Thanks to everyone who alerted and favourited! What do you think of the changes I've made? Anyone have any ideas for this story? I'll do almost anything; I like adding new subplots to stories, it gives it extra dimension.
Also, I'm in the market for a beta - let me know if you're interested!
Thank you to Penny is wise for being my first reviewer.
CHAPTER THE THIRD: The Journey to Diagon Alley
The alarm rang as promised, and Madeleine silenced it quickly. Dudley grunted and turned over, but otherwise the shack was silent. The storm outside had stopped; though it was nowhere near light, Madeleine could tell that the weather was calm and pleasant outside. The shack was cool, but not too cold any longer. Quickly, Madeleine dressed in one of her mother's old outfits – an A–line dress with long sleeves, coloured red-orange, with a thick, long yellow bow and a wide white collar – made sure she had all her things, and sneaked out of the shack.
The rocks outside weren't slippery anymore, so it was much easier to navigate her way to the boat. Grinning at the thought of the Dursleys being trapped on the island, she climbed in the boat and pushed it off into the sea. It was easier than she had expected to row to the shore, and Madeleine was very glad the storm had calmed down. Once there, she hiked through the sparse woods for a barely a minute before she was passing the Dursley's car. Getting an idea, Madeleine doubled back, opened the thankfully unlocked car, and picked up the loose change and the random pound here and there out of the door pockets and between the seats. She didn't want to walk all the way to London, after all.
Just about a mile down the street was a tube station. They had been closer to town than Madeleine thought. One ticket to London was £5.30, and she just had enough. Soon, she was sitting on the tube and speeding towards the city. There were only two other people on – not surprising at such an early hour – and neither paid Madeleine any mind. She re–read her mother's letter to make sure she knew what to do, and wondered idly if the Dursleys were awake yet.
Soon the train stopped, and the young girl hopped off with her things. Madeleine had never been to London before, and she found herself glad that it was early. It was already crowded now; she couldn't imagine what it might be like in another three hours.
Guessing that this 'Leaky Cauldron' pub her mom had mentioned in the letter wouldn't be known by the average person, she found the nearest telephone book and looked up the place next door – Madam Louis's Book Emporium. That was only a few blocks away on Charring Cross Road, and as Madeleine grew closer, she felt herself getting more and more excited. She hardly felt the weight of her bag on her shoulder, and found herself fingering the key on her bracelet. How much had her parents left her? Was wizard money the same as normal money?
Before she had time to really consider any of this, she was in front of the book store. And, just as her mother had said, the pub was next door.
A small, grubby sign proclaimed it THE LEAKY CAULDRON. Madeleine noticed that the people who passed it didn't really seem to see it – was that magic as well? Perhaps you couldn't see the place unless you knew about it?
Madeleine was surprised to find that the pub was open, and cautiously stepped inside. There were three women sitting at a table in the corner eating breakfast, and a wizened old man behind the bar, scrubbing with a filthy rag. Seeing no other option, Madeleine approached him.
"Excuse me…" Madeleine began. The mad looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Erm – I'm looking for Diagon Alley…"
She didn't want to say anything like 'I'm a witch' or 'where can I buy a wand?' because that would probably just get her carted off to the loony bin if this man wasn't actually a wizard. Thankfully, he seemed to be, judging by the way he grinned at her toothlessly and nodded towards the back door.
"Jus' this way, Miss," he said, "I'll help you get back there."
He stepped around the bar and led her through the door and outside. Madeleine nearly expected to see dragons and people soaring about on broomsticks beyond the door, but instead she saw –
A yard containing a rubbish bin.
"Shopping for your Hogwarts supplies, then?" the man asked as he walked over to one of the walls fencing in the yard.
"Er…yes…" Madeleine said, wondering what in the world he was going to do and how it could possibly help her get her school things.
"I'm Tom, by the way," the bartender continued. "Should have introduced myself earlier." He reached out and shook her hand.
"I'm Madeleine Potter. It's very nice to meet you." Madeleine replied politely.
The man gasped, stumbling back against the wall as if he'd seen a ghost.
"What?" Madeleine asked, glancing behind her.
"Bless my soul – you're really Madeleine Potter?" Tom said in a soft, almost worshipful voice.
"Yes…" she answered, confused.
"Welcome back Miss Potter!" he cried joyously, grabbing her hand in both of his and shaking it yet again. "I'd always hoped I'd meet you one day!"
