VISIONS
Chapter 2: Diagon Alley
Hi guys! Thanks for reading VISIONS! I loved writing this amazing story. I only wish that someone better at writing had written this. I know many shall cringe at this. So, a few things. One, there is an Author's Note in the middle of the story. Sorry. But life can't be helped. Two, the phrase 'Oh My Quaffles' was invented by moi. Or at least I think it was. Anyway, this paragraph is about the trip to Diagon Alley. Not all the information in this is correct, but I can assure you that all the shops and stalls named in this text are confirmed and 100% real. In the alternate dimension, we know as the Wizarding World. Another thing. Draqonikus Malfoy is Scorpius's older brother. Not really, but in this fanfic. His nickname, (bestowed upon him by his best friend, another OC of mine, Oliver Notterby), is Draqo. IN honour of his kind father. Yeah. And, yes, it is pronounced as Draco. MMMMMMHMMMMM. Sorry for the short chapter guys. It's only half as long as the first. Ha. Well sad for you. Overall, HAPPY READING! (Oh the cringe.)
"Snap!" shouted Marinette. Nino huffed and lay down his cards, throwing his hands up in defeat. Marinette giggled and lay her cards down. The sliding door to their bathroom slid open and Elena emerged, wearing a purple t-shirt and jeans, hair dripping. Chris gurgled beside them and reached his hands out to his mother. Nino laughed and picked him up but held him at arm's length, avoiding the drool. Elena laughed and took Chris from Nino. "Nino, go have a shower," called Elena over her shoulder. Nino groaned. "Now, young man!" Nino slouched over to his suitcase. Marinette watched, deep in thought. It had been a month since they had moved into the hotel close to a busy market. There were only six days until the first of September and they didn't have a clue about where to get their equipment, much less how to actually get to Hogwarts! Drive there? They didn't have the address!, Fly there on a broom? They didn't have brooms! What were they going to do?! Marinette sighed. She was beginning to lose hope of ever getting to Hogwarts.
She was about to yell at Nino to hurry up when a loud knock came. Marinette gasped. Elena had left the room to get something for Chris and she hadn't come back yet. Marinette gulped. She padded over softly and gingerly opened the door. The man was incredibly tall, towering over Marinette. His big, bushy beard and moustache covered most of his face, leave the twinkling eyes shimmering at her. He wore a shabby coat with lots of pockets and big bulky boots. With a bright smile, he boomed, "Sorry ter keep yer waiting. Lot of muggles this year." Marinette stepped out of the way and the huge man ducked through the doorway, head just brushing the ceiling. "Um, what are muggles?" asked Marinette. "Oh," said the man. "Non-Magic folk. The name's Rubeus Hagrid. Jus' call me Hagrid. I'm Groundskeeper at 'ogwarts, where yer goin," he said. "Mind if I sit down?" he asked. Marinette shook her head. Nino emerged from the bathroom with a blue t-shirt and shorts on. He gaped at Hagrid and Hagrid smiled cheerfully. Nino shook his head and sat down next to Marinette, who gave his knee a reassuring squeeze. "So Hagrid, would you like anything to eat?" asked Marinette. Hagrid peered at her before smiling once more. "I like you two," he said, taking out a bright pink umbrella. He pointed it at the makeshift stove and it burst to life. Nino squeaked and Marinette remembered that this was his first time actually seeing magic.
In fact, even she had a tingle race along her spine. Oh well. She would get used to it in time. The kettle floated onto the stove and a couple of tea bags fluttered in. "Well, what do yer say we leave tomorrow? We only got five days after 'at," said Hagrid. The door opened suddenly and Elena sauntered in, Chris balanced on her hip. "Oh, good evening, Hagrid! Had a nice trip here, I hope?" Hagrid beamed at Elena and said, "Oh, evenin' Elena! Jus' explaining ter these two 'bout tomorrow, yer know, Diagon Alley an' all." Elena popped Chris on the bed and smiled. "I don't mind tomorrow. Nino? Marinette?" asked Elena. They both nodded, still dumbstruck at how Elena knew Hagrid and vice versa. "Well," said Hagrid, getting up. "You keep the tea. I'll be goin' then." Hagrid got up and smiled at the two open-mouthed children. Marinette coughed and remembered her manners. "I-It was n-nice having you, Mr Hagrid," she stuttered. "Aw. no need ter call me that. Hagrid's enough." Marinette showed him to the door, though he presumably knew where it was, and Hagrid lumbered down the hallway with one final wave. Marinette shut the door quietly and twirled around, on pointe, to face Nino and Elena. "We. Are. Going. To Hogwarts." she said slowly. She gave Nino a look and they both flung themselves around each other and started squealing quite suddenly. Chris gurgled and clapped his hands. Elena laughed and told them to calm down.
