Arthur Armstrong and the Wizardling World of Harry Potter
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I'm just creating my own magical character and putting him into the wizardling world of Harry Potter
Chapter One
The Hogwarts' Invitation Letter
Arthur Armstrong was staring at a tall, strict-looking woman wearing emerald-green robes, his mouth gaping in surprise and wonderment.
He was in his room, playing on his Super Nintendo when he heard the doorbell ring and barely five minutes after that, he was called downstairs by his Mom to meet this woman, who was an absolute stranger to him, and to be told that he was a—
"I'm a—WHAT?" he said, staring at the woman who, he learned, was called Professor McGonagall
"A wizard, Mr. Armstrong," replied the strict, no-nonsense-looking woman, her lip curling into something like a smile. "Meaning that you possess the gift of magic."
"But," he said, looking at his stunned-looking mother, "this must be some kind of trick! There's no such thing as magic—maybe in cartoons or movies, but it's not real."
"Oh but it is," Professor McGonagall said patiently, she had seen this kind of behavior more times than she could count in her years. She drew her wand from the inside of her robes, pointed it at a Dr Pepper drink can that was sitting on the carpet table and gave it flick. The can morphed into cute little black kitten.
Arthur and his mother stared at the kitten that was his drink can with popping eyes and gaping mouths. The kitten looked up at them and gave a little meow.
"Now then," said Professor McGonagall, turning the kitten back into a drink can with a casual wave of her wand. "we've established that magic is indeed real. And with that out of the way, I've come to tell you that you are a wizard and that you have been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—or perhaps, Hogwarts for short."
"Are you quite sure he's a—a—well, magical?" Mrs. Armstrong asked, sounding a little confused and a little doubtful.
"Certainly, we are sure," replied Professor McGonagall. "Has anything strange ever happened around him when he was scared or angry?"
Mrs. Armstrong thought for a moment, rapping her brain. Arthur stared at his mother, bracing himself for a loud shout of "April Fool!" despite the fact that it was the first of July instead of April.
Mrs. Armstrong finally nodded, shuddering as she did so.
"Mom, when has anything strange ever happened around me?" Arthur asked weakly, feeling a little trapped with the possibility of something he viewed as a fantasy actually being a reality, even after seeing his drink can turned into a kitten, he still have trouble believing it. It defied all the logics he had been taught.
"When you were five," his mother said. "I didn't think much about it, I thought it was an overload of electricity, but when Mark called you a baby because you were crying that he wouldn't let you play on his Nintendo… well, you know how furious you get when anyone calls you that…"
Mark was Arthur's older brother, but he wasn't anything like the bullying big brother that he used to be, in fact, he and Arthur has bonded shortly after that incident and have been the best of friends ever since. Mark has even gotten protective of his little brother, not that Arthur needed much protection. He can handle himself pretty well. But Mark would protect Arthur from people beyond his size and age group
"Mom, I know I have a bit of a tempter toward bullying behavior. But what's strange about that? I hate bullies and I hate being called a baby."
"The Nintendo blew up, honey," she said softly.
Arthur stared, looking shocked.
"It exploded and caused a small fire—of course, I didn't think you had anything to do with it," his mother assured him. "You were clearly startled and frightened when it happened, you even cried, and Mark comforted you while your Dad and I put out the fire. But now that I think of it, you might have done it accidentally."
"Yes, accidental magic is usually triggered by a powerful emotion." said Professor McGonagall, nodding. "But the fact that he blow something up with accidental magic proves that he might be a powerful wizard."
But Arthur wasn't paying attention to her, he was thinking of the other, more recent strange thing that happened. He was shoved into a locker by the school bully and the moment the door slammed shut, he blinked and the next thing he knew, he was standing outside the locker, while the bully was crammed inside the locker. It took hours to get his big bulky body out of that small, tight space! Had they magically switched places?
Since Professor McGonagall said that accidental magic was triggered by strong emotions, he had to remember how he was feeling at the time, he remember feeling furious and terrified in equal measure. Furious at the injustice of it all, the bully picks on him and his friends and went unpunished! Terrified because the bully was huge and bulky! He was an older kid who was held back several years. All muscles and no brains! Not a very good combination at all.
"Miss McGonagall, ma'am," Arthur said and McGonagall smiled at the politeness he was displaying toward her. "I did do magic a couple of months ago, but at the time, I didn't know it was me or what to make of it."
"What did you do, Mr. Armstrong?" she asked.
"Please, ma'am, call me Arthur," Arthur said, blushing a little. "Mr. Armstrong is my Dad."
Professor McGonagall nearly smiled. "Very well, Arthur it is then. Now, do tell me, what did you do?"
