Slytherin Chronicles : The Desire of Darkness

CHAPTER TWO
Diagon Alley

Before Neve could push herself off the ground, a pair of large, grimy hands smelling strongly of alcohol fastened themselves over her arms and helped her back on her feet. She looked up and saw the round, good-natured face of Tom, the barman and inn-keeper of The Leaky Cauldron. "All right there, miss?" he asked, grinning toothlessly.

"Fine. Just a little dirty," Neve replied, trying to dust off the layer of soot that had settled on her robes.

Tom nodded and asked, "Would you be wanting anything to drink, miss? We've a good selection of non-alcoholic drinks, and you can get yourself a nice luncheon for two Galleons, and also - "

But he was interrupted there by Mrs Coulden's exclamation, "Neve, darling! Come along now, we're going!"

Tom instantly whirled around with every appearance of delight to see Mrs Coulden. "Mortenvia Coulden - how lovely. Care for a cup of tea?"

"No, thank you, Mr Ballantyne. Perhaps some other time. I've got much to do today," she responded briskly, her eyes narrowing at Tom's suddenly vapid grin.

The barman bowed and she swept past him silently with Neve hurrying in her wake. They walked past many tables of old warlocks, gossiping witches, and a few grumpy-looking dwarves sitting at the bar. The pub was still as grubby-looking and fascinating as Neve remembered it to be. It seemed that it was always so shadowed and dusty inside; Tom probably never bothered to clean the place. Neve suspected this was so because it would have been muddied up straight away from the many customers that regularly strode in and out of the entrance.

There was a staircase to the left of the bar, but Neve had never had the need to go up to the next levels of the pub. She hoped, however, that if she ever had need of the guestrooms above, they'd be much cleaner than what surrounded her now.

As she followed Mrs Coulden through a door at the very back of the pub, she asked, "Mother, why didn't you come by Floo Powder?"

"And ruin my new robe? Certainly not! There's enough filth in that pub to cover all England!" replied Mrs Coulden in disgust. "I'll be very glad when you get your Apparition test but in the meantime, you'll have to use Floo."

Neve thought she would also be very glad to get her Apparition test. She could hardly wait until she would be able to start disappearing and appearing at will to any destination. But she knew it was a very dangerous process, and she assumed that she wouldn't be allowed to even try it until she was at least seventeen, and she still had six years to go.

They had now come out into a small encircled courtyard containing an over-flowing dustbin and a thin-leafed olive green shrub growing out of a small space in the brick-paved ground, and appeared to be withering before their very eyes. Mrs Coulden pulled out her wand and said to Neve, "Watch carefully. You'll have to do this by yourself soon so you might as well remember now," and raised her wand three bricks up from the dustbin, two bricks across to the right, and tapped the third brick three times.

It suddenly began to wriggle and a tiny hole appeared in the centre of it, growing wider and wider every second until it was as large as the wall of bricks had been. Now, instead of the wall, a whole new scene opened up before Neve's eyes. The sunny street in front of her was over-crowded with witches and wizards, some with children, others by themselves. As well as being packed with people, it stretched so far that Neve couldn't even see the end of it! It was, of course, Diagon Alley.

Neve could feel the magic of the place throbbing in the air around her and breathed it in. She wouldn't have been surprised if it started raining glitter or shooting stars, because it felt so wonderful and amazing! She suddenly wondered if a Muggle would be able to feel the exact same emotions that she was feeling and decided against it; after all, they could never do magic themselves so how could they really understand the true beauty of it?

Neve and her mother walked past all the shops on both sides of the street; Neve turning her head every which way, Mrs Coulden not taking the slightest notice. There was the Apothecary to her left, with its unicorn horns, dead beetles, and other potion ingredients. There to her right was Madam Selena's Divination Department, full of every object that is used in the art of fortune-telling. And, up ahead, was Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, full of every flavour of ice cream imaginable!

Mrs Coulden only stopped walking when she reached an enormous white building - Gringotts, the wizarding bank. She then lifted up her robes an inch or two and proceeded to climb the staircase leading to the entrance, with Neve behind her.

"Are we going to Gringotts?"

"Obviously," was Mrs Coulden's curt reply. "Your father forgot to give me some extra money to buy your school things so we're going to have to get them ourselves." She sounded thoroughly disgruntled at the prospect.

When they both reached the top of the stairs, a short, squint-eyed goblin - dressed in the same scarlet and gold uniform that Neve had seen another goblin wear three years ago when she last visited Gringotts - bowed them through the bronze doors. Another set of doors revealed a pair of uniformed goblins who also bowed them through. Inside the bank, the cavernous marble hall was the same as before, as were the long marble counters standing opposite each other on the left side of the hall. More uniformed goblins were sitting behind them on stools talking to customers, examining precious jewels, or writing in ledgers.

