A/N: Okay, none of you managed to get it this time, so I guess it may have been a little mean. Anyway, Hermes was a screech owl, in case any of you were wondering.

Standing out in the gloomy rain of a British summer, the Demigods could not say that they were impressed with what was in front of them, in fact, the word 'disappointment' would have been an understatement. The Leaky Cauldron ( a shabby pub that looked on the verge of collapse) seemed to be the sort of place that monsters just adored and it wasn't doing anything to ease their apprehension. From his position at the back of the group, Jason could see how tense everyone was. Nico, for one, kept playing with the skull ring on his finger nervously while his sister kept clenching and unclenching around the hilt of her Spatha. Hades, even Reyna's gaze kept darting back and forth along the road they had stopped on, eyeing all those around them with suspicion and contempt, it was rather disconcerting.

As it was, the group of them edged cautiously into the pub, all of them tense as piano wire and expecting an attack at any moment, and even when they had crossed through the threshold the mood didn't lighten much. The interior was dark and smoky thanks to several of the patrons who had long pipes, making it hard to see clearly in the gloom, though the son of Jupiter was sure that there were only around 20 people scattered around the room. Over to the left, the old bar keep sent them a toothless grin that was more than a little creepy and the whispered comparison to a wrinkled walnut by the Asian demigod did nothing to ease the tension. Instead, the group of them just hurried out of the door directly across from them, slipping out into the clean air with a sigh of relief.

There were not that many people out in the back alley, but that was understandable given the lack of space. The Halfbloods literally had to get very friendly to even fit (and Jason got a nice bruise on his ribs from where Reyna thought he was some vagabond trying to steal their money) while Lou stepped forwards to examine the old brick wall with interest. For a moment, she just stood there staring at the masonry as she counted, but when she drew her wand out and moved forwards again, everyone ducked back a few steps. They all knew better than to remain near the daughter of Hecate when she decided to introduce her conduit to a wall.

However, instead of violently (not to mention senselessly) attacking the immovable object with the slim wooden rod in her hands, she merely stepped up to an old, rusted dustbin and started muttering to herself.

"Three up, and Two across."

Upon reaching the desired brick, she then raised her arm and rapped the poor orange square smartly in the centre with the very tip of her wand once only before stepping back and tilting her head as she looked on in wonder. Not that she didn't have a good reason to, the bricks themselves were moving, shuffling apart to create a new archway where once only an inanimate obstacle stood, and the street behind it simply took their collective breath away. In a state of awed disbelief similar to those viewing Olympus for the first time, the demigods stepped forwards and stared at their surroundings, wide eyed in wonder at what they were seeing.

Rows of brightly coloured shops lined the streets, each of them buzzing with new and interesting things to be explored, so much so that the demigods all split up, each of them running in a different direction depending on where their fancy took them. Not that it really mattered over much if they split up, old Dumbledork had assured them that the magical boundaries would keep monsters at bay, and the money had been split between them earlier along with instructions to meet at Olivander's later so that the rest of them were able to purchase wands (an idea that most of them didn't savour after watching Lou's interactions with her own) but that also freed them all up for a day of sightseeing in the magical world, something they had all been looking forwards to from the start.

Jason, taking no interest in the others for the present moment, headed straight for a shop named Quality quidditch supplies that proudly displayed a set of bright orange robes in the front window with the words 'chudley cannons' scrawled across the front in fluorescent lettering. He had heard about the game from some of the order members and the headmaster himself had even suggested that he learned how to pay it. All Jason really cared about however, was getting to fly again. He had missed it in their almost imprisonment in the attic of Grimauld place though he disliked the idea of having to use a broom to do so. Still, he soon found himself flicking through a catalogue of all the racing broom models that the store had to offer, deciding eventually on a Comet 260. It wasn't the best out there by far, but it would do for what he wanted, and it was relatively cheap compared to the likes of, say… a Firebolt.

That done, he left the small shop that was beginning to get rather crowded with both men and teenage boys, and headed off to see if anything else interested him.

Nico, for his part, had just been strolling aimlessly around the place as nothing really stood out for him. He did notice that quite a few of the girl's in the alley way kept staring at him in a way that made him distinctly uncomfortable, but, so far at least, his underworld aura managed to keep the drooling hordes away. Honestly, it was like they had never seen a guy with muscles before and it was a completely foreign feeling for the son of Hades who was used to being the object of scorn, or at least mistrust, for most of his life. Soon deciding that he had had enough of being stared at like an all you can eat buffet, he ducked into the nearest door to himself and pretended to brows so that people wouldn't bother him, but as soon as he realised what the shop sold, he nearly groaned at the irony of it all.

