Hello my lovely readers! Here is the long-awaited update to thePotter Twinsseries!
Ugh this week has been so PACKED. I got sick, had to go on a trip, AND compete in my debate tournament...all in three days. I don't know how I am managing school, my clubs, activities, and my writing. I suppose I love sharing my works so much for you guys that I manage to keep going.
Please note that this week may be a bit slower than usual since I do have a two-day exam for my history A-levels and a paper due for my research class, so I will be cramming for that. This weekend I have work (8 hour shift...fun) and I am volunteering at a community event so I don't know how much writing time I will get in. But we'll see!
For now, please read and review and stay tuned for more fun to come! :) Have a quacktastic day!
I woke up the following morning. The storm had evidently calmed during the night, and the sunlight was shining through the cracks in the house's walls and the single window. Last night's events replayed in my mind. It all seemed like a dream, I thought, until I opened my eyes.
I was still in the shack. Hagrid was awake, busy cooking something at the fire. I looked over next to my right, and Harry was still asleep.
I sat up and got to my feet, careful not to disturb Harry. I wandered over to the other side of the room where Hagrid was.
"Good mornin'. Want some sausages?" Hagrid beamed when he noticed me.
"Yes, please," I said, suddenly realising how hungry I was.
"Have some of that cake, I reckon it'll still taste good just the same," Hagrid said, referencing the half-eaten cakes that Harry and I had before we went to sleep last night.
I got my box of cake that I had left next to the sofa the previous night and sat down on the ground next to where I had slept and began to eat. Harry woke up just in time as the sausages were being served.
We happily ate breakfast in silence, savouring the warm sausages. Hagrid took out a large newspaper and began to read it. It was a very odd newspaper, too. The pictures on the front covers were moving as if they were little animations that were playing in one of those cartoon movies Dudley loved to watch on Saturday mornings. I read the front title of the newspaper in awe: The Daily Prophet.
I had so many questions that I wanted to ask, but if there's one thing that I've learned from Uncle Vernon, it's you never disturb a man while he reads his paper — ever.
After the cake boxes were emptied and the sausages were devoured (they were the best sausages I'd ever had), Hagrid stood up and put on his coat.
"First stop, Gringots," he told us as Harry and I packed the one bag we shared on this trip.
"Gringotts? What's that?" I asked.
"Wizarding bank, run by goblins."
"Goblins?" Harry asked in amazement.
Hagrid nodded. "I 'have some important business to complete for Professor Dumbledore. An' don't you two worry about paying for anythin' today, yer parents left you enough in yer vault," he added as we stepped out the front door and onto the slippery rock. He was leading us to the boat tied up to the small dock that Uncle Vernon had brought us over here yesterday.
"Wait, our parents left us money?" Harry said as we got in the boat.
"I thought that Uncle Vernon said that he wasn't going to pay for anything for us to go to Hogwarts?" I added, sitting down next to Harry in the boat.
"Yer parents didn't leave their fortune in the house!" said Hagrid as he flicked his umbrella and the boat began to move across the sea. "Gringotts is the safest place in the world! Whelp, except Hogwarts, o' course. Now, do yeh mind if I speed this up a bit? Don't mention me doing magic at Hogwarts."
Harry and I nodded, and Hagrid flicked his umbrella again. This time, the boat sped up, rocketing through the calm waters at a faster pace.
"Hagrid, why aren't you allowed to do magic?" Harry asked.
Hagrid looked tense for the first time that day.
"I got expelled from Hogwarts…I have Dumbledore to thank to allow me to stay as Gamekeeper. He got me outta trouble with the Ministry of Magic."
"Why were you expelled?" I said.
"Don' really want ter talk abou' it," Hagrid said.
We all fell into silence for the rest of the boat ride. I looked back at the shack where the Dursleys had remained. I was heading off to a place of the unknown but was relieved for the opportunity to get away from my only known family members. Hopefully, this wasn't some form of a joke set up by them.
When we came to shore, Hagrid led us to a train station in a small town to board for the trip to London. We received multiple stares as we passed the Muggles in the town. I can't say that I blame them. Hagrid was twice, if not triple, the size of the average man.
Finally, we arrived in London. At that point, I had only been there once in my life on a school trip with my primary school last year. Harry had been sick that day, so this was his first time visiting the capital. We wandered endlessly through the streets, turning at every random corner. While we were at a street crossing for pedestrians to turn green so we could cross, Harry took the chance to take a look at the list of required items for Hogwarts.
"Hal, look at this," he said, handing me a piece of paper that came from his letter. "This is what we need for Hogwarts…"
Hogwarts School: Of Witchcraft and Wizardry
UNIFORM:
First years are required the following:
3 sets of plain robes (BLACK)
1 Pointed Black Hat (For day wear)
1 Pair of Protective Gloves (Dragon Hide or similar material)
1 Winter cloak (BLACK with SILVER fastenings)
All students attending Hogwarts MUST have their clothing marked with name tags.
