A/N – Sorry for the delay… I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again!
"Love is a burning thing…" Leo sang at the top of his voice.
"Leo, for the gods' sake, shut up!" Piper yelled.
"And it makes a fiery ring…" Leo continued, as if he was deaf to the world.
"Leo Valdez! Will you stop, or should I make you stop?" Piper threatened.
"Calm down, ma Beauty Queen. Such a hot temper you have!" Leo replied, grinning.
Piper rolled her eyes, and turned to Annabeth.
"Where are we going, exactly?" she asked.
Annabeth looked up from her map of London, and said, "Some place called Diagon Alley. We're pretty close to the location, actually. Look out for a shop called the 'Leaky Cauldron', will you?"
"Hey, guys! Watch out for a place called the 'Leaky Cauldron'. We're getting close to our destination!" Piper said, raising her voice so she could be heard over Leo's singing, which he had resumed.
The seven demigods were en route to Hogwarts. They had taken a flight from the States to England (it had taken many hours of persuasion from Chiron for Percy to accept he wouldn't be killed).
And now, they were in a cab, headed for Diagon Alley. Percy and Jason were engaged in a lively discussion about the pros and cons of airplanes, with Frank joining in occasionally.
Hazel was gazing out the window, Annabeth was trying to make sense of their map with a certain level of success and Piper was trying to save herself from the fate of listening to Leo sing another fire-related song, albeit very unsuccessfully.
As the cab turned left to the Charing Cross Road, Hazel called out, "Hey, is that the place?"
"Which one? That broken-down old pub? I expected it to be grander…" Annabeth replied.
Hazel chuckled at that, and said, "There's an enchantment on it. It's supposed to look that way to mortals."
"How did you know that? Wait, don't answer. You are so used to working with the Mist that you saw right past the enchantment. Am I right?" Frank asked.
Hazel nodded, trying to look modest, when the cab pulled over near the shop.
"Are you sure you want to get down here, Miss? I could take you somewhere more suitable for folks of your type…"
"No, that's fine. We'll get down here." Annabeth informed the curious cab driver and paid the fare.
The seven got out and walked to the shop, wheeling their trunks behind them.
The shop door opened, and the demigods were faced with a small pub lit dimly. Many people in robes – wizards and witches – were moving around the room, sitting on the tables, or talking amongst each other.
Annabeth walked up to the bartender, and asked, "Is this the Leaky Cauldron?"
"Of course, Miss. What may I do for you today?" asked the bald, short man, winking at her in a friendly manner.
"We want to know if we can enter Diagon Alley…" Annabeth asked, uncertainly.
"Oh! You are the guests, then! I was informed to take you lot to Diagon Alley myself! Follow me," he said, and walked to the rear of the pub, that opened up to a chilly courtyard.
He took out his wand, and tapped the bricks on the wall in a particular order.
Immediately, the bricks melted away to be replaced with an arch. The bartender entered the archway, and the seven followed, with looks of interest on their faces.
"This will be interesting," whispered Percy, taking Annabeth's hand in his own.
"Certainly," she replied as they walked through the arch.
"This place is amazing!" Leo exclaimed, for about the hundredth time.
He had never thought that he would actually enjoy shopping, but Diagon Alley sold some really wonderful stuff.
Of course, as soon as Tom, the bartender, had shown them around the place a little, Annabeth had insisted on going to Flourish and Blotts to purchase their books.
Since most of them had dyslexia and ADHD as well, the number of books they had to buy had been vastly reduced. Most of the things they would be learning, they would have to keep in their minds.
This was absolutely fine with Leo. Books were a complete waste of time for him.
Next, they had purchased their robes. None of them were too eager about wearing the weird robes to school, but they had no choice.
After buying the essential items required for their stay at Hogwarts, and a visit to the Apothecary, the seven had decided to split up and roam around for some time.
Leo, Percy and Annabeth had decided to visit the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Leo, of course, was in heaven. He ended up buying a sample of almost every trick item they had. Percy was no less, either. He discussed various pranks and tricks they could pull excitedly with Leo. Annabeth spent the first ten minutes rolling her eyes at them, and then got caught up in the excitement herself.
