Khgirl08: Heya!
Ellie: XD Today, we're having one of Khgirl08's fave desserts as a special treat: Moose Tracks ice cream! Congratulations,
Dan, James Birdsong, and TheChersireCat101,
You've earned yourself one of her fave flavors! Yay!
Khgirl08:… can I have some? I'm the one who invented you, Ellie…
Ellie: No.
Khgirl08: Puh-leeze? -whimpers-
Ellie: Oh, I'll think about it. If you do the disclaimer.
Khgirl08: Hooray!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Harry Potter, or Danielle. Just throwing that last one out there. ^.^
Khgirl08: Now, may I have some Moose Tracks?
Ellie: -looks up from empty bowl with ice cream on her face- What Moose Tracks?
"Hedwig!" Ellie looked up in astonishment as a gorgeous snowy owl flew towards her new friend; she and Ginny were eating breakfast in the Great Hall. "Ellie, this is Harry's owl, Hedwig. What are you doing here?"
Hedwig hooted softly as she landed gracefully on the table, sticking out her left leg. There were three letters attached to it, and Ginny pulled them off as Hedwig dipped her beak into Ginny's goblet of orange juice. She blinked politely at Ellie, hooted once more, and took off once more, flying out one of the high, open rafters in the ceiling.
"What? One of these is from Harry!" Ginny tore open the first letter and read it out loud. "'Dear Ginny, I'm sorry that we didn't get to talk very much before I left. McGonagall was in a hurry to get out of there. I knew how lonely you would get with only that 'princess' for company, so I'm sending Hedwig to Neville and Luna in the hopes that they can meet you in Diagon Alley tomorrow. Please, take care of yourself, and don't be angry with me. Ron and Hermione feel the same way. We're about to leave The World of Magic, so I should go. Harry.'" Ginny smiled slightly. "He would say something like that. Honestly, does he think that I'm going to go ask a Death Eater out on a date or something?"
"No, he just loves you," said Ellie. "He must still love you, like you said, or else he wouldn't keep saying stuff like that."
"Yeah, I know," said Ginny as she picked up the other two letters. Slitting the top one open, she smiled at the contents. "This one is from Neville. He says that he can meet us at ten o'clock at the Leaky Cauldron and that he looks forward to meeting you." She opened the second one and giggled. "Luna says the same thing, and she adds that we 'need to be particularly wary of Potkiers' today. Oh, I love Luna."
Ellie also giggled. "That is so funny! You're right, she is a little bit out of the box."
"Good morning, Miss Mason, Miss Weasley," said Professor McGonagall as she sat down beside Ginny, smiling wearily. "I certainly hope you had a better night's rest than I did. I got owl after owl from the Order, making sure that I got you here safely, Miss Mason."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Professor McGonagall smiled slightly. "No need to be. Now, it is nearly nine o'clock. Ladies, I am going to send you alone to the Leaky Cauldron via the Floo Network. Tonks and Lupin will be waiting for you, and you can take as much time as you need to get your school shopping done. Miss Weasley, it has been decided that Miss Mason will keep the same class schedule as you, so she will need the same supplies as you. Do you have your list?"
"Yes, Professor, it's upstairs."
"Well, then, I'll be sending you off at about a quarter to ten. Best get your things ready now," said McGonagall. "Please meet me in my office when you are ready."
Ginny and Ellie went back to the Room of Requirement, and Ellie looked at her appearance awkwardly. "This is so weird to admit, but I honestly don't have any clothes that look normal. I only have another set of clothes like this one…"
"No problem, you can borrow some of mine," said Ginny. "I'm sure you'll be able to buy some once we get to Diagon Alley. I'll just run up to the dormitories and get some, alright?"
"Yeah, but just make sure that those Death Eater portraits don't see you." Ginny winked and exited the Room of Requirement, leaving Ellie alone with her thoughts and Axel.
"So, Princess, are you excited? I know that I would be. You know, buying your magic books and such."
I suppose…
"What's the matter? Don't tell me that you're still upset about Robert. I told you not to think about him," he said sternly. "Come on, now, stop it!"
I can't help it, Axel! I had a dream about him and Mother last night. At least, I think it was them, I'm not one hundred percent sure. Of course, it was completely ridiculous, because Robert is dead, but it doesn't change the fact that I dreamt it.
"Ah, I see…" said Axel. "That still doesn't explain why you were having a regular old sob fest over him last night."
That was just because of the fire! It wasn't as though I was trying to think about him, Axel!
"Whatever, Princess. Just remember: don't think about him. If you keep thinking about all of your little happy times together you'll drive yourself insane."
I don't think I'd have the opportunity, Axel.
"Oh, really?"
Yeah, you're going to make me insane long before Robert does.
"Oh, ha, ha."
"Ellie, here are some clothes," said Ginny as she came back into the room. She was holding a faded green tee shirt and a rather beat-up pair of shorts. "Sorry that they're so old, but we don't always have enough money for new things…"
Ellie flashed her a brilliant smile. "Ginny, I think they're wonderful. Better than this getup, at any rate. Besides, it isn't how many possessions someone has or how good of shape their belongings are in that make them good, it's what their hearts are like. You're a wonderful person."
The tops of Ginny's ears turned bright red.
