Girl Harry
Jun. 7th, 2011 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drownedinlightWe ended up not going to Diagon Alley until after our birthday. Lily was still in a foul mood up until then and nothing James said did anything to console her. A few days after our birthday, Dad invited Sirius and Remus along so they could be there when got out first round of things for Hogwarts, and if we needed to split up, there would always be two adults per child. He did not say it, and I don’t think Remus and Sirius needed to hear it, but everyone except John knew they were there to keep Lily from throwing another temper tantrum.
John and I were side-along-apparated to Diagon Alley and we were both informed under no uncertain terms were we to wander off without an adult knowing where we were at all times.
“There could be people that want to hurt you,” Sirius explained. “Like Death Eaters…or reporters.” That startled a laugh out of the adults, but John and I only shrugged. We walked along the alley to Gringotts first to withdraw money for the day. Dad took out about one hundred Galleons for the two of us to split for our shopping. When he returned from the vaults, he already had it divided into two pouches and handed one to each of us.
“Now, then, Harriet, John, this money come from your trust funds. It’s important that each of you learns to manage your money now, and how to balance what you want and what you need, because when you gain your shares of the Potter inheritance you’re going to have a lot more at your disposal.” Dad winked at me. “So, spend wisely. You won’t be getting anything more from me today. If you’re smart about it, you will even have some left. Now we’ll split off, and see who has the most at the end of the day, hmm? Remus, Sirius, guard my daughter with your lives and let her make her own decisions. John, hand please.”
John grumbled about being eleven, but he knew that Dad did it so that they could apparate away if they needed to. Sirius held his hand out for mine and I took it as we wandered down the steps of Gringotts in a different direction.
“So, goddaughter mine, where do you want to go first?” I weighed my options carefully, thinking about where I could bargain, where I could get things cheaper if I really needed too. That was actually most places in Diagon Alley, save for one.
“Let’s go to Ollivader’s first,” I said.
“Bit anxious about that wand, are you?” Sirius asked.
“Only thing here that you can’t get second hand,” I replied. We trotted off to Ollivander’s, and I wondered if the amiable silence or gentle conversation we used when walked was normal, or if this was strange. More and more when my family went out in a unit of four, there was this unspoken tension between Lily and Dad, like they had just had a fight. I knew John couldn’t sense it so I never really brought it up, but walking with Remus and Sirius felt good. So I decided my family was strange.
We entered Ollivander’s Wand Shop with a little bell ringing above the door.
“Mr. Ollivander!” Remus called. “Mr. Ollivander, are you here?” He looked down and winked at me. “Oh, well, we’ll come—”
“John Potter.” I looked up and say an old man standing behind the desk of the shop. His grey eyes bore into me as he said, “No, not John Potter, but Harriet Potter. I was wondering about you as well. It seemed like only yesterday your parents were in here buying their first wands. And Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, yes. I remember your wands quite well. Elm, thirteen inches, unicorn hair and ebony twelve inches with dragon heart string, is that right?”
“Quite,” Sirius replied. “And of course Harriet has now come for her wand.”
“Of course, of course,” Ollivander replied. “And which is your wand arm, girl?”
“Right,” I said, holding up my hand. A tape measure flew up and began wrapping itself around me, but I batted it away.
“It needs those measurements to tell me which wand is right for you!” Ollivander shouted from within the many shelves of wands. “Let it be!” So, much to my chagrin, I held out my arm again, and stood as still as I could. When, finally, the tape measure collapsed, Ollivander returned from a wand, already eying me strangely. He opened the box, and held it out to me, allowing me to take the wand, all while spouting off facts about. But almost as soon as I had the wand in my hand, he snatched it away and muttered to himself all the while, as he traded wands out with me.
Soon, I pile of boxes began to grow on the front desk of the store and after an hour I still did not have a wand. “Tricky customer,” Ollivander muttered. “I wonder if your brother will be the same.” He said no more but went to his furthest back shelf, and began digging around on the bottom of the shelves and pulled out three boxes. He took them to the front and held them up in front of me, muttering and debating, finally he chose one. “Cedar, twelve inches, eagle feather.” I picked it up and suddenly it just felt right to me. I cast a simple levitation spell on the box and it floated into the air without a problem.
