#01<@Eliana> [Welcome to Diagon Alley, the place to buy all of one's wizarding needs! All manner of things magical and mystical can be found here, where shops are crammed together, narrowly looming over the bustling cobblestone streets. Here we find three young wizards - Luke, Matthew, and Mark - shopping for supplies. More specifically, Mark is window shopping while Michael is helping Luke pick up what he needs for his very first year at Hogwarts.] #01<@Eliana> [Luke has been to Diagon Alley before, on the occasional shopping trip for his brothers or his parents, but never for himself. So he may be feeling a bit overwhelmed, though not super out of place.] #01<@Eliana> ["Oh man!" Mark says as he points out a broom on display at Quality Quidditch Supplies. "Look at that! The new SkyBolt came in!"] #01<@Eliana> [Session Start!] [Matthew gives Mark a long-suffering look. "Yeah, yeah, you've been waiting for it for months. How long are you going to stare at it? We've got other things to do, y'know."] We can look at it for a little bit. I don't mind. #01<@Eliana> ["Yeah, Luke doesn't mind." Mark grins rogueishly - something he's been practicing, probably - while still looking at the broom. "Do you think I could convince the parents to get it for me for Christmas? With a broom like that, I'll make the quidditch team for *sure*."] #01<@Eliana> [The SkyBolt is, at least, a very handsome broom.] [Matthew snorts. "It takes more than a good broom to be a good Quidditch player. Discipline, for starters." He gives Mark an unimpressed look.] ["Besides, we're here to get Luke his school supplies. Mom and Dad are trusting us."] #01<@Eliana> [Mark sighs. "Fiiiine." He looks at Luke, as if sizing him up. "What'd you wanna get him next? His wand?"] #06* Luke is looking from his brothers to the incredible number of things to see around him. It's not like Matthew and Mark arguing is an unusual sight, after all, even if they don't really mean it. But he hears the word "wand" and zeroes back in on the conversation, eyes lighting up. "Yes! Can we please?" #01<@Eliana> [Mark grins. "Sure we can. C'mon, pipsqueak." He grabs Luke's hand and leads him down the alley to Ollivander's.] #06* Luke eeps and dodges people. Mark isn't the most careful about not leading him to bang into anyone. #01<@Eliana> [Mark's not the most careful at not banging into people himself, as he bumps into a few with a "'scuse me!" and a "sorry 'bout that!" and also "new Hogwarts student, coming through, boy needs his wand badly!"] [Matthew follows belatedly, wading through the people his brothers have just bumped into as politely as he can, while still trying to yell at Mark at the same time. "Excuse me, sorry - excuse me - MARK! Wait up, you know that's supposed to be last - !"] #01<@Eliana> [Mark calls back, "Does it matter really? Besides, I wanna see what the squirt gets!"] #01<@Eliana> ["And he wants his wand already! Right Luke?"] #06* Luke glances between his two brothers, trapped, and flushes. "Um, um - yeah, but - " [Matthew finally manages to catch up and smiles down at his youngest brother. "Oh, all right. I guess we can bend tradition a little bit, this once."] #06* Luke actually jumps for joy. "Yay! Thank you, Matthew!" #01<@Eliana> [Mark grins triumphantly, and they head into Ollivander's.] #01<@Eliana> [They reach Ollivander's, and it's just as Mark and Matthew remember: rows and rows and stacks and stacks of boxes, each holding a unique wand, packed as closely as they could with no apparent rhyme or reason. The proprietor, Mr. Ollivander, has been getting on in his years for quite some time, but he's been running the place for decades and hasn't stopped yet.] #01<@Eliana> [Presently he's assisting a girl about Luke's age: taller than he is (but most kids are) and gangly, with frizzy, dark curly hair and dark eyes. She's wearing muggle clothing - jeans, an open and green zip hoodie over a black t-shirt, and black boots. No robes or any of that. Some sorts of strings are attached from her ears to one of her pockets (muggles really are strange). Still, she's gingerly reaching out to take a wand that Ollivander's placing in her hand. "Try this one," he's saying, "Thirteen inches even, cherry wood, dragon heartstring core."] #06* Luke stops just inside the doorway, wide-eyed. The shop is dim, and he tries to stay quiet so as not to interrupt. #01<@Eliana> [Near the doorway is a man, maybe