"Er…thanks?" Madeleine replied, her shock making the words a question.
The man turned to the wall and quickly tapped it with a long stick. Madeleine actually shrieked as the wall folded in on itself, the bricks reshaping and twisting until an archway was formed. Beyond it was a cobbled street with quite a few people wandering about.
"Need any help getting around the alley, Miss?" he asked eagerly. "Any directions at all?"
"Um…well, if you could tell me where Gringotts bank is–"
"Right over there Miss!" he said, rushing forward and pointing down the alley to a white building far down the street that dwarfed everything else.
"Thank you!" Madeleine said, and waved shyly at Tom, who grinned brightly before going back inside.
The young girl stepped into the alleyway, and as she walked she tried to look everywhere at once. There was a store that sold cauldrons, a store that advertised broom sticks and supplies for something called 'Quidditch', a store filled with owls, and many other things, some of which looked normal, like a bookstore and a knickknack shop, and some that Madeleine couldn't even name. Though she wanted to explore all the stores right away, she knew she should get her money first. For all she knew, she could only afford the bare essentials – there was no use going and falling in love with something she had no money to buy.
Soon, she was in front of the bank. Madeleine passed through a set of bronze doors, and then another set of silver on the inside. Looking around curiously, Madeleine noticed an inscription on the silver doors of the bank:
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.
Madeleine shivered slightly.
Inside the bank, the floor was paved with marble, and long counters stretched on either side. Strange creatures sat behind the desks, scribbling on papers or speaking with witches and wizards. Realising belatedly that these must be goblins, Madeleine nervously approached one of the counters, wringing her hands.
"Yes?" the goblin said pointedly.
"Er – I uh – need to make a withdrawal?" Madeleine stammered.
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a key?"
"Oh! Yes!" Madeleine said, pulling the key off her bracelet and hanging it to the goblin. He examined it closely, nodded, handed it back to her, and then called, "Griphook!"
Another one of the creatures appeared.
"Please take Miss Potter to her vault." The first instructed, and the other nodded.
"Follow me," he commanded, and led Madeleine through one of the doors behind the counter.
It was dark, and they descended a few dozen stairs before coming to a tunnel lit sparsely by torches. Madeleine was extremely nervous – here she was in the dark hundreds of feet under London with some type of extraordinary creature. When had her life gotten this strange?
In the middle of the tunnel was a small cart on a rail, somewhat like one would have in a mine. Madeleine climbed in, the goblin got in the front, and soon they were zooming through the passageways. Madeleine absolutely loved it; it was like a roller coaster, or even like flying if she closed her eyes. At first, Madeleine tried to remember which way they were going, just for fun (left, right, right, right fork, left, down, right, down, left, left, right, up, middle fork, right...), but soon it became impossible – which, Madeleine realised, was probably the point. However, she loved the ride. They passed over things like underground lakes, caves full of stalactites and stalagmites, and once Madeleine was sure she saw a burst of flame down one end of a passageway.
"Vault 687." The goblin announced after several minutes, stopping the car. He stepped out with Madeleine right behind them, and opened the giant vault door with Madeleine's key.
The girl gasped. Inside were piles upon piles of gold, silver, and bronze coins.
"Is – is all this really mine?" she asked no one in particular.
"Of course," the goblin sniffed. "It's your vault, is it not?"
So Madeleine scooped as many coins as she could into her mother's old purse, noting that it didn't seem to gain any weight or even get full as quickly as she thought it should. Soon, Madeleine and the goblin were back in the cart and zooming to the main bank room.
When Madeleine clambered out in the tunnel, it occurred to her that she should thank the creature for helping her, and so she did. He stared at her blankly for a moment, as if it had never heard such a thing, and then nodded curtly and led her back up the stairs.
Though she had been underground for less than fifteen minutes, Madeleine was happy to be back in the sunlight. It was around nine by now, she realised, looking down at her watch, and there were many more people in the streets now. Alerted to the fact that she hadn't eaten yet by her stomach (and hardly for the entire past week), she glanced around and noticed what looked like a restaurant just down the street from her.
