After getting to her room and putting her few meagre belongings away, the ones that she had brought with her on the journey she set out to explore Diagon Alley and find Gringotts to retrieve her gold. She figured she might as well get some shopping done, as this was probably the closest she would get to heaven while alive. Leaving the Leaky Cauldron, she meandered down the lane until she came to the familiars shop. "Oh, I've always wanted a familiar", she muttered before entering the shop.

She looked around admiring all the animals. One stood out from all the others. A cat with jet-black fur all over bar a ginger paw on his back left leg. Its eyes were a piercing green and he seemed to call to her from across the shop. The owner bustled forward. "Ah, that my dear is a very fine Tom. One of the cleverest here." She glanced at Willow, "It would suit a witch like yourself, can help in the fight".

Willow looked at the plump woman. "The fight?" She questioned.

"You are the new teacher at Hogwarts? I recognise your description from Dumbledore".

"Ahh" Willow nodded, "Yes, I am. I think I might need a familiar, at least for company. I will be back shortly with some money, can you hold on to him?"

The owner nodded, smiling she took the cage with the Tom in it behind the counter and stuck a reserved sign on it. "I'll be back shortly" Willow called out as she left the shop. Without waiting to look in the other shops she went straight to Gringotts to collect some money.

As she entered she couldn't help but stop to gape at the length of the bank completely filled with creatures of all shapes and sizes though the most common by far were the goblins. She approached a desk and handed over the letter from Dumbledore stating her vault number. The Goblin grumbled and moaned as he beckoned her to follow him to a track. They sat into a little cart and sped off down the tunnels to her vault.

The goblin opened her vault. She peered inside. There was a mound of gold. To prevent herself from fainting she blinked a couple of times. It appeared to be more money than she had ever thought to own. Grabbing a bag from the goblin, she filled it up and headed out in the little cart again. When they reached the main hall again. She stood up a little unsteadily. The bag of gold was weighing her down slightly and she felt a little car sick from the journey. She thanked the creature and left the building to get some fresh air.

On her way back to the pet shop she past a post office. Going inside she wrote a quick note to Giles telling him that she was safe and that she had agreed to take the job. Smiling, she handed the letter to an attendant who strapped it to an owl and sent it on its way.

She turned and left the shop, brushing past some young people on the way. "My father said I must go back, despite what that awful Dumbledore said on the last day", The snotty voice came from the obvious ringleader. A young lad with a sly looking face. Willow shuddered slightly hoping that she wouldn't be teaching him. Putting thoughts of the children from her mind she arrived back at the pet shop. She went inside, her eyes immediately seeking those of her chosen familiar. He meowed softly at the sight of her.

"Oh my poor little thing, did you think I had forgotten about you".

The owner came out from the back room smiling wholeheartedly at the sight of Willow talking to the animal behind the counter. "Ahh your back, that'll be five galleons please and he's all yours."

Willow rummaged through her bag and pulled out five large gold coins. She handed them over to the woman who then turned to let the cat out of its cage. It leapt gracefully from the counter to Willow's shoulder. She patted its head softly while murmuring "What's your name, boy?"

As if the cat was actually talking to her, a voice popped up in her head, "Jesse". Willow nodded to herself, "Jesse a fine name to fight the dark with". She waved goodbye to the shop owner and left with the cat upon her shoulders.

Willow wandered further down the lane. Jesse perched delicately on her shoulder. She passed a shop glancing in the window then did a double take. And came back. Wands. She had always wanted a wand. She'd never needed one but still she had the opportunity to get one. Reaching her hand up to stroke Jesse's fur, "What do you think, cat, should I get one".

"Meow" The cats answer sounded like a yes so she pushed the door open and went in.

A spindly old man came forward. "Ah the new defence teacher at Hogwarts. You don't have a wand do you .. hmmm lets see" As he spoke he had moved forward and removed Jesse from her shoulder. The cat hadn't made a sound of protest so willow let it be. The attendant turned to a selection of boxes and began opening them. He thrust one into her hand and took it out almost immediately before putting another in and doing likewise. This went on for a good ten minutes before he place one in her hand that seemed to hum. It felt right in her hand. She gazed at it.

The attendant smiled at her, "Hardly surprising really", He nodded. "It's made of Willow, supple, bendy, and has a trace of innocence in it. A strand of hair from a baby unicorn". Willow held it in front of her in awe. The humming had move to a background noise, one she was sure only she could hear. The attendant named his price and she passed over the money without a backward glance. Somehow, she felt complete.

Her cat coughed.

"Ah you're not getting enough attention are you Jesse my love, lets go then and shop some more". She bade the wand seller goodbye and left the shop. "I just need to get some more suitable clothes and then we'll head back to the inn and eat, eh Jesse, sound like a plan" She held the cat in her arms while the wand was carefully stowed in her bag. She noticed the robe shop across the lane. Moving towards it she again noticed the group of young people that she had bumped into earlier. The ringleader was still bemoaning returning to Hogwarts and how his father should really let him go somewhere else.

She shook her head sadly. It looked like there were disharmony's everywhere, even in the magic world. She went into the shop and was informed that everything was ready for her. Robes had been made in her size in three colours, green, purple and midnight blue. Nodding her satisfaction she took the less formal ones with her and left instructions for the rest to be sent to Hogwarts. Holding Jesse close she made her way back to the inn to eat and read the information Professor Dumbledore had left for her.