July 31, 1991
Walking down Diagonally I stumble to a stop as another wave of crashing pain hits my head. The pounding intensified into what feels like someone hit a sledge hammer over and over upside my head. Distantly I feel a small hand close my right, non injured one. Slowly the pounding subsides until it becomes a dull distant ache.
"Are you okay Brie? Do we need to sit down? Hagrid, is there somewhere we could stop for a moment? Get lunch maybe." Waving my left hand I bring his attention back to me. I smile softly at him and incline my head slightly as an affirmative. With a quick worried glance over at me, Jamie guides me to a chair outside of a cafe by Flourish and Blotts.
We sat down at a small 3 person table beside the Cafe. As Jamie gave Hagrid our order I lay my head down on the metal table. The coolness helps with the heat and pounding of my head.
"Aubrey. Hey look at me." Slowly I lift my head off the table and look at Jamie. He gives me a reassuring smile. "Come on Bee. Tell me what's wrong. Are you overwhelmed? We can stay here for a while until you feel better." Smiling slightly at Jamie's overprotectiveness I point to my left hand. Grimacing at the sight.
Wrapped in dirty bandages, looking swollen and a tad green. It sure is an unpleasant sight. Although it was also not getting any better. No matter the many attempts I had made to fix my injured hand, Uncle Vernon made sure I would feel the wrath of what I had done. What I actually did do. Honestly. I'm still not sure, but I am sure it did not warrant getting my hand pressed into the hot pan that had just come out of the oven.
"It still hurts." Jamie asks tentatively.
"Yeah. It feels like my whole hand is going to fall off."
"Why did you not say anything?" Jamie asked, alarmed.
"Honestly Jamie, in all the excitement of today I completely forgot about it. And then we were walking down the alley and I just got a really bad headache."
"What do you mean?" Hagrid said, coming and sitting in the empty seat.
"Her hand. She burned it about two weeks ago and it has not healed properly." Glancing at my bandaged hand Hagrid looks up at me.
"How is it so bad."
"It was getting better Hagrid." I said with a tight grimace that I hoped looked more like a smile. "It's just that I haven't been able to properly clean it in a while."
"How bout this." Hagrid said suddenly. "Harry, how much stuff do ya still need from yer list?"
"I only need my trunk, and wand."
"Okay then we'll go and get yer wand an then go visit Madam Promfrey." With a decisive nod, Hagrid stood up, grabbed Harry's bags and moved down the alley to a small store called Olivanders.
"Who's Madam Pomfrey?" Harry said to no one in particular as Hagrid was already at the door. Opening the door for her and her brother, Hagrid informed them that he would wait outside while Harry got his wand.
Walking inside Ollivanders felt like she had been hit by a wave of vertigo. The amount of magic rushed through made me feel dizzy.
When she had entered she could feel the magic thrumming through the bricks of the magical alley. I could tell how old the wards were by the feeling of, just, old magic. The softness of Diagon. The feeling of welcoming and hopefulness this particular alley gave. All this lovely-ness was a gross comparison to the alley called Knockturn.
This alley was like a hurricane. Or a tornado. The magic was not like Diagon's welcoming vibe. It felt like it was trying to entrance you. As if the magic was a siren song. Promising dangerous, wonderful, but dangerous things. The wards were sharp, not in a literal sense. Just, sharp. The feeling it would cut you if you went too close to them. Was not a good one.
So, walking into Olivanders. Feeling the magic of all the unanswered, untamed wands. It was like vertigo. The dizzy feeling came first. Followed by a wonderful calm. And looking around, although she couldn't see it, it was like a rainbow of magic flowing through the air.
"You can feel it. Can't you child." An older man said coming suddenly out of the shelves full of rainbows. "The wands. The rainbow." Turning to him sharply with a confused look on my face the older man gave a chuckle. "Ah. Yes I can see. Perhaps not as much as you though." Continuing his chuckles, he walks through the shelves and grabs a tape measure from out of seemingly nowhere.
"I'm sorry sir." I say nervously. "But what do you see." As if sending my nervousness he smiled in a reassuring way.
"All will be known soon child. All will be known soon." Nodding, seemingly finished talking with me, he turned to my brother who was looking between us curiously. "Mr. Potter. I have been waiting for you to come to my small shop for awhile…."
And so the disaster that is wand shopping. As I had some to find out, continued. And as 10 wands turned into 17, I couldn't help but but feel light headed. And slowly the sledge hammer came back. And the throbbing in my left hand started again. And as I went to try to find a space to sit, Harry found his wand.
