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

was entranced in the fifth aisle which was labelled 'Quills'. This aisle was split into two shelves, one on each side. One side had quills that varied in size and species of bird, but were ordinary quills. The other side were equal in variance but were enchanted to move and follow directions. A display case in the center of the Moving aisle held each quill as it went about its work, scribbling on parchment that rolled continuously into the display to be scratched on before eventually disappearing out of sight. On the pegs surrounding the case, quills ready for sale hung with their tags easily visible. Amy found herself drawn to a Quik Notes Quill, neatly scratching its description on the parchment.

 

 

"Percy, look at this!" Amy called to her friend, waving her hand to get his attention. He made his way to her, weaving through the crowd. "Look! It's a note-taking quill. The tag says it takes notes by itself. Isn't that cool!"

 

"It's very cool, and it can be very helpful. But it's also expensive, enough to buy another three kittens."

 

"Oh, yeah. I guess so. But wouldn't it be worth it?"

 

"Perhaps. I've never used this. I always took my own notes so I never needed a quill that does it for me."

 

"I see what you mean, Percy. There is something to be said for handwriting your notes - I've done it myself my whole life and I plan to continue that. But if I've only got seven years to learn everything I can about this new world, then I need all the help I can get. And a quill that takes notes for me will let me focus on the lecture instead of worrying about how I'm formatting my notes which will be instrumental in my study sessions later. And, at the end of the year, I still plan on handwriting every piece of my notes into these notebooks to help me study for finals and to keep for future reference. But I can't copy notes that I write in haste. I need the quill to make everything legible and clear."

 

"Okay. If it means that much to you, then get it. Because what it boils down to is it's your education at stake, and it's your money. The choice is yours. I'm just trying to give you some real-world experience."

 

"I understand and thank you for that."

 

Percy nodded and let Amy continue her perusal of the store. Amy found nothing more she desired, so she hurried to the counter to pay.

 

The next stop was Madam Malkin's Robes, found across the street a bit farther down.

 

"You've already explained about the dress code and the differences in the robes between the Houses." Amy turned to Percy, drawing his attention while she slipped through the door he held open for her. "What else is there? Will I have to do my laundry? How many days a week do I need to wear the robes and when can I wear my casual clothes? Stuff like that."

 

"Well, you only need to wear your robes during class. You can wear your casual clothes if you're done with classes for the day or if it's a school break. House-elves collect your dirty laundry while you're asleep, and then they'll wash and return them. You'll have your own basket with your name on it to put them in so that the dormitory doesn't get messy."

 

"I see. That's a lot of work for the house-elves, don't you think? They take care of the pets, the laundry, cook the meals, and who knows what else."

 

"Yes, but there's a lot of them working together, and they're happy to do the work. It's a symbiotic relationship; the house-elves love to work, and the school needs a lot of bodies to take care of the students. Now, let's see about your uniform. According to my nieces and nephews who are currently at Hogwarts, the robes are made out of a magical material that will grow as you do so you only need three for all seven years. You'll also need three ties, which will come with the robes, and three pairs of socks which - again - arrive with the robes. They're over there," Percy pointed to the right, where there were several racks of House-themed clothing items.

"These won't grow as you do so you will need to replace them as you grow. The other items - the shirts, pants and other things you can buy now - are over there," Percy pointed to the left, where Amy could see a large number of racks.

"This shop is a bit like the stationary shop and Flourish and Blotts, because the items move. But it's unique in that the items come to you when you call them. For instance, if you want just one shirt, describe the shirt with the color, your gender, your size in adult or junior depending on your age, and the style, just say it out loud and if there's one to be found, it will come to you. Or, if you want multiples of matching items - like three shirts and three pairs of pants or skirts - just describe the items and specify you want three bundles, which is generally cheaper than asking for three individuals of everything. If there is a bundle that matches your request, it will come. Now, do you know what type of shirt you want? Just tell me so you have an idea of what to ask for."

 

"Uh, yeah. A white button-up top."

 

"Good, and what size?"

 

"Juniors' extra small."

 

"Good. Pants or skirt?"

 

"Uhm, pants. Black jeans, straight-legged, juniors petite size three."

 

"Okay. And if you don't feel comfortable telling me about your underthings, you can also check the shelves yourself if you'd like. I don't those come in the bundles anyway."

 

'"Great, thanks. So, can I call them now?"

 

"Yes, of course. Remember, go for bundles first, and you want three or more sets. Face the shop, speak clearly but not too loudly, and confidently."

 

"Okay." Amy turned, took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. Envisioning her items in her head, she spoke. "I want three bundles of white female button-up blouses size junior extra-small and black female jeans straight-legged, size junior petite three."

 

She waited a moment, anxiously as she looked around. Then, over the railing of the second floor, floated three parcels that approached and stopped in front of her. She examined the paper on the front of one and found the parcels contained exactly the items she was searching for.

 

"Good job, Amy!" Percy chuckled as Amy held out a basket that Percy handed to her, and the parcels deposited themselves into it. "Do you need underthings?"

 

"Yes, I'll go and find those. What about my robes, socks and tie?"

 

"You can place your order for those at the registers, and the order will automatically specify your House once you're Sorted, just like how your ID will color itself. You should receive it in the mail on Sunday."

 

"Oh, great! Can I also look around the rest of the shop?"

 

"Of course you can. Take your time."

 

"Thanks!" Amy nodded and moved off to the left, where the non-House-specific garments were on display.

 

As she studied the racks, she found blouses in a variety of styles and colors separated by gender and age. She found a rack of blue button-up blouse in the Girls section and thought of the baby blue shirt she likes to pair with her brown vest, both of which were getting quite old as Jasmine had found them in a thrift shop a couple of years ago. Perhaps it was time to replace them. Amy checked the price tag, found one in her size and put it in her basket. She also found a light blue shirt with a sparkly purple butterfly decal, which made her smile. She found one in her size and put it in the basket. A few racks later, she came across a green shirt with a sparkly gold decal kitten with the word 'Purrfect' under it. Amy chuckled and put that in the basket as well. Realizing she could refill her wardrobe with brand new clothes, she thought of what were currently in her trunk. Recalling several items that no longer fit properly, or were damaged, she added to her list and continue her shopping.

 

Moving through the racks, she found a myriad of other shirts but not many of them held appeal for her. Nor did she need very many, with laundry being done every day and only five days of class a week, three sets was all she needed for the week instead of five outfits. And two shirts would be fine for the weekends, but what would she do on holiday when she didn't have class and she needed more shirts? Then she found the pants and selected a couple of white jeans in case she wanted to wear white instead of black. Nearby she found two pairs of both black and white jeggings, cold-weather leggings and undershirts. Thinking of shirts for holidays, she went back to their shirts and selected three more. She then found a whole section dedicated to Phys Ed attire and selected three outfits with the hour of games in mind. Finally, she found the area for her underthings. Looking carefully, she selected a package of ten pairs - it was the same cost as the pack of seven - and added it to her very-full basket. With her shopping completed, she looked toward the House-specific items and, curious, explored. She had expected to see socks and ties for each of the Houses, but she did not expect to see the vests, sweaters, mittens, scarves, sleepmasks, hair accessories. Being unsorted, she couldn't buy them yet or she'd buy something for the probably wrong House, but she enjoyed looking at it and decided to add these items to her robe order. She grabbed a few non-House-specific hair accesssories and decided she had enough for the next few months. She waved to Percy as she made her way to the registers.

 

The seven cashiers moved quickly so she didn't have to wait long, and the witch who helped her was very patient as she helped Amy fill out the order form for her robe, tie, socks and winter gear. also received a catalog of every product, and it updated itself when an item was removed from circulation or released.

 

Once her clothes were paid for - nearly two hundred Galleons! - she placed them on top of her books, picked up Arcane's cage and followed Percy out the door, eager to put this shop behind her.

 

Before Lord Voldemort's attack on Diagon Alley twenty years ago, this shop was two. But when they were two of many destroyed, the owners - like others - decided to band together and rebuild under one name- Apothecary and Astronomy. This is where she'd find her supplies for Potions and Astronomy classes. Her visit was mercifully brief; she was so intimidated by everything around and she had absolutely no clue about any of the items she saw. She was relieved to find that - like her books and clothes - everything she needed was neatly bundled, and all she had to do was choose between glass or crystal vials. Once she had, she got a bundle of cauldron, telescope, vials, ingredients and scales at the register much like at Flourish and Blotts. She gave up the Galleons, accepted the meager change and followed Percy to the last stop, Ollivander's, to get her wand.

 

Unlike most first-years, it seemed, she wasn't very excited about buying her own magic stick. She might as well walk up to a tree and pluck one of its branches. She was much more happy with Arcane, the quill and her notebooks. But she needed a wand, and Percy tried to convince her it was a special occasion. Like Arcane, the wand would choose her, and it would say a lot about her personality. It would also be her most valuable tool as a witch.

 

But upon walking through