fifty years old, with graying hair and a receding hairline. He's wearing muggle clothing as well, but his is a crisp suit of fairly fine make. He has wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, and he's watching from a safe distance. He glances at the boys as they come in, then goes back to watching the girl, who takes the wand. "Just give it a swish," Ollivander says, encouragingly, making a gesture with his own wand.] #01<@Eliana> ["Looks like a total newbie," Mark says in a hushed voice so only his brothers can hear. Meanwhile, the girl swishes, and a brilliant light explodes in the shop, along with a sharp pop and the smell of sulfur. "Okay, okay! Not that one," Ollivander says, waving the smoke away." He plucks the wand from the girl's hand and trundles off for the back of the shop, muttering something about calculations.] #01<@Eliana> [The girl blinks spots away from her eyes and glances at the man in the door, who tries to look encouraging and kind of fails. Then her eyes trail to the side to land on Luke and his brothers. She stiffens slightly.] #06* Luke pulls back a little on being noticed, but then he smiles shyly at the girl and gives a little wave. "Hi." #01<@Eliana> [The girl hesitates for a moment, but at an encouraging nod from the man (her father?) nods and says, "Hi," back. And then Ollivander returns, opening another box. "The problem, I think, might have been the core. Unicorn won't do for you, no... try this then. Thirteen and a half inches, a bit springy, cherry wood, phoenix feather core - I don't have many with this core, and they can be temperamental, so please be careful with it." He puts it into the girl's hand. "And... swish."] #06* Luke watches with interest and a little trepidation. He's going to be doing this soon... #01<@Eliana> [She does so, obediently. Another flash occurs, this one more like a bang, along with what seems to maybe be fireworks? But the wand doesn't stop, and the girl yelps, fumbling with it before Ollivander grabs it out of her hands. "Interesting!" he says as the sparkles fade. "Almost, you're... hmm, I think I *might* have the one for you, it's around here somewhere..." He wanders off.] #01<@Eliana> [The girl sighs, looking frustrated.] ...have you had to try out very many? #01<@Eliana> Yeah. #06* @Eliana frowns. "Ten so far." #01<@Eliana> ["Sounds like he's got your core down at least," Mark says, encouragingly. "Phoenix cores are the best ones."] [Matthew rolls his eyes at Mark. "Of course you would say that."] #01<@Eliana> ["Because they are! They produce the most powerful magic!" Mark retorts. At that, the girl's eyes go wide, and the man at the doorway's watching the conversation with interest.] ["Also the most unstable. Like you! Surprise, surprise."] #06* @Eliana frowns at that, as though she's weighing the benefits and drawbacks, when Ollivander returns. #06* Luke tries not to die of embarrassment at his older brothers' bickering in front of this girl who's probably going to be his classmate. He smiles at the girl instead. "Don't worry, you'll find it soon." #01<@Eliana> [And then Ollivander comes back, holding another box gingerly - then again, he holds them all that way. "I'm almost sure I have it this time," he says with a kindly smile. "It should take to you quite well." He opens it and removes the wand. "Fourteen and a half inches, ash wood, hard, with a phoenix feather core." He sets it in the girl's hand, and she closes her fingers around it.] #01<@Eliana> ["Now give it a try," Ollivander says encouragingly, and she does: multicolored sparks appear with a soft chime from each one. There's silence, and then Mark jumps up and shouts, "Yeah!" with a ridiculous fist pump even as Ollivander tells the girl that her wand finally found her.] [Matthew gives Mark a look, but with a silent sigh doesn't say anything.] #06* @Eliana is staring at the wand in wonder, and smiling softly as she waves it a bit more, playing with colors and sounds. The older man heads on up to the counter to fork over Ollivander's well-earned galleons. #06* Luke smiles at her again. "Congratulations! Um, I'm Luke, Luke MacRae. What's your name?" #06* @Eliana tears her eyes away from her wand reluctantly. "Eliana Casale." She takes in Luke's robes. "Are you getting your wand, too?" #06* Luke nods, looking a little more nervous now. "Yeah...maybe we'll meet when we get to Hogwarts?" #01<@Eliana> That'd make sense, if we're both first years. #06* Luke blushes. "Um. Yeah." #06* @Eliana grins. She seems about to say something when the man turns from the counter and says, "Come along, Eliana. We have a lot more to get for you. Proper robes, for one." At which the girl scowls. "*Why?