While Sirius and Remus clapped, Ollivander merely narrowed his eyes at me and began stacking the boxes. “Miss Potter, do you know why, most if not all of my cores are from powerful magical creatures such as dragons, unicorns and phoenixes?”
“Not at all,” I replied. “Why?”
“Because, a wand acts as a channel, and the more powerful the animal in the core, the easier it is for a wizard to channel his magic, a dragon, unicorn and phoenix making it the easiest. Do you know what it means that you have the only the core of a magical eagle?”
“No?”
“It means that you have rather unusually good control over your magic, especially for your age. That will be six galleons, please.” I put forth the six galleons, and pocketed my new wand as we walked out of the shop.
“Is he always like that?” I asked as we made for Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.
“What, a little nutty?” Sirius asked. “Of course, why do you think Remus did that bit in the beginning? Ollivander lives for that kind of stuff. He’s just as old as Dumbledore and quiet nearly just as eccentric.” At Madam Malkins, there were a good number of robes that were just about my size that were decent second hand. I bought four black and a green one that brought out my eyes.
“What’s a Potter like you buying second hand?” Madam Malkin asked, as she fitted them up for me (the robes themselves on cost a galleon and a half, so I figured I could spend another half galleon to have them fit better).
“We’re having a contest between my brother and me,” I explained. “To see who can make the most sensible purchases. I’m probably going to grow this year, so there’s no reason to buy brand new robes right not.”
“Perhaps you’ve got too sensible a head, Miss,” Madam Malkin teased. Potion supplies I haggled a little on, but since I honestly had no idea what I was doing, I think the apothecary was just humoring me. The telescope I purchased was a little bit older, but worked just as well as some of the newer ones, and I liked the designs on it. Books were a no brainer, though I did enlist Remus and Sirius in finding the best second hand ones that were available (which was not an easy job, considering that wizards only like giving away what is used to bits, but thankfully I think I got the books used by muggleborns). When we were all done, we met Dad, John and Lily in Florean Fortescues.
“Well then, how did you do?” Dad asking, licking a chocolate cone.
“I managed to keep almost eleven galleons, Harriet!” John exclaimed. Lily only looked smug.
“Twenty-two, fourteen, three,” I said.
“What?” Lily asked.
“Twenty-two galleons, fourteen sickles, and three knuts,” I repeated.
“No fair!” John exclaimed. “How’d you do it?” I shrugged.
“Everything was second hand except my potions supplies and my wand that’s how and I’ve got a trunk at home, so there’s no sense in getting one here,” I explained, finding a strawberry cone thrust into my hand by Sirius.
“Even robes?” Lily asked.
“They look really nice, though, Lily,” Sirius said. “She managed to find the best of everything second hand. I swear, if I didn’t know any better, she was conjuring it in the store and then paying them for letting her do magic.”
“Well, I guess that means Harriet wins the game,” Dad said. “Which means she gets to pick the owl you two will be sharing.” John groaned and kicked the seat. “That is not yours to kick John Nathan.”
“Sorry Dad,” and because he knew what was coming, he added, “Sorry Mr. Fortescue.” Fortescue waved it off and we all finished our ice cream before walking back into Diagon Alley to buy an owl. Dad and Lily fell back as Sirius challenged John to race to the owl shop. I heard them whispering, trying not to cause a scene, but they were getting louder and louder.
“I just don’t see why we can’t get him a pet for being a good sport,” Lily hissed.
“Because he wasn’t for one thing,” James said. “And it isn’t right that we would treat him differently. You know Harriet will let him help choose, that should be good enough. Besides John needs to learn how to take disappointment. And it’s a deterioration of trust if we say one thing first and then decide another later Lily. They need consistency.” Remus offered out his hand to me, and one look at him said that it wasn’t an option. I took it, and we began walking a little faster to the owl shop. John and Sirius were already there, looking at the owl hatchlings that were still with their mothers.