Half an hour later, Ellie and Ginny were standing in front of the fireplace in McGonagall's office, listening to the professor tell them what they needed to get for Ellie in Diagon Alley. "… and a Potions kit should round it out. Oh, and of course, you will need money for everything. Just go to Gringott's bank and tell them that you wish to be taken to the Dumbledore-Mason vault. You'll see what I mean when you get there."
"Oh… alright." Ellie took a cloth bag from the professor and stuffed it into her bag.
"Now, Miss Weasley, you may go first. Remember, Remus and Tonks should be waiting for you. Do not leave the Leaky Cauldron without them, and give them my best. I shall be waiting for your return. Also, if you get the chance, I would like you to start instructing Miss Mason in the art of magic. Just teach her some spells and charms that you find useful. The time for such petty rules as the underage magic laws are behind us, ladies. Have fun, and good luck." Professor McGonagall held out a small vase half-full of glittering powder. "Watch closely, Miss Mason."
Ginny took a small pinch of the powder and stepped right into the fireplace. Turning around, she threw the dust down and shouted, "Diagon Alley!" A green flame rose from nowhere, and Ginny spun right out of sight.
"Now you, Miss Mason. Remember to be very clear with your dialect, we don't want you ending up somewhere that you shouldn't be." McGonagall held the vase out to Ellie, who nervously took a pinch of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace, where the warm green flames left behind by Ginny were just dying down. "Good luck."
Ellie merely nodded. Who are Lupin and Tonks, anyhow? Ginny never mentioned them. Throwing down the powder, she said, "Diagon Alley!" Her world became a blur of green flame as she began to spin; occasionally she saw the inside of somebody's living room or kitchen before she had to shut her eyes to keep from being sick. She only opened them when she skidded out of a fireplace in a cloud of soot, coughing slightly. What a ride…
"I should say so! That was pretty fun, Princess!" said Axel. Ellie could almost hear him smirking.
Oh, shut up.
"Hey, Ellie! So, how do you like Flooing?" said Ginny as she helped her friend up and dusted her off. "It isn't the cleanest method of transportation. Mum always used to bring a carpet brush with her." Ginny's eyes teared up slightly at the mention of her mother. "I haven't seen her since the beginning of break, or Dad. I hope they're alright… Anyhow, I don't see Tonks or Lupin anywhere, and Luna and Neville don't seem to be here yet, either. I guess we should just find a seat and wait."
"Wotcher, Ginny!" A thin girl with dark hair, an unfortunately large nose, and bushy eyebrows sidled up to the two girls as they sat at an empty table. She was wearing a T-shirt advertising The Weird Sisters, whoever they were, and her jeans were artfully ripped.
"Who are-" Ginny looked up in surprise before she gasped happily. "Tonks! Why are you in disguise?" She stood back up and hugged the girl, who squeezed back just as hard. "And where is Lupin?"
"He's out back, disguising himself. He isn't the most popular person around here, as you know. As for me, I've got some reconnaissance to do today, so I didn't want to be seen as me. You can call me Dory, no one will know any better." Tonks smiled brightly at Ellie and stuck out a hand. "Nymphadora Tonks. Don't you dare call me Nymphadora on a normal day, I hate that name."
"Ellie Mason." Ellie shook the girl's hand. "It's nice to meet you. Are you at Hogwarts, as well?"
Ginny and Tonks both giggled. "No, no, I'm a bit too old for that. I am an Auror and," Tonks's voice dropped to a whisper, "a member of the Order, though that last one is a bit of a secret."
"Why?"
"The Ministry is corrupt. You-Know-Who has gotten control of the Minister, and anyone who they find out is working for the Order is shot to the top of their Public Enemies list, right below Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Tonks said softly. "The new one just came out this morning. They finally came right out and blamed Harry for killing Dumbledore, and the newest leads on their whereabouts claim that Harry is in the Australian Outback while Ron and Hermione are vacationing in the Florida Everglades."
Ginny stifled a giggle. "I bet you anything that Malfoy told them that. Ellie, tell Ron and Hermione to watch out for alligators next time you see them, and warn Harry about the dangers of getting too near to kangaroos and/or petting the koalas."
"Who's petting a koala?" A tall, grungy man wrapped an arm securely about Tonks's waist and smiled brightly, showing off a mouthful of rotting teeth.
"According to the new Public Enemies list produced by the Ministry this morning, Harry is, and Hermione and Ron are supposedly making friends with alligators in the Everglades." Tonks leaned up to kiss the stranger but pulled back immediately, gagging slightly. "Did you have to become somebody with such bad breath, Remus?"
"That's Rufus, Dory," said the tall man. He finally caught Ellie's eye and blinked several times before sticking out a thin hand. "My name is Remus Lupin, but today I'm Rufus."
"It's nice to meet you, Remus. I'm-"
"I know who you are, Ellie. I'm your godfather." Remus smiled sadly as Ellie, Ginny, and Tonks all gaped at him.
"My godfather? I don't remember being told that I have a godfather…" said Ellie slowly.
"You have a goddaughter?! Goodness, Rufus, didn't you think I should know that before I agreed to marry you? What if I hadn't wanted to be a godmother?!" asked Tonks at the same time.
"I was going to tell you, Dory, but I didn't think that I would ever see Ellie again. For all I knew, she might have died and I wouldn't have known. Sorry…"
Tonks rolled her eyes at him and grinned. "No problem, I was just surprised, that's all."