* What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" But she goes along anyway. #01<@Eliana> ["Well, first of all," Mark says in a hushed tone as the pair walks off, "You've got strings hanging out of your ears."] #06* Luke looks after her curiously. "Aw, leave her alone, Mark. She's muggle- born. It must be hard..." #01<@Eliana> [A few more words are exchanged as they leave, but something easily overheard is the man's stern, "Slytherin will *never* take you in if you look like that, girl." And then they turn completely out of earshot.] [Matthew frowns after them. "Maybe you'd better stay away from that girl, Luke."] #06* Luke swivels his head to look up at his oldest brother. "What? Why?" ["Slytherins are bad news. If she's heading there..."] #06* Luke looks out the door again, though the pair has long since disappeared into the swirling crowds. "She didn't seem so bad..." #01<@Eliana> [Mark waves his hand. "You don't need to worry about Luke. He can take her. She's got *strings* out of her *ears*. She's clearly a little bats."] #01<@Eliana> ["Besides, if Luke can take her down, more points for Gryffindor for taking out a dark wizard."] #06* Luke twists to give Mark an alarmed look. "What? No, I can't...anyway, I'm not going to be in in Gryffindor - " #01<@Eliana> [Mark grins. "That's what *I* thought. Then I ended up in the most awesome house ever."] ["Mark! Don't go encouraging Luke to get into fights! What would Mom and Dad say?"] #01<@Eliana> ["Uh... 'Good job, Luke, for taking out an evil Slytherin. Here is a pumpkin cake?'"] [Matthew is not amused. He says heatedly, "That's still encouraging! Giving him rewards for getting in fights!"] #06* Luke half-yells, "I'm not getting into any fights! Not ever!" He's so young still, though, and half-choked with nervousness, that it comes out more like a high-pitched yelp. #01<@Eliana> [Right about now, Ollivander walks up to Luke; he must have spent some time sizing him up without asking, because he hands him a wand. "Hawthorn wood, young man. Eleven and a quarter inches, swishy, with a dragon heartstring core. Give it a swish."] #01<@Eliana> [Ollivander's voice is calming, and Mark seems appropriately abashed. "Sorry," he says, looking away.] #06* Luke yelps again, as he'd completely forgotten Ollivander was there. "Um, um, right, sorry - " He grabs the wand a little too quickly and waves it around. #01<@Eliana> ["Gently, gently!" Ollivander calls as there's a clap and Luke recoils back into Matthew. Ollivander snatches the wand out of his hand right away and puts it in the box, heading to the back.] #06* Luke blushes bright crimson and squeezes his eyes shut. "Sorry!!" #01<@Eliana> [And Mark appears next to Luke, steadying him, probably with Matthew's help. "Hey, it's okay," he says, "It was my fault, and Mr. Ollivander understands."] #06* Luke looks like he desperately wants a hug, but he's too old to ask for one, he's about to start at Hogwarts...so instead he tries to take a few breaths to calm down. They're a little too quick to really be effective. #01<@Eliana> ["Hmm, maybe... ah." Ollivander returns as Mark gives Luke a squeeze on the shoulder. "How about this one? Ten inches even, larch, and quite flexible if I do say so. Unicorn hair core." He hands it to Luke.] #06* Luke takes it more carefully this time and swirls it gently through the air. [Matthew steps back from his own shoulder squeeze to give Luke some space. Kid needs to do something this important on his own.] #01<@Eliana> [Filmy bubbles float up, popping and getting soap everywhere. "Interesting!" Ollivander says, delighted even though he now has suds in his hair. "I'll take that please," he says, plucking the wand, "thank you." And trundles to the back.] #06* Luke twitches a bit as the wand is suddenly plucked from his fingers. He's still a little on-edge, though the bubbles were kind of nice... #01<@Eliana> ["Got soap on your nose," Mark cracks, using his sleeve to wipe the tip of Luke's nose.] #06* Luke smiles a little again finally. "Um, thanks." [Matthew reaches over and ruffles Luke's hair. "Don't worry so much. Isn't what what you