Chapter Two: Diagon Alley
The weekend passed torturously slow. For Delphi, who could never focus very long anyway, the anxious jitters of eagerly anticipating the day she would journey into the magical world left her more detached from the world than ever. Twice she had completely forgotten she was mid-conversation with Ms. Taylor who was hardly up to more than sitting on the couch and several times at dinner the other foster kids had snapped their fingers in her face to get her attention. But all the grief that seeped from the walls and usually washed over her was scorched away by the anticipation burning inside of her.
She had completely withdrawn any attempts of getting to know her new house mates and had instead taken to locking herself in her room and taking long walks in all directions. Secretly she had been hoping to catch sight of the wizard that resided in Cokesworth but she never caught sight of anyone who looked anything other than perfectly ordinary…completely muggle.
For hours she roamed when her mind could not focus on the words of her books and she had taken to looking for a mind she could not read, an Occlumens. It was like looking for a needle in the haystack and she always came home with sore legs. She had found nothing and if Professor McGonagall hadn't told her about the wizard, she never would have guessed there was anything to find.
Still, when Monday dawned Delphi was awake with the sun and she dug through her closet noisily – trying on outfits and vetoing them just as quickly as she had put them on. Nothing of hers said, I'm a witch to be taken seriously, and her hair was even more wild than normal. The curls she despised had taken on a new volume during her fitful sleep and she knew better than to try to brush them, it would only leave her with a tangled frizzy mess.
In the end she sat in the living room, in the stuffed chair closest to the door and dressed in her favorite black jumper and her old worn pair of jeans she'd decorated with different patches she'd collected. It didn't scream witch, but it did bolster her confidence. Her hair was a right mess, adding at least a couple of inches to her short frame, but there was nothing she could do about that. Maybe she could find a charm or a spell to tame it but for now all she could do was run her hands over it nervously, fiddling with the ends as she waited.
"Delphi," Delphi snapped to attention as a hand clapped in front of her.
"Sorry," she blinked and focused on Ms. Taylor's slightly annoyed expression. "What were you saying?"
"I asked what time your professor is due to arrive," she said in a tone that clearly indicated that this was a question she'd already asked several times.
"I don't know," Delphi confessed as her foot tapped impatiently on the floor. "She didn't say."
Ms. Taylor didn't respond but her impatience was clear in her tumultuous thoughts. She didn't want to wait, she wanted this meeting over and done with so she could go back to her bed and wallow in her grief. She didn't realize what a boon this was, giving her reason to do more than cuddle a pillow that was quickly losing the scent that made it special.
Delphi had briefly hoped that now that Ms. Taylor had made it out of her bedroom the law of motion would kick in. But it seemed grief defied even Newton and Ms. Taylor would lock herself away again as soon as she could. Not that that was any concern of Delphi's. The whole house was rotten with grief and Delphi was not having it. She was going to be a witch, she was going to be the best damned witch the world had ever seen and she wouldn't let this house full of sorrow drag her down.
She was blessed, she'd decided. She didn't have the baggage that weighed them down. She would soar so far above them that they'd cease to even exist to her once she left for Hogwarts.
"Well it's quite rude to keep us waiting," Ms. Taylor sniffed and her thoughts turned darker. It was now noon and there was still no sign of Professor McGonagall. Ms. Taylor was quickly running out of the strength it took for her to even sit waiting.
By three her energy was spent and she had stopped caring at all. "I'm tired," she said as she stood. Delphi watched as Ms. Taylor made her way to the stairs with a white-hot flash of anger. "Have fun today."
Then she was gone and Delphi was left alone with her thoughts. She had to remind herself that Ms. Taylor was not her parent, even if she was her temporary guardian, and she shouldn't expect anything from a woman who couldn't manage to get out of bed without a Valium and a bottle of wine. This was not the first time a foster parent didn't care at all and it wouldn't be the last.
She only had herself to look out for her – the way it always had been.
Yet today that thought rattled her nerves.
At four-thirty, just as Delphi was beginning to think the professor would never come, the doorbell rang. Delphi leapt up and bolted to the door – all her annoyance and impatience dying in the space of a breath. She was already beaming as she swung the door open and came face to face with Professor McGonagall who was now wearing a floor length black dress with long sleeves and a black robe draped loosely over her shoulders. She looked like a proper witch and Delphi loved the way her bodice fit tightly and her skirts swayed around her pointed boots. "Professor," she grinned and stepped out, closing the door behind her.
"Miss Riddle," Professor McGonagall greeted with a tight smile and guarded eyes. "Was I not supposed to talk with your guardian?"
