Dark: I'm back! Please don't kill me! (ducks behind Deana)
Deana: I'm not an f-ing scapegoat! (kicks Dark out from behind her and leans against a wall)
Dark: Hmph! Some help you are. (gives a frightened smile) Been a while, huh? (grins) I really am sorry. I'll gladly let you come and live my life if you want to. I've actually had this chapter typed up for a while, but I never actually got around to posting it. Not to mention the fact that I'm sleep deprived and practically living off caffeine the entire time I was in DC. I was, in fact, in Washington DC up until yesterday. That was fun...their water sucks, though. I get to go see HP 5 today! w00t! (does a little dance) And I get HP 7 at midnight on Saturday! Anyway, enough of my stupid rambling. You've all probably skipped this anyway, so I'll just stop
Disclaimer: For the love of God. I'm 15 years old and I'm about as rich as the average high school student. Sure I took a few leadership classes, but that definetely does not mean I'm the author of either Harry Potter or Inuyasha. Added to the fact that I'm 15, I'm Mexican, not Japanese, not English.
Chapter 5
Diagon Alley
Harry woke up early the next morning. Even though he knew the sun was up, he kept his eyes tightly shut.
"It was all a dream." Harry told himself firmly. "I dreamed that a giant named Hagrid had come with Kagome who told me I was a wizard. The weight on my stomach is probably my pillow. When I open my eyes, I'll be back in my cupboard."
Suddenly there was a loud tapping noise.
Harry's heart sank. 'And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door.' He though dejectedly. The tapping steadily continued, but Harry kept his eyes tightly shut. It had been such a good dream.
Something beside Harry moved and groaned quietly. Harry's eyes snapped open to find a sleepy-eyed Kagome next to him, one of her arms draped lightly over his stomach. He scrambled away from her with a blush slowly appearing on his cheeks.
Kagome sat up slowly, her half-lidded eyes unfocused. "What's that tapping noise?" She rubbed her eyes and looked around, spotting an owl outside the window holding a newspaper. "Oh, look. Our paper boy turned into a birdie." She said sleepily before grinning. "How cute!" She then turned her sleepy gaze towards Harry and smiled a slow smile. "I guess it wasn't a dream after all."
Harry smiled back then ran to open the window. As soon as he did, the owl flew in and dropped the paper on Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then flew to Hagrid's coat and began attacking it, forcing Kagome to both wake up completely and scramble off said coat.
"Stupid owl," muttered Kagome. "No manners whatsoever."
Harry tried to wave the owl away from Hagrid's coat, but that just succeeded in having the owl try to bite him.
"He wants pay fer deliverin' the newspaper." Hagrid's sleepy mumble reached their ears. "Look in th' pockets."
Kagome wondered And which pockets would those be? as she helped Harry look for the money.
Not long after, they came up with some strange looking coins.
"Give 'im five knuts."
"Knuts?" They asked in confusion.
"Those would be the little bronze ones."
"Ah," said Kagome as Harry counted out five of the little bronze coins and placed them in a small pouch around the owl's leg. The owl then flew out the open window. Hagrid yawned loudly and sat up, stretching as he did so.
"Time to go, you two, lots ter do today. We have to get ter London to buy all yer school stuff."
Kagome was busy turning over the wizard coins in her hands, the gears in her head turning quickly and efficiently. She was wondering how she could possibly prank others with them when Harry's face seemed to lose all happiness.
"Harry?"
Harry looked at Hagrid. "Um, Hagrid…?"
"Hmm?" Hagrid was pulling on his giant boots.
"I don't have any money and you heard Uncle Vernon, he's not going to pay for me to go and learn magic."
Kagome stopped turning over the money and her eyebrows furrowed. "Now that you mention it, I don't have any money either. And with Hermione also needing school supplies, it wouldn't feel right to ask my aunt and uncle."
"Don't you worry. D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"
"But their house was destroyed--"
"They didn't leave their gold in their house! Nah, our first step is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. You two should have some of your cakes."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Said Kagome as she took a piece.
"Wizards have banks?"
"Just Gringotts. It's run by goblins."
Kagome dropped her piece of cakes as Harry took one. "Goblins?"
"Yeah, so yeh'd have ter be nuts to try and rob it, I'll tell you that much. It's not smart to mess with goblins. Gringotts is the safest place to keep anything--except maybe for Hogwarts. In fact, I have to visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. It's Hogwarts business." Hagrid straightened proudly.
"He usually gets me ter get important stuff fer him. Picking you two up, getting things from Gringotts, knows he can trust me.
"Got everythin'? Let's go then."
Kagome and Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was now a bright blue and the sun was shining gleefully off the surface of the water. The boat that Uncle Vernon had rented was still there, but with a lot of water at the bottom after the storm.
