Welcome back my lovely Potterheads!
Yeah, Diagon Alley time! Get ready to dive a little more into what makes Susanna tick. She makes a furry little friend, someone's made sure she's financially set - but who?! - and the wand chooses the witch! Also, the cousins finally get to have fun away from the Dursleys!
I hope you guys enjoy this update. As always, I only own my OC(S).
"-anna. Susanna. Suze, come on. Time to get up."
"Five more minutes, mum. Then I'll trim the soap."
"What? No, Suze, it's Harry. Wake up."
Susanna bolted up, her thick blanket falling on a heap in her lap. She stretched and rubbed at her eyes, body sore with exhaustion. "Dad moving us again?"
"Here yeh go, kids. Harry, yer cake's still good ter eat, I reckon. Good mornin', Susanna."
The redhead blinked and looked up, Hagrid the giant walking towards them with a plate of left over sausages and Harry's boxed cake. Memories from the night before - or early morning - came rushing back to her, and she slid out of the makeshift sleeping bag to take the plate. "Thank you, Hagrid." Harry sat next to her, passing a chipped mug of tea over. She took it with a mumbled "thanks" and took her first bite of breakfast, smiling happily.
"Suze, want a piece?" Harry asked her, offering up a chunk of cake.
"Harry, no, it's yours -"
Ignoring his cousin he dumped it on her plate. "I didn't mean it as a question."
Susanna snorted and playfully shoved his shoulder. "You do remember I'm older than you, right? That means I'm the one who's supposed to be bossing you around."
"Eat your cake." Is all Harry said, but he smiled down at his box. "Would you like a piece as well, Hagrid?" The boy asked.
The giant cleared his throat. "Well, I wouldn' say no. Thanks, Harry." The boy passed over a large chunk as well, the giant humming happily before shoving on his giant boots. "We best be off, soon. Lot's ter do. We gotta get to London and buy all yer stuff for school."
Mid-sip, Susanna set her cup of tea down on the ground. "You mean, we have to shop?"
"Um, Hagrid… we haven't got any money - and you heard uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for us to go and learn magic." Harry added.
"Don't worry about that. D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"
"But if they're house was destroyed -" Harry started, but Hagrid waved him off. Susanna crossed her arms over her chest. She was happy it seemed Harry would be able to afford this new life, but she… her parents were nothing like her late aunt and uncle. She didn't want to ask Harry for a loan, it just didn't feel right borrowing from him.
"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first step fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank."
"Wizards have banks?" Harry asked, incredulous. Susanna was too deep in thought to tease him, but she was brought back to the present when her cousin exclaimed "Goblins?!"
"Goblins?" She asked.
Hagrid looked her over, clearly concerned by her confusion. "Yeah. They run the bank. So yeh'd be mad to try and rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, yeh two. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid perked up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' yeh two - gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see."
"What about Susanna, Hagrid?" Harry asked.
"Well, what about her?" The giant responded, scratching his head.
"They'll let me share my… my money with her, right? So she can buy things. I don't mind doing it." Harry turned to her, his bright green eyes earnest.
Susanna shook her head, blushing. "No, no, it's really alright. I can figure -"
"There's no need for that, Harry." Hagrid interrupted the cousins, smiling down gently at the redhead. "Yeh got a vault, too."
"How? What? Why?" She asked. "My parents never -"
"Dumbledore didn' tell me the specifics. Just said yeh've been taken care o'."
"That sounds ominous." Susanna muttered under her breath, Harry snorting next to her. "Here, I'll go get changed. Have the rest, Harry."
"Thanks, Suze."
It didn't take long for Susanna to freshen up, mostly because she wanted to be as far away from the bathroom and her family as possible. She wasn't even sure if they were still there or not.
Nevertheless, she had nothing of importance in her bag except for her sketchbook and pencil, so she left the rest of her meager belongings next to the couch, Harry doing the same when he'd finished.
"Got everythin'? Here, I'll take that, jus' remind me I got it, yeah? Come on, then." Hagrid led them out of the shack, pocketing her sketchbook and pencil gingerly in his coat.
Now that the storm was over, the sky seemed to have cleared. There were still a few clouds floating above them, but the sunlight made the surface of the sea shimmer like diamonds. The boat they'd taken last night was still docked, only it was half-filled with water after the storm. "How did you get here, Hagrid?" Harry asked the giant, and Susanna noticed there wasn't a second boat.
"Flew." The giant answered as he lifted the boat to pour out the excess water, carefully setting it back down.
"Flew?"
"Like… on a broom?" Harry and Susanna asked, talking over each other.
Hagrid brushed off their questions. "We'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." Hagrid stepped into the boat, then helped the cousins in. Susanna was honestly surprised the boat didn't sink considering Hagrid's gigantic form, but decided to just label it a miracle and hope nothing happened to them while they were rowing.
Hagrid sighed, staring forlornly at the oars. "Seems a shame ter row, though." He cleared his throat and looked at Harry and Susanna. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' at Hogwarts?"
"Of course not." Harry replied, and Susanna nodded eagerly, both excited to see more magic. Hagrid grinned and untied the rope from the docks. He pulled out his pink umbrella and tapped it on the side of the boat. As they set off for land, moving at a far faster rate than when her father rowed - Harry cleared his throat. "Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" He asked the giant.
"Spells, enchantments." Hagrid had pulled out a newspaper and opened it, and Susanna could swear the pictures were moving. "They say there's a dragon guardin' the high-security vaults. And yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat." Hagrid clicked his tongue and shook his head, clearly having read something that irritated him. Oftentimes Vernon would huff when reading his morning paper, or rant irritably about it to his wife for hours. "Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual." He sighed and turned the page.
"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Susanna asked, intrigued.
"Course." Hagrid didn't look up from his paper as he answered her. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if there ever was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every mornin', askin' fer advice."
"But what does the Ministry of Magic do?" Harry asked. Still a little tired, Susanna gave him a look.
"Did you just not pay attention in class when we talked about different governments?"