Delphi shrugged and looked towards the street, ready to go. "She didn't care to chat. I told her about a fancy boarding school in Scotland that had given me a scholarship and she seemed pleased enough. Can we go?"
For a minute, she was almost sure Professor McGonagall would demand to talk with Ms. Taylor, who was utterly incoherent at the moment, but then she pursed her lips and seemed to let it go. "All right, take my arm. We'll use Apparition to get to London."
Delphi did so and before she could ask what Apparition was, the most awful feeling came over her. She felt as if her whole body was being sucked through a straw and tossed in a blender. The world spun and Delphi felt her stomach revolt as her feet landed on solid ground. "I think might be sick," she groaned as she used the professor's arm to steady herself.
"You wouldn't be the first to throw up on my shoes," Professor McGonagall grinned as Delphi fought down a wave of nausea with sheer force of will.
She would not give in. She was stronger than her rolling stomach. She swallowed and breathed deeply, pushing it away and chanting to herself that she was not weak. The start of her magical career would not be puking on her professor's shoes. After a moment the nausea faded and she was able to stand on her own. "That was terrible," she said as she fixed her jumper.
"Yes, Side-Along Apparition is much worse than Apparating yourself." Professor McGonagall seemed distracted though, she was looking around until her gaze settled onto a group of adults with children clutching their hands.
Did she look as scared as they did? No, she could feel her excitement building again and her lips were already curling upwards.
"Come along, we need to join the others." Delphi followed her professor over to the group of wary looking adults. "I thank you all for meeting me here," Professor McGonagall told the group as Delphi took her place beside a girl with hair that seemed determined to defy gravity with its bushiness. "Now if each of you all will grab your child's hand you will the Leaky Cauldron on the other side of the street."
Delphi watched as the children took the hands of their parents. She was biting her tongue when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Professor McGonagall was peering down at her with the warmest look Delphi had ever seen on the stern professor's face. "Alright, let's go forward and journey into another world."
The Leaky Cauldron was packed with witches and wizards as they sat drinking from large goblets and smoked from pipes that lit themselves. There were a group of witches playing a tile game rather loudly but when Delphi leaned over to catch a better look, the tiles were blank. There wasn't much fanfare, Professor McGonagall led them straight to the back without stopping and out a door that led into a small, cramped back alley. "Alright," Professor McGonagall called for attention over the murmured conversations. "The trick to opening the gateway is to tap these three bricks with your wand in the right order."
Delphi committed the pattern to memory only a second before the brick wall began to move and shift away, revealing the warm and sunny Diagon Alley in all of its glorious chaos. There were so many people dressed in full robes and donning brightly colored hats. One wizard popped into existence right beside the girl with bushy hair and the woman holding her hand screamed. "Nothing to be frightened of, see Emma?" The wizard said and the woman grew deathly pale when she heard her name.
Professor McGonagall led the party slowly down the alley. Pointing out each shop and explaining what supplies could be bought there. But they didn't stop at any of the shops even though Delphi desperately wanted to go inside Flourish and Blott's and Mr. Ollivander's. Instead, they kept walking towards the slightly crooked white marble building standing at least three stories taller than any of the other shops in the alley. Professor McGonagall paused at the top of the steps and peered down the group seriously. "I must warn you," she told them gravely. "Gringotts Wizarding Bank is run by Goblins and Goblins are a stickler for manners. Please try not to gape, point, or offer them cheese." Delphi's eyebrows rose in surprise as Professor McGonagall let out a loud sigh as if she were reliving a particularly awful memory. "While we are here feel free to exchange your muggle money for magical currency, open a vault for your young witch or wizard, or anything else. The bank offers a variety of services that are not offered at your own banks. Miss Riddle, if you would follow me please."
The group moved as one large amoeba with Delphi at the forefront, just behind her professor. There were loud gasps as the short, hairy, beady eyed goblins came into view and Delphi heard one boy say, "Daddy, I don't like them can't we leave?"
It was his loss, Delphi decided as she followed Professor McGonagall over to a Goblin behind a desk. He was weighing rubies with fat stumpy fingers and wore a small pair of eye glasses. "Ahem," Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and the Goblin looked up. "Miss Riddle needs to be filed under the destitution clause to claim an orphan's fund and I have this," Professor McGonagall reached into the small velvet drawstring purse hanging on her belt and pulled out a letter tied with twine. To her surprise, she saw the twine light up with magic and flare as the Goblin grabbed it and looked it over.
"Very well," the Goblin replied in a deeper voice than Delphi had been expecting. "Griphook will show you to Vault 713 while Miss Riddle files her paperwork."
