A Twist in the Story (A Harry Potter fanfic)

Chapter 8: Diagon Alley

"All students must be equipped with: 1 standard sized pewter cauldron and may bring if they desire, either a cat an owl or a toad. Uhm, professor, can we... find all this in London?" I asked.

We're here in London; we've spent hours travelling from the orphanage. Professor McGonagall wanted to "apparate" (whatever that is...) or use a 'portkey' (whatever that is...), from the orphanage but she said I can't do so because I have no idea how to and because it's my first time to use such magic. So we decided, old style, transportation. We've been getting stares lately, I was feeling anxious but Professor McGonagall walks around like nobody is staring at her.



"We won't be buying those in London, dear." She replied and I got confused.

"Then... where?"

"You'll see."

I stopped asking and just followed her. We entered this pub, called 'Leaky Cauldron', which was crowded inside. The thing is, everyone was dressed like Professor McGonagall. Everybody was wearing all kinds of robes, some have pointy hats and some don't.

"Professor McGonagall, delighted to see you!" a man from behind the counter greeted her.

"Wonderful day to you, Tom" Professor McGonagall replied.

"Can I serve you anything?" Tom asked.

"I'm afraid I can't, Tom. I have important business to do." she answered. "I'm helping Miss Potter to get her things for Hogwarts"

Tom's eyes suddenly widened and started stammering. "I----I cannot believe it... It's Harriet Potter"

Then the pub went silent and everybody's eyes we're on me. "I cannot believe you're here, Miss Potter" a woman said and she shook my hand.

"Delighted to see you, Miss!" a squeaky old man greeted and he grinned at me.

"Thank you sir..." I said politely.

"Harriet Potter...uh... can I call you that?" someone from my right asked me excitedly. "You can call me Angelica" I smiled and he laughed merrily. "Angelica Potter then! It's a pleasure to meet you" and he shook my hand. "The pleasure's mine" I replied.

"M-M-Miss Potter... very delighted t---t-to meet y-you." A man stammered.

He was tall and he was wearing a turban. I was about to reply when Professor McGonagall cut off.

"Ah, Professor Quirrel, good to see you here" she said. "Angelica, this is your Defense against the dark arts teacher in Hogwarts"

"Oh" I said and I extended my arm. "Nice to meet you" I said but Professor Quirrel stared at my hand and inched away. " S-same here" he stammered. "L-looking forward to s-seeing you in Hogwarts."

"I couldn't agree more." I muttered. "Well shall we go?" Professor McGonagall asked me and I nodded.

She led me to a small, walled courtyard.

"Why do all those people know me? I mean what did I do? Why is it that it looks like I'm famous?" I blurted out as soon as we got out.

Professor McGonagall took her wand and started tapping a wall. "I believe I'm not the right person to tell you that." She replied simply.

I wanted to ask so many questions but I just remained quiet.

After tapping she stepped back the wall started shaking and the bricks were separating from each other and before I knew it formed some kind of archway to a different world.

More people in cloaks were on the other side of the archway.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Angelica" she told me.

I stood there and my mouth shaped a perfect 'o'

We walked through Diagon Alley and Professor McGonagall mention a lot of stores like Eeylops Owl Emporium, that's where you buy an owl, Madam Malkin's Robes for all occasions.

Then an important thought crossed my mind, "Professor how can I afford all the things we're supposed to buy. I don't have enough money."

"I knew you'd ask that but don't worry dear because we're heading to Gringotts, the wizard bank" she replied simply. I just remained silent and followed her to a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops.

There was something... or someone (?) standing beside the bronze doors, it was dressed in a uniform of scarlet and gold.

"Professor" I whispered "Is that a---?"

"A goblin, yes" she said before I even finished my sentence. We proceeded inside and I noticed the goblin gave a little bow when we passed by. Cute.

When we got in there's this another pair of silver doors with something engraved on it.



Enter, stranger, 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.



"It sounds like it's not a good idea to rob this place." I said and Professor McGonagall nodded. "This is the safest bank in the entire Wizarding World they've never been robbed. Not even once" she said.



Ohhh interesting.



The goblins standing beside the doors bowed to us before we proceeded to a vast marble hall. There we're probably like a hundred more goblins in there. Sitting in stools and scribbling in scrolls or examining precious stones. Professor McGonagall and I went straight to the counter.

She gave a cough and the goblin looked up at us.

