CHAPTER ONE: DAYS OF INNOCENCE
LOCATION: Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
TIME FRAME: Two years before "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
Don't skip. Skipping's for little kids.
Jimmy O'Bannon kept telling himself that over and over again. It was a constant struggle not to skip down the gray brick sidewalk. He'd never been so excited in his entire life. He doubted he'd be this excited if he met every single player from the Bruins, Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics all at once.
Today was the day he was getting his wizard stuff!
I still can't believe I'm a wizard. This is so wicked pissah!
He paid scant attention to the vehicles going up and down the street and the pedestrians all around him. Most of his focus was on the huge, red-brick structure of Faneuil Hall. That's where the letter from the Salem Witches Institute said he'd meet his wizarding guides. He still couldn't get over the fact that letter had been delivered by an owl. How cool was that?
"Do you think that's them?"
Jimmy looked up at the woman with coiffed dark hair and thick glasses walking next to him.
"Dressed like that, I don't think there's any doubt." The tall, balding, bearded man on the other side of him stared down the sidewalk. Jimmy followed his father's gaze.
A stocky woman with short dark hair stood near the corner of Faneuil Hall. She wore a green skirt that went all the way down to her shoes and a frilly blouse. The outfit looked like something a woman from the last century would wear.
He then noticed a thickly-built, balding man next her. He wore a stiff brown suit that, like the woman's clothes, would have been in style a hundred years ago.
Jimmy felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. He looked up at his mother, her face tight and nervous.
"Mom," he moaned. My God, this was getting annoying. Every time something came up involving the Wizarding World, Mom always looked on the verge of freaking out. Why did she get so scared about this? Why couldn't she see how cool this whole thing was?
"Are you the Diazes?" Dad asked.
The woman smiled and stepped forward. "You must be the O'Bannons. Wonderful to meet you. I'm Liana Diaz. This is my husband, Irving."
"Douglas." Dad shook Mrs. Diaz's hand. "And this is my wife, Ellen."
"Hi." Mom hesitantly shook the Diazes' hands.
"And you must be Jimmy." Mrs. Diaz smiled at him.
"Yeah. Hi." He shook her hand enthusiastically, surprised at the woman's firm grip. "So you're gonna take me to get all my wizarding stuff?"
"Yes I am. In fact, my husband and I have volunteered on Headmistress Esmeralda's behalf for years to escort Muggle-borns and their parents through Milmothryn Market."
He couldn't help but chuckle. Milmothryn Market. Where did they come up with that name?
"Actually we're killing two birds with one stone today," said Mr. Diaz. "I hope you don't mind, but while we're helping out you folks, we're also going to be shopping for our youngest son. He's starting his first year at Salem, too."
"Speaking of which, where are . . ." Mrs. Diaz rotated her head left to right. Her gaze finally settled on two boys, a tall, muscular one with thick dark hair that almost reached his shoulders, and a younger, rounder one with a mass of curled black hair. They both gawked at a huge, boxy vehicle parked by the curb.
"Jared! Esteban! Get over here!"
The two boys hurried over to Mrs. Diaz, the younger one's eyes lit up in fascination.
"Mom. Did you see that huge Muggle car over there? Man, that thing is enormous. You could probably fit, like, twenty people in there."
"Jared, settle down. I want to introduce you to the people who'll be joining us today. This is Mr. and Mrs. O'Bannon and their son, Jimmy. These are my sons, Jared and Esteban."
"Hi." Jimmy shook hands with Jared.
"Great to meet you. That's so cool you're a Muggle-born. I haven't met too many of them. You know, Esteban here . . ." He nodded to the older boy behind him. "He dated a Muggle-born at Salem last year. But she dumped him before he could bring her home to meet us all."
"You mind leaving my personal life out of this?" Esteban narrowed his eyes at Jared.
Jimmy clenched his teeth, fighting back a laugh.
"Say," Jared continued. "You wouldn't happen to know what kind of car that is over there."
He looked past him to the large vehicle. "Oh yeah. That's one of those Hummers."
Jared's forehead crinkled. "Humors?"
"Hummers."
"Hummers. Right. Gotcha. Man, we definitely have to hang out at Salem. With you around, I won't have to take Muggle Studies."
"That's what you think, young man." Mrs. Diaz fixed him with a stern look.
Jared gave his mother a sheepish grin. He then turned back to him. "Well, you ready to go?"
"You kidding? I've been waiting for this day for weeks." He grinned wide at Jared, whom he decided was a pretty cool kid.
"So where is this Milmo-Milmithern Market?" Mom looked in all directions.
"Follow me."
Mrs. Diaz walked a few paces along Faneuil Hall before stopping at a faded wooden door. A hand-painted sign hung inside the cracked window declaring NO ADMITTANCE.
She removed a brown stick from her skirt, tapped the doorknob twice, then put the stick back in her skirt.
"All right. Let's go." Mrs. Diaz opened the door and stepped through.
Mom and Dad exchanged confused looks. Even Jimmy felt confused. Why would Mrs. Diaz want them to go in there? He'd been to Faneuil Hall plenty of times and never saw anything that looked remotely magical.
"Don't worry." Mr. Diaz smiled and pointed his hand at the open door. "It's perfectly safe."
Jimmy looked at his parents, who both stared at the door, unsure whether or not to go through it.
Well I'm not gonna wait around for them.
He ran toward the door.
"Jimmy!"
He ignored his mother's cry and dashed inside.
Darkness overwhelmed him. Panic built up within him. What the heck was going on?
Suddenly the darkness vanished. His jaw fell open.
Wicked ... friggin' ... pissah.
An open air market greeted him. Shops with colonial-style facades stood on either side of him. He also noticed numerous wooden stalls set up along the dirt road selling . . . well, he couldn't believe some of the stuff they sold. Ground flubberworm? Pegaside teeth? Powdered raven beaks? What the heck could all that be for?
And the people? Many of them dressed just like the Diazes. Others wore flowing robes. A few women even had on the typical pointy witch's hat.
"Oh my . . . my . . .
He turned around and saw Mom slowly gazing around this Milmothryn Market in disbelief. She held Dad's hand. Dad, for his part, looked just as shocked.
"Cool, ain't it?" Jared beamed at Mom and Dad.
Dad shook his head. "I don't get it. How . . . how can you hide can something like this from everyone?"
Mrs. Diaz shrugged. "Magic, Mr. O'Bannon. Plain and simple magic. Well, given all the wards and charms needed to keep The Market invisible to Muggles, maybe not so simple."
"But what's to stop someone from breaking down that door and coming in here?" asked Mom.
"The door's charmed so it can't be broken down by Muggle means," answered Mr. Diaz. "Plus, there's another charm on the sign that eliminates any curiosity a passing Muggle may have to try the door."
Mom slowly shook her head. "This is so . . . unbelievable."
"This is only the beginning." Mrs. Diaz grinned at her. "Come on."
They followed her along the cobblestone sidewalk. Jimmy gazed around The Market, trying to take in everything. Mom and Dad, on the other hand, looked like they wanted to run back outside, especially when some skinny guy in a wooden stall shoved a jar of "goat tongues" in Mom's face.
He never heard Mom scream so loud.
Some of the people they passed gave him and his parents curious looks. A handful surprised him by nodding and saying "hello" to them. That shocked him. He couldn't remember total strangers saying "hi" to him or his parents on the streets of Boston.
"Well, here's our first stop," Mrs. Diaz declared. "Binribbs Book Bin."
Jimmy stared at the store window, which had a glittering silver banner that read THE ALL-SEEING EYE SOLD HERE. The words were bordered by a human eye. He drew his head back in astonishment. Did those eyes just blink?
He then looked below the banner. The large front page of a newspaper hung in the window. The headline screamed in big black letters UK MINISTER OF MAGIC FUDGE TO TOUR NORTH AMERICA. The roly-poly, gray-haired man in the black-and-white photo wore a pinstriped suit and a black cloak. He smiled and waved . . . actually smiled and waved!
"What the . . ." He pointed to the photo. "The . . . the guy in that photo's moving!"
Mom and Dad hurried over and stared at the moving photo in wide-eyed shock. Jared looked at it for a few moments, turned to them and shrugged. "Yeah?"
Jimmy whipped his head toward him. "What'd ya mean 'yeah?' The guy in that photo is moving!"
"Well why wouldn't he be?"
"Jared." Mrs. Diaz called from the bookstore entrance. "Muggles, remember?"
He winced. "Oh yeah. Sorry. Your pictures don't move?"
