Between the Stacks
A young girl walked down the street, her eyes wide as she took in the sights. This was only her second time being in Diagon Alley, and there was so much to see, it would take several more visits before she took it all in. Especially since, at the moment, she was being shuffled from shop to shop by her father and grandmother.
“We got ah get har books nuh,” the girl’s grandmother said in a thick Jamaican accent, looking at a thick piece of parchment.
“This way Amerie,” the girl’s dad said, walking in front of the girl. Amerie Cobb followed him, keeping him in her peripheral vision as she continued to look around. There to her left was a pet shop or sorts, and to her right some sort of broom shop.
Amerie couldn’t believe her luck. Just last year she had believed she was like every other kid in New York. Never in her life would she have guessed that visiting her dad in England would change her life so much.
Amerie’s parents were separated and she lived with her mom. However, she had spent last summer with her dad and grandmother. It was then that her grandmother had told her about their family. Amerie’s father and grandmother were a wizard and witch. Wizarding blood flowed thick through their veins and had been passed down to Amerie. This had been news to Amerie’s mother, and Amerie could tell she didn’t like the idea of her daughter being a witch. Amerie, however, was excited. Being a witch meant she would learn magic, along with other witches and wizards. It meant she was going to a school called Hogwarts, same as her father. Amerie was determined to do well.
Presently Amerie was busy buying supplies that would help her at said school. Already a wand, robes, and potion ingredients had been bought and Amerie now went through the doors of an interesting looking book store called Flourish and Blotts. Amerie was in shock. No other book store or library had ever looked like this. While there were some shelves, most of the books seemed to be stacked rather haphazardly all around the store. There was hardly any room to walk. A cart stacked with books made its own way around the room, books that had been abandoned by potential buyers lifting off the cart and flying to the appropriate shelves or stacks. Amerie tried to glance at some of the titles as they passed. There were things such as How to Know if Your Next Door Neighbor is a Vampire and Everything You Need to Know About Crups.
“Over here, gel.” Amerie’s eyes snapped to her grandmother and she ran to stand next to her. “Yu stare a roun’ as ef yu never seen a book afore.”
“Well, I’ve never seen one like this,” Amerie admitted.
“Lookey here.” Gramma picked a book up. “No gel shud go wit’ou’ eh useful book such a dis.” She handed the book to Amerie who read the title.
Useful VooDoo. At the bottom of the cover was the phrase “Keep your friends and enemies on pins and needle.” Amerie wasn’t sure whether she should laugh or gulp. Gramma seemed to insist the book be bought, so Amerie held on to it as the rest of her books were collected.
While her father and grandmother stood in line to pay for the books Amerie broke away from them and did a little exploring on her own. She pulled books off the shelves and read their descriptions, if they had any. When a book in the middle of a large, crooked stack interested her all the books on top of it would lift themselves up so that she could get it. Amerie was tempted to try knocking a stack over to see if it would really fall, but didn’t want to be forced to clean them up if in fact the books did find their way to the floor.
Amerie was making her way between two stacks when she suddenly tripped. Amerie put her hands out to catch herself, knocking over a table on which sat a small stack of books about unlocking the visions in dreams. The books did in fact hit the floor, and so did Amerie.
“Ouch!” she said as she landed on her arm.
“Are you alright?”
Amerie looked over her shoulder. Against one of the stacks sat a girl about her age with long brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles. She was sitting on the floor with her legs stuck out in front of her, the reason for Amerie’s sudden trip.
“I’m so sorry. Are you hurt at all?”
Amerie sat up and rubbed her arm. “Fine,” she said. “Just a little bruised. What are you doing down here?”
"Reading,” the other girl replied with a smile.
Amerie picked up one of the books sitting beside the girl. Enchantment of the Stardust by Melfina Heimdall.
“What sort of books are these?” Amerie asked.
“Fiction. Can you believe it? All the books in here seemed so practical, but then I found some fiction, so I asked to stay here while Mum and Dad went to find something to eat.”
A shop keeper had come to right the table and books. He gave the girls a glare as he did so, making it obvious he thought they should be the ones cleaning up the mess. Amerie ignored him and looked at the other books.
“Are you from New York?”
All Amerie could do was nod at the sudden question. “And you’re from….Ireland?”
“Scotland, actually. But Yankees always make that mistake, though we really sound nothing alike. I’m used to it. I lived in America for a bit. Not New York though. Never been. Lived in California. We just moved back last winter so I could go to Hogwarts.”
“You go to Hogwarts too?” Amerie asked, excited to meet a possible classmate.
“Well, I will. This’ll be my first year.”
“Mine too.” Amerie was now sitting across from the girl. “I’m Amerie.”
“And I’m Bryce.”
“Do you know anything about the school?”
“Not particularly. Just what was written in my letter. Neither of my parents is magical, same as me brother. How about you?”
“Only what my dad told me. My mom is what he calls a muggle, and I didn’t even know Dad was a wizard until last summer. He won’t tell me much about Hogwarts though. He says it’s something I need to learn for myself.”
“Well, that’s a bit scary.”
“Tell me about it.”
Bryce had put the book she had been reading down and now sat cross-legged. “So, what did your dad tell you?”
Amerie thought for a moment. “Well, he said that the students are separated into four houses. He was in one called Hufflepuff or something. He showed me some of his old school stuff, mostly old robes with yellow trim and patches with a black and yellow badger on it. Also he said he was surprised the school was open this year, but he wouldn't tell me why."
Bryce's eyes were sparkling. "How mysterious!" She turned her head towards the door as it opened. "Well, I'm personally very excited about going. My life has been far too boring thus far." She stood grabbing her books. "That's my mum at the door. I suppose I have to go. We haven't even gotten my robes yet."
"Alright." Amerie stood as well. "Well, maybe I'll see you at school."
"Righto." Bryce gave a cheery wave and went to her parents. Amerie, too, looked around for her own father and grandmother. She found them near the front of the shop, her dad holding a shopping bag he handed to his daughter. Amerie could see Useful Voodoo sticking out of the bag and shivered.
This was going to be an interesting new life.
