[1] New Beginnings: Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and the Philosopher's Stone

13: not-so-insignificant introductions

As soon as they had gotten outside, Hagrid pulled them over to the side of Gringotts where he proceeded to explain the values of the coins Percy and Harry had retrieved from their vaults. "The gold ones are called galleons, the silver ones are sickles, and the bronze ones are knuts, spelled k-n-u-t-s." Hagrid looked down at the two boys, making sure that they followed along. They nodded that they understood. Hagrid cleared his throat and continued, "There's seventeen sickles in a galleon and twenty-nine knuts in a sickle. So that would be about..." He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, doing the math. "Four hundred an' ninety-three knuts in a galleon. I think."

Percy nodded, trying to memorize the numbers as fast as he could. "Makes sense. Doubt I'll be able to remember all those numbers, but I can sure try."

Hagrid cleared his throat again and went on. "Right. Harry, can I see yer list?" Harry handed him the piece of parchment that contained all the supplies the two boys would need that year. "First, we're gonna get yer uniforms. Then after that, we'll get yer books, and then we'll go from there." Harry nodded enthusiastically, taking his list back. Hagrid led them to a shop only a couple buildings to the right of Gringotts called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Go on an' get yer robes; I'll wait out here."

They opened the door to the brightly lit shop, a bell tinkling cheerily as they did. "Just a moment!" a woman's voice called from further in the shop. In almost no time at all, a woman dressed in all purple swept out from behind several mannequins wearing different styles of robes. She glanced at them from head to toe and said expectantly, "I suppose you'll be going to Hogwarts?" Percy nodded. The woman smiled. "Then come along, this way." They followed her out of the display room of the shop and into the fitting room. "I'll have you fitted in just a moment, I have to finish with this young man here," the woman, presumably Madam Malkin, said.

A boy about their age was standing on a raised platform with his arms outstretched, getting fitted for robes. There were measuring tapes floating all around him, along with different pins here and there keeping the fabric that he was trying secure. The boy had while-blond hair that was slicked back and he looked rather haughty, especially with his pinched face resembling that of a ferret's.

While the Madam Malkin went over to finish fitting the boy, he had caught sight of Percy and Harry in the mirror he was facing. He raised an eyebrow and said in a drawling voice, "You're starting this year at Hogwarts too? Of course you are. I expect that I'll be getting into Slytherin, of course, that is the only house my parents would ever even let me enter. What house do you two expect to get into?" Percy was about to answer that he had absolutely no idea at all, but the boy went on before he could get a chance to. "I'm Draco. You?"

"Percy," Percy pointed to himself, "and Harry." He pointed at Harry.

At that moment, Madam Malkin had finished with Draco's measurements and with a flourish of her wand she had his robes neatly folded and packed away so he could buy them. "Well," Draco said, "I expect I'll see you at the castle." And with that he bought his robes and exited the shop, strutting out as if he owned the world.

After a moment of silence, Harry said, "Well. That was-"

"Interesting," Percy finished for him.

Madam Malkin bustled up to them. "Which one of you boys wants to go first?"

****

As soon as they had both been fitted for their robes and had paid, they met Hagrid outside the shop. "You two ready ter go then?" He led them to a shop called Flourish and Blott's next. There, they bought all the books they would need for that term and several quills for Percy because he was notoriously known for losing his pens during school. They both got bottles of ink as well and Percy could tell that Harry was sorely tempted by the golden ink. After they had done that they went to the Apothecary where they bought all of their potion ingredients, the Cauldron Shop across the street, Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment where they bought their scales and phials, also for potions, and their telescopes.

Every time they passed the shop Quality Quidditch Supplies, Percy would look curiously at the growing crowd outside the front window. The three were about to walk to the other end of Diagon Alley when Percy made a split-second decision and ran up to Hagrid. He tapped the giant man on the arm and asked, "Can I go look what's over there, by the crowd?"

Hagrid looked where he was pointing, and nodded, looking amused. "Be right back, yeh hear me? An' bring Harry, I'm sure he'd like ter see it too." Percy nodded, grabbed Harry's arm, and made his way over to Quality Quidditch Supplies, shoving through the crowd to get to the front. Once they had made it to the front window, Percy looked inside. It was just a broomstick. It may have been the nicest broom he had ever seen, but what was so special about a broomstick?

There was a brass plaque on the window that said something. Harry, being closer, read it out to Percy. "The Nimbus 2000 - weird name for a broom, don't you think?"

"Yeah, that is kind of weird."

"The Nimbus 2000. One of the Nimbus Racing Broom Company's most successful models. Highly reliable with good speed and exceptional handling - not for beginners."

"Wait, so you're telling me that people actually fly on brooms?"

"Apparently so."

"Harry, how can you not be freaking out about this! We could get a broom, and actually fly! How cool is that!"

While they had been talking, they had made their way back to Hagrid, who was gazing down at them, chuckling under his breath. "Yeh ready to go?"

They nodded, still enraptured in their conversation about the flying broomsticks.

****

They made their way down to the end of Diagon Alley, past Gringotts, all the way to Ollivander's, where they would get their wands. Hagrid told them to go in without him once again, and they entered, a small bell announcing their presence to the cramped shop. Once the door had closed behind them, there was little to no sound in the place.

"Hello?" Harry suddenly called.

Percy jumped, startled. "Harry! Don't do that!"

"Sorry."  He boy rolled his eyes.

There was suddenly the sound of wheels on wood and an old man that looked only slightly insane with white hair rolled out into the open on a ladder attached to a shelf. "Hello," he said.

"Er, hi." Percy awkwardly waved at who he presumed to be Ollivander.

"My, my." Ollivander clambered down from his ladder and looked curiously at Harry from behind the front counter. "I do believe that Harry Potter has finally entered my wand shop at last. I remember your parents coming in and buying their wands like it was yesterday..." he trailed off. He abruptly turned to Percy. "And you? What is your name, young man?"

Percy still felt very awkward. "Er, Percy Jackson, sir."

Realization spread across the old man's wizened face. "Ah, I remember your mother, very clearly in fact."

Percy was startled. "You remember my mother?"

"Why, yes, of course. Don't you?"

"Er, no, I don't."

Ollivander only smiled and pat Percy's shoulder sympathetically. He turned back to Harry and said, "Let's get you your wand."

****

You guys should just like completely disregard anything I ever say about updating from now on, okay? Okay. I at least tried to make it longer to make up for the two months of non-activity, that's something, right?

Comment any grammar mistakes, anything I got wrong.

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