I do not own the Harry Potter series or Pokémon
Chapter Three: Safe Option
Moon swirled the sad excuse for oatmeal around in the bowl, somewhat irritated that she was confined to a hospital room. She had never liked hospitals, and being in a magical one made no difference.
I'd have thought they'd make better food, at least, she thought as the watery cereal dripped off of her spoon. She was about to reach for her bag and take some of the food she had stored in there when the door swung open.
"Professor Dumbledore," she greeted.
"Miss Blakesley. I trust that you slept well?"
She had, after one of the healers insisted she drink some weird medicine she could only assume was a sedative of some sort.
"Well enough."
"Good, good," the man murmured as he sat in the same chair as the previous night. "Being well rested is always important."
She frowned, almost working up the courage to ask why he was dawdling with small talk when he spoke again.
"Regarding your current situation, I have decided that the only safe option is to have you attend Hogwarts."
"Excuse me?" Moon uttered lowly, dropping her spoon into the bowl.
"Until we find a way for you to return home, you have nowhere to go. Given that you're still young enough to be a student, it would be best if you were to reside at Hogwarts and learn magic until a way back is discovered."
"Didn't you say that students start attending when they're eleven?" she questioned. "I'm two years behind everyone else my age, and it'd be difficult to slip me in with the first years."
"Correct. Instead, you will be given private tutoring sessions during August and, when school starts, will be given free reign as to what you do and don't study."
She raised an eyebrow at this. "Do all students have this much freedom?"
"No, but you are a unique case. I can't expect that you'll want to continue your education when a way back to your home is discovered. Convincing you to sit through lectures doesn't seem to be a good use of my energy."
"Yet you insist I stay there," she muttered. "Why bother giving me private lessons at all? Why not say that I just stay hidden at your school and don't cause issues?"
"You don't seem to be the type who can stay hidden and not cause issues," he grinned. "Even if you were, the castle isn't the best place for hiding. Almost anyone could find you. The portraits are terribly chatty."
"What?"
"You'll learn soon enough," he reassured. "If you're willing, we can leave within the hour."
Moon glanced down at her breakfast and eagerly set it aside. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and headed for the adjoining bathroom with her bag in tow.
Once the door was shut, she stripped herself of her hospital pyjamas and changed into capris and a t-shirt. She contemplated redoing the romantic tuck she had been sporting, but eventually let her hair unravel. It fell past her shoulders, and she scowled. Long hair was always an inconvenience. She hastily pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and left it at that.
She stepped out of the bathroom. Dumbledore and one of the healers had been having a civil conversation until she returned. A beat of silence passed before the healer collected herself.
"Miss Blakesley, I need to do one final check before you are released, so if you could take a seat for a moment…"
Moon sat on the edge of the bed, keeping her eyes on the wand that the healer was waving around in front of her. She still was awed by the fact that magic was real, but was reasonably wary of it considering that magic was the reason she ended up hospitalized. She watched the glowing violet and aquamarine lights the wand emitted with fascination. Growing up in a world where the wildlife spewed fire and carrying an entire house's worth of supplies in a purse was entirely plausible may have eased her transition into the magical world, but that didn't mean she wasn't just as intrigued as any newcomer.
"Seems to me you're ready to go," the healer chirped. Moon slid off the bed, eager to leave.
"Thank you very much, Camilla," Dumbledore said. "I do so hope your brother's shop turns out well."
"Thanks, professor," the young healer replied.
Moon itched to get out of there as quickly as possible, but there were several papers that were shoved in front of her requesting her signature. She scribbled her name as rapidly as possible while Dumbledore chatted with the healer.
Come on, come on, come on…!
She set the forms down slightly harder than necessary. The noise jolted the two adults from their small talk. Camilla scanned the forms and nodded.
"Everything's in working order. Have a nice day, you two,"
"And you as well," Moon replied before Dumbledore could. The healer swept out of the room with the forms, leaving the other two alone.
"Excited to see Hogwarts, I presume?" the man queried.
"Mostly to just get out of here."
"Just as well, I suppose. We won't be heading for Hogwarts right away, of course. We'll be needing to get you some supplies."
"Supplies?"
"A wand, for starters," he explained, "and perhaps some robes. A cauldron, of course…"
"I don't know if you know this, but I don't have any acceptable currency."
