Ivy Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Chapter Three

Professor Sprout led them inside, dragging the girls' parents so that they could make their way in.

"What is this?" Evelyn asked.

"The Leaky Cauldron," Professor Sprout explained.

"See, I told you it existed!" Ivy exclaimed.

Her parents gave her the death stare.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Knew that would backfire," Hermione muttered.

"Shut up," Ivy replied.

"A-ny-way, we need to head through here and to the back alley. To Diagon Alley," Professor Sprout led the way to a back door, waving at a bartender who was handing out strange beverages, one of them looking like some sort of beer, yet it was being given to someone about Ivy and Hermione's age. There was also a group of men leaving a table and the chairs were floating up and on top of the table, the glasses floating to the kitchen. Finally, there was a group of two, an extremely big man (in height and in size), and a boy wearing glasses that were taped together. Ivy couldn't put her finger on it, but she recognized that boy. It hadn't been from that long ago—about a year or so she supposed—but as to exactly who it was...she wasn't quite sure.

"By God, it's Harry Potter," the bartender said.

Professor Sprout turned around, clearly wanting to see this.

Harry Potter...Harry? Wasn't that what that guy called him, the boy at the zoo? Is that him? Why is he so famous?

"Harry Potter, so pleased I'm meeting you at last," somebody said. The boy shook the old woman's hand, and soon there was a line of people, some looping around.

Hermione eagerly ran to the back of the line, and Ivy followed her, curious. Professor Sprout and their parents chose to stay back however. It didn't take too long before they reached the front, and Hermione shook the boy's hand. "Harry Potter, is it? I'm Hermione Granger," she said in an arrogant voice, smiling at the boy, who shook her hand like all the others, still looking confused. Ivy eventually pushed her lightly out of the way and shook the boy's hand too.

"I'm Ivy," she told him in a much more modest voice that Hermione's.

"Have I met you before?" Harry's messy hair and taped glasses seemed to ring a bell in the back of Ivy's mind, but she ignored the bell. It must've just been from the zoo.

"I think so. Did you go to the zoo a year ago? When that python got out?"

"Uh...yeah," he clearly didn't want to own up to it.

"That wasn't your fault," she whispered to him, a heavy downpour of shame in her voice.

"How do you...?"

"You talked to the snake. I removed and replaced the glass."

"But it was all m—"

"No, it really wasn't."

"But it was my cou—"

"And he seemed to be being an ass to you, so I fixed it."

Harry smiled, "W-Well, thanks."

Ivy smiled back, an almost identical smile, "You're welcome, Harry Potter," she said before walking back to her parents, Professor Sprout, and Hermione.

"Now, let's continue," Professor Sprout said, continuing to lead them to the door.

Ivy, at the back of the group, looked back at Harry from the back of the group. He appeared to be sitting down with the man he had been with earlier, and the giant man was whispering something to him.

"This wall blocks us from entering Diagon Alley," Pomona Sprout's voice made Ivy snap back into the moment.

"Why do we need to be blocked from Diagon Alley even more?" Myles asked.

"Just in case the muggles get in. They're smarter than we give them credit for."

"Is that an insult or a compliment?" Evelyn Granger asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A lot of witches and wizards think muggles are idiots, but you're really just as smart as we are," Professor Sprout lowered her voice, "Maybe a smidge less."

"I think it's an insult," Myles whispered back to his wife.

"Can I open the wall now?" Professor Sprout asked like it was a completely normal question.

"Let her open it!" Hermione squeaked.

"Yes, you can open the—WHAT?" Ivy had been speaking in a monotone tone, until she realized Professor Sprout had said "open the wall as opposed to open the door."

"Yes, the wall," and with that Professor Sprout took out her wand, and started pointing at bricks above the trashcan, counting three up, and two across. Then she tapped the brick with her wand, and the bricks started moving apart.

Ivy, who had been leaning against the wall, immediately jumped off, "Woah." The bricks were slowly, but surely, creating an arch, and the four Grangers gasped at the sight of what was beyond the arch.

"Welcome, to Diagon Alley!"