Can Things Change

"Diagon Alley," Sirius read the chapter title, looking over at James and Lily sadly. They both looked down, they were supposed to take Aurora to Diagon Alley for the first time, long before she turned 11, but most importantly, to get her school things.

Aurora woke early the next morning. Although she could tell it was daylight, she kept her eyes shut tight. 

It was a dream, she told herself firmly. I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for witches. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard. 

“You are very pessimistic aren’t you,” Arthur asked.

“I’ve had to be,” Aurora said. “I always think of the worst things that could happen.” Everyone just looked sad that someone couldn’t look at things with even a little joy, always expecting something to go wrong.

“She did better for a couple years, but then our fifth year happened,” Neville defended.

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise. 

And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Aurora thought, her heart sinking. 

But she still didn't open her eyes. It had been such a good dream. 

Tap. Tap. Tap. 

"All right," Aurora mumbled, "I'm getting up." 

She sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off her. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak. 

Aurora scrambled to her feet, so happy she felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside her. Everything that happened during the night was real. She had finally learned her parents' names, and found out that the weird stuff that goes on around her was magic, and that she was going to go to the same school that her parents went to and learn how to use that magic. She went straight to the window and jerked it open. 

The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat. 

"Don't do that." Aurora tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at her and carried on savaging the coat. 

“I hate Prophet owls,” Xenophilius said, rubbing the backs of his hands. “It’s like they know I’m competition.”

“We all canceled our Prophet deliveries in our 5th year,” Amice smiled. “The Quibbler is a much more reliable source of news. Much more factual.” Xenophilius, Pandora, and Luna all beamed. Luna knew this already, but this always reminded her of her friends' support.

"Hagrid!" said Aurora loudly. "There's an owl —" 

"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa. 

"What?" 

"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." 

Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags… finally, Aurora pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins. 

“How are they strange?” Barty asked.

“Most muggle money is paper, that has the amount that it’s worth on it such as one, or five, or ten and so on,” Hermione explained quickly. “Muggles stopped using real gold as a source of currency years ago.” 

Marlene, recognizing a Lily worthy rant, interrupted her, “Lily and I can teach you more about it later if you want?” Bary just nodded in agreement, looking at Hermione a little overwhelmed. 

"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily. 

"Knuts?" 

"The little bronze ones." 

Aurora counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Aurora could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window. 

Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched. 

"Best be off, Aurora, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."

Aurora was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. She had just thought of something that made her feel as though the happy balloon inside her had got a puncture. 

“Not the happy balloon!” Fabian, Gideon and Fred exclaimed. Molly looked at her son in horror, if he and his twin were similar to her brothers, she and Arthur were going to have their hands full. Fred just beamed at his uncle’s, while they smiled back pridefully at him.

"Um — Hagrid?" 

"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots. 

"I haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for me to go and learn magic." 

"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?" 

"I mean, I’ve been told all my life that they were lazy drunks, so I just thought they wouldn’t have any money,” Aurora said, cringing back at the furious look on Hagrid’s face. “I mean I guess they must have had jobs or something if I have money to go to school.”

“Yer father was Lor’ Potter, He’d of the Nob’l an’ Mos’ Anci’nt House Potter and was an Auror before yer mum and dad wen’ inta hiding. Yer mum was trainin to be a he’ler while workin’ on a double mas’ry in potions an’ charms.” Hagrid explained, easing her worry about money some. “Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither." 

"Wizards have banks?" 

"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins." 

Aurora dropped the bit of sausage he was holding. 

"Goblins?" 

"Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. 

The trio just looked at each other with barely contained laughter. ‘Well you had to be a little mad to be friends with Aurora,’ both Ron and Hermione thought to themselves. 

Never mess with goblins, Aurora. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you — gettin' things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see." 

“And there’s clue number one that I was set up,” Aurora mumbled to the other time travelers, who nodded in agreement.

"Got everythin'? Come on, then." Aurora followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm. 

"How did you get here?" Aurora asked, looking around for another boat. 

"Flew," said Hagrid. 

“Flew?” The Marauders, Lily, Marlene, Alice and Frank all asked.

“Probably on a thestral,” Luna hummed, “They can carry immense weights and have incredible sense of direction after all.”

