Always Together

2. Diagon Alley

Chapter 2 | diagon alley

 Caitlyn awaited in the orphanage's hall, wearing a white and blue vertically stripped blouse, dark denim jeans and dark blue sneakers. Her messy hair was loosen behind her back and her skin was paler than the day before. She had been waiting for five minutes, when the rusty sound of the gates opening outside were heard; then the building door, and, finally, Professor Snape entered the hall.

 "Hello, Miss Montrose," Snape greeted her. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting for long. I had a meeting at nine and it was a bit longer than expected." Caitlyn didn't reply. Mostly because she didn't know what to say. "We'll be apparating to Diagon Alley so take my hand. It might be your first time apparating, and I must say, it's not the greatest."

Snape gave her his hand and she held it tightly. Then she started to feel dizzy -- a whirlwind in her stomach. She closed her eyes immediately and only opened them when that weird feeling went away. Only moments after she realised she wasn't in Wool's Orphanage anymore. She was standing on a crowded street.

 People passed by them quickly in between sentences such as «yes, Harry Potter is eleven. Hopefully he's going to Hogwarts», or the new Nimbus 2000! That's the fastest broom ever", or even «mad, that's what that man is. Don't pay attention to anything Ollivander says. It'll only drive you crazy, I tell you».

"Here we are -- Diagon Alley," Snape announced.

He started walking along the street and Caitlyn followed him. He walked fast and she had to get used to his steps. Finally they got to a shop with a sign that said Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions.

Snape handed her a sack with some golden coins inside. "So, you go get your robes and then your wand in that shop over there," he pointed at the other side of the street, "and I'll get your books and the rest, all right?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He went in some direction, leaving Caitlyn at the door of that shop. She walked in and the sound of a bell filled her ears -- it sounded every time someone entered the shop. She sat down on a stool beside a girl with medium length bushy brown hair and brown eyes.

They stood in silence until the girl spoke, "Are you going to Hogwarts also?"

Caitlyn nodded shyly.

"I'm Hermione Granger," the bushy haired girl introduced herself.

"Caitlyn Montrose," she replied and smiled friendly at Hermione. In doubt, she proceeded. "I was just wondering if you could tell me what's all this fuss about broomsticks. I know nothing about this world and I need someone to tell me about."

 "Oh, you must come from a muggle family like me," Hermione said nicely. "Brooms are used in a practical game -- Quidditch. I read all about it in Quidditch Through The Ages. It's a lot like football, really. But it's played in in flying brooms. There are seven members in each team -- two Beaters, three Chasers, a Keeper and a Seeker. And there are three types balls -- the Quaffle, the Bludger and the Golden Snitch. The Keeper keep their team's woops to avoid the Quaffle to get in. The Bludger knock off people from their brooms and the Snitch is to be caught by the Seeker so the game can end. Each goal is ten points and the snitch is a hundred and fifty. The team with more points in the end wins. Get it? It's football in the wizarding world, basically."

"Yeah, thanks, Hermione," Caitlyn thanked and smiled chirpy at her. "So you come from a muggle family? I don't really know what my parents were," she stanted honestly. "What other types of family are there?"

"Well, there are pure-bloods, the ones that only have wizards and witches in the family -- that aren't related to any muggle. Then there's half-bloods -- people whose parents of a magical person and a muggle, or two half-bloods, or a half-blood and a pure-blood or a half-blood and a muggle-born. There are muggle-borns -- children of two muggles. And then there are squibs -- people with no magical abilities, but with magical parents," she explained happily.