Amethyst Rosewood and The Joys of Independence - Melissa Nichols (free romance novels TXT) 📗

twelve first-year girls. And the floor above you holds twelve first-year boys, and so on. There are a total of sixteen floors, and fourteen of them are for students. Now, this second floor here is Harry and Ginny's floor - their bedroom suite, and their offices. Yours is the next one, second bedroom. Think you can find it?" They didn't stop and kept climbing the stairs.

 

"Are the doors numbered?"

 

"Of course! Otherwise everyone would get lost! The technical marking would be 3B."

 

"Got it!" They came up to the third floor and Amy got her first good look around.

 

There were four doors, each marked with a proud, gold emblem that declared the door's name. Amy quickly spotted hers, dead ahead of the staircase but she also checked out the hall behind her, finding the third bedroom and bathroom on the right wall and the first bedroom to the left.

 

"That's the bathroom back there. You'll see the inside for yourself soon enough. Why don't you go into your room and find your bed?"

 

Suddenly filled with excitement, she raced ahead to open the door and see the bedroom she'd occupy for a single night.

 

Instead of cherry floors, there was carpet; white, soft and fuzzy. Hanging on the white walls were red carpets inlaid with gold thread to create a beautiful design that Amy had no words to describe. The two windows were also dressed in red curtains, thick enough to insulate the room against the cold and to block out light. While the rest of the house echoed, this room sucked up all sound.

 

Amy also immediately noticed the beds. There were four beds in the room, two against each side-wall, and each bed was its own living area. They reminded her of bunk beds, but the part that would have been the lower bunk was actually a desk and bookcase extending from underneath the headboard, where there sat a wardrobe. At the foot end of the bed, which faced the door, was the student's trunk, marking who slept where.

 

On the left wall, studying at her desk in the corner, a girl was hard at work.

 

"Hello?" Amy asked hesitantly, not wanting to disturb the other girl but also eager to meet someone knew.

 

"Hello. You must be Amy." The other witch answered, setting down her pen and approaching Amy with a bright smile and a spring in her step. "Nice to finally meet you! Welcome to the House, and to the wizarding world. I'm Marigold but you can call me Mary."

 

"That's a pretty name!"

 

"Thanks. I'm a Muggleborn, too. At least, I think I am. I'm an orphan, you see. My parents died when I was a baby, and no one knows who they were. Neither government had any documents on them, or on me, so I don't even know if they were Muggles or wizards. So I've lived in foster care my whole life, and when I was accepted into Hogwarts, Percy came to get me like he did with you, only sooner. I've been here for three years now."

 

"Wow, that's quite a history. I'm sorry."

 

"It's fine. Life is life, right? Now, I bet you're tired and itching to go to Diagon Alley so why don't you unpack, we'll eat lunch, and then Percy can take you shopping."

 

"Sure, but what's Diagon Alley?" Mary and Amy both turned to her trunk, and Amy started to unpack.

 

"It's basically a wizarding mall. You can buy everything you'll need for Hogwarts there, and lots of other stuff. Everyone in the wizarding world shops there. And with the integration of certain Muggle items, even life at Hogwarts is beginning to change. The stationary shop has regular lined paper, and pens and pencils of all types, in addition to the regular scrolls of parchment, quills and ink. And this changes how much work the teachers ask for when it comes to essays. Instead of asking for three to five inches, they ask for five paragraphs. Also, dogs and large birds like parrots are allowed as pets now. Some other shops have brought in Muggle things but nothing that you'll need at Hogwarts."

 

"That's so cool! What else is there?" Having unpacked her clothes into the trunk - there was no point in using the wardrobe for only one night, and she'd have to repack her clothes into the trunk tomorrow anyway - Amy closed her suitcase and placed her backpack into the space she'd left open for it, listening intently as Mary continued to talk on their way downstairs.

 

Downstairs, Amy and Mary walked into the dining room, seeing Ginny with her hand raised to a gold rope that she hadn't noticed before.

 

"What's the rope for?"

 

"When its pulled, it magically rings a bell in every bedroom, to tell everyone its mealtime - or to call a meeting - without Ginny shouting."

 

"Brilliant. Is there a seating chart or something?"

 

"Gosh, no! We just sit wherever we want to. I prefer the corners because I don't like being penned in." She motioned to the table nearest them and tucked in to a spot. Amy quickly sat beside her and placed her napkin on her lap.

