Thanks for the reviews!

My Beta is on holiday in the moment and though she said she has internet there, she doesn't answer my mail. So I'll maybe update these chapters when she's back.

on with the story...

Star and Lightning

3rd Chapter –First Time in Diagon Alley

Minerva McGonnagal woke up to see the sun shining in her bedroom in one of the many towers of Hogwarts. She was tired and would have liked to turn around and go on sleeping, but she needed to go to Diagon Alley today and afterwards there would be an Order meeting. So she got up grumpily and dressed before heading towards the Great Hall for breakfeast. The Hall was almost empty for no students were there and the Head Table was only half full. Fortunately, Albus wasn't there and didn't try to make her smile. He was always so concerned for her and the last thing she needed now, were his efforts to cheer her up. The students didn't know this, but she could be quite bad-tempered and moody when she had had a bad night. And she had definitely had a bad night. All these worries because of the return of Lord Voldemort… she had hardly slept at all. Luckily Umbridge was gone and Hogwarts would belong to Albus again and the Order didn't need to hide from the Ministry anymore, but still it was tiring and nerve-racking.

Still a bit sleepy, Minerva left the Great hall after a quick breakfeast and went to her rooms. There she collected all the thing she'd need, took some time to look for her shopping list and then finally stepped into her fireplace and flooed to the Leaky Cauldron.

When Starlett opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron, she felt much more confident than she had felt the day before. She had managed to get a black cloak that looked a bit like those these people were wearing. It was different, but not too much and she hoped no one would notice her.

She had had problems getting away today. Garry wanted her to help robbing the bottle shop in James Street and she had just disappeared. Zaza had promised to cover for her, but she would certainely have to face an angry Garry when she returned. Starlett pushed those thoughts aside. She had more important things to worry about right now.

Starlett sat down at a table in a far corner, watching the happenings in the pub. As it was early morning there weren't as many people there as had been the day before during late afternoon. After a time watching, it came to her attention that although quite many people were entering the pub and only few went outside, it didn't become crowded. Where did those people go? After she had watched a bit longer, she saw that they went into a backroom and seemed to disappear there. The next time an elderly woman in emerald green robes appeared in one of the fireplaces and headed to that section of the room, Starlett got up and followed her. They went into something like a backyard with a brick wall. The woman took out a long stick, a wand Starlett supposed, and tapped several of the stones. Starlett almost gasped in surprise when the bricks began to move and reveal an opening in the wall. Fortunately, the woman didn't turn around, instead she went straight through the archway. Starlett followed her and when she was through and looked around, her mouth stayed wide open.

She was in an alley with many old and crooked little houses. A sign told her, that she was in Diagon Alley. There where shops in all of the little houses in the alley. When Starlett read the signs above the shops' windows, she was sure she had found what she was looking for: Cauldrons – All sizes, Eeylops Owl Emporium, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Ollivanders – Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. Starlett was astonished. All these people here had to be witches and wizards! She even saw some people doing magic. Slowly she went through the alley looking at each window she passed. It was overwhelming, she didn't know where to look first. When she saw a bookstore, she decided to begin there.

It was much bigger inside than it looked from the outside. There were hundreds of shelves of books that all went up till the ceiling. Curiously, Starlett went to the first bookshelf on her way and read the books' titles: There were books like The Standart Book of Spells (Grade 1-7), A History of Magic, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, How to Brew Potions Correctly, The Dark Arts and Their Use in History. Starlett's happiness turned into despair. How was she supposed to choose any books from these? And when she had decided on some, how would she steal them? Her special abilities weren't special here. Starlett let herself fall on one of the armchairs in the shop and watched the other customers. She recognised the woman she had followed to Diagon Alley. She was standing in front of a bookshelf where a sign said "Transfiguration". Starlett wondered what that would be. Could it be making things be other things? She had never done something like that. The woman turned around and looked directly at Starlett. The stern look on her face turned into one of surprise and unbelief. Starlett didn't like the way she was looking at her and when there were people walking between them, she used the chance to get away and moved deeper into the bookstore.

To calm down, she grabbed a book in front of her - its title said "Hogwarts. A History" - and began reading. She learned that Hogwarts was a school where magical kids learned to do magic and that usually it was impossible to do magic without a wand. She was completely confused by what she had read and decided she should be returning to the "usual world". But she didn't want to go without books, so she just seized several more books and the one, she had been reading. She tried to hide them under her cloak and headed to the exit. Everything went well until she moved through the door. A loud alarm went off and everyone was looking at her. The books were bewitched in order to protect them from being stolen. When the bookstore's owner began to move towards her, Starlett turned and ran. She built up a protection field she had used to protect herself from being beaten, hoping it would hold whatever he would send after her. And it kept the curses away from her. But she couldn't run fast. People were standing in her way, blocking her and her pursuer came closer. Starlett turned around and let a bright beam shoot from her hand. It knocked the man out and gave her time to run. She generated a wave of lightning in the direction she was running that made the people back away and made place for her to run. Once she had reached the end of Diagon Alley, the wall opened in front of her because somebody was just coming through from the other side. Starlett knocked him down and continued on her way. She didn't stop running when she was outside the Leaky Cauldron. Only three streets away did she dare slow down and look over her shoulder to check wether she was still being followed. To be sure no one would be able to follow her, she didn't stop walking for the next two hours, carrying her stolen books like a treasure.

like a treasure.