Lionheart ~ Harry Potter (Under Heavy Editing)

Chapter Two | Reunited

Ariana arrived at the Leakey Cauldron, a wizarding inn located in London, during the afternoon of the following day. The bustling streets of London and the towering buildings that seemed to touch the sky were definitely a stark contrast to the rural beauty of Ariana's home. It always took her a while to adjust to the not-so-fresh air of the busy city when compared to the fresh air of Gairloch; it smelled of the Loch and fresh grass, rather than exhaust fumes and smog.  Still, London had its own magnificent charm, and it was a breath-taking place. It was daunting the first time she had made the trip down for Hogwarts... Ariana, who was eleven at the time, had never been in such a busy city before and she was on high alert because she was very aware that she was young, but she had no other option. She thanked her ancestor and her parents for giving her the courage to make the journey and discover a new world, the one she fitted into like once piece of a jigsaw clicking into another.

Once she paid for a room, the witch decided to grab some lunch before setting off. Everyone recognised her the second she stepped over the threshold and gave her a series of warm, joyful welcomes. While she appreciated their enthusiasm and kindness, she never had liked being the centre of undeserved attention and simply wanted to get on with her errands. Tom, the barkeeper, had always been very kind towards her and insisted that she have a sandwich and chips every time she arrived, despite her protestations at not having to pay. Having gone through the annual protesting, the witch sat at a small table on the far side of the inn, choosing to sit there because it was relatively quieter than at the bar. She always found it quite interesting to watch the other guests: witches from the United Kingdom, up for a day's shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woolen balaclava. It was amazing to be back in the world in which she truly belonged. The freedom, also, was fantastic. Every year it took her days to get used to the ability to wake up whenever she wanted, do whatever she pleased, even eat the food she desired. Her freedom was yet another reason she loved Hogwarts.

After finishing her delicious lunch, Ariana dropped her trunk off in her room and let her gorgeous northern hawk-owl, Nova, in through a window. She had made her own way here, having started her journey a little while before Ariana did herself. The witch spent some time with her beloved own and then went out to the back of the Inn. It was a small space, closed off by a grey brick wall, with concrete slabs on the ground, complete with green weeds growing through the cracks. A few metal bins stood in the corner, but that wasn't what Ariana was here for, no. She withdrew her wand from where it was safely concealed inside her jacket and tapped three bricks built into the wall, listening to the rumble of bricks shuffling around each other and watching as they magically shifted backwards, creating a large gap in the wall and revealing Diagon Alley. Beyond the wall was a very busy street, bustling with wizards, witches and various other magical creatures. Various shops full of everything a wizard could ever need lined the cobbled road, some of them covered in colourful signs, while others were more refined and elegant. She stepped into the crowd on Diagon Alley, watching as things flew past under the control of wands and enchantments, many conversations bombarding her senses. Excited first year Hogwarts students were running from shop to shop, eyes wide with amazement and mouths hanging open with lips curved into gaping grins. Gambol and Japes was always a big hit with students (much to the displeasure of the Hogwarts caretaker Mr Filch, whose responsibility it was to clean up after any pranks, most of which were extravagant and messy) but Ariana had never had much of an attraction to the shop, she was more interested in Flourish & Blotts, Slug and Jiggers Apothecary and Quality Quidditch Supplies.

At the intersection of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley was Ariana's first stop: Gringotts Wizarding Bank. It towered above the other buildings in the street and was the same gleaming colour as the witch's hair, and it was solely operated by goblins. While it looked slightly crooked from the outside, there was nowhere safer than Gringotts, except Hogwarts of course.The white-haired witch passed through a pair of large brass doors and strode down the marble entrance hall, blinking a couple of times to get her eyes used to the brilliant light shining down from the massive crystal chandeliers overhead. It took hours to withdraw gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts from her vault, having been travelling by cart (which was rather like the most risky roller coaster in existence) down the underground network of rocky caves that the vaults were hidden within, twisting and turning to the extreme. The most fascinating parts of the experience were the intricate enchantments that had been set up to protect the valuables inside the vaults. Granted, the majority of them were invisible and Ariana knew she was probably unaware of hundreds of hidden defences, it was brilliant to ponder those she knew about (she could swear she heard a dragon roaring from the deep dark depths of the chasms).