“John come help me look at owls,” I called. John smiled and raced over to me as we walked through the many caged and loose owls.
John and I were side-along-apparated to Diagon Alley and we were both informed under no uncertain terms were we to wander off without an adult knowing where we were at all times.
“There could be people that want to hurt you,” Sirius explained. “Like Death Eaters…or reporters.” That startled a laugh out of the adults, but John and I only shrugged. We walked along the alley to Gringotts first to withdraw money for the day. Dad took out about one hundred Galleons for the two of us to split for our shopping. When he returned from the vaults, he already had it divided into two pouches and handed one to each of us.
“Now, then, Harriet, John, this money come from your trust funds. It’s important that each of you learns to manage your money now, and how to balance what you want and what you need, because when you gain your shares of the Potter inheritance you’re going to have a lot more at your disposal.” Dad winked at me. “So, spend wisely. You won’t be getting anything more from me today. If you’re smart about it, you will even have some left. Now we’ll split off, and see who has the most at the end of the day, hmm? Remus, Sirius, guard my daughter with your lives and let her make her own decisions. John, hand please.”
John grumbled about being eleven, but he knew that Dad did it so that they could apparate away if they needed to. Sirius held his hand out for mine and I took it as we wandered down the steps of Gringotts in a different direction.
“So, goddaughter mine, where do you want to go first?” I weighed my options carefully, thinking about where I could bargain, where I could get things cheaper if I really needed too. That was actually most places in Diagon Alley, save for one.
“Let’s go to Ollivader’s first,” I said.
“Bit anxious about that wand, are you?” Sirius asked.
“Only thing here that you can’t get second hand,” I replied. We trotted off to Ollivander’s, and I wondered if the amiable silence or gentle conversation we used when walked was normal, or if this was strange. More and more when my family went out in a unit of four, there was this unspoken tension between Lily and Dad, like they had just had a fight. I knew John couldn’t sense it so I never really brought it up, but walking with Remus and Sirius felt good. So I decided my family was strange.
We entered Ollivander’s Wand Shop with a little bell ringing above the door.
“Mr. Ollivander!” Remus called. “Mr. Ollivander, are you here?” He looked down and winked at me. “Oh, well, we’ll come—”
“John Potter.” I looked up and say an old man standing behind the desk of the shop. His grey eyes bore into me as he said, “No, not John Potter, but Harriet Potter. I was wondering about you as well. It seemed like only yesterday your parents were in here buying their first wands. And Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, yes. I remember your wands quite well. Elm, thirteen inches, unicorn hair and ebony twelve inches with dragon heart string, is that right?”
“Quite,” Sirius replied. “And of course Harriet has now come for her wand.”
“Of course, of course,” Ollivander replied. “And which is your wand arm, girl?”
“Right,” I said, holding up my hand. A tape measure flew up and began wrapping itself around me, but I batted it away.
“It needs those measurements to tell me which wand is right for you!” Ollivander shouted from within the many shelves of wands. “Let it be!” So, much to my chagrin, I held out my arm again, and stood as still as I could. When, finally, the tape measure collapsed, Ollivander returned from a wand, already eying me strangely. He opened the box, and held it out to me, allowing me to take the wand, all while spouting off facts about. But almost as soon as I had the wand in my hand, he snatched it away and muttered to himself all the while, as he traded wands out with me.
Soon, I pile of boxes began to grow on the front desk of the store and after an hour I still did not have a wand. “Tricky customer,” Ollivander muttered. “I wonder if your brother will be the same.” He said no more but went to his furthest back shelf, and began digging around on the bottom of the shelves and pulled out three boxes. He took them to the front and held them up in front of me, muttering and debating, finally he chose one. “Cedar, twelve inches, eagle feather.” I picked it up and suddenly it just felt right to me. I cast a simple levitation spell on the box and it floated into the air without a problem.
