Chapter 3

Diagon Alley

The sun was shining on the usual, end of summer, hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley. The snowy-white bricks of Gringotts' wizarding bank gleamed, as though mirroring the many jewels that were stored within its endless caverns. Elizabeth had been here more times than she could remember, yet the Gringotts' security goblin, in his uniform of scarlet and gold, still made her uneasy. If the goblin made a shiver run through her nerves, it was nothing in comparison to the warning emblazoned on the second set of entry doors to this grand building.

Enter stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn,

So if you seek beneath our floors,

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

"You think it's true, they have a dragon down there?" Fred questioned in a tone of curiosity Elizabeth wasn't sure she liked. Rumours of a guard dragon at Gringotts had been circulating for generations, but had never been confirmed.

"Not sure I want to find out." Elizabeth replied. A small shrug of agreement passed between the two boys behind her. They may have been somewhat mischievous at times but neither of them had a death wish.

A pair of goblins bowed the trio through the silver doors into a vast marble hall. A hundred more goblins sat on high stools behind a long counter; scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales and examining precious stones through eyeglasses.

The trio approached the counter. "Hello," Elizabeth said to a free goblin, "I would like to make a withdrawal from my vault."

"I assume you have your key, Miss Potter?" the goblin said, uninterested in making their interaction last any longer than necessary.

Elizabeth had to wonder if this reflected the welcome her brother would receive when he visited, to be enlightened as to his share of the family fortune. She doubted it. In her imagination, even goblins stopped what they were doing to get a glance at the famous 'boy who lived.'

Having put herself in a bad mood, she almost threw the tiny, golden key at the goblin before her. A moment later, a hand was placed on either shoulder, Fred and George both looking down at her with comforting smiles. They were there for her, even if they didn't always know why. She could depend on them. They were her brothers.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill voice. "Bogrod," she had almost forgotten about the goblin stood on the platform before her. "Take Miss Potter and her… friends to her vault will you."

Bogrod, another goblin, led the three of them through one of the many doors leading off the main hall. The door led into a narrow stone passageway, lit by flaming torches that lined the stone walls. There were miniature railway tracks laid on the floor which followed the passageway as it headed downwards in a steep slope.

Bogrod whistled and a small cart came hurtling towards them, all four climbed in and they were off. At first, they began to cruise through a maze of twisting passages. However, the speed of the cart seemed to keep rising and before they knew it everything around them became a blur.

By this point, Fred and George had begun hooting and yelling with excitement, like children who had just ridden a broom for the first time. Elizabeth just sat there rolling her eyes at them, although she allowed herself a slight grin at their antics. They always made her smile.

The cart stopped at last next to a tiny door in the passage wall. Bogrod unlocked the door, inside was what might be described as a small fortune. Fred and George barred her entry to the vault. They stared at the wealth within with wide eyes, both letting out an over-exaggerated, longing sigh. "For Merlin's sake you two, out of the way, that joke is really starting to get old."

Elizabeth filled a small bag of gold, silver and bronze pieces for herself and threw a bag each to Fred and George, who enveloped her in a suffocating hug. All three got back in the cart to head back up to Diagon Alley.

Another wild cart ride later, and a lot more whooping from Fred and George, all three found themselves back in the beautiful sunshine outside Gringotts.

"OK, so what do you need this year, Izzy" Fred asked. All three of them had decided it might be wise to start getting her school things before Mrs Weasley re-joined them. She was angry enough with them after that mornings events; they didn't want to give her a reason to make their punishment any worse.

Elizabeth reached inside her pocket, pulled out a folded up piece of parchment and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform

First year students will require:

1. Three plain sets of work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Set Books

All students should have a copy of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phillida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size two)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring if they desire an owl OR a cat OR a toad (Elizabeth missed the smile that passed between her brothers at this point.)

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

"Well, that's a lot of things to get, wouldn't you say Gred?" George said, sending a sly smile to his brother.

"Well I must say I agree with you there Georgie, sorry we can't help, dear sister, we have a few errands to run. Ollivander's is just over there, why don't you go get your wand and we'll meet up with you and everyone in a bit," and with that they were gone. Those two were up to something; something they didn't want her to know about; this could never end well.

Ollivanders was a narrow, shabby shop in a corner of Diagon Alley. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. A tinkling bell rang somewhere within the cavernous shop as she stepped inside. It was only as she turned around, from closing the door behind her, that she realised she wasn't the only occupant of that deceivingly large establishment.

Stood against a backdrop of shelves piled to the ceiling with tiny narrow boxes, stood a boy who looked no older than herself. His pale, pointed face was now gazing in her direction with interest.