"This is a world of magic we're talking about! It's not like our lessons covered that." Harry huffed back, arms thrown up.
"Still."
"Alright, yeh two." Hagrid chuckled. "Our Ministry's main job is ter keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."
"Why?"
"Okay, seriously. We learned all about the witch hunts at the end of last year!" Susanna exclaimed, and Harry rolled his eyes.
"She's right. Some'd also be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." The boat rocked into the harbor wall and Hagrid put his paper away, helping them out.
"How will my family get off the island?" Susanna asked, staring at the hut on the rock. "I know they're awful, but…"
"I'll send it back." Hagrid smiled down at her. "It's nice o' yeh, ter want ter help them."
Susanna hummed, wishing they were good enough people to want to help her, too. "Thanks." Is all she said, and as the boat sailed back to the island she let Harry drag her after Hagrid.
As they walked through the small town, its inhabitants would stop and stare at the colossal man. Not just for his size - he had a habit of pointing to different things and speaking loudly about them. As they passed a parking meter, he scoffed and said, "See that, yeh two? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?" Susanna had thought they were meant to be discreet, but it seemed like the confused villagers simply assumed they were tourists, and eventually went on their way.
"Hagrid," Harry was panting as they did their best to keep up - Susanna wasn't fairing much better, but all those years of ballet was definitely helping her stamina, "did you say that there are dragons at Gringotts?" Harry finished, catching his breath.
Hagrid shrugged. "Well, so they say." He then hummed, looking a little wistful. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."
"You'd like one?" Harry asked.
"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go." Hagrid announced as they stopped in front of the train station. As "Muggle money" seemed to confuse him, Harry and Susanna took care of purchasing their tickets. People continued their staring on the train, but Hagrid paid them no mind as he began knitting what appeared to be a yellow tent. "Still got yer letters?" He asked, not looking up from his stitches.
"Right here." Susanna answered for the two cousins, and they pulled out the envelopes that had caused all that trouble.
"Good. There's a list of everything yeh'll need inside." Hagrid kept knitting while the cousins pulled out the second piece of parchment paper. Susanna hummed to herself as she read, growing more and more confused and enamored every line.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for special events
One pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide in Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldon (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE ALSO REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"Can we really buy all this in London?" Harry asked, and Susanna looked up at the giant.
Hagrid didn't pause in his stitching, but smiled. "If yeh know where to go."
Susanna had been to London many times over the years. When her father still loved her - which was a difficult truth to swallow even after three years, that he no longer loved her - he'd often take her with him to work on school holidays. She'd had a lot of ballet recitals there as well, but she wouldn't say she knew London like the back of her hand. Still, she knew it far better than Harry, who'd never been to London before.
For all he didn't understand of the "Muggle world", Hagrid obviously knew where they were going. His huge size parted the crowd easily, the cousins walking close behind him so they wouldn't get separated. They passed book shops, record stores, restaurants, cinemas - places Susanna wished she could stop at to explore.
Still, none of those places looked like the kind of stores you'd stop in to buy wands or dragonhide gloves. It was difficult to even believe that thousands upon thousands of miles below there were vaults guarded by dragons and run by goblins.
"This is it," Hagrid stopped walking and Susanna nearly collided with the back of his thigh, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."
How could a famous place be so grubby-looking? Susanna thought to herself, before remembering that a lot of famous places were famous because they'd been around for so long, so of course quite a few would look unassuming.
Susanna looked around, curious as to if anyone else was going inside. Strangely, passersby just seemed to walk by as if this "famous place" didn't exist. Where were the tourists taking their pictures? Or locals hoping for a quick bite or drink - Susanna wasn't innocent to the notion that drinking happened all day for some people; her father had complained enough about the "drunken behavior of ingrates" over the years.
But instead, the passersbys' eyes seemed to pass from the bookending shops on either side of the pub, their eyes seeming to glaze over if they did glance towards the Leaky Cauldron. "Can they not see it?" Susanna asked Hagrid.
"Glamour spell. It comes in useful, what with hidin' us from Muggles. C'mon, yeh two." Hagrid explained, then steered them inside the pub.
It was dark and shabby, and definitely not the kind of establishment she'd ever imagine her parents entering. A group of old women had congregated in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of Sherry and laughing loudly. One was even smoking from a long pipe! There was a little man wearing a top hat, and he was busily chatting with the old bartender. The man behind the bar was very bald and practically toothless, leaving Susanna to wonder if there were any dentists in the wizarding world.
As soon as the pub goers noticed the three newcomers, the chatting stopped. It was practically comical, a few mid-sip with their cheeks bulging before they swallowed their drinks. Quite a few waved to Hagrid, who nodded back with a gentle smile.
"The usual, Hagrid?" The bartender asked, pulling out a glass.
"Can't, Tom. I'm on Hogwarts business." Hagrid clapped Harry on the shoulder. The boy buckled but Susanna was quick to catch him.
"Good Lord." The bartender - Tom - gasped, eyes blown wide as he stared down at the cousins. No, down at Harry. "Is this… can this be -?" He cut himself off, and you could hear a pin drop, the pub was so silent.
Tom rushed out from behind the bar and rushed to Harry. "Bless my soul! The Boy Who Lived! Harry Potter, what an honor!" He eagerly began shaking Susanna's cousin's hand. "Welcome back Mr. Potter, welcome back."
Chairs scraped on the worn floor as the regulars jumped from their seats and hurried to Harry. Susanna yelped as she was practically wrenched away from Harry's side, pushed away by the crowd. The witches and wizards surrounding her introduced themselves eagerly, but Susanna couldn't make out any names as she'd been nearly shoved out the door. She wove her way through, doing her best to avoid being hit by the oblivious-but-enthusiastic crowd.
Harry had just finished speaking to the wizard in the top hat when he saw her, and Susanna hurried to ground her clearly overwhelmed cousin. She took his hand and squeezed, knowing closed spaces made him anxious on a good day - they could only thank her parents for that. As the rest of the crowd continued their introductions, she made sure to hold onto Harry, squeezing his hand twice every other person.