told that girl?"] #06* Luke smiles back up at his brother, reassured. "Yeah." #01<@Eliana> ["I think I have just the one for you, young man," Ollivander says as he opens yet another box from a top shelf. "English oak this time - I think it should suit your temperament quite well - with a unicorn core, at ten and a half inches and just slightly yielding." He floats it down with a wave of his wand, then brings it over to Luke. "Go on, then."] #06* Luke takes a breath and picks up the wand, giving it a slow swirl. Amber light flows out of the tip and winds its way around him like an embrace. #01<@Eliana> ["Hmm," Ollivander says, nodding approvingly.] #06* Luke 's eyes widen in wonder. "Oh..." #01<@Eliana> ["You found it!" Mark cries, giving Luke a spontaneous hug (even though he's too old for them). "Good job!"] Oh! #01<@Eliana> [And then Mark ruffles Luke's hair. SO MESSY NOW.] #06* Luke grins and returns the hug. "Thanks! Um, and than you, sir!" he adds to Ollivander. ["Yes, thank you, Mr. Ollivander," Matthew adds, sounding a little self- important despite his politeness.] #01<@Eliana> ["I'm just glad to find another wand its home. That'll be seven galleons, if you could," Ollivander says with a smile.] [Matthew takes out the coin purse that their parents entrusted him with. He counts out seven galleons, and hands them to Ollivander. Then he turns to Luke and smiles. "Come on, let's go get the rest of it then."] #01<@Eliana> [And so, the boys leave to get Luke more school supplies.] #01<@Eliana> [Blipzoom to a few days later, and Luke and his brothers are on the Hogwarts Express! Matthew's already split off with his luggage to see his friends, and Mark is leading Luke through the cars, chatting about how great Hogwarts is going to be as he drags his trunk behind him.] #01<@Eliana> [There's a surprising amount of room in the hallway, and doors are closed to either side of them with windows so they can see who's in each compartment. As they move towards the back of the train, Luke spots the same girl from before, alone in her cart, wearing similar clothes as before but with an open black robe instead of the hoodie. She still has strings hanging out of her ears, and she's leaning against the wall with her feet up on her bench.] #01<@Eliana> [She's reading a book.] #06* Luke interrupts Mark's chatter. Normally, he doesn't interrupt, but Mark doesn't mind and anyway he can keep going forever if no one interrupts him. "Mark! It's her! That girl Eliana from Ollivander's." #01<@Eliana> ["Wha?" He looks in the window. "Oh, the batty Slytherin girl! Looks like she got a proper robe after all. Strings are still there, though."] Aw, leave her alone... #06* Luke blushes. "Um...can I go sit with her?" #01<@Eliana> [Mark blinks, then studies Luke. "You got a crush on her?" he asks with a grin.] #06* Luke blushes harder. "What? No! It's just...she's sitting all by herself. And..." #01<@Eliana> ["Annnnnd?" Mark leans closer.] #06* Luke backs up, but he can't go very far in the hallway. "...she seemed...I dunno. Like she would be interesting to talk to." #01<@Eliana> ["An *intellectual* crush. Well, you are the smart one in the family." He ruffles Luke's hair. "I'm the brave one, and Matthew's... I don't know... the boring one."] #01<@Eliana> ["Anyway, sure, go ahead. Just don't let Matthew know. I'll be two doors down, probably. Call me if she gives you trouble and you can't take her on your own, okay?"] #06* Luke giggles before he can stop himself, and then he goes all big-eyed. "Wha - I'm not fighting!" #01<@Eliana> [Mark smiles. "'Course you're not."] #06* Luke combs his fingers through his hair to straighten it back out, half- glaring at Mark. "I'm not calling you. But, um, I'll see you at the castle, right?" #01<@Eliana> ["You will. If I don't catch you before then, I'll definitely be around when you sort." He winks. "I'll cheer for you even if you don't go Gryffindor."] #06* Luke smiles up at Mark. "Okay. I'll see you later!" He waves to his brother. #01<@Eliana> [Mark waves back and moves down the hall, but he does watch Luke from a distance as he opens the door and enters the compartment.] #06* Luke doesn't actually enter just yet - he knocks, then opens the door carefully. "Um, hi. Mind if I sit in here with you?" #06* @Eliana looks up from her book. She pulls one of the strings from her ear - there's a little circular thing that looks like it fit neatly