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I stumbled out of the fireplace, running into the person in front of me.
"Oof!" I yelped as I fell over. I opened one eye to see who I landed on. I noticed the hair right away. Draco.
"Sorry, Draco," I said. I could feel a blush creep on my cheeks. Draco chuckled lightly and held out a hand so I could pull myself up.
"We should run to Gringotts and get money out of our vaults," Draco said.
I nodded, and we walked to the snow-white multistoried marble building called Gringotts Wizarding Bank. I gazed at large silver doors that lead into the building and ran my fingers over the engraved words in the center that read:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
We passed through the second set of doors which revealed a vast marble hall with counters stretching along its length. Draco and I walked down the long hall to the counter at the very top. I watched fascinated as the goblins went to work, counting money, writing and stamping parchment, and many other things. When reached the end of the hall, I said,
"Mr. Malfoy and I wish to withdrawal from our vaults" I lifted my chin a little higher. The short goblin stood up and peered over the desk at us.
"Ah. And do Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Rosewood have their keys?" he asked in return. We showed our keys to the goblin.
"Very well, walk this way" He pointed a finger towards another goblin in a minecart. Draco and I walked clambered to the small box of metal and sat down.
"Which vaults are we headed to?" the goblin asked us in his high pitched voice.
"The Malfoy and Rosewood vaults" Draco responded. The goblin nodded and started the minecart.
In contrast to the grand marble of the entryway and the main hall, the passageways to the vaults were stone and dimly lit with flaming torches. The cart twisted and turned down a maze of passages, but flew down so quickly that it prevented us from getting a good look at our surroundings. My hair whipped behind me as I held on the sides of the cart leaning forwards. I could see Draco smirking at me in the corner of my eye. My stomach did a small flip, and I could tell it wasn't from the way the minecart was racing.
The cart came to a slow stop as we reached the Malfoy Vault. I stayed in the cart as Draco and the goblin entered. Draco came back a few seconds later with a little sack of money in his hand. They both got back into the cart, and we began to move again. We were at the Rosewood vault within seconds. I stepped out of the cart carefully and handed my key to the goblin who snatched it away from me and slipped it into the keyhole. From the inside, I could hear all of the locks unlocking with a click. The door slowly swung open revealing piles of gold, silver and bronze coins.
I stepped into the vast vault and took out my little velvet sack that my father told me my mother owned. I scooped up a handful in each pile and scanned the rest of the vault that held old Rosewood heirlooms and some of my mother's former possessions, such as her old precious jewellery and souvenirs. Turning around, I stepped out of the vault and climbed back into the minecart to sit down next to Draco. After locking my vault, the goblin returned and brought us back to the surface.
As we exited Gringotts, Draco suggested, "Let's first get our wands. That will be quick."
I nodded, and we walked to Ollivander's Wand Shop. On the walk over, I looked into all the beautiful shop windows. The cobblestoned alley never failed to amaze me. We reached the shop, which bore the name "Olivander's Wand Shop" on the top, and walked in through the door.
"Ladies first," Draco said making a motion to let me first. I could literally feel my heart racing against my chest as I walked up to the counter. I attempted to smile at the old man with receding grey hair, but with no such luck, I just gave the tiniest nod. Ollivander peered down at me and said nothing, but his eyes did widen slightly. He rushed into the back of the shop and came back, holding four wand boxes in his hands. Ollivander opened the first wand box, took out the wand and gave it to me.
"Here we are. Oak, 8 inches, dragon heartstring, rather bendy. Well, go on, give it a swish, Ms. Rosewood" He urged. I was taken aback by how he knew my name, but nonetheless, gave the wand a gentle swish, and suddenly a vase holding roses exploded. I immediately placed the wand back on the counter.
Ollivander hurriedly put the wand back into the box and unwrapped the second one. He gingerly took out the next one.
"I think this one ought to work. Hawthorn wood, 13 inches, dragon heartstring core, reasonably supple flexibility. (My Pottermore wand [Tell me yours in the comments!]) Give it a flick." I took the wand from his hand and hesitated before giving it a flick. This time, a gust of wind gently blew my hair out of my face.
"Yes, yes, seems this is the wand for you. Beautiful really," he said.
"Thank you, sir." I replied, "How much?"
"7 galleons please" I handed him the galleons and let Draco walk up to the counter.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy. Let's see." He took the other three wands back into the shop. He came back with two new wand boxes in his hands.
Ollivander opened the first wand box.
"We have, Cherry, 9 ½ inches, unicorn hair, pliable. Give it a wave."
Draco gave the wand a flick, and a jar full of candy broke, causing the candy to spill everywhere.
"Hm. No, definitely not." Ollivander said, taking the wand back from Draco. He took out his own wand and repaired the candy jar. Then, taking out the next wand from the box, he handed it to Draco.
"This one is hawthorn, 10 inches, unicorn hair, reasonably springy. Without hesitation, Draco took the wand and gave it a flick. The lights above us got into a comfortable, light setting.
"Yes, this is the one Mr. Malfoy" Ollivander said with a slight smile looking up at the lights. After he had paid for his wand, we made our way to Flourish and Blotts to buy our books.
Once we reached the shop, I stopped Draco outside the door and pulled out the supply list.
"Okay, to make it easier you get two copies of The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), A History of Magic, Magical Theory, and A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Then I'll get two copies of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Magical Drafts and Potions, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection. Then we'll get together by the counter and swap books to buy. Deal?"
"Deal" he replied.
We split up and pushed through crowds to get the books we needed. After getting arms full of books, Draco and I met back up at the counter to pay for our books. We retrieved our cloaks, robes, hats, and gloves and decided we were to part again and find a new cauldron for me and some glass vials for Draco, then meet back outside of Flourish and Blotts. I began to walk to Potage's Cauldron Shop, but on my way, I bumped into a boy. We both fell over, me on top of him. His glasses fell off to my left. I quickly got off him.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! Here let me get your glasses." I said as the boy got up. I picked up his glasses and looked at his face. He had black hair with green emerald eyes.
That's when I noticed it. The scar.
"Merlin's beard" I screamed, making him jump back in surprise.
"Sorry again. But you're Harry Potter! I know you must be getting that a lot considering you're The Boy Who Lived and all. Anyways, I'm Hazel Rosewood" I blabbered, extending my hand. He gave it a shake.
"Yeah, I'm him," Harry shrugged. "Nice to meet you, Hazel. I'm on my way to Ollivander's Wand Shop. Can you tell me which way to get there? I'm very confused."
"Of course. Just keep walking north, and you will come across a store with a big sign that says Ollivander's Wand Shop on the front. Trust me, you can't miss it."
"Okay. Thank you, for the help." He replied "It was very nice to meet you. I hope to see you soon."
"You too," I replied back. I watched as he walked into the crowd and out of sight. In the whirl of meeting one of the most important people in Wizarding history, I didn't notice a particular pair of gray eyes filled with jealousy watching from around the corner.
I bought my new brass cauldron and walked back to Flourish and Blotts. I saw Draco waiting outside with multiple bags in his hands. I walked up to him, and I watched as his lips turned up into a smile. My eyes wandered to Draco's watch. It read 3:27.
"Oh, Draco we should get going," I suggested. There was a secret passage to the Ministry of Magic through a broom cupboard in the Leaky Cauldron, and I decided I would meet up with my Dad before I went home.
"I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express?" I asked before pecking Draco's cheek. He blushed and nodded. I picked up my bags with my school supplies and headed off towards the pub.