Amethyst Rosewood and The Joys of Independence by Melissa Nichols (ebooks that read to you .TXT) 📕

Right before her eyes, the tapped bricks folded away, knocking their neighbors as they retreated to the sides of the alley. When the brick wall cleared away, Amy stared down the main street of a bustling marketplace.

There was chaos everywhere. Children ran around playing and screaming while their parents pushed carts as they talked with friends. Shopkeepers were shouting to advertise their wares over the loudness of the crowd. Animals screeched, growled, hissed or squeaked, and some children were even playing with sparklers and fireworks. Still more people were flying overhead on disheveled brooms or appearing suddenly out of thin air.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Percy explained, gently moving her forward a few steps so that the brick wall could close behind them. "You have your letter, correct?"

Amy nodded and took out her acceptance letter from her purse. She opened it and read the long list of things she would need. As the list grew, she became concerned.

"Will the money I have with me be enough to pay for all of this?" She asked once she had reached the bottom of her list.

"Wizards use different money than what Muggles use. But don't worry. Gringotts will exchange your Muggle money for Wizarding coins. You probably have enough, but if you don't then Gringotts will give you a loan."

"A loan?! But then I must pay it back, right? How will I be able to pay it back if I don't have a job? Can I even get a job at my age, while I'm at school?!"

"You must pay it back, yes, but not until you leave Hogwarts and get a job. Not to worry, there's a whole system in place to help kids in your situation."

"I still don't fully understand but okay. Will I be able to receive my allowances from my mom, somehow convert it to wizard money, then deposit it into my account, all from Hogwarts?"

"Yes, you will. All you must do is enclose the money in a letter to Gringotts saying what you want done with the money, then attach the letter to an owl and send the owl here. A few days later, the owl will come back with your receipt with updated account information."

"Oh, I see. So, then it's kind of like online banking only with owls? Why can't we use computers?"

"What are those?"

"They're Muggle machines and they can do a lot of cool stuff."

"Oh. Those things won't work because the high level of magic surrounding Hogwarts would interfere and render them useless. Nearly everywhere else in the wizarding community, too."

"If the school has a lot of magic around it, then what do they give the students for notes and tests?"

"As a general rule, parchment scrolls as paper, and quills and ink to write with. But lately they've allowed the students to use their Muggle things. So long as they don't rely on technology, then it'll work fine."

"Oh, okay. Will I be able to buy more supplies later in the year in the same way as I would deposit money into Gringotts?"

"Yep. It's the same process, except the letter would be addressed to the shop - which is why I recommend keeping a detailed list of the places where you've bought stuff. That way, you can give the owl the right address."

"Will I still be able to use an owl if I don't own one?"

"The school provides a parliament of owls for its students."

"Then maybe I'll get a cat. Are they magic, too?"

"No, they're perfectly average. But people train some of them to do special jobs like seeing-eye dogs who guide the blind. Did you have something like that in mind?"

"Not really. But maybe one who is cuddly and friendly would be best. I'll need someone to cuddle with."

"Yes, I imagine you will. Well, they'll be sold in the pet shop. We'll go there after Gringotts."

"Okay. When do classes start?"

"The Monday after the Sorting Banquet. This year, the first day of class falls on the fourth, so you'll have Saturday and Sunday to explore the castle."

"Oh wow! That's going to be great! Shall we go? I have no more questions right now."

"To Gringotts it is, then." Percy agreed as he smiled and led the way. Amy kept close to him, even dared to clutch his hand, which tightened securely around hers.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before the crowds dispersed as the duo neared the bank. Amy stayed tucked close to Percy's side, using his frame as a shield from the strangers surrounding her. It was a relief when they approached the massive building and Amy couldn't help but slow down to take in the intimidating presence.

The whole building was marble stacked on top of marble, with the columns leaning so far to the side that she thought the building would come tumbling down. They passed under the marble entryway and through the giant bronze doors, and then through a pair of silver ones. Inside, it looked like an ancient, marble...well, bank. The floors were checkered with black-and-white tiles; the walls- surprise, surprise - were the same shade of marble. Aisles ran down the middle with long conjoined desks where these strange men worked, hammering stamps onto papers, weighing gemstones, scribbling in ledger books, or counting strange coins that she could only assume was wizard money.

"Percy, these aren't men, are they?" She asked as they moved down the central aisle. Each one had a strange, wrinkled face on fat heads, impossibly long ears and noses, and short bodies - which Amy got to see as one of them passed next to her.

"No. They're goblins. They're tricky little blighters and it's nearly impossible to steal from them, which is why they make great bank workers. But they're not known for their hospitality or manners so best you stick close to me."

As Percy spoke, one goblin looked up from his desk to meet eyes with her. She felt cold chills run down her spine as she looked into his angry eyes. He growled and displayed a row of sharp, yellow teeth.