On the selves surrounding him were a variety of ancient Greek and Roman artefacts, ranging from real life dachramas (the silver ones not the gold ones the god's used) to what he was pretty sure was a celestial bronze shield, though what every had attacked it had managed to meld away half of the left side. Some of the items even looked new, or at least very well cared for and, interest piqued, he moved further into the store in search of the shop keeper, finding him leant on a counter in the very back of the room, cleaning some more of the coins he had noticed earlier.

"Excuse me sir, but where did you come by those coins?"

At his words, though he had been sure to keep his tone light and manner cordial, the older man seemed to jump as though he had been tasered and he span round to blink at Nico with owlish eyes and a much too innocent look on his face.

"Ah, well, you see… my father gave them to me."

"And your father was…?"

"His name was Mercury."

Ah, well, that explained everything. Feeling a little more relaxed now that he knew he hadn't walked blindly into a monsters den, the son of Hades actively worked to tone down his aura and actually smiled across at the other man, who still seemed more than a little panicked.

"You're a halfblood then."

"H-how?"

Taking pity on the man who now looked to be mere inches from tears, Nico allowed his smile to turn back into its normal smirk as he bowed mockingly to the guy in front of him.

"Nico DiAngelo, ambassador for and son of Pluto, at your service."

To the man's credit, that only seemed to faze him for a second before he was back to grinning, though this time it seemed far more realistic than the one he had been wearing when Nico entered the shop. It seemed that, even in a magical world, being a demigod was still lonely.

"Ah, well, if that's the case, I think I have just the thing for you here."

And with that, he pulled out a small, almost luminescent blue whistle that made the son of Hades freeze in place, seriously doubting the evidence of his eyes, after all, there was no way on earth that that man had a whistle made out of…

"Stygian ice. I got it off an old sword master named Quintus a few years back, though having it around isn't really good for me. Maybe you would want it?"

Well, that explained it, though that must mean that the whistle would summon Mrs O'Leary which would be useful at some point, even if it would only work once. Without any further delay, Nico purchased the delicate tool (at an absolute steal for only 2 Galleons) and with a much lighter mood, continued to brows the shop in search of any other useful items.

Once the others had gone their separate ways Lou found herself walking in the direction of the Magical Menagerie shop to look at the creatures. She had always liked animals, and it seemed like a good time to find a familiar. After all, what better to suit a daughter of Hecate than a magical animal? As she entered through the door, she couldn't help but smile at all around her, taking in the site with great admiration.

From floor to ceiling, jewel bright eyes flickered in her direction as the door closed, and she found herself transfixed watching the owls. She would love to have bought one, but then she would have had to put up with a lecture from the children of Athena when she returned to camp, if not from the goddess herself, and that was not an attractive thought. Reluctantly, she forced her eyes away from the glistening feathers and began to browse the other cages in the store.

Without really thinking about it, she found herself drawn to the front of the shop where a clump of toads sat, croaking in their tank. She always had liked toads as well, they were good for magic, and an effective threat if the Ares cabin became rowdy again, but that wasn't what was attracting her. Instead, she found her eyes kept being brought back to rest on a violently purple specimen that was eyeing her intently and, when she was close enough, it hopped through the tank, and onto her out stretched hand. As soon as it's clammy weight landed on her skin, Lou gave a gasp at the fission of energy that seemed to jolt through the contact. So distracted was she by the new connection that she almost missed the shop assistant remarking on how the toad normal didn't like customers. Of course she didn't, she was hers.

Still slightly dazed, she found herself muttering "I'll take it." And the next minute, she was wandering out of the door absently petting Circe, her familiar, as she went.

Reyna, though not habitually a reader (for various reasons) couldn't help but find the book shop 'Flourish and Blots' enchanting (in the true sense of the word.) The walls were lined with shelves, each of them filled with various books of differing genres, writers and languages, she had even managed to find a corner devoted entirely to ancient Latin texts that she vowed she would return to appreciate properly when she had some free time.

Passing tombs such as 'Battling the Unknown' and 'Prefects who gained power,' she finally picked up a book that was from the "Muggle" section of the store dubbed 'The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.' Even though it had originally been a non-magical text, it had been copied over by hand onto some parchment, bound in leather (or was that… dragon skin?) and had animated pictures and diagrams that seemed to flash different colours. Unable to help herself, she soon walked out of the shop with the book collapsed to her chest. She was pretty sure that she had just found her new most treasured item besides from her ring.

Frank, for the most part, was just completely over whelmed. He had no idea where to go in the magical mall and, carried by the crowd, he had decided to have a look around the Apothecary but, after only about 5 minutes in the small room, he had had to leave. Some of the pickled ingredients on the walls had been deeply disturbing, and this was coming from a kid who fought monsters on a daily basis.

