Diagon Alley

1 Month Ago...

It has been a whole of two months since Eliza received her Hogwarts acceptance letter and she is finally able to go to Diagon Alley to shop for her school supplies. As soon as her alarm goes off at 7am she is up and jumping down the stairs to have her French toast and then back up the stairs to get ready. She decides on a nice and simple black dress with stockings and her new lovely cloak. Oh and of course her special locket, she never goes anywhere without it. With a quick brush and a few clips in her hair she's ready to go. Remus and Kassandra were waiting down stairs with the small brass container that contained the floo powder. Eliza never quite got used to using Floo, it makes her feel quite dizzy and sick but it was worth it this time. With a handful of power she steps into the large fireplace and took a few deep breathes. "DIAGON ALLEY." And with that she disappears in a puff of smoke and dust...

A couple of seconds later Remus and her mother join her as she is dusting herself off. Together they decide the order in which they will use to make sure all the shopping gets done in the small amount of time they have. Sadly Eliza can't miss her ballet class as her teacher is a rude old hag that slightly resembles a prune. Because they all decide that getting a wand is definitely the most important thing to do this is where they head first. Ollivanders is the best place to go for this, though it is quite run down Remus insisted there is no place better. There are cobwebs and dust everywhere and it has quite a musty smell yet the word that comes to mind when Eliza thinks Ollivanders, is homely. Weirdly enough there doesn't seem to be anybody in here besides the three of them. Was this place still open for business anymore? "Hello?" her mother hastily calls out. Suddenly a big wooden ladder slams against a shelf somewhere nearby giving Eliza quite a fright. A somewhat small and very old man with long white hair and whiskers comes hurrying to the front desk. "First year needing a wand I suppose" he asks with a hoarse gravelly voice. "y-y-y-"She doesn't know what she is supposed to say, this is all too new to her. "Yes, please" answers Remus for her; she sends him a small, shy grin. "Ah, Remus Lupin I remember you, cypress, unicorn hair and 10 ΒΌ" Wait? How old is this guy and how does he remember that? "I remember every wand I sell in here" he answers with a slight twinkle in his currenty eyes, as if he heard Elizas question. "Now, Miss Black it's time for you to find your wand" he whispers with a crooked smile. "Ahhh here we go what about this" He says to himself as he passes Eliza a light brown almond colored wand with vine patterns going up the sides. But it isn't the one, as she flicks it about a nearby vase explodes and the water drips out onto the floor. "Oh no, better not be that one" he says warily as he snatches the wand out of her small hands. This time he ventures further into the shelves and brings out a lovely dark brown wand with a reddish tint. As she gives it a swish a group of lights, almost like fireflies swarm around her. Ollivander lets out a small noise that sounds like he is pleased. "Rosewood, dragon heartstring and 12 inches it is then." Wow, she can't even think straight anymore, she has her very own wand. But they mustn't dilly dally so off they go to the next store.

Robes are also very important so that is what they decide to get second. Madame Malkins was easily the finest to go to. The store was filled with beautiful robes all over the place with a measuring platform right in the center of it all. It was like something you would see in a dream, though this all feels like a dream to Eliza. Unconsciously, she stumbles into a rack of silk dress robes and receives a very dirty look from a worker. Red in the face and embarrassed, she looks around for Remus and her mother and finds them talking to a round, kind looking lady near the fitting center. As she gets closer she finds out that was the lady who is to fit her for her school robes, she seems like a lovely woman so there isn't a problem with that. It is time for her to step up onto the platform and let a charmed measuring tape swirl around her to find the correct measurements; it is quite a funny feeling. The pinning of the robes feels even funnier as she can occasionally feel the very tips of the needle poking her in the arms. But soon enough it is finished and she can continue with her shopping trip.

Books are next on her list. Eliza has always had a special love for books, ever since she was three years old and her mother brought home a large collection of nursery rhymes. She would sit there for hours each day reading with her mother. This is a very easy task as all they have to do is read the list and use the alphabetical code order of the store to find the books she needs. Of course she just has to pick up a few extras for light reading in bed. It's off to Potage's Cauldron Shop next, which doesn't take long at all either as all it is just picking a cauldron and paying for it. She isn't sure is she wants to buy a pet or not, it is certainly a lot of responsibilities so she just sticks with getting an owl this year. Maybe another year. As she enters Eyelop's an earthy smell appeared. It wasn't a bad smell, rather calming actually. But earthy none of the less. It really isn't a difficult choice as their weren't many remaining owls left. There is a snowy white owl, a small golden speckled owl, and a tawny brown speckled owl that seems to be looking right at her. That was the owl she wanted. Naming it was another choice she quickly has to make, she isn't very good at naming pets. When she was six she had a pet goldfish named Stan, hopefully her creativity has grown since then. Sam? No she's getting into that basic territory again. Tawny? No that just doesn't feel right. Vela? Now that might work. Eliza's mothers side of the family has a tradition of using your name somewhere in your first child name, a middle name perhaps. It doesn't exactly make sense as Vela is Elizas second middle name and this is an owl not a child but it's close enough. She picks her cage up and takes her to the front desk to pay for her. "Now listen here," the shop keeper warns her. "This owl right here can be a bit of a trouble maker if she isn't fed properly so you better stock up while you can." She brings up a rather large bag of owl treats and places it next to the cage. Another 3 galleons, not a problem. That concludes her trip to Diagon Alley so she an her mother venture home to get Eliza ready for her ballet session.

Tying her pink satin ribbon in her bun, Eliza daydreams about the adventures she may experience the friends she could make, the magic she could learn. Just thinking about it is making her heart race. Just a few more days and Eliza can finally escape this muggle world and venture into things beyond her imagination. She enjoys a quick snack of peaches and hurries to tie her ballet shoes and out the door she goes. Skipping as she passes the Vivian Street sign. These last three days are going to be the longest days of her life, she just knows it.