"But, how did you even meet my parents, Rufus?" asked Ellie.
"I was a schoolmate of your mother's, and one of her best friends. Your parents asked me before you were born, and how could I say no? I was the first person to hold you after your grandmother. You certainly have grown up to be a beautiful young lady, Ellie. You're the mirror image of your mother."
Ellie blushed. "Thank you, Rufus." Hesitating for a moment, Ellie hugged him tightly. He hugged her back after a moment, and when he pulled away from her he was grinning broadly.
"The mirror image of your mother, except she didn't have any yellow streaks in her hair…" Lupin looked more closely at Ellie's streaks and gasped as they changed from yellow to blue. "Goodness!"
"Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting about those… I'm not sure what all of the colors mean yet, though I think I just figured out two more. Yellow means that I'm embarrassed, and blue means that I'm happy. They're normally green, but they start flashing all colors of the rainbow when I'm confused."
"Oh, I see." Lupin looked around for a few moments before shrugging. "Are we actually waiting on anyone else, or is this it?"
"Luna and Neville should be here soon. By the way, McGonagall sends her best, and she says that she'll be waiting for us to come back." said Ginny as she shook Lupin's hand in greeting. She looked from him to Tonks and back again before sighing. "I give up, I can't take not knowing. How are my parents?"
Tonks smiled cheekily. "They're both fine, though Arthur told me just yesterday that the twins are driving Molly up the wall. They send her a different practical joke a day, along with several real letters at different set times, and since she wants to make sure they're not hurt she always opens them."
"That sounds like Fred and George," laughed Ginny. "Oh, that's right, Ellie doesn't know about them yet. Fred and George are the youngest older brothers I have, except for Ron. They're twins, and they were born on April Fool's Day, which we think may account for how many pranks they pull. Next after them is Percy, who is a pig-headed, nincompoop, jerk of a sibling who works for the Minister, and then Charlie, who works with dragons over in Romania and tries to recruit foreign wizards to the Order, and the oldest is Bill, who works for Gringotts. Bill is about to get married, or he's supposed to. At this rate, the wedding may have to be called off…"
"Don't be so positive, Ginny! God, if you think any happier than that the world might just explode into rainbows and butterflies!" Tonks laughed at her joke.
"Oh, be quiet, Dory."
"Dory? Oh, Ginny, don't tell me one of the Potkiers got to you, I did warn you about them," said a dreamy voice. Ellie, Ginny, Lupin, and Tonks turned to see a pale girl with dirty blonde hair and silvery eyes that were bulging just a tiny bit as she looked at her friend in concern.
"Hey, Luna! And, no, I don't believe that a Potkier got to me. What do they do, anyhow?"
"Well, they attach themselves to your vocal cords and make you say the wrong words all of the time, especially names." Luna turned her wide gaze onto Tonks and Lupin before smiling knowingly. "Oh, I get it now. That's what we're calling you today, isn't it?"
Tonks smiled. "Very observant of you, Luna."
"And how are you today, Professor Lupin?"
"Very well, thank you." Lupin looked like he was trying not to snicker. "However, my name is Rufus today."
"Ah, I see." Luna turned to Ellie and smiled kindly. "And you must be Ellie Mason. Harry told me a little bit about you in his letter last night, and I must say, you sound like a very interesting person. My name is Luna Lovegood, if you hadn't already figured it out." And Luna wrapped her arms around Ellie and hugged her even tighter than Lupin had.
"Er… Thanks." Ellie patted Luna awkwardly on the back as the pale girl continued to embrace her.
"You are a very nice girl, Ellie Mason. I should think we will become great friends." Luna finally pulled back and beamed at her.
I wouldn't be so sure of that… Ellie was saved from responding only because Luna moved on to hug Ginny. How did she know Lupin and Tonks, anyhow? I thought that they were supposed to be in disguise. They must not be very good disguises… Then again, Ginny didn't recognize Tonks at first…
"Maybe this Loony girl can see things that others can't. There is more to a person's identity than their physical appearance, Princess."
I know that, Axel, but to be able to tell who someone is no matter what they look like is just weird…
"Hello, sorry I'm a little late," said a newcomer. The group turned to see a young man with brown hair and a round face. "How are you, Ginny? What about you, Luna?"
"Neville!" Ginny and Luna both hugged the boy, and he struggled to get his arms around both of them. "I'm alright."
"As am I, Neville. How are you today?" asked Luna.
Neville shrugged as their embrace ended. "Not that great, actually. Some of the Ministry went after Uncle Algie and Aunt Enid late last night. They nearly got them, too. If Hestia Jones hadn't been staying with them, I'm sure they would be in Azkaban by now."
Tonks narrowed her eyes. "Neville, why would they be going after Algie and Enid? I hadn't heard about that particular course of action."
Neville looked at her suspiciously. "Why would I tell you anything?"
Lupin smiled, and Neville recoiled from the rotten grin. "We're just in disguise, Neville. It's me, Remus Lupin, and Auror Tonks, you remember her from June. We're your escorts today, so you can call us Rufus and Dory," he whispered.
