Part Two: Pyxis
It'd been raining all day, and the walking path was slick and wet. The streetlights softly illuminated the way forward. Adelaide took a deep breath through her nose, loving the smell of fresh rain. Her aunt beside her was frowning, glaring occasionally up at the sky.
"Come on then, Adelaide. It's late enough as it is. Even with the rain, there are sure to be hoards of people around the shops." She took the girl's hand and pulled her along through the alley.
The rain pelted down, hitting the walkway beside them, but never actually hitting the two passing through the alley. Cathleen had cast a water-repellant charm on the both of them before they left the house, and so far it was working quite well, though it didn't much improve Cathleen's sour mood.
They made their way into Flourish and Bott's, a large book store that was always chalk-full of the books students would need for their year at Hogwarts; this year was no exception. As soon as they approached the store, they could see dozens of parents carting their children inside. Stacks of books were on display in the windows, most of them matching the titles on Adelaide's school list.
Inside, Adelaide marveled at what must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of books stacked everywhere. They made their way through the store, weaving in between the crowds of people, most of whom were here for the same reason as they were. She found each of the books on her list, and grabbed a few others that looked quite interesting. Cathleen hurried her to the register, where there was a long line already formed. They made their way to the back, and Adelaide began to watch the other children in the store. She could make out very few that she actually knew, the rest complete strangers. It disconcerted her, that the majority of the people whom she recognized were Maria's friends, the rest being older and younger siblings of said friends.
She ignored them, and focused on the witches and wizards that she didn't know. It was hard to pick out which ones she thought would be in her year, but she tried her best. She spotted a pair of twins off to the side, looking at a book of Hexes and Jinxes. They grinned manically at one another, a glint in their matching eyes. She smiled as she watched a witch, who she assumed to be their mother, if the matching red hair was anything to go by, grabbed them by the collars and tore them away from the book.
She averted her eyes as they were chastised by their mother, thinking it rude to watch something so personal. Her attention was then drawn to a small boy with light brown hair and big blue eyes. He was in line, same as them, a few feet away. He was clutching a handful of books and she could only just make out the titles, most of which matched her own. He stepped up to the counter and rummaged through his pockets, handing the witch a few of the coins in his hand, shoving the rest back into his pockets.
He left the store, and Cathleen grabbed Adelaide's arm, dragging her forward as the line shifted. There were two more people in front of them, both adults with no children. She wondered why anyone would brave the crowded store if not to buy their children's school books. Surely anything else could wait until after the rush of children had left for school.
She didn't have much time to ponder it before Cathleen grabbed the books out of her arms and set them on the counter. The witch behind the counter smiled at Adelaide, showing off a set of straight white teeth.
"First year, eh? I remember my time at Hogwarts like it was yesterday. You'll do just fine, I'm sure." She winked at her while pushing a lock of dark blonde hair behind her ear.
"That'll be ten galleons, and four knuts." She told Cathleen, holding out her hand. Her aunt passed over the coins, and Adelaide placed the books into her bag, which had been charmed to fit whatever the holder needed it to, while still remaining very light and compact.
"What store shall we go to next?" Adelaide asked, grinning up at her aunt.
"Why not Pottage's, we'll get you a cauldron, and then you can get the more personal items on your own, while I get Maria a few things." Adelaide wrinkled her nose.
"Why would I do that stuff on my own? Isn't it like a family thing?" Cathleen glanced down at her niece, frowning at her question.
"The charm is lost when you go with others. Trust me, dear. These are things you'll want to do on your own." Adelaide rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything more about it.
They made their way to the cauldron shop, most of which was covered in dust. Adelaide wanted to buy the silver cauldron she'd seen on display, as it looked like the most attractive cauldron, but Cathleen insisted on them buying the standard issue pewter that her school list called for. Cathleen handed over a few sickels, helped her put the cauldron inside of her bag, and they left the shop.
Cathleen left Adelaide to go down Knockturn Alley, giving her directions on how to get to all of the stores. With a small sigh, Adelaide entered Madame Malkins, the finest robe shop in all of London. Not for the first time, she wished that her mother was there with her. Certainly her mother wouldn't have made her do these things by herself. She looked around the store, noting robes in varying states of colour and size, all of which looked beautiful.
"Ah yes, Miss Acreneau, your mother informed me that you would be stopping by today." Adelaide wanted to correct her about Cathleen being her mother, but Madame Malkin continued talking before she had the chance.
"Come now, come now, I must fit you for your robes before you can purchase them. Step here now. Yes, that's right. Hold still now, so that I can get the correct measurements." She continued rambling instructions, and her measuring tape whizzed about, measuring different parts of her body as it went. The door opened with a chime, and a girl around Adelaide's age walked in, shuffling nervously.
"Welcome back, Miss Elstein. I trust your first year at Hogwarts was satisfactory?" The girl nodded and came to stand near Adelaide. The two girls smiled nervously at one another as Madame Malkin fussed over them both.