"How did you two get here?" Asked Harry as he looked around for any sign of another boat.
"We flew!" Chirped Kagome.
"Flew?"
"Yeah, but we'll go back in this. Now that I've got yeh, I'm not supposed ter use magic."
They settled into the boat, Harry still trying to imagine Hagrid flying.
"But it's a shame to row." Said Hagrid, casting them one of his sideways glances. "You, er, wouldn't mind not telling anyone at Hogwarts if I sped things up, would yeh?"
"Not at all."
"Of course not."
The were both eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out his pink umbrella, tapped the side of thee boat and they sped off towards shore.
"Why would you have to be crazy to try and rob Gringotts?" Asked Kagome.
"There's spells--enchantments." He opened his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there are even dragons guarding the high security vaults. On top of all that, yeh've got ter find your way--Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London. It's way under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger trying to get out, even if you did manage to get yer hands on somethin'."
Harry thought this over while Hagrid read his newspaper, The Daily Prophet. Kagome splashed some water on her face to stay awake. For some reason she was still really tired.
"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up again." Mumbled Hagrid, turning the page.
"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Asked Kagome
"Course," Hagrid said. "They wanted Dumbledore for minister, o' course, but he wouldn't leave the school. So old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Not very good at it, mind you. He's always peltin' Dumbledore with owls, askin' fer advice."
"But what exactly does the ministry of Magic do?" Asked Harry.
"Well, their main job is to keep the muggles from finding' out there are still witches and wizards all over the world."
"Why?" They asked.
"Why? Blimey, they'd all be wantin' magical solutions fer every little thing. Nah, it's best we're left alone."
At that moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall and they all climbed out and onto the stone steps that lead to the street.
Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid, not that Harry or Kagome could blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall and a few times as wide as a man, but he kept pointing at perfectly normal things like traffic lights and exclaiming, "Lookit that! The things these muggles come up with."
Kagome and Harry were now running to keep up with Hagrid's strides. Harry was panting a little, but Kagome didn't seem to be winded at all. "Hagrid," said Harry. "Did you say there were dragons at Gringotts?"
"That's what they say." Said Hagrid. "I'd like to a dragon."
Kagome stared at him. "You'd like one?"
"Sure, wanted one since I was a kid--here we are."
They had reached the station. There was a train leaving for London in five minutes. Hagrid, who didn't understand 'muggle money', as he liked to call it, gave the money to Kagome so she could buy their tickets.
People stared more than ever in the train. Hagrid took up two seats and was knitting what seemed like a bright red circus tent.
"You two still got yer letters?" He asked, then grumbled as he dropped a stitch.
Kagome and Harry took out their letters.
"Good, there's a list of all you'll be needin'"
They unfolded a second sheet of paper which had escaped their notice when they had first opened their letters. It read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM:
First year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One black pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each 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 Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beast 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 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"Can we really buy everything in London?" Asked Harry.
"You can if you know where to look." Said Hagrid.
Harry had never been to London and neither had Kagome for that matter. They had gotten in a train in the underground and Hagrid had complained that the seats were too small and the train was too slow. Now they were standing in front of a tiny, grubby-looking pub.
"This is it, the Leaky Cauldron. It's quite famous."
The Leaky Cauldron was so tiny that Harry and Kagome would have overlooked it had Hagrid not pointed it out. The people that were hurrying by didn't even glance at it. They looked at the bookstore next to it then their eyes slid over the Leaky Cauldron and to the Café at its right. It was as though they couldn't even see it. Before either of them could mention this, Hagrid steered them inside.
For a famous place, it was awfully dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, one of them was smoking a long pipe. A man in a top hat was talking to the bartender who was bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped as soon as they walked in . Everyone smiled and waved at Hagrid and the bartender asked, "The usual, Hagrid?"
"Can't, Tom, I'm on business. Hogwarts business." He clapped his hands on Harry and Kagome's shoulders and their knees buckled under the force.
The bartender looked at Kagome, then at Harry, and his eyes widened. "Are they--can they be--?"
The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely silent. Nobody moved, nobody made a sound.
"Good Lord," whispered the bartender. "Harry Potter…and Kagome Higurashi…what an honor."
He hurried out from behind the counter, headed towards Kagome and Harry, and tried to shake both their hands at the same time.
"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, Ms. Higurashi, welcome back."
Kagome was stunned into silence, Harry just didn't know what to say. Everyone was staring at them. The old lady with the pipe was still puffing away at it, not having noticed it had gone out. Hagrid was positively beaming.
There was a great scraping of chairs and the next thing they knew, Kagome and Harry found themselves shaking the hands of everybody in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Mary Martini, Ms. Higurashi, such a pleasure meeting you."
"Doris Crockferd, Mr. Potter, I can't believe I'm finally meeting you."
"Oh, I've always wanted to shake your hand!"
"I'm just so proud of you two, so proud!"
They shook hands again and again. Kagome was quickly becoming more and more embarrassed and it showed by the way her face was becoming redder and redder.
"Oh, dear." She mumbled as she shifted behind Harry.
A pale young man made his way forward. He seemed extremely nervous and one of his eyes was twitching.
"Professor Quirrell!" Said Hagrid. "Harry, Kagome, this is Professor Quirrell, he's going ter be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."
Kagome poked her head out from behind Harry and looked at Professor Quirrell.
"P-P-Potter," he said as he shook Harry's hand. "And Hi-Hi-Higurashi." She wouldn't come out from behind Harry. "M-my, y-you're a sh-sh-shy one aren't y-you?" He gave her a small nervous smile. "C-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am t-to m-meet you."
"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" Asked Harry.
"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts." Muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that y-you two need it, eh?" He laughed nervously. "Y-you'll be getting all y-your things, I s-suppose. I have t-to pick up a b-book on v-vampires myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.
But the others wouldn't' let Professor Quirrell keep Harry and Kagome to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. Finally, Hagrid managed to make himself heard.
"Must move on--lots ter buy. Come on, Kagome, Harry."
Hagrid led them through the bar and out to a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a few weeds and a lonely trash can.
Hagrid grinned at them.
"Didn't I tell yeh you two were famous? Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin'…then again, he's always tremblin'."
"Is he always so nervous?" Asked Kagome.
"Oh, yeah. Poor guy. Brilliant mind. He was perfectly fine while he was studying out of books, but then he took a year off to get some first hand experience…they say he met a vampire in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty little problem with a hag--hasn't been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject. Now, where's my umbrella?"
Vampires? Hags? Kagome's head was spinning and Harry wasn't doing much better. Meanwhile, Hagrid was counting bricks on the wall above the trash can.
"Let's see…three up…two across…" he muttered. "Right, then, stand back."
He tapped the wall three times with his umbrella. The brick he had touched shook--it wiggled--a wide hole appeared in the middle--it grew bigger and bigger. A moment later they were standing in front of an archway that lead to a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. Said archway was even large enough for Hagrid to walk through.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Said Hagrid.
He grinned at their amazement. They walked into the archway. Kagome looked behind them and noticed that the archway was quickly becoming a solid wall again.
The sun shone brightly on a bunch of cauldrons in the nearest shop--All sizes of Cauldrons--Pewter, Brass, Copper, Silver--Self-Stirring ones--Collapsible ones, said a sign hanging over them.
"Yeah, you two'll be needin' some," said Hagrid. "But we gotta get yer money first."
Harry and Kagome wished they had at least four times as many eyes as they had. They kept snapping their heads in every direction, trying to look at everything, the shops, the things outside them, the people shopping in them.
A soft hooting came from a dark shop that had a sign that read Eeylops Owl Emporium--Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. A group of boys around Harry's age had their noses pressed up against a window that displayed broomsticks in it. Kagome heard one of them say. "It's the new Nimbus 2000--fastest ever." This caught Kagome's attention, but she kept quiet…for now. There were stores that sold robes, stores that sold telescopes and other silver instruments, piles of books piled so high that they'd fall at any moment, quills, rolls of parchment, ink, potion bottles…
"Gringotts," the word fell whisper soft from Kagome's lips.
They reached a snowy-white building that dwarfed all the other little shops.
Standing beside its bronze door, wearing a uniform that consisted of scarlet and gold, was--
"That'd be a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they approached him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry, one and a half shorter than Kagome. He had a clever-looking face, a pointed beard, and, Harry and Kagome noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they passed, and Kagome blinked in confusion and slight embarrassment. They were now standing in front of a second pair of doors, this time silver, with words engraved on them:
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.
"Like I told yeh, yeh'd have ter be crazy to try an' rob it," said Hagrid.
A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors, this time Kagome blushed, and they were standing in a large marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, weighing coins, examining precious stones through eyeglasses, writing in large ledgers. There were too many doors to count that led off the hall, and yet there were just as many goblins leading people in and out of said doors. Hagrid, Harry, and Kagome made fore the counter.
"Mornin'," said Hagrid to the nearest free goblin. "We're here to take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter and Ms. Kagome Higurashi's safe."
"You have their keys, sir?"
