Amethyst Rosewood and The Joys of Independence, Melissa Nichols [top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT] 📗

the door, it was clear quickly that this was indeed something special. The shop, rebuilt since the attack nineteen years ago, was supposedly bigger than it used to be, and more organized than Percy seemed to recall. He greeted an elderly wizard like an old friend - the shopkeeper Ollivander - and he was also friendly to her. As a tape measure whizzed around her, Amy answered questions that Ollivander gave on a parchment paper. She was told to not think, go with her gut. She didn't understand what questions about ideal habitats and favorite seasons had to do with finding her wand, but she didn't argue. While she was doing all of this, she barely knew of Percy taking Arcane's cage and settling into a chair.

 

Once she was done, the parchment changed to show a wand, but she only had a split second to see it before it flew to Ollivander. He read it and took off for an aisle in the back, muttering to himself. After a bit of bustling around and hearing a few dozen boxes crash to the ground, he reappeared with an armful of boxes. He set them on the desk in front of her, opened one and handed the wand to her. She tried to take it, but the moment her skin touched it, it zapped her. She pulled her hand back as Ollivander hastily put the wand away and stuck it under the desk, and then he handed her another one. This one didn't react adversely to her, or at all. It felt like a stick. She looked at Ollivander, confused.

 

"Try giving it a wave." He said, and she did. The result: feathers exploding out of a box on the opposite wall. Ollivander took back the wand and gave her a third. This time, she felt a buzz where the wand touched her skin. She gave it a wave and shattered a vase. She all but dropped the wand in her surprise and hastily returned it to the wandmaker.

 

The clock moved forward an hour and a half, and Ollivander had about run through his third pile of wands. He handed a wand to Amy who just didn't care anymore. She was bored and sick of giving back wands that rejected her and making a mess of the shop. She just wanted to get out of here and put this humiliating experience behind her. Arcane's mewling showed that her kitten felt the same way, the loud noises strained Arcane's nerves.

 

The next wand he gave her differed from the dozens of others, Amy could tell. This one felt warm and familiar, more like a companion than a tool. It was not perfect, knotted like an old bough but balanced in weight, comfortably long and sturdy; it seemed up for any task that Amy had for it. She gave the wand a lazy wave, and a wilting rose bloomed. Just like that, she understood the importance of a wand and how special each one was. Excitement grew in her heart.

 

Ollivander nodded and handed Amy the wand's box which had a note, and a card that gave the wand's information; 'Larch wood, unicorn hair core, 10 inches, slightly yielding'. Amy gently placed her wand in its box and gave it to Percy, then she dug out the Galleons to pay for it, for once glad to part with the precious gold coins. She thanked Ollivander and followed Percy outside, taking up Arcane's cage and her boxed wand.

 

"What else do we need, Percy?"

 

"We're done. But you need to decide if you want to keep your money with you or at Gringotts."

 

"Definitely Gringotts."

 

"Then we'll head back there and make the deposit, then we can go back to the House."

 

Since it was so late in the day, the bank had emptied; they didn't need to wait nearly as long as before. She explained she wanted to make a deposit, handed the goblin her ID card and the money pouch - she took out a few gold coins for candy on the train. The goblin scribbled on a paper, gave her a slip with updated account information and just like that, she was on her way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

 

Percy led her away from Diagon Alley, back toward the Leaky Cauldron. But before they entered the cafe, Percy stopped and produced a bookbag. As Amy watched, he carefully placed each item on her cart into the bag, including Arcane's bag of treats, the bag from the stationary shop, and the cauldron. How was the bag able to fit all of that without any physical changes?

 

"Now you'll be able to easily carry it on the broomstick. We'll leave the cart here, someone will collect it soon."

 

Percy then led her through the Leaky Cauldron and helped her secure Arcane's carrier to her broomstick. She mounted the broom and hovered in the air gently, waiting for Percy to join her. Arcane mewled pitifully and pawed at her cage door, but Amy leaned forward to put her hand near the carrier to reassure Arcane everything was all right.

 

The flight back to the House seemed longer than the trip to Diagon Alley; Amy was exhausted from the excitement, and simply wanted to get back, eat dinner and go to bed. But she still needed to pack her things into her trunk, get Arcane situated, and take a shower.

 

Finally, they touched down next to the House. They stowed their brooms and hurried inside. Amy was assaulted by the smells of dinner; something with beef and tomato sauce.

 

"Oh, Amy. You're back." Ginny greeted her. "Dinner's ready. I'll dish up a plate for you while you get settled."

 

"Thank you." She replied as she turned to Percy. "Are you staying for dinner?"

 

"Of course, he is. Right, Percy?" Ginny asked her brother pointedly, her hands on her hips and glaring daggers.