"Oh, I see." Neville instantly looked relieved; it was obvious that he trusted Lupin. "Well, Uncle Algie was saying things about the Ministry being in cahoots with You-Know-Who. I'm not sure he knows how right he is, he was just mad about their lack of action for all the deaths, but they didn't like it very much," he said sadly. "The last I heard Uncle Algie and Aunt Enid were fleeing to France and Hestia was going to a cousin's house."
"Then I'll have to leak some information that Enid and Algie are going to Australia to help Harry, and Hestia can go to Florida with Ron and Hermione," said Tonks with an utmost serious expression. All four students laughed, but Tonks shook her head. "The sad thing is that they might just believe me. They believe that anyone and everyone who isn't siding with the Ministry is best friends with Harry. Just last week Penelope Clearwater was tossed in Azkaban for refusing to transcribe a piece of legislature making it illegal to marry a werewolf, on the 'official' grounds that she has been leaking information to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, as if there was any information that they would want from her. It still hasn't been passed because of the treatment they gave her, bless her."
"But that's awful, Dory!" cried Ginny.
"Of course it is, Ginny, but who cares about werewolves?" asked Lupin bitterly. "It doesn't do to associate with them, after all, they're terrible creatures, not even human."
Everyone but Ellie rolled their eyes, and Ellie spoke up at a whisper. "Rufus, why do you hate werewolves so much?"
"It isn't so much that I hate werewolves as I hate being one," he said, so softly that he could barely be heard.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that…"
"No, it's quite alright, you needed to know what your godfather is."
"No, Rufus, she needed to know who her godfather is. You are a great person, no matter what those Ministry fools and Pureblood scum may say otherwise," said Tonks, putting her arms around him. "I- we- love you for you, regardless of any misfortune you may have."
Remus smiled wanly. "Thank you very much, Dory."
Neville finally turned his gaze to Ellie. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier, Ellie. My name is Neville Longbottom. Harry wrote to me last night and told me a bit about you. I didn't expect you to look so much like Ginny, though."
"That's alright, Neville. You never really got the chance until now. It's nice to meet you." Ellie and Neville shook hands for a moment before Lupin clasped his hands together and coughed slightly.
"We really do need to get a move-on. First stop is Gringott's. How many vaults are we visiting?"
"Daddy doesn't trust Gringott's. He thinks that they're too angry with wizards because of their problems with Fudge, what with his boiling them and everything," said Luna, digging through her large bag and pulling out a smaller bag that clinked as she dropped it back in. "I have my money right here."
"And Gran came to Gringott's a few days ago to get money. She gave me mine, also," said Neville, holding up another bag of coins.
Ginny blushed slightly as she looked at her feet. "I forgot about that. I'll need to go to mine."
I wonder why she's so embarrassed about that? Oh, right… Ellie frowned slightly as she recalled the conversation about clothes that she had shared with Ginny this morning. Maybe her vault doesn't have very much in it.
"Think again, Ginny," said Tonks, tossing her yet another bag of coins. "Your parents have emptied their account and are keeping everything at The Burrow. Arthur gave me this for you to use."
Ginny grinned, and Ellie shrugged. "Professor McGonagall told me that I have to go to the Dumble-"
"Sh! Not here, Ellie," whispered Lupin frantically as he pulled her towards an obscure door. The people at the surrounding tables had looked up in interest, and they continued to watch the group until the door was securely closed behind her.
"What were they all looking at?"
"Ellie, the name Dumbledore isn't exactly a common one. To say that you are going to Dumbledore's bank vault is going to grab people's attention." Lupin withdrew his wand from a pocket of his shabby overcoat and tapped the solid wall above a trashcan. The brick he touched melted away, and Ellie's eyes widened as the entire wall opened to reveal a crowded street. "Well, at least it looks like more people are here than the last time I was. I had feared that the shops might have to close."
"It is rather busy today, isn't it? Come on, let's go." Tonks started down the street, but stopped and raised her eyes at a large queue of excited witches and wizards outside one of the shops.
"Is that Ollivander's?" asked Ginny. "Why are there so many people there? I thought that they closed when he went missing."
Ollivander? Where have I heard that name before? I don't remember…
"Yes, haven't you heard? One of his distant relatives was due to take over the shop this week. Since Ollivander has been missing for so long, they're trying to sell out all of the wands that he has already made," said Luna. "Daddy says that it's because Ollivander has discovered the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and found out that their hairs are much better for wands that unicorns, and that he wants to get rid of all of the other, sub-standard wands before he comes out with his new line."
Neville smiled slightly. "I don't know about Crumple-Horned Snorkack hairs, but Great-Uncle Algie told Gran that there is someone claiming to be related who is going to reopen the store, and Uncle Algie doesn't think they really are related. He thinks that this is just a Death Eater in disguise."
"I don't know about that, but we definitely need to get you down here ASAP, Ellie. An Ollivander wand is still an Ollivander wand, no matter who the salesman is," said Lupin.
"Actually, I was wondering if someone wouldn't mind staying here with me. I need to check this guy out for work, whoever he is, which could take some time, so I'm afraid I can't go to Gringott's with you," explained Tonks. Lowering her voice to a whisper once more, she winked. "I'm also going to be checking things out for the Order, just to make sure that this isn't a Death Eater."
"I'll stay!" said Ginny, smiling at her older friend.
"Yes, so will I," said Luna. "I've always wanted to spy for the Order of the Phoenix."