A tall, pale young man stepped in front of them, wringing his hands nervously, left eye twitching. "Professor Quirrell!" Hagrid announced. "Harry, Susanna, Professor Quirrell will be one o' yer teachers at Hogwarts."
"M-Mr. P-P-Potter." He grasped Harry's hand, shaking it. "C-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to me-meet you."
"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" Harry asked, and the professor released his hand before offering it out to Susanna, who shook it.
"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts." He muttered, and dropped Susanna's hand in favor of wringing his again. "N-Not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He chuckled nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires m-myself." Susanna took in his scared expression, but the man was unable to continue talking to him as the other patrons grew tired of his time with Harry.
It took nearly ten more minutes to get away from the crowd. Finally, Hagrid cleared his throat. "Must get on. Lots ter buy. Come on Harry, Susanna." An old witch who kept coming back to shake Harry's hand finally relented, and the giant steered the cousins away from the pub.
They walked through the back door, coming to a dead end in the form of a brick wall and small courtyard. "Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous!" Hagrid crowed to Harry. "Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind, he's usually tremblin'."
"Is he always that nervous?" Susanna asked.
Hagrid hummed and nodded. "Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience. They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject - now, where's my umbrella?"
As Hagrid rummaged around his pockets looking for the pink object, Susanna thought about what he said. She wondered how a man scared of his own subject would still want to teach it - certainly there was something else he'd be able to do, if it was so hard for him to get past what he had seen. Her father's voice rang in her head, "Well, you know what they say. Those who can't do, teach, even if they do it poorly." He'd often said that after speaking to Dudley's teachers about her twin's grades, often claiming that the people in charge of his education were to blame. She pushed Vernon Dursley's voice away, though. Surely Professor Quirrell was still capable, or the school wouldn't have kept him on.
By then Hagrid had pulled out his umbrella. He began counting the bricks above a garbage can, humming to himself while the cousins watched in anticipation. "Three up… two across…" He muttered. "Right, stand back, yeh two." Hagrid tapped the wall three times. The bricks he touched quivered, causing a chain reaction that had the rest of the wall wriggling, the bricks seeming to fold away from themselves to create a hole in the middle. The hole grew wider and wider, until a cobbled street was revealed. The cousins' mouth gaped in shock, and they held tightly onto one another's hands. "Welcome," Hagrid grinned down at the children beside him, "to Diagon Alley."
"OW! Suze!" Harry yelped, rubbing his elbow and glaring at his cousin.
She didn't notice his look, far too busy setting big green eyes on the sight in front of her. "Sorry. Thought I was dreaming."
"Then why did you pinch me?"
Susanna's heart swelled with awed disbelief as they walked through the archway big enough for even Hagrid. The sun shone brightly down onto the cobblestone street, the light mirrored in the reflections of the glass windows of the shops lining the crowded walkway. The buildings were tilted and slanted, off-center and gravity-defying.
They passed by a cauldron shop first. The sign above it read, "Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible."
"We'll get yer cauldrons there, but we gotta get yer money first." Hagrid told them, walking closely behind the two cousins and staring around protectively. As they walked up the street the cousins pointed and gasped to each other, Susanna's eyes stuck on a beautiful black cat with bright blue eyes. It seemed to be staring back at her, hissing at any person that came too close to his cage.
Further down a group of kids had their noses pressed against the window of a place called "Quality Quidditch Supplies. "... the new Nimbus 2000 - fastest ever -" One boy was shouting as they walked past him.
They walked by shops selling robes, others selling telescopes and strange silver devices. Susanna nearly let go of Harry's hand to enter a store selling bat spleens, eels' eyes, and potion bottles. She remembered what her mother had said last night about aunt Lily returning home frog spawn, and seriously considered doing the same to get back at Dudley for how he's treated Harry. It could also keep Dennis away from her - she wanted nothing to do with a boy like him.
Hagrid caught her trying to sneak off and gently grabbed her shoulder, chuckling. "Interested in potions, eh?"
"Suppose Dudley found dead spiders and eye of newt in his bed… I wouldn't be endangering the wizarding world, right? Since my family knows about our kind?" Susanna asked, barely concealing her troublemaking smirk. Harry nodded eagerly beside her, fully approving the idea. Hagrid laughed loudly.
"Yer a troublemaker, aren' yeh? Well, I don' think yeh'd be doing anythin' too damaging for our kind. C'mon, we're nearly there." Hagrid kept laughing and steered them to Gringotts.
The bank was so large it towered over the rest of the shops. It was pure white with a giant set of bronze doors. Before it was a little creature wearing a scarlet and gold uniform, its hair receded and ears pointed.
"Yeah, that's a goblin." Hagrid whispered to the cousins as they approached. The goblin bowed to the three before they entered, a clever grin on his face and mouth full of pointed teeth.
Inside, they faced another two doors. This pair was silver, with words engraved in the shiny metal.
Enter, strangers, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
"Like I said, yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it." Hagrid reminded them before two more goblins bowed them through the doors and into a vast marble hall. Two long counters faced each other, with hundreds of goblins sitting behind them. They balanced coins on brass scales, wrote into ledgers with long, thin fingers gripping their quills. They held up gems and diamonds, observing them through eyeglasses. Other goblins were showing people in and out of the hall, leading them to and from different halls.
At the very end of the hall, just past three enormous diamond chandeliers, sat an old goblin at a tall desk.
This goblin had white hair slicked back. His skin was wrinkled and he wore glasses nearly as thick as Harry's. "Mornin'." Hagrid said to the elf, and he peered up from his ledger. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's and Ms. Susanna Dursley's safes."
"And do Mr. Harry Potter and Ms. Susanna Dursley have their keys?" The goblin inquired, staring down over the edge of his desk at the two cousins.
"Got it somewhere." Hagrid told the goblin, who settled back. Susanna hid her laugh when Hagrid dumped some moldy dog treats on the goblin's desk, the creature's nose wrinkling in disgust. Harry elbowed her to get her attention - to their right, a goblin was weighing a handful of rubies on his scale.
