Many days passed since the party, and soon it was the twentieth of August. I never got to notice how time flew by; most of my time passed by at Bri’s, where Bri and I explored her huge, mansion-like house. There was a spacious front lawn and backyard - she even had her own maze made from low hedges! I found myself envying her a lot. The house itself was much more brilliant on the inside. The rooms were cavernous, filled with many elegant furniture, lush carpets that one’s feet would sink into and gold-plated picture frames that held paintings of Bri’s ancestors and other sceneries. We spent a whole day searching for trap-doors and secret passages; without much luck, though. The only hidden passage we found was one leading from the servant’s quarters to the kitchen. Not to mention the only underground room hidden from prying eyes was the cellar to keep vegetables and flour and other groceries. It was such a shame.
That morning, however, I was at my own place. My family and I were sitting at the dining table eating breakfast, when an owl tapped loudly on a window.
–Get it, please, Tash,†Dad said, not removing his eyes from his bacon and eggs.
I nodded and went towards the window, unlatching it and allowing the owl to hop in. It was a handsome tawny owl with a dignified air about it. It looked quite official. I took the letter from the owl, which then ruffled its feathers importantly and took flight after taking a sip from the bowl of water on the window sill (it was kept especially for owls). I shuffled back to the table, expecting it to be for Dad, but when I turned it over I saw that it was actually for me.
NATASHA OSBORNE
NUMBER SIXTEEN, BRYTLEE PLACE
BIRMINGHAM
–What is it?†Mum asked as she scooped up her empty bowl and went over to the sink.
–I dunno, but it’s for me,†I replied. I turned it over again and saw a seal: a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake, all congregated around an –Hâ€. Shrugging, I handed the letter to Mum.
She saw the seal and broke into a smile. Looking at Dad, who now had the Morning Prophet open in front of him, she said, –Oh, Kev, its Tash’s Hogwarts letter.â€
–What?†said Dad, and he folded the paper and strode over to Mum to get a better look. –It is!†he said, smiling. –Well, Tash, You are now officially a Hogwarts student. We better go and get your things now.â€
I smiled, wondering what sort of books and all we would have at Hogwarts. I couldn’t wait to see my new robes - and of course, my new Quidditch uniform, as I’d definitely be trying out for my House team. Taking the letter from Mum, I tore it open and took out the letter. On it was written:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
Order of Merlin, Third Class
Dear Ms Osborne,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your transfer certificate has been accepted and your previous records have been transferred over from your former school. You have now been enrolled in our list of Seventh-year NEWT students. Please find enclosed a list of all the Necessary equipment.
Term begins on 1st September. We expect your owl by no later than 31st July.
Yours sincerely
Filius Flitwick
Deputy Headmaster
I dropped that letter onto the kitchen counter and took out another one. This looked like the booklist.
Advanced Transfiguration by Amelia Shiftright
A Course in Advanced Potion Making by Plexas Andronus
A Higher Course in Herbology by Clemens Haddling
Defensive spells and Theory by Drona Galdrag
Higher Level Magical Theory by Janice Fontaine
Advanced Arithmancy by Albert Edsonus
I guess the staff knew which subjects I had from my old records, for they included only those books which I would need.
–So let’s go get the books, then,†I told my parents. –We can find them here in Birmingham, right?â€
Dad shook his head. –We have to go to London, actually.â€
–All the way back to London?†I asked incredulously. –Why, aren’t there any Wizarding shops in town? Birmingham was a pretty big place last time I checked.†Back in Australia, most of the Wizarding shops were in the normal shopping areas. You just needed to know which shops to go to.
–Wizarding London is so much better, Tash,†Mum said, her blue eyes twinkling. –You’ll get to see a side of Wizarding Britain you’ll never forget. Diagon Alley is one of the best places in the world.â€
–I’d really like to see how much it’s changed,†Dad said. –I wonder if Old Fortescue is still running his ice cream shop. Do you remember it, Cass?â€
Mum laughed. –Of course, how can I ever forget?†She winked at me and said, –That’s where your Dad proposed to me. I can still remember the look on his face when he dropped the ring into my smoothie.â€
–Hey, that was a mistake,†Dad said irritably, his black eyes glaring at Mum, while I laughed out loud. Mum just walked over to Dad and pecked him on the cheek, smiling brightly. Dad instantly brightened and kissed her on top of her head, ruffling her blonde hair.
–Right, if you guys are done, can we go now?†I asked, rolling my eyes. My parents could be pretty mushy sometimes, though I loved it, it sometimes tended to get... awkward.
Still grinning, Dad strode over to the fireplace. He took a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it in the fire, which turned emerald green. He stepped inside and said, –Diagon Alley!†before vanishing in the swirling green flames.
–After you, dear,†Mum said. –And don’t forget to pronounce the words clearly; you never know where you’d end up.â€
–Yes, Mum,†I said as I walked towards the fireplace. I took the floo powder and threw it in the fire, which turned green. Stepping inside, I said, –Diagon Alley!â€
Floo sucks,I thought as I spun all the way, coughing due to all the soot, to the Leaky Cauldron. Spluttering, I stumbled out of the grate.
I looked at my surroundings. We were apparently in a pub. There were lots of tables and chairs, and people occupied most of them, chattering with each other. At the counter was an old bartender, who was wiping glasses and talking to a man wearing a long pointed hat. There was a rickety staircase on one side of the room, leading upstairs.
There was a whooshing noise behind me as green flames erupted again and my mum stepped out, looking unabashed. Behind her, the flames returned to their normal orange and red.
–Welcome, Tash,†announced Dad, gesturing around him, –to the Leaky Cauldron.â€
–The Leaky Cauldron?†I asked, looking around, with an eyebrow raised.
–Yep. It’s a pub in England. My mates and I used to come here often when we were younger. –That’s the bartender, Tom. I can’t believe he’s still here after all these years.â€
Mum poked him in the shoulder. –Hurry!â€
Dad led us to a small back door and pushed it open. Behind was nothing but a small alley with a dead end. The only thing in there were a few dustbins filled with garbage.
–Why are we here?†I asked, puzzled.
Dad said nothing and pulled out his wand. He made some quick counting and tapped a certain brick. I watched, awestruck, as the bricks all moved and formed an archway, leading into a very busy street.
It was one of the most fascinating places I had ever seen. Lining the street were shops of various shapes, colours and sizes, and the cobbled pathway was crowded with chattering people. It was quite noisy; the sound of all the bargaining, the whining of little children, and the screeching of animals were all mingled together, forming a deep buzzing sound like a swarm of angry bees. There were shops for cauldrons, shops for potion ingredients, pet shops, clothes shops - everything. There were brightly couloured posters and banners hung all around, some of which flashed. Small fireworks exploded above us, showing everyone with sparks. I remembered the wizarding shops in Australia, and instantly thought that this place was a lot different, a lot livelier, and a lot better.
–Like it?†Dad asked, smiling at my expression.
–Yeah,†I replied, looking all around me.
–Oi, Tash!†I heard a familiar voice call. Turning around, I saw Revlyn pushing through the crowd and beckoned me towards her.
–Rev!†I said, grinning. –Are you here to shop too? Why don’t we go together?â€
–Sure. I’m almost done, but I’ll be glad to tag along,†replied Revlyn.
–Great!â€
Walking over to Mum and Dad, I told them that Revlyn and I were going shop together. Mum didn’t seem to like the idea of me roaming in an unknown place, but Revlyn persuaded her by telling her that she knew the place by heart and that nothing would happen. So in the end, Mum and Dad went to shop for my books, while Revlyn and I headed towards a Quidditch store, a place we both loved.
While I was browsing through the different brands of Quidditch cleaning kits, Revlyn suddenly waved to someone looking in through the window. He was a tall and lanky boy with sandy brown hair. He waved back at Revlyn and then turned away from the window and walked in through the door.
–Tash, meet Chris Carrington, a fellow Ravenclaw, and my friend,†Revlyn introduced me to the boy. –Chris, this is my cousin, Natasha Osborne.â€
Chris flashed a dazzling grin at me and I nodded back, smiling. –Nice to meet you,†I said.
–Same here,†he said. His voice was deep.
–So, wanna go see the new brooms?†I asked Revlyn.
–Er…actually, I’m sorta done with my shopping, and I promised Chris that we’d be spending some time together. We haven’t seen each other for a long time,†Revlyn said hesitantly.