"A trip to Gringotts should fix that," he answered with a smile. "The bank is run by goblins. Very proud folk, but very reasonable and willing to barter if you have something worth their while."
She grimaced internally. Poké was rather pretty, but didn't have much value overall. She was more than willing to sell off some of the pearls she had collected and stored in case of emergency, but she always thought that the situation that required her to peddle them would be more… hazardous.
Dumbledore led her out of the hospital room, down through the corridors, and out of the main lobby. Moon didn't know whether to be shocked or not when they ended up outside a department store rather than a hospital.
"Wow," she breathed.
"Follow me, please," Dumbledore ordered. He started walking down the street, and Moon tailed him until he went into an alleyway.
"Are you kidding me?"
"It's best if magic is performed where muggles cannot see it," he explained, ushering her into the alley.
"What sort of magic?" she asked as she continued following him.
"It's called Apparition. Wizards have many methods of travelling, but this one requires the least explanation. At least, Side-Along Apparition isn't too complicated, although it is a bit uncomfortable."
He offered his arm to her, and the second she grasped his arm, she was thrown into the most disorienting form of teleportation she had ever experienced. Unlike the tingly, crawl-up-your-skeleton sensation she was used to, Apparition was more like beings squeezed through a tube rolling down a hill. When they arrived at their destination, Moon's legs gave out beneath her, and she braced herself with her arms to protect her head.
"Could you warn me next time?" she grumbled as she brushed off the gravel and dirt that stuck to her.
"Perhaps."
Dumbledore started walking again, and the young champion tried to keep up. There were clusters of people in robes milling about the street. Even though Dumbledore was sporting lemon yellow robes, Moon felt like she was the one out of place with her typical streetwear.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Miss Blakesley," Dumbledore said without looking at her. Moon almost tripped at the ridiculous name, but managed to keep her bearings.
They walked through the street toward an ancient structure that Moon assumed was the bank. She noticed that the pods of wizards and witches were stopping and staring at the two of them and occasionally whispering, but she didn't care enough to fuss over it.
The great marble building was unlike anything Moon had ever seen. It was obviously old, but it was well cared for. She was taken by the large bronze doors, and only mildly surprised by the creature guarding them.
A goblin.
The guard opened the doors begrudgingly, eyeing Moon's choice of clothes with distaste. The hall Dumbledore led her into contained another set of doors made of silver rather than bronze, and with a rather frightening (but rhyming) warning about theft.
Goblins are not to be crossed.
More goblins were milling about the lobby, and there were more wizards at the front desk. Thankfully, one till was open. Moon followed Dumbledore to the till, trying to remain as collected as possible in the unfamiliar building. The goblin gave a harsh grin as they approached, although whether it was intentionally intimidating or not, Moon wasn't sure.
"A little strange to see you guiding a muggle-born, Dumbledore," the goblin drawled.
"It is a unique situation, Gornuk," the old wizard replied. "One that requires… delicate handling."
The goblin raised an eyebrow before stepping down from his stool. He opened a side gate and led the two down a hallway to a secluded room. It was small but well furnished, and Moon's positive perception of the place was bolstered.
"Exactly why is this situation so sensitive?" Gornuk enquired.
"Miss Blakesley here isn't a muggle-born. She has had… a surprisingly eventful journey here to Britain, and we recently discovered her heritage.
"Do tell," the goblin probed, "and leave nothing out."
Moon sat back as Dumbledore relayed the entire story to the goblin, only speaking up to correct him on a few points. By the end of the tale, Gornuk seemed heavily intrigued.
"That's a marvellous story there," the goblin smirked, "but if you wish to access your family vault, you need a key, or a blood test for confirmation."
"Actually," Moon said, "I was wondering if it would be possible to sell some stuff of mine. I don't exactly wish to take money from my family vault without permission."
"This isn't a pawn shop," Gornuk sneered.
"I know, but I thought you might be interested in what I have to offer."
The sneer never left his face, but the goblin jerked his head in confirmation. Moon opened her bag and dug through it until she found what she was looking for; pearls, both large and small, some separate and some on strings. Gornuk's former distaste turned to rapt interest. He took the precious stones from her, evaluating them with a critical eye.
"Yes… these are far better than what I was expecting," he muttered. He met the young champion's gaze fiercely. "Are you intending to barter?"