"Flew?" 

"Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." They settled down in the boat, Aurora still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.

“I can’t either,” Peter admitted. 

"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Aurora another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?" 

“Hagrid,” McGonagall sighed, he could get into so much trouble.

"Of course not," said Aurora, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land. 

"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Aurora asked. 

"Spells — enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults. 

“There are,” The trio, James, Sirius and Regulus all said.

And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat." 

“Unless you ride a dragon out,” Fred whispered in Aurora’s ear, causing her to shiver.

Aurora sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Aurora had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, she'd never had so many questions in her life. 

“Oh Ro, he wouldn’t have minded if you asked him questions,” Lily sighed.

"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page. "There's a Ministry of Magic?" Aurora asked, before she could stop herself. 

"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. 

“That dolt got the job?” Amelia asked, shocked.

“What about Father?” Barty added. 

Everyone from the future looked at each other warily before looking to Aurora to answer. “There was some controversy surrounding your father’s bid for Minister,” she started, sending a very pointed look at Barty, which caused him to look down. “As for Fudge, he had several large financial backers supporting him.” Lucius looked to his wife, who nodded in agreement, Cornelius Fudge would be very easy to maneuver with a little gold here and there, and by Aurora not actually naming names, he assumes that he is one of those bankrolling the future minister.

Amelia pursed her lips, both in frustration at the future events that she could glean from what Aurora said, but also the tactfulness of how she said it.

Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice." 

"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"

"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country." 

"Why?" 

"Why? Blimey, Aurora, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." 

“Yes and no,” Kingsley said. “We should be left alone, but we also need to adapt as well. Right now we are trying so hard to cling to the old ways, that they haven’t evolved any and we are stuck in the 1600’s.”

At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street. 

Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Aurora couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Aurora? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?" Aurora didn’t think that someone like Hagrid was very good at keeping magic a secret.

"Hagrid," said Aurora, panting a bit as she ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?" 

"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon." 

"You'd like one?"

"Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go." 

“Wait,” Amice yelled, “There was a dragon?”

“Well yea, what did you think Hermione and I were doing,” Aurora answered.

“Oh my gosh, Ro! I’m so sorry! Ced tried to tell me!”

“It’s ok Ami. I understood.”

They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Aurora so she could buy their tickets. 

People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent. 

"Still got yer letter, Aurora?" he asked as he counted stitches. 

Aurora took the parchment envelope out of her pocket. 

"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need." 

Aurora unfolded a second piece of paper she hadn't noticed the night before, and read: 

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY 

UNIFORM 

First-year students will require: 

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black) 
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear 

“Never understood the point of that,” Regulus said. “No one ever wears it, except for the opening feast.”

“At this point I believe that it is tradition more than anything,” Dumbledore answered.

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 

COURSE 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 of glass or crystal phials 

1 telescope set 

1 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 

“You don’t have the introductory books on your list,” Lily and Ted said, looking confused.

“All muggle born and muggle raised are required to have the introductory books on their list,” Augusta glared at the Headmaster. 

“I got some eventually.” Aurora said, also glaring at Dumbledore. “But my list was the magic raised list for a reason.” This caused many of the room to glare at the Headmaster.

“As this is still many years in my future, I am unsure of my thought processes,” Dumbledore said, and some of the people looked mollified; the future group, James, Lily and Sirius were not included in those that accepted his reasoning.

"Can we buy all this in London?" Aurora wondered aloud.

"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid. 

Aurora had never been to London before. 

“Wait,” Hermione interrupted. “If you had never been to London, that means that those people you ran into when you were younger were near Little Whinging, which means that the wards were useless.”

“Yep,” Aurora said, popping her ‘p’.

Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow. 

"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops. 

Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Aurora had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? 

“Like my sister could come up with something like this,” Lily scoffed. 

If Aurora hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, she might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told her so far was unbelievable, Aurora couldn't help trusting him. 

“Always will too,” Aurora added.

"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place." 

It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Aurora wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Aurora had the most peculiar feeling that only she and Hagrid could see it. She could see the haze around the place, and feel a tingle on her skin the closer they got to it.

“You can feel that,” Alastor asked, leaning to get a closer look at Aurora.