Professor McGonagall turned to Delphi and said, "I shall be right back Miss Riddle, please rejoin the group when you are finished and I will find you."
Nodding, Delphi turned to the Goblin expectantly. "Before you are eligible for the orphan's fund we need to check and see if you lay claim to any pre-existing vaults." He told her in his deep, gravelly voice. "It's just a precaution – after the war there were so many magical children shuffled into the muggle world that our system was terrorized by children who didn't know they came from magical families."
Delphi nodded quietly, her stomach churning and threatening to heave its contents as the Goblin motioned to small black box on his desk. It wouldn't move from its spot as if the bottom had been glued to the desk but the top opened like a ring box and Delphi found herself staring at a particularly sharp looking needle. The tale of Sleeping Beauty entered her mind and she withdrew her hand cautiously. "Well come on then," the Goblin growled at her, "I don't have all day."
Mustering up her courage, Delphi pricked her finger and watched as the needle slowly turned red and then lowered itself and disappeared into the black velvet lining. The box snapped closed and when Delphi looked at her finger, the wound had already closed leaving only a drop of blood on her finger. She sucked it away as the Goblin caught a scroll in midair that suddenly appeared.
"Let's see what we've got here," he growled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Hmm, interesting, very interesting."
Delphi tried to lean forward and peer at the parchment but she was too short to get a good look. "Excuse me," she interrupted politely, "but what's interesting?"
The Goblin looked up and peered at Delphi over his spectacles. "It appears you do not qualify for the orphan fund after all. You have a trust set up in your name, Miss Riddle."
"I do?" She gasped, her stomach clenching and doing summersaults.
"Yes, should I gather another Goblin to take you down?" Delphini felt her head nod but she felt disconnected from her body in a way that left her fearful she might wake up at any moment back in Cokesworth – still waiting by the door for Professor McGonagall to show up.
"Snarlclaw," the Goblin called and a younger, though equally hideous, Goblin stepped forward from his post by the door behind the teller desks. "Take Miss Riddle to her trust – Vault 611." Then he peered back at Delphi with a puzzled expression. "Do you have your key?"
"Of course I don't have a key," she snapped, a little more harshly than she intended. "I didn't even know the trust existed!"
The Goblin merely gestured back to the black box and Delphi gave a loud sigh of resignation. She pricked her finger once more and a tiny, golden key appeared on the desk. "I suggest you not lose it again," the Goblin told her gravely.
Delphi almost snapped back at the teller that she hadn't ever had it in the first place but at that moment Snarlclaw interrupted with a gruff, "Follow me please."
With one last parting glare, Delphi marched after the Goblin and tried calm her raging emotions. The cart that took them deep underneath Gringotts was a wild, jerky ride that reminded Delphi faintly of a fair she'd once been to, but the joy of the adrenaline was lost to her. Her thoughts refused to alter from what awaited her in Vault 611. Her hands were shaking by the time the cart slowed to a stop and her head felt light as the Goblin demanded her key.
She watched as he scraped one long fingernail down the ornate door and heard a series of switches and pops before a small section swung open to reveal a lock for the golden key to open. The Goblin turned the key and the door swung open releasing a large cloud of green smoke that made her eyes sting and water. As the smoke faded, Delphi got her first peek inside. There were mounds of gold taller than she was – even with her crazy hair – and large piles of silver and bronze. But what caught her breath in her throat was not the fortune sitting underground waiting for her, but the old yellowed envelope sitting dead center – propped up on gold to catch the eye – with her name written in the most beautiful swirling hand she'd ever seen.
Tenderly, and with great care, Delphi reached for the letter and traced her fingers over her name. Tears welled up, threatening to spill over, as she turned the envelope over in her hands and found a deep green wax seal in which a coat of arms she didn't recognize was deeply imprinted. Careful not to break the wax so that she might examine it later, Delphi opened the letter.
My daughter,
It is my most fervent wish that you never read this letter. As I write this you sleep next to me, a serene mess of dark curls that I fear you have inherited from me and sleepy smile curling your lips that knows nothing of the danger that stalks our family from every side. This letter is merely a precaution that I fervently hope you never discover because if you are reading this, then I have failed you.
A mother is supposed to raise her daughter – I am supposed to be the one to teach you how to tame your hair and curse the boys who pick on you. I am supposed to teach you everything my mother taught me, but I fear I will never get to see you flushed over your first potion or bright eyed after your first spell. I fear that our enemies are closing in on us and even though I desperately wish it were different – that life was different, please know that all I do is for you. So that you may have a future brighter than my own. I love you, with all my heart – I love you my darling Delphini. Though I fear I may never see you grow up.
With your father gone I am all you have left – and yet I can't help but fear that soon you will lose me too.