 

Within a minute, about seventy other kids came downstairs and joined them at the tables, easily filling every available seat. Three other first-years sat nearby, introducing themselves as the twins Evangeline and Jones Greer, and Tony Keane. They didn't make it past introductions before Ginny clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

 

"Right, everyone. Now that we are all here, let's say hello and welcome our newest addition, Amy!" A quick chorus of 'hellos' echoed through the students - the chorus making Amy blush with nervous energy - before the attention was directed to Ginny once again. "And just a reminder. Make sure you have everything packed tonight - and I do mean everything. Tomorrow you leave for Hogwarts, and you don't want to leave anything behind. The train leaves at eleven o'clock, so we will need to leave at ten. I want everyone out of bed at eight and ready for breakfast at nine. We will be travelling by broomstick, keep that in mind when you eat breakfast tomorrow. Third years, are there any Hogsmeade slips that haven't been signed yet? No? Good. Alright, everyone, dig in!" Then Ginny produced a wand and waved it in the air. Immediately, trails of food-laden platters floated through the air and down the tables, almost dancing along their way. Then they gently touched down on the linen and portions of everything - green beans and corn, one chicken breast or a thigh and drumstick, mashed sweet potatoes, and a drink, neatly divided and placed themselves on each student's plate. While the other kids dug right into their meal, Amy stared at her plate, transfixed by the first real use of magic she'd witnessed. She wasn't sure how to process everything, until Mary nudged her to draw her attention.

 

"Pretty much the only rule at the table is you have to eat everything. The chair won't let you up until you do. If you want seconds, you can grab it. But you have to eat it all. There's also dessert, but you can refuse it if you want to. Go ahead and eat, I promise it won't bite."

 

Hesitantly, Amy took a bite of the chicken breast. At the taste of the bird on her tongue, she felt her muscles melt and lose the stress from the day. The food was absolutely divine, cooked perfectly, moist, and covered in a garlic, herb and lemon seasoning. She chewed slowly, getting a good taste of every flavor the chicken had to offer. When it was gone, she dove in for a second bite.

 

After two rounds of dinner, a plate of dessert and a cup of water, Amy's stomach filled as much as she could take, Amy struggled to stay awake, until Percy approached them.

 

"Hey, everyone. Getting along all right?"

 

"Getting along famously, Percy!" Mary chirped.

 

"I'm glad to hear that, but I regret I must take Amy to Diagon Alley. The train leaves tomorrow and if we don't do it now, we won't have enough time tonight before the shops close."

 

"Well, you'd better hurry along, then, Amy." Mary stood. "I know you'll love Diagon Alley. We can swap stories when you get back."

 

"Thanks, Mary. I'll be back in a few hours!" Amy waved and felt around for her wallet, finding it in its place in her back pocket. "I'm ready, Percy."

Chapter Two

"How far away is Diagon Alley, Percy?" Amy asked.

 

"It’s too far to walk, but we can get there easily with our broomsticks."

 

"We're flying again?"

 

"I know it’s not very comfortable when you're first starting out, but it's the most efficient form of travel for us right now. We're low on time to get you your school things, and it's simply too far to walk. We aren't flying for so long this time, and you already know what you're doing so it'll be easier." Percy commented as he mounted his broom, prompting Amy to do the same with hers. In an instant, they were in the sky once more, drifting to the right towards Big Ben. As they neared the giant clock tower they shifted to the left and kept flying until the clocktower was but a line in the distance. That's when Percy started circling over one particular shop. They touched down on the concrete behind the cafe and stowed away their brooms.

 

"We're almost there now." Percy explained. "Like most places in the wizarding world, there are multiple entrances to Diagon Alley. Many arrive by the Floo Network, which is to say the chimneys. Many, especially those with children, arrive by Apparition and broomstick. But both ways require you to pass through the Leaky Cauldron.”

 

"So the cafe is just a front?"

 

"That's right! This is the Leaky Cauldron. It used to be a pub, but they've updated the storefront to seem more inviting for Muggles. It’s also a hotel for wizarding folk but you're not gonna need to know any more than that. Now, we go." Percy held open the door for her and guided her to the register. "Would you like anything, Amy?" He asked as he dug in his pockets. "My treat."

 

"Maybe just a small soda, please." Amy muttered, looking around.

 

The place was decorated with bright mint walls, dark counters, and tables. On the walls were black lantern posts that gave off light with their lightbulbs, instead of flames. Most of the light came from the chandelier that hung from the center of the room. It looked so warm, open, and inviting. Strangely, the color combination gave her the taste of mint and chocolate on her tongue.

 

Percy handed her the cup and guided her to a machine. She filled her cup with her favorite soda, and sipped on it while Percy led her through the kitchen and out the back door to the deserted alley. She could even still see the broomsticks! Was the trip into the cafe really necessary?

 

"Did we have to go inside when we could have just come this way?"

 

"Yes. What you can't see is an invisible wall that now hides us from Muggle eyes. Passing through the Leaky Cauldron did that. Now we can go to Diagon Alley without being seen. Let me show you."

 

Amy watched as Percy drew his wand, tapped a