Amethyst Rosewood and The Joys of Independence by Melissa Nichols (bill gates books recommendations .TXT) 📖

eagles."

 

"I see what you mean about valuing certain traits over others. I used to love school until my mother demanded straight A's, and all that pressure took the fun out of it. Now I'm a good student because I've learned how. I’d like to think that I'd admire someone who isn't afraid to be themselves, too, so I could easily fit into Ravenclaw. But there is something to be said for ambitiousness and hard work so I could fit into Slytherin or Hufflepuff, too."

 

"It sounds like you have to choose, but don't worry. I've heard stories where the Sorting Hat had a conversation with the student to determine their House. I'm sure he'll do the same for you."

 

"Okay. How can you tell one student from a House from another? What's the dress code like?"

 

"Well, it's mostly the same for all Houses - white button-up shirt, black skirt or trousers, grey socks, black shoes and the like. The outer robes have the House crest, the robe itself is lined with the House color, and your tie and vest will have the colors as well. Slytherin's colors are green and silver, Gryffindor are red and gold, Ravenclaw is blue and bronze, and Hufflepuff is yellow and black."

 

"I see. And exactly how are students sorted?"

 

"There's an enchanted hat called The Sorting Hat. They place the Sorting Hat on your head, and it reads your mind to find out which House you'd do best in. Now, if you don't like its choice, you can ask it to reconsider and insist on another House. I know a bloke who did that. The Hat was considering both Gryffindor and Slytherin for him, and he begged not Slytherin. The Hat tried to change his mind but placed him in Gryffindor."

 

"Okay. So, a creepy old hat gets to read my mind and decides my fate. Lovely."

 

Percy chuckled. "Put like that, yeah. I didn't even rightfully get it on my head before it Sorted me. My whole family, we're Gryffindors through and through, going back generations. But, boy, was I excited to sit down at that table alongside my two older brothers, and then later with my four youngest siblings."

 

"That's a big family."

 

"Yes. Most of my siblings are married now, and the oldest of the kids will be at Hogwarts now. No doubt you'll meet them tomorrow."

 

"I think I'd like that. I don't have any friends."

 

"Not to worry, you'll make friends soon enough. And a word of warning. There's a name the more vicious lot of the school will probably call you. It may sound like no big deal to you, but it means a lot in our world. Mudblood. I'm telling you this so you can prepare yourself, okay? It's a foul insult used only for Muggleborns like yourself. But remember that it's just a word, and it doesn't define you. Remember that old rhyme about sticks and stones?"

 

"I'll keep that in mind. Why is it such a big deal, being Muggleborn?"

 

"Well, some families like keeping the wizarding community pure of blood. Meaning wizards born into wizard families marry into other wizarding families, with no interbreeding with the Muggles or half-bloods. They think Muggles are stupid, inferior humans and that a Muggleborn doesn't deserve the right to study magic. But it's stupid and backward. There's not a single wizard alive now who is half-blood or less, so there is no true pureblood and no true Muggleborn. Every student at Hogwarts - past, present or future - has at least one wizarding ancestor."

 

"So, they're prejudiced then?"

 

"Yes, and it's your generation who are putting a stop to it. It shouldn't matter your blood status. If you've been accepted into Hogwarts, then it's fate, and your family history shouldn't change that in any way."

 

"You're speaking from experience?"

 

"Yes. I come from a pureblood family, but we're as humble and kind as the next person. There are families out there, elitists, who sneer at 'blood traitors' like us because we don't care about blood status, and we don't judge a person until we know them."

 

"I'm sorry, that sounds horrible."

 

"We got through it all right. They're just words. But, anyway, you should be paying attention. We're almost up."

 

"Oh, right." She squeaked, turning her attention to the goblins she could see.

 

Five seconds hadn't yet passed before she heard a goblin growl out her number. She gulped, suddenly nervous, as she stood and followed Percy to the goblin who had called for her. She and Percy sat down in the chairs across from the goblin.

 

"Amethyst Rosewood wishes to open an account and convert her Muggle money into wizarding coin." Percy said without missing a beat.

 

"That's you, miss?" The goblin asked, his tone as deadpan and flat as the previous goblin's.

 

"Yes." She muttered.

 

"Do you have any identification?"

 

"I have my primary school ID. Would that work?" She asked, digging into her purse to pull out her wallet, and handed him her card.

 

"You're starting at Hogwarts this year?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Then you'll want a loan?"

 

"Maybe, if what Muggle money I have won't cover buying the supplies."

 

"I see. Well, let's open your account first and then do the conversion." The goblin replied, pulling out a sheet of parchment. Looking at her ID, he wrote some things while Amy looked on nervously. Every once in a while, he'd ask a question for her to answer.

 

Finally, everything was set up. A small card, the same size as her primary school ID, floated toward her. She reached out and accepted it.

