Chapter 2 - The Alley
The rumble of the road composed a soft symphony. The low rumble of the tires as they rolled across the rough asphalt, the whooshing beats of passing vehicles, the sharp screech of tires as drivers adjusted their speeds and the occasional crack as the car passed over bumps on the uneven roads.
Hermione's nose was buried deep in a book, the music of the road providing a quiet counterpoint to the text that held her so enraptured. She thought little of the countryside as it rolled past outside the window, instead concerning herself exclusively with the book's contents. She was lost in magical theory and how it relates to the scientific study of genetics, barely aware of the car, until a particularly jarring bump brought her into rapid awareness of the world around her.
Looking around, blinking profusely, she looked between her parents in the front seat and the streets slowly passing outside the window. Her father's eyes flashed up to meet hers in his rearview mirror, and she could almost hear his smile.
"Back with us, kiddo?" He never looked back, instead keeping his eyes focused on the hectic London streets. He gestured lightly to the seat next to him. "We lost your Mum somewhere back by Wokingham. Suppose we should wake her up soon, we'll be there momentarily."
Hermione grinned in naked delight, she was finally here. There were a few mystically inclined shops around her home, but none could compare to the magical emporium that was Diagon Alley. The first such market to open its doors to muggles had quickly become nationally famous for the sheer variety and quality of the products its merchants offered. She glanced down at the envelope beside her, its green ink shimmered faintly in the sunlight. The supply list already had a few items crossed out, but the local shops simply didn't carry everything she would need at Hogwarts.
Hogwarts. That one word had barely left her thoughts for almost a year now. She had always known that, despite the odds, she would learn to work magic. Her family had no history for such, but she had always known there was more to such things than simple genetics. Force of will, dedication and study were all just as important, if not more important, than an accident of birth. This was the year, she would either be vindicated or humiliated for her years of study and experimentation. Either a letter would arrive and her simple tricks would prove enough talent for professional instruction, or no word would come and she would be relegated to some underfunded government magic program, or worse, correspondence courses.
Not more than a week ago, however, it had arrived. written on simple parchment and penned in green ink, acceptance. One page, clearly for her parents, had explained that her talents had come the school's attention and discussed payment and funding options. Hermione had read through it twice, before relinquishing it to her parents. Another, addressed directly to her and signed by the Assistant Headmistress, commended her for her work and made close enough mention of her experiments that Hermione could only wonder at the scope of talent she would be studying under. The final note, the supply list, was why they had come to London today.
Hermione heard her mother stirring as her father steered their reliable old car into the parking spot, and she knew it was finally happening. The trio climbed out onto the street and made their way to the Leaky Cauldron, entrance to the famous Diagon Alley. Hermione's eyes rose to take in the building as they walked through it. What had once been, according to modern history texts, a derelict old pub made unplottable for the protection of its wizarding patrons, was now a shining beacon of the modern world. The pub had been replaced by a large white marble archway, allowing direct entrance into the market proper. Either side of the arch were all that remained of the old pub, both of which had been replaced by the same elegant stonework of the archway. The right bore a small pub, which proudly served both wizard and muggle alike, no matter their tastes, the Cauldron could provide for your every beverage need. The left side had been replaced with a small restaurant. Boasting cuisine of both mundane and exotic flavors, the Leek catered to shoppers as they came and left.
The Alley itself was enormous, far larger than Hermione had ever imagined. Positively packed with shops, most of them exclusively mystic in focus, the alley seemed far larger than should be possible, which Hermione believed likely. The streets were packed with patrons going about their business; many of these men and women wore robes that marked them as proud magic users, though there were commonly those in street clothes or obvious tourists in flashy clothing. In particular, Hermione noticed a fair number of young girls and boys around her own age. She could only believe that they were here for the same reason she was, to get supplies for the upcoming school year.
Hermione quickly lost interest in the crowds as she noticed a large bookstore across the Alley. She slowly drifted in that direction, only to be grabbed by her bemused mother.
"Eventually Hermione, don't worry. First we need to visit the bank and swap some currency." Her mother smiled and gestured to the large building at the end of the Alley. With a nod, the trio made for the bank. As they reached the bank's steps, Hermione heard a loud woman's voice from the top of the stairs.