While Sirius and Remus clapped, Ollivander merely narrowed his eyes at me and began stacking the boxes. “Miss Potter, do you know why, most if not all of my cores are from powerful magical creatures such as dragons, unicorns and phoenixes?”
“Not at all,” I replied. “Why?”
“Because, a wand acts as a channel, and the more powerful the animal in the core, the easier it is for a wizard to channel his magic, a dragon, unicorn and phoenix making it the easiest. Do you know what it means that you have the only the core of a magical eagle?”
“No?”
“It means that you have rather unusually good control over your magic, especially for your age. That will be six galleons, please.” I put forth the six galleons, and pocketed my new wand as we walked out of the shop.
“Is he always like that?” I asked as we made for Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.
“What, a little nutty?” Sirius asked. “Of course, why do you think Remus did that bit in the beginning? Ollivander lives for that kind of stuff. He’s just as old as Dumbledore and quiet nearly just as eccentric.” At Madam Malkins, there were a good number of robes that were just about my size that were decent second hand. I bought four black and a green one that brought out my eyes.
“What’s a Potter like you buying second hand?” Madam Malkin asked, as she fitted them up for me (the robes themselves on cost a galleon and a half, so I figured I could spend another half galleon to have them fit better).
“We’re having a contest between my brother and me,” I explained. “To see who can make the most sensible purchases. I’m probably going to grow this year, so there’s no reason to buy brand new robes right not.”
“Perhaps you’ve got too sensible a head, Miss,” Madam Malkin teased. Potion supplies I haggled a little on, but since I honestly had no idea what I was doing, I think the apothecary was just humoring me. The telescope I purchased was a little bit older, but worked just as well as some of the newer ones, and I liked the designs on it. Books were a no brainer, though I did enlist Remus and Sirius in finding the best second hand ones that were available (which was not an easy job, considering that wizards only like giving away what is used to bits, but thankfully I think I got the books used by muggleborns). When we were all done, we met Dad, John and Lily in Florean Fortescues.
“Well then, how did you do?” Dad asking, licking a chocolate cone.
“I managed to keep almost eleven galleons, Harriet!” John exclaimed. Lily only looked smug.
“Twenty-two, fourteen, three,” I said.
“What?” Lily asked.
“Twenty-two galleons, fourteen sickles, and three knuts,” I repeated.
“No fair!” John exclaimed. “How’d you do it?” I shrugged.
“Everything was second hand except my potions supplies and my wand that’s how and I’ve got a trunk at home, so there’s no sense in getting one here,” I explained, finding a strawberry cone thrust into my hand by Sirius.
“Even robes?” Lily asked.
“They look really nice, though, Lily,” Sirius said. “She managed to find the best of everything second hand. I swear, if I didn’t know any better, she was conjuring it in the store and then paying them for letting her do magic.”
“Well, I guess that means Harriet wins the game,” Dad said. “Which means she gets to pick the owl you two will be sharing.” John groaned and kicked the seat. “That is not yours to kick John Nathan.”
“Sorry Dad,” and because he knew what was coming, he added, “Sorry Mr. Fortescue.” Fortescue waved it off and we all finished our ice cream before walking back into Diagon Alley to buy an owl. Dad and Lily fell back as Sirius challenged John to race to the owl shop. I heard them whispering, trying not to cause a scene, but they were getting louder and louder.
“I just don’t see why we can’t get him a pet for being a good sport,” Lily hissed.
“Because he wasn’t for one thing,” James said. “And it isn’t right that we would treat him differently. You know Harriet will let him help choose, that should be good enough. Besides John needs to learn how to take disappointment. And it’s a deterioration of trust if we say one thing first and then decide another later Lily. They need consistency.” Remus offered out his hand to me, and one look at him said that it wasn’t an option. I took it, and we began walking a little faster to the owl shop. John and Sirius were already there, looking at the owl hatchlings that were still with their mothers.
“John come help me look at owls,” I called. John smiled and raced over to me as we walked through the many caged and loose owls.