Soon, Madeleine was tucking in to full English Breakfast, complete with baked beans, bangers, eggs, ham, tomatoes, toast, chips, mushrooms, a cup of tea, and something she assumed was orange juice but turned out to be pumpkin juice, which was apparently a Wizarding World thing. At first, Madeleine hated the stuff, but it grew on her quickly and she drank two large glasses. It was all delicious, but when the waitress came to pay and asked for a galleon twenty, Madeleine pulled out her new wizard money and simply stared at it. Frustrated, the woman snapped that it was one of the gold ones and twenty of the silver ones, which Madeleine handed over quickly, blushing.
Grumbling that she couldn't be expected to know everything, Madeleine re–shouldered her bags and began walking down the street, reading through her supply list as she did. The first store she saw was called Florish and Blotts, which she could see sold books, and Madeleine decided to get her school books first and ventured inside.
She must have been in there for three or four hours. Her school books were found quickly, but then she began to look at other things. It started when Madeleine realised she didn't know much about Wizarding World history, and so she began reading things like The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizards and Witches of the Twentieth Century. To her absolute astonishment, she was mentioned in both of these books. Apparently, the 'Voldemort' her mother had mentioned had been destroyed the day he killed her parents, and that happened to have occurred right after he tried – and failed – to kill her. The Killing Curse, which had killed countless wizards and witches before, had no affect on Madeleine – unless you counted the scar on her forehead. She was the first person to have survived it. Add that to Voldemort's disappearance right after he attempted to kill her, and it all added up. That explained why Tom back at The Leaky Cauldron had acted so strange when he learned her name – apparently, she was quite famous in the Wizarding World.
After this sank in, Madeleine continued reading. She learned about the wizarding sport called Quidditch in a book called Quidditch Through The Ages, which sounded very fun and was played on broomsticks, and all about Hogwarts and its four houses in Hogwarts, A History.
Soon, Madeleine managed to force herself to leave, toting her new school books, plus a few additions for background reading. The next shop she saw was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Guessing that she could probably get her school uniform there, Madeleine entered.
The shop put her in mind of a wedding dress store, only instead of white gowns hanging all over, there were robes of all colours and designs. In the middle of the room were four podiums, two of which were currently occupied. A boy stood on the one to the right, with a pale, pointed face, white–blond hair slicked carefully back, and a sneer on his face. A girl was next to him, and she had long brown hair, green eyes, tan skin, and rather large lips and ears.
"Hello dear!" called a woman who was currently pinning the girl's robes. Madeleine assumed this was Madam Malkin. "Hogwarts as well, then?"
Madeleine nodded.
"Come over here, then, we'll get you sorted!" the woman said cheerfully, and Madeleine stepped onto the podium next to the girl. Madam Malkin draped a robe over the girl, then stepped into the back, mumbling about more pins.
"Hello," the girl next to Madeleine said softly, holding out a hand. "I'm Tracey. Tracey Davis. Are you starting Hogwarts this year as well?"
"Yeah," Madeleine answered, shaking Tracey's hand with a warm smile. "I'm Madeleine Potter, nice to meet you."
The girl gasped. The boy stared. From the back, they could hear a loud CRASH and a mumbled oath.
"What?" Madeleine asked, confused for a moment, then she remembered what she had just read and blushed slightly. She wasn't used to being noticed at all – being flat–out famous would be something to get used to indeed.
"N–nothing!" Tracey said politely, though she was still staring strangely at Madeleine.
"I'm Malfoy, by the way." The boy suddenly piped up, shouldering Tracey out of the way and seizing Madeleine's hand. With her eyebrows raised, the young girl shook back, wondering if he was purposefully being rude or if it was accidental. "Draco Malfoy."
Madeleine caught Tracey rolling her eyes behind Malfoy's back, and hid her laughter with a cough.
"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," the boy continued, abandoning his stool entirely and climbing up onto the one beside Madeleine. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first–years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one anyway and I'll smuggle it in somehow."
Madeleine was strongly reminded of Dudley, and she didn't like it. This boy was speaking as if he was the prince of the world, and frankly she thought he was a royal brat. She glanced over at Tracey and saw that her nose was wrinkled with disgust just like Madeleine's was. That made her feel better.
"Have you got your own broom?" Malfoy continued.
"Not yet." Madeleine said. She didn't plan to buy one until she was allowed, but the boy didn't need to know this.
"Play Quidditch at all?"
"No." Madeleine said. She hadn't had the chance yet, of course, but she hoped there would be lessons at Hogwarts. Even if she couldn't play on the house team, she would still love to fly on a broomstick and try out the different positions.