The two kids settled down. Nino glanced at the clock. "Look Marinette! It's already 8:45 and we need to be up early tomorrow!" Marinette giggled and trudged into the bathroom. "Good thing I already showered then." The kids brushed teeth and went to their own beds, snuggling under the covers. Elena smiled and kissed Nino's forehead and gave Marinette a hug, before wishing them a good night and retreating to the adjoining room with Chris. Marinette sighed contentedly. They would be going to someplace called Diagon Alley tomorrow and they would have wands and brooms and owls and cats and cauldrons and it would be oh so fun! Marinette mumbled a goodnight to Nino and drifted off to sleep.
The musty smell of damp earth filled her nostrils and as she dived down deeper, following the croaky song that seemed to pull her through the unclear water. She didn't come up for air nor did she feel the need to; she was already breathing. The throaty singing became louder, the source just behind the wall of seaweed blocking her way. She parted the plants and a girl wearing a white t-shirt with orange sleeves and orange pants with a bubble around her head came into view. Beside was an ugly, half-fish, half-human thing, stringy green hair flowing around a sickly green head with bulging eyes peering at the small girl around her age. The girl was speaking fast and the humanoid squinted. She swam closer to listen in but something grabbed her. She fought back, tugging at the invisible bonds that hugged her closer each time she pulled. There must have been a disturbance because the pyjama-clad girl whipped around, just in time to allow Marinette a glimpse of her wide-eyed face.
Marinette sat bolt upright, panting. It was just a dream. Just a dream. She huddled back into her pillows and slowly drifted to sleep once more. It was on nights like these that her brain always sent her little snippets of her loved ones. Sometimes, it was a person she had never met before but would meet in the future. Like that time in elementary school where she dreamed about playing with Nin and the next day, she had made her first new friend. Nino snored softly beside her and she smiled to herself. Dreams of snowy owls flying around magnificent castles flooded her mind as she fell into the dark abyss of sleep once more.
Dreary English sunshine filtered through the lace windows. Marinette's eyes flickered open and she squinted, the light shining directly into her eyes. "I miss the Parisian sunshine," she whispered, thinking of the bright cheerful sunshine blasting into the sweet-smelling bakery, full of love and family. Family. Oh, how she missed her mother and father. There wasn't a day that passed without her thinking of them. Marinette slipped out of bed, padding across the carpeted floor to the bathroom. She slid back the door and breathed in the scent of lavender that invaded her nostrils, savouring the quiet of the morning. Marinette turned the tap on and ran her toothbrush underneath before neatly drawing a line of toothpaste across the bristles. She lifted it up to eye level and squinted at it. "Perfect!" she giggled. Marinette brushed her teeth and washed her face, smiling all the time. This was a dream come true.
Marinette slipped into the bedroom, careful not to make a noise. Opening her suitcase, she rummaged through the clothes she had bundled in almost a month ago. She pulled out a silk shirt with traditional Chinese designs embroidered into the hem, the gold thread forming dragons and lanterns that seemed to emit a heavenly glow as the sunlight hit the delicate string. She smiled and pulled it on. The high collar tickled the back of her neck and Marinette pulled her hair away, tying it into two bouncy pigtails held in place with two red hair ties. She pulled on a pair of white pants with gold hems and tugged on a pair of socks as well. Nino mumbled beside her and blinked, rubbing his eyes and murmuring something about the time. "7:30" giggled Marinette. Nino shot out of bed with a gasp and dashed into the bathroom. Marinette laughed and skipped into the bathroom as well, watching as Nino hurriedly ran the foamy brush over his teeth. Marinette went back to Nino's suitcase and pulled out a blue t-shirt with an eye plastered on it. She threw it over her shoulder just as Nino had finished brushing his teeth and she caught it. "Hey Marinette, the sleeve's a bit torn," he called over softly.
