This story starts one week before the epilogue of the Harry Potter series. This first chapter isn't very eventful but it was mainly written so you can see how I am going to represent the Potters.
I don't own Harry Potter or any characters etc.
Diagon Alley. The famed wizarding shopping landmark where all wizards, young and old, buy wands, potion ingredients, clothing, pets or even a racing broom. Anything a wizard could ever need was inside this land of shops from common items like strands of unicorn hair to the rare like centaur hooves. Diagon Alley had it all.
Albus Severus Potter had been to Diagon Alley many times before with his parents, older brother and younger sister. However, he never had bought anything there for himself. He'd bought quills with his mother for her job writing for the Daily Prophet and he'd also some potion ingredients with his parents for medicines (which James, his elder brother, sometimes used to make potions like the forgetfulness potion to use on family members) but that was pretty much it. He sometimes visited Gringotts, too, but waited in the hall as he was not allowed to enter the vaults thanks to his young age. But this year, he was finally attending Hogwarts. In one week, he'd be attending the wizarding school with his brother and he still needed equipment.
So, he and his family had come to Diagon Alley.
The shops were bustling with wizards and witches of every kind of description as Albus, his father, mother, brother and sister entered the town. Most of the older wizards were buying potion ingredients at the 'Apothecary', but the younger wizards were scattered about the place with their families, clearly preparing for the new school year. From what Albus could see, there were just as many first time shoppers in Diagon Alley as there were old timers. This caused a wave of relief to wash over him. At least he wouldn't have to worry about being a newbie to the wizarding shops.
James, his older brother entering his second year at Hogwarts, rushed to 'Quality Quiddich Supplies' and glanced into the window gleefully. There, in the window, was a broomstick. "What are you looking at, James?" Harry Potter, the father of Albus, James and Lilly Potter, asked his eldest son.
James whirled around. "It's the Nimbus 2017! My friends told me about it in a letter. It is even better than the Nimbus 2016! It's so cool!" James turned and glanced at his younger brother before he grinned mischievously. "Al, do you want to ask if we can take it for a test run? This broom is so fast, it is probably faster than sound!"
Albus frowned whilst Ginny scolded her eldest son. "James, you know Al is a beginner. You shouldn't suggest such a reckless thing."
James grin widened as he ran over to his brother and leaned over slightly so their eyes were level. "All Griffindors are amazing broom flyers. If you can handle the Nimbus 2017, you'll be guaranteed to get into Griffindor."
Albus bit his lip. Albus was a quiet, shy and gentle boy who had very few friends at all. The only friends he really had were his brother, sister and his cousins. He didn't even talk to anyone outside his family. If he looked just a little different, nobody would ever be able to guess he was the son of the famous 'Harry Potter' the one who defeated the dark lord, Voldemort. However, this year, he was determined to change that. This year, now he was joining Hogwarts, he was determined to get recognised as the son of 'Harry Potter' and to live up to the Potter namesake and the first step was to get into Griffindor.
All the people he admired were Griffindors; even his brother was a Griffindor. However, Albus feared he wasn't up to the house's requirements. Griffindors were brave and great... he was quiet and cowardly. Even if he didn't get chosen to become a Griffindor, he'd be okay as long as he didn't get Slytherin. Being put into Slytherin would end him as every evil witch or wizard in history was a Slytherin. He didn't want to follow the 'dark lord's' path.
"Uncle Ron wasn't a very good broom flyer," Harry told James while Albus smiled with relief. "Yet, he was a brilliant keeper and he got put into Griffindor."
James held his hands up in a surrendering pose. "I was only joking. Besides, Al wouldn't ask about the Nimbus 2017 anyways. He is too sensible."
Albus frowned again before he asked timidly, "James, what was your first year in Hogwarts like?" He felt nervous, he couldn't deny it. The frequent letters James sent back home last year scared him a little as he talked about having to learn how to turn a troll into a mouse and things like that; things he was unsure he was capable of doing. Though, there was also the possibility James was exaggerating or joking around, which Harry fully believed.
James smiled at his younger brother. "Getting nervous are ya'?" Albus didn't reply. James shook his head whilst grinning before he flung an arm around his younger brother's neck. The pair then started to walk, the family in tow. "Don't worry about it, Al. You won't get hurt in any of the classes... much."
"James!" Ginny scowled again.
Lily, the youngest Potter child, watched all this with a saddened expression. "What is it, Lily?" Her father asked as he hung back to talk to his daughter. Lily glanced up at her dad before she sighed. "Why do I have to wait another two years to go to Hogwarts!? James will be in his fourth year and Al will be in his third by they time I join. It is not fair!"
Harry rested a gentle hand on Lily's shoulder. "The best are saved till last," He smiled comfortingly. "You can use this time to study to become a Potioneer You can learn from your brothers' mistakes and learn some potions for when you see them during the Christmas holidays. How about I get you a book about potion making and you can practice? I will help you and cast the spells if you like." Though Lily was still visibly upset about being left out, she beamed at her father's suggestion.
"Yes! I want to learn how to make Sleeping Draught so I can use it on James for all the times he used the Forgetfulness potion on me." Harry laughed at his daughter. "If that's what you want, I will teach you how to make it."
