Chapter Two
Eavelyn Petaldew Ctialyndra Quirk-Sinopia Moonchild Zerxaniamona Em'rald Dawnsong Shimmershine was very lost. The grey yet fascinating buildings around her offered no helpful clue as to where she had ended up after she had landed gracefully on her small toes and the people milling about the street and bartering over the most curious of trinkets were dressed so strangely that Eavelyn was nervous to approach them. They all wore robes of the most vivid hues, emerald greens, ceruelean blues, crimson reds and pompous purples, that she, in her simple white dress embroidered with butterflies and hemmed with gold satin, felt quite plain. She had never felt plain before, being as she was so beautiful and widely admired, so this feeling was unnatural enough to cow her.
"Where am I?" she wondered aloud, turning to and fro so that her dress swirled about her shapely ankles.
"You," she heard a voice behind her back declare, "Are in a very special place. You are in Diagon Alley."
Eavelyn gasped so shockedly that her mouth formed a perfect "o" of graceful surprise. She span round on one dainty foot and before her stood the wisest and grandest of old men. He looked like the kind of grandfather she had always dreamed of when she was a small child, long, white beard, half-moon spectacles and a serene and – it seemed to her – twinkly expression.
"Diagonally?" she repeated, thin brows furrowing in her confusion, "Whatever can you mean?"
"No, my dear," he laughed, taking her by the hand and leading her through the streets, "Diagon. Alley. A place where wizards can shop without fear of persecution by those dastardly and ordinary muggles." His expression suddenly seemed fierce with subdued rage.
Eavelyn nodded sympathetically. She had often received bad treatment from the muggles in her life, so she could understand his resentment of the foul creatures.
"So," she said, lifting the hem of her dress with one petite hand so that it did not trail in the dirt of the street, "If this is a place for wizards and witches, how come I am here?"
Dumbledore nodded sagely. "That is because fate brought you here, my dear child. Because you, yourself, are a witch of great and unequalled power. For years, representatives of my school have been trying to contact you but we were held at bay by your evil adoptive parents, who were jealous that you were more special than they could ever hope to be."
"Oh my God," Eavelyn gasped, "I'm a witch?"
"Yes," Dumbledore replied. The he explained to her everything about the school of witchcraft and wizardy she was to go to and took her around Diagon Alley, buying her whatever she needed or desired.
This included her favourite purchase, a pygmy snow leopard, which she called Aurora. Aurora sat on her shoulder as they walked through the street, attracting curious and admiring stares from passers-by, and purred gently in her ear. Eavelyn snuck away from Dumbledore's watchful gaze and, with her own muggle money, attempted to buy Aurora a diamond-studded collar. Unfortunately, the shopkeeper could not accept her ordinary money but consented that she should have the collar free of charge – as well as some fetching jade earrings – purely because it suited her and her pet so well to have nice things, as they were so very beautiful.
With that it was time to board the train to Hogwarts and, when they got to the station, Dumbledore instructed her to run through the barrier, which she did without fear. When she emerged onto the platform, which was bustling with other students and their tearfully parents, Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen but she had a curious feeling that he could make his own way without the train.
"Hello," came a drawling voice behind her, "And who are you?"
She whipped round, dazed but happy, to see a perfectly petite young man with platinum blonde hair not unlike her own, which was slicked back from his heart-shaped face. "Hello, I am Eavelyn Petaldew Ctialyndra Diamondshaft Quirk-Sinopia Moonchild Zerxaniamona Em'rald Dawnsong Shimmershine!"
The boy seemed staggered slightly by the length of her amazing name but quickly recovered and smirked charmingly at her. "I'm Draco Malfoy and I can help you get the right sort of friends in a place like this." He extended his hand to her and, Eavelyn – though she did not understand quite what he meant by the "right sort of friends" – was about to reach out and shake it when suddenly...
"Oi! Malfoy! Stay away from her."
CLIFFIE!
End Chapter Two
