Golden Girl; 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓵𝓮𝔂

Summer, 1991: Bambi's Beginning

Diagon Alley - August 1991

"Hold on Bambi! Slow down there!" Sebastian hurried after his daughter who was excitedly speed walking through Diagon Alley.

"Dad, hurry up!"

She had never seen anything like this before, and she thought it was wonderful.

A month had passed since that night in Ethiopia. Sebastian had no reason to stay any longer as he had discovered what he set out to do, so he told Bambi that they could come up to London early to get her school supplies.

He had promptly thrown away and rewrote his response to Dumbledore, who was delighted to hear that Bambi would at last be joining Hogwarts.

"You're going to miss our first stop," Sebastian pulled Bambi back by her collar, turning them sharply into Madam Malkin's Robe shop.

Bambi didn't even care that he had done so, this was a whole new place for her to discover!

"Look at all those fabric rolls! There have to be hundreds," She said, her mouth hanging open as Sebastian pushed her gently into the line of students all also waiting for their robes. It seemed that everyone was picking up their robes today. It was a long few minutes before it was finally their turn.

"Well hello there," said the squat woman dressed in all purple robes, "Why don't you come stand on this stool here," She smiled, inviting the girl forward.

Bambi stepped onto the round platform, keeping her arms raised as the magical tape whipped around her arms, legs, and several other places.

"First year?" Madam Malkins asked, "You seem to be on the smaller side of things."

"Uh, sort of," Bambi responded. "I'm transferring in as a third year."

"A third year? Goodness me!" She exclaimed, looking Bambi up and down once again.

She threw a black cloak over Bambi and began pinning it to place, making a few marks here and there.

"I was traveling with my father," Bambi looked up to meet her father's green eyes who smiled back at her. It seemed some of her confidence was wearing off as new nerves set in.

Madam Malkin looked up and smiled at Sebastian before doing a double take. "Ah," She said, the realization clicking. "You must be Bambi Hargroves then- I've read about you and your father in the paper last week." She seemed to be trying to hide the look of excitement in her eyes.

"In the papers?" Bambi tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Keep your head straight, dear," She moved Bambi's head so it was straight up and down again. "Oh yes, all about your father's new discoveries in Africa."

Bambi thought this was rather odd. Why were people here reading about her in the paper?

Bambi wanted to look at her father with a questioning look, but at the slightest movement towards him, Madam Malkin would move her head back to a forward-facing position.

"What types of things did you learn there?" Madam Malkin asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Oh, well-" Bambi decided not to tell her about how she basically sat in a tent for almost three months straight, so she thought back to an older memory that might interest her. "Well, in certain smaller African Wizarding schools, it's uncommon for students to wear cloaks at all. It gets too hot for them."

Madam Malkin continued her work at a steady pace, making small comments like "Hmm," or, "Interesting". She seemed to be genuinely listening and enjoying the conversation as Bambi slowly began to open up and chat more.

She started chatting away, asking all sorts of questions about the local wizard robes, finding it insanely interesting.

"How is it that I was born here, yet I know practically nothing about this place?" Bambi found herself continually wondering.

"Do they enchant these robes at the castle? I heard that they magically change into whatever house you get sorted into."

Bambi didn't know much about the "Houses" her father talked about, but he did mention that they each have their own colors. He told her that he was a "Hufflepuff", whatever that was.

"They come pre-enchanted, at least, the student robes do," She smiled, "It's quite a magical process." She did one final look at Bambi before saying, "Well, that's you done, dear. Why don't you hop on down and we'll get you all ready to go."

Madam Malkins packaged up the robes in cloth and neatly wrapped them in paper. "They'll be safe and sound in here," She handed the package to Sebastian after he paid her.

"Thank you," Bambi grinned, eagerly taking the package from her father.

"We best get moving then," Sebastian checked his golden wristwatch, realizing they had already spent quite a lot of time and only had one thing from the long list of supplies. "Flourish and Blotts is this way," He pulled her hand forward, moving in a way that made Bambi think that he had walked these streets many times before.

Bambi gawked at the stacked piles of books, old and new. She could have spent all day in that store, but sadly was pulled out as soon as they grabbed all of the third-year books she needed. (She did convince Sebastian to allow her one book of her choosing, and so they also bought "Rare and Dangerous Magical Creatures vol. 2")

She didn't notice the way Sebastian hurried her past a whole aisle of books written by him or the way he pulled his sun hat further over his head in an attempt not to be noticed.

Bambi insisted on carrying all of her supplies all by herself, or, with the help of a magical ever-expanding carpetbag. It was pink and grey with a floral pattern on both sides and dark wooden handles.

A few stores later, they were finishing up the last of the list, Sebastian checking each item off with a thin black stripe.

Bambi and Sebastian spent a long time in a store full of Cauldrons, scales, and other related sort of items. She was pointing to an eight-quart shiny gold cauldron. "This one is really pretty," By the fingerprints on the side, Bambi wasn't the first kid to think so.

Sebastian smiled, but shook his head, "Gold catches the eye of the wrong folks. Here." He said, picking up a standard pewter cauldron. He glanced down at the basket Bambi carried. "Goodness me, child. How many chocolate frogs do you have in there?"

"I think 15," Bambi replied innocently. Before Sebastian had a chance to say anything else, she said, "I was hoping to make some friends on the train," Bambi said with a smile, "I read that European wizard children love chocolate frogs."

"I'm sure you'll make lots of friends, Bambs. You don't need chocolate frogs to do so, your personality alone is enough to charm anyone." He said with a shining face, having nothing but adoration for his daughter.