"Got 'em here somewhere," he said and began to empty his pockets, spilling a handful of moldy dog biscuits all over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Kagome watched another goblin weighing diamonds as big as golf balls and that glittered with all the colors of the rainbow. Harry turned his attention to another one who was weighing rubies that seemed like red hot coals.
"Got 'em," said Hagrid, holding up two little golden keys. One dangled form a green ribbon, the other blue.
The goblin looked at the keys closely.
"Well, that seems to be in order."
"An' I've also got a letter from Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid said proudly, puffing out his chest. "It's about you-know-what in vault seven hundred and thirteen."
The goblin read the letter over carefully.
"Alright," he said, handing the letter back to Hagrid. "I'll have someone take you to both vaults. Griphook!"
Griphook was, of course, another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all of the dog biscuits back in his pocket, he, Harry, and Kagome followed Griphook toward one of the doors that lead off the hall.
"What exactly is the you-know-what in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" asked Kagome curiously.
"Can't tell yeh," he answered mysteriously. "It's very secret Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted meh with this. More'n my jobs worth ter tell yeh that."
Kagome seemed to mull over that for a moment before grudgingly accepting it.
Griphook held the door open for them. Harry was surprised to find a narrow stone passageway lit with torches rather than more marble. Said passageway sloped deeply and there were little railway tracks on the ground. Griphook whistled sharply and a cart came racing up the tracks toward them. They climbed in--Hagrid with a little difficulty--and were off.
At first they just hurtled through a maze of passages that twisted every which way. Harry tried to remember, right, left, left, right fork, left, right, but it was impossible. The cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.
Harry's eyes stung as the wind whipped past them, but he kept them open. Kagome had her hands raised above her head and was screaming, "WHEEEEEE!" the entire time. At one point, Harry thought he saw a burst of fire coming from one passage, and suspected Kagome had too because she had stopped going 'whee' for a minute, but they turned a corner and lost sight of it. They plunged deeper, passing an underground lake full of stalagmites and stalactites.
"I forget," Harry yelled to Hagrid over the roar of the cart. "What's the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite?"
"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," Hagrid said. "An' don't ask me questions right now, I think I'm gonna be sick."
He did look quite green, and when they stopped and got off the cart, Hagrid had to lean against a wall to stop his knees from buckling.
"Let's do that again!" Exclaimed Kagome happily. The ride had left her hair in total disarray, but her face was full of excitement. Hagrid seemed to turn even greener at the very thought of getting back on the cart.
Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of blue smoke came out of the door, and as it cleared Harry and Kagome gaped. Inside were mounds of gold coins, mountains of silver, and heaps of little bronze Knuts. They seemed to be evenly split down the middle as there were only coins on the left and the right, none in the middle.
"It's all yours." Said Hagrid with a smile. "Everything on the right is Kagome's and everything on the left is Harry's"
All theirs--it was amazing. The Dursley's obviously didn't know about this or they would've taken Harry's half before he could blink. I mean, how many times had they complained that Harry cost them a fortune to take care of? And all this time he had had a small fortune buried deep under London.
Kagome was simply amazed. Her aunt and uncle would often try to give her money, but she hated taking from them and rarely did. She would have never guessed that her parents would leave her so much. She would have to repay her aunt and uncle for all they'd ever done for her.
Hagrid helped them gather some of their money into two separate bags.
"The gold coins are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles are equal to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts are equal to a Sickle, it's simple enough. Well, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe fer yeh." He turned to Griphook, "Vault seven hundred and thirteen. And do you think you could go a bit slower?"
"One speed only," was Griphook's reply.
They were now going even deeper and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled around corners. They sped over a ravine, and Harry leaned over the edge of the cart to peer into the darkness, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.
When they arrived, they saw that vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.
"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door with one of his long fingers and the door just melted away.
"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin had tried to do that, they'd have been sucked into the vault and trapped." said Griphook.
"How often do you check to see if anyone's been locked inside?" Asked Kagome.
Griphook grinned a nasty little grin. "Once about every ten years."
Kagome's mind was ticking away. If they only check the vault about once very ten years, that means something really special has to be inside. I'm sure of it! Harry seemed to have been thinking along he same lines because they both leaned forward, fully expecting to see a room full of jewels.
At first they thought there wasn't anything in the vault, at which Kagome frowned, but then they saw a grubby little package wrapped with brown paper lying on the ground. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it into one of his pockets. Harry longed to know what was in the box, but knew better than to ask. Kagome was biting her lip in an attempt to stop herself.
"C'mon, back into the infernal cart. And don't talk to me, it's best if I just keep my mouth shut." Said Hagrid.
One wild cart ride later, which Kagome had enjoyed with gusto, they stood squinting into the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where he wanted to go first. He didn't know how much a Galleon was in pounds, but he knew he had more money than he'd ever held in his whole life. He knew he had more money than Dudley had ever held in his whole life. Kagome was searching the street for any kind of joke shop or the like.