He looked extremely... scary.

"Miss Angelica Potter would like to make a withdrawal" Professor McGonagall said. The goblin stared at me intently; I was thinking of looking away because he really scares me. "Does Miss Potter have her key?" he asked her but he was still looking at me. I saw Professor McGonagall take something from her robe; it was a tiny key. She gave it to the goblin. He examined it before saying: "That seems to be in order" he called a goblin and ordered him to take us to my vault.

Professor McGonagall and I followed the other goblin and he led us to narrow stone passageway with railway tracks on the floor. He whistled and a small cart came. So well all got in into the cart and sped off to a maze of twisting passages. I tried my very best not to vomit through the ride because it just kept turning very fast, it made me dizzy. The cart seemed to know its own way because the goblin wasn't steering.

When the cart stopped, finally, I had to lean against a wall for a few minutes because I was trembling, my stomach is churning and I really want to vomit.

The goblin unlocked my vault, he opened the door for us and I followed Professor McGonagall inside.



My jaw dropped at the sight of so many coins. Silver, gold and bronze.

"This is all yours, dear" Professor McGonagall said turning to look at me. I was too shocked or too amazed to reply.

It took several moments before I could before gulp and speak. "This is all mine?" I asked.

"Well not really, you actually share this with your brother." She told me. I just nodded, I took several steps forward and slowly grabbed some gold coins.

Professor McGonagall handed me a small bag and I put the coins in there.



"The gold ones are called Galleons, the silver ones are called Sickles and the bronze are called Knuts Professor McGonagall informed me. "And remember this: seventeen sickles to a galleon and twenty nine knuts to a sickle. I'm pretty sure you're good at math."

"Uhm..." I muttered embarrassed "I'm not really good at math. I'm pretty horrible at it, actually" I laughed a bit but she stayed silent.



Okay...



Once the bag was filled, I stood up and left the vault with Professor McGonagall behind me.

Another gut wrenching ride and then we're out of the bank. "Let's get your uniform dear" she told me. We headed to a shop called 'Madam Malkin's Robes for all occasions.'

"Minerva! How are you dear?" a squat, smiling woman (or witch...?) dressed in mauve greeted us when we entered the shop. "Very well, Malkin" Professor McGonagall smiled at her.

"And who is this young lady?" Madam Malkin asked. "Ah yes, this is Harriet Potter" Professor McGonagall introduced me. "Pleased to meet you" I greeted politely and held out my hand but she gaped at me. "T-T-The Harriet Potter?" she stammered and I nodded. "Must be shopping for your Hogwarts robe! Am I right?" she smiled at me and I nodded again returning the smile.

"Alright, I will start fitting you first dear. Minerva, feel free to sit down first. This will take a while" then she led me to a stool and told me to stand on it.

So I did! Madam Malkin slipped a long robe over my head and began to pin in to the right length and size.

I looked around and some other kids, probably at my age, are being fitted too. Are they all going to Hogwarts too? I wondered. I noticed that the kids in here know each other. They we're all chatting...except...for... me.

Awww, I suddenly felt so lonely. Then a door opened and a boy who was quite pale and has a pointed face entered the shop. Someone attended to him and then they walked over to where I was and he stood next to me.

"Hi" the boy said. "Hey..." I muttered shyly.

"Hogwarts?" I asked and he nodded. Ohhhh! At least now I know someone who's going to Hogwarts too.

My attention was caught when I saw Professor McGonagall carefully eyeing the boy next to me. Does she know him?

"Where are your parents?" I asked him. "Their buying my school stuff..." he answered sounding bored. "I can't wait till we finish all this rubbish. After all this, I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms." He boasted.

Hm, he doesn't sound like the type of guy I would be friends with. "I don't understand why first years can have their own, brooms I mean. I might just nag my father into buying me one" he added.

I think I'll stay away from this boy when I get to school.

"Okay..." I muttered. I don't know what to say to this boy because I really have no interest in brooms or so.

"Do you have any idea what house you'll be in?" he asked.

"Uh, no." I answered, what does he mean by that? Are there houses in Hogwarts? Like are they separating the students?

"Well, no one really knows until they get sorted but I know I'm going to be in Slytherin" he bragged.

