Only Just A Dream

Chapter 2

I started laughing so hard I crumpled into a ball on the floor. And then, of course, everyone started laughing at my laugh, which I was told resembles a dolphin and/or a puppy being ran over. My fit of giggles subsided, and Reina helped me up.

"Seriously though, does anyone have any idea what Hogwarts is? Or Diagon Alley? Or Platform 9 3/4 for that matter?" Reina asked. We all shook our heads.

"THE FLYING EFF?!?" I exclaimed, and everyone looked at me funny. "What?!? How the EFF are we supposed to get to whatever the EFF Diagon Alley is so we can get our stuff to get onto EFFING Platform 9 3/4, which might I add doesn't exist, so we can go to wherever the FUCK Hogwarts is?!?!?"

"Language!" Dani replied, quoting one of our favorite movies in an attempt to calm me down or make me laugh. Needless to say, it didn't work this time.

"No! I will not watch my language! If whoever the flying eff sent this letter didn't want me to swear, they should have sent someone to explain all this meaningless shiznit!" As soon as I finished my mini rant, someone knocked on the door.

I stormed over to the door, and whipped it open angrily. "What?" I snapped, a little too harshly.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, I believe I sent letters?" The mysterious man started politely.

"So you're the idjit who sent gibberish letters with no explanation!" I huffed, and marched back into the kitchen. To my annoyance, what's his face followed me in.

"Violet Reyes! Do not sass the kind man!" Thalia scolded, before turning to Mr. Albus Dumbledore and adding, "I'm very sorry, she's had a rough morning."

"And I lost my coffee." I mumbled under my breath, but somehow Thalia still caught it and glared at me.

"It's quite alright. I understand that Hogwarts letters can be rather confusing to young wizards and witches who have grown up in a non-magical family. Especially without one's morning dose of caffeine." He winked at me, and his eyes sparkled. Maybe he wasn't that bad, at least he had a sense of humor.

"Mr. um..." I trailed off, attempting to figure out what to call him.

"Professor Dumbledore, or just Professor or Sir." Professor Dumbledore informed us.

"Alrighty then. Professor, what exactly is Hogwarts?" I asked somewhat timidly. His eyes twinkled and he smiled down at me through his half-mood spectacles.

"I shall explain on the way to Diagon Alley, if that is okay with everyone?" Professor asked all of us. Everyone looked at Mom expectantly.

"Shoo! You've got things to buy!" She pushed us out the door, excepting Professor Dumbledore of course. 

"Professor?" Cam attempted to call up to Dumbledore, but his voice was lost amongst the excited chit-chat going on between the rest of us. However, I heard it, and rolled my eyes. Cam has yet to have a good question. Ever.

"PROFESSOR?" he tried shouting over us. That managed to get Dumbledore's attention and Dumbledore motioned for Cam to come walk next to him.

"What can I do for you, my boy?" Dumbledore asked kindly. Cam was taken aback at being called "my boy" by Professor Dumbledore, and took a moment to reply.

"Do wizards use a different currency than um..."

"People who don't posses magic, or, as the magic population calls them, muggles? That we do, Cameron." Dumbledore answered. Instantly the group's energy died.

"But, sir, we don't have any wizard money." I spoke up timidly.

"I believe you'll find that statement incorrect." was Professor's only reply, which was somehow satisfactory for the rest of the group. I remained uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the long walk out of town, unsuccessfully attempting to figure out what he could have meant.

"I think here will do." Dumbledore said, holding up a hand to prevent us from running into him. We were a few minutes out of town, in a part of the woods I had never bothered to explore.

"Will do for what?" Dani asked.

"We will be taking a portkey to Diagon Alley. Normally, with only one student and this far away from London, we would travel by apparation or Floo Powder, but there is too many of you to apparate and the Ministry would not allow me to connect your fireplace to the Floo network. I assume none of you have taken a portkey before?" He looked at us through his half-moon spectacles. We all shook our heads no. He took out an old tin can and tapped it with his wand. It glowed blue and he continued.

"Simply place one finger on the can, and it will transport us to where we need to go. Hurry now, or it will leave without you." Dumbledore motioned for us to move quickly and we all rushed to the can. No one wanted to be left behind.

"In the future, sir, you may want to use a bigger can." Rubi stated. We were all crammed together, with absolutely no space. I was glad that we were all facing towards the can, or I might have had to deal with someone's butt shoved into my face.

"That would indeed be a good idea, Miss Keightly." He replied, with a slight nod towards Rubi. For some odd reason, I found this hilarious, and started laughing uncontrollably. It caught like wildfire, and in seconds we were all laughing, including Professor Dumbledore.

Well, we were all laughing until the portkey 'took off'. I felt a hooking sensation and suddenly we were tumbling through space, wind flying past our faces. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly to avoid throwing up over everyone.

Suddenly we hit the ground, hard. I rolled over and looked up to see Professor Dumbledore gracefully gliding towards us. There was a bunch of groaning and moaning as everyone sat up, apparently in a lot of pain. For some reason, I didn't feel any pain, so I was on my feet before the rest of the group.

"Where are we?" I asked as I took stock of my surroundings. There was a small circle around us where people dressed in long robes avoided stepping on everyone still on the ground. Behind Dumbledore, a building made of white marble rose to a rather impressive height, with marble columns for support. In the other direction, colorful shops sold a multitude of interesting things.

There were so many people it was hard to see what exactly they were selling, but I could make out one shop that sold owls and owl treats, and another that sold robes, and another still that sold wands.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Dumbledore replied. "Come now, we need to visit Gringotts. As Mr. Hanson so wisely pointed out you all still need money." He turned and started walking towards the tall white marble building. Those of us standing quickly helped those still on the ground to their feet and we all rushed after Professor, whispering excitedly to each other.

Dumbledore reached the tall oak doors, pausing to turn around and tell us, "A warning before we enter, it would be very unwise to try and steal anything that is not yours from Gringotts."

I noticed an inscription on the door that said basically the same thing. Dumbledore then strode through the doors. I quickly followed him, making sure to take in everything around me so I could draw it in my sketchbook later. The rest of my friends were gasping in shock at the workers inside the bank, but I had expected them. After all, Wizards couldn't be the only magical species I hadn't known actually existed before.

"Excuse me," Dumbledore approached the goblin sitting at the highest desk. "I would like to access the vaults for these students."

"And do you have their keys?" The goblin leaned over his desk and leered at us. I turned to Dani.

"You know, that angle really makes the curve of his nose show." I whispered to her, barely keeping in my giggles.

"I know right? It's like he's Heinz Doofenshmirtz." She whispered back, visibly shaking with restraint.

"Ahh yes the keys. Hmm..." Dumbledore searched his pockets and grabbed everyone's keys. The goblin snatched them and, after carefully inspecting them, gave them to a different goblin he introduced as Griphook.

"Follow me please." Griphook started walking off, not waiting to see if we would follow.

After a long and rather sickening journey down to everyone's vault, we made it back into Diagon Alley.

"Oh. My. Zeus. DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THE FLIPPING DRAGON?!?!?" Khloe yelled.