Chapter IV

Diagon Alley: Part 1

Kelsey awoke at 5 AM, the early morning light filtering in through the curtained windows. Kelsey lay there, pondering all that had occurred in the past few days. She listened to the quiet ticking of Mister Potter's cuckoo clock on the wall opposite her. Kelsey thought about her mum, and her emotional reaction to the revelation of Kelsey's abilities. Was it really that bad?

Kelsey sighed deeply and turned onto her side. At that moment, she remembered that she never packed any travelling clothes. She would have to remind Mister Potter at some point before they departed Little Whinging. Kelsey glanced at the clock.

It was 5:45. Had that much time really lapsed? Kelsey sighed once again and thought about her abilities. Being a witch certainly explained all the strange incidents in her life. The Dementor, being a prime example. What did the future hold in store for her, she wondered?

Breakfast consisted of fried ham, two eggs, toast, bacon and curry. The side dish was made of fried tomatoes and fruit. Kelsey did not realize how hungry she was until she began eating. Harry laughed when Kelsey stared in awe as the empty plate that held the ham suddenly refilled. Greedily, she stabbed several pieces and tore into the meat.

"Slow down, sweety, before you choke!" Mister Potter laughed. Kelsey paused, then burped, and went red with embarrassment.

"Excuse me..." she muttered.

Harry chuckled. "It's quite alright."

After breakfast, Harry told Kelsey to hold onto his arm, and suddenly, there was sickening tug on her stomach. Reality became a confusing kaleidoscope of mixed object and blurry colours, and then she was on her feet. Kelsey felt her breakfast stir rather unpleasantly in her stomach, but fought the urge to vomit.

"Ah, yes, sorry. I forgot to mention that Apparating is rather unpleasant," Harry said.

Kelsey looked at him queasily, and stood upright.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking at the dusty bar and inn they walked into. There were many patrons here, most of whom were drinking and eating.

"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, Kelsey, our gateway to Diagon Alley."

Kelsey had never been inside a pub before, so she was quite taken aback by the air of it all. Harry gently led Kelsey past the bar, giving the ancient bartender a curt nod before shuffling her into the back alley. There was nothing there except a few old barrels and a sack of flour.

"Sir...?"

Harry whipped out his wand and tapped the bricks above the trashcan: three up, two across. Instantly, the wall opened up to reveal a crowded street with marvelous buildings and all sorts of characters.

"Wo-w!" Kelsey exclaimed in utter wonder.

Harry smiled and led her through, keeping a hand on her shoulder so as not to lose her in the crowd. All sorts of wonderful sounds filled the air in Diagon Alley. Kelsey so wanted to visit all the shops, especially Gamble & Japes, which had an exploding Pygmy Puff that would resurrect itself on display. Harry was starting to regret showing Kelsey the Pygmy Puff.

At the very end of the long, twisting, cobblestone street, was a magnificent, towering , white marble building.

"Gringotts. The safest place in the wizarding world, next to Hogwarts, of course," breathed Harry. Kelsey glanced at Harry, and noticed the jagged scar on his right temple.

"Mister Potter?" she asked.

"Hm?" Harry looked down at Kelsey.

"You never told me how you got that scar on your forehead," she said.

"Another time," he replied, going stiff.

He opened the huge doors of Gringotts, to be met with a second pair, silver. These, he opened as well, and Kelsey was truly in awe.

A large, cavernous room greeted the duo. Hundreds of goblins bustled about, busy with their work. A large desk rose high from the ground, with a hundred more goblins situated in high chairs, filling out paperwork and helping customers. Thousands of doors leading who knows where dotted the room. Kelsey followed Harry to an available goblin.

"Good 'morrow," greeted Harry. "I've come to make a withdrawal from my safe. Harry Potter."

The goblin was very old, with wrinkles and bags. He peered at Mister Potter over his spectacles, and made a passing glance at Kelsey.

"Key," he said curtly.

Harry produced a gold key, tarnished by years of use and wear. The goblin inspected it, then handed it back to Harry.

"I shall have a goblin accompany you to your vault."

Harry nodded. All the while, Kelsey was tightly gripping Harry's coat, slightly intimidated by the cavernous building and the multitude of goblins. Harry chuckled and rubbed her hair, which made her feel a bit more secure. Before long, a goblin called Jarnunk joined them, and silently led the two to one of the doors at the end of the hall.

It was a very narrow passage laid out with a railway that sloped downward steeply. Jarnunk whistled shilly and a mining cart appeared. The three climbed in and instantly shot off down the track. Kelsey screamed in terror and tightly gripped Mister Potter, who calmly held her secure. They twisted left, right, left, left again, until Kelsey lost track. All she knew was that the temperature was dropping. Before she knew it, the hurtling ride was over. They were at the vault.

Harry unpocketed his key, and handed it to Jarnunk, who unlocked the vault. Kelsey gasped. Mountains and mountains of gold, silver, and bronze coins. Mister Potter brought out a large purse and began scooping generous amounts of each type of coin into it, tied off the top, and handed it to Kelsey. The bag was very heavy with the money.

"All yours. Spend it however you like, but remember, we need to buy your school supplies. You may want to save some for the holidays as well."

"Thank you so much, Mister Potter!" Kelsey breathed, and hugged him. The three squeezed back into the cart, and began their harrowing journey back to the surface.