Ensorcell (revising)

five

Now, with her two best friends by her side, Logan and Harriet headed to the Leaky Cauldron again. No words had been exchanged between them yet, but she could tell by his whispered thoughts and the way he separated her gaze from larger men. He even forced her to hold his hand while they walked through the crowds of the city and the alley.

The alley around her was, for lack of better word, absolutely magical. The shop signs spun, moved, or even acted like what their store was. For example, the Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions sign, which was a pair of large purple scissors, made cutting motions, and the wings on the owl sign for Eeylops' Owl Emporium flapped in a nonexistent breeze. Older children and adults preformed spells for the younger kids, dazzling them with that they will soon come to learn. Harriet couldn't help but look around with wide, green eyes, giggling at all of the new things she saw.

For every spell or charm, from the words swimming to her from the various people around her, Harriet saw an outburst of light that followed and encompassed the spell, almost protecting it in a way. She saw two spells fly unbearably close together, and their lights grew brighter and then darker as they parted, and she wondered what they looked like when they hit each other head on. 

"Where to, kid?" Logan asked, just as they finished up eating at a cute little cafe next to the broom store, which seemed to permanently house a large family of red-heads.

Harriet turned her gaze to her companion. "Poppy said it was called Gringotts; it should be at the very end of the alley."

Her snakes had decided to stay in the car, both knowing that there wouldn't be time to explore the alley and because they knew that Harriet didn't need the extra cargo when working through her family history. Besides, they were sleepy.

They were in front of the giant leaning white building in no time, and Harriet couldn't help the small gasp that left her at its grand size. She took a deep breath, looking toward the guards and the poem that she had read in her dreams. Looking down at the marble floor, she was reminded of the day that Petunia had her wax the floors, and Harriet hadn't been allowed inside for a week because it had to dry, according to Petunia. It didn't matter that they walked around on the freshly shiny floors, just that her nasty little freaky feet would track dirt and mud everywhere. It didn't last long, as the neighbors noticed little Harriet sleeping in the gardening bed and using the bushes as blankets. Child protective services were never called, though, and even if they were, they certainly didn't care for Harriet.

She shook her head, ridding herself of the memories of her relatives, and she squeezed Logan's hand once before taking the steps toward the door. The goblins guarding the door spared no look to her, but they did eye Logan up and down. The only thing keeping them from barring him entrance was their interlocked fingers. The doors were heavy, though proved to be nothing for a mutated man like her guardian, who pushed them open with ease. 

The inside of the bank was even bigger than the outside, and Harriet knew it was the work of magic. There are small tendrils of light that shimmered where the actual ceiling should be, all the way up to where it was, as well as others that sprouted out ahead and on either side. Did any of the others see these? 

From the way that the people around her seemed to avoid looking around them, she had to guess not. 

There weren't too many people within the bank, and only a few goblins seemed to be available for work: there was a small family of four asking about scholarship options for Hogwarts, a stalky man that looked anemic with sharp teeth, and a tall blond man with a severe attitude. Harriet opted for the teller closest to the door, a few booths over from the blond man, who spared her a distasteful look and a sneer, his mind whispering 'mudblood' to her. She frowned at him, making him narrow his eyes at her.