"Alright, girls, thank you. Now, please, come back here. Rufus, you need to bring those two, as well." Tonks swept down a side street and waited until there was nobody outside of the group watching before scrunching her nose in painful concentration. Ellie's eyebrows shot up as Tonks suddenly shrunk down to the size of a ten or eleven year old girl. Her hair turned the color of straw, and her dark, twinkling eyes grew pale silver and wide. "I have now become Lucy Lovegood, Luna's younger sister. I mean, really, how many people actually know your family well enough to know that I don't exist, Luna?"
"Wow! You really do look like my little sister, Lucy!" Luna put her arms around Tonks and hugged her.
"It is an excellent disguise, dear, but I must admit that it is rather disconcerting to see my bride-to-be looking like a school girl," Lupin laughed. Apparently, nobody but Ellie was particularly shocked at the sight of Tonks becoming a completely different person.
"B-but how did you do that? Will I be able to do that once I get my wand? Why didn't Harry, Ron, and Hermione just disguise themselves instead of running?"
Tonks giggled as she fashioned her now-long hair into a messy ponytail (which highly resembled Luna's) with skilled fingers. "No, Ellie, not everyone can do this. I'm a Metamorphagus, you see. I can change my appearance at will, though usually I just do my hair to spice things up a bit. It isn't a learned thing, you have to be born a Metamorphagus, which is rare enough in and of itself."
Ellie sighed in fascination. "It's really nifty, Lucy."
"Why, thank you very much, Ellie." Tonks was now rolling up the legs of her suddenly long jeans, and she pulled a floaty pumpkin-orange robe from her backpack.
"Are we ready, then? These three will stay here and investigate the wand shop while we head up to Gringott's." Lupin turned on his heel and led the way out of the alley. Ginny and Luna quickly hugged both Ellie and Neville before they followed the disgustingly-disguised man, falling into a comfortable silence as they drew away from the crowd. Ellie gaped around her in awe; there were shops like Eeylop's Owl Emporium, Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, and Flourish and Blotts (which had a rather large display of books in the front window). There was a display of cauldrons in front of one store, and a group of people that nearly rivaled the one in front of Ollivander's was gathered around a storefront named Quality Quidditch Supplies.
I certainly hope I have time to look around after we go back to Ollivander's and get my school supplies! This looks like an amazing place!
"Rufus?" asked Neville after a very long minute of strained silence.
"Yes, Neville?"
"Do you know if the Death Eaters are using Muggles? I heard a strange rumor from Luna, but that one just seemed more substantial than most of her ideas."
Lupin turned in astonishment. "Excuse me?"
Ellie nodded. "Yes, they are. A large part of the group that attacked Radiant Gardens was made of people who weren't using magic at all. I myself know a Muggle Death Eater."
"How? Why? It makes no sense!" said Lupin as he started down the street once more. "Why would Voldemort use Muggles when he hates them so?"
"I think it makes a lot of sense," said Ellie. Both Neville and Lupin gave her strange looks, and she sighed loudly. "Alright, suppose Voldemort wanted to find Hope, which he does. What if she was hidden away on a planet of stronger magic than wands and incantations can produce? What if he can't break through their enchantments using magic? If he has people who are skilled fighters without magic, he could send them to collect Hope. The people of that planet would be so taken aback by a physical attack rather than a magical one that they wouldn't know what to do. The Muggle I know who is a Death Eater is really, really strong, and I bet that he's grown even stronger. They probably only allow immensely powerful Muggles in. Really, Muggles would make a great addition to their army of Heartless, too."
Neville nodded after a few second, although he was frowning. "I think you're right, Ellie. It does kind of make sense. What doesn't make sense is why there are so many people here. This time last year half of the shops were closed, and the only one that's boarded up now is Fortescue's."
"Yes, it does, and no, it doesn't. However, we need to put this conversation on hold until we get to a more private location. Right now, it is time to get inside Gringott's," said Lupin, gesturing to a white marble building that was gigantic in comparison to the rest of Diagon Alley. "Lucy and I will explain everything once we get to Fred and George's."
Neville grinned broadly and turned to Ellie. "You'll love it there! It's the best shop in all of Diagon Alley, in my opinion."
"Where is it? Do Ginny's older brothers own it?"
"Yes, they do, and their shop is farther down. That will be the last place we go," said Lupin. The group climbed the stairs to the bank, and Ellie gasped when she saw the creatures that were standing on either side of the large doors. "Don't worry, Ellie, goblins won't hurt you. That is, they won't hurt you unless you cross them. This entire bank is run by goblins, with the exception of a very few wizards like Ginny's oldest brother Bill."
"Oh…" Ellie said faintly as they entered the building. She glanced nervously at a large sign that posted a warning to potential thieves as they passed it and stepped into a tall hall. There were cubicles upon cubicles of goblins measuring treasure or talking with witches and wizards, as well as even more guard goblins. Lupin took Ellie and Neville to one of the empty cubicles and smiled. The goblin sneered at his teeth.
"How can I help you?"
"This young lady needs to make a withdrawal." Lupin pushed Ellie forward, and she tried to smile.
"H-hi."
The goblin's sneer grew. "Well, then, do you have your key?"
