Saturday came soon enough. Aria was up before her dad, going through her pitiful amount of clothes trying to find something to wear. What did wizards wear? Did they have their own fashion? She finally settled on a pair of jeans, her favorite Converse that she had gotten at the local charity shop, a pink t-shirt and a denim jacket. She topped it off by putting her hair into a French braid and slipping on a cute olive-green headband.
Hearing her dad finally come out of his bedroom she grabbed her blue cross-the-body clutch and sped out into the hallway. He looked her up and down and she looked over his dark jeans and collared shirt.
"Someone's excited," he teased. "You've got your supply list?" Aria opened her clutch and showed him where she had stored it.
Breakfast consisted of a bagel with cream cheese and juice while Kenneth poured himself a strong cup of coffee. When the clock read 8:50 Kenneth slipped on his shoes and they left the house, locking the door behind them, and walking the few yards over to Snape's house.
Professor Snape let them into his dingy entry way. Aria almost knocked over a set of books piled against the wall. Snape raised an eyebrow and she giggled nervously.
"Sorry," she muttered. "What are you wearing?" The man had a black robe over his other black clothes, except this robe wasn't like a bathrobe and it had more buttons at its center and sleeves than Aria had ever seen on a piece of clothing.
"This is called a robe," Snape replied. "They are the staple piece of clothing for all wizards and witches although the more informal non-robe fashion is quite common amongst school age children."
"Will we stick out like this?" Kenneth asked.
"You might," Snape replied. "Depends on how many other Muggleborn families are shopping today."
"Muggle what?"
"My apologies, I didn't explain. Non-magical people are called Muggles. Children with magic whose parents are Muggles are called Muggleborns."
"What other kinds of kids are there?" Aria asked. "And I won't be the only Muggleborn will I?"
"No, you won't be," Snape assured her, bringing them into his living room. The walls were lined with bookcases overflowing with papers, periodicals, and books. There were books in stacks all along the edge of the room and a stack of magazines on the coffee table.
"Read much?" Kenneth asked. Snape glared at him.
"What other kinds of kids are there?" Aria asked. "What do they call kids with two magical parents? Or if only one parent is magical?"
"The other two types of magical people are pureblood and half-blood," Snape told her. "Pureblood meaning that there has never been a Muggle in the family and half-blood . . . the simplest answer is that half-bloods have had Muggle ancestry at some point, but that's just in wizarding Britain."
"There are wizards and witches outside of the UK?" Aria cried.
"Of course, there are! We don't have a monopoly on magic." Snape led them to the fireplace. "This is the Floo. This is Floo Powder. You throw it into the fire, step into the flames, and speak clearly where you want to go. Now, since it is the first time for both of you, I will take you both through one at a time. So, which one of you would like to go first?"
Aria shook her head. No way was she stepped foot into a fire!
"You can't be serious," Kenneth muttered.
"I assure you I am completely serious," Snape drawled. "I expect I'll have to say that many times throughout our adventure today. Kenneth, I am volunteering you to go first. Miss Bourne, watch closely, I will be back for you." He grabbed Kenneth's arm, threw in a pinch of the Floo Powder, yelling his destination as he dragged Kenneth into the green flames. Aria screamed as they disappeared, and the flames returned to their normal orange and red.
WHAT. HAD. JUST. HAPPENED.
Aria sat on the armchair, shaking. Where had they gone? When would Snape return? Was her dad all right?
The greens turned green and suddenly Snape was stepping out of the fireplace. Aria cried out again, springing to her feet.
"Where's my dad?" she cried.
"At the Leaky Cauldron," Snape replied. "Please, take my arm and don't let go. I wouldn't want to lose you in the wrong grate."
With a whimper Aria grabbed Snape's arm and allowed him to drag her into the fire. To her surprise the fire did not burn but the tossing and whirling did surprise her, as did the sudden yank out of a grate into another room.
Gasping for breath and whirled around, seeing her dad sitting at a table drinking from a cup. An older man stood behind Kenneth and grinned seeing Professor Snape.
"Good to see you again," the man replied. "Just got Mr. Bourne here a glass of water." Kenneth handed the cup to Aria who drank from it, clearing her throat where some soot had gotten in. Snape pulled out a long stick from his sleeve and waved it over Aria. She felt a cool breeze rush over her and she looked down, realizing that all the soot she had been covered in was now gone.
"Wicked!" she cried. "Will I learn to do that?"
"Eventually. Finish your water." Aria finished the water, handing the goblet to the old man who introduced himself as Tom, and Snape ushered her and Kenneth through the pub's backdoor into a small courtyard that had empty crates and a crow that flew off when they stepped outside.