What on earth is a Slytherin?! I want to get out of here right away because I really don't know what to say or do and I'm starting to look stupid. Timing is perfect, because at that moment Madam Malkin announced that she's done fitting with me. I stepped down of the stool, I just wanted to get out of here and avoid this awkwardness. "See at Hogwarts then" I heard the boy said before I left.

We bought all the things we needed except for a wand. We headed straight for Ollivanders Wand Shop. Professor McGonagall excused herself for a moment so I entered the shop alone and I was quite cautious with my actions because

One: It's my first time here
Two: I don't know what to do
and Three: It's my first time here!!!!



I looked around and observed at stacks and stacks and stacks of boxes of wands. There like thousands and millions of them, every inch of the shop, there a box of a wand. The place was quite small, though and it was very quiet. Like in a library.

"Hello" someone said and I literally jumped. "H-H-hello" I stammered.

"I didn't mean to startle you" a man chuckled. "It's okay..." I said but my heart was racing like crazy. Mr. Ollivander eyed me carefully and then smiled at me. "I knew I will see you soon Miss Potter" he said. "You have you mother's eyes." He muttered looking into my eyes.

Ahhhhh! So awkward.

"It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were here buying their first wands!" he said chuckling again.

Then he took out a silver tape measure, "Which is your wand arm?" he asked.

"Uh, this one... I guess...?" I answered holding out my right arm and he measured my shoulder to my finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit... Okay and finally around my head. He was quiet as he measured me and I fought the urge to giggle because sometimes when I'm being measure I want to laugh because I'm very ticklish.

He went away and started to browse the boxes. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a magical substance. There's unicorn hair, phoenix feather, and dragon heartstring. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two cores are quite the same." He informed me. I just nodded and clung to every word he said but I was also peeking out through the windows to see if Professor McGonagall is back.

Mr Ollivander handed me a wand... "Hazel and Dragon heartstring... 11 and ¾ inches, quite unyielding..." I took the wand and just held it and looked at Mr. Ollivander, like an idiot.

"Well give it a wave!" he said. "Oh... okay" I muttered blushing. I waved the wand, I really hoped I didn't because somewhere above a shelf just broke. I quickly gave the wand back to him. "No matter..." he muttered sensing my nervousness. He got his own wand and pointed it at the ruined shelf "Reparo!" he said and the shelf was back to normal. I found myself gaping at it.

Mr. Ollivander went and looked for another one, a few seconds later he came back and handed me another one. "How about this, Laurel and Unicorn hair 13 and ¾ inches, very useful and handy" I took it from him and I waved it being very, very cautious a glass somewhere just broke.

"No... definitely not" Mr. Ollivander said and I handed him the wand. He left me again and looked for another one it took him a longer time before he came back. He handed to me a wand. "Vine and Phoenix Feather... 11 and ¾ inches... slightly yielding" he said. I held on to it and suddenly I shot green sparks and I felt weird when I held on to it, like it was sort of attached to me, in some way.

"I guess this is it?" I said and Mr. Ollivander nodded. "The wand has chosen its master"

I looked at him questioningly. "Excuse me...?"

"The wand chooses the wizard, Miss Potter. Always remember that." He told me. I just stared at him and processed what he told me. I guess that would explain the weird feeling just a while ago.

I paid for the wand and left the shop. The moment I stepped out of the shop I saw Professor McGonagall heading towards me with a cage in her hands. "I do hope I'm not too late to give you your gift" she said smiling at me. I gawked at the cute little barn owl on the cage. It was quite tiny and it was brown. It's so cute!!!

"Thank you" I said breathily. She smiled at me, "Alright let's go."



We since our school shopping is done, we headed back to the orphanage, much to my dismay. I really didn't want to leave the place, it was so magical and different and this is my best post-birthday ever! We took the train and once again people were staring at us and the things we bought, especially at the cage. I asked Professor McGonagall if I could buy anything to eat and she allowed me so I bought a hamburger and I ate it on the way.

"The start of classes will be on September 1st." she informed me and I nodded. She handed me an envelope, "It's your ticket to the train to Hogwarts" she told me. I pocketed the ticket and made sure I won't get lost.

When we finally arrived, we stood at the front of the orphanage and I looked at the ticket. I was quite confused with what's written in there.

"Angelica, I have to go. Hogwarts business" she told me, I nodded but my eyes were on the ticket. "Professor Wait, the ticket says Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Don't believe there is such thing. I-is there?" I said and I looked up to her but to my surprise,



She was gone.