I got the hint; apparently, my I-don’t-have-anything-to-do-with-boys cousin had a crush she wasn’t telling me about. –Alright, I’ll be going then. I’m done checking the Quidditch stores anyway. I’ll see you two later.â€
–Okay, bye,†Revlyn said, grinning at me. She looked relieved.
I said goodbye to them both and shook hands with Chris and left the store, deciding to roam the streets by myself for a while and look at the shops. There was one called Twilfit and Tattings, which was full of different coloured robes. I looked at them for a while, but found nothing interesting; I had enough dress robes as it is. I then looked inside the pet shop, but I didn’t buy anything. I kept walking again, until I finally came to a stop in front of a shop called Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. For a while I just stared at the windows, spellbound.
The left window was full of an astounding collection of goods, which sparkled, jumped, spun and glimmered. There were lights and mini-explosions everywhere, and the name of the shop was painted in colours which changed constantly. On the other hand, the right hand window were full of a variety of posters, which bore the names of loads of the goods, like Skiving Snackboxes, U-No-Poo, and Reusable Hangman to name some.
I just had to get into the shop. The moment I opened the door, two large bells chimed on top of my head and tiny little fairies fluttered above me. Grinning I stepped into the crowded shop.
Inside was much more brilliant than I imagined. Large shelves were stacked from top to bottom with various colourful boxes. On the floor, there was a bin full of jelly-like things in packets. Edible Dark Marks the labels on them read. Another bin was full of what looked like wands. Without even reading the labels I could guess that these were fake ones.
–Hey there,†a voice materialized behind me suddenly. I jumped and whirled around to see a good-looking boy in his late teens with red hair and lots of freckles. He was wearing dark red robes that went perfectly with his shoulder-length hair. He had a big smile on his face.
–Need any help?†said another voice, this time behind me as well. I turned around and say another boy exactly like him, this one wearing light brown robes. I stared.
–I’m Fred -†said the previous one.
–And I’m George -â€
–And we are the owners of -â€
–The Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes,†they both finished together.
–Oh,†I said, realizing they were probably twins. –It’s a… neat shop you’ve got here,†I said, smiling.
"Oh, look, Fred!" one of them said, grinning. "We've got ourselves a foreign customer!"
"Right you are, George," his twin said, scrutinizing me from top to bottom, as if I was an alien. "Sounds like an Aussie to me."
"So, fair foreigner, what would you like to take as a souvenir?†the one named George said, puffing out his chest proudly and motioning with his hand towards all the items on display. –We've got a great collection of products here -- starting from daily supplies for an average prankster trying to liven up his school day to decoys and distractions for going out on excursions after curfew."
–Or on a more serious note, you can buy defence supplies that might help you out of certain nifty situations that may or may not involve Dark Wizards,†his twin, Fred added in an undertone, looking solemn. –Of course, that corner is near the back.â€
I had to admit I loved the shop and I didn’t want to leave this place without buying anything. –All of this stuff looks fantastic,†I said. –I’ll look around and let you know if I find anything.â€
–Alright then,†Fred said. –We’ll be around, so just give us a shout.†He summoned a basket from a stack beside the entrance and handed it to me.
–I will,†I promised. The twins grinned, bowed so low that I thought that their spines would crack, and then rushed away towards another throng of new customers.
I could use some of these stuff in Hogwarts, I thought, browsing through the assortments of Skiving Snackboxes. If I ever felt like skipping any classes, I’d just pop one of them in mouth and voila, whole period of freedom. However, I thought, reading the labels, the Nosebleed Nougats would give me an actual nosebleed and the Puking Pastilles would really make me vomit. Not wanting to feel blood dribble down my nose, and especially not wanting to throw up my guts in front of my classmates, I decided to go with the simple Fainting Fancies. I picked up a box and threw it in the basket.
I also bought a couple of random stuff like the Reusable Hangman (Bri and I loved to play Hangman in classes, especially History of Magic, which could be a bore sometimes), a fake wand to annoy Mum with, and some Muggle playing cards. I was just about to go into one of the back rooms when I bumped into someone pretty hard. I went backwards and tripped over my own foot, landing on the floor on my arse. My basket went flying and landed on the ground with a clatter, making all the things in it fall out.
