CHAPTER FOUR
So sorry this took so long…like I said, I went away. Now, I've finally noticed I forgot about a disclaimer…
I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.
That's it right? Well, w/e, u all know what I mean. Here comes the fourth chapter of my story…let's get going then shall we?
Hagrid and Harry left the Leaky Cauldron after a quick bite to eat with me. I was going to stay at the Leaky Cauldron for a whole month. Alone.
"Yeh don' mind do yeh?" Hagrid had asked when he told me. "Yeh could always come ter Hogwarts a bit early."
"Oh, no! I couldn't do that! I want to be on the train the first day with everyone else."
And that was that. Hagrid handed me my ticket and we went up to the desk to get me a room.
"You'll be in room twelve, it's right up the hallway there," said Tom the bartender/inn keeper, pointing towards a set of stairs.
"Thank you." I said, taking the key from Tom. "Hagrid, how am I getting to the train station?"
"Dumbledores set it up fer some o' those ministry cars to come get yeh."
"Oh, okay then."
"Now, here's yer ticket. The train will leave at eleven o'clock on the dot."
"Okay,"
"Yeh sure yeh'll be fine?"
"I'm positive."
And so they left.
Tom helped me bring my things to my room and he left too. I took out my wand and held it in my hand. It was really mine. All of this really had just happened.
"Wow," I sighed and looked out the window. I'm an ocean away from home…in the capital of a foreign country…I haven't even been to my own capital… "What am I gonna wear to bed?" I said aloud.
"Worry about that tomorrow, dear," the voice made me jump about a foot in the air. I looked over and no one was there. My eyes settled on my reflection in the mirror. "That's right, it was me." The reflection's lips moved, but mine didn't. Must be a trick in the mirror…or something…
I laid down on my bed and stared at the ceiling for a little while. I fell asleep pretty quickly. Jetlag is gonna suck…
The next day I decided I was going to explore Diagon Alley a little bit closer. I went through the wall and walked along the street. Not too far along, I came to the shop containing the Nimbus Two Thousand. I entered looking around. It smelled like pine and birch and other woods they used for broomsticks. I walked around for a few minutes before I found the Nimbus and leaned over it. It was smooth and I could almost see my reflection. The tail was perfect, not one twig out of place. It was, as far as I could tell, impressive.
I left the shop a little while later, and continued to explore. All the shops and the streets were packed by lunch time. I had my money in my bag, and held it firm as I searched for a place to get some decent pajamas. Not a huge problem, but it had been easier to follow behind Hagrid the day before.
I entered Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. There was a huge line at the check-out, so I wandered aimlessly through the robes. I found a pair I liked (with monkeys, if you're wondering), and got in line. It took an hour to get through before I could pay my 5 sickles.
I exited the shop carrying my bag and made my way through the crowds towards Flourish and Blotts. The book store was even more crowded, though the line wasn't as long. I wanted to get something to read before I started school. I wasn't planning on wandering the Alley everyday till the first of September. I walked along the shelves, reading the interesting titles as I went. There was; The Care and Feeding of Hippogriffs, and The Art of Unicorn Sighting, and Quidditch through the Ages, and Where There's a Wand There's a Way, and many others with interesting titles or book covers.
A little way along one of the shelves, I spotted a girl with extremely bushy hair. She was already drinking in a book.
"What's that your reading?" I asked, coming closer.
The girl looked up. "Oh, it's just one of the course books for first years."
"Which one?"
"Umm…" she flipped the book over in her hands to find the title. "The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)."
"Did you find any interesting ones yet?" I asked, smiling slightly.
"Well, I think that they're all interesting." She said holding her page open with her finger. "By the way, I'm Hermione Granger."
"Kailey Macauley," I said. "I'm a first year too."
"Really? We might have lessons together then. Won't we?"
"Yeah, probably." I said shrugging.
"What's it like?"
"What's what like?"
"Hogwarts! You must have asked your parents about it. I've got a million questions! It's all so exciting!"
"Actually, my parents are muggles, they aren't magic." I said, responding to her curious expression. "And even if they were a witch and wizard, they wouldn't have come to Hogwarts anyway. I'm from America."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed…"
"It's alright."