"I…" Arthur said with a glance at his mother, of whom he had not spoken to about this incident in school and was afraid of her reaction to how a big kid treated him at school. He was, after all, her 'baby' of whom she must be extra protective of. Arthur did not mind being her baby, her last child but it did annoy him sometimes that she was so protective of him. "A big kid shoved me into his locker…"
As he had expected, his mother raised an almighty uproar and screamed "WHAT?" so furiously that even McGonagall backed away from her.
"When did this happened? Why didn't you tell me?" his mother asked angrily. "Give me names and I'll track them down and give them a piece of my mind!"
Arthur was sure that a 'piece of her mind' was an unforgettable old-fashion over-the-knees spanking. Arthur had only ever been spanked once in his whole life and had no desire for a repeat experience.
"Well?" Professor McGonagall prompted him. "What happened when this big child forced you into his locker?"
"Yes, Arthur, tell us…"
Just then, fifteen-year-old Mark came downstairs, coming down to refill his water bottle. He gets thirsty a lot and his mother made him cut back on the soda pops, so he was drinking a lot of iced water that summer.
"Mom, can I have a Dr Pepper?" Mark asked, seeing Arthur's empty drink can on the carpet table.
"No, Mark dear, you already had one at lunch, remember?" his mother reminded him. "You're limited to one can a day."
"But Mom….!" he moaned, acting a little childishly as he tend to do sometimes when he doesn't get what he wanted. He recoiled a little at his mother's raised eyebrow that warns him not to challenge her. "I—I only meant, they just don't put enough in a can!"
"I disagree. I think they put just the right amount in a can," Mrs. Armstrong said smoothly. "It makes it all the easier to limit your soda intakes. Now hush, your brother is about to tell us happened to him at school."
"What, what happened, little bro?" Mark asked, suddenly going into Protective Big Brother mode. "Gimme names and I'll rearrange their face!" he said, punching a fist into his hand as emphasis.
"You will do no such thing!" hissed Mrs. Armstrong. "You'll end up in so much trouble!"
Professor McGonagall chuckles at the irony of that last statement, for Mrs. Peterson had said basically the same thing just moments before.
"So what?" Mark retorted. "I don't care. If someone's messing with my little brother, they'd have to deal with me… and no one wants to have to deal with this:" he raised his arms and flecked his muscles, which were rather impressive and shows that he had worked out
Professor McGonagall smiled at the love and protectiveness Mark possessed for Arthur.
"So," Mark said, pulling Arthur into a one-arm hug and giving him an affective, gentle nuggie, which made Arthur giggle: "Mark… geoff." "What happened in school, dear little bro?"
Arthur did not struggle to get loose; he was enjoying the affection he was getting from his big brother. He wrapped an arm around his brother's waist while Mark had him in a gentle, affectionate headlock. This is what they call their official brotherly hug
"Before I tell you, let me tell you why she's here." Arthur said, gesturing to Professor McGonagall.
Mark looked around at her. "Isn't it a little early for Halloween, Miss….?"
"Minerva McGonagall," she said, giving him a piercing stare, as if he was being a little impolite. "And I am not dressed for Halloween. For your information, this is how I usually dress. I am a witch."
"Oh come off it," Mark scoffed. "You know full well that there's no such thing as wit—"
He broke off as McGonagall pulled out her wand again and gave it a flick, and Mark legs begin to move in a kind of tap dance against his will.
"What the ruddy h—"
But before he could finish the sentence, Professor McGonagall gave her wand another flick and soapy pink bubbles appeared in his mouth, giving him a horrible soapy taste in his mouth.
"Ew, yuck!" Mark cried as he spat soapsuds out of his mouth.
"I am sure your mother taught you better than to swear in front of the ladies." Professor McGonagall said sternly as she removed the spells with a wave of her wand.
"I certainly did!" said Mrs. Peterson hotly. "You're not supposed to swear at all! Especially not in front of Arthur!"
Arthur crossed his arms and made an annoyed noise that sounded like a scoff. Why did his mother have to baby him? He had heard plenty of swearwords from some kids in his own class; he just wasn't foolish enough to actually say them himself.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Mark said. "And I believe you, you really are a witch! But why are you here?"
"To tell you and your family that your brother is a wizard." Professor McGonagall said simply.
Silence fell as Mark tries to digest this.
"W-wh-what?" he stammered. "My little brother's a wizard? But what about me? I mean, if he's a wizard, am I one too?"
"I'm sorry, but you are what my world call, a Muggle—a term meaning a non-magical person." Professor McGonagall said sadly, she really hates this part of the job, to tell the older siblings of the Muggle-Born children that they possess no magical power. She knew how hard it was on the family to have one non-magical child and one child who is magical
"I'm a Muggle…. and he's a wizard?" asked a stunned Mark, pointing at Arthur.