"No problem, there." She whimpered, hurrying closer to Percy.

The aisle ended at a single tall desk that towered over Percy's height. Amy couldn't see who sat at the top, but he must be important to have such a lofty desk.

"I have here young Miss Amethyst Rosewood. She wishes to make a transaction." Percy called out to the one behind the desk who leaned over.

"What sort of transaction?" A deep, growling voice answered. There were no greetings, no other questions. Amy got the distinct impression that this guy didn't want to be bothered.

"She wishes to open an account, convert her Muggle money into wizard money, and open a loan with the bank for her school supplies."

"To the right, through the door." A stick of some sort became visible on the right side of the desk, pointing towards a door against the marble wall. Percy led her there and opened the door to let her go through first.

This room was a smaller version of the main room. Marble and oak desks, checkered floors, but there were actual desks. And only twelve of them, each separate from the others. Only a handful of people were here, mostly children with their parents.

"Pick a number." A voice to her left growled suddenly from her left, startling Amy so badly that she ran for Percy's robes and imbedded herself behind him. She peeked out from behind Percy to see a more friendly looking goblin handing her a ticket. She reached out and grasped the red ticket. Percy moved forward, and she followed him, throwing a smile towards the goblin. The number on the ticket read one hundred ninety-two.

"Guest One Hundred Eighty-Seven to desk Eleven." Another voice called out in a deadpan tone, drawing Amy's attention up. Percy had located two chairs while a couple stood and moved to a desk.

Only five more guests until I'm called. That shouldn't take long, right? Amy thought to herself as she sat down next to Percy. She pulled out her acceptance letter, and every letter she had received since. It was both an exercise to solidify the information in her brain, and also as a comforting place to turn her attention to.

"Why does Hogwarts prefer parchment and quills? Notebooks and pencils would be a lot easier in this day and age."

"They're just old-fashioned. When I went to school there, nothing had been changed since the school's opening eleven-hundred years ago. But at the turn of the century, things started to change. The incoming students started questioning why things were done that way and what they could change to make their experience more modern. When technology advanced, the students wanted to bring their new gadgets to school but the level of magic wouldn't allow it. They weren't happy about their fancy phones suddenly becoming expensive paperweights, but they could bring paper and pencils and pens, instead of relying on scrolls of parchment and quills and dealing with ink spills. So they petitioned to Headmistress McGonagall to allow them to bring modern school supplies that don't rely on technology, and she allowed them."

"I see. And what other changes did they make?"

"I don't rightly know, firsthand. I've heard that they allow the four Houses to mingle now."

"Houses?"

"All first-year students get sorted into four Houses before the banquet. Each House has its own characteristics it looks for in students, and your House is like your family during your time at Hogwarts. You'll eat with them, sleep in the dorms with them, go to classes with them. And all four Houses compete against each other for House Points. At the end of the year, the House with the most Points wins the House Cup."

"That sounds brilliant!"

"It was a big deal during my time there. Originally it showed the losing Houses what they should do differently, I'm sure, but it's just gotten to be something more. Like, tearing down the House in last place and labelling them as the worst House to be in. A decade ago, the students broke away from the pack mentality and saw that the House Cup was doing no favors, and they convinced the other students of what was happening. Hogwarts shouldn't be about rivalries; it should be about coming together, helping each other to learn and explore and grow. Now, no one seems to care that much about the Cup, so the winner for last three years straight has been Ravenclaw; because they're the ones taking part in class, asking and answering questions, making observations, far more in point value than the other classes do good deeds."

"That's sensible. What's Ravenclaw? One of the Houses?"

"It is, actually. The four are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

"And each House has a characteristic they chose of their students?"

"Yes, but it's more like a set of personality traits that the student either possesses and doesn't know it, or values that trait above others, or a combination of the two. For example, a bloke I knew was sorted into Gryffindor, but he was afraid of everything and wasn't the best student until he finally came into his own. In his first year, he stood up to his own friends to protect the House from getting into trouble again. That same bloke later killed Lord Voldemort's snake which made Voldemort's death possible; if it hadn't been for him, Harry would have taken on Voldemort again and died."

"Wow! That's incredible! So, this kid went from being the scaredy cat to the bravest of the brave, all because he was sorted into Gryffindor?"

"That's right. Being in a House can also help you gain the traits the House is known for. Slytherin is ambitious and cunning, and they're the counterpart to Gryffindor, the brave, daring, and chivalrous. Hufflepuffs are the loyal and hard-working. Ravenclaws are all about cleverness and creativity. Each House has their own mascot and colors. Gryffindors are the lions, Hufflepuffs are the badgers, Slytherins are the snakes and Ravenclaws are