Chapter 9: Shopping

The house was so quiet. I hadn't heard it so quiet in years, actually. The reason behind this quietness was that the whole family had gone out. Where to I didn't know. Maybe to the beach or maybe to visit some family friends. All I really knew was that I had refused to join. I couldn't really enjoy the summers anymore, they were too lazy and nothing ever happened. The hollidays bored me.
I sat in my darkened room in the attic, reading in one of the books that I had borrowed from Professor Snape. After I had started with the privat sessions with him, I had learned so much about my condition. I still didn't know what it was, but at least I had grown to know it a lot better. It was like everything was suddenly turning better after that. Even my grades.
None of my family seemed to remember that I was going into my 3rd year at Hogwarts this year. Not one of them had asked me about which new subjects I would be taking for my next couple of years. Maybe they were just too busy fuzzing over Harry, who was now going into his 1st year. I certainly didn't know the reason behind it. Maybe they just didn't care.
I got up from my chair and put the book back into the shelf. I then walked over to the bed, throwing myself down onto it. I liked being alone, it gave me time to think straight. The loneliness embraced me. Of course, when one have no friends one grows to like being left alone. I couldn't quite describe it. I fell asleep so fast that I couldn't help it.

*I was walking down a dark, stone tunnel. Torches were lined up along the tunnel, only giving out a creepy and dim light. The tunnel was icy cold, and it made shivers run down my spine. Where on earth were I? Why were I here? I tried slowing my legs down, but they only kept walking forwards, never slowing down or stopping. I never stopped before I had entered a bright room. There, in the center, stood a man. Pale and in dark robes. Suddenly he turned around to face me. The most scarlet and frightneing eyes in the whole wide world. I fell backwards, and I could hear him approaching me, laughing evily. He was going to...-"

My eyes flew open in pure horror and shock as I fell off the bed. I was panting, cold sweat covering much of my body. It took quite a while before my body realized that it had only been a dream.
It was almost dark outside now, so I must have slept for quite a while. I got to my feet quick as lightning, striding across the room towards the trapdoor in the floor. Slowly I opened it and climbed down the ladder.

"Why is the house still so quiet?" I whispered to myself. "They should be home by now..."

I discovered the house to still be empty. There was no one in the house other than me. Not even the cat was in. I put the cettle on, making some tea to calm myself down. I just had this very bad, sinking feeling that something terrible would happen.

My family didn't come home before very late that night. It was nearly 1 AM. By then I had already had 7 cups of tea and had also eaten about half of the food in the refrigiator.

The very next morning I was woken up by mom shaking me. It was 8 o'clock in the morning. When I asked her why she had woken me up, I only got the short reply:

"We're going out shopping."

I read that as: "We're getting your school supplies today.". I couldn't really have cared less about what to wear, so I only went for a light green summer dress that was reaching just above my knees, and decided to braid my hair. I went all around my room in search of my school robe. I knew that it had grown to be a an inch or two too short, but I didn't really care. I would only be wearing it for the shopping anyways. I would get a new one while there. When I found it, I quickly headed downstairs. I was actually the last one to arrive at the breakfast table, funnily enough.

"Good morning, love!" Mom smiled over at me as I sat down, and she passed me the bread.

"Morning mom." I answered, only managing to give half a smile.

"You will have to hurry. We'll take you and Harry to Diagon Ally to get your school supplies." dad said from behind his morning paper. He might be a very childish dad, but he was always very serious at as he read the newspaper. "I certainly hope that you both have your letters!"

I nodded softly, before fetching my supply list from my pocket, waving it in front of him, for so to put it back in again. Harry had some troubles finding his, though. We spent over 30 minutes before we found it. Sirius had volunteered to babysit Selena, Emily and Daniel.

10 o'clock was the time when we exited Gringotts Bank. I now understood why mom had insisted that we should be getting there so early. It was already almost packed with people! I then remembered that it was only a week before school would be starting, so maybe it wasn't so weird after all. The whole shopping street was just a huge blur of green, red, yellow and blue really. Just a pity that I had no friends among them!

"School uniforms and robes first, then, hm?" Mom shot in.

I really understood her train of thoughts. It was always easier to do all the boring stuff first. Luckily, this was also one of the less crowded shops.

"Oh, hello Mr and Mrs Potter! Good to see you again! I see that young Mr Potter will be starting this year? How lovely!" Madam Malkins was always such a nice woman, but today, of course, she was ignoring me. I was nothing compared to Harry. He was famous after all! I had grown used to being ignored by people long ago.

"Yes. It's shocking how the time seem to fly by!" Mom sounded almost sentimental.
I saw that dad moved a bit closer to her, taking her hand in his own. Mom softly laid her hand onto Harry's shoulder. "Do you have time for Harry and Emerald, madam Malkins?" She asked at last.