"No," Jimmy answered. "Well, I mean, only on TV."
Jared's face scrunched up. "What's a TV?"
He shook his head, his jaw dropping. "You never heard of a TV? Seriously?"
"Um, no. Sorry."
He blinked, trying to absorb Jared's statement. Did magical people not have TVs? Were there no TVs at Salem? Oh crap, did that mean he was going to miss the World Series and the Super Bowl when he was there?
The disturbing thought stayed with him as he entered the bookstore. Rows of tall bookshelves stretched as far as he could see. Little circles of couches and cushioned chairs had been set aside where people could sit and read.
The Diazes helped him and Jared get their textbooks. The first one was Terwilliger'sTransfigurationforBeginners. Jimmy opened the book. An illustrated wizard on one page actually moved his wand up and down.
Too cool.
Other books he got included Heron's Basic Book of Potions, What Every Young Witch and Wizard Needs To Know About Magical Defense, Zogbee's Introduction to Charms, Pilante's Magical History in a Nutshell and Butterfield's Beginner's Guide to Herbology. Jimmy's breathing quickened. He couldn't wait to get home and start reading these books.
When was the last time I was this excited about school?
Try never.
On their way to the counter, Jimmy passed a circular table with stacks of books. A large moving black-and-white photo stood in the center, featuring a man with wavy hair and a gleaming smile dramatically waving a wand. The sign next to the photo read, INTERNATIONAL BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND BATTLER OF THE DARK ARTS GILDEROY LOCKHART.
He checked out some of the man's books. Voyages with Vampires, Wanderings with Werewolves, Break with a Banshee.
"Aw man. Not this guy." Jared had appeared next to him.
Jimmy turned to him, then back to the photo. "What's wrong with him?"
Jared scowled. "My mom and dad read one of his books and said he had to be making up half the stuff he claimed to do. This Lockhart guy's a doofus. But don't tell my cousin that. I swear she's in love with him."
He picked up a copy of Wanderings with Werewolves and thumbed through it.
"So, werewolves really exist?"
"Oh heck yeah." Jared nodded.
"And Vampires and Banshees, too?"
"Uh-huh."
Jimmy mouthed a silent "wow" and put the book back. While their parents purchased their books, he quizzed Jared on all the other mythical monsters he'd seen in books and movies growing up. Dragons really existed. So did centaurs. Unicorns, too. Trolls? Yup. Goblins? You bet.
This world just gets cooler and cooler.
Next the group headed for a clothing store to buy school robes for him and Jared, then to another shop where they bought a cauldron and other tools necessary for potion making. Along the way the Diazes ran into a few people they knew, including the couple named the Lancemores, whose son, Gregory, was also starting his first year at Salem. They all seemed really nice.
"All right!" Jared bounced as he walked. "This is the one I've been waiting for."
Jimmy followed his gaze to a store with a wooden hand clutching a stick poking out above the doorway. Colorful sparks shot from the tip of the stick and formed glittering blue letters that spelled out AUSTRALIUS' WAND SHOP.
He grinned wide. He'd been dying to use a wand since he saw Headmistress Esmeralda's demonstration at his house a few weeks ago.
Jared sprinted toward the store. Jimmy took off after him a split second later. Every inch of his body tingled with excitement. He imagined waving a wand and levitating a car or making his hockey stick shoot pucks by itself.
Or making all the friggin' Yankees forget how to play baseball the next time they're at Fenway.
The wand shop itself was not very spectacular. Just rows of shelves with small pine boxes lining the walls. The set-up reminded him of a shoe store.
"Good afternoon, young gentlemen."
A rotund man with powder white hair and rosy cheeks ambled over to them. His physical appearance and clothes reminded Jimmy of some of the Revolutionary War re-enactors he'd seen around Boston over the years . . . minus the dark blue robe.
"Let me guess. First Year at Salem, eh?"
"Uh-huh." Jared's head snapped up and down.
"Saying, 'Yes, Sir. That's correct,' would be a more polite response, Jared."
The man's face lit up as Mrs. Diaz entered the shop, followed by her husband.
"Liana. Irving. Good to see you again. Oh my. Is that Esteban? Where does the time go? Seems like yesterday you were in here buying your first wand. Oh! Are your wands still working well? In the mood for an upgrade, perhaps?"
