A Snake's Treasure

12. The Second

Word count: 3222

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The 16 days went by much quicker than the 6 days of previous. Then, they had had a million burning questions hounding within them, and no possible way to get answers other than to wait. The first visit had in result; draw in slow. She was probably partially to blame, what with her constant attention on the countdown of the days. 6.. 5.. 4.. it had been torturous. But now, her immediate questions had been answered, and she'd experienced her first taste of the wizarding world, which now made everything seem just as grey at the orphanage; only ten fold. A thousand fold. She felt as though she were trapped in a box, just itching to break out into the big, bright world she now new laid beyond.

Her and Tom didn't speak much about it this time around, now much more conscious of how big of a secret it was. The chance of their childish talk of wands and broomsticks being taken for anything more than just that, was less than zero. But regardless, neither thought it worth the risk of something that would so monumentally change their lives. If they lost it now.. she didn't know what she would do.

Any thoughts such as those were promptly banished from mind when Dumbledore returned. Matron enacted her normal routine of fluttering her eyelashes and waggling her hips to the professor's apparent ignorance, and Tom and Vanesa's absolute displeasure. They exited in a calm but quick manner, and so were back in Diagon Ally promptly.

"You brought your lists, I trust?" He asked them, before smiling at the held up letters that greeted him in answer. "Excellent! Now, what's first?"

Her and Tom both looked at their lists, but it was Tom who spoke first: "Uniform" he then went on to read out the specifics; hats, gloves, robes and so on. "Off to Madam Malkins then, I should think." Dumbledore said when he had finished, striding ahead of them.

"Madam Malkins?" Vanesa asked, speeding up to match his pace.

"For robes of all occasions; including your school robes. Its nice, family owned. Good people." She turned to look at Tom, who shrugged.

Madam Malkins looked almost as though carved into the rocky side of a cliff. The bricks were the kind of grey that blended into itself, and the purple trimming stood out pleasantly. In the window, was a magnificent dress (robe?), all flow and frill. When she came closer to the glass to further inspect the intricacies, she found that the delicate floral print moved as thought blowing in the wind. The manakin wearing the dress did a little spin, making the dress fall spiral-like at her feet. It then gave a wink, to Vanesa's  amazement, before returning it's gaze to the other passers by.

Next to, was a uniform, and unmistakably so. The coloured tie combined with the white shirt and black cloak, topped off with the familiar Hogwarts Crest. The colour of the tie and under-lining of the robe kept changing colours. Red, yellow, green, blue and back again. This manakin was much smaller, and gave her a wide, plastic grin.

They were led inside once Vanesa had finished ogling the window, and the same purple adorned the walls. The dresses and stray material hanging on every inch hid most of it, but it looked nice regardless. In the centre of the room was a little girl that couldn't have been older than three, sticking pins in no particular pattern, through a cloth and into the foam manakin underneath. A manakin who didn't seem to be having a good time at all, constantly trying to lean away from her reach. This, Vanesa thought, was probably difficult with no legs, but simply a straight block past the curve of its waist.

An older woman, at hearing the chime of their entrance, came bustling in. She sighed upon seeing the girl, taking away the box of pins. "What have I told you, Marie? When your older. I can't keep replacing the manakins you torture, and healing your finger pricks at that, little madam!"