"Now, I want you to watch carefully," Snape said to Aria. "You'll need to remember the brick combination to get back into Diagon Alley. Though Tom will help you if you forget, it's best not to." Aria nodded, staring intently as Snape took his wand and tapped a pattern on the brick face of the courtyard's backwall. She gasped and Kenneth yelped as the bricks pulled apart, creating an archway which led out onto a cobblestone street straight out of a Dickens novel.
"This is amazing!" Aria squealed as she followed Snape down the street passing witches and wizard of all shapes, sizes, and looks. Some wore bright colored robes and pointy hats, others wore more muted colors. Still others had what looked like high end clothes and others more common clothing. They passed street carts selling fruit, a bookshop called Flourish and Blott's, an animal store called Eeylops Owl Emporium. Through the window she could see owls and other animals.
"Where do we start?" Kenneth asked Snape.
"We will start at Gringotts," Snape answered. "That's the bank. It is the largest wizarding bank in the world. We will get our money there."
They came to the end of the street before it branched off in two directions and climbed up the granite stairs. The building was a little crooked to Aria amusement. Snape stopped them right before they entered.
"A warning," he said, "Gringotts is run by the Goblin Nation. Do not stare. It's rude. Be respectful and we'll have no problems."
"Goblins?" Kenneth squeaked. Aria took his hand, wondering if they were anything like the goblins from The Princess and the Goblin. They entered the bank, the floor marble and the bank teller windows dark wood like the bank from Mary Poppins. Goblins ended up being small creatures with gnarly looking faces and teeth like fangs; and each goblin walked around in suits with tails!
It was very difficult not to stare so Aria turned her attention to the crystal chandelier hanging above them.
Snape led them to a teller with the nameplate REDFIST in gold lettering. The goblin showed off its teeth in what could have been a smile. Snape touched his right fist to his left shoulder and nodded to the goblin.
"Professor Snape," the goblin greeted, his voice harsh like there was sand in his throat. "What can I do for you? I see you have a Hogwarts student? Muggle exchange?"
"We will actually need an application for assistance," Snape replied. "I of course will vouch for the need of the family. A full amount will be necessary."
Redfist rifled through whatever drawers he had on his side of the teller window and produced a parchment and quill.
"I'll need this filled out and signed by the guardian of the child," Redfist said, glancing at Kenneth.
"I . . . have no idea how to use a quill," Kenneth replied. Redfist sighed but put the quill away, producing another quill that was blue.
"This is a Never-Out Quill," the goblin said, "I am told it is most similar to the Muggle fountain pen, though I've yet to verify it myself." Kenneth took the blue quill and, after fiddling with it for a few seconds, began filling out the application. Aria stood on her toes to see what her dad was doing, which was nothing more than filling out his name, Aria's name, what year at Hogwarts she would be entering and signing off on the parchment. Redfist took the parchment, looked it over, yelled at another goblin in words that sounded like angry gibberish, and handing him the parchment. A few minutes later the goblin returned with a sack which Redfist slid over to Kenneth.
"One hundred galleons," the goblin said, "that should be enough to get your child through her first year. Next summer if you are still in need of assistance you can request a form via owl or come in person to fill out a new application."
Kenneth nodded, taking the sack. Aria peered into the sack.
"It's gold!" she cried. The goblin chuckled.
"Those are Galleons," Snape replied. "There are three coins: Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. Seventeen Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle." He motioned them to leave the bank.
"Those seem rather arbitrary," Kenneth commented. "Though I suppose that's the pot calling the kettle black seeing how we Brits use to do money."
Aria ignored the two adults, pulling out her supply list.
"Where should we go first?" she asked.
"I suggest that we go to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to get you measured for your school robes," Snape answered. "You'll need to be measured for them and we'll be able to shop while they are being made."
The three walked almost all the way back down Diagon Alley to the store in question. A bell jangled overhead as they entered. They heard a woman call, "Just a minute!"
Aria peered behind the front desk to several sets of mirrors and stools. One child was currently getting measured for robes, though it looked like he had just started as a measuring tape was whizzing about him.
"Good morning, Professor Snape," a plump woman greeted as she came up to the counter. Her graying blonde hair was up in a messy bun and there were already wisps of hair strands framing her face. "First year student eh?"
"Indeed," Snape replied. "Full set of robes with the longest lasting growth charms on them as you can manage. Do you also happen to have any second-hand uniforms?"
"If you're looking for secondhand uniforms you're going to want Ditto's Secondhand Shop," Malkin said. "My stuff's all new."
