Hello lovely readers! I have decided to split up the diagon alley chapter into two parts! The next chapter that will be updated will include the twins getting their wands as I need to take some more time to craft that scene. I hope you guys enjoy the first part of the twins trip to diagon alley! :) Please read and review.

Thank you to my few reviewers...I love you all!

Also I know there is an owl shop in Diagon alley I just combined the pet shops for the sake of the story and time. :)

- El 3

Harry and I stood there, awestruck. Diagon Alley was filled with shops along the sides of the alleyway. People in all shapes and sizes were bustling in all directions.

Hagrid guided us down the alley, but I wanted to stop and explore every corner of the place. There were shops of all kinds: Quality Quidditch Supplies, Ollivander's Wand Shop, Flourish and Bolts…. We passed the Eeylops Owl Emporium, where two witches were outside, surrounded by hundreds of cages of owls of all kinds. Snowy, tawny, barn… Cats ran up and down the alley, chasing the toads that were running away. The whole place felt like a dream that I didn't want to wake up from.

"All right, here we are! Gringotts at last. Impossible to break into it… got ter be the stupidest bloke out there if you even tried!" Hagrid explained as we walked through the large golden doors of the bank at the end of the alley.

Gringotts was a large, towering white building that overlooked the smaller shops in Diagon Alley. Outside were two large gold doors guarded by two small-looking creatures dressed in identical scarlet uniforms.

"Now, those are goblins," Hagrid said to us quietly as the goblins opened the doors and let us in. "They manage the bank."

I couldn't help but stare. The goblins were much shorter than me, with long, stretched faces and large ears for their small frames. The one that I passed to my left nodded with a stern look on his face. I turned red from embarrassment for staring and quickly looked away. This whole place was strange and mysterious, and I hadn't been there for more than ten minutes.

"Who would try to break into here?" Harry muttered to me as the doors closed behind us.

Inside was a large, marble hall with pillars towering over us to support the roof. Large chandeliers overtowered us as we made our way towards the end, passing tall desks with each having another goblin working and counting pounds of gold. More goblins walked around, carrying even more gold in their arms. Harry stared, mesmerised by the site.

"Business here?" the head goblin said at the end of the hall. He was seated at the tallest desk in the room and barely looked up at our presence.

"Mr. and Miss Potter wish to make a withdrawal," Hagrid replied.

"Do Mr. and Miss Potter have their key?" the goblin said nastily.

"Oh, yes. One momen'." Hagrid began searching the pockets of his coat, pulling out the most random of objects, including half-eaten biscuits and random quill feathers. "Ah, here it is!" He handed the goblin the key.

"Anything else?" the goblin asked.

"Yes, this." Hagrid handed him a sealed envelope. "From Albus Dumbledore, it's about you-know-what, in vault you-know-which. Importan' Hogwarts business," he added in a lower voice.

Harry and I looked at each other. What could that letter possibly contain that was so important? Surely nothing related to us, right?

"Very well, Griphook will take you there. Have a nice day," the goblin stated, signalling for Griphook from behind his desk.

"Follow me, please!" Griphook declared. "This way!"

He ushered us to one of the side doors to the room. Inside, unlike the main hall, was a dark, long room that was light with torches. The floor had been carved into a rail track with a single cart that we were guided to.

"In, please!"

Harry and I stepped into the row next to Griphook, and Hagrid took up the entire row behind us.

The cart began to move, first slowly, then began to rapidly accelerate. Eventually, we were turning in every corner. Left, right, down, up, left again, down again….I had begun to feel so dizzy that I couldn't tell where we were going any more.

Eventually, we came to a halt outside vault 637. Griphook led us out of the trolley, taking the key in his hand and placing it in the keyhole of the vault door.

He unlocked the door, multiple invisible gears and screws clicking on the other side in a symmetric pattern. Eventually, the last gear locked, and the iron door slowly opened.

Our jaws dropped as we stood behind the ajar door. Gleaming clearly in front of us, were two massive piles of sparking gold, iron, and bronze coins of all sizes. Even with the little light available in the vault, the coins all glittered and glowed brightly in front of our very eyes.

"Is this all of ours?" Harry asked in disbelief at Hagrid.

"Of course, Harry. Yeh really didn't think that yer parents would leave yeh with nothing, did yeh?" Hagrid laughed, as he pulled out two small pouches from his coat.