Carrying heavy bags, they stepped out of the joke-shop, and met Jason and Piper coming out of Quality Quidditch supplies.
"Hey, guys! Look what I got!" Jason spoke, enthusiastically.
He was displaying a very fine broom, with a smoothly polished handle.
"So you decided to become the sweeper-man of Hogwarts, Jason?" Leo asked.
"No, guys! Can you believe what these brooms are for? You can fly on them!" Jason exclaimed.
"Cool! I'm going to get one for myself!" Leo said, and in the wink of an eyebrow, he was away and pushing the door of the shop.
Percy rolled his eyes, and said, "You know what, Annabeth, let's go explore some more. I don't think I really want to fly…"
Jason chuckled at Percy's pale expression and said, "I think it's nearly time for lunch, anyway. You go and find Hazel and Frank. We'll go get Leo. Meet us at the Leaky Cauldron, will you?"
"Sure," said Annabeth and dragged Percy away to find Hazel and Frank.
"That was a good meal," said Jason.
"Yes, absolutely delicious!" said Percy.
"Alright, what else do we have to buy now, Annabeth?" Hazel asked.
"Our wands are the only things left," said Annabeth, consulting the list of items they had been given.
"To the wand shop, then! It looked mysterious. I can't wait to go in there," said Leo, a goofy grin on his face.
The seven made their way to Ollivander's wand shop and let themselves in.
They were facing a narrow and shabby-looking room that was dimly lit, and empty.
"Hello? Mr. Ollivander?" Piper called out.
A silence followed. The seven looked at each other uneasily. Something about this place made them nervous. Maybe it was because the room was cramped and packed to the ceiling with boxes and boxes, one on top of another.
Suddenly, an old man with white hair stepped out of the gloom behind a stack of boxes. Ignoring their startled looks, he said, "What do you want, now? You lot had better not be planning any mischief."
"Uh, Mr. Ollivander, we are actually students at Hogwarts, looking for wands." Piper said nervously.
"Hogwarts students? Now, now, you should have told me that before. You look much too old for a wand, though."
Suddenly, his demeanour changed. A sly look came into his eyes and he said, "Sure you are not dark wizards trying to rob me of my wands?"
"Not at all. We just want wands for ourselves. We're starting this year at Hogwarts. Surely you must have been informed about us?" Piper said, putting in a bit of charmspeak in her voice.
"Of course, of course. My memory isn't what it used to be. Come here, now. Sit down on this chair," Ollivander said to Piper, pointing to a single spindly chair in a corner of the shop.
Piper looked at the rest of them nervously, and steeling herself, walked to the chair and sat down.
Ollivander proceeded to ask her a few questions, which she answered honestly. Then, he got down a few boxes from the stacks and asked her to hold each one and wave it.
After a few mishaps, and trying out a few dozen wands, Piper finally found the right one. It felt warm in her hand – no, it felt like an extension of her hand itself. She waved it, and sparks came out from its end.
She smiled. Being a daughter of Aphrodite, she could sense connections, and she knew that the wand had chosen her.
"Hmmm… It's a core of Dragon Heartstring with the wood being from an ancient walnut tree. Very pliant. Good choice," Ollivander said, more to himself than to the rest of the demigods.
Soon, the others had found their wands as well. They paid Mr. Ollivander seven galleons for each wand, and feeling relieved, made their way out of the wand shop.
The sun was setting by then, and Diagon Alley was bathed in orange light that danced from one window pane to the next. The last rays of the sun fell on the cobbled pavement and made the street look magical, like something out of a fairy-tale.
"Beautiful," said Leo.
"I can't believe you said that, Valdez. But it is beautiful," said Frank with a huge smile on his face.
A/N – Diagon Alley done! How did you like this chapter? Personally, it's one of my favourites!
I have a few questions for you guys! First, I really want some good names for the goofball teams… think you can provide me with some?
Second, how do you feel about a Capture the Flag contest at Hogwarts in a later-on chapter?
And last, do you want me to put the seven in the regular old houses as done in other fanfictions? Or do you want some twists?
Review!