"Got it!" Hagrid announced, holding up two tiny gold keys. The goblin took them and examined them closely before nodding.
"That seems to be in order."
"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore. It's about the You-Know-What, in vault You-Know-Which." Susanna observed the giant as the goblin carefully read the letter, Hagrid's chest puffed out with great importance.
"Very well." He passed the letter back to Hagrid, who nodded and placed it carefully in his coat pocket, along with the moldy dog treats. "I will have someone take you down to the three vaults. Griphook!" The goblin called, and another walked over briskly, nodding when the other goblin explained where they were going. He bowed to the three of them before leading the way to a door off the hall. Griphook held the door open, but what lay before them wasn't more marble architecture. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. There were little railway tracks sloping down and around, and the goblin whistled. A small cart went speeding their way, and the small group climbed in. It took Hagrid far longer, and the giant was turning a pale shade of green even before the cart began to move on its own - Griphook wasn't steering.
They twisted and hurdled down a maze of tracks, reminding Susanna of the roller coasters her brother always managed to get onto thanks to his larger size, but ones she hadn't been tall enough to ride. She held in her whoops of excitement and denied herself the privilege of throwing her arms up in delight. She'd never really suffered from motion sickness - her mother often said it was because she moved around too much for nausea to ever catch up. They plunged even deeper, diving down and passing an underground lake, gigantic stalagmites and stalactites growing from the floor and ceiling.
"I never know, what's the difference between a 'stalagmite' and a 'stalactite'?" Harry asked, but before Susanna could respond Hagrid spoke up.
"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it, an' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Stalactites grow on the ceiling!" Susanna answered, howling with glee as they dipped again. "Ms. Hudson said last year to remember the 'c' for 'ceiling'."
"Nerd." Harry teased.
"I remembered it all for you!" Susanna shouted back, practically roaring over the louder wind. "So you'd know the right answer when you'd inevitably forget!" She teased, laughing with Harry as he rolled his eyes with the utmost fondness.
It was true. Sure, she'd been an alright student before the Roof Incident. But since becoming close to Harry, she realized how much information he missed in class thanks to his concern over what Dudley's latest form of attack would be. So she studied harder and wrote down even the most inconsequential notes in case Harry needed them. And that wasn't to say Harry made poor grades, he was actually very bright. But he had more to worry about than his cousin, and if learning more for it was the biggest consequence of her actions, Susanna figured it was worth it.
Finally, the cart stopped in front of a small door on the passage wall. Hagrid was the first to get out, leaning against a pillar and breathing in deeply while his natural complexion returned.
"Mr. Harry Potter's vault, number 687." The goblin informed them before unlocking the door, and Susanna covered her mouth when green smoke billowed out. The vault swung open, revealing mounds of gold, piles of silver, heaps of bronze. It was more than either Harry or Susanna imagined for him, and her eyes teared up with sadness when she realized her father would stop at nothing to get at Harry's vault if he ever found out about it. That man feared no dragon when money was involved.
Hagrid passed Harry a small bag, smiling down at him, "The gold ones are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles, and the bronze coins are Knuts. There are seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms." Hagrid explained, nodding at Susanna to make sure she understood what he said as the giant supervised how much Harry took.
"Ms. Susanna Dursley's vault is next, down this passage." Griphook announced as he locked up the vault, delicately handing the key to Harry. They walked in the opposite direction their cart was faced, past vaults 686, 685, 684 - they stopped at vault 666, and Susanna snorted at the number, but the joke seemed to go over both Hagrid's and the Goblin's heads. Harry got it, though, and he laughed under his breath. No doubt this is what her father thought of her, that she was the Devil.
As Griphook took out her key and began to unlock the door, she wondered why they hadn't stopped her first before remembering that her cousin was probably famous enough for even the goblins to be aware of, and they probably wanted to prioritize him.
The door swung open, and tears brimmed in her eyes. While not as towering as Harry's riches, her own vault was full of more money than she thought she'd ever get to see. If she focused on her spending, she would have more than enough to get her through schooling, until she found a job - what kind of job could she get in this world, anyway?
"How did… how…?" Was all Susanna could ask as Hagrid passed her a bag and began helping her pack away some money.
"Like I said, Dumbledore arranged it."
"But how, Hagrid? This can't be his. Wait, is this a loan?" She asked.
"No, it's not an' it's not a loan. Yeh'd have to ask him, I suppose. He didn' tell me." Hagrid told her gently, closing up the bag and handing it over. She took it and held it close to her chest.
When her vault was locked and Griphook had handed her the key - she briefly unclasped the necklace her mother had given her and slid the key on it - the goblin whistled for their cart. It returned, and Hagrid sighed.
"Can we go more slowly?"
"One speed only." Griphook responded, and Susanna wondered if he was purposefully sneering or if his face simply gave off that impression.
The cart went even deeper than before, and the air grew as cold as ice. Harry and Susanna both leaned over the side to peer down at another underwater ravine before Hagrid pulled them back by the scruffs of their neck.
"Vault You-Know-Which" was revealed to be vault 713, and an impatient Griphook told the group to "stand back!" He walked to the door - which had no keyhole - stroked down it gently with a long, boney finger and sharp nail. It slowly slides open, the goblin smirking nastily at them.
"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there."
"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked, the cousins holding onto each other nervously.
"Ten days."
"Well, that's good to know." Susanna whispered, throat clenched in fear.
She wondered what was so important as to be locked away in a vault no one but a Gringotts goblin could open - maybe thousands upon thousands of rubies, or mountains of diamonds…
Or a grubby little package wrapped up in newspaper, resting neatly on the dusty ground of the vault. Hagrid leaned forward and picked up, tucking it carefully into his coat pocket. Before Susanna could even ask about it, he cleared his throat.
"Come on, back in this infernal cart - and don' talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut."
Susanna nodded and followed the giant, leaving her questions for later.