"Well I do. Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"
Madeleine really thought about this question. She knew from the history books she had read at Florish and Blotts that her parents had been in Gryffindor, the house of the brave and loyal, but she didn't know if she would be as well. She was brave when she had to be, yes. Sometimes very much so, like when she stood up to Dudley's gang and to Uncle Vernon. She had never had anyone to be loyal to, but if she had any friends she would definitely die for them if need be. Hufflepuff, she had read in Hogwarts, A History, was for the just and hard–working. Madeleine thought that probably applied to her as well, since she hated injustice and always applied herself to anything important to her. Ravenclaw was for the quick and witty, and Madeleine was plenty bright. Slytherin was for the cunning and ambitious, and Madeleine was certainly both. She had many things in life she was determined to accomplish, and the list grew and changed every day. She wouldn't actually kill to achieve what she wanted a lot, but she would do rather underhanded things if she absolutely had to.
Meanwhile, Malfoy was looking at her pointedly.
"Oh, well – I really don't know." Madeleine finally answered. "I mean, they all sound great to me. I think I'd fit in in any of them, personally."
Malfoy stared at her for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Really?" he cried. "You wouldn't mind being in Hufflepuff? Merlin, I think I'd leave if they put me with that load of idiots! You ask me, Slytherin's the only decent house. Perhaps Ravenclaw."
Madeleine glared at the boy.
"Well, no one did ask you, did they?" she said angrily. "And who are you to decide that Hufflepuffs are all 'idiots'? You can't possibly know every person who was ever in that house! You don't get to just decide which houses are 'acceptable'! Did the queen die and make you the ruler of the world?"
Malfoy spluttered. Tracey, behind him, chuckled. He turned to her, a glare on his face.
"Scoff all you want, Davis, but it won't make you any less of a Mudblood."
Both Tracey and Madam Malkin, who was now pinning Madeleine's robes, gasped, their eyes wide as if the arrogant boy had just sworn a blue streak.
"I won't have that type of language in my shop, do you hear?" Madam Malkin said sternly to Malfoy, shaking her finger at him. Malfoy simply smirked. Madeleine could see Tracey's eyes tearing up, though the other girl tried to hide it by pretending to examine her robe sleeve. Madeleine had no idea what 'Mudblood' meant, but she could tell it was very bad. She wasn't going to let Malfoy get away with this.
"Aww, hit a nerve there, did I?" he said to Tracey cruelly, chuckling. At this, Madeleine could hold her tongue no longer.
"Look, you." Madeleine said, stepping off of her stool and going to stand right in front of Malfoy, getting close enough to his face that he nearly flinched back. "I don't know what 'Mudblood' was supposed to mean, but whatever it is, at least she isn't an ass."
The boy spluttered, as if he couldn't believe she had dared to talk to him that way. Before he could form words, Madam Malkin gruffly declared him finished, packed up his new robes for him, and he paid before leaving with his purchases.
Once the door had closed, Tracey Davis turned to Madeleine with a smile on her face.
"Thanks for that," she said. "I hate that boy; he's horrible."
"Agreed." Madeleine said. She hesitated for a moment, then added, "What did…that word mean?"
Tracey looked confused for a moment, then said, "Oh! That's right! You were raised by Muggles, right?"
Madeleine raised her eyebrows.
"Come again?" she said.
"Muggle is our word for non–magic people." Tracey explained. "And...well, Mudblood is a really nasty, offensive term for a witch or wizard who had Muggles in their bloodline, or who is Muggle–born."
"I see," said Madeleine, nodding. "Are you…er – Muggle born, then?"
Tracey shook her head. "No, but my mother was. The Malfoy family makes a big deal out of blood 'purity'; Draco always brings it up when I see him."
"That's horrible!" Madeleine said angrily. "What does it matter if you had non–magic people in your family? Does it affect how you do magic or anything?"
"My mum and dad say it doesn't," Tracey answered, wincing as Madam Malkin stuck her with one of the pins. "But some people think so." She glared in the direction of the door. It was quiet for a moment, before Tracey brightened slightly and said, "So who are you here with? I hear the people who are Muggle–raised have a teacher who comes from Hogwarts to take them to get their school things."
Before Madeleine could answer, however, Madam Malkin declared Tracey finished, and two adults entered the shop.
"Finished, dear?" the woman asked Tracey.
"Yes mum." Tracey answered, climbing off the stool. While her parents paid, she spoke to Madeleine.