"Why these stubborn Goblins and their backwards supporter in this blasted Alley can't modernize is beyond me..." She was followed shortly behind by a young man with unkempt dark hair. "Honestly, Harry. This is the Nineties. We have ATMs and computers all over the place and these luddites still expect us to convert to gold and silver coins to buy school supplies? It's ridiculous."
"Yeah, uh-huh" The boy responded as if he was all too used to the older woman's rants.
The pair shot down the steps and past the Grangers with barely a thought. Hermione couldn't shake the feeling that the pair seemed familiar, but she couldn't immediately place it. In the bustle of the money conversion and Hermione's fascination with the Goblin bank, the pair was quickly forgotten.
A short time later, Hermione clutched a wand firmly in her hand and watched with naked astonishment as the tip shot off bursts of Blue and Gold into the air. Her eyes twinkling with the glow of the pyrotechnics, she only barely noticed the gruff old man nod.
"Vine, 10 and three quarters inches, Dragon Heart string."
The man eyed Hermione's parents long enough for her father to step forward and hand the old man a few gold coins. The old man then turned briskly and began to put away the dozen boxes that he had removed from the shelf in the search for Hermione's wand. All the while he glanced curiously over his shoulder at Hermione's parents, though the young girl could not place what the expression meant, only that it made all of the Grangers uncomfortable and she was glad when the left moments later.
Back on the street, Hermione once again eyed the book store. She had agreed that the bookstore would be the last of their stops, and if she said nothing about it, she would be allowed to choose a handful of books solely for her own amusement, in addition to her schoolbooks. It was difficult to restrain, but she would persevere.
Over an hour later, Hermione's parents carried wrapped parcels under their arms and Hermione wore a newly fitted set of the robes that served as the Hogwarts school uniform. Their shopping was nearly complete, and Hermione practically vibrated with excitement, almost dropping the long, thin box which contained her new wand as she ran ahead of her parents.
Flourish and Blotts. A veritable Mecca for one such as Hermione. It was a bookstore unlike any other. Though the store had always carried the various genres of books that were popular amongst its customers. However in a world where they were forced to compete with the expansive muggle book industry, Flourish and Blotts had been forced to find a niche for itself. Over the previous half century, the store had shifted from the primary source of all wizarding literature and instead shifted its focus to cater primarily to the theoretically inclined. Having never abandoned popular fiction and school books as a source of income, the store instead expanded its collection to incorporate cutting-edge writings of comparative scientific treatises on mystic spell-craft, theoretical tomes which explored the very essences of magic and even the new and nigh-heretical writings of the Bailey family which sought to find reliable methods to incorporate both magic and science in a single device without conflict.
Hermione had begged her parents for decades to visit this very store. She had joined mailing lists for the opportunity to read sample of books that were freely available for sale in this store and no other. F&B's had grown in scope and importance and Hermione had desperately wished to peruse its selection, but her parents had never seen fit to come to the Alley for no reason, so she had to rely on the meager selection her local sources could access.
Now Hermione stood in the entryway and her eyes twinkled like a young child in a candy store. It took all of her will to hold back the squeal of excitement at the sight of the vast shelves shoved full of books. She glanced back at her parents, receiving a nod of approval from her mother before running off to get lost in the books and shelves of the store, knowing her parents would find the books she was required to buy, thus leaving her to her mission of interest and pleasure.
As Hermione wandered the store, her arms slowly filled with thick tomes. Shadows of the Past: An Exploration of the Years of Wizarding Discretion by Dr. Binns. Ride the Lightning!: How to Reconcile Scientific Truths with Magical Realities by Margaret Bailey. Hogwarts: A History, Revised and Updated Edition: 1990 by Professor Garino. These books and more lay on the floor next to Hermione's feet as she perused the Mystical Law section, their weight far too great for her small arms to handle while she simultaneously perused the shelves.
She had only just lifted a book, detailing the recent court cases pertaining to non-magic students in wizarding schools, when she glanced to her right. The woman from earlier, from the steps of Gringotts, stood at the end of the aisle. The young boy was there, clearly bored out his mind, next to the older woman. He was grumbling about someone named Ron and he clearly was ready to leave. Hermione began to look back to her book when finally, the nagging feeling that had bothered her all day, it dawned on her. Hermione's eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open slightly as she stared at the older woman.
