Chapter 2

I wake up in a hospital bed. I sit up and try to find my wand. When I don't find it I get up and search the room. A nurse comes in and I ask where my wand is.

"It's in a bag with your clothes and jewelry," she says. I try to relax but I haven't parted from that wand since my dad died. It's like a part of me is missing.

"Where am I?" This might be London I don't know. The pain from that curse made my memory go fuzzy.

"You're in London. Your professor is in the room across from you. You were struck by the Cruciatus Curse 2 days ago and you've been unconscious since then. I need your name and the name of your parents."

"My name is… Poppy. Poppy Hopkins." I don't want that guy to find me again.

"And your parent's names?"

"They're dead." She looks slightly shaken.

"Any family members?"

"No." This is stressing me out. I want to leave to go back to my old life of doing whatever I want and being free. Not stuck in this hospital room talking about my dead parents. "When can I leave?"

"You've just been hit by an excruciatingly painful curse." She pauses.

"...So?"

"How could you possibly be ready to leave?" This nurse is frustrating me.

"I'm fine. Really. So can you.." A wave of pain hits me and makes me stagger. I gasp. "It hurts. Why does it still hurt?" The nurse is by my side in an instant.

"How many times have you been hit with this curse?" She asks as she tries to guide me to the bed, but the pain has passed, and I don't need her help, so I shrug her off and step away from her. I try to think of all the encounters with the dark witches and wizards and that one time when my father cast it on me.

"I- I'm not sure. Maybe… 6 or 7 times?" She gasps and is taken aback by the number.

"Who would do that to a little girl?!" I look out the window to avoid answering her. I asked her again why it would still hurt. "It could be a side effect of being cursed so many times."

"Oh," Dad told me about this. How could I have forgotten it? I remember pretty much everything he told me. I still wanna get out of this tiny room. "So… Can I leave?"

"We wanna keep you here a few more days to make sure you're okay." The nurse leaves the room. She didn't say I couldn't look around the hospital. I walk the hospital grounds staying in the shadows and searching rooms for my belongings. Eventually, I found them in a locker in one of the staff rooms. I pick the lock and take my stuff back. I go back to my room and change into my clothes. I put on my mother's charm bracelet, my father's black glass bead bracelet, and my horse necklace which was supposed to be my birthday present the year my mother died.

I stop by my professor's room and tell her I'm leaving. She tries to stop me, of course, but I need to get out of this place. It's too confining. I'm fairly certain there's going to be someone watching the exits and waiting for me to leave so I sneak out a side door into an alley and walk to the edge of the city. I shift into my Animagus form and gallop away from the city and into the woods. I don't go too far, though, because my professor is going to meet me outside of the city tomorrow. I find a clearing with a stream a few feet away so I settle down there for the day. I decide to sleep in my horse form so I can hear if anyone comes within 20 feet of the clearing. During the night I wake at every little sound, paranoid because of the encounter in Diagon Alley. Eventually, the sunrises, and I get up and stretch. I start heading towards the road into the city. I stay in the shadows until I see a familiar face walking down the road. I step out and walk towards her. I freeze when I realize I am still in my horse form, and my professor was looking at me weirdly. I step back unsure.

"No, wait! I'm sorry I was just… in shock. I didn't expect that." She says. I walk forward, shifting as I walk.

"I'm safer in my horse form in the woods," I say trying to explain.

"No, I get it but how does a young homeless girl become an Animagus?" I don't want to answer so I just shrug. "Well, can you tell me what you find to eat out there?"

"Grass. Berries. Wild onions." I don't feel like talking anymore so I just walk towards the city.

"Where are you going?"

"Gringotts."

"Won't there be more people like that guy there?" I sigh. I don't want to explain this to her but I need her help to get to Gringotts.

"They don't know where I am. I was clumsy when I came to the city. I took main roads instead of alleys and back roads. This time I made sure I took roads where there were no people. They also won't expect me to go back to Diagon Alley because they think I'll think they will be there. They also won't go to the train platform because there will be a ton of witches and wizards dropping off their children." I look over at her to see her reaction and she's staring at me in shock.

"How do you know all this?" I decide not to answer that and just keep walking. Suddenly, a wave of pain hits me and makes me stop walking. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I grunt and start walking again.

"Maybe you shouldn't have left the hospital yet."

"Maybe nothing they could have done would've helped." My dad told me once that the side effects of the Cruciatus Curse are irreversible. We take the back roads and arrive at Gringotts. We go in and the professor talks to the goblin at the front desk.

"We're looking for a vault." She says.

"Name?" The goblin asks.

"Hellfire, Don," I say.

"Ahh. I've been expecting you. Do you have the key?" I skim through what he told me about his vault.

"Here." I hand the goblin the black glass bead bracelet.

"Follow me." He takes to what looks like a railcar and we sit in the seats on it. "You must wait here, this is for her eyes only." He says to the professor. He takes me to the vault and unlocks it for me.

I walk in and see all the supplies I could ever need for Hogwarts brand new. On the trunk is a letter from my father.

Dear Amy,

If you are reading this, I'm dead and can't take you shopping myself. In this vault, you'll find almost everything you need for every year of Hogwarts. There is also a gift from me to you. Everything I did was to help you survive without me. I knew I would eventually be killed one way or another but I wanted you to be prepared for my death. The gift is a pair of earrings that I gave to your mother on our first date. You know I'll always love you, Amy. I hope you can find happiness again.

Love,

Dad

I look up and realize I'm crying. I wipe my tears and find a small box. I open it to find a pair of purple amethyst earrings. I find a small note in the top of the box.

It was your mother's favorite stone. It's why we named you Amethyst.

I pocket the tiny box and start looking through the stuff for Year 1. I check off everything on the list except for 2 things. An owl and a wand. The wand I have is my father's so I could use a more personalized wand. I open the trunk to find a long wooden box. I open it and find a purple wand. I also find another note.

I carved it myself. I used to make wands before… well … you know. And I knew this wand would be perfect for you.

I pick up the wand and test it out. It responds perfectly to me. My father's wand is a little harder to use but this one… it's great. I grab the black leather backpack that is sitting on the floor and start to pack. My dad enchanted it to be able to hold everything I would ever need. Dad even bought me some personalized robes. I also find Dad's favorite sweatshirt and a pair of jeans that fit me perfectly. He really thought of everything. Once I'm done I put the letter in my back pocket along with my new wand. I walk out with the backpack in my hand and the door locks behind me. The professor eyes my backpack.

"Do you have everything?" She asks skeptically.

"Yup. I just need an owl."

"You even have a wand?"

"Yup." She asks me how it all fits in one backpack but I don't answer her. Instead I inhale the scent of my dad's sweatshirt. It still smells like him.