"Both of yeh have equally half of this fortune. One pile for each. This is what yer parents have left you with in your names. Don't go off spending all of it," Hagrid said sternly, handing us the pouches. "This is what you will have to get you through the next seven years at Hogwarts before you get a career with a good salary. Be careful with what you spend it on. Do you understand?"

Harry and I nodded, too excited to listen entirely to Hagrid's warning. Hagrid, ducking into the tiny vault, directed us both to our designated piles and Harry and I collected the money we needed for the day to buy our school supplies.

"Large gold coins are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles, and the little bronze ones are Knuts. There are 29 Knuts to a Sickle, 17 Sickles make up one Galleon. That should be enough for you to get started."

Sacks full, we stepped out of the vault and Griphook closely it tightly shut and locked it once again. We stepped back into the train car and took off even faster than the speed we had arrived at. The icy wind hollowed through my ears, pinching my face.

Griphook came to another stop outside the second vault we were to visit that day, all of us very dizzy. Hagrid stepped out, wobbling back and forth on his feet, his face very green. Harry crawled out from the cart and helped me to my feet as the entire place spun in various directions that even wearing my glasses could not help my eyes focus on.

"Well, that was fun," I muttered to Harry, who held my hand as he tried to steady himself from his unbalanced state.

"When will the room stop spinning?" he replied.

"Stand back, please!" Griphook ordered, and Harry and I stumbled out of the way closer to Hagrid.

Pushing us aside, Griphook approached the vault door and hovered his hand in a specific pattern to unlock it. To my notice, as my dizziness subsided, the vault door was thicker and appeared to be much more heavily locked than my vault.

Once the last lock was unclicked, the rusted door slowly swung open.

The contents inside were rather disappointing to my imagination of even taller piles of gold and silver coins that were sitting in my vault. A small wrapped parcel sat in the tiny space that the vault contained for storage, and that was all.

Bending down, Hagrid took the parcel and placed it carefully into his coat pocket.

"Righ' that should be all," he said as stepped out, Gripphook moving to quickly shut and secure the door. "Harry, Haley – Best not to mention any of this to anyone at Hogwarts. Top secret business."

"Okay."

We all gathered back into the trolly, making our return to the main lobby in our final wild cart ride. Griphook, ominously smiling, gave us a creepy wave of goodbye as we made our way out.

Once when were out in the busy area of Diagon Alley, it was later in the morning and therefore more witches and wizards had arrived to complete their shopping. My pockets were full of clinking gold coins just for me. For once in my life, I had pocket money that was rightfully mine. I had to resist the temptation to go off running through the alley and buying all of the magical objects that surrounded me.

"We should probably get yeh yer uniforms fris'," Hagrid said, taking us to Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, still looking deathly green from Gringotts trolly. "Listen, Harry, Haley, that Gringotts ride really mess up my senses. D'yeh mind if I stop by the Leaky Cauldron to get a refresher? Shouldn' take too long."

"O-okay…"

"Righ' then. Stick together, don't go off wandering around alone now on me."

And so, he was off, leaving Harry and me alone. We looked at each other, both of us very anxious and nervous to have been left alone in a new place by ourselves as we quietly walked into the new shop, still cautious about this mysterious place that we hadn't known about 24 hours ago. However, all of that disappeared once the front door gently closed behind us. Harry's jaw dropped in surprise.

Inside the shop were rows and rows of various robes. Robes that appeared to be for daily use, robes for more formal occasions, and even robes that appeared to be for a clown to wear if they were a wizard themself. There were different sizes, designs, and colours galore!

"This is incredible…" I remarked as I looked around.

Interrupting our fascination with the robes, an older woman in her fifties came from behind the door behind the front counter and approached us. Based on her name tag that was clasped to her robes, she was Madam Malkin, the owner of the shop.

"Are you two getting fitting for your Hogwarts robes, dears?" she asked warmly. Harry and I nodded in response.

"All right then, you're not the only ones here today to be fitted. Right this way." She led us to the back room of the shop, a curtain dividing the room in half. "This way, please."

"Follow me back here, dear," she directed at me.

Leaving Harry on the side that we had arrived in, Madam Malkin led me to the other side of the curtain and directed me to stand on the little stand surrounding the mirrors. Another girl with short, dark hair and a hard face with a square jaw was already standing on the measuring post next to me, wearing billowing black robes.

"Wait one moment as I get your brother fitted. I will be with you shortly," Madam Malkin smiled as she left.

"Hullo," the girl standing next to me said.

"Hi," I said meekly. I wasn't the best at socialising, so my voice was low and squeaky.