"Might as well get yer uniforms," Hagrid said as he nodded towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, you two, yeh wouldn't mind if I slipped off to the Leaky Cauldron fer a little pick-me-up, would yeh? I hate that Gringotts cart."
Hagrid did still seem a little green, so Kagome and Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop without him, feeling a little nervous.
Madam Malkin was a squat, little witch with a smiling face. She was dressed all in violet.
"Hello, dears."
Harry and Kagome smiled.
"Hogwarts?" She asked just as Harry was about to speak. "Got the lot here today. As a matter of fact, there's another young man being fitted right now."
She led them to the back of the shop where a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while another witch pinned up the long black robe we wore. Madam Malkin stood Kagome next to him and Harry next to her, slipped long robes over their heads and began to pin Kagome's robes to the right length while a third witch worked on Harry's.
The boy locked over at them, his eyes lingering on Kagome before he spoke. "Hello," he said. "Hogwarts, too?"
"Yes," said Harry and Kagome simultaneously.
"My father's next door looking for my books and my mother's down the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had one of those bored, drawling voices that really got on Kagome's nerves. "Then I'm gonna drag them to the racing brooms. I don't know why first years aren't allowed to have brooms. I think I'll bully father into getting me one then sneak it in somehow."
Kagome's eyes narrowed slightly in disdain and Harry as strongly reminded of Dudley.
"Do either of you two have your own brooms?" Continued the boy.
"No," said Harry. Kagome simply shook her head, not trusting herself to open her mouth.
"Do you play Quidditch at all?"
"No," said Kagome in a slightly chilled tone. She let Harry wonder for them both what the heck Quidditch was.
"I do--" Continued the boy, obviously not noticing the fact that Kagome had had just about enough of his drawling. "Father says it would be a crime to not be picked to play for my house. Do you two know that houses you'll be in?"
"No," they answered, Harry feeling more stupid by the moment and Kagome feeling angrier.
"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they? But I know I'll be in Slytherin--my whole family has. Imagine if I ended up in Hufflepuff. I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he knew more about Hogwarts so he could give a more interesting answer. Kagome, on the other hand, didn't even dignify the boy with any sort of answer.
"Look at that man!" Exclaimed the boy as he jerked his head towards the front window. Hagrid was standing there with a grin on his face and three ice cream cones in his hands, to show he couldn't come in.
Kagome smiled. "That's Hagrid." She said, pleased to know something the annoying boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."
"Oh," said the boy, unimpressed. "I've heard of him. Isn't he like a servant?"
Kagome's eye twitched.
"He's the gamekeeper." Said Harry. He was beginning to like the boy less and less with every passing moment.
"Exactly. He's sort of a savage--lives in a hut on the school grounds. Every now and then he'll get drunk, try to do magic, and end up setting his bed on fire."
"I think he's brilliant." Harry said coldly.
"Do you?" The boy asked with a sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"
Kagome stiffened. "They're dead." She said curtly. She didn't much feel like launching into that story with this boy.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Said the boy.
"You don't sound very sorry." Kagome muttered under her breath.
The boy continued. "They were our kind, weren't they?"
"If by 'our kind' you mean 'were they witches and wizards?' then yes, yes they were." Kagome said.
"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you?" Kagome stiffened again and didn't answer. "They're just not the same." He continued. "They're raised differently than we are. If you ask me, only the old wizarding families should be allowed in Hogwarts. Say, what are your last names?"
Before either of them could answer, Madam Malkin said, "All right, dears, you're all done." And Harry and Kagome, not sorry for the excuse of not having to continue talking to the boy, hopped off their footstools.
"Well, I suppose I'll see you in Hogwarts." Said the drawling boy.
Harry and Kagome were awful quiet as they ate their ice creams (Harry had chocolate with chopped nuts and Kagome had chocolate chip mint with caramel).
"What's wrong?" Asked Hagrid.
"Nothing." They said in unison.
They had cheered up a little when they went to go buy quills and ink. Kagome especially liked the ink that changed to any color you said. When they left the shop, Harry asked, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"
"I keep forgettin' how little you two know. Not knowin' about Quidditch."
Kagome rubbed a hand over her arm. "Please don't rub it in." She said. Then she and Harry told Hagrid about the pale blonde boy in Madam Malkin's shop.
"--and he said that people from muggle families shouldn't even be allowed into Hogwarts."
"But you two aren't from muggle families."
"But my cousin is!" cried Kagome.