"Hogwarts too?" he asked, she replied with nothing but a single nod.

"Draco Malfoy," the boy said sticking his hand out for her to shake. Oh she knew, exactly, who this young man was. Within the wizarding world, there were families who thought they were better than others. Families from old wizarding lines and old money. The Malfoys were one of them. Arthur had warned her of this family; but she never had been good at taking advice, no matter how accurate it happened to be. She decided to give Draco the benefit of the doubt; but that didn't mean she wouldn't have a little fun with him first.

"Elizabeth. I'm sure I've heard that name before…. Malfoy… now what could it be?" She pretended to contemplate it for a few moments. "Ah, I remember now. You're the boy with a Death Eater for a father."

Draco's calm and collected mask fell. Death Eaters were followers of the darkest wizard ever to have lived; and even though he had appeared to have been vanquished, thanks to her darling brother, it was not a thing one brought up in everyday conversation. No matter how true it happened to be.

Draco began to lower his hand; but just before he put it down completely, Elizabeth grabbed it and gave it a firm shake. Draco looked at her, face a wash of shock and confusion. The Malfoy mask all but forgotten. "Don't worry, you can't choose the blood you were born with."

Before Draco could say anything, another man ambled into view. "Here you go, Mr Malfoy. Ten inches, Hawthorn, unicorn hair, reasonably pliant; treat it well." Mr Ollivander was an old, greying man; his wide pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom and dust of the shop; never once seeming to blink. "Ah! Miss Potter. I've been expecting you."

"Potter?" Draco said, clearly surprised by the recent piece of information. Unfortunately, for him, he was once again interrupted as a man appeared in the doorway, whose mere presence was foreboding. There was no doubt in her mind; the mirrored blonde locks, pale skin and cold, grey eyes. This was Lucius Malfoy.

"Come, Draco." With another subtle glance in her direction Draco followed his father out of the shop like a loyal puppy dog; leaving her and Mr Ollivander alone.

"Hmm…"Mr Ollivander murmured, eyes flickering between her and the closed door. "Well then Potter, let's begin shall we. Hold out your wand arm." Elizabeth held out her right arm as Mr. Ollivander climbed a ladder, pulling a number of boxes from the shelves as he went. Meanwhile, Ollivander's tape measure developed a mind of its own. Having measured different lengths of her wand arm, it was now measuring the distance between her left nostril and her belly button.

"That will do." He said and the tape measure fell to the floor. Elizabeth took this as a cue that she could now relax her arm, although she wasn't sure.

"Right Miss Potter, every wand here has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivanders wands are the same. Just as no two unicorns, phoenixes or dragons are the same. And obviously you will never get as good results with another wizard's wand." Elizabeth tried to make sense of the words she had just heard, but in her excitement addled brain they managed to leave not even the slightest trace of meaning.

"Right then, try this one. Beechwood and unicorn hair. Nice and flexible, just give it a wave." Elizabeth gripped the wand he handed her but as she went to give it a wave, the wand disappeared into thin air. Ollivander was stunned, "that's only the second time that's ever happened," he stated. "Don't worry dear. It'll turn up in a month or so. The last one presented itself to me whilst I was on the lavatory. " This developed a picture in Elizabeth's mind she feared she'd never be able to erase.

"In the meantime try this one. Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy." Elizabeth raised the wand, but before she had moved it, even an inch, mister Ollivander began to sprout a rather spectacular pink beard. The wand clattered to the floor as she dropped it, out of pure shock. As she did so, the beard began to recede back into Ollivanders chin like worms escaping the first bird of the day. "Nope, nope, decidedly not." said Ollivander.

He eyed her curiously and scurried off to pull a box from the bottom of the nearest shelf. Without saying a word Ollivander handed her a wand made of jet black wood. The second its smooth surface touched her fingertips a warmth spread through them and a stream of red and green sparks shot from the end like a firework.

"Oh bravo! Yes, very good indeed. Ebony. Dragon Heartstring. Eleven and a half inches, supple. Yes that's very interesting." He put Elizabeth's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper. Still muttering to himself.

"Sorry" said Elizabeth "why is it interesting?" Mister Ollivander fixed her with what could be described as an unnerving grin.

"You reminded me of an important lesson today Miss Potter" he began. "That not everyone is what or whom they appear to be. That all we can do is trust our instincts to guide us, and allow them the opportunity to reveal to us their true selves. " By this point, Elizabeth was hanging off his every word. "It just so happens, that this wand works best with those wizards whose beliefs are strong and instincts are true. Just goes to show, the wand really does choose the wizard."

She handed Ollivander seven gold galleons for her wand and watched as he disappeared into the shadows from whence he came.