Marinette rolled her eyes. "Just throw it over. I'll mend it," she said, throwing a pair of jeans at him. Thanks, Marinette!" She stuck her hand up and the t-shirt fell into her hand. She heard the sliding door shut and Nino's voice come out, slightly muffled. "My favourite!" Marinette smiled to herself. She inspected the t-shirt. A slight tear at the start of the sleeve hung away from the body of the fabric. Marinette rummaged through her backpack, looking for thread that remotely matched the Lapis blue of Nino's shirt. Finally, she found a reel of thread labelled 'azure blue'. Marinette held it against the soft fabric of the shirt. A perfect match. Smiling to herself, she stuck the thread through the eye of a needle and began to sew, after turning the shirt inside-out, of course. Soon it was brand new. Marinette grinned at her handiwork and threw it at Nino. He caught it and slipped it on as Marinette stowed her sewing supplies away. "Hey, Marinette," began Nino. Marinette made a small noise to let him know she was listening. "Are you going to take your sewing stuff to Hogwarts? Because I think I might need them there." Marinette turned to face him as she put away the last of her equipment.
"Yes, I think I will. Anyway, I'm so clumsy that I'll probably need to mend my uniform a couple of times a week," she laughed. Nino joined in. Hearing the commotion, Elena sleepily trudged into the room. "Why so early?" she groaned. There was a big booming knock. "Hagrid's here!" the children squealed. Nino flung the door open, revealing the huge hulky body of Hagrid. "Hey there! Ready ter go?" he boomed, smiling down at them. Marinette flung herself around his waist, making Hagrid blush a little. "Well, er, it's good ter see yer too." Marinette released her grip and grabbed Hagrid's hand. "Come on, come on! Let's go! Bye Elena!" she called dragging Nino and Hagrid down the hall. Elena stuck her head out the door frame. Hagrid smiled sheepishly. "See yer later them, Elena," he said. Elena smiled and waved at them. "Have a good time, you three!" she called after them before rushing inside to a wailing Chris. Nino whacked the down button for the elevator. A light 'ping' alerted them of the lift's arrival. Hagrid's head brushed the top of the elevator and on the street, he gained many stares from the alarmed citizens of London. Finally, they reached a small shop with chipped black paint and a creaky sign that read the Leaky Cauldron above them.
Everyone else in the bustling market seemed not to notice the decrepit building, their eyes sliding from the bookstore to the popcorn vendor. "Why can't anyone see the Leaky Cauldron?" asked Nino, looking at Hagrid quizzically "It's cause they're muggles. Don' see them magical buildings," replied Hagrid, pushing open the creaky door. Hesitating, Marinette stepped in, wary of falling ceilings and such. The foul smell hit her like a wall and Marinette took a step back, trying not to gag. Hagrid said hello to the barkeeper, whom he called Tom, and waved them through to the back door. Nino sucked in the fresh air and sighed in content. Marinette giggled. "Welp, 'here we are. But I need you ter keep close, 'right?" quipped Hagrid, tapping a few of the bricks on the bare brick wall in front of them. To Marinette immense amazement, the wall parted through the middle, revealing a bustling marketplace, not unlike the one they had just left. Except here, there were odd people wearing cloaks and pointy hats, of course. Nino's jaw dropped. Gesturing to the mass of chattering wizard folk, he stuttered, "These are… magic people?" Hagrid nodded. "But there are more o'course. This is only London's batch. All around the world, we are." Then pushing them along, they let themselves be swept into the bustling crowd.
Marinette swivelled her head around, trying to see everything at once. A tall wizard smiled at the raven-haired girl and gave her a sweeping bow. Marinette giggled and waved as she was pulled deeper into the crowd by Hagrid. "Yer folk sent me a bag full of galleons the other day. I think we got enough ter get yer supplies for 'ogwarts," boomed Hagrid, puffing his chest as he said Hogwarts. "We'll go ter Madam Malkins first. Ter get yer school robes. Got yer envelopes?" he added. Nino bit his lip and shuffled. Marinette smiled. "Don't worry! I've got mine!" she said. Nino shot her a wonky smile. "Thanks, Marinette." Hagrid pointed to a purple shop, with 'Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions' emblazoned in gold above a door. Marinette ducked through the throng and stepped into the little shop. The sweet smell of jasmine drifted in and out, tickling her nostrils.