in there, and says, "Luke?" #06* Luke smiles. (Don't blush don't blush don't blush - ) "Yeah. It was Eliana, right?" #06* @Eliana nods. "That's right." And then a small smile. "You remembered." #06* Luke nods, then smiles. (Don't blush don't blush - ) "Yeah. You, too. So, um, can I come in?" #01<@Eliana> Sure. #06* @Eliana waves to the empty bench across - well, to the side - of her. "It's just me, so there's lots of room for your stuff." #06* Luke carefully sets a large cage down on one bench. There's a barn owl inside. It's a beautiful bird, with a creamy ivory face and breast and golden- brown wings. #06* Luke then tugs his trunk in from the hall. He has to stand on one of the benches to be able to put in the overhead shelf, but after a little struggling he manages and sits down opposite Eliana. #06* @Eliana watches the owl with interest. Her book remains propped against her knees. And then Luke sits down, and she turns her attention to him. "So were those your brothers?" In Ollivander's? Yeah. Matthew's fifth-year this year and Mark's fourth. #01<@Eliana> Is your whole family magic, then? #06* Luke nods. The urge to blush is fading, since they're having a conversation now and nothing's gone too horribly wrong... "Yeah. You're muggle-born, right? But...that man who was with you, he knew about the houses and stuff. Are there other people in your family who're magic, too?" #01<@Eliana> Um... #06* @Eliana fingers the edge of her page. "Kind of? My Uncle Nerius, he says he's from a magic family, but he wasn't born with any magic at all." #01<@Eliana> Muggles are people without any magic, right? So yeah, that's my parents. They were really confused by the whole thing and just made me my uncle's responsibility. Oh. Well, I guess they would have a hard time...it would've been really hard, figuring everything out without your uncle. #06* Luke stops, struck by a thought. "I wonder what they do for muggle-borns who don't have *any* magic family at all. They couldn't just leave them to themselves..." #06* @Eliana frowns. "I don't know." #01<@Eliana> Do you think they send them to an orphanage? That would make sense, right? Or maybe select a wizard as a mentor. #01<@Eliana> Just the currency conversion was difficult. Pounds don't translate into galleons very well. #06* Luke blinks, then looks aghast. "They couldn't send them to an orphanage! Take them away from their parents? That would be too awful - " #06* @Eliana blinks. "But what if they're rejected because they have magic?" #01<@Eliana> It has to happen sometimes. When I found out what *I* could do, there was a really big mess. Wha - oh. I guess...maybe then. Wait, what happened with you? #01<@Eliana> Me? #06* @Eliana blinks, stops fingering her page, and then looks down at her book and goes back to it. "Well, um... I set fire to a boy's pants." #01<@Eliana> He wouldn't leave me alone and I got really angry, and then his pants were on fire. #06* Luke goes wide-eyed. "Oh my gosh! But - that happens, a lot. When you're a kid you don't know how to control your magic much - I mean, that's what we go to school for. So people get upset and stuff happens." #06* @Eliana nods. "Yeah, that's what I've heard." She looks back to Luke. "Anyway," she says, "Mom and Dad were pretty pissed and I got suspended from school for a little while." Well...they wouldn't know, I guess. People here all know you can't really blame a kid for stuff that happens when they get mad, especially if someone else is bothering you. I mean, they tell you to try to not get so mad, but it can't work all the time. #01<@Eliana> I guess so. #06* @Eliana smiles hesitantly. "So... I understand we're going to a castle to get put into houses where we're stuck for seven years, or something?" #06* Luke smiles back. "Yeah. Well, they're not houses-houses, like buildings, more like...I dunno, clubs?" #06* Luke considers, trying to think how to explain the houses. #06* @Eliana furrows her brow. She's pretty good at it, for only being eleven. "Clubs?" Um, a group of people who're sort of like each other and like the same sorts of things? Except you don't get to pick which you're in, the Sorting Hat picks. #06* @Eliana nods, thinking about that. #01<@Eliana> And the hat's magic. #06* Luke nods. #01<@Eliana> And the different houses compete for points for a house cup, or something? #01<@Eliana> Uncle Nerius said something about that. And that Slytherin