Ellie swallowed nervously. "No, I didn't get a key. Professor McGonagall just told me to go the Dumbledore-Mason vault when I got here…"
The goblin looked astonished for a moment, but he quickly recovered and gave her an oily grin that made her shudder. "Very well, Miss Mason. I will take you to the Dumbledore-Mason vault, but only you may come."
"Hey, now, why can't we come with her? We're her escorts, after all," asked Lupin indignantly.
"Yeah, she's never done this before, we can't let her go by herself!" asserted Neville.
"Either she goes alone, or she doesn't go at all," said the goblin softly, his eyes riveted on Ellie. She gulped again. "What say you, Miss Mason?"
"I guess I have to go, don't I?" I don't like this…
"Yes, yes you do. Come along, this way." The goblin opened a small door beside the cubicle and came out, leading the group towards a dark doorway. When they reached it, the goblin turned to Lupin and Neville. "You may wait here."
"But, sir, I really do think-"
"Ginny? What are you doing here?" A tall man with a long red ponytail and an earring walked up to the group, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. His face was run through with several scars, but he was still quite handsome. "And Neville? What's going on here, Griphook? And Ginny, what did you do to your hair?"
"Ah, Bill Weasley, just the man I was hoping to find!" Lupin grabbed Bill's hand and shook it exuberantly.
"Er…"
"Bill, this is my cousin, Rufus. You must remember him. He's with Ellie and I today." Neville winked at Bill. "This isn't your sister, either. Her name is Ellie Mason, I'm sure you remember Ginny talking about her?"
Bill's mouth formed a perfect O before he turned to Griphook and nodded. "That's right. She's a friend of my sister's. They look remarkably alike, you see."
The goblin's forehead creased even more than it already had. "I see… Well, Mr. Weasley, would you care to accompany us to her vault?"
"Of course, of course!" Bill grinned. "What are we waiting for? Let's get this show on the road and let them get back to their shopping!"
"Very well." Griphook opened the doors and allowed Bill and Ellie into the dark, cool chamber beyond. As soon as they were out of sight and Griphook was smirking at Ellie again, Ellie heard a strange whisper.
"Confundo." Griphook's eyes suddenly went out of focus, and he turned to Bill with a genuine, if creepy, smile on his face. Ellie saw Bill slipping a wand into the pocket of his robes.
"Go on ahead and take her to the Dumbledore-Mason vault, Mr. Weasley. The cart is on its way now." Griphook turned on his heel and went back through. Bill smiled brightly once more.
"Confundus Charm. I had to do it, because he would have taken you down there and not let you out."
Ellie raised her eyebrows. "He has that bad of a temper?"
Bill shook his head. "No, you just happened to stumble upon one of the goblins here who have been placed under the Imperius Curse. If anybody affiliated with the Order comes here they are supposed to lock them up and throw away the key. They haven't yet been instructed to capture Neville, as everyone knows that he's just a bumbling fool who hangs out with the wrong crowd, and Rufus isn't a known wizard, so he certainly isn't in any danger. You, however, are right up there on their list."
"Oh, great, so now I have goblins coming after me. That's all I need," said Ellie.
"Don't sweat it; he doesn't think he needs to capture you now, and none of the other goblins up there heard anything, or else they would have stopped working," said Bill as a large cart came hurtling towards them. It screeched to a halt next to them, and Bill helped Ellie climb into it. As he hopped in beside her, she saw a flash of silver inside his robes. "You might want to hold on, this can be a bit of a bumpy ride. Alright, to the Dumbledore-Mason vault!"
Ellie drew in a sharp breath as the cart virtually flew down the tracks it was on, taking unexpected turns and sudden drop-offs that nearly threw her out of the cart. Bill wasn't kidding! Why do wizards have to have such crazy methods of transportation?!
"Aw, come on, Princess! This is fun!" laughed Axel as the cart began speeding up a large hill. "Just sit back and enjoy yourself!"
Ha! How can I enjoy myself when I'm about to fall out of the cart?! Ellie clamped one hand to her mouth to keep from screaming as the cart began its descent, speeding up horribly. Please make it stop soon… Is that fire? And water?! Sure enough, the cart had begun to slow down substantially, and she could actually take in the scenery around her, including a large underground lake and a pale dragon. The brakes of the cart screeched loudly when it came to a halt outside of a large, ornate door with no handle. Bill jumped out and offered Ellie his arm so she could follow him. "Is this it?"
"Yes. Come on, let's go. We don't want to waste any more time down here than is necessary." Bill gestured her forward, and she walked to the large vault with a bit of a nervous feeling in her stomach.
"Er… What exactly do I do?"
"Just state your name to the door. It should let you in, but then again, I've never been down here before, so I could have bad information."
Here goes… "My name is Elizabeth Mason." Ellie jumped slightly when the door completely melted away. Both she and Bill stood completely still for several seconds after that, but Bill finally sighed and shrugged.
"Sorry, Ellie, but I guess it didn't work. Maybe you need to try it again or something…"
"What? Bill, can't you tell that the door is just completely gone?" Ellie put a hand out and stuck through the middle of the doorway, causing Bill to draw in a sharp breath. "What?"
"You just stuck your hand through what looks like a solid door, that's what." Bill lifted his hand and tried to go through the doorway, but it was as if he had hit an invisible wall. "See what I mean? I can't go inside."