Madam Malkins smiled politely at me, but I swear I could spot a surprised look on her face for a short moment.

"Miss Potter, if you would just go up the stair to my assistant? Mr Potter will have to wait a bit, but only a short moment, I can guaratee you."

I almost sprinted up the stairs, too desperate to get away. Upstairs in the backroom was a middle aged, tall woman. She had curly, light brown hair and a very round face. What I noticed the most was that she had gotten several piercings in her right ear. They facinated me.
Straight after the lady began working on me, I decided to zoom out. I had found myself doing that quite a lot, so after a while I had began using it. It was the only way I would be able to think clearly anyways. It must've taked the woman about 20 minutes to get me all fitted and get the clothes ready. She talked so much that she didn't even notice that I wasn't paying attention at all. Usually I didn't like those kinds of people, but that really came in handy right there.

"You are free to go now, hun." The lady said at last, handeling me my new school uniform and robes.

Next stop on our shopping list was Flourish and Blotts where we both got all of our new school books. Nothing much happened there, of course. Harry had always hated books, so he loathed every minute of it. We got in, found our school books, Harry complained, we paid for the books and then we left. Simple as that.
"Emerald? We're going to go with Harry to Ollivanders. You can go shop some more if you'd like?"
I nodded, smiling as mom handed me a small bad of galleons. I really loved shopping alone, even if I rarely got the oppurtunity to do so. Shopping alone gave me more time to think. The first shop that really came into my mind was the Apothecary. I really had to fill up my stock of potions ingrediences.
Many would say that the Apothecary smelled terribly, but I really didn't think so. I found all the different smells strangely refreshing!

"Can I help you with anything, miss?" asked the man behind the counter politely as I approached.

My hand immediately flew to my pocket to fetch my supply list.

"I'll need to refill all of my potions ingrediences. Al of those from the list, including a middle stock of these six ingrediences." I handed the man the two lists.

The man scanned the lists, looking a bit amused and..? What else? Curious? I couldn't really read that emotion very well.

"Of course! It'll take just a moment, miss!"

The man behind the counter hurried to the room behind him, almost resembling a entusiastic child in my eyes. Awkwardly I stood there, by the counter, only looking at the objects on the other side of the counter. I began tapping my fingers on the counter, waiting. After 5 minutes, I got tired, deciding that I would be looking around in the shop instead. Shelves upon shelves with all sorts of glass containers, all in different shapes and colours. I quickly found what amused me the most in the second isle. There, in the very middle of the second isle, was a relativly big class container, small, grey brownish fish looking creatures. At first I thought that my eyes was just messing with me, but as I got closer and closer to container, I figured out that they were indeed alive. With wide eyes I just stood there, staring at the fish-like creatures with awe. Slowly I raised my hand to poke the glass.

"They are called jelly lice."

Heart up my throat, I quickly turned around, only to be met by a very familiar shape.

"Professor Snape! What a wonderful coicidence!" I smiled broadly, before turning around, once again to study the fish-like creatures.

"It is indeed." I could hear him mumble under his breath.

I shifted my body weight over to my left foot, still studying the fish-like creatures, the jelly lice.

"Why are they kept alive?" I finally asked, the curiousity getting out the better of me. It always did.

Professor Snae only smiled a smug and small smile.

"What do you believe is the reason?" he asked, raising one eyebrow at me.

A frustrated huff managed to escape my lips before I could help it. This only made professor Snape smile wider.

"So that they're fresh when you use them, perhaps?"

"Correct! Trust your own instinct, miss Potter. It have proven to be right, pretty often!"

I smiled happily to myself. It really did feel great to receive compliments from professor Snape! He was my favorite teacher after all. Before I knew it I was deeply engaged in a discussion with him, basically talking about everything and everyone. He quickly got to know about how bored I found myself every day, and how I couldn't wait to get back to school. 10 minutes later we exited the Apothecary together, both having our hands full of potions ingrediences. I had planned on leaving him after that, but seeing that I couldn't spot mom, dad or Harry, I decided to stay with him. I might have pretended that I couldn't find them a couple of times just to have more time with him, but they didn't know that! I was not about to tell them anytime soon, either.

Yaaay :D Mattimo here!
This is the longest chapter I've ever written in my entire life! *Le me, so proud* I'm sososososososos sorry if it's too full of typos, but I felt that I owed you the chapter now! I really like this chapter, even though I can't explain why! Maybe it's just because it's so long, I dunno xD
Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter, keep on reviewing, send me a message if you have any ideas. I hope you won't hate me for skipping the 2nd year, but I couldn't really find anything worth writing about in the storyline I have written, so I just decided to skip it. I'll make it up to you, I promise! The next 10+ chapters will be following this next year she is entering :) We have a plan. Okay, good. :3
Thank you :D