Diagon Alley
In the days that followed Hagrid’s visit, Luz asked her mother every day if what happened that day was real and every time Camila confirmed. It took all of Luz’s willpower to not tell anyone about it “Ohhhh, I’m so excited!” was her first words on that cloudy Sunday.
The two went to London, Camila drove while Luz waited, very loudly “Where did he say we should meet him?” She asked. “The Leaky Caldron or something should be somewhere around here…”.
Hagrid’s directions weren’t very useful. Camila drove in circles for a while before Luz spotted the giant man. “Mamá, he’s over there!” Luz pulled Camila’s arm “HANDS OFF THE DRIVER, LUZ!” She said when Luz almost made her hit another car “Sorry!!!”. They parked and walked toward the man who waved at them. Everyone who passed him looked confused and shocked by his size “Morning Luz, Camila. How yer?”.
“Morning” Camila greeted. Luz pointed at the man’s hand “What’s that?” She asked “Oh, right, it’s the newspaper” Hagrid gave them the paper, with the name ‘Daily Prophet’ “Wow” Luz gasped “Hum, so Mr. Hagrid, I read the necessary equipment that was in the letter, but, I ask, where we are going to find them. Also, I don’t think we use the same currency,” Camila said after a look in the newspaper.
“Yer right, our money is different, but don’t worry, there is a bank, the only one, Gringgots where we can exchange your muggle money and check if yer husband left some money” Luz and Camila looked at each other confused “Muggle?”.
“Yeah, muggle, those who don’t have magic, it is how we call them… On a different topic Luz… could you not tell anyone in Hogwarts that I used magic?” Luz nodded “Ministry of Magic, hum?” Camila said while reading the newspaper, even though she couldn’t understand most of it.
“Where is the list, Luz?” Hagrid asked. The girl took it out from her pocket and read it as the three walked a bit:
“
First-year students would require:
Uniform:
Three sets of 'special work tunic'; Hogwarts model (gray)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all students’ clothes should carry name tags at all times.
Books:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Flora D’splora
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's 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 Eber Candiea
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
1 Palisman
1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set of glass or crystal vials
1 telescope
1 set of brass scales
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR BROOMSTICKS “
“We can find all this in London?” Luz asked and Hagrid nodded “This is it, The Leaky Cauldron, kind of famous place,” He said stopping by a tiny grubby-looking pub, so unnoticeable that Luz and Camila had driven past it several times while looking for Hagrid “I don’t see anything” Camila aid and Luz rubbed her eyes “Yer a muggle, just hold Luz's hands and try act normal” He explained.
For a famous place, the pub was very small, dark, and shabby; no more than 7 other customers were drinking or talking to the old, bald, gummy walnut-looking barman. Hagrid seemed to be quite popular as all there greeted him and the barman, whose name was Tom, offered a drink to him, which was denied by the man.
“No way… Could it be?…” Tom said and the pub suddenly went still, as if everyone there turned into a statue “Bless my soul… Luz Noceda…” Tom said, he rushed to the girl and shook her hand energetically, tears forming in his eyes. A line formed behind him and Luz was forced to shake hands with everyone in the Caldron.
“Professor Piniet?” Hagrid asked as a pale man with blue eyes and very long green hair approached the trio “He’ll be your teacher Luz” He added “No-No-Noceda… Miss Noceda – He corrected himself- Pl-pleased t-to meet y-y-you” He said nervously “Hi! What do you teach?” She asked happily “De-Def-Defense A-A-Again-in-inst the Dar-Dark Ar-Ar-ts… No-not th-that you need it No-Noce-ceda” He laughed nervously
Professor Tuata Piniet went there to buy a book about vampires, though it appeared the mere thought seemed to scare him. 10 minutes was the necessary time to get through all the people in the pub. Hagrid brought them to a walled courtyard “Told yeh, famous… Now let me see” The man started counting bricks on the wall.
“That guy didn’t look like the type who teaches how to protect yourself” Luz whispered at Camila who shook her head “Don’t judge a book by its cover, never know what lies within” The sound of moving bricks turned their attention to where the wall was, as an arch big enough to even Hagrid pass through had appeared “Welcome to Diagon Alley,” He said and smiled at the women’s amazed face.
