A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I will try to improve grammar, but alas, its the best I can do. For some reason, Google Docs won't catch the dumbest mistakes sometimes. Sigh...
Chapter Two: Diagon Alley-Part 1
Where was I going to get school supplies from the list that came with my letter? I was pretty sure that "dragon hide gloves" and wands were not sold in London. Luckily, I was able to send an owl to Hogwarts, addressing my problem. A letter came with the owl and told me to go to the Leaky Cauldron. I wasn't sure where it was, but, after a little exploring, my parents and I stumbled across a sad looking pub, with a beat-up sign that read "Lea y C ul ron". I inferred that it was originally Leaky Cauldron but London's weather over the years had beat the paint off. As my parents conversed with the bartender about how to actually get to Diagon Alley, I stared around the depressed-looking bar. Someone (or something) was slurping a mug full of a red liquid and a wizard was chugging a bottle that was labeled "Fire whiskey". Others chatted in low voices, at small tables around the room
After my parents were finishing speaking with the bartender, we walked out to the back of the pub. "So all you gotta do is tap this brick three times with yeh wand. To find the brick again, just remember yeh just gotta count three up and two across" said the bartender, Terry or Tim or something. "Thank you very much, Tim, but we don't have a wand. Could you do it for us?" said mum, breaking the silence. "K, just for you, ma'am" responded the bartender. "And me name is Tom". He quickly tapped the brick three times with a short stick with a few knots coming out of it. The bricks slowly slide out of the way, with no help whatsoever. They just trickled into the war...as if by magic. Which Hermione inferred, probably was. My dad started talking. "Hermione, sweetie, the man over there told us to go to the big, white building first. It's called Grindrods and its a bank. At least, that's what I think he said. I'm not sure."
I wasn't listening. I felt the magic surrounding me and I wanted to give the world a giant hug. I felt like I belonged here. I saw mothers scolding their kids for running off, shopkeepers shouting their prices for potion ingredients, owls and other magical supplies and friends talking and buying school year things. While Mum and dad shuddered as owls swooped overhead and kids yelled, I just felt energized. Then I saw the fear in my parents' eyes. "I...I.. can go alone, if you'd like…" I suggested hesitantly, "I've already found Gringotts." "What do mean, honey?" said mum. "We'll always be here for you, no matter what" Dad nodded his head in agreement. "Well, no time to waste, let's go!" said dad loudly, breaking the awkward silence.
Once they arrived at Gringotts, a goblin greeted them. Hermione attempted to not shrink away from him, as her consciousness was screaming at her to panic and run away. She could see the same thoughts flitting through her parents' heads and decided to talk first. "Can I exchange some pounds to whatever wizards use for money?" Hermione quietly asked. "Give it here" the goblin, Ironthorn, who had introduced himself when the Granger family was still taking in the magnificent Gringotts, growled. Her parents handed her a check and she handed it to him. He then gave her some strange gold, silver and copper coins. "The gold coins are gallons, the silver ones are sickles and the copper ones are knuts. 29 knuts to a sickle and 17 sickles to a gallon" Ironthorn explained roughly. "Your check accounted for 123 gallons and 3 sickles. Here is a small part of the overall sum. Goodbye." And with that, he disappeared behind the desk and the Grangers lead themselves out of the wizarding bank, pockets filled with strange money. .
After getting robes and well as visiting Flourish and Blotts (a bookstore which Hermione absolutely loved), Hermione and her parents went to Ollivanders, where the finest wands were made, according to the other wizarding families whom they had asked where the best wands were made. As they walked in, a musky scent assaulted their noses, and a cold voice sneered."My, My, what do we have here?
A/N: YAY! ITS LONGER! Sorry 'bout the cliffy. But if you've read Harry Potter through and through, you should know who the cold voice was.