelves on their own.
"No, that's not it," Ollivander said, taking the wand and offering her another one. They went through several wands in this manner, each one creating some sort of havoc in the store as she waved it. Ollivander, however, instead of being annoyed, seemed rather pleased. He thought for a moment, went to the back of the store, and came back carrying another wand box, this one looking somewhat old.
"Right now," he said, "Try this one." Lizzy took it and was immediately surrounded by a soft golden glow. Protruding from her forehead was and ethereal, shimmering unicorn's horn. Lizzy looked around, noticing that her Gran had a stunned but delighted look on her face. Ollivander also looked quite pleased.
"Ah yes, yew, twelve inches, very supple, with a single, golden, unicorn hair," he said, taking the wand and carefully packing it back into its box.
"Mr. Ollivander," Dave said, "She'll need the best wand polishing kit. That seems like an old and venerable wand."
"Yes," Ollivander replied, taking out a kit from under the counter, "I'm not entirely certain, but I have reason to believe that it is the first wand ever to be powered by unicorn hair. If that is true, this wand is very old indeed. Centuries, if not millennia, old." Dave, as before, insisted on paying for the wand and the polishing kit.
"Thank-you, Mr. Ollivander," they all said in unison before leaving the shop.
Dave led them over to Eeylop's Owl Emporium. He, Lizzy, and Gran went in, while the others waited outside. The shop was rather crowded with cages of owls and boxes of owl supplies.
"Here you are, Lizzy," Gran said, "Look around and see if there's an owl that catches your fancy." Lizzy strolled amongst the cages, looking at the various owls available for sale. Dave in the meantime, arranged with the shopkeeper to pay for whichever owl she picked out and was stacking the necessary starter owl supplies on the counter, including owl treats and a stand with a perch. Lizzy was looking at a pretty snowy owl when she heard an excited hooting coming from above her. Looking up, she saw a tawny owl ruffling its feathers excitedly and hooting down at her. It looked just like the one that had brought her Hogwarts letter. In fact, she could have sworn it was the same one.
"You look familiar, owl," she told it. It hooted again at her and bobbed up and down. It looked to Lizzy as if it was agreeing with her. "ARE you the same owl?" she asked it. It hooted excitedly and started fluttering around its cage. "I think I'd like this one," Lizzy told her Gran.
"He's a very nice owl," the shopkeeper said, "He's proven himself reliable in his trial post runs, but I must say, he's rather young and gets excited at times." The owl ruffled his feathers. It seemed as if he could understand what was said to him. Dave paid for the owl and his supplies and they left the store.
"What will you name your owl?" Dave asked Lizzy. At that moment, a large owl came soaring in and landed on Dave's shoulder. Lizzy saw that it was a great grey owl. "Thanks, Khisanth," Dave told the owl as he removed a letter from her leg.
"Khisanth?" Lizzy asked.
"Yeah. She also goes by the name Onyx. I know she's not all black, but she's darker than most great greys," Dave replied.
"I like the name. It sounds nice," Lizzy said, "I think I'll name my owl 'Tasslehoff'. What do you think?"
"I just hope he's not like the Tas you're naming him after," Dave said with a smile. Lizzy laughed and the group made their way back towards the robe shop.
"Ah, Miss Fawkes," Madam Malkin said as she bustled over to them with a package in her hands, "Here are your robes, dear. I hope you have a good time at Hogwarts."
"Thank-you, ma'am," Lizzy said.
"Well, I should probably stay and help Mam," Dave said, taking his leave of them.
"Sure, and thanks, Dave," Lizzy said, "I'll see you on the train on September first?"
"Sure thing," Dave replied, "Have fun. It was nice meeting you all." Lizzy and her family all shook hands with Dave and Madam Malkin. They then followed Gran back through the inn and into Muggle London.Please review!