If such a tragedy comes to pass I cannot predict how or by whom you will be raised. There is no guarantee that my will shall be honored – in the eyes of the Ministry, I am a criminal. I have supported a rebellion with dreams of reshaping the world and we have failed. You may hear very bad things about me but I urge you not to listen. Tell no one of your connection to me or the powerful gifts you possess for there are treacherous enemies that will beguile you with falsehoods and attempt to use or even worse, kill you – if they find out who you are.
Work hard, my daughter. Study all magic and carve your place in the world as one of the greatest witches of her age. You come from ancient and noble blood, never forget that. There is a seed of greatness in you and even if I am gone, know that right now – as I pen this letter – I expect great things from you. Never settle and never stop chasing your dreams even when they feel more like burdens. Delphini – be happy, be healthy, and above all be spectacular.
With all of my love,
Your Mother
Bellatrix LeStrange
When she was finished, Delphi clutched the letter to her chest and smelled the faint sweet cloying scent of roses still lingering on the paper. Tears streamed down her face as her knees wobbled and threatened to give out. Quietly, Delphi tucked the letter back into the envelope and tucked it carefully in the pocket of her zip-up jacket. She cleared the lump in her throat and turned to the Goblin waiting respectfully by the door. "Is there some kind of storage I can get to transport my gold?"
"I have a money purse – only a galleon if you'd like it." The Goblin pulled out a black velvet drawstring purse and Delphi picked up a piece of gold and tossed it to him.
He plucked the gold from midair and tossed her the purse. Delphi scooped gold into her purse blindly as she thought her mother. The mounds of gold meant very little to her in that moment and she knew she would have traded it all to have her mother back. The shiny fortune was cold and hard in her hands as she shoveled until the purse was completely full. It was probably too much – she probably wouldn't need the small fortune now in her pocket beside her letter – but it did nothing to fill the emptiness in her heart or dull the ache of loneliness.
She was a cursed child – she could see it now. It didn't matter that she had no memories of her parents, she was the same as the mechanical little boy. She sat stiffly in cart, endured the ride back up to the surface, and marched back to the group in the atrium. And when Professor McGonagall turned to her with trepidation in her eyes, Delphi felt her soul ache as she lied.
"Papers are all signed Professor," she smiled though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sorry it took so long, I had to exchange the muggle money I've saved up. I even had enough to put some away in a vault I set up for myself."
Her mother's warning still clear and ringing in her mind.
"You – You filled out the paperwork?" Professor McGonagall repeated blankly. "Gringotts proved you're – oh thank the heavens above." Delphi watched, as her mother's words repeated in her head. Treacherous enemies that will beguile you… "I mean, I'm very glad there were no problems Miss Riddle – they've had a terrible time as of late with getting the proper financing from the Ministry of Magic and I was worried you might have to wait to get your supplies."
The smile Professor McGonagall flashed Delphi was warm and genuine – the first since she'd shown up with pursed lips and hard eyes at her foster home. Her wrinkled hand touched her shoulder affectionately and the treacherous professor guided her out into the sunshine – all the while Delphi felt her future get heavier and heavier with each step she took.
"Oh, I'm ever so excited to get a wand," the bushy haired girl next to Delphi smiled as Professor McGonagall led them to Mr. Ollivander's wand shop. "I'm Hermione Granger by the way."
Delphi tried to return the girl's smile but it felt stiff and fraudulent on her face. "Delphi Riddle," she replied and the girl beamed.
"Once we're at Hogwarts we'll have to study together," Hermione practically radiated joy. "I've heard that Hogwarts has one of the very best libraries in the country!"
Delphi nodded noncommittally as they were herded into the dusty shop. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as the feeling of something soft and intangible washed over her. "Professor McGonagall," the wandmaker greeted enthusiastically. "And the muggleborns, of course – of course. Step in please but please don't touch the wands – they can be terribly temperamental. So which young witch or wizard should we pair first?"
As the horde of children all rushed forward to be first, Delphi sat back in one of the chairs and tucked her hands in her pockets. Her thumb brushing over the envelope hidden from prying eyes. She didn't know what to make of her mother's letter. Ultimately, it left her with more questions than answers and she didn't know enough about the world she was born to, to quite know how to act. She wanted to know who her father was and if gone meant dead or just gone like a deadbeat. She wanted to know why others would want to hurt her, or even worse kill her. Most of all, she wanted to know what powerful gifts she possessed. Legillimancy didn't seem particularly powerful – if anything it was rather more a burden than a gift. It often left her unfocused and addled which wasn't something she particularly enjoyed.