An assistant came forward and led Aria to one of the mirrors, having her stand on a stool just a few feet from the dark-haired boy who was now being draped with black fabric. He and Aria met gazes in the mirror and gave each other tentative smiles while the whizzing measuring tape began measuring Aria and the shop assistant began writing down her measurements.
"Are you a first year too?" the boy asked while a young lady began pinning the fabric over him.
"Yes," Aria replied, "I didn't even know about magic until Professor Snape delivered my letter."
"I didn't know about having magic either," the boy said. "Until Hagrid delivered my letter last night. But my aunt and uncle knew, they just never told me."
"Are they magical?" Aria asked. That seemed like a strange thing to keep secret. Her accidental magic had terrified her on more than one occasion and to know that there were other people like her in the world made her feel a little better.
"No," the boy said, "my parents were magical but they died when I was really little, so I live with my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. I'm Harry Potter by the way." He gasped when the seamstress pricked him with a pin. The young lady now pinning black fabric over Aria even paused, her head turning sharply to peer at the boy who blinked his large green eyes with a touch of wariness.
"What're you staring at, girls?" Madam Malkin snapped. Her assistants hurried back to their duties, but Aria noted that the woman helping her now had shaking hands.
"I'm Aria Bourne. Who's Hagrid?" Aria asked Harry. "My guide's Professor Snape. He'll be teaching us potions."
"That sounds interesting," Harry said. "I don't think Hagrid's a professor. He said he was the Groundskeeper and Keeper of the Keys."
Aria saw Professor Snape frown in her mirror's reflection.
"All right, Mr. Potter," the assistant helping him said, removing the pinned fabric form him. "Come back in two hours and your robes and uniform will be ready." It was only now that Aria was able to get a good look at Harry's clothes. For a moment she was glad to see that she didn't look as poor as Harry, but then she immediately berated herself. That was an awful thing to think! Still, no one on Spinner's End ever had clothes that bad or so many sizes too big.
Harry handed over the required Galleons and gave Professor Snape and Aria's dad a polite nod before exiting the shop.
"What a polite young man," Madam Malkin sighed. "Not like many others who come in whining to their mothers about getting pricked with needles!"
The bell over the door rang again and a boy entered the shop, this time with the blondest hair Aria had ever seen. It could have almost been white. Behind him came a thin woman dressed in an elegant, yet casual, wizarding robe of the darkest blue, her dark blonde hair styled towards the back of her neck, small strands of hair pulled out to curl and frame her face. Aria tried not to stare too much in the mirror. The lady was beautiful!
Behind the boy and lady, a tall man entered. He had a long straight nose and sharp eyes. It was clear that the boy got the color of his hair and his eyes from his father. Professor Snape, and all the shop workers, straightened and a slightly tense feeling came over the shop.
"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," Madam Malkin greeted, her cheerful voice taking on a forced strain. "And young Draco. School robes I assume?"
"With your best growth charms," Mrs. Malfoy insisted. Aria jerked in surprise as the shop assistant pulled the pinned fabric off of her.
"You're all set, dearie," the girl said. Aria hopped down from the stool, passing the blonde boy as he went to stand on the stool.
"Severus," the man greeted with a nod. Aria noticed he had a black walking cane, the top a gleaming silver snake head poised to strike.
"Lucius," Snape replied. "Narcissa."
"I see you're on . . . student duty," Mr. Malfoy said, looking at Kenneth then at Aria who had come to stand by her dad. She could not help but keep looking over at Mrs. Malfoy. Her clothes were well crafted and clearly tailored, she could see that the woman's hair was held in place by small jeweled hair combs, and her makeup was flawless.
"Aria," Kenneth hissed, "don't stare." Aria's eyes widened and she felt her face grow red as Mrs. Malfoy's gaze turned in her direction.
"Sorry," Aria muttered, "but you've always told me that I've got to stop long enough to appreciate beautiful things and Mrs. Malfoy's one of the most beautiful ladies I've ever seen."
Mrs. Malfoy laughed, a gloved hand covering her mouth as Aria caught amusement in her eyes. Mr. Malfoy's mouth turned into a smirk as he glanced at his wife then at Professor Snape, the smirk growing as he met Professor Snape's gaze.
"Well, I am glad you have heeded your father's advice," she said to Aria. "And I thank you for the compliment." Aria grinned, leaning against Kenneth as he gently tugged her braid before he maneuvered past her to pay Madam Malkin.
"And what is your name, child?" Mrs. Malfoy asked.
"Aria Bourne," Aria said. "I wish my hair looked as good as yours. I've only figured out how to braid it though. Dad's no help."
"I give it my best try," Kenneth cried.