Searching for some form of distraction, he headed for the brightest coloured attraction he could find, which just so happened to be the rather garish sign of the local prank shop where he was met with such a large crowd of people that he was constantly being forced into the shelves that took over the majority of the floor space. Still, the Roman soldier couldn't help looking around in awe at all that met his eyes.

No matter where he looked, the bright boxes of merchandise vied for his attention, proclaiming that they held everything from 'Mr Filibusters wet start, no heat fire works' to stink pellets and trick wands. It was a prankster's dream come true. Admittedly, he had never been able to pull pranks back at camp (the punishments for doing so were incredibly severe) but he soon found himself drooling over the merchandise much like the two red headed boys beside him. In the end, he left the hustle and bustle of the joke shop laden down with several muggle magic tricks and a pair of Chinese handcuffs (that he was determined to beat this time, after all, wasn't the saying 17th charm's the time… or something like that?) But, he had also collected a packet of the stink pellets to attach to his arrows as the smell would probably be enough to knock many of the monsters out before the fight had even begun… well, he could hope anyway.

Hazel, for her own part, was overwhelmed. Every single shop she passed seemed to have some form of precious metal or another, and her senses were pulling her in what seemed like all the directions at the same time. It was enough to make her feel jittery and nervous so she ducked into the only shop she was able to find that wasn't like a hook lodged in her mind. Well… she needed some robes anyway.

The shop keeper, she soon found out, was a motherly old woman who was all too keen to help, and, when Hazel was finally equipped with her new teaching robes (all of which were a pale, smoky grey that shimmered like silver in the right light, soft as silk, but strong enough to withstand assault by one of the creatures she would be working with. As well as a thick, black cloak for the Scottish winter.) the door chime sang out and her brother entered. However, he did not seem to notice her straight away, his eyes dancing over the selection of fabrics on display with a growing look of horror when he registered all of the glaringly bright colours. Trying to hide her amusement at his very expressive face, Hazel decided to take pity on him.

"Over here Nico."

At the sound of her voice, his gaze quickly snapped to her and she couldn't help letting out a quite laugh at the look of relief that flooded his features for a split second when he realised that the shop also sold more muted tones for clothing.

"Hey Hazel, they look good on you."

It was obvious that he had never actually gone clothes shopping with anyone else before, as his eyes soon slid away from her as though not wanting to be caught staring at his sister who was dressed in such strange clothing, but he was saved from an awkward silence that was sure to follow by the re-entrance of Madam Malkin who had just gone to put away the spare fabric that would not be needed for Hazel. Bad timing, as she would now have to go back to the same room and get some more, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, her eyes seemed to light up when she noticed that another customer had entered the shop.

"What can I do for you deary?"

Again the uneasy look spread over Nico's features, but he had faced down furries, hell hounds and titans, a motherly witch wasn't going to faze him… well, probably not.

"I need some practical robes and a winter cloak, preferably in black please."

With a nod, the woman wandered back into her store room, the grin still in place and managing to disappear around the corner just before the rest of their group entered and the shop seemed to become another demigod reunion or something, the others having met at the street corner and decided to come in together. In the end, they were all sorted, and it seemed like the choices of the individual really did reflect their personalities. Frank, the insecure, unclaimed archer, had gone for just a simple brown set of robes that would allow him to easily fade into the background where as Lou, ever the eccentric, had ordered some in differing shades of blue (and one set of lurid orange that she claimed matched the cam T-shirts). The preators on the other hand, had settled for plain black robes with deep purple cloak, it wasn't as though they would be wearing them much anyway as their lessons would be taught in normal clothing.

As a unit, the demigods then went to purchase the final item on their lists, and the one they had all been apprehensive of after seeing the way interacted with her own. However, as they would be teaching at a magical school, it would seem strange for them to be without wands, and so, it was with great nervousness that they made their way to the shabby shop front that boasted the name 'Olivander's' in faded gold lettering.

The wand selection was a strange process in and of itself, most of them having a violent reaction to one or more of the demigods and the power that clung to their skin, however, after about an hour and a half of foolish wand waving with an increasingly excited midget, they were finally free to make their way back through the Leaky Cauldron and back into muggle London, each of them supporting a long, slim box with more than a little trepidation. Still, as they passed back onto the normal streets of the bustling city, it seemed that the day out had been quite pleasant after all… that is, of course, until the window displays attacked.

A/N: there we go, and you have NO idea how long that chapter took me to do :'( anyway, I am not on my summer holidays, so updates should be faster… I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

B/N: wellllll that took a long time to edit... anyway, this question is:

What was Hermione's organisation for helping house elves called?