Hagrid sucked in a deep breath of fresh air when they stepped out of Gringotts, the cart long behind them. He still looked a bit green, and Susanna nervously stepped away from him. "Might as well get yer uniform." He pointed to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions then sucked in another deep breath. "Harry, Susanna, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts."
"Sure." Harry responded, Susanna nodding in understanding. The giant thanked them and ambled off, but before they entered Madam Malkin's her eyes focused on a bookstore next door.
"Harry, look!" She pointed to the window, where they could see books floating through air and tucking themselves into battered shelves.
"You want to go in there, don't you?"
"It beats having to buy clothes." She grumbled back, and he laughed.
"Alright, fine."
"I'll grab both our sets, and look around a bit."
"Thanks. And please, for the love of God, be careful and don't get in trouble." He told her. She gasped in offense and he laughed, shoving her away.
"You, too!" Susanna called after him as he walked into Madam Malkin's, and she stepped into Flourish and Blotts as soon as she saw he was being helped.
Now, Susanna wasn't exactly what you'd call a "bookworm." As with school, she didn't start truly paying attention to them until she needed to make sure Harry was caught up. But her new school list had exited her, and she found herself ducking around a tall man with long white hair to reach the first of her books. Unfortunately for her it was five shelves above her head, and she pouted to herself.
"Need some help?" A shopkeeper asked, sliding over on a ladder.
"Oh, yes. Please."
"First year, eh? I'd spot that look anywhere. Take it your letter was a surprise." He smiled gently at her, plucking out Magical Drafts and Potions.
"Yes. Can I have another copy? I'm grabbing my cousin's books as well."
"Certainly, dear. Here you go."
The shopkeeper spent the rest of their time telling her all about the different authors of her school texts. He laughed with her when she pointed to The Invisible Book of Invisibility.
"Yes, it really is invisible." He lowered his voice to a hush. "In my opinion, it belongs in Zonko's Joke Shop, but I do enjoy the looks on people's faces when they realize they can't read it."
Susanna grinned at the thought, too, and considered buying it to drive Harry mad - she could pretend to know what she was reading, and as long as he didn't know it was unreadable, he'd be none the wiser. She could do it around her parents and Dudley, too, but valued her life far too much as she knew realistically that goading Vernon Dursley would only end badly for her.
She was nearly tempted to purchase Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian, but fortunately for her family the shopkeeper steered her away from it.
"Alright, that should be everything. Were you still interested in Hogwarts: A History? Maybe The Invisible Book of Invisibility?" The shopkeeper's lips twitched, and Susanna grinned.
"I'll pass on Invisibility today… and Hogwarts: A History. Do you think it'd take the surprise out of Hogwarts?" Susanna asked, biting her lip.
"Probably. I'd recommend buying it after your first year. It is a good read." He assured her, and she grinned.
"Alright. Next year, then. Thank you for your help!" She smiled up at the older man, who nodded his head.
"Of course. Excuse me, I fear a whole shelf is about to topple over - get down from there! You'll get yourselves squashed!" He shouted as he rounded on some boys attempting to climb the bookshelves. Susanna laughed, and her eyes roved over to the door just in time to see Hagrid waving at her, Harry beside him. He was carrying a large parcel, but a frown marred his previously ecstatic face.
"Here, I've got your books Harry."
"Thanks." He mumbled, and stuck close to her side. He stepped in front of her whenever someone got too close, and Susanna stared at him in confusion. They protected each other of course, but this seemed a little excessive and out-of-nowhere.
They left Flourish and Blotts - Hagrid carrying their packed books - and Susanna stepped towards Madam Malkin's.
"Wait!" Harry stepped in front of her again, peering through the window. He seemed to sigh in relief and then opened the door for her, only letting her through with a nod.
"You're acting strange, Freak." She joked, but he simply ignored her in favor of looking around.
"Ah, you're back so soon." A woman walked towards them, smiling at Harry.
"This is my cousin. She needs some robes, too."
"Of course. Right this way, dearie. I'm Madam Malkin."
"Susanna." She introduced herself, but paid very little attention to the fitting in favor of observing her cousin. He was practically guarding the door, which Susanna thought was ridiculous considering Hagrid was blocking it from the outside.
When Madam Malkin had finished, she passed her the three black robes and the rest of her uniform - crisp white button-downs, black ties, dark gray vests and matching skirts. She paid what was owed and took the package, tucking it under her arm carefully. Her eyes caught on a brown leather messenger bag, which she ended up buying as well.
She walked out of the shop with Harry flanking her, and tucked her bag of money inside, zipping it shut. "Yeh two fancy some ice cream?" Hagrid asked them, and Susanna perked up.
"Really?"
"O' course. You want some too, Harry?" He asked the boy. Her cousin shrugged and nodded, and continued being quiet even as he dug into the ice cream Hagrid bought him - chocolate and raspberry, topped with chopped nuts. Susanna licked her strawberry and peanut butter ice cream, smiling contently. She noticed Harry's frown and sighed, nudging his side with her elbow.
"What's wrong?" She asked him, glancing over her cousin with concern.
"Nothing."
Susanna hummed, fully aware he was lying, but knew better than to push him to respond. Instead she asked Hagrid about Zonko's Joke Shop.
They continued their shopping, choosing to buy some writing supplies first. Harry only seemed to perk up when they found ink that changed colors as you wrote. They bought one each of the bottle besides the normal black ink, and it was packed away with their rolls of parchment and quills. Susanna tucked both of their's into her bag, waving Hagrid off when he offered to carry them instead.
As they stepped into the sun, Harry cleared his throat. "What's Quidditch?"
"Quidditch?" Susanna asked, having remembered the word from the broom shop.
"Blimey yeh two, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"
Harry sighed. "Don't make me feel worse. There was this… this boy. At Madam Malkin's. He talked about playing Quidditch, and brooms… I just nodded along, I didn't understand what he was saying I just kept feeling so stupid."
"Oh, Harry." Susanna squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry."
