The Last Riddle

2. Moody

"For goodness sake" I lean back against the hard brick wall behind me. I look at my cracked plastic wrist watch I stole from Dudley's pile of discarded presents.

It's been over an hour and a half, no one has approached me or even looked at me. Not including the woman who threw a 50p coin by my feet of course.

I screw my eyes shut as the tiredness of the day finally hits me, maybe this is all just an awful prank or dream. I really would not put it past my aunt and uncle to have staged this whole thing just as an effort to get rid of me.

I rest my head on my knees and close my eyes, hopefully if this is a dream I'll wake up soon as I'm more bored then I've ever been.

"What the hell do you think you're doing girl?"

I let out a yelp as an object smashes down onto the top of my foot.

"Ouch!" I look up wide eyed to see one of the strangest and scariest looking men I've ever seen before.

He towers over me at over six feet tall, his face is deeply scarred and I'm certain a large chunk of his nose is missing. The strangest part however is his mechanical eye strapped into his face. It whizzes around looking at me and into every direction.

In his hand he holds a large wooden stick which is still pressing down onto my foot.

He glares down at me his normal and magical eye both fixed on me disapprovingly.

"Seriously girl! You can't just sit there with your head down and eyes closed, there is one thing every witch and wizard must remember!" He grabs my arm pulling me to stand up in front of him "it's to remain constantly vigilant. Constant bloody vigilance."

I nod my head and mumble "yes sir".

He nods his head "Very good. Well then, move girl lets move it? We have a hell of a lot of shopping to do and I'm too busy to be wasting time standing here with you."

We walk hastily into the large pub behind me, I look around at the insides to see all different kinds of people sat down and talking.

A man sits at the bar twitching and nervously looking around the pub his hands clasped around a goblet. He meets my eyes and appears to do a double take before looking back down at his goblet.

"Sorry where are we going Sir?" I stumble slightly on the wonky floorboards as we walk out into a small brick courtyard behind the pub.

"Stop calling me Sir kid." He comes to an abrupt stop. "Moody, Alistair Moody. You can call me Moody."

I nod "okay Moody."

He offers me a grimace that I'm sure is his attempt at a smile "now we are going into Diagon Alley. We need to buy you robes, books, a pet and a wand."

He taps on the bricks before him until they open up in the middle, before is a bright and colourful cobble street alley. Wooden, odd shops line the two sides of the alley. Hundred of people all oddly dressed like the wizards in the pub walk in and out of the shops laughing and talking.

"Right let's get a wand first should we kid?" Moody leads me through the busy alley.

I pull gently at the mans arm stopping him in his stride. "You don't understand Moody." I gesture to my empty pockets "I have no money for one book let alone several, and I don't even want to imagine how much a wand would cost."

Moody's eye buzzes around as he looks at me "ah don't worry about that kid." He pulls my arm so we begin to walk again "first year students who are in your financial situation receive a bursary from the school. All your items will be paid for by Hogwarts. Now come on."