"Hogwarts too?" the girl asked, examining her hair in the mirror as she looked at her reflection.

"Yes."

"Well, I hope I'm Slytherin House. Mum will disown me if I get anything but it. Imagine if I get Hufflepuff, I'd think I'd drown myself in the Black Lake, don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely," I said dully, not having a clue what she was saying.

"Are your parents our kind?" she asked, narrowing her attention to her wispy fringe.

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean," I said, growing annoyed at this girl's snobby attitude.

"Hm, okay. I've heard that Muggleborns are starting to take over the school. I just hope that none of those filthy blood traitors are in my House."

I just shrugged. The pale girl carried on.

"Mum's gonna buy me a new broom set, even though we're not supposed to have them. What's your Quidditch team? Mine's the Hollyhead Harpies. I'd better get a spot on the school team, even if Dad has to pay up for it. Think you'll give it a try?"

"I dunno," I replied, feeling more dull by the minute.

"Well, you'd better get a move on. The Harpies are going to beat the Tornadoes any day now. Haven't you read the Prophet?"

"No."

"Lame. Anywho, what do your parents do? My mum just stays home and is lazy all day, but Dad works at a high-end job at the Ministry. Rumour has it that he's got the promotion to senior Minister for Magic executive assistant next week."

"My parents are dead," I said, feeling more disgusted towards this girl.

"Oh, sorry," she said carelessly. "Then who are you with?"

"My brother," I replied, bitterly wishing that I had something more interesting to say. "He's waiting out front."

"Is he a wizard, too?" she asked spectically. "What year is he in?"

"Mhm, first year."

"Same as us?"

"Yes," I said, adding a hint of annoyance in my voice. Madam Milkin returned, beaming warmly at us.

"How do the robes fit?" she asked the girl.

"I don't think that these robes are high-end enough. I'd better order mine from France," she snarked as she torn off her robes, tossing them to poor Madam Milkin. "See you at Hogwarts, I guess," she added to me bluntly as she brisked passed, the bell-sounding door slamming behind her could be heard from the front room.

Madam Milkin shook her head as she placed the robes carefully on the stool. I offered her a small comforting smile, yet it did little to lighten the mood.

"How do your robes fit?" she asked me, coming over and taking my measurements.

"They fit nicely, thanks," I said. She gestured for me to raise my arms, and I held them high above my head. "Do all wizards wear robes?"

"Yes, on most occasions, unless if you have to dress in ordinary Muggle clothing if you have to go to their world." Madam Milkin took a step back. "Would you turn around for me, dear? I need to see if the robes are long enough behind your feet."

She took the remaining measurements in silence. Eventually, I pulled the small pouch full of gold out of my pocket and paid for the price of a few sets of robes with Galleons. I met Harry at the front of the store. Hagrid had returned, looking much better than he had an hour ago after we left Gringotts.

"Hullo, Haley! Did yeh find your robes al'righ?" Hagrid beamed.

I nodded in response. We all headed out of the shop, back into the busy alleyway. Harry and Hagrid discussed something along the lines of Quidditch, some magical broomstick games where there are seven players on broomsticks who zoom around with flying balls everywhere. I paid little mind to the conversation as I continued to admire the shops of Diagon Alley. We passed by a plant shop where there were magical plants growing out at every angle you could you could ever imagine. A candy shop we passed was filled with a rainbow variety of sugary snacks stacked from the ceiling to the floor of the shops. Cats ran up and down the back alleyways of the main Alley, hunting for toads and frogs to eat. I felt like I had been sucked into a second dimension that has existed for my entire life without my knowledge. Less than 24 hours ago I had thought that I was alone in this world. And here I was, in this world that I apparently belong.

But here's the thing…I don't know if I belong in this world. No one had ever told me unti last night that I was a witch, which explained everything about myself and my appearance that had been criticised for the majority of my life. However, I can't hep but feel a great sense of loss of the kind of person I could've been had I known the truth about me and my family. Maybe, if the Dursleys were more accepting of me and my brother's nature, then we could have been a happy family. Maybe I would have had a hybrid childhood where I made friends in both the wizarding world and the Muggle word. Maybe, just maybe, everything could've been different, for the better.

"What's next, Hagrid?" asked Harry as we moved further down the alley, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Time to get yer books! Flourish and Blotts, the perfect place to find everything on yer school lists." He lead us to a large green shop with large window displaying stacks of novels.