"Now, Kagome, calm down. If that boy had known who you two are, he wouldn't have even mentioned it. If his parents are wizardin' folks, he'd know all about yeh. Yeh saw how the people in the Leaky Cauldron reacted when they saw yeh. Anywho, what does he know, some o' the best witches and wizards were born in muggle families. Look at yer mum, Harry, look at what she had fer a sister!"
"So, what exactly is Quidditch?" Asked Kagome, curiosity obvious in her voice.
"It's our sport. Wizard sport. Everyone follows it--it's kind of like soccer in the muggle world. There are four balls and you play it up in the air on broomsticks--well, the rules are kinda hard ter explain."
"And what are Hufflepuff and Slytherin?" Asked Harry.
"School houses. Everyone says that Hufflepuff is full of wimps, but--"
"I bet I'll be in Hufflepuff." Said Harry glumly.
Kagome draped an arm over Harry's shoulders. "You might with that attitude."
"And it'd be better to be in Hufflepuff than in Slytherin," Hagrid said darkly. "There hasn't been a witch or wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin. You-know-who was a Slytherin."
"Vol--I mean--you-know-who went to Hogwarts?" Asked Kagome.
"Sure, ages ago." Replied Hagrid.
They bought Harry and Kagome's books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books of all shapes and sizes with all sorts of things written (or not written) in them. Hagrid practically had to drag them both away from books telling you how to curse your friends and enemies.
"But Hagrid, I was just trying to find pranks for the school year." Whined Kagome.
Hagrid shook his head, "I swear, yeh remind me of the Weasley twins."
"Who're the Weasley twins?" Asked Harry.
"You'll meet them soon enough. Anyway, you wouldn't be able to work those spells yet, they're far too complicated. Plus yer not supposed to use magic in the muggle world."
Hagrid wouldn't let them buy solid gold cauldrons either ("Yer list says pewter."), but they did get a collapsible brass telescope and a nice set of scales for weighing ingredients. Then they visited the Apothecary, which Kagome found highly interesting as did Harry. Harry entertained himself with the highly expensive phoenix feathers while Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for two sets of potion ingredients. Kagome was staring intently at the sparkly unicorn hair when Hagrid and Harry began to leave. Hagrid quickly returned when he saw Kagome wasn't following, and had to forcibly drag her away from the unicorn hair.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! I WANT THE SPARKLY UNICORN HAIR!"
Hagrid threw her over one of his shoulders as they walked out. Kagome proceeded to pound his shoulder in a tantrum. Suddenly a chocolate appeared in front of Kagome's face. "Want the chocolate, Kaggy?" Asked Harry in a teasing voice. Kagome froze as she stared intently at the chocolate. "Harry, love, I will adore you for the rest of my life if you hand over the chocolate right now." She practically purred as she slipped out of Hagrid's grasp and landed gracefully in front of Harry with a smile on her face.
Harry smiled back and gave you her the chocolate. "You don't have to adore me."
Kagome squealed in delight and hugged Harry. "Thank you so much!" She popped the chocolate into her mouth and sighed as it melted.
Seeing Kagome had calmed down, Hagrid took the opportunity to check their lists again. "Looks like all that's left is yer wands--oh, and I still haven't gotten either of yeh a birthday present."
Kagome gulped down the last of the chocolate as a light lush crept into her face, while Harry felt his face go red. "Oh, no, you don't have to get us a present, does he Harry?
Harry shook his head. "Kagome's right, Hagrid, you don't have to get us anything."
"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yeh animals. Owls would be best. All the kids want 'em and they're bloody useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."
Half an hour later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, both Harry and Kagome held large cages in their arms. Harry's cage held a beautiful snowy owl, while Kagome's held it's opposite, an owl as dark as night. Harry's owl was asleep, her head under her wing, Kagome's owl had opened a sleepy eye before he too tucked his head under his wing and fell asleep. Harry couldn't stop stuttering out his thanks, and Kagome merely nodded her head in agreement, too stunned to say anything.
"Don' mention it," Said Hagrid. "I don't expect the Dursley's ever gave you any presents, as for you, Kagome, I don't suppose anyone but you family has ever given you a gift. Well, only Ollivanders left now. Tha's the best and only place to get yer wands.
"A magic wand…." murmured Kagome softly. That's what she'd been most anxious for and, judging by the look on his face, so had Harry.
The last shop was pretty narrow and shabby. The golden letters over the door were peeling, but the message was still easily read, Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the shop as they entered. For some reason, Harry and Kagome felt as if they had just walked into a very strict library. That and that alone was what was stopping them from pummeling Hagrid with questions. Instead, they looked around and saw piles upon piles of long rectangular boxes, possibly about the size of their forearms.