"Is everything all right?" Professor McGonagall sat down beside her as the wandmaker hauled in boxes of wands from the shelves. "I can't help but notice how sad you look. Did something happen at Gringotts?"
Delphi shook her head and nibbled on her lip. "It was more like what didn't happen," she lied again and looked to the professor. "They had to test me you know, to see if I had access to any vaults. I guess I just got my hopes up that my parents were magical and –"
She stopped, the tears in her eyes very real and spilling down her cheeks in hot streams. "I've always told myself it doesn't matter – but I guess I'm realizing it does matter. To me at least."
"Oh child," Professor McGonagall wrapped an arm around Delphi and pulled her close, resting her chin atop Delphi's wild curls. "Of course they mattered, whoever they were they were your parents. But you are not alone anymore – your house at Hogwarts will be like your family. You will make friends and should you ever need anyone to talk to, I will always be there to help and guide you."
Delphi repressed her bitter thoughts and gave her professor what she hoped was smile even though it felt more like a grimace. They sat there for nearly an hour before it Delphi's turn to find a wand. "Up you go," Professor McGonagall smiled encouragingly, "go find your wand while I answer some of the parent's questions. I'll be just over there."
Delphi stood and made her way to the counter that was covered in dusty wand boxes and broken glass. Mr. Ollivander look up at her with sharp, intelligent silver eyes, "Ah, and yet another witch to be paired." He spoke softly but there was a graveness in his tone that made Delphi look over her shoulder to find Professor McGonagall completely immersed in conversation with the adults while the first-years were inspecting their new gleaming wands. "You know," Mr. Ollivander spoke slowly and Delphi turned her gaze back to the wandmaker. "I had a young Riddle come in once upon a time, many years ago – Yew and Phoenix Feather – a powerful wand for a powerful wizard."
Delphi felt her heart pounding thunderously in her chest. "You did?"
Mr. Ollivander gave her a solemn nod, "I did. Now let's find out what kind of wand you shall bond with, shall we?"
He turned from the counter as she nodded and disappeared into the depths of the shelves. He came back, arms laden with long, thin, and dusty boxes. "Let's try this one," he said, handing her a sandy colored wand. The moment it brushed her fingers the wandmaker snatched it away muttering, "No, no Larch is not for you."
Delphi tried all sorts of wands – Dogwood, Rosewood, Vine, and Mahogany, but each time the effects got worse and worse. She accidently made glass shatter and set fire to the curtains, there were strange puffs of smoke and one wand even shocked her hard enough that she dropped it on the floor where it spit out tufts of dirt that dirtied the floor. But as the pile for rejected wands grew bigger so to did Mr. Ollivander's strange smile. "Tricky, tricky…just like the last one. Hmm…I wonder – " he paused and gave Delphi an appraising look.
Mr. Ollivander disappeared once again into the shelves and then returned moments later with a single wand. Carefully, the wandmaker opened the box and Delphi peered over the counter to get a good look. The wand was beautiful – dark grey wood polished until it gleamed and the handle was intricately carved with roses. "Careful now," Mr. Ollivander warned her seriously as he gently picked up the wand by the tip and held it out to her.
The moment the wand slid into her grasp, Delphi knew this was her wand. A warmth settled into her palm and worked its way up her arm until her whole body felt warm and slightly dizzy. The lights overhead dimmed and faintly Delphi could hear Hermione saying she was sure Delphi had found her wand. "Hmm…" Mr. Ollivander hummed thoughtfully, his mood serious when she expected him to be elated that she'd been properly matched.
"Excuse me," she asked quietly, "but what's wrong?"
Mr. Ollivander peered down at her with his lips in a hard line. "Nothing is wrong per se, but the wand that has chosen you is Hawthorne and Phoenix Feather – a powerful wand. I do not generally place Hawthorne in the hands of novices Miss Riddle, do you know why?"
Delphi swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head. "Because most wands have limitations Miss Riddle. Some have a flair for artistry but are not particularly adept combative magic, while others are more suited for dueling and the like but not particularly strong with say, healing magic. The wand in your hand Miss Riddle, is as much capable of healing as it is killing. Hawthorne is a particularly powerful wood and paired with a Phoenix Feather – that wand could do anything you asked it to."
With wide eyes Delphi looked from the wandmaker to the wand, gleaming beautifully in the lamplight and humming pleasantly in her hand. "If I sell you this wand you must promise me you will be very careful – Hawthorne is powerful but it is also quick to backfire if you are not careful."
"I promise," Delphi choked out, her voice low and scratchy.
"Then that will be thirteen galleons," Mr. Ollivander told her as he stood up straight and smiled.