"Ms. Evans?"
The woman looked up and around, before looking down at the young girl further down the aisle.
"Oh, my god. You're Petunia Evans!" Hermione blinked repeatedly, as if expecting to awake from a dream any moment.
"Uhm, yes. I am." The woman, Petunia, smiled warmly, if a bit awkwardly. She was not used to being recognized in bookstores, even if she was a minor public figure.
"I'm such a fan of your work!" Hermione held up the book she had in her hands. "I've kept up with your career for most of my life. It's such a great thing you're doing!" Her fingers trembled slightly, though she tried to hide it from Ms. Evans. "You've inspired me for years!"
"Why thank you, dear." Petunia smiled, much more warmly than before. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. You know me, but I'm afraid I do not know you..."
"Uh. I'm... My name is Hermione Granger, ma'am." Hermione seemed unsure how to handle the situation and awkwardly bowed her head to the older woman.
"Oh! No, none of the ma'am stuff. Makes me feel old." Petunia glanced down, between Hermione and the young man beside her. "And this grumpy young man here is my nephew Harry." She nudged Harry slightly, which elicited a gruff "Hey" from the young man.
"Harry Potter, Boy-who-lived." Hermione nodded and recited the boy's name and reputation with as much energy as one would recite lines from a textbook, before returning her excited attention to Ms. Evans. "I was wondering, Ms. Evans, what do you think will happen if the bill passes though parliament next week? The one that seeks to protect the rights of private institutions to restrict their admissions based on whatever criteria they choose?"
Petunia's eyebrows rose quickly, clearly surprised at the young girl's grasp of such matters. "Uhm, well, first of all, despite the support that the measure has amongst certain special interests, I doubt that any member of the government would commit political to outright support it. Thus, I doubt anything will come of it. If, however, it does pass it will only put a simple speed-bump in the process of trying to open institutions such as Hogwarts and its like to non-wizarding peoples." Petunia cleared her throat in embarrassment, realizing that she had likely lost Hermione in her overly formal response, but to her surprise the girl simply nodded.
"I thought so. It seemed too harsh to pass. No one would be so openly mean if they can help it." Hermione nodded, smiling. "Hopefully the Hogwarts staff won't be upset when it falls apart. I don't want my first year ruined."
"Oh? You're going to Hogwarts this year? So is my nephew!"
It was at this time that Hermione's father rounded the corner. He noticed his daughter was talking to an older woman and he walked briskly up to the pair.
"I'm sorry, miss. I hope my daughter wasn't bothering you..." He glanced between Hermione and Petunia as he spoke.
"Oh, of course not! She's a bright young girl and she wasn't bothering me in the slightest." Petunia smiled brightly down at Hermione.
"I'm glad, though it is getting late, and if a certain young woman is going to make it home before dark, we best be going." With an openly proud grin, Mr. Granger scooped up his daughter's books and began to lead her away. Hermione glanced up at her father for a long moment before dashing around him and back to Petunia. Sheepishly, she handed the book she had been considering to the older woman. "Can... Can I have your autograph?"
"Oh! I.." Petunia glanced at the girl's father, who only rolled his eyes and nodded. "I suppose, so..." Petunia dug though her purse for a moment, producing a pen and wrote a short note on the inside cover of the book before signing it at the bottom. Hermione then ran off after her father to buy her books and head home, practically glowing the whole time.
Hours later, an old and reliable car pulled up to a modest and attractive home. Mr. Granger glanced at the backseat after he parked the car. He nodded to his wife, who gathered some of the parcels from the trunk and began to carry them into the house. Mr. Granger walked around and opened the backseat door and carefully picked his daughter up from where she had fallen asleep. After he had carried her upstairs to her bed, he returned to the car to retrieve the last of the parcels. He carefully picked up the book that Hermione had fallen asleep reading. Mundane Injustices in a Magical World by Ms. Petunia Evans. He opened the front cover, noticing this as the book his daughter had asked the woman to sign, and he could only smile at what the woman had written for his daughter. After reading it, he set it atop the pile of materials and carried it inside. With a smile, he carried the book upstairs and left it open to the inscription on his daughter's bedside table.
"Never Give Up on Your Dreams! -Petunia Evans"