Mrs Coulden quickly found a free goblin and immediately produced a tiny gold key, saying, "Miss Neve Coulden, vault number nine hundred and thirteen."

The goblin carefully examined the key, before nodding and calling on another goblin, whose name was Hobnog. Neve and Mrs Coulden followed Hobnog to the right side of the hall and through a door leading away from it. Hobnog held the door open for them and Neve found herself in a narrow stone passageway, the torches on the walls providing the only light. The huge door closed behind them and as the shadows enveloped her, Neve began to feel slightly sick.

Although she had black hair and liked to wear black clothes, Neve did not like the dark very much. She often had trouble getting to sleep when she was younger but, even now, as practical as she was, she could not understand why she had this fear of darkness. She had once mentioned it to her parents but they both assumed such a look of disgust on their faces that she immediately dropped the subject, never to raise it with them again. And now she had to go through the whole process of going underground with two of the people who would most likely never offer their sympathy: her own mother and a goblin.

Hobnog whistled and, almost instantly, a little cart came rushing towards them along the railway tracks on the floor. Mrs Coulden winced slightly. Clearly, this wasn't her favourite way of travel. Despite misgivings, they all climbed into the small cart and were off.

It seemed that the cart knew its own way around because Hobnog wasn't steering at all. They hurtled around corners without the slightest decrease in velocity, sped through mazes of winding passages. The cool air whipped Neve's hair out behind her and fanned her face enough to be pleasant. She looked at her mother, who was sitting in the cart as though she were a queen, her mouth set in a hard thin line. Neve looked up then and saw a ceiling of never-ending darkness, like that of a carved-out mountain, and looking down beheld an enormous black chasm that seemed to be bottomless.

"Are we already below the ground?" inquired Neve of the goblin.

"No, we've gone behind the Gringotts office," explained Hobnog brusquely. "The bank is situated on an excavated mountain, Gottring. And the vaults are deep inside it."

Neve watched the goblin, waiting for more information, but he pursed his thin lips and didn't seem to want to say anymore. Neve knew that goblins did not like humans much and that they did not like talking in English a lot either, but she wished that Hobnog could have been more informative. Gringotts was one of the wizarding world's most mysterious places and there had been many audacious rumours about what went on inside it.

The cart soon stopped beside a rather small door in a bare, shadowed passage. Hobnog, Neve and Mrs Coulden clambered out of the cart and, as the goblin was inserting the little golden key into the keyhole, Neve heard another cart speed past them on its way back to the open. The door to vault number nine hundred and thirteen opened and an extravagant sight materialised before Neve's eyes. Large organised mounds of gold Galleons, silver Sickles and bronze Knuts were heaped on the floor of the vault.

"Is this all ours?" asked Neve, amazed.

"No, this is all yours," replied Mrs Coulden. "Your father and I will be leaving all this to you when you come of age - that is to say eighteen - when you will be able to use it for whatever purpose you wish. But, in the meantime, it is only to be used for school products, understand?"

Neve nodded, too astonished to speak. If all these riches were hers alone, then she could just imagine what kind of a mountain of money her parents had.

Mrs Coulden then proceeded to shovel a good number of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts into a silver-green money bag. Handing it to Neve, she said, "This should last till next summer; mind you don't waste it. The bag is made of Moke-skin, so don't be surprised if it suddenly shrinks when you're with a stranger. That way it won't be stolen off you. Make sure you don't lose it. "

Neve took the money-bag and placed it in her robe pocket. Then they all climbed back into the little cart and, one dizzying ride later, Neve and Mrs Coulden were walking down the stairs of Gringotts towards the shops of Diagon Alley.

"Oh, Neve, I have some important business to attend to so you'll have to buy your school things on your own, all right?" said Mrs Coulden. "I'll be waiting for you in the Leaky Cauldron when I finish. Oh, and remember, this money is only for necessary school items, and make sure you get only what is specified. Understand?"

Neve nodded, displeased. Before Disapparating, Mrs Coulden patted her on the head a few times, smiling stiffly. When she had gone, Neve took out her list of "necessary books and equipment" and consulted it for the first time:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform
First years will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black, unisex)
2. Two sets of plain v-necked woollen jerseys (light grey, unisex)
3. Two sets of plain long-sleeved shirts (white, unisex)
4. Two pairs of plain full-length trousers (dark grey, boys only)
5. Three pairs of plain ankle-length socks (light grey, boys only)
6. One pair of plain lace-up shoes (black, boys only)
7. Two sets of plain knee-length skirts (dark grey, girls only)
8. Three pairs of plain knee-length socks (light grey, girls only)
9. One pair of plain low-heel sandal-strap shoes (black, girls only)
10. One plain full-length neck-tie (black, unisex)
11. One plain pointed hat for day wear (black, unisex)
12. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar, unisex)
13. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings, unisex)
14. One pair of plain woollen winter gloves (grey, unisex)
15. One plain winter scarf (black, unisex)
16. One full-length Herbology cloak (tan, brown buttons, unisex)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags. No pupils are permitted to wear any jewellery (other than a wristwatch) or make-up.