"Not today, Archimedes," said Mr. Diaz. "Just a first wand for our youngest, Jared. And his friend."
He introduced Jimmy and his parents to Archimedes Australius, whose family had been making and selling wands in New England since colonial times.
"So," Mr. Australius clasped his hands. "Which one of you wants to go first?"
"You go, Jimmy." Jared nudged him. "I mean, you're the one who's new to the Wizarding World."
"Thanks." He smiled at him.
Mr. Australius led him over to a row of shelves, humming to himself as he scanned the boxes. After about a minute, he grabbed one and opened it.
"Here we go. Maple with Pegaside feather core."
Jimmy took the wand from and stared at it. "Um, so do I just wave it?"
"Mm-hmm." Mr. Australius nodded. "Don't worry if you don't know any spells. We just need to see how it reacts to you."
"Huh?" He scrunched his face.
Mr. Australius leaned over and smiled. "It's a proven fact in our world, Young Mister O'Bannon. The wand picks the wizard. Now go ahead and give it a flick."
Jimmy's breathing increased as he eyed the wand. Tingles surged through his body. He thought of all the dramatic swishing Gilderoy Lockhart did with his wand.
Taking a deep breath, he raised the wand and flicked it in a near-perfect figure eight.
The wood counter ten feet away burst into flames.
"Jimmy!" Mom screamed.
"I'm sorry!" He looked at Mr. Australius, trembling. "I'm sorry!" Oh my God, was he in trouble.
To his surprise, the old man smiled. "Oh pish-posh." He waved a dismissive hand at him. "Happens all the time with First Years. Heck, some of them wind up blowing up part of my wall."
Mr. Australius took out his wand. A stream of water shot from the tip and put out the fire. Another wave of the wand got rid of the smoke.
Wicked pissah.Jimmy forgot his panic, anxious to do something like that himself.
Mr. Australius gave him more wands to try. He couldn't believe how many different kinds there were. Juniper with phoenix feather core. Ponderosa with coyote hair core. Spruce with hippogriff feather core.
None of them were for him, according to Mr. Australius. Dark fingers of dread slid through Jimmy. What if no wand worked for him? Would they kick him out of the Wizarding World? No. No way! How could they introduce him to this incredible world, then just shut him out?
His hands sweat as Mr. Australius gave him another wand, Red Ash with gryphon hair core.
Please work. Please work.
Tensing, he waved the wand back and forth in a "U" pattern.
Five pine boxes levitated off their shelves, hovered for a few seconds, then settled back on their shelves.
"Well done!" Mr. Australius laughed and clapped his hands. "Well done, Young Mister O'Bannon!"
He couldn't help himself. He jumped up and down, turning to his parents. Dad nodded, while Mom gave him a half-smile.
Jared's turn came next. It took three tries to find his wand, red mulberry with thunderbird feather core.
"Man . . ." Jared beamed as he stared at his new wand. "I can't wait for the first class I get to use this -"
A gangly girl with straight black hair appeared from nowhere and jumped on Jared's back. She slapped her hands over his eyes.
"Guess who?"
Jared grunted. "An annoying twerp of a cousin."
The girl broke her hold on him and backed away, sticking her tongue out. "I was wondering when I'd catch up with you." She peered over Jared's shoulder. "Who's your cute friend?"
Jimmy felt his ears and cheeks grow hot. Did she just call me cute?
"This is Jimmy O'Bannon, the Muggle-born we're showing around Milmothryn Market. Jimmy, this is my cousin, Rosa Infante."
"Um, hey."
"Hi there." Rosa took his hand and pumped it furiously, her smile growing wider. "That's so cool you're Muggle-born. Oh, now I can ask you this. What are those Muggle versions of aurors called?"
Jimmy drew his head back. "What?"
"Aurors. They're the protectors of the Wizarding World. That's what my parents do, and Aunt Liana. And that's what I'm gonna be when I grow up."
"Yes, I know." Jared sounded annoyed. "You keep saying that over and over and over and over . . ."
"Oh shut up." Rosa scowled at her cousin, then turned back to him. "So what do you call your aurors in the Muggle world?"
"Um . . . I guess police."
"Pu-leez. Cool. I've always wondered how the Muggle aurors do their job without wands and stuff. You can tell me all about it." Rosa grinned anxiously and bounced on her feet.