"I guess that means that I go by myself, then," she said. She pulled the small cloth bag from her messenger bag and walked into the room, shocked by what she saw. Gold, silver, and bronze coins were piled all around the room, as well as several treasures and smaller piles of gems. Ellie finally shook herself off, scooped some of the coins into her bag, and walked back outside. "Bill, will this be enough? There's tons more, if I need it." Bill looked inside the bag and turned slightly pale. What's the matter with him? "Bill?"
"Um… Yeah, that should be plenty. Let's get you back upstairs," he said. "We don't want to keep Neville and Rufus waiting too long." Ellie dropped the money back into her bag before climbing back into the cart once more.
The cart ride was just as horrible on the ride back up, and Ellie found herself clinging to the sides of the cart for dear life by the time they made it back to the entrance. "That… ride is… so bad," she whispered, gasping for the breath she had been holding for the past minute. "How do you stand it?"
Bill laughed down at her as they clambered onto solid ground once more. "I've never had any problems with it. It's kind of fun, actually."
Some fun… Ellie smiled queasily at Neville and Lupin as she began to step back into the lobby, but Bill put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. "What?"
"Tell your friends that everything is just fine here other than the situation I told you about earlier, and that the Imperiused goblins haven't been acting up, although there have been some new additions to their ranks. Oh, and when you see Ginny tell her that I'm fine. I'm sure she's worried sick about me." Bill smiled before putting a disgruntled expression on his face and stalking back into the lobby. Ellie followed him, stopping by Neville and Lupin and watching him join another human who was working near Griphook. "Another new customer! Honestly, they're so naïve."
I wonder what that was all about…
"Come on, Princess! He told you that he was having to pretend to hate the Order of the Phoenix! He's trying to make sure no one else looks twice at you."
You're probably right, Axel, although I do wish that you would stop calling me that.
"Not gonna happen soon. Oh, wait a minute… Yup, I gotta go talk to the guys in charge. I'll talk to you later." And with that, Axel was gone. Ellie sighed in relief.
"What was the vault like, Ellie?" Lupin was looking at her oddly, and Ellie shrugged.
"I don't know. There was a lot inside it, but Bill couldn't get inside. I suppose it only opens for people in my family or something," she whispered back. Lupin blinked in disbelief, and Ellie and Neville looked at him oddly.
"Rufus, are you alright?" Neville asked. "You look a bit odd."
"Yes, I'm fine," said Lupin quietly. " It's just… never mind. You do have your money, right?"
"Yes, it's in the bag."
"Fine. Let's go." Lupin led the two students back into Diagon Alley and down to the wand shop in silence. The air was fraught with tension, however, and his gait was much faster than it had been earlier.
Something's wrong. Why is Lupin acting like this? He was fine before we got to Gringotts… "Rufus, is everything alright?"
"Yes, I just told you that. We just took a little longer in there than I expected." he answered quickly. Neville and Ellie exchanged a glance as they sped past the shops towards the mass of people outside of Ollivander's. "Oh, good, the others haven't made it inside yet. Maybe we can get you in and out faster than I thought."
Tonks, Ginny, and Luna all turned around and grinned at them from the front of the line, but Tonks' eyes narrowed when she saw the grim expression on Lupin's face. "What happened? Is everyone alright?"
"Yes, we are all fine. I'm just a little confused. Lucy, you need to go change and come right back here. Ginny and Ellie will be waiting for you right here. Neville, Luna, you'll be coming with me. Ginny, give me your shopping list and your money, and Ellie, give me most of your money. We'll go shopping for books and other necessities. Ellie, we'll get your other things after we meet at the twins' shop." Lupin was talking very quietly and quickly, but everyone was already moving. Ginny handed over her small bag of coins and her paper, and Ellie scooped off the top layer or two from her money before giving it to him, as well. "Alright, go to the store as soon as you can. We'll see you there, alright? And Ellie, don't even think about talking about anything that happened at the bank until then."
"Er… Okay…" Ellie nodded slowly as Lupin glared down at her before turning on his heel and striding away, Luna and Neville rushing along behind him. Tonks slipped away as Ginny turned to Ellie with an odd look.
"I don't want any details, exactly, but did something go wrong at the bank?"
"Not that I noticed…"
Tonks rejoined them shortly, grimacing and sporting bright red hair. She looked exactly like Ginny or Ellie's older sister. "I'm not sure that I like Rufus being so worried. Something bad obviously happened at the bank. Ellie, perhaps you should come up with a fake name, and here, you can wear this-" Tonks plopped a hat onto Ellie's head and tucked her hair inside it- "to cover up your hair. While the color is really cool, it's also probably unique, and we don't want anybody to figure out who you are."
"Next up, please come right on in!" A boy and his parents left the wand shop beaming in front of a rather harried-looking man who was smiling nervously. "Hurry, hurry please. We don't want to make your young one wait for her wand, do we?" He gestured
"Right this way, girls!" Tonks pushed Ellie and Ginny into the shop. After her eyes adjusted to the dim and dusty room, Ellie looked around in amazement. Floor to ceiling shelves housed row upon row of long, thin boxes for as far as she could see into the shop; two chairs sat by the door, and Ginny and Tonks promptly sat in them, their eyes gleaming. Ginny looked excited, while Tonks just looked nervous.