"Well," Mrs. Malfoy said, "I'm sure you'll make lots of friends at Hogwarts who will be able to help you do your hair. Plus, there are many helpful spells one can learn, even at your age, to help take care of your hair."
"I'm stopping you right there, Narcissa," Snape said, "before you delay our shopping trip by talk of hair and hair baubles."
"You are the worse, Severus," Mrs. Malfoy said, but there wasn't any hint of anger in her voice, rather, there was a soft fondness as if she was used to Professor Snape's grouchy and dour ways. Aria decided she liked Mrs. Malfoy very much. She waved good-bye as she followed her dad and Professor Snape out of the shop.
"They seemed nice," Kenneth muttered. Aria watched he and Professor Snape share a grown-up look, one that told her that they knew or thought the same thing but weren't willing to tell her.
From the robes shop they went to Ditto's Secondhand Shop where they found uniform bits that fit her as well as most of her schoolbooks. They also managed to find a sturdy, if not a bit scuffed, school trunk that still had all its charms on it. Apparently one of those charms was a Featherweight Spell which made it very easy to pull along. A trip to Flourish and Blott's got her the remaining books followed by a trip to Scrivener's where she found all the notebooks, parchment, ink, and quills she needed. There were some very pretty quills that she admired, but those were expensive, and Professor Snape told her there was no point in getting them until she had actually mastered the quill. The professor purchased her an exercise book for her so that she could practice before school.
In Slug and Jigger's, the apothecary, Aria found her cauldron and the First Year potion kit which came with all the ingredients she would need for the upcoming year.
Soon the item on the list was Aria's wand. Snape guided them to a shop called Ollivander's. Entering the dusty shop they, once again, met Harry. Several boxes sat in front of him on the counter and a white-haired man grabbed a wand out of Harry's hand before grabbing another box off the shelf.
"Difficult, difficult," the man muttered. "Ah, Professor Snape, lovely to see you. Blackthorn, phoenix feather, eleven inches; solid. I remember you came in with your friend . . . what was her name . . . ." he handed a wand to Harry who waved it, knocking several boxes over, and quickly confiscated the wand back. "Ah, yes! You came in with young Harry's mother, Lily Evans. Bright witch, yes . . . bright witch. Ten and a quarter inches, willow, dragon heartstring; swishy."
Aria noted the brief daggers Professor Snape glared at the shopkeeper while Harry turned to look at the man.
"You knew my mother?" he cried.
"I knew I'd seen those eyes somewhere!" Kenneth added. "Professor Snape and your mother went to Hogwarts together. The three of us grew up in the same town. We went to primary school together."
"Here, Mr. Potter," Ollivander shuffled out of the backroom, holding a dark box with a thick layer of dust still on top. He flipped the lid and removed a brown wand, the handle raised with carvings at the top and bottom of the handle. Harry reached for the wand and, when he touched it, a soft wind blew through the wand shop putting boxes back in their places and removing dust from the tops of surfaces.
"Yes," Ollivander murmured. "That is the one. Curious . . . curious . . . ."
"What's curious, sir?" Harry asked. Ollivander glanced from Harry to Professor Snape then back again.
"That is an eleven-inch holly wand with a phoenix feather core," Ollivander said. "Many of the phoenix wands in this shop were made by my ancestors, as feathers are difficult to come by these days. However, there have been a few that I made myself. But I very rarely have the pleasure of having multiple feathers from the same bird. Brother wands are more common with dragon heartstrings and unicorn hair. The phoenix which supplied the feather for your wand, Mr. Potter, gave only one other feather. That feather resides in the wand of the wizard who gave you that scar."
Professor Snape stiffened, his mouth becoming thin while Aria tried to peer at Harry's face. Only now did she see that there was a lightning bolt scar under his hair fringe, pink and raised, almost as if it were newly healed.
"I think we can expect great things from you, Mr. Potter," Ollivander continued, sending a tape measure to whiz around Aria. "The man with the brother also did many great things. Terrible. But great."
Aria decided she did not really like Mr. Ollivander with his big eyes and wild hair and ominous sayings. It appeared, neither did Harry or the two adults.
"Mr. Potter," Snape said while Ollivander began gathering boxes, "where is Hagrid?"
"Dunno," Harry replied. Ollivander handed Aria a wand but it jumped out of her hand, causing her to yelp and him to mutter. "He said he had to go buy something and that he'd be back to return me to Surrey." Aria glanced at the boy. Harry looked like he'd rather go anywhere but Surrey.
The next wand Aria was handed felt too hot to the touch, making her drop it.