 

"Now you'll need to create your seal. Here's a paper and a pen." The goblin handed her the items. The paper had a large circle on it. "Your seal is your ID of sorts. We use it to verify your identity. It must be unique, just as you are. The circle represents the part of the seal you're customizing. Draw whatever you want. The seal will ultimately be small, so minute, detailed drawings aren't a good idea."

 

With most of her immediate questions answered, Amy set to work drawing. She started with her initials, AR, in the best calligraphy she could manage. She played around the size and ratio, then she cleaned the lines to make it look better.

 

Since her initials were the biggest part of her seal, now she could switch her attention to customizing it. But she needed to keep things small. She loves books, and learning. Could she add an image of a pencil, or a pencil and paper, or a book, and make them look good? No, there wasn't enough room for that. She also loved animals! Would a cat look better? Or a pigeon? Or a dog? Where would it go?

 

The goblin then handed her a replica seal, and Amy was able to see how small the image really was. There definitely wasn't room for anything more than her initials. She handed the seal and her paper back to the goblin.

 

"Are you sure you want your seal like this? Another witch has these same initials, and her seal looks just like yours. There could easily be a mix-up with identities."

 

"What else can I do? The seal print is just too small for anything else."

 

"You can change the shape of the seal." The goblin dug in another drawer and produced another piece of paper, this one printed with a variety of shapes. "These are the choices."

 

"What shape does that other witch have?"

 

"A circle."

 

"Then I choose the heart, please." She accepted the original paper back from the goblin, wrote the note, and then handed both papers back. The goblin looked it over and stamped it.

 

"Your seal will arrive by owl in two weeks. If you don't like any part of it, send it back with a letter explaining what you want fixed. No charge. Now let's do the conversion. Your Muggle money." The goblin demanded as he held out a hand, using the other to reach into a drawer and pull out a drawstring pouch. She handed him all of her money, notes first and coins on top.

 

"Percy says that I can send my allowance here for conversion even once I'm at Hogwarts?"

 

"Yes. Just send an owl with a letter and the money enclosed and we'll take care of it." He didn't even look up when he answered.

 

The goblin kept on counting her money, using the medieval calculator often and always referring back to it as he counted out three types of coins. She looked down at her Hogwarts ID card and studied it carefully.

 

It was roughly the same size and thickness as her old card, but there was a lot more detail, and slots to fill in. Her picture was already there, and nothing could have prepared Amy for the sight of her own face smiling and waving back at her.

 

Most of the slots were blank, except for her name, her year, her physical features.

 

"Percy?"

 

"That's your wizarding ID card. Don't worry about the blank slots. They enchant the card to fill in the blanks and change as events unfold. See that slot for your House? That will fill in once you're Sorted, and the card will change. Look at mine." He reached into his wallet and produced a card which he handed to her. His was brilliantly colored - gold and scarlet stripped diagonally, and there was a crest in the right corner with a lion. It was wonderfully complete, and it made hers look wimpy.

 

"It's pretty. I love those colors."

 

"Thanks. Maybe you'll get into Gryffindor, too."

 

"Right. What's he counting?" She asked, referring now to the goblin.

 

"That's wizarding money. There are only three coins. The gold one is the Galleon, the silver is called a Sickle, and the bronze one is a Knut. There are seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle."

 

"And you have more than enough money here to buy your supplies without a loan. This first year costs just under one hundred ninety-four Galleons, and you have five-hundred-nineteen Galleons, one Sickle, and eight Knuts. Now, here is your money. When you're done shopping, if you'd like to deposit anything into your account, just stop by again."

 

"Of course." She said as she accepted the surprisingly light coin purse and secured it out of sight in her handbag. "Thank you very much."

 

"Your account is set up, complete with ID and seal, and you have your coins. Is there anything else?"

 

"No, that's it." Percy replied quickly while Amy thought about it.

 

"Goodbye." He drawled, not making eye contact as he waved her floating papers toward a goblin behind a counter against the wall.

 

Percy led Amy outside, who shuffled along behind him as she put her two ID cards in her wallet.

 

"The closest shop is the Magical Menagerie. That's where we can get your cat. Are you dead-set on getting a cat? If you're not, you can mull it over while we get everything else."

 

Amy took a moment to deliberate, already thinking about how much a pet could cost her. Yes, it'll be good for her to have a cat to care for and hold when she was lonely. But would it be better to not spend the money and owe less to Gringotts? And her new schoolwork was bound to be demanding, did she really want to take care of a cat as well? She'd have to change the litter every day, and clean out the box itself routinely, and keep her food and water filled, and play with her, and all sorts of things that would take time away from her studies.

 

But she's wanted a pet for years, and she's done a lot of research on various species including nutrition and training strategies. She never asked her mother for a pet because she knew the answer would be no, Amy had to focus on her schooling. But now Amy was out from under her mother's thumb, free to make her own choices and learn from her mistakes. So, she decided she was going to get this cat, and she'd love it so much, cuddle it every night, groom it regularly and make sure it knew how loved it is.

 

"I want