“I’m more accustomed to it now,” Aurora explained, “but any place that’s saturated in magic, that I haven’t spent a lot of time in before, yes I can feel the magic in the air, and see some of the spells around it.”

Before she could mention this, Hagrid had steered her inside. 

For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?" 

"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Aurora's shoulder and making Aurora's knees buckle. 

Amice elbowed Draco in the gut before he could make fun of Aurora, while Aurora shot him a friendly glare, pointing a finger at him, “Don’t even.” He just chuckled at them before miming locking his lips.

"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Aurora, "is this — can this be —?" The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent. 

"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Aurora Potter… what an honor." 

‘Just what the girl needs, a big head,’ Severus thought. ‘She’ll be as bad as her father if this keeps up.’

He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Aurora and seized her hand, tears in his eyes. "Welcome back, Miss Potter, welcome back." 

Aurora didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at her. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming. 

Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Aurora found herself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron. 

"Doris Crockford, Miss Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last." 

"So proud, Miss Potter, I'm just so proud." 

"Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter." 

"Delighted, Miss Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle." 

"I've seen you before!" said Aurora, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop." 

“He was actually tasked with keeping an eye on me as well,” Aurora said.

“He didn’t do a very good job of that, did he,” James scowled.

"She remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? She remembers me!" Aurora shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more. 

A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching. 

"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Aurora, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."

Fred shot a look so scathing at the mention of the name, and pulled Aurora onto his lap, that several people thought the book might catch fire from his gaze.

"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Aurora's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p pleased I am to meet you." 

"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" 

"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. 

"N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought. 

“Please tell me you didn’t have to deal with that stutter the whole year?” Remus asked.

“It got worse in the middle of the year,” Draco answered, as he was the only one of the time travelers not clenching their teeth hard enough that they were about to crack.

“Man and for your first year too,” Frank said.

“We didn’t have a good Defense Professor until third year,” Aurora said, trying to calm Fred down some.

But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Aurora to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble. 

“Merlin, how did you make any real friends if adults are like that,” Marlene asked. She could tell that this group of people were close, and she was curious how they saw past Aurora’s fame.

“Honestly, in the beginning I forgot that I was famous,” Aurora said, looking curiously at Amice, Neville and Ron, her first friends. “I just got lucky I guess.”

"Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, Aurora." 

Doris Crockford shook Aurora's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds. 

Hagrid grinned at Aurora. 

"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'." 

"Is he always that nervous?" 

"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?"

“Yea, a vampire,” Hermione scoffed quietly. 

Vampires? Hags? Aurora's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can. 

"Three up… two across…" he muttered. "Right, stand back, Aurora." 

He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. 

The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. 

"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley." 

He grinned at Aurora's amazement. 

James and Lily were torn between excited to hear about Aurora’s first trip to Diagon Alley and sad that they weren’t able to be with her for the trip. 

They stepped through the archway. Aurora looked quickly over her shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall. 

The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them. 

"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first." Aurora wished she had about eight more eyes. 

She turned her head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…" 

“I remember my first trip,” Lily said, “There’s so much to look at and places to go.”

A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Aurora's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Aurora heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever —" 

“Nimbus Two Thousand,” James and Regulus sighed dreamily. All the Quidditch players imagining how fast that broom would be.

“Do you play?” James asked, bouncing in his chair.

“Here and there,” Aurora teased, seeming uninterested in the sport.

“Oh,” James said, losing some of his enthusiasm, “that’s ok, flying isn’t everything.”

All the time travelers were finding new ways to hide their smiles so that James wouldn’t notice, unfortunately Sirius spotted them, fortunately, he liked a good prank and didn’t say anything to his best friend.

There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Aurora had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon… 

"Gringotts," said Hagrid. 

They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was — 

"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Aurora. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Aurora noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside, Aurora bowing her head in return, earning a toothy grin in reply. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them: 

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. 

"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid. 

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall, Aurora returning the bow once more, it was only polite after all.

“We could use someone like you in our department,” Amos stated. “Some of the people I work with wouldn’t know manners if they were cursed with them, and they really piss off the goblins.”

About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Aurora made for the counter. 

"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Miss Aurora Potter's safe." 

"You have her key, sir?" 

"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Aurora watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals. 

"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key. 

“Why does Hagrid have your key?” Andromeda asked.

