Lara had to be dragged into the dingy little pub, having spotted a bookshop across the road she desperately wanted to go to.
"But It has the new copy of Horrible Histories!" she wailed, as her grandmother dragged her back by the collar.
"You can get rarer books in here, you bloody bookworm." Nettle snapped, rather annoyed her eldest grandchild was more interested in books than magic.
The other three were trying the old 'I'm-so-not-with-them' look as they entered the bar and looked for a place to sit.
"Never mind sitting, we're going right through, out the back girls." Nettle pushed Lara ahead of her, the girls following her.
As they stepped out of the door, they found themselves in a dingy little space that looked like one of those old tenement gardens you got, i.e., none existent really, a small space of concrete and a few rubbish bags, with a rather large bricked up wall. Lara looked about herself doubtfully, managing to pry herself loose of her grandmother's grip.
"Granny, that's a wall…" Natalie commented dryly, watching Nettle root around in her bag.
"Now where did I put the blasted thing?" the old she-witch muttered, "Aha! Here we are!" She pulled out a thin wand, made of birch, approximately 12 inches long and containing one dragon heartstring, not that the younger ones knew this however. Nettle turned and tapped several bricks in a clockwise direction, as the four preteens stared curiously.
With a loud rumble Vivi was surprised people on the street didn't hear, the bricks split and moved out the way.
"Whoa…" Cairis stared where the wall was. "It's a…high street."
"For witches and wizards." Nettle said smugly.
"BOOKSHOP!" Lara literally screeched, making those nearest her flinch and cover their ears. Nettle was forced to watch helplessly as her eldest ran from the group and into Florish and Blotts.
"SWEETS!" This time it was Cairis's scream of delight as she ran down the street at full pelt.
"WAIT FOR ME!!" Vivi wailed, chasing after her.
Nettle sighed and looked down at Natalie, who was watching her friends run off. "Well, what about you?"
"I think I'll stick with you, I wanna get the guided tour!" She grinned.
Nettle smiled back at her. "At least one of my grandchildren is sane." She looked up at Florish and Blotts, where she could see Lara in her element. "Others, I'm not so sure about…"
Natalie smirked. "I have no doubts she's as sane as the other two."
"Boy is Hogwarts in trouble then."
"Wow…" Lara stared around at the books in the shop in wonder, lost in the titles and smell of dusty books.
She went over to one and pulled it out. It's title read Mythical Beasts Revealed. She turned it over and examined the price. "…gallons? Better ask Nettle." She slid the book back on the shelves and left the shop, crashing into Cairis and Vivi.
"Oi- Oh it's just you." They grinned at each other. "We couldn't get any sweets, they use some mental for of currency with knuts and sickles or something." Vivi shrugged.
"What, you mean like giant scythes used for cutting corn?" Lara looked at them confused.
"Er, no Lara."
The ditzy brunette turned around to spot Nettle frowning at her. "These are sickles, gallons and knuts." She held out her hand, and in its palm was a small bronze coloured coin, shaped like a hexagon with a hole through the middle, a silver round coin, slightly larger than the bronze one, and a large gold coin.
"The gold one is a gallon, the silver one a sickle and the bronze one is a knut." Natalie explained. "Granny Nettle already told me."
"Smug little witch aren't you?" Lara frowned.
"So what if I am?" Natalie was ready for an argument.
"Girls, that's quite enough of that, thank you!" Nettle growled at the two. "Now, we are here to buy you school materials. First stop is Olivander's for wands, since Natalie and I have already been to the bank while you three were drooling over books and sweets." You could just tell Nettle didn't approve of such pastimes…
"I can't wait to get a wand!" Vivi squealed, grabbing onto Cairis and Lara.
"Me either!" Lara grinned. "Can we go now?"
Nettle was already pushing them down the street. "Lets get a move on girls, we haven't got all day."
As they entered the shop, the girls saw the walls were like giant bookcases, only instead of holding books, they held countless boxes. Black boxes, white boxes, long boxes, boxes with an odd little stamp on then, boxes with drawing of unicorns, dragons and phoenixes.
"Wow…They won't fall on us, will they?"
"No Lara, they will not fall." Nettle smiled. "Ollivander!" She called suddenly. "Mr. Ollivander?!"
"Ah, Mrs McClung I presume?" An old voice came from beyond the walls of boxes. He stepped out from the boxes and smiled over at them.
"Mr. Ollivander, it's wonderful to see you again." Nettle smiled as Ollivander showed himself. She looked at the four witched-to-be behind her.
"Wow he's old." Natalie muttered. Lara rolled her eyes. "What?"
"Four new witches looking for wands I see." He beckoned to Vivi. "You can be first."