"My name's Nevilia. I'm going into my second year at Hogwarts." She offered her hand to shake, but Malkin smacked it away, mumbling something about staying still.
"I'm Adelaide, first year." The girl, Nevilia, nodded, her eyes twinkling.
"Nervous? I know I was. It was all for nothing, though. Hogwarts is like a second home for me. What house are you hoping to be sorted into?" Adelaide shrugged, ignoring Malkin's sharp, "stay still!"
"I haven't really thought about it. I'm fine with wherever the hat places me. What about you, what house are you in?"
"Gryffindor for me. House of the brave and the bold." She winked at Adelaide and lifted her arms above her head so that Madame Malkin could measure under her arms.
The girls continued talking, laughing quietly when Malkin would get disgruntled about how much they were moving. Eventually, Madame Malkin finished with Adelaide, and sent her on her way. She left with a promise to find Nevilia on the train.
From there, she made her way to Ollivander's. She frowned up at the old, rather shabby looking building. She walked in, wondering why such a worn down store had the reputation of the best wands in England. She glanced around, wondering where the store owner was. She sighed and rang the bell that was sitting on the front desk.
The place was crowded with towering shelves, all of which had haphazard boxes that looked like they were going to fall any minute. The store was covered with a thin layer of dust, and Adelaide found herself rubbing at her nose every few seconds. Just as she was about to ring the bell again, an ancient man with wild eyes came into view. He set down a stack of thin boxes and smiled at her, showing his yellowed teeth.
"Adelaide Acreneau. I wasn't sure if I was to expect you." He wandered back into the shelves and returned with an old, tattered box.
"Try this on for size, my dear." He took the cover off of the box and held out a short grey wand. Adelaide took it, noticing how it curved to the right. She waved it, and bright white sparks shot out the front, crashing into a stack of wands. She carefully placed it back in the box, her eyes wide as she stared at the mess.
Olivander shoved the box back where he'd found it, and gave her another one to try. This pattern continued, and rather than looking upset about it, the wand seller seemed to grow more excited at each wand she tried.
"Here you are, try this one." He told her, handing her a sleek black wand. She waved it and a bright silver flash came spurting from the tip. It wrapped itself around her wrist, flowing beautifully around her body. She smiled as it faded away into nothingness.
"Eight and a half inches, made of ash, with a dragon heartstring core. A very fitting wand, I believe. That will be eight galleons." Adelaide pulled a handful of galleons out of her jumper pocket and handed over eight of them, returning the rest to her pocket.
"Thank you, Mr. Olivander." She waved as she walked out of the door. She walked down the road, pulling her jumper closer to her body. She made her way over to Eyelop's Owl Emporium, where a thin, tall, blonde woman greeted her warmly.
"Hello there, my name's Katelyn. I guess you're here for your Hogwarts pet?" Adelaide nodded, and looked down at the ground.
"Well then, owl or cat?"
"Aren't toads allowed as well?" She asked, frowning. Katelyn raised an eyebrow at her, a grin on her face.
"Well yeah, but a nice girl like you wouldn't want a toad, right? No, you seem more of the practical type. I'm pegging you as an owl girl. Come on then, let's take a look around, shall we?" She nodded and the worker led her further into the store. It was a small shop, and rather cramped with the number of animals and cages they kept in there. It was dark as well, but not to the point where she was unable to see.
"So as far as owls go, we usually keep five breeds in stock. The most common is barn owls, so we usually keep them very well stocked. However, we also carry a good amount of the other four birds as well. Those include Brown, Screech, Snowy, and Tawny owls. We usually keep them separate, but a few of the owls have taken to sneaking into other cages." She grinned at Adelaide, and they moved over to the owls.
"The Snow Owls are twenty galleons, the Screech fifteen, and the rest are ten. However, I wouldn't let the price lead your decision. Your pets usually stay with you all of your years at Hogwarts, if not even longer after that. So don't choose the wrong pet just because the right one is more expensive."
She ended up purchasing a black screech owl whom she named Pyxis. She bought a large silver cage to keep him in, as well as packages of owl food and treats.
When she was done in the pet shop, she went to look for her aunt, heading toward Nocturn Alley. Pyxis hooted quietly as the cage rattled in the wind.
"Hush, it's just a bit of wind. You even missed the rain." She stuck a few fingers through the bars, petting his feathers. He turned his head and nipped lightly at one of her fingers. She grinned and continued down the alley, making sure to stay out of the corners.
"Done already?" A familiar voice called out. Adelaide looked up and saw Cathleen standing in front of Adelaide, her arms full of bags and boxes. She nodded and held up the cage, showing off her bird.
"You got a screech owl? Do you know how noisy those things are?" Cathleen asked, scrunching her nose. Adelaide rolled her eyes.
"Well yes, I'd rather assumed that he would be loud, as he is called a screech owl."
"I don't want him making too much noise in my house, Adelaide. Come on then, grab my arm. We'll be back at the house in a moment." Adelaide grabbed her arm, and after a sharp tug at the back of each of their navels, they appeared fifty feet in front of the house, just before the wards started.