"Ah, here it is. 11 3/4 inches, Holly and Phoenix feather. Curious, very curious."
"I'm sorry Mr. Ollivander." Ah, so that's what his name was. "But what's curious?"
"As it happens." Mr Ollivander began. "The Phoenix feather that resides in your wand has a brother. And I remember every wand I have ever sold Mr. Potter, and the very brother wand I sold was to the person who gave you that scar." He said pointing to the lighting bolt scar on Jamie's forehead.
And as it happens. As this was going on. The pounding in my head increased, and slowly my vision darkened.
"Harry." My quiet voice cut through the tension between Mr. Ollivander and Harry like a butter knife. Jamie whipped around and faced me eyes wide and frantic. It was not often I called him Harry. Only when scolding him or trying to get his attention will I ever do it. So when his frantic eyes found me pale as a sheet and slowly drifting out of consciousness, I could tell he was scared. The last this I heard before all when black, was Jamie calling my name.
When I woke up next it was on a comfortable cloud. The sledge hammer was gone, and the throbbing of my left hand had lessened too. Softness of sheets and the absence of a bony body next to mine made me stiffen. We were not in cupboard.
"Aubrey." Hearing him made my body relax. I slowly open my eyes to find myself in a white room with many beds running on both sides of the room. To the right of me was Harry sitting in a chair next to my bed holding my hand.
"Hi." I croak out. Standing up he grabs a cup of water with a straw in it and offers it to me. I drink the refreshing water greedly. As he is putting down the plastic cup I take note of my body. I could feel my right hand as Jamie had just been holding it. I wiggled my fingers and took note of all five. Both my legs were okay, if not a little sore, it was my left hand that made me pause. Looking over at it I could see it was wrapped in a thick bandage. I couldn't properly feel it, it was as if it was not there at all.
"Why?" Jamie said, his voice laced with tears. Hearing my brother upset I whipped my head around to look at him. His eyes were filled with tears. "Why did you not say anything? We could have left before we got my wand when you started feeling sick."
"I did not want to ruin you getting your wand."
"Aubrey." He scolded. "I would have much rather have waited until you were healthy before getting my wand. The nurse said if Hagrid did not bring you when he did you could have died from blood poisoning." Tears started streaming down his face by now. "What would I have done without you."
"Im sorry Jamie." I said ashamed. "I did not think that it was that bad."
"I know Brie but I-"
Jamie was interrupted by loud voices behind the door of the infirmary. Arguing by the sound of it. "Jamie. Where are we?" I finally question. He looks at me and gives me a smile as he finish wiping his tears.
"Hogwarts."
The door bangs open and startles the both of us. A tall man in purple looking pajamas glided in. He was followed by a man with a black cloak and greasy hair and an older woman in a green cloak and her hair done up in a tight bun. The three of them walk up to us followed by a woman in softer looking robes in a white hat with a cart.
"Ah I see you have finally awoken Ms. Potter." The man in the purple pajamas says. "We had quite the scare there for a moment when you came in. Luckily Madam Pomfrey patched you right up." He motioned to the woman in the white hat who was now fiddling with the cast on my arm.
"Um, thank you." He gives me a smile, "but um," I continue, "Who are you."
"Ah yes I see we haven't introduced ourselves how rude of us. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, I am the headmaster of Hogwarts. This is Professor Severus Snape." He motions to the man with greasy hair. "And this is Professor Minerva McGongall." He nodded his head to the stern looking woman with the tight bun.
They both looked over at Harry and me. Professor Snape made a face as though he swallowed something nasty when looking at Harry, but when he looked over at me his face softened slightly. His eyes raked over my face and stayed on my green eyes and dark auburn hair longer. Professor McGongall looked at us both the same way Professor Snape looked at me. Her stern expression softened slightly and her eyes raked over our features. She looked at though she was memorizing them.
"Well Albus she is okay to go home. She will just need to apply some cream on her skin every morning and night and no strenuous activity." Madam Pomfrey said looking over at Professor Dumbledore. After taking off the thick bandage, Madam Pomfrey put some jars of different color liquids on my bedside table and took her leave.
Looking back at my hand I could see that magic was truly wonderful. If it wasn't for the terrible exhaustion I was having, I would have not even known that I had been injured. My hand was slightly scarred still from the burn, but beside that my hand had been all but healed.
"Now for the remainder of the summer Professor McGongall is going to be checking up on you both. Just to make sure that you are recovering well Ms. Potter." Harry and I both thanked Professor Dumbledore and the three Professors took their leave.
"Okay…" I started after looking at Harry. "I have so many questions." Harry looked over at me, then back to the door where the Professors had just left and burst out laughing.