“My ‘magical guardian’ gave it to him,” Aurora said, trying to infuse as much sarcasm into her statement as possible.

The goblin looked at it closely. 

"That seems to be in order." 

"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." 

“Well that’s not subtle at all.”

The goblin read the letter carefully. 

"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

“Hello Mr. Griphook sir,” Aurora said, bowing to this new goblin. He looked startled for a moment before bowing back, “Good day Heir Potter-Black.” Hagrid jumped at the addition to her last name. “I’m sorry sir,” Aurora said, looking in askance at the goblin, “Potter-Black?” she asked. 

The goblin that had taken her key and Hagrid’s letter, looked over Aurora again, this time seeming to notice the state of her clothes and how small she was, before replying, “You are the heir of your father, Lord Potter, and the Heir to your godfather, Lord Black. As he is also your blood adoptive father, you also bear his name.” 

The goblin had barely finished his sentence when Hagrid had finished cramming all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, and he pushed Aurora towards the doors leading off the hall.

“Why are they hiding this from you,” Sirius stopped reading to ask. “I get that Black isn’t the nicest name, and I’m assuming that because of the war it’s reputation is even worse, but it's your heritage.”

“Decisions were made, that there were some things that I just shouldn’t know,” Aurora stated, again avoiding looking at the Headmaster. “Mum and Dad’s will were locked, so no one was really sure who my guardian’s were supposed to be, and a lot of ‘little things’ got lost.” Aurora sighed. She really didn’t want to give much away but something had to be said. “You’re still alive,” she looked at Sirius, “but were indisposed. Frank and Alice weren’t able to take me,” she started, looking first at Neville, then to her godmother, before Neville continued.

“You guys were in hiding as well, but when news of James and Lily dying, and Aurora surviving, you left the house to petition for temporary custody, and then full custody. In all the commotion, you forgot that Lily was the secret keeper for your Fidelius Charm, and when she died, all the people she had told became secret keepers themselves, and someone overheard one of the people saying our address.” 

“Are we dead,” Frank asked, pulling Alice closer to him.

It took everything within Neville to keep from looking at Barty, “You were held under the Cruciatus Curse for several hours. You are both in the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungo’s.”

Alice got up and ran over to hug her son, “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Neville said, “You were trying to help my sister. And I had Gran,” he added looking over to Augusta, who was sitting in her chair, one hand on her heart, the other wiping tears from her eyes.

“With all that happened with you guys, it was decided that I was safest where I was, and that all decisions would be up to my magical guardian,” Aurora said, “that included leaving out the name Black on everything. I had it all changed after third year.”

"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Aurora asked. 

"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that." 

“So it’s something Albus wants you to know about, but wants you to figure out on your own,” Alastor said. He wasn’t too impressed with what he was hearing about his friend's future actions. The only person who could be the girl's magical guardian, if she was as famous as implied, as well as have the power to seal her parents' wills was Dumbledore himself. The lack of answer from the time travelers was answer enough for him.

Griphook held the door open for them. Aurora, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off. 

At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Aurora tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. 

“That’s rather impressive,” Amelia stated. 

The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering. 

Aurora's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but she kept them wide open. Once, she thought she saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late — they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor. 

"I never know," Aurora called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?" 

"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick." 

“That’s not a very good explanation,” Remus frowned.

“I know now,” Aurora shrugged.

He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling. 

Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Aurora gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

“Your trust vault then,” James smiled”You would have gone much deeper if it was the family vault.”

"All yours," smiled Hagrid. 

All Aurora's — it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Aurora cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to her, buried deep under London. Hagrid helped Aurora pile some of it into a bag. As they were walking out the door, Aurora saw a small envelope and put it in the bag as well.

"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?" 

"One speed only," said Griphook. 

“Not true,” Fabian said. 

“They can go faster or slower, Griphook just must not like Hagrid,” Gideon continued.

“He was rather rude -” 

“To the teller.”

“And he did interrupt him when he was telling,”

“Aurora about her name.”

“Godric, is this what George and I are like?” Fred asked.

“Worse,” Aurora teased, placing a soft kiss on his jaw.

They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Aurora leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled her back by the scruff of her neck. 

Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole. 

"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away. 

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook. 