"I take it that you are the lucky girl to get a wand?" The man peered down at Ellie with small, dark eyes, and Ellie nodded meekly. "Very good, very good. Now, I need to get some measurements… Tape measure!" The man pulled a wand from his pocket and pointed it at the windowsill. A small gadget rose from behind Ginny and floated to him, but he put it down in disgust. "No, no, not that one. That's my thermometer."
Ellie saw Tonks shift from the corner of her eye, but suddenly there was a tape measure blocking her vision as it went around her head. Something isn't right…
"Now, what did you say that your name was, girl?"
"Um… Clarice… Anderson! Clarice Anderson." Ellie blushed as the name burst from her lips. Ginny had her fist in her mouth when the tape measure moved from in front of her eyes, and Ellie glared daggers at her.
"Anderson? I don't know any wizards by that name. Should I know your parents?" The strange man stared at her as she collected her thoughts.
"Er… No, sorry. I'm a Muggleborn, you see. I didn't know about this world until a couple weeks ago, when my cousins here told me all about it. Mother and Father hadn't heard of this world until a few days ago." The man's eyes hardened slightly, and Ellie saw Tonks shift again. Something is DEFINITELY wrong here…
"Yes, well, that's quite alright, dear. Only, if your parents had been wizards, we could have used their wands as a guideline for the one you'll get. Now, how about… This one? Ten and three-quarter inches, oak, unicorn hair, unbendable." The strange man pulled a box from the front shelf and gave Ellie the wand inside it. She took it and waved it a little. A loud roar echoed throughout the room, causing a glass vase on the cluttered desk, and everyone covered their ears as Ellie dropped the wand in shock. The man picked the wand back up and stowed it in its box. "Obviously not. This one? It's 12 inches flat, springy, unicorn hair, and made of elm." This wand did absolutely nothing, and the man finally took it back and stowed it away. "This one, then, I'm sure of it. Eleven and one-quarter inches, maple wood, quite stiff, dragon heartstrings. Yes, this one will work, or my name is not Ollivander." Ellie took it and waved it around, and everyone gasped as sparks began to shoot out of the end. However, the wand soon just began to spew puffs of odorous green smoke instead, and Ellie gave the wand back in disappointment.
I didn't think that it would take this long… I guess he isn't really Ollivander.
"Well, that's probably as good as we're going to get. That will be eleven Galleons, would you like me to wrap it up?"
"Excuse me?!" Tonks rose to her feet, staring at the man so fiercely that he took a step backward. "That wand isn't the right one, it obviously isn't working well for her! I will not let my little cousin by such a sub-standard wand!"
The man looked at the floor before speaking again. "Well, it almost worked, and that was the third wand we had tried…"
"The third?! It took me thirty four tries to find the right wand, and that was with the real Ollivander here!" Tonks threw herself back into the chair. "You will keep trying until you find Clarice the right wand, do you understand?!"
"Y-yes ma'am." The man turned back to the shelves meekly, and Ellie turned to stare at Tonks, who winked at her.
After thirty minutes of trying wands, however, Ellie was getting exhausted. The desk was filled with ones that hadn't worked for her, and some of the pile was beginning to slide to the floor. As she handed back a wand that had caused boils to erupt all over her hand (which had to be removed by Tonks), she was about to give up hope. This is ridiculous! Why aren't they working correctly?
"Here, try this. Eight and one-half inch, phoenix feather, cherry wood. Rather swishy, better for more advanced magic, so it probably won't work for you." The man handed her yet another wand, and Ellie waved it listlessly. Almost at once she felt a tingle in her arm, and bright blue sparks erupted from the end of the wand, spiraling to the floor and bouncing around the room for several seconds before fading away. Tonks and Ginny applauded, the man heaved a sigh of relief, and Ellie grinned. "Ah, finally, we have a winner! Now, this one is only ten Galleons. Would you like me to wrap it for you to take to school?"
"Um…"
"No, she'll just carry it!" Tonks shoved ten pieces of gold into the man's hand and grabbed Ellie's arm. "Thanks so much!"
"Not a problem, ma'am, not a problem." The man began carting the piles of wands to the back of the store as Tonks bustled Ginny and Ellie outside. Ellie was shocked to see that there was no more crowd, although there had been at least fifteen people still waiting behind them.
"Dory, what do you think happened to everybody?" asked Ginny, sounding just as confused as Ellie felt.
"I may have opened a window, maybe in the hopes that the crowd would realize that this new 'Ollivander' was a phony." Tonks shook her head. "That was ridiculous, he had no idea what he was doing. However, we'll talk a little bit more later. Just keep a look-out for anything that you don't like and try to keep up with me. Ellie, you can pay me back when we get to the store, but we need to get going."
Ellie nodded, even though Tonks was ahead of her, tucked her brand new wand into the waistband of her shorts, and began scanning the crowds. They had made it all the way past the bank before someone caught her attention. No, he can NOT be here! How is that possible?!
Khgirl08: Hm… I wonder who it is?
Ellie: Hey! That isn't fair!
Khgirl08: That's called payback, Ellie. It's what happens when you don't give me any Moose Tracks.
Ellie: -pouts-
Khgirl08: Anyhow, I'm going to try and update sooner rather than later. I have chapter nine done and I'm working on chapter ten, so when I get finished with that one you'll have some new material to exclaim over. 'til then, happy reading!