Set Books All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade One) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

As if Mother would ever allow me to buy one anyway, thought Neve. Mrs Coulden didn't much like sports of any kind and always insisted that Neve would do best to keep her feet on the ground. Mr Coulden, however, didn't object to Neve playing sports, but didn't encourage her either. He would always turn a deaf ear when Neve was not permitted to do something she wanted by her mother.

Neve already had The Standard Book of Spells (Grade One) at home, as well as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, and Magical Theory, so now she only needed to get four books, as well as all the other equipment and clothes. She decided to buy her animal and wand last, so she entered the shop straight opposite her - Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. Neve had never been in this shop before - her mother usually bought her robes for her - but she wasn't at all nervous. She felt more at home outside, in the magical world, than she did in her own house!

Madam Malkin was a plump little witch swathed in periwinkle blue robes. "Hogwarts, dear?" she asked, smiling. "We've got everything you'll need. Just stand on that stool over there, and I'll be with you directly."

So Neve went to the back of the shop and stood a footstool, patiently waiting for Madam Malkin. The whole shop was overflowing with robes of every colour imaginable, from every material that ever existed, and with every pattern that could be made. Flowing silk robes were in one corner, furry velvets in another, and six whole racks were devoted to tartans alone!

Madam Malkin soon came bustling towards Neve, carrying a pile of black fabric in her arms. She then pulled a black robe over Neve's head and proceeded to pin it to the right length. A few seconds later, a long black cloak was draped around Neve and was similarly pinned. After their removal, folds of grey material sprang onto her body and began sewing themselves into the right size for her. Madam Malkin checked the measurements of the woollen jersey that formed on Neve's thin frame and brought two white shirts, three pairs of socks, and a pair of black, low-heeled, sandal-strap shoes, all of which fitted Neve perfectly.

When she had taken all her school clothes off and was back in her own robe, she paid for the lot ("Twenty-four Galleons, three Sickles and one Knut, please! And you get a free Hogwarts trunk with that, since you're a new student!") and exited the shop, pulling the amazingly light trunk of soft packages behind her.

Next was Flourish and Blotts, a bookshop with what seemed like hundreds of shelves that extended right up to the ceiling. In here were thousands of books of different sizes, shapes, thickness, and of course, subjects. As well as getting her required school books, Neve also bought Hogwarts, A History (it would be good to know about where exactly she would be spending the rest of the year); The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts (should be an interesting read, and her father would be pleased with the choice); and Significant Magical Discoveries - from the 14th Century upto today (something useful might pop up in there that she should know about). If she didn't tell her mother about the extra purchases, her mother never ought to know. Mrs Coulden didn't like spending any more time with Neve or Neve's things than was necessary in her opinion.

She also bought an infinite amount of rolls of parchment, quite a few bottles of ink (red, green, black, blue, and ever-changing colours), and two lavish eagle-feather quills. She visited a few other shops and also bought a collapsible pewter cauldron, an also collapsible silver telescope, a set of unbreakable crystal phials, and a set of brass scales. The only thing left on her equipment list was a wand, the object that she had most looked forward to buying. She set off down the twisting alley to find a suitable wand shop.

Neve soon found a little wand shop tucked away in a corner a short way off from Gringotts. A shabby sign over the display window with peeling gold letters proclaimed Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC, proving that it was very old indeed. A solitary wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dust-covered window.

As she stepped inside, a bell tinkled somewhere in the depths of the shop. The shop itself was very quiet and crowded with long thin boxes - each of a different colour - stacked neatly right up to the ceiling, but it was also very dusty, as though no one had been in to clean for about a hundred years. Neve reminded herself that this was probably the case. But she somehow liked the tiny shop; the aura of magic inhabiting it was intoxicating, and Neve couldn't wait to start trying out the wands.

"Good morning," a soft voice breathed.

Neve whirled around. An old white-haired man was standing behind the counter, his pale silvery eyes glimmering at her expectantly.

"Good - good morning," whispered Neve. She felt that she ought not to disturb the quiet atmosphere so she spoke as quietly as she could while still being heard.