Their first stop was at Gringgots Bank; Luz would probably need 8 or 10 more eyes to see everything she wanted to see on the way there. Camila couldn’t feel more out of place, caldrons at sale, robes, tunics, quills, rolls of parchment, potion ingredients telescopes, broomsticks, and animals she only ever saw in the zoo were on display as if they were day-to-day stuff. The snowy white building of Gringgots towered above the other shops, standing by the entrance wearing a scarlet and gold uniform was
“Yeah, it’s a goblin” Hagrid whispered. The goblin was about a head shorter than Luz, had long fingers and feet, a beard, and sharp ears. They crossed the burnish bronze front doors and found another pair of doors, silver this time with a message written in it:
“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. “
“Never try to steal Gringotts. It’s the second safest place in the world, only after Hogwarts,” Hagrid said “Never try to steal, period” Camila corrected. On the other side of the doors was a vast marble hall, with a hundred more goblins working, counting coins, analyzing precious stones, and scribing “Moring, I’m here to check a vault in the name of Luz and/or Camila Noceda” Hagrid said to a free Goblin who went through a list of names and numbers “Do you have the key?” he asked. Giant turned to Camila “You found it?” The woman nodded and showed a golden key to the Goblin “Seems all in order”.
“I also have a letter from professor Bump. It’s about You-Know-What in vault 713,” Hagrid said importantly, almost throwing it in the Goblin. He read it and handed it back to Hagrid “Very well, I’ll have someone take you down to both vaults, Griphook!” The trio followed the Goblin named Griphook “I assume we can’t know what is in vault 713?” Camila asked. Hagrid nodded “Hogwarts business, very secret…”.
What was behind the door the goblin opened to them? Something similar to the subway, but instead of trains, mining carts hurtled up and down, left and right in all directions. They climbed the cart, and it took off. At first, it followed a maze-like path – left, right, left, middle fork, then left and right, right again – It didn’t take much to make Luz lose track of the sequence, especially when the cart took a dive entering an underground cave, with even more tracks in all directions.
Now it resembled a rollercoaster, to Luz’s amazement and Hagrid’s suffering, the man was green, holding in the urge to puke so much that when the cart stopped. They climbed down. Hagrid had to use the wall as support “Urgg. I hate this” –- “Not the greatest fan either” Camila added. The goblin opened the vault in front of them, inside was more money than Luz had ever seen in her life, piles of gold and silver coins as well as a fair amount of bronze coins “I can’t believe we had this all along!” Luz said amazed.
“Yer father won a fair share of championships to earn this and more” Camila collected the amount needed for the school supplies and extra in case of emergency “How does it work? The currency?” Luz asked “Well, the gold ones are Galleons, they worth 17 Sickles, the silvers one, and in turn, they worth 29 Knuts, the bronze ones, very easy” Hagrid explained “Fácil? Ja! Es peor que los estadounidenses y sus pies y pulgadas” Camila mumbled and Luz chuckled.
“Now, to vault 713 we go. Can we go a little bit slower?” Hagrid asked the Goblin, who rolled his eyes. It went even deeper to the underground, as faster as they were to Hagrid’s distress. The vault had no keyhole, the Goblin stroke the door with one of his long fingers and it melted “If anyone, but a goblin who works here tried, they would be trapped inside it… And we only check it every 10 years or so,” Griphook said as a treat and a warning to the Nocedas.
For such, seemingly, an important thing, the vault itself only had a small latter bag over a stone pedestal. Hagrid shoved it inside one of his many pockets “Come on… Back to this infernal car” He said right as Luz was going to ask what it was. Soon they found themselves under the sun of the Diagon Alley again “So, we’re going to split, Luz, you can go fetch your uniform and your Palisman and Camila, yeh can go get the books… If any need me, I’ll be at the Leaky Caldron, recovering…” Hagrid said sickly.