"Good afternoon," came a quiet voice. Harry jumped, Kagome glanced the newcomer curiously, Hagrid must have jumped too because the floor shook slightly.
An old man was standing before him, his wide pale eyes reminded Kagome of silvery full moons. "You have very pretty eyes sir…." mumbled Kagome quietly.
He glanced at her and raised his brows in surprise. "Why thank you." He then smiled a little. "I thought you'd be coming soon. I've been expecting you Ms. Higurashi, Mr. Potter." Harry's eyes widened at the realization that the strange man knew both their names. "You, Ms. Higurashi, have the mysteriously deep and intelligent eyes of your father." He looked at Harry. "And you, Mr. Potter, have the intelligently bright eyes of your mother. It seems only yesterday they had been here, picking out their wands." He focused on Harry. " Your mother's wand was ten and a quarter inches, very swishy, made of willow. Excellent for charm's work. Your father, on the other hand, had a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. Slightly more powerful and excellent for transfiguration."
He then shifted his misty silver eyes to Kagome. "Your father, ten and a half inches. Willow. Bendy. Also excellent for charms. Your mother preferred an oak wand. Very sturdy. Excellent for defense against the dark arts." Kagome raised an eyebrow at the interesting tidbit of information. Mr. Ollivander seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I say your mother preferred an oak wand, but really the wand chooses its owner."
He had come so close to Harry and Kagome that they could see themselves reflected in his misty eyes. He touched a finger to Harry's scar, then Kagome's. "That's where….I'm sorry to say that I'm the one who sold the wand who caused it," he said quietly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. A very powerful wand, very powerful. If I'd known what would've happened…."
He shook his head then, to their great relief, noticed Hagrid.
"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again….Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, no?"
"Yes, sir, it was." Replied Hagrid.
"Good wand, but I suppose they snapped it in half when you were expelled." Mr. Ollivander had become suddenly stern.
Hagrid shuffled his feet. "Yes….yes they did…." He brightened slightly. "Still got the pieces, though."
"But you don't use it." Said Mr. Ollivander sharply.
Hagrid gripped his pink umbrella tightly as he answered. "No, sir."
"Hmm, good. Now then. Ms. Higurashi, which is your wand arm."
"Um…." she held out her right arm. "I'm right-handed if that's what you mean."
He measured Kagome with a measuring tape he had pulled out of his pocket. It had strange silver markings on it. He measured Kagome from wrist to elbow, from shoulder to finger, waist to bust, knee to eye, foot to hip, and around her head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a powerful magical center, Mr. Potter, Ms. Higurashi. We use the heartstrings of dragons, unicorn hairs, and phoenix feathers. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two dragons, unicorns, or phoenix are the same. You will never have the best results with someone else's wand.
Kagome suddenly realized that the measuring tape, which was measuring the distance between her eyes, was doing so entirely on its own. Mr. Ollivander was sorting through a great many boxes.
"That'll do," he said, and the tape measurer crumpled to the floor. He pulled out a wand and handed it to Kagome. "Try this one. Twelve inches. Oak. Unicorn hair. Just give it a little wave."
Kagome silently obeyed. She waved the wand and nearly jumped a foot in the air when several bottles near by exploded. She very slowly put the wand on a table.
"Hmm," Mr. Ollivander pulled out another wand and handed it to her. "Here, Ebony and phoenix feather. Nine inches."
Kagome gave the new wand a wave and was startled when a nearby plant burst into flames.
Mr. Ollivander quickly stopped the fire and handed her another wand. "Cherry and Phoenix feather. Seven and a half inches. Bendy yet strong."
Kagome took a hold of the wand and instantly felt a warmth spread through her body. She brought the wand down in a graceful ark and a trail of blue and green lights trailed down from the tip of the wand.
"Excellent, Ms. Higurashi! Hmm, very interesting…."
He then proceeded to do the same thing to Harry. After about two fires, a broken window, and several broken dishes, Mr. Ollivander handed Harry another wand. "Holly and phoenix feather. Eleven inches. Nice and supple. Well, give it a wave."
Harry raised his arm yet again and felt the same sensation as Kagome. As he brought the wand down, a trail of red and gold sparks followed.
"Oh, wonderful, Mr. Potter! How very interesting."
"Excuse me, Mr. Ollivander. What exactly is so interesting?" Asked Kagome.
Mr. Ollivander fixed her with his pale stare.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Ms. Higurashi. As it turns out, the Phoenix who's feather is in your wand gave two, and only two, more. One of which is in Mr. Potter's wand. The other, well the other gave you two your scars."
Kagome's eyes widened and Harry gulped.
"Yes indeed. We must admit, he-who-must-not-be-named did great things, terrible, but great." He flicked his eyes from Kagome to Harry. "I expect great things from you two."