"I guess I'll see you on September first," she said, then added shyly, "Would you like to sit with me on the train?"
"Sure!" Madeleine said gratefully, beaming. She bid Tracey goodbye, and the other girl and her parents left the shop. Soon Madeleine was done as well, and she was yet again staring at the strange wizard money. Luckily, Madam Malkin was helpful. She exclaimed that the bronze ones were Knuts, the silvers were Sickles, and the gold ones were called Galleons.
"There are seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle. In other words, a Galleon equals seventeen Sickles, which equals four hundred and ninety-three Knuts. Understand?"
"I think so," Madeleine said, picking out some coins and handing them to her. "Is that right?"
"Perfect!" Madam Malkin answered. Madeleine took her things and left the shop, smiling at the thought of having a new friend. Twenty minutes later found Madeleine exiting the apothecary, walking down the street with her robes, her cauldron, a set of scales, a brass telescope, basic potions ingredients, and dragon hide gloves. Now, all that was left was her wand, which she had been looking forward to the most.
But then Madeleine was sidetracked by a loud meowing from one of the shops. It was a magical creature store, and contained a number of strange animals, but what caught her eye was a very large cat sitting on the window sill. The woman behind the counter in the back was helping another customer, so Madeleine shrugged and entered, reaching her hand out to the cat. It looked from her fingers, to her, and back at her fingers, before sniffing them. The cat seemed to contemplate something for a moment, then nudged Madeleine's hand and began rubbing against it, like he or she had deemed her acceptable to touch. Madeleine grinned; she had wanted a cat since she was young…
And really, what's to stop me from getting him? She thought, scratching the cat behind the ears. After all, the Hogwarts letter said cats are allowed…
Ten minutes later, Madeleine was carrying a large meowing crate along with her other purchases, beaming and excited – it was her first pet, after all. The cat's name was Athena, according to the shop owner, and apparently she hated almost everyone. She seemed glad to be rid of her.
Athena was a very big, long–haired calico. Mostly black and orange with bushy fur, bright green eyes, and a black nose, she was apparently one–fourth Kneezle. Madeleine had no idea what that meant, but she was sure it would be in one of her school books, and resolved to look that night.
A promising place for wands was called Ollivander's, which had apparently been around since 382 BC. When Madeleine opened the door, a tinkling bell sounded somewhere inside. It was a small place, and she quickly put her new school things and Athena down on the single chair in the room, cautiously approaching the counter. Behind it she could see rows and rows of shelving with little narrow boxes stacked on them. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled; it was like even the air in the shop tingled with magic.
"Good afternoon," said a voice behind Madeleine. She jumped slightly and turned to see an old man with large pale eyes.
"Hello…" Madeleine said nervously, watching the mad as he nodded and stepped behind the counter.
"Ah yes. Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Madeleine Potter." Did everyone here know who she was? "You look so much like your mother. It seems like only yesterday she was in here buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
Ollivander leaned closer to her. Madeleine wished he would blink; his eyes gave her the heebie-jeebies.
"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more powerful and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it, but it's really the wand that choices the wizard, of course."
Ollivander was even closer now; he and Madeleine were nearly nose–to–nose.
"And that's where…"
He raised one spindly finger to touch the scar on Madeleine forehead.
"I'm sorry to say I sold the one that did it," he continued softly. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful. And in the wrong hands…well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"
He shook his head, then (to Madeleine's relief) pulled a long tape measure from his pocket and asked Madeleine which hand was her wand arm. She answered that she was left–handed, and he instructed her to hold out that arm. Ollivander proceeded to measure her shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and round her head. As Ollivander measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feather, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And, of course, you will never get such good results with another's wand as with your own."
Suddenly, Madeleine realised that the tape measure, which was measuring between her eyebrows, was doing this on its own. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
"That will do." He said, and the tape measure crumpled in a heap on the floor. "Right then, Miss Potter, try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring, nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just give it a wave and see."