Textbooks:
All students are required a copy of the books necessary for their courses:
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 to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
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 Supplies:
1 Wand
1 Petwer Standard-Sized 2 Cauldron
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 Telescope
1 set brass scales
Students, if they desire, may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OWN THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.
"Do you think we can find all of this in London?" Harry asked, looking concerned.
"Let's just hope that Dursleys didn't set us up…" I sighed.
Hagrid led us through the streets, causing us to receive more odd glances as we passed people around us. Eventually, we came to the corner with an abandoned store and stopped. A black sign with the words "THE LEAKY CAULDRON" suddenly appeared. I assumed that only we could see it since the Muggles passing by us minded no attention to it.
"Um, Hagrid? What are we doing here?" Harry asked.
"Jus' keep goin'..." he replied, opening the corner shop's door and gently pushing us inside. "Grea' old Leaky Cauldron, just abou' as famous as you are."
We entered the mysterious building. The building inside contained a ruddy-looking pub. I wouldn't have noticed it if Hagrid hadn't brought us inside. The pub had no electric lights, rather it was dimly lit with lanterns and candles. A bar with people gathering around a crackling fire on the hearth filled the atmosphere. They all looked up at us when walked in.
"Ah! Hagrid, pleasant to see you again. The usual, I assume?" the bartender said to Hagrid.
Hagrid must be a regular here… I thought.
"Sorry, Tom, don't got the time. I got importan' business for Dumbledore, and I'm taken' Harry and Haley here to Diagon Alley to get their books for school!" Hagrid said loudly, patting Harry and me roughly on the shoulder, causing our knees to buckle with great force.
Everyone commencing in the pub fell silent and turned to look at us.
"Merlin's beard! It's– It's…" Tom the bartender stammered.
"It's the Potter twins!" an elder woman in the back corner cried.
I realised that my bangs weren't completely covering my scar. My cheeks burned as I hastily swept them further behind my ear, revealing the entirety of my lightning-shaped cut.
"My good Lord…what a blessing it is! Harry and Haley Potter, what an honour to meet you!" Tom exclaimed, running from behind the counter to shake our hands.
"Welcome back, Mr. and Miss Potter, welcome back," tears were flowing down his face.
Harry and I gawked at the bartender, not knowing what to say. I looked up at Hagrid, and he was beaming proudly.
Before I knew it, most of the people in the pub were surrounding my brother and me, and each of them extended their arms to shake our hands.
"Wonderful I finally get to meet you, Mr. and Miss Potter."
"I can't believe I'm meeting you at last. Ah, I thought that I would've been long gone by the time you came around here…"
"It's an honour to see you, truly an honour, Miss Potter."
"Dedalus Diggle, Mr Potter, I –" a small man with a top hat gushed as he approached my brother.
"I remember you! You bowed to us once in a store last year," Harry interrupted, and Diggle shook with excitement as he further bowed down to us, his top hat falling off.
We shook more hands, again and again, Diggle went off shouting with glee how the Potter twins remembered him. A pale man with a purple turban on his head approached us nervously.
"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Good ter see you! I didn't see yeh back there. Harry and Haley, this is Professor Quirrell, he will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts."
"L-l-lovely, truly lovely to meet you," Quirrell stammered as he grasped our hands. "I teach all about dark wizards and how to protect yourself from them, not that you'll be needing any of it any time soon," he added with a nervous laugh.
"Pleasure to meet you, too, sir," Harry and I said.
I smiled sympathetically at the poor bloke. He looked as if he were about to faint at any given moment.
"Wis' I could stay for longer, Professor, but I'm afraid that we really must be goin'," Hagrid said. "Come along, Harry and Haley, we need to get your spellbooks for Hogwarts. You'll see Professor Quirrell at Hogwarts soon enoug'. Good luck with the vampires, Professor!"
"Have a good rest of your holiday, Hagrid, and I'll be looking forward to seeing you, P-Potters."
We followed Hagrid towards the back door of the pub. He led us through a small alleyway and came to a stop at a brick wall behind a few dustbins. I hastily brushed my bangs back in front of my scar. I didn't want to be recognisable again, with all those faces staring at me and my forehead again….
"Poor bloke," Hagrid remarked about Quirrell once we were alone again. "Went off vampire hunting last summer and never was the same."
"So that's why he was so nervous back there?" Harry said.
"Yeah. He must've been traumatised sometime back, he never talks about those days with the vampires. Ah, here we are," Hagrid said, taking out his umbrella again.
"Hagrid, where exactly are we going?" I asked, very confused about how we were supposed to get through a wall.
"Diagon Alley, of course. No worries 'bout that, Haley. We'll make it through. Now what was it again? Oh yes. Three up and across." Hagrid took his umbrella and tapped it along the bricks.
The dust bins magically pushed aside out of the way of the brick wall. The bricks had begun to vanish, and slowly, but surely, started to slide away from their formation along the wall. The bricks then settled, and a large entrance in the wall revealed itself.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley."