An Heir

Part Three- A Meeting with Snakes

The middle of Diagon Alley was full of people; it was almost as busy as the market, except I no longer needed to steal. I had money, money like I had never seen before, apparently it was left to people descending from the founders, and I had enough money for what I needed because I was the only descendant left. “Next stop would be to get a wand.” I said to myself, there was no-one with me, and though Professor McGonagall had offered to join me I had told her that I would manage on my own. So I had been dropped off in the alley with a pouch of money and Sthyss wrapped around my arm. He had seemed preoccupied recently and had hardly been speaking to me so his current silence didn’t surprise me.

I saw the wandmaker’s shop that Professor Dumbledore had told me about. I stepped through the door and a little bell rang alarming me at first and then I relaxed and, still a little cautiously; walked up to the counter.

“Hello?” There was no-one in the shop and I wasn’t entirely sure that I was in the right place until a little man hopped lively around the corner of a massive set of shelves. “Imogene Hydrus? Aren’t you a little late dear?” He asked, on further inspection he looked even older than Professor Dumbledore did.

“You know who I am?” I asked, stunned.

“Well obviously, I’ve been expecting you for the past two years.” He tutted and shook his head, he went out of sight between a pair of, well; the only way to describe them was as walls, filled with what appeared to be drawers. “Hmmm how about this one, nine and a half inch holly with unicorn hair?” He called from somewhere, appearing behind the counter and then coming around to hand me a short but very stout looking wand. I picked it up and directed it at the window; naturally I was taken aback when the frame burst into flames. The short man -whom I believed was probably the wandmaker that this shop was named after- Mr Olivander, made a curious noise and pulled his own wand out and extinguished the flame with a flick. He brought out another wand and this one seemed the opposite of the other, it was bent slightly and was very long. “Here try this, twelve and three quarter inch yew with a harpy feather core.” I took this one off him and I felt a tingle and a spread of warmth that Sthyss must have felt too because he flinched away from my hand, I could feel that fizzing feeling all the way down my spine. “I think this is it,” I had a good feeling about this wand like it was a friend, like it knew me. I told Mr Olivander this and he smiled. “That is the way it works my dear.”

Even though the greyed wizard was smiling, I felt like that there was something hidden behind it, like he was worried by something. I chose to ignore it and paid my eight galleons without another word except a brief ‘thank you’ as we left to finally find me some robes.

Madam Malkins' was only three shops down but in that time I had past the same poster so many times that if given a pencil I would have been able to draw it in exact detail. It was a wanted poster for a man named Sirius Black. It wasn’t that no-one noticed, okay well no-one did seem notice but me, but I was sure that there was more than met the eye to this man and I had always been a very good judge of character.

I stepped inside the second store, and almost walked straight into a group of younger children, all carrying bags filled with robes. “Hello dear what do you need?” The owner of the store came up to me and placed her hand on my shoulder guiding me further into the shop. “Um, I need a set of Hogwarts robes.” I said unsurely, she nodded and let out an exasperated sigh. “What house?” she asked simply and it took me a while to realise she thought that I was a third year. “Is there really any chance I’ll be put anywhere other than Slytherin?” I asked Sthyss, who was still in the new backpack I had bought. “No I don't think so, but say you’re not sure just to be safe.” he answered delicately so only I could hear him. Madame Malkin looked bored and impatient and I suppose to her it looked as if I was merely being ignorant.