Luz headed to the place Hagrid had pointed alone “Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions” She read before entering. Madam Malkin, was a smiling squat witch dressed all in mauve “Hogwarts dear?” She asked Luz who nodded in response “Follow me” In the back of the store, another witch, this one with pinkish skin and violet hair, was standing on a footstool while a third witch pinned up her tunic. Luz was placed next to her “Hi, Hogwarts too?” she asked, her voice was high pitched and bored “Yep”
“My parents are buying my books and the rest of the things, then I’ll get them to buy me a racing broom, I don’t care first years can’t have one, I’m going to smuggle it in somehow. Do you have a broom?” She turned to Luz, what caught her attention was the forehead of the girl; she had a birthmark that looked like an eye “No. Are you a triclops?” She asked and the girl sighed, it wasn’t the first time she heard that “No, I am not and… What the-?” The girl asked pointing at the window with her head, Luz turned to see a couple outside looking as amazed as Luz was at the wizards and witches “Urg… Muggles… I don’t think they should let other kinds in Hogwarts, they’re not like us, some of them don’t even know about our world before getting their letters, urg, they’re just a waste of time and effort, they should just keep it to the old wizard families don’t you think?” Luz opened her mouth but was cut by Malkin “I’m done with you dear” And without excitation Luz jumped down and left the store “See you at Hogwarts, I suppose”
Hagrid had recovered and went back to help Camila, they then bought three big ice creams, but Luz ate them in silence “What’s the matter cariño?” Luz lied, saying that it was nothing. They purchased parchment and quills, and a special ink that changed color as you write with it. Luz eventually told them about her encounter with the other girl “Ha! And what does she know? Many of the best wizards and witches I ever met were the only magical members in a long, long line of muggles. I bet her parents were in Slytherin” Camila asked what ‘Slytherin’ was.
“A school house in Hogwarts…” Suddenly his voice got dark “There is where evil is sown and nurtured, beware of them… The Emperor was from Slytherin” Both Luz and Camila were shocked “Be - I mean, The Emperor was in Hogwarts?”. He nodded, there was more to it than he let on.
Getting Luz out of the many stores there was an, nearly, impossible task, as the girl wanted to find a way to curse Andrea and some bullies at school, or touch the potion supplies, or eat anything that looked eatable. Hagrid had to explain to her that she could not, unless necessary, perform magic in the muggle world.
“Just your Palisman left, oh and yer birthday present,” Hagrid said after checking Luz’s list “I know I don’t have to, but I will, Miss Camila come with me, I’ll need yer opinion and well… Getting yer Palisman with the Bat Queen is quite magical. Meet us at the Leaky Caldron when you finished “Okay” Luz headed to ‘The Cave of The Bat Queen’, the outside of the shop looked like an abandoned two-floor house with purple curtains in the windows.
“Hum, ‘Crafting Palisman since 616 B.C’ “ Luz read the carvings on the door and entered the place. Inside it was darker than a moonless night. One chandelier with purple flames hung on the ceiling was the only light source. There were a few chairs inside and a big throne made of obsidian and spider web. Against her better judgment, she sat on the chair in front of the throne. “Hello?” She gulped. “Welcome, yi yi, welcome to my cave. It is I, The Bat Queen”.
An enormous figure fell from the dark above Luz and sat on the throne. The Bat Queen was a full meter taller than Hagrid, skin paler than the moon, had long, darker than the night sky, hair and eyes red like rubies “H-H-Hi, I-I-I a-a-am-“ – “Luz Noceda, I know, been waiting for thee. Thou hast thy father’s eyes… It seems only yesterday he came to buy a Palisman”.
The Bat Queen seemed to adjust part of her speech when she realized Luz was having a problem understanding her. The Bat Queen moved Luz’s hair with one of her fingers and looked at her mark “I sold the one who did this… My apologies” Luz was speechless once again “Yi yi, now, let’s begin!”. She snapped her gigantic fingers, and dozens of creatures jumped from the dark above, others appeared out of thin air, and others crawled out the cracks on the walls and floor.
“Oh my… I can choose any of them?!” Luz gasped when no less than one hundred creatures were behind the queen’s throne. They came in all shapes, any animal Luz could think of, both muggle or magical. Cats, dogs, birds, insects, and more “Choose? No, no, no, one does not choose a Palisman. The Palisman chooses thee! Now! Let them come to thee!”.