"That is correct." Professor McGonagall said softy, and then she pulled herself into a business-like manner. "Now, there is a decision to make, I am here to invite Arthur to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a boarding school inside a vast castle in Scotland, where children between the ages of eleven and seventeen will learn not only to use magic, but also how to control it. You see, if Arthur goes uneducated in the magical arts, he may blow up more than just a… this 'tendo thing you've mentioned."
"Tendo? You mean the Nintendo?" Mark's eyes suddenly widened and he rounded on his younger brother. "YOU did that? YOU blew up my Nintendo?"
Arthur suddenly looked frightened and he ducked to hide behind his mother. Now in the safety of his mother, he peered around her at Mark and said: "I'm sorry, I'm sooooo sorry! I didn't mean to do it! I didn't know I had magic!"
"Little bro, calm down." Mark said in a softer voice, pulling Arthur out from behind their mother and giving him a hug. "I'm not angry, I'm just surprised, that's all. But I think this McGonagall lady's right. You have to go to this Hogwarts place before you blow anything else up. But…" He released Arthur and turned to McGonagall. "Will we see him often?
"If by 'often' you mean once a week or every other weekends, then I'm afraid not." McGonagall said gently. "But if he chooses, he will be allowed to come home for the holidays, such as the Christmas and Easter holidays as well as the summer holidays, otherwise you'll only see him in the summertime."
"Make sure you come home EVERY holidays or I'll….I'll…." Mark said, but he didn't have the heart to come up with a threat as Arthur hugged him so tightly.
"I will." Arthur promised.
"Right then, here's your letter, make sure you read it." Professor McGonagall handed Arthur thick envelope made of yellowish parchment with his name and address written in emerald green ink.
Mr. A. Armstrong
The Living Room
1233 Lion Den Road, Ottery St. Catchpole
Devon, England.
He turned it around and saw a seal baring a coat of arms: A lion, a badger, an eagle and a snake all surrounding the large letter H. He pointed at the seal.
"Is that the school's symbol?" he asked Professor McGonagall.
"Yes, it is," she replied, "Now open it."
He tore the seal off and extracted two pieces of parchment and read the first one.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chef Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
"Owl?" Arthur asked, with a confused expression that even McGonagall found cute. He was a cute kid and curiosity made him cuter.
"In our world, owls are used to send one another messages, they deliver your messages or bring you your mail." Professor McGonagall explained.
"Why don't you just use a postman for that?" asked Mark. "I mean, using owls to deliver mails sounds a bit risky to me, what if the owl loses it?"
"That can happen if you use a non-magical owl," said Professor McGonagall. "Magical owls may not appear to have magical powers, but they can understand their owners' instructions and know where to go. Of course, it can also happen if the bird gets old and feeble. And believe me, they would rather fight to the death than lose their master's mail or allow someone else to read it."
Arthur was reading the second piece of parchment and listening at the same time.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WHICHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"Why not?" Arthur asked sadly as he read the last line. He knew that witches and wizards (mostly witches in the Muggles' view) fly on brooms and so he assumed that was what a broomstick was for.
"First years rarely know how to fly when they arrive at school, but do not worry, you will be learning to fly on one of the school brooms with a flying teacher overseeing your flight until you are able to fly safely."
"Can we buy all of this in London?" asked Mrs. Armstrong, who had taken Arthur's school supply list and was reading it.
"Yes, if you know where to go," replied Professor McGonagall. "I will be your escort to Diagon Alley, where you will be able to purchase his school supplies. Do you wish to go now or wait for a later date?"
Mrs. Armstrong frowned thoughtfully for a moment.
"I guess we could go next week on Wednesday," said Mrs. Armstrong slowly, after considering.
"Alright, I shall be back by next Wednesday, what time should I pick you up?" McGonagall asked.
"Does ten a.m. sound good?" Mark asked, who was NEVER a morning person and any time before nine-thirty a.m. was much too early to get up in his opinion
"Mark!" his mother reprimanded him, knowing full well why he'd pick that time. "We'll have to get up earlier than that if we want to thoroughly explore a wizards' outlet mall before lunchtime!" She was a big shopper, she loves to shop. And from the name of the place: "Diagon Alley," she concluded that the place was like a Halloween outlet mall with people in cloaks or robes, going about doing their shopping. "Can you be here at seven in the morning?" she asked McGonagall while Mark groaned in despair.
"Certainly, I shall be back at that time and date. Be ready to go when I arrive." Professor McGonagall said, speaking the last line directly to Mark, who groaned in response. She did not want to arrive to find the older boy in his pajamas or wearing less clothing. And then she turned on the spot and vanished
Author's Note: I hope you like my new Harry Potter story with my own created character. Arthur is starting first year along with the Golden Trio in 1991. I hope I captured the reactions and emotions of a Muggle-Born and his family finding out his wizardry pretty well. Please review to let me know how I did.