"You know which bricks?" the barman, Philbur, asked
"Yup." Ashton nodded, he mouth full of scrambled eggs and toast
"Tonight for dinner, I managed to get some nice pork chops from the butcher. Would you like me to keep 2 for you? They go pretty quick you know?"
"You're a prince among men." Ashton said, pausing long enough to get the words out before resuming her feast
"The bank opens at 6am and the shop opens at 9.30 so I think you should have enough time to get your gold and then get to the front of the stampede." He said refilling her glass with orange juice
"They've only made 49 of them and that's 7 to 7 countries. The national sides tried to put bids on for the lot so they would have a team with the same brooms but the manufacturers said no."
"Lost out on a fair bit of gold then."
"Yup." Ashton nodded downing the rest of her juice and taking the last piece of toast with her. "I'll let you have a look at mine later."
"What makes you so sure you'll get one of the 7?"
"No one would deny this face." She laughed walking off outside and tapped the bricks in sequence and ate the toast as the bricks moved out of the way
"Which way is Gringotts?" Ashton asked one of the shop keepers who was getting their displays put out
"Follow the street to the top. You can't miss it." She replied
"Thanks." Ashton said running along the street weaving in and out of the early shoppers until she got to Gringotts.
"What do you want?" the Goblin asked
"Some gold from my vault."
"You have your key?"
"What sort of a daft question is that?" Ashton asked holding up the small key on a piece of leather
"I'll get someone to take you down. Wait over there. We have a bit of a queue." He replied gesturing to 1 dark haired boy standing by a pillar probably asleep
"You're too kind." Ashton replied with plenty of sarcasm before walking over to the pillar and knocking the person on purpose.
"What…?" He said waking instantly
"You got up early then to get a broom."
"Oh hi, sorry about that. Forgot where I was."
"Couldn't sleep last night because you were thinking about the new Stratosphere and now you're paying for it."
"You don't look too good yourself."
"Apparently you're a bit of a queue."
"I've been called many things but never that." He laughed. "They have a tendency to overreact."
"I suppose being as small as they are a gnome looks like a giant."
He just laughed. "You're, as my grandma would say, a badden." He said mimicking a woman's tone. "Oliver Wood."
"Ashton Mackenzie."
"Pleasure." He said shaking her outstretched hand
"Not the junior keeper…"
"Don't make a big deal and I will buy you a huge ice cream."
"Done."
"Your face is familiar."
"If you're gonna use that as a chat up line then don't bother."
"Presumptuous, how do you know I was even interested?"
"You've broken my heart." Ashton sniffed grabbing her chest
"2 ice creams."
"All mended, but a chocolate frog and a lollypop will seal the deal."
"Done."
"Follow me." The goblin said drawing their attention downwards
"Which one of us?" Oliver asked
"Both." He snapped. "Seems like I have to do everything around here." He continued muttering as he led them down to the vaults
"Number 1357. And be quick about it. Some of us have important work to do."
"Careful he doesn't bite your ankles." Oliver whispered before Ashton went in to the vault and got what she wanted.
"Should have brought a spray bottle with water in, just in case." She smirked as they went along to Oliver's and then made their way out of Gringotts.
"Which way is it now?" Ashton asked as they walked out into the rain
"Come on I'll show you." he said taking her hand and weaving through the growing crowds and towards the quidditch shop which had the brooms on sale then she started to pull him to the front of the crowd, ducking under peoples outstretched arms as they fought to be the first in line just causing more of a scuffle
"I believe I was first." A tall blonde stated
"Ooops, didn't see you there." Ashton replied standing leaning against the door and smiling up at the man next to her
"You've got some nerve pushing in front of…"
"Now now Narcissa, wouldn't want to be caught hexing a child in public would you?" the man said
"Bet she can't string a sentence together." Ashton replied making the man laugh to himself and the witch stumble and splutter. "Told you. Can't do it now, couldn't do it then." Ashton stated as the doors opened and pulled Oliver in after her as everyone fought to get through the door at once.
"You've got guts." Oliver said as they walked back along Diagon Ally to Fortescue's ice cream shop
"Everybody has guts Oliver."
"You seem to have more than others. No one has ever spoken to Narcissa Malfoy like that and got away Scot free."
"She's just a jumped up anorexic wasn't daddy's favourite little witch. It's her husband I feel sorry for."
"Your one of the few who feels sorry for Lucius Malfoy."
"So that's his name then. I did wonder. He looks familiar."
"Prominent figure in the wizarding world, or so the Prophet says." Oliver said seriously before laughing making her laugh in the process all the way to the ice cream shop
"So what were you doing last night to look as rough as me?" Oliver asked as they sat down in Florean Fortescues ice cream shop and waited for their orders.
"Playing cards with some Welsh wizards last night and helped them drink their booze."
"You're what 14?"
"12. Coming up 13."
"Which school do you go to?"
"None at the moment. Why aren't you in school?"
"Would have had to take too much time out with Quidditch matches for the junior team."
"So your 13?"
"Yeah, I'm going into my second year at Hogwarts, though I'll be 14."
"So you took 2 years out?"
"My grandma was sick, but I'm told I have to go back this year."
"Sucks to be you."
"Never argue with my Grandma she'll beat you into submission every time. Why aren't you in school?"
"Cock up with fostering. I was found by muggles and fostered by muggles, but I was already enrolled at an academy in America, hence the accent, does my head in most of the time, my real accent should kick in soon, it's never took this long before. So the family thought I was at some prearrange boarding school and the reports were fixed for muggle classes. I decided that they were stunting my education so I decided to leave and come and look into if I have any family left. Doesn't really matter though. Eventually I'm gonna have to go to school aren't i?"
"Hogwarts isn't that bad. There are some bonkers professors but everywhere has those. I actually have to go and see the headmaster later on this month. Arrange my coming back to school. In other words we'll end up talking about quidditch and eating sherbet lemons. You should come with me. He won't turn you away. I don't think the man really uses the word no much. That's if you want."
"And afterwards you can get me that second ice cream." Ashton nodded as the ice creams appeared. Huge knickerbockers glory's with everything on except nuts.
"So when do you turn 13?" Oliver asked
"October 31st. "
"So your not that much younger really. July 28th."
"So you going to get me tickets to come see you play this year?"
"I don't know if I like you or not."
"Why?"
"Because you feel sorry for Lucius Malfoy."
"Only because he has her for a wife."
"Ok you're moving up in my estimation."
"So kind."
"So how much do you know about your parents."
"Nothing other than what I remember from childhood."
"Wow, so much information to go on."
"There must be something like a birth certificate."
"Probably. You need to go to the ministry then."
"Yeah, I already made an appointment."
"So where are you staying?"
"The leaky cauldron for now, we'll see what happens tomorrow. Why?"
"So I know where to owl the ticket."
"Thanks." Ashton smiled. "So you live with your gran?"
"Both parents are dead. There's only my gran and my older brother left. The others died during the last big battle of the war."
"Sorry if I dragged anything up."
"You didn't know anyway. I hardly remember them."
"Hey at least you know who they were and they died doing something they believed in. some of us have a mountain of paperwork to look forward to."
"I'll help if you want."
"You probably won't like what you find."
"People rarely do."
"You're either fearless or an idiot."
"I prefer insane." He replied gesturing with a spoon full of ice cream which Ashton ate while he was still speaking. "Thief."
"I prefer hungry." She winked.