–Ow,†I hissed, wincing.
–Hey - are you okay? I’m sorry, I should have watched my step; you’re not hurt, are you?â€
It was a teenage boy with messy jet-black hair and a thin face. Under the round glasses he wore were brilliant emerald green eyes. Beneath his fringe, I could make out a thin scar on his forehead. It was shaped like a lightning bolt. He looked vaguely familiar, like...
Then it clicked. I was looking at Harry Potter, the saviour of Wizarding Britain.
Beside him was a tall and lanky boy standing beside him. He had the same shade of red hair like the twins and a freckled face; they could have been brothers. Then I remembered seeing him in the papers too; I guessed he was Ron Weasley, Potter’s best friend.
Still wincing in pain, I stood up, rubbing my arse. –Yeah. I’m okay,†I mumbled, looking at Harry Potter with big eyes, glancing at his scar again. He must have noticed this, because he looked uncomfortable. Trying not to make it awkward, I bent down to pick up my stuff from the ground. I threw them into the basket and stood up straight. –It was my fault, I should have looked.â€
–No, that’s okay,†he said.
I smiled, trying not to look too gaga. Merlin knew he’d think that I was one of those pratty fangirls if I had a toothy grin on my face. –Anyway, I better go - my parents are waiting. Catch ya later.†With another small smile, I turned around and walked away. As I was leaving, I was sure I heard Weasley telling him, –Harry, that’s probably the only girl who hasn’t fawned over you at you all summer!â€
I giggled.
I met my parents back near Gringotts, the towering structure made of white marble.
–Did you get anything?†Dad asked me as we started walking towards the pub. Walking through the crowd was much harder this time due to the fact that we were laden with heavy shopping bags.
I nodded. –There’s this great joke shop called the Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. They sell the most brilliant stuff there. Fake wands, Skiving Snackboxes, just name it.â€
–Fake wands I understand, but what are Skiving Snackboxes?†Mum asked curiously. –Don’t tell me they are things to skive classes with.â€
Dang, I couldn’t believe I let it slip. The damage was done, however. –Well, Mum, its --â€
–You didn’t buy them, did you?â€
–Well, Mum, its --†I started for the second time.
–You will not take them to Hogwarts with you. I will not receive letters of you skiving classes again --â€
–Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, you say?†Dad said suddenly, attempting to change the subject. I loved my father.
–Yeah, the owners were two twins.â€
–The Weasleys are a really nice family. The twins must be Molly and Arthur’s, Cass, remember them? I can’t believe they’ve grown up so much that they got their own shop!â€
–Well, they were devilish little blighters, if you ask me,†Mum said, forgetting about her tirade for a while. –Remember when Molly brought them along for dinner once? The older boys were so polite and the youngest one was such an angel, but those two three-year-olds nearly destroyed the living room. Trust me, the joke shop sounds like the perfect career for them.â€
Dad laughed.
–Guess who else I met today?†I said.
–Who?†Dad asked curiously.
–Harry Potter!†I said enthusiastically. –I bumped into him in the twins’ shop.â€
Mum gasped and held my father’s hand tightly. Dad’s eyes were wide. –You - you met -â€
–Yeah, and he’s not really that stuck-up, you know? He seemed nice.â€
Dad managed a weak smile. He squeezed Mum’s hands tightly, and she glanced at him. He looked at her and gave her an almost imperceptible jerk of his head - something that struck me as a bit odd.
–That’s good,†Mum said. –So Tash, do you want a new broom?â€
My eyes widened, the muted conversation between my parents forgotten. A new broom? Now? –Yes!â€
–Come on, I’ll get you a Nimbus two thousand and five,†Dad said, pulling me towards the Sports Shop while Mum shuffled behind us. –It just came out last week.â€
Today was the best day ever.
The Hidden Truth by majestic_ginny
Chapter Notes: Sorry for the delay, guys! I have exams up soon so I don't really have time to write. I assure you, my updates will be so much more regular after May.
Gazillion thanks to Emily (Emck/Emck_21) for being one of the most awesome betas ever. Love ya, hun.
I am not, and will never be JKR. She's way too awesome.
Chapter Endnotes: So that was the twins. And Tash finally meets Harry! Did you like it? Please review, they make my day =)
Up next: Hogwarts.