"Not really. What do you think they're worth?"
The goblin turned his attention back to the pearls. "For all of them, I'd say… six hundred galleons."
Moon had no idea what that meant, but Dumbledore nodded at her, and so she assumed that was a fair price. "Six hundred galleons it is then."
Within ten minutes, they were out of Gringotts, and Moon was holding a cloth bag containing the gold pieces tightly. She slipped it into her purse so she wouldn't be carrying around anything unnecessary.
"Where to next?" she asked.
"I suppose our next stop should be Ollivanders…"
He led her to a semi-run down building with a sign in peeling gold letters that stated the shop had been around for nearly a millennium and a half. The door clanged against a bell as the two walked in. A man returned from a back room holding a stack of boxes.
"Professor Dumbledore. It has been far too long since I last saw you.
"Indeed, Garrick. But I did not come here for a simple chat, unfortunately."
The man's silver eyes slid over to Moon. "A new student? Most witches come here a couple years earlier than you have."
"Special circumstances," she responded. That did not stop him from wondering out loud.
"You certainly have a familiar look to you," he pondered. "What is your name?"
"Moon Blakesley."
"Strange… very strange…"
Ollivander turned back to Dumbledore. "She wouldn't happen to be related to…"
"Yes, but it's not what you're thinking."
"She looks so much like him."
"They both take after their father, I suppose."
Moon's eyes widened considerably, and her lips pursed. She glared at Dumbledore harshly, but he only shook his head in response.
Not now.
"Yes, yes," the wand maker muttered. "Let's see… what would work for you…?"
He set down the boxes he was carrying and opened one seemingly at random. "Cypress. Unicorn hair. Twelve inches, somewhat bendy."
He handed the young girl the wand. "Go on, give it a wave."
She flicked the wand, and a few promising sparks shot out, but fizzled and died in less than a second. Ollivander took the wand back.
"Beech," he said as he handed her a new wand, "and dragon heartstring. Nine and a half inches."
This one actually leapt out of her hand, clattering against the countertop when it landed.
"Definitely not either of those then. Rowan perhaps. And unicorn hair…"
Another wand was handed to her. It emitted several bright flashes like a camera. Ollivander was not convinced.
"Closer. Unicorn hair seems to favour you, but what wood…?"
He went to the back shelves, rummaging through different boxes, making various noises of disapproval. It wasn't until he pulled out a box that was covered in a fine layer of dust that he decided to return.
"Apple, unicorn hair, eleven inches precisely. Rigid."
Moon noticed the difference immediately. The wand fit perfectly in her hand; a seamless piece of wood separated by iron rings denoting the handle portion, and runes carved into the iron bands. A warm sensation ran up her arm, and the idea that she wouldn't ever be using a wand after she went home disappeared. This was something she wanted to keep.
She waved the wand, sending out a billowing cloud of pink smoke. Ollivander gave an approving nod.
"Very well, Miss Blakesley, very well indeed."
She handed him the seven galleons for the wand, and exited the store alongside Dumbledore. She turned to him immediately, the previous remarks not forgotten.
"What did you mean, 'their father'?" she asked harshly.
"Not here, Miss Blakesley," he replied.
"Why not here?"
"We are out in the open, where anyone could hear us, and the topic is not something you would want anyone overhearing. We'll discuss it when we arrive at Hogwarts."
"I thought you said the portraits were chatty?" she countered. The old wizard almost seemed impressed.
"So you were listening earlier."
"Hard to forget something like talking portraits."
"Yes, I suppose that would be memorable if you are not used to them," he said heartily. "The portraits do tend to chat with each other, but they don't make everyone's secrets known. If I tell them to keep quiet about your bloodline, they will. Now come along, there are plenty of other things we need to get done."
Moon got the feeling that she had just been manipulated by the old wizard somehow.
Any guesses as to who Moon's father could be?
I know it's a bit early, but I'm uploading this today rather than on Sunday for a few reasons. I have many school projects to work on, and I want to focus on them over the weekend without having to worry about uploading the chapter. Chapter Four will most likely be uploaded on the regular schedule, so nine days from now.
Update: Realized I forgot a chapter title. Added one in.
Also update: There is a small hint as to who Moon is related to in the Ollivanders scene. See if you can figure it out.
Please leave your thoughts/comments in a review.
Hope everyone has a good weekend!