A girl with bouncy brown curls and a sea of freckles turned to look at her. "G' day! How's it going?" she grinned. Marinette blinked. What did 'g' day' even mean? And how's what going?! Marinette gulped and said a feeble hello. Clearing her throat, she mustered up all her courage. "A-Are you foreign? Um, because I'm from France and I understood nothing," she mumbled. The strange girl nodded. "Thought so. Name's Kendra. I was buggered on the way here-" Marinette interrupted her, not wanting to be left in the dark of what 'buggered' meant. "What does buggered mean?" Kendra laughed. "You're a bit of a galah, aren't ya? Guess you're not from the French Outback then. DO the French even have an Outback? Crikey. No worries. Buggered means tired, Outback means the bush and a galah's a bird. Got it, mate?" Marinette giggled. "My name's Marinette," she offered, not knowing if this exquisite girl would be interested. "Sweet. Marinette. Never heard of that one before," Kendra smiled. Her blue eyes twinkled and a plump woman in a silky blue dress strutted in. "Oh hey there," Kendra grinned. Marinette smiled at the woman and the plump witch gave her a sunny smile in return. "Hello dear. I'm Madam Malkin. Are you here for your Hogwarts robes?" Marinette nodded.
In the blink of an eye, Marinette was whisked on top of a block of wood. Madam Malkin measured her legs, arms, torso, and waist. With a satisfied nod, Madam Malkin rushed into another door and disappeared. Marinette had just opened her mouth to speak when Madam Malkin rushed in once again, arms full of black cloaks. Setting one down, she smiled at Marinette apologetically. "Apologies dear, I'll just do Kendra's first and then yours." She slipped a cloak around Kendra's shoulder's, letting it hang perfectly along her skinny frame. Kendra twirled around and admired herself. "What a beauty!" she cried. "Here, take these as well," said Madam Malkin, handing her two more cloaks, a pointy, black hat, thick, leathery brown gloves, and one more black cloak, this time thicker and more insulated. "Can I see that?" asked Marinette. Kendra handed the cloak over and Marinette was surprised at the unexpected weight. The smooth black velvet sent tingles up her fingers and she turned the cloak inside out. Inside, smooth silk craftily sewn to disguise the stitches. Handing the cloak back to Kendra, Marinette turned to Madam Malkin. "I really should drop by, if you wouldn't object to it. Learn a little handiwork." Madam Malkin gasped and clapped her hands. "A student, oh, a student! Of course my dear! Drop by anytime!" she laughed.
Marinette pushed out of the shop just in time to find Nino coming out of a shop to the left, clutching a long thin package. Eager to see what he had done in his first shop, she hurried over to Nino, who signalled that he'd meet her where the looming figure of Jagrid was standing. "I got my uniform. Three black cloaks, one winter cloak, dragonhide gloves and a witches hat!" she exclaimed. Holding out the bag with the clothes, she smiled at him. Nino held out a long thin package with a little bulge at the end. "It's a broom! That can fly!" he said, excitedly. Hagrid smiled at their excitement. "Well, I keep 'em safe till yer come back with yer next load. What do yer need next?" Marinette consulted the list. "Books, wands, cauldrons, crystal phials, sets of brass scales, telescopes, brooms and if we want, animal de companies!"Nino cheered. Hagrid cleared his throat. "How 'bout we get yer books?" he suggested. Marinette and Nino grinned and rushed off to the book shop they'd seen earlier, Flourish and Blotts.