Stepping into the shop, it was like I had entered a fever dream. Flourish and Blotts was filled with the highest shelves of books covering all the subjects you could imagine. Books of every colour, shape, and size toppled the high ceilings of the small shop. I looked around, gravely interested in all of the books. The Tales of Beatle the Bard, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Hogwarts, A History, and more. What I would've given to stay in that shop forever…

Half an hour later, we had collected our necessary books and supplies and left the shop. I had bought a few additional books that were outside of the Hogwarts curriculum so I could get a scope of the wizarding world a bit more. On the way out, Hagrid had forgotten that we needed to get quills and parchment for us so we made a pit stop at a pop-up shop along the edge of the alley to buy some.

Hands continuously getting more tired from the weight of the books and supplies, we made out our fourth main stop further down the alley to get our measuring equipment and cauldrons followed by a quick stop for peanut butter and strawberry ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour. By far, I was having a quite enjoyable time examining the alley and all the unique stores there. Merchant stands propped at every corner, shoppers dressed in robes and hats of all shapes, colours, and sizes. I wish I could stop and just see it all at once.

As we ate our ice cream, Hagrid went over the plans for getting the supplies on our school lists.

"I'm gonna buy you pets for Hogwarts," he said, taking a large spoonful of his chocolate and raspberry scopes topped with chopped nuts. "Think about what animals you'd like."

I perked up instantly. For my entire life, I had always dreamed of having an animal companion to go on adventures with. Of course, my Aunt Petunia wouldn't allow Harry or I to own any pets back at Privet Drive. But of course, she wasn't here to stop us now.

Once we'd finished our ice cream, we walked down to The Magical Menagerie towards the end of the alley. The shop was filled with owls of all breeds, cats of a variety of colours and patterns, toads of every shade of green, and rats with varying shades of grey. Children laughed as they played with the toads on display, parents insisting that their children did not need another owl, and a very overwhelmed clerk at the check out stand managing the escaping animals from their cages occuppied the front desk.

Harry instantly went over to perches with all of the owls, I subconsciously followed. He looked intently at all of the owls. Each of them eyed him curiously, some of them flapping their wings and hooting gently at him. I didn't stick around for long though, I wanted to see what other animals there were available.

I wandered over to the other corner of the store to where the cats were. As much as I disliked looking at Mrs. Figg's cat photo albums when I was younger, that didn't stop me for longing for one.

I stepped into their little fenced enclosure. Instantly, I had twenty or so cats of all breeds and colours coming over to me, all of them purring and rubbing their heads softly around my ankles. I bent down to reach out my hand for them to analyse me and to gently pet them around the head.

"See any cats you like, Haley?" Hagrid asked as he came over to check on me.

"I'm still looking. They're all so lovely." And to be honest, I wish I could take each of them home. But knowing better, I knew that only one of them were to leave the store with me.

I stood up from my kneeling position, the cats roaming to the other sections of the playpen. I turned to leave and look at the owls again. I couldn't make my decision here, they were all so sweet and beautiful cats.

"Meow."

I looked behind me and at my ankles was a calico with large patches of orange and brown fur on her mainly white coat cae over, nuzzling her head as she circled my ankles. I hadn't noticed her when I had originally stepped into the cat enclosure.

"Hullo there," I smiled, bending down slowly to my knees to greet the calico. "I'm Haley."

The cat wandered back over to her bed and returned, bringing over her stuffed frog toy with her.

I laughed, and right at that moment, I knew that she was the cat for me as I played fetch with her toy frog. After a few moments, I allowed the cat to come into my arms, stuffed frog and all. Getting to my feet, I crawled out of the pen and met back up with Harry and Hagrid, who were waiting for me by the rat terrariums. Harry was holding a beautiful snowy owl in her cage.

"Find the cat yeh liked best, Haley?" Hagrid asked, beaming.

"Yes, Hagrid," I smiled as I was gently scratching my cat's head. I turned to Harry. "Your owl is so pretty. What's her name?"

"I dunno yet. We'll see later. Is that your cat you're getting?"

"Yep!" I grinned. "She was the only one who was willing to be playful and was the friendliest of the bunch." I couldn't wait to take my new friend home with me!

After selecting the comfiest bed and some toys, while also collecting extra cat food/treats and a feeding bowl, I walked out of the store with the cat in the travelling cage and a new friend. I was forever grateful to Hagrid.

"Thanks, Hagrid," I said, absolutely awestruck. No one in my entire life has ever given a gift to me that this means to me, and the first one that I ever received was my new best friend.

And with that, we left the shop, feeling the least lonely I had felt in entire life.