On God?

Chapter 8

in which she meets-bruh I didn't know snakes could talk

I stumbled out of the fireplace into Ron, who had already gone ahead, and he caught me with a slight snicker as I dusted off my jeans and sweatshirt.

"Shut up." I mumbled, swatting his arm as Fred emerged from the fireplace, followed by George, followed by Ginny, then Hermione, and then by Mrs. Weasley.

"Are all of us here? Good, good." The older woman hummed as she did a head count. "Oh, and Blair, Sirius asked me to give this to you." She lowered her voice when mentioning the ex-convict, not that it would have mattered seeing as there were..maybe two other people excluding Tom the barkeep.

I took the thing she handed me, which turned out to be a small leather bag, about the size of my palm if I laid it out, and inside I could hear the gentle clinking of coins against of coins.

I glanced at her in surprise, opening my mouth to object, saying I would find some way to manage, but she cut me off, waving a hand.

"He said that you would try to object, and to tell you that if you did he would turn your hair pink. Which I completely disapprove of." I shut my mouth, cursing Sirius in my mind for a second before opening it once more.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." I said, and seeing her smile, I turned to take in the building I had Flooed into. Inside the pub, it was dark and shabby, with a bar and a number of tables in the shadows of the corners.

George gestured at me from where he was standing at the door, and my jaw dropped once I saw the true magic of what was Diagon Alley.

There was a cobblestone street lined with many shops, each of them having their own charm and appeal. Gambol & Japes Joke Shop, Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, Eeylops Owl Emporium, Flourish and Blotts, Ollivanders Wand Shop...I felt like I was going to pass out. It was almost too much to take in.

"Bless my heart Georgie, she looks like she's in shock." Fred's teasing tone cut into my inner monologue, and I turned at him, smiling brightly.

"Where to first?"

We had already been to Madam Malkins, Flourish and Blotts, Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, and Potage's Cauldron Shop, when Mrs. Weasley pulled me aside and quietly told me that I should go to Ollivander's Wand Shop while she and the others went to Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at the brooms.

I nodded, thankful that she was willing to distract the others as I slipped away in the direction of the wand shop.

Opening the door, I heard a tinkling bell somewhere in the depths of the shop as I did, and it felt like I had stepped into a sort of library with narrow boxes instead of books. Said boxes were piled from the floor to nearly the ceiling, packed tightly into shelves.

"Good morning." I jumped, whirling around to look at a small man with shock white hair and wide eyes.

"Morning." I said, relaxing once I realized that this was Mr. Ollivander. "Um, I need a wand. Please." I added at the end, trying not to forget my manners.

"Blair Black. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever meet you." My eyebrows shot to my hairline.

"I think that you have me confused with someone." I chuckled uneasily. "My name is Blair Stevens."

His eyes locked with mine for a second before he began to wander away, muttering snippets of conversation under his breath, a few words of which I caught, "Albus....meddler....fool..."

I watched him, trying to process what had just happened. Just last night, Dumbledore was telling me something about roots, and now Ollivander was spewing something about 'Blair Black.'