Madeleine took the wand and, feeling rather silly, waved it a bit, but Ollivander snatched it from her almost at once and handed her another. That one didn't work, and neither did the one after that, or the one after that. The pile of used wands on the floor was growing, but Ollivander just seemed delighted.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere. I wonder, now…yes, why not? Unusual combination, holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple…"
Madeleine took the wand with trepidation. She was surprised to feel a sudden warmth in her fingers. Her confidence growing slightly, she swished the wand and a stream of green and gold sparks shot from the end like fireworks. Madeleine beamed, and Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed. Oh, very good! Well, well…how curious…how very curious indeed…"
"Sorry…but, what's curious?" Madeleine asked as Ollivander began wrapping her wand in brown paper.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss Potter," he said slowly, and Madeleine was rather impressed. "Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather resides in your wand gave another feather – just one other. It is curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar."
Madeleine gaped.
"Curious how these things happen," Ollivander continued. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. It's not always clear why. But, I think it is clear that we should expect great things from you, Miss Potter. After all, He Who Must Not Be Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great."
Still mulling over Ollivander's words, Madeleine located a store in Diagon Alley that exchanged wizard money for pounds, and got enough that she wouldn't have to worry about getting home to the Dursleys and would have some emergency funds in case she needed to leave again. Soon, she was on a train back to Surrey, feeling grateful that she had already bought her school trunk (which was green and gold, with her initials stamped on it), because all of her things (except Athena, naturally) fit inside it easily.
The train ride seemed far too fast. Madeleine was starting to worry about what she was going to say to the Dursleys. Were they even home yet? If not, what would she do? Break in? Sit on the porch until they came back? And how mad would they be about her leaving, not to mention the fact that she took the boat?
Well, at least I have my wand now, Madeleine thought. Hogwarts, A History had said that it was illegal to use magic outside school before age seventeen, but if Madeleine feared for her life (which had happened before at Privet Drive), she wouldn't hesitate. It didn't matter that she didn't know any spells yet; just shooting those fireworks at her uncle would give her time to get away if need be.
It was a relatively short walk from the tube station to Privet Drive, though Madeleine had never been to the station before today. However, she was familiar with the neighbourhood from all her walks to get away from the Dursleys. Her arms ached by the time she got to Number 4, and Athena meowed loudly every time she stumbled or adjusted her grip.
When she got to the Dursley's house, Madeleine had to gather her courage, because their car was in the drive. Taking a deep breath and reminding herself she was a witch, she slowly opened the door.
The house was silent. No noise from the television, no sounds of Aunt Petunia cooking dinner, no murmur of Vernon complaining about this or that. Madeleine had only heard the house this quiet in the dead of night.
She was immediately suspicious.
The first place she looked was the living room, which was right off the hallway, and the mystery was suddenly solved.
The Dursleys, all looking petrified, were sitting squished together on the sofa, while across from them on an armchair, sipping tea from Petunia's best cup calmly, was a woman whom Madeleine immediately thought must be a witch. She was wearing a green pointed hat and a tartan robe, and looked stern but kind. The woman was the first to see Madeleine, and immediately stood up. The Dursleys flinched and Madeleine bit her lip, wondering if she was in trouble for something.
"Hello, Miss Potter," the woman said, shaking Madeleine's hand politely. "I'm Professor McGonagall, one of the teachers at Hogwarts."
"Nice to meet you, professor," Madeleine said nervously. The woman nodded slowly, as if waiting for her to continue, and Madeleine blurted out, "I'm sorry I ran away, only they wouldn't let me wait for a teacher to get my school things and I didn't want to be unprepared, so I went to London myself and got everything and–"
McGonagall held up a hand to stop her.
"Not to worry, Miss Potter," she said kindly. "I believe I'm all caught up. You're not in any trouble – we understand that action was needed." She glared at Vernon, who let out a whimper. The professor beckoned Madeleine to sit in the other arm chair, and then took her original one before continuing. "I understand that you have been living in a closet?"
Madeleine nodded quickly. Were the Dursleys (or at least her uncle) about to get what was coming to them? She hoped so.
"Yes – the cupboard under the staircase." She said. "I've lived there my whole life."
"I see…" said McGonagall slowly, but whatever she was about to add was cut off by Uncle Vernon:
"Listen, you brat!" he snarled to Madeleine. "You should have been thankful we gave you anything! You should be worshipping the ground we walk on for all we've done for you, not ratting us out to some – freak!"
Madeleine, however, was not going to stand for this any longer. Before the professor, who looked furious, could protest, Madeleine turned to her and said, "He also hits me. When I do magic on accident. And I do most of the cooking and cleaning, and if I do anything wrong or do magic, they lock me in the cupboard without food or water, sometimes for days and even weeks."