 

"Yes, I am. But I'll have to leave right after. You've got everything you'll need for tomorrow so my job here is done. Now, your food's getting cold. Go unpack and I'll see you at the table."

 

Amy hurried upstairs, sticking close to the walls when student after student came thundering down. Only Mary seemed to realize she was there and said hello as she passed her.

 

Now in her bedroom, Amy quickly unpacked the bookbag Percy had lent her, starting with Arcane's bowls and litter pan. Once they were ready, she let Arcane out to allow her to eat. Then Amy turned her attention to her new school supplies, and carefully repacked everything in her trunk, with her clothes and precious wand on top. While she was in there, she grabbed her shower toiletries bag and left it on her desk.

 

With the backpack empty and Arcane taken care of, Amy raced downstairs to eat. Tonight's dinner was meatloaf - her favorite.

 

After a filling and rewarding dinner, Amy and Mary raced back upstairs to grab their shower supplies.

 

The bathroom, Amy found out, was just as spacious as the bedrooms. There were three sets of small showers, with both a sliding door and a bright blue curtain, three toilets nestled in private nooks, and three sinks. Even so, there was plenty of space to walk, dress, or undress. The walls were painted in a bright yellow, the tiles were a sparkling white, the countertops were white with black speckled granite, and each girl had a simple white basket with her own name, big enough to fit all her toiletries. Amy frowned that she wouldn't get to use hers, they shouldn't have even prepared one for her. But she was touched that they had thought of her.

 

Amy quickly entered one of the showers. When she came out, she truly felt ready for bed. She tidied up, donned in her pajamas, and went back to her room. She put away her toiletry bag, draped her towel over her trunk to let it dry, and lifted Arcane onto the mattress. She climbed up the ladder slowly - she'd never had a loft bed before; she didn't quite know how to feel about it - and finally settled herself under the covers. Arcane nestled under her chin and purred soothingly, lulling Amy into a deep sleep.

 

Chapter Three

"Amy. Amy, wake up." Amy groaned and dug herself deeper into the comfort of her mattress.

 

"What?" Amy groaned, turning to face away from Mary and burrowing deeper into her covers.

 

"It's time for breakfast, and then we leave for Hogwarts."

 

"Hogwarts? What's -" Amy moaned again. Then gasped loudly and sat bolt upright, startling Mary. "HOGWARTS?!"

 

"That did it." Mary muttered to herself as she jumped from the second rung to the floor, allowing Amy to scramble out of bed. Amy looked around for Arcane and saw her jumping from Mary's outstretched arms. "Make sure you've packed everything before you head down to breakfast. We're leaving for the Hogwarts Express right after we eat. Better wear your Muggle clothes."

 

"Got it." Amy muttered as she carefully removed the covers from her legs as she awkwardly made her descent.

 

She dressed quickly and checked on Arcane, finding her perfectly content with the bowl and sniffing around the litterbox. Amy busied herself by double-checking that she had packed and cushioned all of her books, her toiletry bag and clothes. She also moved the outer robe and her wand to her backpack for easy access. Once Arcane had finished her own morning routine, Amy cleaned everything and packed the bowls and food into her trunk. Amy thanked herself for putting a bag underneath the thin layer of litter so the box itself wasn't dirty.

 

Arcane then settled herself into her carrier to wait for departure, and Amy made her way downstairs just as the breakfast bell rang.

 

 

Breakfast was absolutely crazy. Students bustled around, snatching food from plates above their sleepy classmates. Conversation buzzed loudly from everyone except the first years. Many of them - Amy noticed - were bundled together and silent. She picked a seat, sat down, and managed to snag a small pile of bacon and eggs and a goblet of orange juice.

 

 

Breakfast eventually ended, and the children bustled upstairs to finish packing and bring their things downstairs. Amy packed the few remaining items, closed Arcane into the carrier, locked the trunk and brought it all downstairs, just in time to greet some new arrivals.

 

 

In the end, everyone was outside and mounting their brooms twenty minutes earlier than anticipated. The eight newcomers - Percy, Mr. Ron Weasley, his wife Hermione Granger-Weasley, their children Rose and Hugo, and Harry and Ginny's children James, Albus and Lily Luna - had their own brooms. Amy, however, had to grab the first broom she could reach as the other students made their way outside. It wasn't long before everyone was in the air and flying towards King's Cross. Harry led the group, while Percy took up the rear and the other adults fanned out to surround the children. The older kids also seemed to herd the younger students - including Amy and Mary - toward the center. James, however, flew alongside the group.

 

Finally, after a short flight, they touched down - Harry sent them back to the House with a wave of his wand - and crossed the street to King's Cross Station. While Ron, Hermione and the older students ran inside to grab trolleys, the first