Now before we continue with our, ahem, wonderful story, I would like to save your eyeballs from approximately 38 unnecessary paragraphs in which they buy their school supplies. You're quite welcome. Now please note that I will include the most, to my perspective, exciting endeavours. If you need a full overview of what will not be stated but has indeed occurred, at the end of this author's note, there will be all but the paragraphs that have yet to be read. Now without further ado, here are your well-deserved paragraphs. Oh, and apologies for the A/N in the middle of the story. This simply wouldn't do at the end so on that note, here we are. And there we go. Three sets of plain black robes, one plain pointed black hat, one pair of dragon hide protective gloves, one winter cloak, black with silver fastenings, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One~ Miranda Goshawk, A History of Magic ~ Bathilda Bagshot, Magical Theory ~ Adalbert Waffling, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration ~ Emeric Switch, One-Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi ~ Phyllida Spore, Magical Drafts and Potions ~ Arsenius Jigger, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ~ Newt Scamander, The Dark Forces- A Guide to Self-Protection ~ Quentin Trimble, 2x pewter cauldrons, standard size 2, 2x sets of crystal phials, 2x sets of brass scales, and 2x telescopes. Yes! Now onto our story!
"So we have everything except brooms, an animal companion and wands." Marinette frowned.``But Marinette, I already have my broom. I need my uniform," chirped Nino. Marinette sighed. Organising was difficult. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Nino. "So you go with Hagrid to Madam Malkin's, since you're so clueless about clothes." Turing to Hagrid, she said, "Hagrid, remember to get velvet winter cloaks; nothing else will do. Too thin." Hagrid saluted. "Yes, Ma'am!" he said jokingly. Giggling, Marinette skipped through the crowd, ignoring her growling stomach. She pushed open the door to Quality Quidditch supplies, passing a number of shops. Flourish and Blotts, Potage's Cauldrons, WIseacre's Wizarding Equipment, Twinkles Telescopes, and Magical Menagerie, which housed a clowder of cats, all yowling at the mice no-one could see. Marinette was hit by a wall of smells. Scents of wood, mint condition books and something that didn't smell unlike a polish of some odd kind.
Many children were hovering around, gazing at racing brooms, posters and figurines. One such child caught her eye. A boy with messy platinum blonde hair and grey eyes that sparkled in the light caught her own startlingly blue ones. The exotic boy sidled over to her while Marinette was pondering the use of a racing broom. "Hey there!" Marinette jumped in surprise, whipping around to see the pale-skinned boy grinning at her, with a perfect set of pearly whites. "Um, hello! Who are you?" asked Marinette, happy that she wasn't the only extremely pale person on Earth. "Malfoy. Draqonikus Malfoy. And you are?" said Draqonikus. Marinette mumbled, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. P-Pleased to meet you." Draqonikus smiled. "Muggleborn, I expect? Of course, I may be wrong." Marinette nodded and shot Draqonikus an equally charming smile. "I see I have competition," he mused. Before brightening up, dropping all the formal tones. "Do you want me to show you around? The Firebolt Supreme's just come in, selling fast! You want to get one before they all go. I have one already!" Draqonikus ranted. "This place is different from Paris. It's so busy!" she exclaimed. Draqonikus gasped. "Paris! I've always wanted to go to Paris. All the famous fashion designers live there."
"You like designing?" Marinette asked, a look of surprise taking her features. She hadn't put him down as one of those people. "Of course," he said, with a shake of his messy hair. "Gabriel is one of my favourites!" Draqonikus struck a pose. "Sleek, stylish, luxurious," Marinette remembered Adrien Agreste from the plane. "I saw Adrien on the plane here. He seemed really nice," admitted Marinette. "Adrien Agreste? As in, THE Adrien Agreste?!" demanded Draqonikus. Marinette nodded. "Oh. My. Quaffles." he gawked. Then he promptly began to squeal. "Draqo? That you?" A boy with brown curls and big, attractive brown eyes bounced over. "Who's the cute one?" said the boy, winking at Draqo. Draqo huffed. "She's my new friend, Oliver. Anyway, I've already told you. It's not my fault girls love me!" Oliver raised a perfect eyebrow. "Yeah, and charming them into it has nothing to do with it," he smirked.