almost always had the most points. #06* Luke nods again. "Yeah. But...I don't think it's always Slytherin. Gryffindor wins a lot, too." #01<@Eliana> Why? #06* Luke blinks. "What do you mean, why?" #01<@Eliana> Why do they win a lot? #01<@Eliana> Aren't they, I don't know, brave? How do you get points for being brave? Um...well...I'm not there yet, so I don't really know, but...maybe they're more excited to jump in and do stuff? Mark usually is. #06* @Eliana wrinkles her nose. "Sounds more dumb than brave." #01<@Eliana> I mean, Slytherin is ambitious - it makes sense, if their ambition is to get the house cup, or they need the cup to get somewhere else. And Ravenclaw is where people go who value learning, right? So if you get points for doing well in academics, then that makes sense. #06* Luke grins a little. "Sometimes. But they usually have a killer Quidditch team, and you get points for that, too." #01<@Eliana> What's a quidditch? Oh, um, Quidditch is a sport. You play it on broomsticks... #06* Luke goes on to explain a little about it to Eliana. #06* @Eliana listens for a while, looking concerned, then enlightened, then kind of disgusted. #01<@Eliana> So basically, catching the snitch negates all of the work the other players put in the vast majority of the time AND signals the end of the game, and that other work involves balls that will slam into people and cause injuries, never mind falling from really high. Um, well, most people don't play *that* high up. Only the ones who're really good. And, you know, we can heal people with magic. #01<@Eliana> Right, but can't falling from over three stories break your neck if you land wrong? #06* @Eliana sits up, looking very interested all of a sudden. "Can they stop someone from dying that fast?" If you land. There's hover charms, too. #01<@Eliana> Hover charms! Like levitation? #01<@Eliana> Why'd you use brooms then? #06* Luke cannot keep up with Eliana's questions. " 'Cause, um, you can't really do a hover charm on yourself. Most people can't fly on their own...the Dark Lord did, but..." #01<@Eliana> So there's a way, but it's not really taught at school. They use brooms instead. Okay. #06* Luke makes an attempt to gather his slightly-scattered wits. "Hey, um, what're those little strings...?" He makes a vague gesture towards his ears. #01<@Eliana> Hm? Oh, they're earbuds. Um, I'm using them to listen to music off of my phone, it's an ordinary person thing. Here. #06* @Eliana fishes her smartphone out of her jeans pocket and pulls the other bud out of her ear, then hands them across the way to Luke. #06* Luke looks at them in mild confusion for a moment, then sticks them in his ears as best he can in imitation of Eliana. #01<@Eliana> [Luke puts the earbuds in, and he gets earfuls of a Beethoven symphony halfway through its second movement.] #06* Luke 's eyes widen as the sound hits him. "Oh, wow." He listens a while longer and says, "This is amazing. What is it?" #01<@Eliana> That's Beethoven. He's a German composer, lived from 1770 to 1827. You're listening to his symphony no. 3. #01<@Eliana> He's really good, maybe my favorite. He's just... really colorful, you know? #06* Luke pulls the...ear-string-things...away from his ears and hands them back to her. He smiles. "Um, yeah, it's really pretty." #06* @Eliana smiles back, way less hesitant now, and says, "I bet he'd appreciate that." She messes with her phone's screen for a sec before tucking it and her earbuds away. #06* Luke 's smile goes a little self-conscious. "I bet lots of other people would've said it to him already, he wouldn't need to hear it from me." #01<@Eliana> Not really. Most composers back then didn't become popular until after they died. #06* @Eliana pauses a moment, then adds with a grin, "And he was deaf, so he couldn't hear it anyway." Oh, how sad. Not to be able to hear your own music...especially something like that... #06* @Eliana shrugs a little. "Maybe he felt it. Or saw it. And he wasn't always deaf, just..." She leans back again and looks up towards the ceiling. "There's a lot of ways to experience music, you know." #06* Luke blinks, watching her carefully. "Oh." #01<@Eliana> So, where do you think you'll sort? It's kind of a big deal. Does the hat just pick a house for you, or do you ask it to put you somewhere, like, subconsciously? I, um, don't know. It's supposed to pick where you belong, where you fit best.