A Fateful Decision
They stood staring at the empty spot where McGonagall had been standing. Then Maisi put the letter absentmindedly on the table.
“Do you want some tea, Maia?” she said. “I’ll go make some tea.” Without waiting for an answer, she bustled out into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Maia picked up the letter and opened it, reading the familiar writing on the first bit of parchment. Then she read the others. The first was a list of school requirements.
Uniform
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils’ clothes should carry name tags
Set Books
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) 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
There was a map on the next bit of parchment, marking a spot not too far from Maia’s home. She assumed that was the entrance to the place where she could buy all her school stuff. She certainly could not think of any other place in London where they would sell her a wand, or an owl, for that matter. She turned the parchment over and read the instructions there.
Enter the Leaky Cauldron (marked on the map) and ask the barman to send someone out back to let you into Diagon Alley, as this requires a wand.
Maia put the map, supply list and letter down, and reached inside the envelope for the last time. There she found a ticket, marked:
The Hogwarts Express
1 September, 11:00
King’s Cross Station
Platform 9 ¾
Maisi came out of the kitchen with the pot of tea and some cakes. She stopped and looked at the open envelope and all the parchment.
“So you’ve decided to go?” she said quietly, setting down the pot and plate of cakes.
But before Maia could reply the doorbell rang.
“Oh, dear, that’s the neighbour,” said Maisi, wringing her hands. “Better not talk to her about this. Put all those things in your room. I suppose we’ll go to that place tomorrow,” she added absentmindedly, going to open the door.
“It’s supposed to be over here,” Maisi muttered, staring at the map. “This is ridiculous…”
“Mum, look, there it is!” said Maia excitedly, pointing towards the dingy little pub. It looked so thoroughly out of place between the busy shops that she could not possibly help notice it. But her mother stared blankly at the spot Maia was pointing at.
“Where?” she said with a puzzled look. “I can’t see anything.”
“But it’s right there!” said Maia, watching a man in a scarlet cloak and large pointy hat enter the pub with the large sign proclaiming it to be “The Leaky Cauldron”. Maia walked over to the entrance, and Maisi followed doubtfully. But when her daughter put her hand on the handle, the building seemed to appear out of nowhere. Maisi took a step back, but Maia opened the door, and her mother had no choice but to follow after her inside.
The pub was cosy and small, with little rickety tables all over the place. Behind the door stood an old, toothless man, who smiled when they entered.
“What can I do for you?” he asked. Maia suddenly felt shy.
“Are you the barman?” Maisi questioned lamely.
“That I am,” said the man. “The name is Tom, at your service.”
“We need to get into Diagon Alley,” said Maisi, getting in her bossy mood. Maia looked down.
“Ah, Muggleborn, is she?” said Tom. “Hogwarts business, I suppose. I’ll ask Ruth to let you through. Ruth!”
A petite, dark-haired woman came out of a door behind the bar, which presumably lead to a kitchen. Tom told Ruth what Maia and her mother were doing there, and she said, “Follow me,” and guided them out back. There she pulled a stick from her pocket and began poking some bricks in the wall with it.
It happened instantly; the bricks moved and shifted and suddenly there was an archway where there had been a wall moments before.
“Diagon Alley,” said Ruth with a smile. “Have a nice day!” Then she went back inside, and Maia and her mother turned down the cobbled streets.
Maia had never seen anything like this place. The entire street was lined with shops, and they were the strangest shops Maia had ever seen. They had the strangest names, and the strangest things on display in the windows. Cauldrons, broomsticks, pumpkins, books, and funny animals. Maia could only stare on wonder.
It was not difficult to figure out which of the buildings was Gringotts. It was large, and white, and much bigger and more conspicuous than any of the other buildings along the street. It looked like a bank.
They stepped up to the large, copper doors, where a statue of a rather short creature was standing immovable. But as they passed it, the statue bowed, startling both Maia and her mother, because it was not a statue at all.
“What you staring at?” it said gruffly. “Never seen a goblin before?” Maia shook her head as her mother took her hand. “Well, go on! Don’t crowd the doorway, there’s much traffic here!”
Maia scurried inside, only to find another set of doors to enter through, these ones silver in colour, and with a plaque that she didn’t have time to read before they were ushered through by another goblin. Once inside, however, Maia had to stop and stare.
There were goblins sitting at desks all over the great hall they were in, going in and out of little doors, counting gold, silver and bronze coins and examining precious stones and jewels.
Maisi dragged her over to one of the desks that seemed to be assigned to customer help. The goblin looked up at her with utter disinterest.
“Yes?” he said in a bored voice. Maisi made herself as tall as she could (a tough feat for a woman of five-foot-four but not when standing opposite a goblin who was hardly four feet tall), trying to look like she knew exactly what she was doing.
“I would like to exchange some money, and take some out from the Hogcourts’ fund,” she said.
“Hogwarts, you mean?” asked the goblin.
“That’s what I said,” replied Maisi, a small blush creeping up her cheeks. Maia looked down in embarrassment.
“Your child’s name, madam?” The goblin looked as bored as ever.
“Maia Artemis Herod,” said Maisi, blush gone.