He sucked in a deep breath, and eyed her warily as he looked up at Hagrid. "And then he said… he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in, and all I could think was… was people'll say that to Susanna."
"That's why you checked, to make sure he wasn't still there." Susanna breathed out quietly. Just how many people thought that about Muggle-borns? Did she need to feel ashamed? She was already ashamed to have Vernon Dursley for a father, but now this?
"Yeah." Harry nodded, looking down. "I didn't want you to have to hear that."
"Codswallop!" Hagrid said, and the cousins looked up at him. He stared at Susanna, and held her shoulder with one large hand. "Yeh listen ter me, Susanna. That boy don't know a thing abou' what he said. Some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with mafic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles - look at Harry's mum!" He gestured to Harry, parcels swinging in his hand. "Yeh don' have a thing ter worry about, alright? And if anyone has a problem, yeh tell me an' yer Head of House."
Susanna was too concerned about how she'd be treated to ask about this 'Head of House', but cleared her throat to hide her inner turmoil. "So, what is Quidditch?"
Hagrid thankfully took the bait, but Harry squeezed her hand protectively before walking as close to her as he did before, an arm slung across her shoulders. "It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like football in the Muggle world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."
"What are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?" Harry asked him next, Susanna mouthing the two foreign words.
"School Houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"
"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff." Harry muttered gloomily.
"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin." Hagrid's face went dark. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."
"But surely there are bad people in other, um, Houses, right?" Susanna asked, nervous. What if her past actions deemed her bad? What if she was cruel enough to be put in a house meant for people who go dark?
"I suppose." Hagrid hummed, but it did nothing to ease her worry.
"Vol - sorry, You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"Years an' years ago." Was all Hagrid said before he walked them towards the cauldron shop. As they moved, Susanna told Harry about Curses and Countercurses. The boy beamed as brightly as the sun, and asked Hagrid if they could go back to Flourish and Blotts and purchase it.
Hagrid grinned, but shook his head. "Let me guess, something ter keep yer family in check?" He asked Harry and Susanna.
"No, never." The girl denied, but Harry's admission ruined their shot at innocence.
"I'm sure they'll tell us all about how to curse Dudley."
"Oi! Don't include me! I'd never do something like that."
Hagrid snorted. "I'm sure you wouldn'. Look, I'm not sayin' that it's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances." Hagrid explained. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any o' them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."
Susanna sighed grumpily and Harry snorted, having now perked up fully after the incident with the blonde boy.
It was his turn to sigh grumpily when Hagrid told him he couldn't buy the solid gold cauldron, but both cousins were able to purchase some beautiful scales for measuring potions ingredients as well as collapsible brass telescopes. "Fer Astronomy." Hagrid explained, and Susanna groaned - if they were buying telescopes that meant that particular class would be held at night, and she enjoyed sleeping far more than she'd ever enjoy learning about stars. They were balls of burning gas for crying out loud, what more did she need to know about them?
Susanna - despite how horrid it smelled - was most enamored by the Apothecary. She looked around as Hagrid waited for a shop assistant to finish with the customers before them, her eyes focused on a jar of tiny eyeballs.
"Amazing." She breathed, before noticing Hagrid was being helped. She eagerly stood next to him, paying attention as the shop assistant gathered the ingredients - she eyed the Belladonna cautiously, wondering just what kind of potion needed it. Probably not one that'd end well for the drinker, she surmised.
When Hagrid had both parcels of ingredients and phials in his hand he led the cousins out the door, Susanna doubling back to tug Harry away from a container of silver unicorn horns.
When all three were gathered outside the Apothecary, Hagrid read down Harry's list. "Yeh two jus' have yer wands left - oh yeah, an' I still haven' got yeh a birthday present, Harry."
Susanna smiled as her cousin blushed as red as her hair, sputtering. "You don't have to -"
"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl." He decided. "All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'." Hagrid explained, leading them to Eeylops Owl Emporium.
Susanna looked around as Hagrid helped Harry pick an owl he wanted, but as she looked in their large, blinking eyes all she could think about was that black cat in the pet shop, and it's blue eyes. She remembered how it looked at her before hissing at shop patrons who came too close, almost as if to say, "get me away from these people."
Twenty minutes later they were walking out, Harry holding on tightly to a cage containing a snowy owl, asleep with her head under her wing. As he thanked Hagrid profusely Susanna stopped walking. Down the street was the pet shop they'd past earlier - Magical Menagerie.
"Hagrid, could I get my pet, too?" She asked the giant.
"Certainly. Did yeh want an owl as well? I don' mind gettin' yeh one, two, fer yer birthday -"
"No, no, it's fine. I don't want an owl. There was this cat. I'm not sure if it'll still be there, but… can we go see?" Susanna asked, blinking up at the giant with big green eyes. He sighed.
"Sure, I don' see why not. Then we'll get yer wands."
"Thanks, Hagrid!" She cheered, and eagerly began making her way to the pet store, Harry having to run behind her to keep up.
Susanna stopped in front of the cages, her eyes roving around. She supposed she could get a different cat, if this one was gone.
But it wasn't. She heard it hissing before she saw it, and blue eyes met hers. She hurried over, but before she could reach the cat the shopkeeper stopped her. "Oi, careful with that one. He'll scratch at you before you even get close enough to pet him. Why not get a nicer one? We've got this nice -"
"Excuse me." Susanna stepped around the man and ignored his sales pitch in favor of reaching the cat. Only it was smaller than she thought, barely the size of her forearm. A kitten, she guessed.
The kitten was busy hissing at a boy, and he shrank back in fear. "That thing ought to be released if it's too hostile to buy!" The boy's mother explained, whisking her son away.
The kitten hissed again, but stopped when he saw Susanna standing in front of him. He tilted his black head, blue eyes on her as he licked at his lip. Susanna grinned when he sneezed then glared down at his nose, as if betrayed.
