Forty Shades of Bewilderment

Ch. 2

Several days later, Kelsey found herself standing on a street lined with the strangest shops she'd ever seen. She had just gone into the weirdest bank in the world, run by strange creatures with knobbly heads and long fingers, toes, and snow-white hair, and now had a pocket full of gold, silver, and bronze coins. Under her arm were several parcels containing spellbooks, a cauldron, three robes, a cloak, a hat, and potion ingredients. Derek carried her scales and telescope. She checked her list. "I still need a wand. Where do I go for that?" she inquired of her faux brother.

"Ollivander's," said Derek. "Right over there. I've got something I need to do, and I'll meet you there." He turned to a small shop nearby. Gulping, Kelsey ventured into Ollivander's alone.

Setting her parcels on a shelf, she walked slowly up to the desk. Everything in this old shop had a thick layer of dust on it, as though it had not been touched in many years. Tentatively, she called into the stifling gloom, "H-hello? Hello?"

Suddenly, a small man swept over. Kelsey jumped, slightly startled.

The man grinned. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Miss Potter." He drifted over to a shelf and began studying wands. "It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands. In point of fact, it was only yesterday that your brother was in here buying his. Ah," he said suddenly, pulling a wand off a shelf. "Try this-cherry wood and dragon heartstring, rigid, good for enchantments."

Kelsey took the wand, and the room was suddenly flooded with light. Her hair was blown about by a wind that seemed to come from the very depths of the store. She grinned, somehow knowing she'd found the right wand. She paid Mr. Ollivander and turned to go. In the window she caught sight of Derek. He held up a cage. "Happy birthday!" she managed to make out. Glancing in the cage, she saw a beautiful kitten, ebony black, with sparkling green eyes. "Wow," she said softly.

September 1^st came all too quickly for Kelsey's liking. Before she knew what was happening, she was standing on Platform 9 ¾. Next to her was the scarlet and black Hogwarts Express. Her packed trunk sat on a trolley. On top of it sat her kitten, in a basket. She was confused, but exited at the same time.

Derek gave her a hug. "I'll see you next summer, okay? Just so you know, I used to go here- three years ahead of myself. Most of the teachers are pretty cool. Watch out for Snape- he teaches potions, and he's nasty as heck. Have a good term!"

Kelsey climbed into a compartment and waved to Derek until she couldn't see him anymore. Sighing, she sat down for the long trip ahead of her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture. Derek had given it to her right after she'd got her letter. In the picture were ten kids in different coloured outfits. On the far left, there was a small blonde girl in emerald holding a small baby in the same. Next to her was a redheaded boy, about the same age, in deep blue, holding a small redheaded baby. A boy, who looked like an older copy of the smaller boy, stood behind him with his hand on the little one's shoulder. Two small kids in scarlet sat next to the redheads, holding a baby, with an older boy holding their shoulders. Both boys had jet-black hair, and both girls had deep auburn hair. The twins-for that is what she supposed the small boy and girl to be-both had green eyes, and the baby and older boy both had grey eyes. Next to hem sat one lone girl, brown-haired and brown-eyed, dressed in bright yellow. The older girl in scarlet she knew to be her, but she didn't know anyone else in the picture. As she studied it, the door opened.