Harry wasn't so sure he liked Mr. Ollivander very much. Harry and Kagome paid seven galleons each for their wands and Mr. Ollivander bowed them out of the shop.
By the time Harry, Kagome, and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, through the wall. and back through the Leaky Cauldron (which was now empty), the sun hung low in the sky. Kagome was lost in her own thoughts, as was Harry since neither said anything on their walk down the road. They didn't even seem to notice the strange looks they got on the Underground due to all the strange packages and the two owls they carried. They wouldn't have even realized they were at Paddington Station had Hagrid not tapped them on the shoulders.
"Got time fer a bite ter eat before yer train leaves."
"We're taking the same train?" Asked Kagome absently.
Hagrid simply nodded as he went to buy some hamburgers for the three of them.
As they ate, Harry kept looking around. Everything seemed different for some odd reason.
"You two alright? Yeh've been very quiet."
"Hm?" Kagome looked up from the fry she was nibbling on. "Oh, no. I'm fine. Not sure about Harry, but I'm just…" she groped around for a word to describe what she was feeling. When she couldn't find one, she decided on the first one that came to mind. "distracted is all."
"Harry?"
Harry looked down at his fries, searching for a way to express his feelings, not sure he could find one. Yeah, he'd just had the best birthday of his life, and yet…
"Everyone thinks we're special," He said finally. "Professor Quirrell, the people at the Leaky Cauldron, Mr. Ollivander…and yet we don't know any magic. At least I don't, can't speak for Kagome."
She shook her head. "I can't do any magic."
"See? It's just…we're famous, and we can't even remember what we're famous for. How can they possible expect great things from us? We don't remember what happened on the night our parents died."
Hagrid leaned over the table with a kind smile for both of them.
"Don' worry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts out from scratch at Hogwarts. Now, you two have been singled out, and I know that's hard, but yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts. I know I did--still do."
Hagrid helped them on to their train and handed them both an envelope.
"Yer ticket to Hogwarts," he told them. "First o' December--Kings Cross--it's all on yer tickets." He turned to Harry. "You have any trouble with the Dursleys, jus' send yer owl, she'll know where to find me…See yeh soon."
The train pulled out of the station and Harry and Kagome went to find their seats, though they both wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight. They found an empty compartment and managed to fit everything on one side of it.
Harry and Kagome sat down heavily, exhausted.
"Harry," Kagome pulled up her knees and rested her chin on them. "What if…what if we can't get into Hogwarts? What if we're supposed to pass some magic test and can't because we don't know any magic?"
Harry was silent for a moment. He rested his chin in his hand. "…I don't know, Kagome. I really don't know, but Hagrid didn't mention any tests so there probably aren't any to get in…"
Kagome gave a soft smile of relief at that. "I sure hope you're right." She yawned a little and laid her head on Harry's shoulder.
"Wake me when we get there." She mumbled before falling quickly into a light sleep.
"Sure." He mumbled back, but he had already laid his head on top of hers and was quickly spiraling into that comforting darkness.
Dark: That's it! I would like to thank all the wonderful people who have reviewed up until now. I LOVE YOU ALL!
raven'smylife, Kiharu-Kurama (damn...you really wanted me to update...well, I did!), gcdv, ruler of the sporks, palii, inuchik01, Artimis-Night, Tenseiga15, cRiMsOnGoDdEsS01, fluffykogome, Kurama'sFoxyMiko (glad you like it so much, here's your update ), Sevvy101 (don't remember if I said this before, but the reason Kagome's name is 'Dark' at times is because I tend to work on more than one story at a time. If I get stuck on one story, I head towards the other one. Bad habit.), Taeniaea, Sugar Sprite, hermonine, Hikage Dragon, easily confuzzled (yes, Dark is Kagome at times), Spastic Freak, inuyasha1357 (the reason I haven't added Kagome more is because it's actually kind of hard before you can actually have both characters in the same scene. So, as soon as they start being around each other, the story will probably have more twists and turns added in by moi. As for the other questions, you'll just have to wait and see. -)
Dark: (blinks) Wow, there sure are a lot of you. I'm loved, YAY!
Deana: You are not loved, your story is.
Dark: Shut up, Deana. (grins) I promise the story will get more interesting as it continues. I'm also sorry you all have to so long before I actually post another chapter, but at least I post them.
Deana: Also, you guys should try to read whatever's in parentheses at the end when she's thanking her reviewers. You might find that some of the things she says are actually important.
Dark: Aww, thanks De--
Deana: However, that is very rare.
Dark: (glares) You're gonna die in your sleep. (smiles) Thanks for the support! Until next time, adios!