"Hi there. I'm Susanna. You're sweeter than you let on, huh?" The kitten mewled and crept forward, butting his head against the cage. "Is it alright if I pet you? I'm sure it's no fun being poked at all day. I'm sorry people can be so awful." She apologized, reaching a finger into the cage. The kitten bowed his head a little, purring as it leaned into her scratching finger. She felt a slight scar and winced, wondering just what the poor creature had gone through. "I used to be awful." She whispered. "I'm trying not to be anymore, but it's harder than it looks." She laughed. "And I'm talking to a kitten." The kitten mewled, and she snorted. "Alright. I suppose I've done weirder things."
"Well I'll be - he's never done that before!" Another shopkeeper said. "He had a rough start, so I get why he wouldn't."
"What happened to him?"
"He was a rescue. Only got him last month. Looked like he'd been roughed up since he was born, poor little guy. Hasn't been the most accepting of affection, to put it lightly. Are you just looking, or are you interested?"
Susanna looked from the kitten to where Harry and Hagrid stood, both of them staring excitedly at Harry's snowy owl. She looked around at all the other customers as they played with their potential pets or walked away with little cages.
She looked back down at the kitten. He'd rolled over onto his back, pushing up towards her hand for a belly rub. "I'll take him. Absolutely."
The kitten seemed to have perked up since his purchase, though he still hissed at anyone who got too close. To Hagrid's irritation he seemed interested in his overcoat, and tiny claws would occasionally swipe out at it.
"Wait until you meet Dudley. You're going to swipe at him with your precious little claws, yes you will, yes you will!" She cooed at the kitten, who mewled back at her before hissing suspiciously at an old woman.
"And that is how my favorite cousin became exactly like Mrs. Figgs!" Harry teased.
Susanna glared. "Never say that again, or I'll set the kitten on you." He laughed and held his hands up in surrender.
"Alright yeh two, jus' Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wands." He grinned down at both cousins, and Susanna smiled when Harry began to bounce on the balls of his feet. If it weren't for the traumatized kitten in her hand, she'd have done the same.
The wand shop was narrow and shabby. Gold letters were peeling over the door.
"Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." Susanna read aloud, taking in the dust-covered windows. "Well, there's no going back after this." She whispered to Harry.
"Why would we ever want to go back?" Harry responded, and Susanna grinned.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
A bell rang faintly off in the distance as they entered Ollivanders. The immense silence reminded her of the public library her mother would take her to so she could study before ballet. Only the shelves here were filled to the brim with duty and new looking wand cases instead of books.
Hagrid sat down on a spindly old chair, their belongings stacked around him. Susanna's kitten hissed at Hagrid when he shifted his coat away.
An old man stood before them. He had wide, pale eyes that seemed even older than himself. He smiled down at the two cousins. "Hello." Harry said, as awkwardly as Susanna nodded.
"Ah, yes. Yes, yes, I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Harry Potter. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here buying her wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander hummed. "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more powerful and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
His pale-moon eyes shifted to Susanna, who watched him with interest. "Susanna Dursley. Yes, I met your mother, when Lily was buying her wand. A jealous looking girl, though she showed great intrigue with the wands I brought her sister to try. You don't look like her, though, do you? No, you look just like Lily." Susanna really did need to see a photo of Harry's mother - everyone kept saying that.
He looked back over at Harry, then leaned in so close they were practically nose-to-nose. The old man's eyes grew misty. "And that's where…" He raised a finger to the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead. "I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it." His voice was impossibly soft. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"
The old man shook himself out of his trance and backed away. His focus rested on where Hagrid sat. "Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"
It was certainly bent in half, Susanna thought to herself, watching Hagrid's reaction. His shoulders slumped, and her heart went out to the giant. "It was, sir, yes." He muttered.
"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?"
"Er - yes. They did, yes. I've still got the pieces, though." He perked up a bit.
"But you don't use them?" Ollivander asked, tone sharp as broken glass.
"Oh, no, sir." Hagrid gripped onto his umbrella tighter. Susanna eyed the pink object, then Hagrid. Oh.
"Hmm." Mr. Ollivander seemed to come to the same conclusion that Susanna had. He then looked down at the cousins and smiled. "Now, who would like to go first?"
Harry still seemed to be a little in shock, his green eyes doing very little to conceal his emotions. She saw him inching away from the wands nervously, so she smiled. "Me. I'll go first. Show you how it's done, Harry." She winked at her cousin, who grinned back in relief. She turned back to Ollivander, smiling. It morphed into a look of confusion when his eyes roved over her, humming to himself.
"Which is your wand arm?" He finally asked.
"Um…"
"Which hand do you write with?" Mr. Ollivander gently amended.
"Oh. My left." A habit her parents tried to get her out of, mind.
"Very good. Hold out your arm. Thank you." She did as asked, raising her left limb. He stepped out from behind his desk and began measuring her from shoulder to finger, wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and around her head. Except he wasn't doing it, the tape measure was on his own.
As he measured, he spoke to both her and a curious Harry. "Every wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, phoenixes, or dragons are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand. That will do." The tape measure crumpled onto the floor. He went to the shelves and picked out four boxes bringing them back and opening them up in a neat row on his desk.
"Here. Twelve and a quarter inches, hazel, unicorn hair, unyielding. Give it a wave." He gestured to the girl, who took the wand from Mr. Ollivander and awkwardly moved it through the air. A light bulb in the back of the store exploded and Susanna yelped.
"Sorry!" She quickly set it back in the box, and the old man let out a soft laugh.
"It's quite alright. Like I said, the wand chooses us. Try this one - eleven and a half inches, oak, dragon heartstring, reasonably flexible. Here." He passed her the next wand, and when she waved it a small vase of flowers exploded, the glass raining down on the floor. "No, I suppose not."
"Hey, don't worry. Third time's the charm." Harry told her, and she smiled and nodded back.
She watched Ollivander's hand hover over the third wand in the row, before it skipped over to the last one. He delicately lifted it, holding it in the light. "Hmm. Perhaps… eleven and one quarter inches, mahogany, dragon heartstring, slightly springy."