As the 3 Professors continued their trek back to the headmasters office, loud cheerful laughing could be heard following them.
As promised, Professor McGongall visited once a week for 3 weeks leading up to the week of September first. The first visit with the professor was...interesting to say the least.
It started out like any other day in the Dursleys residence. Petunia came pounding on the door to the bedroom of the Potter siblings, only that door was no longer the cupboard under the stairs, now it was the smallest bedroom at the Dursleys.
So at 9am sharp, a full english breakfast was served by Aubrey and Harry to the three Dursleys. Only to be given a slice of toast each with a small smattering of butter on it. It had been like any other Tuesday, only this time there was a visitor.
The ring of a door bell startled the 5 of them out of their stupor, the Dursleys stuffing their faces and the Potters Cleaning up after them. The clank of silverware against plates stopped and only the sound of running water from the sink in the kitchen. "Now who could that be." Mused Uncle Vernon. "Girl!" He barked at me. "Go see who is at the door."
So complying with my Uncles command, I laid down the pan I had been scrubbing, dried my hands, and went over to the front door. At the door sat the Professor that was promised to visit.
"Hello Ms. Potter. Good morning." She gave me a small smile and gave one in return.
"Hi Professor I didn't think you would come."
"Of course I'd come. Now I would like to speak to your relatives of that is okay." I opened the door wider to let her in and lead her to the kitchen where the rest of the residences were waiting. "Mr. Potter lovely too see you again." Harry spun around from where he had been drying the plates to see me and the Professor. He gave us a smile and it dropped just as quickly as it appeared. His eyes darted over to where the walrus and his horse wife was slowly turning purple with rage.
"You are not allowed in here! I will have none of you Freaks in my home."
"Now Mr. Dursley. Why don't we set-"
"NO! I WELL HAVE NONE OF IT! I WI-" Suddenly cutting off all speech, Vernon starting making what I assumed to be splutters, but of course. No sound came out.
"Now that I can properly speak." The Professor sent a withering glare at Vernon. "I am going to be visiting Ms and Mr Potter until Mr Potter is attending Hogwarts." I could see the rage returning tenfold on Vernon and Petunias face, and was that a quirk of the lips on the Professor's face?
"Now that that is settled. Could you both show me where your room is." She turned to Harry and I. Nodding, we wiped our hands clean and led her up to our new bedroom.
The room was barely furnished. A small twin bed in the right corner of the room covered with yellowing sheets and just one pillow and blanket. To the left was a small dresser that, contrary to its small size, was much too big to hold the measly 3 outfits they owned.
Turning back to the Professor I could see her simmering with rage. Slowly her face was turning red and her lips thinned to nothing.
"Ms Potter would you show me your room now that we've seen your brothers." Looking at Harry, who could also see McGongall slowing boiling over with rage I respond very quietly. Afraid to have her rage explode.
"Umm...this is our room. Mine and Harrys."
Her lips thinned even more so that she had nothing but a thin line on her face where the opening of her mouth was. She took one calming breath and turned to me and Jamie. She sent a small nod in our direction.
"Well we better fix this." And she turned and walked out the bedroom door. Me and Jamie gave each other a quick glance before following McGonagall downstairs where she was already yelling at the Dursleys.
And so, that night me and Jamie lay in different beds, in new sheets, in clean new pajamas, in the small bedroom in the house we lived in.
The next two weeks following that were much the same and different.
The first shopping was for us to get a bunk bed and clean sheets with sleeping things. The next one was for our clothes, both wizarding and muggle.
The last visit was a quick shopping trip to diagon alley where we picked up Harry's trunk, and I ordered one of my own. The shopkeeper was very nice and he added all sorts of things to the trunk that I didn't even know were in existence. Who knew that you could put a whole building in a trunk. I certainly didn't. So with my trunk ordered and in the works and Jamies in his pocket shrunken, we left the magical alley to head over to one of the parks nearby.
Grabbing an Ice cream from a small ice cream stand, Jamie and I saw Minerva (As she wanted us to call her) pull out a football from her bag. So as the afternoon turned into night, me and Jamie kicked the football around the park trying (and failing) to get Minerva to join us.
And so the Tuesday ended like any other. With me on the top bunk in our room in my clean pajamas and Harry below me.
Two weeks later, one week after Jamie left. There was a nock on the door. After being ordered to go and open it. I wipe my hands dry and move to the and open it a little, only then to throw it completely open and hug the person in front of it tight. I felt her startle a little, but then her hands around my shoulders as well.
"Minnie!"