The goblin left the desk and went through a door behind him. He returned two minutes later with a piece of parchment, and a small leather pouch.
“There is a total of ten Galleons available for Maia Artemis Herod, for this school year,” he said. “You wished to exchange some Muggle money?”
“Some what?”
“UK pounds, madam. The current rate is five pounds to a Galleon.”
Maisi began rummaging through her handbag for her purse. She had taken cash out earlier that day, just like McGonagall had told her to. Not knowing how much everything would cost, she had taken out 100 pounds.
“This will ruin me,” she mumbled. “But I suppose it’s not that much worse than a regular school. At least there’s no school fee…”
She handed the 100 pounds to the goblin. “Twenty Galleons, then,” she said. The goblin nodded, and went back through the door. This time it took a bit longer, but he soon came out with another, slightly bigger leather pouch.
“Twenty Galleons, here,” he said. “There are seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, and 29 Knuts to a Sickle.”
Maisi took the money, thanked the goblin and marched her daughter out of the bank.
Once out on the street again, Maisi pulled out the list and studied it.
“Well,” she said, “let’s start with the most ridiculous, shall we?”
Finding the shop that sold magic wands was relatively easy. It was a small shop, but it had a big sign which read, Ollivander’s and Birch’s: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC and 1997 AD respectively.
Maia stepped inside, followed by her mother. The shop was filled with shelves containing narrow boxes. The man behind the counter looked up as they stepped inside. “Ah, welcome!” he said. He was a relatively young man, in his 30s, perhaps, with a bush of brown hair and glistening, black eyes.
“Er, yes, we’re looking for a wand,” said Maisi, stepping forward.
“Well, I dare say you’ve come to the right place; this is the only shop in Diagon Alley selling wands,” said the man, smiling. “I’m Birch. Hogwarts, is it?” he asked Maia kindly, and she nodded. “Well, come over here so we can take your measurements. What’s your wand hand? The one you use most?”
“Right,” said Maia shyly.
“Alrighty, then!” said Birch. He pulled up a measuring tape, which began measuring Maia all on its own. Birch watched intently, and then began searching the shelves, pulling out boxes, studying the wands and putting them back again.
“I say, you are dressed funny,” he said as he searched. “Muggleborn, are you?”
“Excuse me,” said Maisi, “I am afraid we don’t know what you mean by that.”
“So sorry,” said Birch. “ Of course you don’t. A Muggle is a non-magical person, like you, madam. A Muggleborn is a witch or wizard born from a Muggle family.” He took a wand from the shelf and brought it over to Maia. The measuring tape dropped to the floor.
“Here, try this one. One of mine, willow and Unicorn hair, eleven and a half inches,” he said. Maia took the wand, not certain what she was meant to do with it. She looked blankly at him. “Wave it a bit,” Birch explained. “It’s a bit like trying on shoes.” He smiled.
Maia waved the wand a bit, feeling stupid. Absolutely nothing happened.
“Not that one, then,” said Birch. He took the wand and put it back in its box. “Let’s see…” He went back to his activity of searching through boxes. Then he shook his head and went behind the counter and disappeared through an opening. Maia and Maisi stood in silence looking at each other for a little while. Then Birch showed up again. “This one,” he said. “I’m positive. This is one of my predecessor’s. Ebony and Dragon Heartstring, thirteen inches. It’s rather long, but great for protective spells and counter-curses. Here.”
He held out a long, black wand. Maia took it and waved it. A bunch of green sparks flew from the end, and Maia felt a warm feeling travel up her arm.
“Wonderful! I knew that was the one!” said Birch with a smile. “That will be seven Galleons. Ebony is a very magically powerful wood, you know,” he added. “You can be very great with a wand like this.
Maisi reached into the bigger leather pouch and pulled out seven gold coins.
“I’m rather happy to be rid of another one of Ollivander’s wands,” chattered Birch. “Then I can take down that sign and put up my own, but it’s a shame to let all these wands go to waste.”
“Did Ollivander die?” asked Maia.
“Well, we don’t really know,” said Birch, taking the money from Maisi. “He just disappeared three years ago, when the war started… It was a good thing I came back from my apprenticeship in Italy a few months later and could take over, or else people would have had to travel far for their wands.”
Maia and her mother left the shop and proceeded to go and buy everything else she needed. They got her robes fitted at Madam Malkin’s (because, as Maisi said, uniforms are far too important to be bought second hand) but bought most of her schoolbooks at a used books shop down the Alley somewhere. They passed a very colourful shop called Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes (which Maisi refused to enter), and a trendy clothes shop called Patil and Patil, where two identical witches of barely twenty sold robes inspired by traditional Indian clothing. Maia fell utterly in love with an emerald green sari style dress, but Maisi reminded her that that was not why they were there. They did, however, buy a newspaper, some magazines and a book called Modern Magical History: The Two Wars.
At the end of the day they had bought everything she needed, and had two Galleons, ten Sickles and 14 Knuts left. “I suppose I have no use for this money,” said Maisi and stuffed the pouch with the remaining wizard money in Maia’s pocket. “Perhaps you’ll need these when you go to school.” She smiled. “You looking forward to it?”
Maia nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “It’ll be great.”
“Good,” said Maisi, as they set off homewards.