The first shop the Potter family went into was 'Potage's Cauldron Shop' where the family bought Albus a size two pewter cauldron for fifteen galleons which was a rather small price considering how much money the Potter family still had in Gringotts. The second shop was 'Flourish and Blotts' where the family were planning on spending the most of their money as 'Flourish and Blotts' was the wizarding bookshop. Both Albus, James and now Lily needed books in this shop.
It took a total of one hour and a half for the family to find all the books they needed. Finding the necessary books for James and Albus was easy, but they had some trouble finding a potion book for Lily. Lily was a very picky person and whatever potion book she found, she either didn't like the cover, there weren't many recipes in the book, the potions looked too complicated etc. Once she eventually found a book she liked the look of, Lily then found the ancient auto-biography of 'Gilderoy Lockheart' which she spent some time flicking through. Harry looked down guiltily as Lily flicked through the dusty pages.
"Mum~" James called after a while. "I'm bored~ can we keep shopping and you stay with Lily?" Ginny nodded so Harry, James and Albus gave the gathered books to her before leaving the book shop. "How many shops do we have left to go in?" James asked.
Harry smiled. "Your mother is going to 'Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment' and we have already had you both fitted for new robes a few weeks ago." A memory of a small woman measuring their arms and legs popping into the two boy's heads. "So we just need to get you a pet and a wand." James grinned deviously like he had so many times that day.
"Oh this is going to be fun. You with a wand... I can picture it right now. You will probably hold the wrong end and end up turning yourself into a rabbit."
"JAMES!"
The pet shop of the wizarding world went by the name 'Eeeylops Owl Emporium and Magical Menagerie' and was a very noisy and stuffy establishment. At the front of the store, owls of every kind sat on branches free to fly around. Cats were further up the shop and played with 'Muggle made objects' like scratching towers and balls of wool. Further up again were the toads. Nobody liked the toads part of the store as the creatures hopped around, un-caged, without a care in a world. Though they didn't touch any customers, it was still not a nice part of the store. At the back were rarer and more expensive animals like Phoenix's.
As the three Potters entered the shop, the sqwaking of owls made Albus jump. James punched his brother playfully in the shoulder at that before he mocked him, "Don't worry. These birds won't kill you either, Al." A white owl caught Albus' eye at that point and he took a step towards it. It was snowy white, not even a single dot of another colour was on its white body, and it also had large wings with perfect feathers and coal-like eyes. The eyes stood out perfectly from the bird's white face.
Harry smiled at his middle son as the white bird acknowledged the boy before standing on the branch and shaking its body. It then flew on to a lower branch so it was closer to the boy. Albus stepped back at that. The bird reminded Harry of Hedwig.
"I will take this one," Albus said quietly as he and the bird continued to glance at each other. James stared at the bird with a slightly concerned glance.
"You always do go for the weird ones."
Putting the bird into a cage and paying for it, the Potters finally ventured into the final shop they needed to go to. Ollivanders.
Ollivander, the one who had given Harry his first wand, sat behind the shop desk with his head facing the floor. Sound asleep. Ollivander was a very old man now and he barely worked most days. He left running the shop to his son who also carried on the Ollivander namesake.
One of the first things Albus noticed in the shop was the many wand boxes that lined the walls. There were so many. How was he ever going to find one that suited him? That is when Ollivander jolted awake at the sound of his new customers. "Ollivander?" Harry asked, his head tilting slightly as he glanced at the drowsy wand maker.
"H-Harry P-Potter," He said. Opening his eyes slowly, Ollivander glanced at the three boys in front of him. "Harry... James... little Albus... has the time finally come for you to have your first wand?"
A little concerned for the old man, Albus nodded reluctantly. "F-finally, the day the second Potter child receives his wand. How long until the third?"
"Two years," Harry replied to the old man. Ollivander frowned.
"I-I will try to stay in work until then, Harry Potter. But now," He smiled softly at Albus. "Let's get you a wand." Walking over to the wall of wand boxes rather slowly and with the assistance of a walking cane, the man scanned the many shelves. Taking a good look at Albus, at which time felt uncomfortable, he looked back at the shelf and grabbed a black box. He then walked back to the group and placed the box on the counter. "Try this."
Looking at his father for a moment who gestured him forwards, Albus stepped timidly to the counter and grabbed the box. Inside was a dark brown wand without much pattern but was slightly crooked towards the back. He stared at it and held it aloft, not sure what to do with it. "Wave it," Harry said.
Doing what his father instructed, Albus waved the wand. A trail of sparks glittered from the tip, much to Albus' delight, but that was when Ollivander snatched the wooden wand from his grip. "Nope, not good enough, but I think I know a wand which might be good for you." Returning to the wall of wands, Ollivander once again returned with another black box. Inside, was a light brown wand which was very uneven and not particularly special looking. "Try this."
Picking up the wand and waving it, Albus leapt out of his skin as a small wave of magic escaped it and nearly hit his brother. James ducked to avoid it and the blast, instead, knocked a few wands off its shelf. "I knew you would do something like that, Al." James said jokingly as Albus quickly placed the wand back into its box. Biting his lip with thought, Ollivander vanished again and this time, returned with a very dusty brown box. Inside was a grey wand, plain and simple, with no pattern or shape change at all.
The wand maker said nothing as Albus flicked the wand and James prepared to avoid another magical blast... but nothing happened; besides a trail of sparks which flew out of the wand.