Jimmy gave her a queer look. He'd long since decided Jared was cool, but as for his cousin Rosa . . . well, he didn't know what to make of her yet.
Rosa introduced him to her parents, Adelaide and Cesario. They were both very nice, and Rosa's Mom, with her slender figure and long black hair, looked really pretty.
The first wand Rosa used turned out to be a keeper for her; elm with Loup Garou hair core. Jimmy couldn't help feel a bit jealous her wand picking went so easily, but another part of him sensed that this skinny, hyper girl could become a really good witch.
After buying their wands, the group headed for the door.
"I can't wait for our first Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Rosa said. "You just watch. When I'm in that class, I'm gonna kick everyone's ass."
"Rosa!" Mr. Infante spun around, fixing a harsh stare on his daughter.
"Oops. Um, sorry, Dad."
Jimmy studied Rosa Infante. The girl appeared very confident. Maybe overconfident.
Then again, don't you think the same thing every time you play hockey or baseball?
He bobbed his head back and forth. Maybe Rosa would turn out to be just as cool as Jared.
"Well. Liana. Slumming with Muggles again, eh?"
All eyes turned to a tall man with a large belly standing before them on the sidewalk. Jimmy also noticed the man had no right hand.
"Mordecai," Mrs. Diaz replied tersely. "I take issue with your choice of words. My family is introducing this Muggle-born and his parents to our world."
"Heh! I suppose someone has to," grunted another man, this one round with a stern, angular face and white hair. Three boys stood around him, one tall and broad, the second lumpy and wearing glasses, and the third, the youngest, tall and shy-looking.
"My husband and I do this because we want to, Ulysses."
"Yes, I'm sure. Well, enjoy your time with . . . them." He shot Jimmy and his parents a look of contempt. Dad's face tightened. Mom looked nervous. Jimmy gave the old man the harshest look he could muster.
"Come on." Ulysses turned to the three boys. "We still have a lot to do. Let's not waste any more time."
He started into Australius' shop, followed by the muscular boy. The shy boy followed, his eyes locked on the ground. The boy with the glasses clasped his shoulder.
"C'mon, Artimus. Be excited. You're about to get your first wand."
The other man, Mordecai, looked down the sidewalk. "Merak!"
A round boy with dark hair who'd been gazing into a store window strode up to the man and followed him toward the wand shop. He halted next to Jimmy, Jared and Rosa, eyeing their wands.
"Nice wands," the boy smirked. "Of course, I'll be getting one of the Ollivander's they keep in stock here. Artimus, too. Best wands in the world, direct from England. But, for you three, I guess thosewill do."
"Suck puss, Mather." Rosa glared at him.
"Oh, clever comeback." The boy, Merak Mather, shook his head and went inside the shop.
Jimmy's face twisted in anger, his gaze lingering on the door Mather had disappeared through. "Who were all those jerks?"
"The Mathers and the Rands." Rosa continued to glare at the wand shop. "Snobby, rich businessmen. They think they're all superior because their families have been in New England since, well, since before there even was a Salem Witches Institute."
"Yeah." Jared nodded. "And from what I hear, all their sons are the same way."
"I don't know about that," Esteban offered. "I'm in the same year as Hector." He glanced at Jimmy. "That's the one with the glasses. Anyway, Hector's actually pretty decent."
Jimmy's lips twitched as he thought of the other boy, Artimus was it? Was he a jerk like his dad? He didn't seem so. In fact, he seemed . . .
I don't know. Bummed out? He couldn't imagine why if he came from a rich family.
"I didn't like the looks they were giving us." Mom stepped closer to Dad. She then turned to Mrs. Diaz. "Why were they so rude to us? Why did that one man call us them like that?"
Mrs. Diaz sighed, staring at the ground for a moment. "Look, Ellen. There's something you need to understand. There are some in the Wizarding World who don't look very kindly on Muggle-borns. They consider them interlopers or less-than-adequate wizards or witches. Stupid elitist attitude. To those people blood is everything. They think only those from pure wizarding families, or purebloods, are the only kind of wizards or witches that matter."
Mom shuddered. "They're . . . they're not going to hurt Jimmy, are they?"
"Mom, jeez. Will you quit worryin'."