"Yes, I expected to see you sometime soon, Neve ... Coulden, is it?" said Mr Ollivander. His blank eyes surveyed her rather curiously. "It was only a few years ago that your - mother - was in this very shop, buying her first wand," he continued. "Yes, ten and a half inches long, rather lofty, made of cedar. Not a weak wand, at all." Mr Ollivander suddenly squinted at Neve, who didn't know what to say so she lowered her eyes to the floor.

Mr Ollivander studied her for a moment, and continued softly, "Your - father - visited this shop, too."

He seemed hesitant of naming Neve's parents and she wondered at this. "He chose an ebony wand," continued Mr Ollivander. "Twelve and a quarter inches. Springy. Very potent wand, that one. One of the most powerful wands I've ever sold!" Mr Ollivander suddenly chuckled, as though remembering an amusing joke. "Well, I say he chose it, but really it is the wand that chooses the wizard, you know." He surveyed her rather like a grandfather would their favourite grandchild. "Well, then ... let's find you a wand, shall we? Which is your wand arm?" he asked, picking up a long tape measure with silver markings from the counter.

Neve stuck out her right arm and patiently waited as she was measured from shoulder to finger, wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head. As the tape measured, Mr Ollivander said, "Each Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss Coulden. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. You will not find two Ollivander wands that are the same, just as you will find no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes to be quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand, if I may say so myself."

He was now gathering various thin boxes off the shelves and placing them onto the counter. "That's enough," he said to the tape measure, which promptly fell to the floor after measuring between the corners of Neve's mouth.

Mr Ollivander then opened a golden box and handed Neve a wand. "Now then ... Maple and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Somewhat whippy. Just give it a wave."
Neve waved the wand from right to left, but nothing in the slightest happened. She gave the wand back to Mr Ollivander who put it into its box and took another out of a lilac-coloured one. "Try this one. Willow and unicorn hair. Eight and a half inches. Nice and bendy."

Again Neve waved from right to left, and again nothing at all occurred. Still undaunted, Mr Ollivander snatched it from her hand and, from a scarlet box, procured yet another wand ("Mahogany and phoenix feather. Nine inches. Pliable.") which Neve waved with similarly no results. She tried many more wands after that - all of which failed to produce anything that would suggest one of them was destined for her.

Even though Neve became a little worried and impatient, Mr Ollivander could not be deterred. "Not to worry," he assured her, noting her unrest, "there's always a perfect match for even the trickiest customer! Ah ... perhaps this one ... hmmmm ... and then again, perhaps not ... yet, it wouldn't hurt to try..."

He was gazing at a dark purple box in his hands; one of the very few left. He then glanced at Neve and nodded slowly. "Right then, try this one. Redwood and phoenix feather. Seven and a quarter inches. Inflexible."

Neve took the wand and immediately felt a tingling not only in her fingers, but in her whole body. She shivered involuntarily. Then she raised the wand into the air and brought it swishing down in a wave of blue, green and silver sparks. Mr Ollivander cried, "Oh well done! Very good indeed! And ... how interesting ... how extremely interesting ..."

He wrapped the wand in brown paper and put it back in its box, still muttering distractedly, "Indubitably interesting ... but I should have expected it ..."

Neve couldn't hold in her curiosity any longer. "Sir ... could you please tell me what exactly is so interesting and what you should have expected?"

Mr Ollivander fastened his misty eyes on Neve. He looked both excited and wary at the same time. "This wand is very strong and very powerful, Miss Coulden. And whoever has possession of a wand as potent as this one must be expected to perform great deeds. And so far, all the powerful wands that I have ever sold that have been used by great witches and wizards have been employed in doing great things. So, it is just right for us to expect great things from you also.

"Another interesting matter is that this is the second wand I have sold that gave such results at its first trying." He turned his eyes back to the wand and ran his fingers over it lightly. "I wonder if you will ever get the chance to meet the other buyer ... I cannot predict the future, but we shall see, we shall see. Time will bring everything about in its due course."

Neve suppressed another involuntary shiver. Of course it was all very well and good to expect great things from her, but the question was how exactly was she supposed to do them? She had no idea what kind of great things she could do at Hogwarts, apart from getting top marks in her schoolwork, but she had a feeling that Mr Ollivander meant something quite different. And what was all this about another buyer whose wand produced the same results as hers? She didn't know but she didn't like the look Mr Ollivander had given her as he placed the wand back in its box.

She couldn't say that Mr Ollivander was her favourite person in the world but nevertheless, she liked him, despite his mysterious and doubtful words. Mr Ollivander had given her something to look forward to in more than one sense.

Before she stepped out of the shop, Mr Ollivander spoke to her again. "Believe in fate, Miss Coulden, and beware of it, for fate is a dangerous and wonderful thing that may help you in your lifetime."

And finally, with her thoughts in turmoil, Neve went off on her way back to the Leaky Cauldron where her mother would be waiting to go back to Coulden Manor.