"So, are you going to read up on everything?"
"I dunno…it's not like I'll be far behind if I don't."
"But you didn't know anything about Hogwarts before. Did you?"
"Umm…not really." Lie. Lie. Lie. "But now I know loads more. Like there are four houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. And, umm…there's Quidditch, it's a sport played on broom…and there are the ghosts and stuff."
"How did you learn all that stuff?"
"I came here yesterday with Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of the Keys, and Harry Potter, he's going to be a first year as well."
"Why are you back then?"
"I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron till school starts."
"Oh, that's interesting. I bet you'll see loads of interesting stuff there."
"Yeah. I just came here to get a book to read while I wait for summer to finish."
"You're not going to take a look around?"
I shook my head, "Nah, I don't really want to walk around here alone for thirty days in a row."
She nodded, "Well, do you think you could help with my shopping? I've just got the books left, and I keep getting side tracked."
"Of course. Where are your parents?"
"They're at the front of the store having a look around."
"Okay, let's go."
We found the rest of her books and stacked them all up so that we could carry them. It only took about 15 minutes.
"Let's find something for you to read now." Said Hermione, shifting some of her books to look at some of the titles. "How about this one?" she picked up Modern Magical History.
"Umm…I'm not much for history."
"Oh, well how about this, it called The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts."
"Hmm…"
"No? Well what about Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century?"
Why do those all sound familiar…? "Uh… I don't think so. Here look at this one. It's called Hogwarts, a History."
"Oh, that's perfect! We can learn about everything there is to know about Hogwarts!" She was beaming, "I think I'll get all of them."
"I'll get Hogwarts, a History and Quidditch Through the Ages, then. I want to learn more about Quidditch, it sounds like fun."
We headed towards the counter; the line was far shorter now than it had been when I came in. Hermione continued talking about how she was so excited and that she really hoped she'd do well in school.
"Hermione, I think you'll be fine."
"Do you really think so?" She seemed overly anxious.
"Yes, I really think so."
"So, how come you aren't going to an American school instead of Hogwarts?"
"I…I don't know…it's been bugging me, but Hagrid never mentioned anything…not about an American school…huh…" I actually hadn't really thought about it. I didn't really care, but now that the question was being asked…
"Hmm…we'll have to investigate when we get to school."
We were at the counter and Hermione ended up paying two Galleons and seven Sickles. I paid one Galleon and three Sickles. We walked to the front of the shop, where her parents were waiting.
"Mom, Dad, this is Kailey. She's going to Hogwarts this year too."
"Hello," I said, blushing slightly.
"Very nice to meet you Kailey," said Mr. Granger, shaking my hand.
"Yes, hello, dear," said Mrs. Granger. "Where are your parents?"
"Oh, they're over in America," said Hermione at once. "Kailey is staying at the Leaky Cauldron, till it's time for school." I smiled and nodded.
"Did you know you were a witch then?" inquired Mrs. Granger.
"No, I didn't know until Hagrid came and picked me up."
"You must be very nervous, here by yourself. Have you ever been to London before?"
"No, I've never really gone farther than New Jersey. About five states over from where I live."
Mrs. Granger nodded.
"Have you got everything, Hermione?" asked her father.
"Yes, and I got a few extra books to get a little background information."
"Alright, then we'd better get going. It was nice to meet you, Kailey."
"I can't wait to see you at school."
"Yeah, I'll see you there."
Hermione's question still rang out in my head. Why am I going to Hogwarts? Why aren't I going to Salem or something…?
I went back up to my room and sat down on the bed and opened up Quidditch through the Ages. I sat there reading for a little while, before my eyes began to droop. I laid down and continued reading, but the letters were becoming fuzzy. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. It was, after all, only my second day in London.
That's the end of this chapter! I hoped you enjoyed it! Again, I'm sorry I took so long…please! Please! Please! Give me a review! Don't be too harsh and mean, I know it's not that great… again, I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does (I hope that's a good enough disclaimer!) I'll get the next chapter up soon…THNX!
:-D
