Hermione's sister

Chapter four

I run my hand through Hermione's pet cats fur. "He's adorable" I say to hermione, she smiles "Yeah he's a cutie"

We're sitting in Hermione's room, which we now share. Noses buried deep into books. Hermione's reading something about hippogriffs and I'm reading Hogwarts: a history. Hermione recommended I read it so I had an idea of what hogwarts was like
"Sounds pretty dangerous" I remark reading about the chamber of secrets and a monster that kills students.
"It is" hermione sighs

"Come on, time to go!" Calls mom sounding nervous. Me and hermione smile at each other. Mom and dad feel uncomfortable around magic but they were going to pick up our school supplies with us even though they were terrified.

The taxi pulls up beside a shabby old pub. We hop out of the car and hermione walks right through the doors. me and mom and dad stay behind, a little scared. Eventually we all make our way inside the pub called the leaky cauldron. Mom and dad couldn't see it for some reason.

After Hermione taps the brick above a dustbin the wall transforms into a huge arch. I stand in wonderment, gazing into the sunlit street before me. Hermione quickly ushers me and my parents down the street and into the biggest building as far as I can see. It's made of pure white marble and has cricked pillars holding it up. Large double doors stand open ominously.

I stop horrified and pretty scared. So do mom and dad, looking edgily around. two long counters fringe either side of the hall. And sitting all along them are. Well I actually really don't know. But their terrifying. Their short with evil looks on their faces.

Hermione sees our discomfort and smiles. "Goblins" she replies "seriously misunderstood, their totally harmless and really sweet" somehow I don't completely trust her opinion on that one.

Hermione leads us over to a goblin. "We'd like to change some muggle money please" hermione smiles sweetly to the goblin. He looks over the white marble counter peering down his long nose. He nods his head sharply putting a hand out to her. I look around uncertainly, this place is freaky! Hermione reaches into her bag and pulls out a wad of money placing it in his hand.

He walks away with it, leaving us standing there awkwardly looking around. He comes back a while later with a brown bag that clangs loudly. He plonks it on the counter and continues weighing small red diamonds on a set of golden scales. Hermione thanks the goblin a little too enthusiastically and we hurry out of the marble bank.

As we walk back down the street I begin to take in my surroundings. And suddenly I just want to stop and stare at every single shop. Because each one is just as interesting as the next. Some have huge jars of pickled frogs out the front. Others have eyeballs and what look like human fingers! One shop even looked as though it had a real brain on display!

Mom and dad eventually stop and go to sit down and have a drink and some food at some cafe while me and hermione finish the shopping. First hermione tugs me into a robe shop called madam malkins. "Hogwarts dears?" She asks as we walk in.
"Yes but only her today" hermione replies. Madam malkins had me stand on a stool as she waved her wand around, getting the tape measure to measure me.

Around 15 minutes later we exit madam malkins with my new school uniform. I look down at my list. "A wand?" I ask. She points towards a shop that reads: mr olivanders.
Inside the shop are rows and rows of long boxes that have been gathering dust for what looks like a very long time.

"Hello miss granger" we jump as a man with wispy grey hair and grey eyes pops up from behind the desk. He too takes out a tape measure with silver markings. "Wand arm" he says looking down at me. "Oh yes, mr ollivander this is my sister Gemma"
"I figured, you look quite alike" replies mr ollivander. "Wand arm" he repeats
I looked at him confused.
"Well... I'm uh right handed?"
"Well hold out your arm" he says. He measures from my shoulder to the tips of my fingers then waist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and Even around my head.

He finishes measuring and goes behind the desk. Wandering deep down a row of shelves. He comes back with a plain wand that has a few markings around the base and hands it to me. I stand there holding the wand and a feeling a bit like an idiot. "Give it a wave" he says as though he's stating the obvious. I wave the wand around feeling sheepish. Nothing happens. Except he snatches it out of my hand and goes to find me another wand.

The one he brings back is shorter, dark brown and has some sort of drawing etched into the side. But no sooner had I raised it then mr Ollivander was snatching it out of my hand. He handed me wand after wand to try. Each of them being apparently wrong. He handed me another one. It was completely black with small flower patterns around the base that continued up to the tip. I waved it. A beautiful array of golds shot from the end of my wand. Mr Ollivander smiles "willow, 16 and a half inches, unicorn hair, reasonably flexible" and boxes it. Im buzzing as we pay and leave the shop.

Hermione tells me that I can get a pet so we stop inside a store that has the strangest pets Ive ever seen. Hermione hands me some money to pay for whatever pet I get and goes to get my school books (she couldn't wait to go to the bookstore)

I wander around, looking at all of the absurd animals. Theres tortoise with a diamond encrusted shell. And a rabbit that keeps turning into a top hat with a small pop. I look down at one of the cages. In it are about a dozen kittens. They are the Cutest little kittens Ive ever seen. Each one a different color of the rainbow.

Some just look like normal Tabby kittens... Except that they have blue stripes. Eventually I see one that really
Catches my eye. She's completely black apart from her paws which are pink and one of her ears. I get the lady who works there to get the kitten out. She puts it in a box and hands it over. "That will be 20 sickles and 4 knuts please"
"Uhhh" I look down at the money. She smiles slightly and helps me give her the correct amount.

Me and hermione meet outside the pet shop and she checks her list. All you need now is your potions equipment.
I can't help but gasp as we enter the shop. There are rows and rows of what look like dead beetles human hair maggots and dried up livers and kidneys. Hermione gets the stuff which leaves me to wander around. Unicorn horns and dragonfly teeth for 5 galleons, elephant toe nails 3 galleons 7 sickles 5 knuts... I stare in wonderment at all the freaky things that you can buy In the wizard world.