The Palismen started to walk in circles around Luz. They were analyzing her “Hum… Ms. Bat Queen, what are they? What they made from?” The giant giggled “ A Palisman is a magical staff, used to channel the magic within; they are made from Palistrom wood, an important thing thou must keep in mind, is that every Palisman is sentient. They think, feel, and choose one witch or wizard they feel a connection… But that doesn’t mean they are the right one for thee”.
“What?” Luz asked confused “Thou shalt see” The Palismen stopped and went back behind the throne, only two stayed in front of Luz, a blue bat and a purple otter “Only two? Interesting, try them, see to whom thy bond is stronger” Luz kneed down and extended her hand to the Bat that froze solid and grew a long wooden cane from one of its paws.
Luz now held a wood staff with a bat on one of its ends. She raised and swirled it in her hands “Nothing I see, come Batholomew” The staff unfroze, the cane disappeared and the bat flew back to behind her throne “Try the other” She said. Luz obeyed, and this time, an enormous mass of air burst from the otter staff, some Palismen were thrown away, and the curtains were sent flying, letting light get inside the store “Ark!”.
The Bat Queen slid behind her throne and some Palismen fixed the curtains “I am so, so, so, so, so sorry!” Luz said when she saw the woman's skin boiling, “it’s okay… More important is… None of my children was the correct one” Luz lowered her head, was her journey going to end before she even set a foot in Hogwarts? Was she so helpless at the point not even magical creatures could not bond with her “Could it be?” The Bat Queen muttered. She then jumped, returning to the dark from where she fell.
No more than 5 minutes later, The Bat Queen fell again, but this time with a long portmanteau. From inside it, she pulled a staff, but a completely different from the ones Luz had seen so far. It was a wooden cane with a white and gold metallic wing on one end and atop it, a red stone “Try it” When Luz grabbed it, the stone shined and geometrical forms started forming around the staff “Perfect! Thou hast found thy magical staff!”.
Luz looked at it, it didn’t look like a magical staff, and it looked more out of a sci-fi story than anything else “Why does it look so different?” She asked the giant woman, “Am I not a real witch? So none of the Palismen wants me?” Luz sobbed. “Yi-yi, thou are no less witch than anyone else. I made two staff like that one because I was afraid the Palistrom wood could disappear due to overharvesting… Yes, a task not easy to fulfill… The wood of a tree older than myself… Goblin’s Silver of the purest kind… And as its magical core, a shard of a Draconite” The giant explained.
“Our fellow wizards and witches laughed at my idea, and the Ministry still ignores my warnings… Oh, and about thou being a real witch or not” The Bat Queen said while writing a note, “I managed to get two shards of the same Draconite, I have already sold the other staff and it made great things… Terrible yes, but great things… It was also the one who gave thee thy scar… Curious indeed, as the Palisman chooses the witch, Miss Noceda, I believe we can expect great things from thee”.
Luz paid 9 Galleons on her magical staff and gained a list of the differences between her magical staff and a normal Palisman; it wasn’t many. Luz regrouped with Camila and Hagrid in the Leaky Caldron to show them her new staff, which confused the two, she then explained what the Bat Queen had told her.
“So… it’s not a Familiar? It even has a name?” Hagrid asked “No and no, but it can fold itself to fit any pocket and it’s easier to repair according to her” The man scratched his beard “Well, I’m sure yer going to be great. Oh! I have something for yeh, hope it can make up for all the birthdays I missed” Hagrid pulled from beneath the table a cage covered by a black cloth. Luz took the cloth, “Oh! IT’S SO CUTE!”.
Inside the cage slept a cub of a fox-like creature, with black fur. It had a dog-like skull in its head, with a pair of horns “What is that?” Camila asked while Luz admired it “This is a Titan Rex, a rare magical creature, it was going to be my birthday present for yeh, but he didn’t arrive at the time, so I gave you that earrings. So did yeh like him?” Luz hugged the giant man “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Mom, can we name him King? Since he’s Rex?”.
“I guess… But you better take responsibility, since I have no idea how to take care of him,” Camila agreed, but still not sure if it was a good idea “Hogwarts here I go!” She shouted happily.