--
"Mail's here! Dudley, get the mail," Vernon said cheerfully. He bent back to reading his newspaper.
"Make Harriet get it!" Dudley shouted.
"Dudley! Do you want breakfast or not?" Petunia said with a scowl.
"Mom!" the portly boy exclaimed.
"It's no bother! Really!" Harriet said as she ran to get the mail. Several bills, a postcard from Aunt Marge and a letter for her! She ran back to the kitchen table and handed the letters out.
"Mom! Dad! Harriet's got a letter!" Dudley whined.
"It's from someplace called Hogwarts!" she explained.
"Oh, it's your school letter. I thought it would be showing up soon," Petunia explained.
"I'm not sending that freak to a freaks school!" Vernon shouted.
"Vernon! What did I say about calling Harriet that horrible name?" she snapped back.
"I'm not paying for her schooling in that... I won't even speak of it." The man just glared at the young woman sitting at her place, head down.
Harriet tried to hide her hurt feelings. "They expect a reply, but there's not post address?"
Petunia took the envelope. "They know we don't have an owl. That is just irresponsible." With a gulp, she pronounced, "We will have to go to Diagon Alley and use the post owls there."
Dudley looked terribly confused and upset (a fairly normal occurrence, actually.) "What do owls have to do with the post?"
"Wizards use owls to send post and packages. It's a little strange, I always thought. I'll drop you off at work, dear, and then take the children with me into London. I think that game that Dudley has been wanting is on sale. We can make a day of it."
"All right! I'm getting a game and Harriet's not getting nothing!"
Dudley was quite gleeful at that.
"Oh, all right. You can go there to send off your owl. A lot of stupid rubbish, if you ask me. Come along, I need to be to work soon!"
And so, with that Petunia took her children in to London after first dropping off her husband at work. She stopped first to pick up Dudley's game and some candy that he just demanded that he had to have, right then!
But in not too long a time, they were in front of a run down pub. A weathered sign proclaimed "The Leaky Cauldon."
"It's right around here somewhere, children. The Lurky Claypot or something like that." Petunia shaded her eyes as she looked up and down the row.
"Um, Mother? It's right here. The Leaky Cauldron." Harriet looked at her adopted mother in worry. It was right there, plain as day.
"It must be hidden magically then." Petunia took Harriet and Dudley's hand, chaining them together. "Walk towards its door then."
In just a moment, all three Dursleys were inside the most run down place any of them had ever been in.
"Tom, your wards slipping again. Three muggles at the door!" a raspy voice from the most hag-looking person Harriet had ever seen.
"Wait! I'm here to take me daughter to Diagon Alley!" Petunia said quickly. "She's not a muggle, you see."
Tom, the oldest man that Harriet could remember seeing, walked up quickly. He was as wizened as a walnut. "Well, then. Welcome to The Leaky Cauldron. I'm Tom. Would you like a drink or a bite to eat first, before entering Diagon Alley?"
"I'm afraid we have no wizarding money. At least not yet."
Harriet and Dudley shared a look of confusion. Wizarding money?
"Ah, then it's off to Gringotts Bank. They'll be able to change some of your Muggle money into proper wizarding gold. Please, follow me," Tom said. He led them to a back area and a dead end. He withdrew a worn stick, polished smooth. "Three up and two over. Remember that, in the future, young witch!"
Harriet nodded. As the bricks churned and turned, opening an archway she and Dudley both just stared in awe.
"It's the big white building down the row. You can't miss it. Mind your manners with the Goblins and you will be fine."
Petunia led her children down the street that Harriet could have sworn when slantwise in between all of the other streets in the area. Soon they were in front of a very large building. Its doors were guarded by two fierce and well armed goblins. There long noses peaked out from under their burnished helmets, there spears looked very shard and deadly. Their dark eyes watched the curiously, but did not move to stop them from entering the bank.
Harriet had read the sign and looked quite nervous. The wizarding world did not seem nearly as nice a place as she thought it was going to be. In a room with a many tellers, they got in line and were soon in front of an open one. The goblin behind the bars looked at them suspiciously. "State your name and business."
"Why, yes then. Petunia Dursley to change some muggle money into wizarding coin."
"Petunia Dursley? Petunia Evans Dursley?" the goblin asked tightly.
"Er, yes."
"I have a letter and documents here. Please sign this form."
Petunia signed the form, after quickly reading it. "This is a deed of transfer of guardianship for a vault. From my sister's family."
"That is correct. Here is your key. Would you care to look at Harry Potter's vault? And where is Harry?" the goblin asked.
Petunia managed to not glance down at Harriet. Luckily, her long hair covered her identifying scar. "I would like to examine the vault now."
The goblin glared at her for a moment. "Very well. Follow Griphook!"
The three were bundled off down a small corridor and into a little cart. With a rattle-clatter, the goblin and three humans were whisked deep into the earth. In just a moment, they were in front of a metal door.
Griphook hopped up and examined the door. "Your key, please."
"Dudley, stay in the cart. Come along, Harriet." Petunia stood on unsteady feet to hand the goblin the key.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Dudley moaned. With that, he leaned off the side of the cart and threw up.
Harriet got out of the cart quickly. Griphook had opened the door. And inside was a coins, piled high.
"Oh my goodness. I had no idea. Harriet, help me get the gold and silver ones. We'll put them in your purse for now. We'll have to get you a pouch for them later." Petunia then made sure to grab two handfuls of both coins, which filled Harriet's purse. "We'll be able to send that letter off to Hogwarts and get your school supplies today too."
"Yes, mother!"
Soon they were back into their cart. Griphook looked distastefully at the mess that Dudley had made. "We won't charge for the clean up. This time."
In moments they were on their way back out of the bank. "Mother? What should be get first?"
Petunia looked around. "You will need your wand, I think."
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See other episodes by Arthur Hansen
(Posted Mon, 25 Oct 2004 02:08)
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