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Aurora asked. 

"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin. 

“That’s why it's important to have a goblin with you if you are going to break in,” Ron laughed.

Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Aurora was sure, and she leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first she thought it was empty. Then she noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. 

“I’m guessing that’s the stone then,” Pandora said.

Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Aurora longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask. 

"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid. 

One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Aurora didn't know where to run first now that she had a bag full of money. She didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that she was holding more money than she'd had in her whole life — more money than even Dudley had ever had. 

"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Aurora, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Aurora entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous. 

“He left you alone!” Lily, Alice and Molly yelled out.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve. 

"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Aurora started to speak. "Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact." 

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. 

Draco groaned, hiding behind Amice, while she laughed. Aurora had shared this story when herself and Draco had first gotten together. 

Madam Malkin stood Aurora on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length. 

"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?" 

"Yes," said Aurora.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. 

He had a bored, drawling voice. 

“I did not,” Draco argued.

“When you were trying to be overly impressive, yes you did,” Aurora snickered.

"Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." 

Aurora was strongly reminded of Dudley. 

“Aurora Jasmine, you take that back right now,” Amice yelled, only half serious, she knew how badly Aurora and Draco had disliked each other when they first met, and honestly, Draco wasn’t making a good first impression.

“You’re right Amice, that was uncalled for,” Aurora said. “Even at 11 you are nothing like Dudley.”

"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on. 

"No," said Aurora. 

"Play Quidditch at all?" 

"No," Aurora said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be. 

James whimpered a little.

"I do — Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?" 

"No," said Aurora, feeling more stupid by the minute. 

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" 

“DRACO!” Narcissa yelled, “This is not how we behave in public. And this is never how you conduct yourself upon a first meeting with someone.”

Draco looked down in shame, hearing this all again, he was ashamed of his younger self. “I know Mother,” he replied. “A Black must always…”

“Remain respectful and dignified,” he finished with Regulus, Andromeda and Sirius. “Never an embarrassment upon the family.”

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" Aurora asked, her thumb pressing down on a joint in her pinky finger.

"All that dud about loyalty, honestly, I think I'd barf."

Aurora didn't agree with the boy, as someone who'd never had one loyal person in her life, she'd thought the house sounded awesome. Maybe she could have some real friends for once.

"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Aurora and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in. 

"That's Hagrid," said Aurora, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts." 

"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?" 

"He's the gamekeeper," said Aurora. She was liking the boy less and less every second. 

"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage — lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed." 

“Draco!” Narcissa scolded again.

Aurora laughed, “He’s like this for a couple years Mrs. Malfoy. From the stories you and Andi have told me about Mr. Malfoy, he is very much like his father, and he just needed the right woman to whip him into shape.”

Lucius scowled, but it was tinged with love as he looked at his wife, Andromeda laughed heartily, while Narcissa smiled lovingly at her husband, “You may call me Cissy, dear,” she said to Aurora. “I must guess that I have told you this in the future as well, if you are hearing stories about our courtship.”

“You have, but I didn’t want to be rude,” Aurora replied. She really did like Narcissa, and held a great respect for her, especially after all that had happened.

"I think he's brilliant," said Aurora coldly. 

"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?" 

"They're dead," said Aurora shortly. She didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy. 

"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. 

"But they were our kind, weren't they?" 

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean." 

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?" 

“I feel like I really should have answered you here,” Aurora said.

“Especially if you had said Potter-Black. Father would have had a heart attack,” Draco drawled, much like his younger self.

“Why,” Andromeda asked.

“Father had been voting the Black seat on the Wizengamot, and was telling everyone that I was to be the next Lord Black when I came of age. It wasn’t well known until fourth year that Ro was Potter-Black, not just Potter.”

Lucius scowled, he would not like being wrong in this case.

But before Aurora could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Aurora, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool. 

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy. 

Aurora was rather quiet as she ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought her (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts). 

"What's up?" said Hagrid. 

"Nothing," Aurora lied. 

They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Aurora cheered up a bit when she found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, she said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?" 

“Just the best game ever!” James exclaimed.

“It’s ok,” Aurora replied. 

"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know — not knowin' about Quidditch!" "Don't make me feel worse," said Aurora. She told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's. "— and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in —" 

"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were — he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!" 

Lily frowned, and James pulled her closer to him.

"So what is Quidditch?" 

"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like soccer in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules." 

"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?" 

"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but —"

“No they aren’t,” Marlene, Ted, Amelia, Amos, Amice, and Sprout exclaimed. 

"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Aurora gloomily. 

"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one." 

“Honestly Albus, what are you thinking of sending Hagrid for an introductory meeting? He’s turning Aurora against two houses before she even sets foot in the school,” Flitwick demanded of the Headmaster.

"Vol-, sorry —You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"

"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid. 

They bought Aurora's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. 

Lily and Hermione sighed in wonder. 

Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Aurora away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian. 

"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley." 

"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level." 

It didn’t stop her from sneaking that and a couple other books on advanced potions and dark curses though. She also grabbed some etiquette books, she remembered the boy from earlier, and despite his attitude, he reminded her of the Lord’s and old fashioned people that she had heard on the television from her cupboard.

Hagrid wouldn't let Aurora buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Aurora, Aurora herself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop). 

It was then that she noticed the other people in the store, a tall man, with a scrubby brown beard, a woman with dirty blonde hair and bright gray eyes, who was walking with a girl that seemed to be her daughter. The girl looked to be the same age as Aurora, she had dishwater blonde hair that was flowing down her back in soft waves, and the same gray eyes as her mother.

“Mum, did you restock my kit,” a boy said, walking around the corner and almost knocking Aurora over. He quickly reached out his hands to steady her, and that’s when she got a good look at him.

Aurora stood up suddenly, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, before running into her room, hand once more wrapped around her necklace. Amice stared after sadly, wishing that there was some way that she could comfort Aurora.

“I’ll get her,” Fred said, standing up, following after his girlfriend.

This boy was the most handsome boy that she had ever seen. “I’m so sorry, are you okay?” he asked. His voice was soft, and soothing, and made her feel butterflies in her stomach.

“I - I’m okay,” Aurora stuttered. 

“Getting your things for Hogwarts?” he asked, releasing her arms. He was smiling at her, and it made her knees go a little weak. “You’re going into your first year?”

“I’m not sure I wanna hear this,” James grumbled. “Isn’t she a little young for these kinds of feelings?” This made all the current Hogwarts students, or anyone who had attended Hogwarts in the last seven years laugh. He had been the same way around Lily from the moment that he met her.

“Yea, I just got my letter,” Aurora said, before pointing to Hagrid. “Hagrid is showing me around, and helping me get all my things.”

“My sister is also going to be starting her first year too. Amice!” he yelled, looking around for his sister.

Everyone looked at Amice for a moment, before looking at the sleeping baby that Columba Diggory was holding. “That’s Cedric,” Amos boasted. “That’s my boy, the handsomest boy she’s ever met.”

The girl that she had seen just a few short minutes ago walked over, and wrapped an arm around her brother. “I’m Cedric by the way, Cedric Diggory, and this is my little sister Amice.”

Aurora looked down shyly, after what happened at the Leaky Cauldron, she didn’t really want to say her name, but she wanted to know this boy so badly, and his sister was going to be in her year, so she could have a friend before she even went to Hogwarts. “I’m Aurora,” she mumbled.

Amice’s eye flickered to the scar on her forehead for just a moment, but Cedric’s eyes never left hers. “Well it’s nice to meet you Aurora.” At that moment, his parents came around the corner calling the two of them away, and Hagrid was waving her over as well.

Fred and Aurora walked back into the room, and Lily got up and ran to her daughter at the sight of her red rimmed eyes, and the slight tear tracks still visible. She enveloped her daughter into a bone crushing hug that Aurora returned after only a second's hesitation. Lily eventually let Aurora go and they both made their way back to their seats, Amice and Neville both giving Aurora’s hand a squeeze as she walked past them.

“Hope to see you on the train Aurora,” Cedric called back to her with a wave as the family walked out the door. She couldn’t wait to see him again already.

Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Aurora's list again. 

"Just yer wand left — A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present." Aurora felt herself go red. 

"You don't have to —" 

"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at 

“There’s nothing wrong with toads,” Alice and Neville exclaimed. 

— an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'." 

Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Aurora now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. 