Marinette slipped off, leaving the boys to bicker between themselves. A broom in the shop window caught her eye, it's shiny handle reflecting the light in Quality Quidditch Supplies. Marinette skimmed her fingertips against the smooth wood, relishing the tingle it sent racing down her spine. "The Firebolt Supreme. Good choice. Not very pricey, either. Which is good, of course." Marinette turned around. A girl stared at the broom, her white-blonde braid hanging over her left shoulder. Her bangs fell just short of her blue eyes. Marinette's inner designer couldn't help but envision her in a floaty, sky blue dress. Very flattering on her demeanour, thought Marinette. "I'm Marinette! You are…?" asked Marinette. "Snow. Snow White. Are you going to Hogwarts this year?" Marinette nodded and proceeded to tell her all about Beauxbatons, the flight and meeting Adrien. "That's impressive," quipped Snow. "What is?" asked Marinette, analyzing her monologue. Snow laughed. "Meeting Adrien Agreste, of course! Didn't know the old man Gabriel would let him on a plane! Adrien's one of my good friends, you know. See him once in a while, but not often," said Snow, shaking her braid. "Last time I saw him, we were eight." Marinette's face was the picture of outrage. Before Marinette could start ranting, Snow quickly changed the subject. "So, where are your parents, Marinette?" Marinette sighed.
She missed her parents. "Oh. They're back in Paris, where I'm from," she grinned. Snow gave her an interested smile and grabbed a small notebook from the folds of her frost blue cloak. From a pocket, she pulled a fountain pen and held it poised over the paper, waiting intently for her reply. "What's that for?" asked Marinette. "Oh, I like keeping tabs on everyone. Not creepy at all," Snow said lightly. "Well, okay then. I'm French-Chinese, Papa's French and Maman's Chinese. Both of them don't have magic. My best friend is Nino Lahiffe and I found out about my magic less than a week ago," Marinette said, without breaking for breath. "Snow! Snow, come on! Mother said you can get a snowy owl if we hurry!" called a girl, opening the door to the shop. She walked over to them and smiled at Marinette politely. "This is my sister, Rose. She was born a few months before me, so we're still in the same year," explained Snow. Snow's sister was the exact opposite of her. They had the same complexion, but the similarities stopped there. Her hair was a beautiful dark brown and her eyes were a chocolate brown as well. A scarlet cloak was draped over her shoulders, a rose vine trailing along the hem. "Hello. I'm Rose. Rose Red. Nice to meet you! I'm sorry but we have to leave now. Goodbye!" she said sheepishly. Snow waved goodbye and followed her sister out the door. "You gonna but anything, lady?" said the shopkeeper gruffly. Marinette grinned. "The Firebolt Supreme, please!"
Marinette stroked the beautiful white feathers of the snowy owl that sat perched on her arm. "What are you going to call her?" asked Nino, peering through his glasses. Suddenly, he shuddered. "I don't like birds much." Marinette giggled. "Will you get some sort of pet to take with you?" she asked. Nino shook his head. "I don't think so." They were sitting on a bench in the Leaky Cauldron, going through their new school supplies. Nino took out his wand. "What did the wand expert say this was?" Marinette took out the receipt that the woman in Ollivander's had given them. "A 9" spruce with a unicorn wand core, pliant. Mine is an 11 ½ " apple with a phoenix feather core and a reasonably supple flexibility," she recited. She looked at the owl, who was now preening its feathers with a haughty look in her amber eyes. "How about Artemilla? Like Artemis because Artemis is meant to be the goddess of the hunt and the moon right?" she said absentmindedly. Beside her, Nino nodded. "I like it," he smiled encouragingly. "Artemilla it is!" exclaimed Marinette, holding the bird up. Artemilla took off and swooped out the door. "Don' worry. She'll come flyin' back to yer," smiled Hagrid. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. Marinette looked out the window into the bustling streets outside. "Well, let's hope so."
Not so far away, a mop of blonde hair was working its way through a stack of Herbology books, wondering if the raven-haired girl on the plane remembered him.
A/N:
Sorry for the short chapter guys! Had a bit of a writer's block and flipped out. All this remote learning is taking its toll on writing time. Anyway, the next chapter might take a while but I'm going to work hard on the weekend. Thanks for your support, everyone! I'm making preparations to post Miraculous One-Shots, to keep you at bay, but I'm gonna write a bunch then post them slowly. Remember to check Visions for updates regularly! See you guys later! BUG OUT!
-Tivera Hallewell