Although hesitant, she reached out and accepted it. The wood of the handle was almost smooth, but something seemed to be etched in it. Susanna held it up in the light, turning the wand in her hand. A snake had been engraved into the mahogany, wrapping around it so the head was at the hilt and the tail at the tip. She looked at Mr. Ollivander before accepting the wand.
It was like a warmth had grown in her, starting from her stomach and bursting out of her skin. It felt like everything suddenly made complete sense, like the world was finally right.
She gasped and looked up at Mr. Ollivander, who smiled and bowed his head. "Your wand has chosen, Ms. Dursley."
Hagrid clapped and Harry hugged her as Mr. Ollivander carefully packed her wand back in its box and passed it to her. "Congratulations." Harry whispered, and she smiled.
"Thanks. Alright, Freak. Your turn."
"Hey, you're the freak."
"And apparently, you're a famous freak. Freak." He snorted and released her, focusing warily on Mr. Ollivander as the old man put away the other wands. "It's fun. Honest. Even when you break something. You're holding a wand, after all!" She encouraged him. He smiled and laughed, though he was still nervous as Mr. Ollivander began taking his measurements, Harry's right arm raised.
Harry's pile of unchosen - was that even the right word? - wands began to grow, and grow. Unicorn hair and ebony, maple and phoenix, elm and dragon heartstring.
Everytime he turned around, he looked more and more crestfallen. Susanna would smile and mime taking a deep breath, and he'd copy her with a small smile.
"Tricky customer, eh?" Mr. Ollivander chuckled. "Not to worry, we'll fund the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder." He stopped to think, then hummed and disappeared briefly into the back of his shop. Harry shifted his weight, Susanna nearly walking forward to hug him comfortingly before Mr. Ollivander reappeared, a dusty old wand box in his hand. "Unusual combination, holly and phoenix feather. Nice and supple."
He opened the box on the desk, and handed Harry the wand. The boy lifted it, and Susanna watched in amazement as a light seemed to glow around him, lifting bits of his unruly black hair. Is that what happened to her?
Her cousin raised his wand, and red and gold sparks flew up out of the tip, dancing around the little shop like fireworks. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Susanna cheered, throwing her arms up. Harry laughed back, but it started to die down when Mr. Ollivander muttered to himself. "I'm sorry, but what's curious?" He asked, and Susanna stepped forward to listen.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in you wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar." He pointed to Harry's forehead, and Susanna took her cousin's hand in comfort. Mr. Ollivander's eyes were faraway again. "Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… after all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrible, yes, but great."
Susanna watched the old man warily as he straightened, snapping out of his thoughts. They paid seven Galleons for their wands and Susanna slipped them into her heavy messenger bag. Mr. Ollivander bowed them out of the shop, and the cousins left with their hands entwined, both terrified of what the old wandmaker had said.
It was late afternoon when Hagrid led them out of the now-empty Leaky Cauldron, the bustling cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley too far to be heard, but their first real experience in the wizarding world would not easily be forgotten. Their last stop on their way out of Diagon Alley was to purchase two rolling trunks, and they'd stopped briefly in the pub to tuck away their other parcels for easier travel.
Susanna glared at passersby who stared too closely at them. It did nothing to deter them, as they were also carrying a hissing kitten and fluffy snowy owl.
The trip through the Underground was uneventful and quiet, and soon enough the three companions had reached Paddington station. Susanna took care of the tickets home - one for Harry, one for herself.
"There's still time ter get a bite ter eat. Before yer train leaves." Hagrid told them, and they nodded in agreement. He sighed and led them to an open shop. They sat down on plastic seats, the cousins digging into their hamburgers ravenously - Susanna had no idea if they'd be fed by her parents that night, let alone in the days leading up to the start of term.
"Alright. Yer very quiet. What's wrong?" Hagrid asked them, clearing his throat.
Harry nodded, chewing on his lip rather than his food. "It's just, um… everyone thinks I'm special. All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol - sorry - I mean the night my parents died."
Hagrid leaned across the table, smiling warmly at Harry. "Don' yeh worry, Harry. Yeh'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, yeh'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did. Still do, 'smatter of fact. An' yeh won't be alone. Yeh've got yer cousin with yeh." He smiled at Susanna, who grinned back with her cheeks full of hamburger. Hagrid snorted. "I swear, yeh're nothin' like yer family." Susanna laughed nervously. She used to be. If only he knew who she used to treat Harry James Potter. The Boy Who Lived.
They finished their hamburgers, Susanna thinking deeply about what Hagrid had said to her cousin. He walked them to their train, helping them with their trunks and new pets. Susanna's kitten was sleeping, curled up into a ball the size of Dudley's fist. Hopefully her family was too scared of her to think about touching her kitten. But if they dared… well, she supposed there's an easy enough spell to get them to back off.
Hagrid cleared his throat and handed them another envelope. "Yer tickets fer Hogwarts. First o' September, King's Cross - it's all on yer tickets. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, Harry. She'll know where to find me. I'll see yeh two soon." He waved goodbye to them and stepped off the train, the two cousins standing up from their cushioned seats to stare out the window. Their train began to move, but they wanted to watch Hagrid until they were out of sight.
But when they pressed their noses to the glass, the giant was gone. He'd disappeared in thin air.
They stared at each other as they sat back down, then straight ahead and the seats in front of them. As they rushed out of the station, Susanna looked over at her cousin, waiting for him to notice her. Moments later he did, face morphed into complete confusion.
"You don't have to worry about being great. I think you're already amazing. Even if we were absolutely normal, you'd still be the best person I know." Harry smiled at her, squeezing her hand.
"Thank you. And you know… if someone like that boy I met ever… ever says…"
"I know. You'll be there. Thank you."
"Well, it's like Hagrid said. We won't be alone."
Susanna smiled and settled back in her seat. She wasn't worried about the reunion with the rest of her family. One more month, and they'd be far away from the horror show that was Number 4 Privet Drive. "Happy birthday, Harry." She whispered, and he squeezed her hand once more.