“I have a snowy owl too,” Sirius stated.

“Hedwig is the best,” Fred said for Aurora, knowing that the subject of Hedwig would just start Aurora crying again. Even now, four years later, she still hadn’t wanted to get a new owl, but Fred had persuaded her by telling her that the owl would be his, but she could use it. Just to make sure she didn’t think of Hedwig too much, he bought a black, male, eagle owl and named him Felix.

She couldn't stop stammering her thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell. 

"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now — only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."

A magic wand… this was what Aurora had been really looking forward to. 

The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. 

“Does anyone know who’s that is?” Fabian asked.

“He says it’s Merlin’s,” Gideon continued.

“It's the first wand his great grandfather ever made,” Luna answered.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Aurora felt strangely as though she had entered a very strict library; she swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to her and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of her neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic. 

Again, Alastor looked at the girl.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Aurora jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair. 

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. 

"Hello," said Aurora awkwardly. 

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Aurora Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." 

“Charms is one of my best subjects,” Lily said. 

Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Aurora. Aurora wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy. 

"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." 

Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Aurora were almost nose to nose. Aurora could see herself reflected in those misty eyes. 

"And that's where…" 

Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Aurora's forehead with a long, white finger. Aurora cringed back from the finger.

“Normal people just stare at it,” Aurora groused. 

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…" 

He shook his head and then, to Aurora's relief, spotted Hagrid. 

"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"

"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid. 

"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern. 

"Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly. 

“If it was snapped how is he able to do magic so well,” Marlene asked.

“Alas, his wand was so long that snapping it did not affect the core,” Dumbledore answered. Aurora scoffed, she knew that he had used the elder wand to fix it. It was the one secret that Hagrid would always keep.

"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply. 

"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Aurora noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke. 

"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now — Miss Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?" 

"Er — well, I'm both, but mainly left-handed," said Aurora. She had had both her arms broken so many times that she could use her left and her right hand equally.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Aurora from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

“There has to be great trust between two people to use another's wand,” Pandora said. “Or you have to win its allegiance.”

Aurora suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between her nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes. 

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Miss Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave." 

Aurora took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand almost at once. 

“Rude,” cried Alice.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —" 

Aurora tried — but she had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander. 

"No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out." 

Aurora tried. And tried. She had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become. 

“How many did you go through?” Remus asked.

“I’m not sure, we were in the shop for almost 2 hours though.”

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Aurora took the wand. She felt a sudden warmth in her fingers. 

She raised the wand above her head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. 

“A Gryffindor already,” James cheered.

Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…" 

He put Aurora's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious… curious…" 

"Sorry," said Aurora, "but what's curious?" 

“What’s curious,” Regulus asked.

Mr. Ollivander fixed Aurora with his pale stare. 

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar." 

Dumbledore scrutinized the girl in front of him once more.

Aurora swallowed. 

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Miss Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great." 

“Did he just compliment You-Know-Who?” Columba asked.

“I think it was more the magic that Voldmort performed, not the man himself.”

Aurora shivered. She wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. She paid seven gold Galleons for her wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop. 

The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Aurora and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Aurora didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; she didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Aurora's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Aurora only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped her on the shoulder. 

"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said. 

He bought Aurora a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Aurora kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow. 

"You all right, Aurora? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid. 

Aurora wasn't sure she could explain. She'd just had the best birthday of her life — and yet — she chewed her hamburger, trying to find the words. 

“We’ll make sure that every birthday out does the last,” James said, sad that she didn’t have any good birthday memories. 

“But not so much that you become spoiled,” Lily added, har and Aurora both thinking of Dudley and how he acted on his 11th birthday.

"Everyone thinks I'm special," she said at last.

"All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night my parents died." 

Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile. 

"Don' you worry, Aurora. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, 'smatter of fact. Those extra books you bought will help you too." 

Hagrid helped Aurora on to the train that would take her back to the Dursleys, then handed her an envelope. 

"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me…. See yeh soon, Aurora." 

The train pulled out of the station. Aurora wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; she rose in her seat and pressed her nose against the window, but she blinked and Hagrid had gone. 

Sirius let out a sigh. “That’s the end of that chapter.”

Ron summoned the book before anyone else had a chance. “I’m next,” he said, bouncing in his seat.