"Interesting," Ollivander murmured, rubbing his chin. "Going to be tricky, aren't you?" He pushed the boxes he had brought aside and brought out several more.
"These are a bit older," Ollivander told Aria, "many are from my own apprenticeship days. Take this one here, twelve inches of holly with a unicorn hair." Aria took the wand and gave it a wave, only for a mighty wind to blow through the shop, almost knocking a lamp over.
"Definitely not!" Ollivander pawed through the boxes he had brought out until he pulled out one box. He looked Aria up and down with a smirk before pulling out the wand.
"This is a ten-inch willow wand made with the heartstring of a feisty and strong female unicorn," Ollivander said. "This hair was actually gifted to me. Professor Snape can tell you that ingredients from unicorns are much more potent and powerful when given freely instead of harvested from their shedding. This is reasonably supple." He handed the wand to her and the moment Aria's hand wrapped around the vine carved handle green, red, blue, and golden sparks burst from the tip and Aria was filled with a warm feeling that spread from her head to her toes.
"That's the one!" Ollivander cried with a laugh. "Seven galleons please." Kenneth dug out the money, handing it over while Aria studied her wand. The handle was carved with vines that wrapped around the wood halfway up the wand, and what she had thought were leaves on the vine were actually intricate little roses.
"Don't let anyone bully you for those roses," Ollivander said. "My mother, may her soul rest in peace, was the one who taught me woodcarving. Taught my father too. Until she came along the wand handles were your standard boring affair. Mother always said that the handle was just as important as the wood and core and length of the wand. She was right. I expect you'll be showing people that roses can have thorns too."
Aria looked at Snape and her dad for explanation, but they ushered Harry and her out of the shop.
"He was bonkers!" Kenneth whispered.
"Bonkers and brilliance are sometimes one in the same thing," Snape replied, looking up and down the street. "Ah, there's your escort, Mr. Potter." Aria gaped as a large man, easily eight or nine feet tall and just as broad with thick hair and a long beard came lumbering up to them, carrying a care with a beautiful white owl inside it.
"'ello, Professor Snape!" the man greeted, his voice booming across the alley.
"Hagrid," Snape replied. "What do you have there?"
"Oh, this 'ere's a present for 'arry! It was 'is birthday just yesterday!" Hagrid thrusted the bird cage at Harry whose entire face broke out into a smile as he beheld the bird.
"It's a female snowy owl," Hagrid explained. "I've also got 'er owl treats for you."
"She's amazing, Hagrid," Harry said.
"We've got nearly the same birthday!" Aria cried. "I'm July 27!"
"Hagrid," Harry said, "this is Aria. She's going to be a first year with me! Aria, this is Hagrid."
"Pleasure to meet you, Aria!" Hagrid cried. "I look forward to seein' you at 'ogwarts." He pulled out a banged-up pocket watch. "Would you look at the time? We've gotta grab your robes and get movin'!" Harry sighed and waved good-bye, following Hagrid back to Madam Malkin's.
"Aria's robes should be done too," Snape said as they followed after Harry and Hagrid, but at a slower pace. "Now, Aria, you must remember to not practice any spells while you're alone. Spell damage is serious business and, besides, the wizarding world is hidden from Muggles and to reveal our world to the Muggles would be devastating."
"So, no magic until Hogwarts?" Aria cried, "that's not fair! What about summer?"
"Same thing I'm afraid," Snape said. "All wands have Traces on them which connect to your magic. Once your magic has its maturity at age seventeen, the Trace disappears, and you can practice Magic wherever and whenever you want."
"As long as Muggles don't see," Aria added.
"Correct."
"So then why do I get to know about the world?" Kenneth asked.
"Because you are Aria's guardian. I will be sure to leave some pamphlets and things for you to show off to Muggles should anyone ask about Aria's school."
The robes paid for they returned to the Leaky Cauldron and, once again, were subject to the Floo. Once returned to their own home Aria and her dad brought her new school items up to her bedroom where she tried on her uniform for her dad and he looked through her school text books.
"I think you should read at least the first chapter or two of each textbook," Kenneth said, "since you'll be going into the school a bit behind your peers who grew up in the wizarding world."
"I'm going to be one the smartest in the class," Aria stated.
"I wouldn't expect anything different," Kenneth answered. "You always were the top of your class in primary."
"I also want to make friends," Aria said. "You think Harry'll be my friend? Or someone else?" Kenneth pulled her to his side, kissing her head.
"You'll find friends your own age," he told her. "It's a new world and you'll be around kids who are exactly like you and you don't have the baggage of being a Spinner's End brat weighing you down. So, chin up, girl. You're going to do great."