Uncle Vernon looked horrified. Petunia looked…almost like she was sorry. Dudley was simply shaking uncontrollably. Professor McGonagall looked like she was prepared to breath fire.
"What?" she hissed, standing and making her way slowly to the Dursleys. "You have been beating and starving this girl in addition to keeping her in a cupboard? Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in for this? The only thing this child is guilty of is bad luck. Bad luck that her parents died, and bad luck that she was stuck with you horrible people!"
That day was the best of Madeleine's life so far. After yelling at the Dursleys for a good hour, McGonagall explained to her that she had to stay there for protection, but that she had a way to much certain that Madeleine wasn't treated horribly anymore. The woman pulled out her wand, pointed it at Aunt Petunia's tea cup, and turned it into what looked like a cuckoo clock.
"I'm going to attach this to the wall with what's called a Permanent Sticking Charm," McGonagall explained to Madeleine. "If anyone tampers with it or tries to remove it, it will send a message to the school and someone will be here right away." Here, she turned to the Dursleys. "If this girl is not at least reasonably happy, and if she is hungry or in pain for more than three hours, a message will be sent to the school and a witch or wizard will arrive to take care of you both." The Dursleys nodded frantically at her words, looking terrified. The professor turned to Madeleine with a smug smile on her face. "Now, if you need anything or if you are afraid, just press this bird here," she pointed to one of the sparrows on the clock face, "And someone will be in touch. Does that make you feel safer at all, girl?"
Madeleine nodded gratefully.
"Very well then," McGonagall said, standing up. "Now, here is your ticket for the Hogwarts express." She handed Madeleine an envelope. "It leaves on September the first at exactly eleven o'clock from King's Cross Station. When you arrive there, just find the barrier between platforms nine and ten and walk straight at it as fast as you can. You'll go right through."
"Okay," Madeleine said, taking the tickets. McGonagall turned back to the Dursleys.
"You are to take her to the station and make sure she gets there on time, or we'll come to get her, understand?"
The Dursleys nodded fearfully. At this point, the professor walked to the couch (Dudley and Vernon flinched) and whispered something into Aunt Petunia's ear. Petunia gaped for a moment, then nodded solemnly, and the witch bade Madeleine goodbye, telling her she'd she her soon, and left.
It was silent for a moment, the Petunia said, "Well, come along, dear. Let's get you a proper room."
For a moment, Madeleine stared, assuming her aunt was talking to Dudley. When the woman gestured to her, however, Madeleine simply nodded and followed with her new things. Soon, a dumbstruck Madeleine was carrying her things upstairs behind her aunt. Petunia gave Madeleine what was usually Aunt Marge's room, saying that a girl should have a nice room, not a nasty place like Dudley's second bedroom and murmuring that Marge didn't come over much anyway.
The room had white panelled walls and wood floors. It contained a desk, two small dressers, a bookshelf, and a full bed, which Petunia striped, putting the linens and blankets in the closet, and re–dressed with white sheets, then washed Madeleine's striped blanket and pillow for her. Together they arranged the furniture to Madeleine's liking, and she found herself laughing and talking with her aunt as if they were close. She wondered what the professor said to Petunia – it certainly seemed to have made her feel much happier. Petunia loved Athena, and apparently it was returned, because the cat climbed out of her crate and climbed up Petunia's sweater the moment she saw her.
That night found Petunia and Madeleine making a late dinner together after finishing the young girl's room. Dudley and Vernon hardly spoke at all; Dudley was watching television and seemed to be back to normal, and Vernon just appeared to be pretending Madeleine wasn't there at all. She was perfectly alright with this.
Petunia explained to Madeleine after dinner that she should feel free to use the television – but mind she didn't turn it up too loudly – get food from the refrigerator – but mind she didn't make a mess – and to use the bathroom as much as she pleased. Madeleine couldn't believe her ears. After McGonagall talked to them, she expected to be completely ignored at best – she didn't expect for her aunt to treat her like – well, like an aunt should.
Once Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley were in bed, Madeleine started to decorate her room properly. She was too happy to sleep; everything that had happened in the past few days was more than she had ever hoped for. Getting her Hogwarts letter, the letter from her mother, buying her school things and Athena, making her first friend, and now her aunt being nice to her and her own room? It was almost like a miracle.
Well, whatever it was, Madeleine decided, it had started when she learned about having magic. So that must mean that magic was lucky – very lucky.