"Don't tell me not to worry! Not when we come into this world and I find out people hate you just because you're Muggle-born!" Mom's rant drew the stares of several people walking up and down the street. He also noticed how she had to force out the word Muggle, as though she didn't like it.
"Ellen." Mrs. Diaz laid a hand on Mom's shoulder. For a moment, it looked like Mom might shrug it off. "I can understand your worries, being thrust into a world that until a few weeks ago you thought was something out of a fable, and knowing that your son will be spending several months in this world without you. But magical or not, we witches and wizards are basically people. People who can do extraordinary things, but people nonetheless. And like most people, there are some good ones, and some not so good ones. But myself, Adelaide and Cesario make sure we protect the good ones from the bad ones. And trust me when I say that Jimmy will be in good hands when he's at Salem."
Mom stared in silence at Mrs. Diaz for several seconds. She seemed to accept the woman's words, or if she didn't, she didn't voice it.
They continued through Milmothryn Market, with Rosa bragging to him and Jared how she'd have a leg up on every other First Year in Defense Against the Dark Arts because her auror parents had already taught her a bunch of basic defensive spells.
"Who knows? I might even get accepted into dueling club my First Year." She elbowed Jimmy's arm. "My mom was a three-time dueling champion when she was at Salem. I'm gonna be at least a four-time champ."
He nodded, clenching his teeth. Rosa started to sound like some of the kids he encountered in youth hockey and little league, the ones who thought themselves the greatest players since Bobby Orr or Ted Williams. The sort of kids who needed to get taken down a notch or two. Maybe when he learned enough spells in Defense Against the Dark Arts, he'd check out this dueling club and find out just how good Rosa Infante was.
The next two items he got caused more worry for Mom. First came the broom. He was stoked to learn he could actually fly a broom.
"That sounds dangerous," Mom said. "What if he falls off? What if he crashes?"
"Mom, for God's sake, I play hockey. Like there's no risk in that?"
Second was the familiar. Basically a pet. Jared told him to go with an owl since he could use it to send and pick up mail.
"How can we have an owl in the house?" Mom complained in the middle of Hiennan's House of Familiars. "Can you imagine the mess that thing will make?"
Jimmy covered his face with his hands. Was Mom's only purpose on this earth to embarrass him in front of the world?
Thankfully, Rosa's mom explained how owls in the Wizarding World were trained to be very manageable pets. Mom did relent to him getting an owl, but reminded him, "You're the one who's going to take care of that bird."
He left the store with a Black Crested Owl he decided to name Espo, after former Boston Bruins great Phil Esposito.
When they finished their shopping, the adults went to a tavern and sent him, Jared and Rosa to Yum-Tum's Sweets and Delectables across the street.
"You gotta do the ice cream," Rosa told him. "It's the best thing here."
She led them to a large wooden barrel hooked up to a metal pipe that ran all the way to the back of the store. A round-faced, pretty girl in a white apron stood beside the barrel.
"Apple, banana, peach and orange," Rosa stated.
"Coming right up." The girl tapped the barrel four times with her wand. It emitted a deep chugging sound, then vibrated so violently Jimmy expected it to explode.
Seconds later the barrel stilled. The girl opened the top, reached in and came up with two big scoops of what looked like ordinary vanilla ice cream. She dumped it into a metal bowl and handed it to Rosa.
"Thanks." She smiled and walked away.
Jared stepped up to the barrel. "I'm gonna do . . . chocolate, marshmallow and caramel."
Again the barrel groaned and shook. The girl scooped out Jared's ice cream. Jimmy watched him walk away, then turned back to the girl. She gave him a friendly smile.
"Um, do you have mint chocolate chip?"
The girl's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, but I never heard of that flavor."
His eyes widened. What the heck? The Wizarding World could make photos that move, but that hadn't discovered mint chocolate chip ice cream?
Are you kidding me? He wondered if this world also never heard of rocky road. How much would that suck if he couldn't get his two favorite flavors of ice cream here?
"Um, I'm sorry. But, um, I'm not really sure how this all works."
"Oh. Muggle-born, right?"
He nodded hesitantly, praying the girl wouldn't act the way the Mathers and the Rands did.
"Don't worry. I've dealt with plenty of Muggle-borns in here. It's really simple. Just name any sort of flavor or food, at least ones that we know of, and they'll go right into the ice cream."
