ISABELLA TOPIN and the ANIMAGUS ASSOCIATION

Chapter Four - Behind Brick Walls

The Topins wandered into the leaky cauldron where Mr and Mrs Topin shook hands and hugged people, they must be my parents, friends or colleagues Isabella thought to herself.

"My little baby!"

Isabella turned around to see a porky woman with plump lips and larger than life hair running towards her.

"Auntie Carol!" Isabella cheered.

The two hugged and her Aunt hugged the rest of the family.

"How are you Mary!" She giggled. "He's not giving you too much trouble is he?" Aunt Carol loudly cackled, side-eyeing her brother Alan who was busy arm wrestling with Carol's husband Mark over at the bar.

"What brings you here?" Mark yelled from across the pub.

"Lily and Isabella are getting their school supplies... Isabella is getting her very first wand today!" Mary-Anne cheered.

"Well how lovely, come on! Come on! We don't have all day!" Aunt Carol chuckled.

Auntie Carol and Uncle Mark lead the family out the back of the leaky cauldron to a large brick wall. Isabella has been to Diagon Alley before but never for herself, it was always for Lily's school books or Lily's wand or Lily's robes, it was never an Isabella trip.

Mr Topin tapped on a group of scattered very specific bricks along the wall with his wand and stepped back.

The bricks started to shift and slide, slowly creating a small gap which became larger which became a fully arched walkway into the colourful and stunning Diagon Alley.

The family sauntered through the arch as the bricks started to cling back together to create a fully blocked brick wall.

There, a girl about 13 years old with pure gold hair and a humongous glowing smile, sea green eyes, a button nose with tanned clear skin wearing a short yellow dress with an array of different coloured owls scattered all over Her flowy dress and a real owl on her shoulder ran up to Lily.

"Hannah!" Lily shouted.

This was Hannah Hanson, Lily's best friend.

"Hey! Pork missed you." Hannah giggled to Lily looking at her quite chunky and large white tanned owl.

"Well I missed him too! Mum, can I go get my school books with Hannah!" The two girls begged and Mrs Topin gave in.

"ok fine but be back soon." Mrs Topin grinned.

She gave them a few shillings and the two young women ran off laughing together running into Weasleys wizard wheezes, a sort of joke shop.

The rest of them walked towards ollivanders to get a wand. Mrs Topin and Aunt Carol were drawn away by a piece of paper nailed to a tree.

Mark and Alan stood just outside Ollivanders wand shop and before Isabella could notice it, she was alone in the store.

She gazed around the store looking towards the high rising shelves, cluttered with wand boxes towering over her.
Isabella crashed into the front counter and fell over. She stood back up and dusted off her sweater, peering down at a wand left on the counter. An old twisted ladder on a rail leading around all of the shelves caught Isabella's attention.
She was curious, why there was a ladder when we have wands and can use magic?
A nearly silent creek in the floorboards behind her caught her attention. She grabbed the wand from the counter, spun around and pointed it at the old man standing behind her.

"Well... well... well... Ms. Prophet." He chuckled.

"What?" Isabella mumbled.

"Well go on, give it a flick at the vase." The older gentleman quietly snapped.