"Uh, okay. Um . . . how about . . . um, chocolate . . . peanut butter . . . fudge . . . and, um, whipped cream."
Seconds later Jimmy held a metal bowl with two big scoops of white ice cream.
"Uh, where's the whipped cream?"
"It's in the ice cream. Trust me, you'll enjoy it."
He walked over to the wooden table where Jared and Rosa sat, smiles on their faces as they ate their ice cream. He sat down, spoon hovering over his bowl.
What the heck? Let's give it a try.
He took a spoonful and shoved it in his mouth. His eyes widened as every flavor exploded on his tongue. Chocolate, peanut butter, fudge, even whipped cream.
"Oh my God! This is awesome!" He dug in with a vengeance.
When he was halfway done, his eyes flickered between the two. "Hey, guys. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure." Jared shrugged.
"Well, I'm just curious how your parents know the Mathers and the Rands. They just don't seem the kind to hang out with people like that." He winced, fearing how they might interpret that. "I mean, your folks are nice and cool, and the Mathers and the Rands are just, well, jagoffs."
"Yeah, I know." Jared nodded. "Actually, my parents and Rosa's parents worked with Mister Mather and Mister Rand during the war. That's how Merak's dad lost his hand. Got nailed with a curse during the Battle of Smithjohnny Bridge."
"War? What war?"
"The war." Rosa looked at him like he should have known what she meant. "Oh. Sorry. A few years ago there was this really evil wizard over in Britain. I mean, this guy was so bad we don't even call him by his name. We call him things like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who. But he tried to take over the world. Yeah, he spent most of his time in Europe, but he had followers all over the world, including here. Our parents and a bunch of other people fought them."
"So what happened to this You-Know-Who guy?"
"Nobody really knows." Jared held his spoon halfway to his mouth. "I mean, he's gone. Everyone figures he's dead."
"So how did he die?"
"Like I said. Nobody really knows. He was in Britain, right, and he went to kill this family. He got the mom and the dad, but when he tried to kill their baby, well, something happened. The curse You-Know-Who cast backfired. The baby lived, but he died."
Jimmy gave him a bewildered look. "How does a baby kill an evil wizard?"
"I don't know." Rosa shook her head. "He just did."
"The great Harry Potter." Jared said enthusiastically. "That's his name. One year old and he became one of the greatest heroes in the Wizarding World."
"Can you imagine how cool it would be to meet him?" A big smile formed on Rosa's face. "I swear I'd just go all giddy if I ever found myself in the same room with Harry Potter."
"You'd probably think he was cute, too." Jared batted his eyes at her.
"Shut up, dork." Rosa slapped him on the shoulder.
"So, guys. This You-Know-Who. He's really dead, right?"
"Oh heck yeah," Jared said. "Well, there are some people who think he's still alive, but if that were true, he'd probably be stomping all over the place killing people. Nah, there's nothing to worry about from that guy. All we gotta worry about is passing our classes."
Jimmy dug into his ice cream as the cousins talked about what sort of things they could expect at Salem, most of the information coming courtesy of Jared's brother Esteban. In Third Year they'd take a class where you got to work up close and personal with some of the creatures he only thought make believe until know. He couldn't believe that one day he would actually see a real live unicorn, maybe get to feed it and pet it. They would learn charms that could produce shields and make you blend into the background like Predator and even produce some kind of positive energy force called a patronus that, if you were really good, you could form into an animal.
The two then talked about this game called Quidditch. It sounded pretty cool, almost like an aerial version of hockey, only with brooms and multiple balls instead of ice and sticks and pucks. Still, he had his heart set on playing in Salem's club hockey league. He thanked God for the two Muggle-borns way back in the 50's who originally started the sport at the school. Still, he was anxious to check out this Quidditch thing. Maybe he'd like it as much as hockey and baseball and football.
By the time he finished his awesome ice cream, he wished school would start tomorrow.
The heck with tomorrow. I wish it would start right now.
After everything he'd seen and heard today regarding spells and mythical animals and wands and brooms and Quidditch, and being around people like Jared and his parents and, yes, even Rosa, he knew one thing for certain.
He was going to have so much fun in the Wizarding World.
NEXT: We warp ahead to Book Seven. 'Nuff said.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Loup Garou is a legendary wolf-like creature that has been reported throughout Louisiana.