Well here we go ladies and gents. I've been considering writing a Harry Potter fanfic for a while, and found quite some inspiration from the new mobile game (probably because I've had so much time to think while waiting for my energy to refill). I'll be updating this as I progress through the game, so expect updates to be a bit infrequent, since waiting for energy to fill up takes time and I refuse to use microtransactions on principle.

Reviews are welcome, but I implore you to remember my one, ironclad rule. If you wouldn't say something to someone's face, then it isn't acceptable to say online. Politeness is key, and besides, do you really think someone is going to listen to criticism laced with profanity and verbal abuse? Those types of 'reviews' just straight up don't accomplish anything.


Johnathon took a deep breath as he heard the bricks shuffle back into place behind him, at long last he had finally made it, Diagon Alley. He was dressed in the typical Hogwarts uniform, although his robes were entirely black, lacking the colored trim that he'd been told would appear when his House was chosen, his short, platinum blond hair rustled a bit in a wayward breeze. To an observer it would have been fairly easy to mistake him for a muggleborn from the way that his forest green eyes were darting about, as if desperate to take in every detail he could in as little time as possible. But while this was his first time visiting Diagon Alley, he was no muggleborn, in fact, he was a member of the ancient, if not necessarily well-known, Selwyn family. Like most Selwyns, he had rather pale skin and a thin, wiry build, although he had been assured that it would not stay that way forever, due to his family's insistence on doing a great deal of manual labor on their own, instead of relying on magical assistance.

His parents had been a bit concerned when he had insisted on not only going alone, especially when he mentioned taking the muggle trains to London, while his family were relatively accepting for purebloods, they still were rather wary of the muggle world. And besides, it was a rather long way from their estate in Scotland down to London, especially since he would only be coming back up to Scotland on the train to Hogwarts anyway, but he had been insistent, it would be an adventure, and he was nothing if not adventurous, just like his brother had been.

His brother, he let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped as he remembered what had happened to Jacob. It had seemed so strange, for him to suddenly be expelled from Hogwarts and then to run away from home. His family, had always been particularly tight-knit, but few had been able to match the bond between Johnathon and Jacob. The two had practically been inseparable, he'd heard that apparently Johnathon had insisted on moving into the same room as him even when he was just a baby, just because he was so excited to have a little brother. And that bond had seemingly only grown over the years, with the two brothers often disappearing into the forests which surrounded their estate, searching for adventure. What exactly 'adventure' was varied from time to time, sometimes it would simply consist of finding the biggest possible trees that they could climb, but other times it involved sneaking into the deepest parts of the woods, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the unicorns which made their home in the ancient forest, or Jacob secretly teaching Johnathon some of the dueling spells he knew, although they were both careful to only practice the words and gestures with broken twigs that they would pick up off of the ground, and never actually cast anything. The two had shared nearly everything until Jacob, had gone off to Hogwarts. When he had returned, he refused to speak of what had gotten him expelled, or at the very least he had refused to share it with Johnathon, something that had shaken the young wizard to the core. And when he had woken up one morning to find the whole household in a clamor of Jacob's apparent disappearance, he had been so shocked that he hadn't been able to form a coherent sentence for nearly the entire day.

His parents hadn't told Johnathon anything about what exactly Jacob had been expelled for, even though he was almost certain they knew, but Johnathon was nothing if not resourceful and willing to stick his nose into places it thoroughly didn't belong. And he eventually heard rumors floating around that his brother had apparently gotten in trouble for searching for something called the "Cursed Vaults" at Hogwarts. It wasn't much to go on, but Johnathon had resolved that he would find these vaults, and see if they held any clue as to just what had happened to his brother.

Johnathon straightened his shoulders back up as he found himself once again filled with determination. This would be his first year at Hogwarts, and he would find the vaults and learn about what happened to his brother, regardless of whatever obstacles stood in his way.

However, he was soon broken from his musings when he felt a tap on his shoulder, he whipped his head to the side and found a dark skinned boy he seemed about his age looking at him with some concern. He had glasses and his dark hair was slightly unkempt. "Excuse me, you've been standing there for quite a while, are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yes, find, just thinking. It's the first time I ever got to visit Diagon Alley." Johnathon chirped before looking the other boy up and down and then extending his hand. "I'm Johnathon Selwyn, I'm here to get the stuff for my first year at Hogwarts, are you doing that too?"

The other boy took Johnathon's hand, and yelped slightly as Johnathon shook it vigorously. "I'm Rowan Khanna, nice to meet you Johnathon." He said, rubbing his hand slightly as Johnathon finally let it out of his grip. "And yes, this is also going to be my first year." He said before glancing down the street, which was bustling with young witches and wizards, there was a palpable feeling of excitement and anticipation in the air. "So if this is your first time at Diagon Alley, would you like me to show you around? It can be a bit confusing the first time."

Johnathon positively beamed at the suggestion, a smile lighting up his face. "Absolutely! And thanks for offering. I'd probably get lost if I tried wandering around this place by myself."

"Well, then, the first thing you're going to want to do is get your books from Flourish and Blotts, come along." Rowan said, and with that, the two of them made their way down Diagon Alley, Johnathon following a step or two behind Rowan.

Johnathon sighed as he entered Flourish and Blotts, the smell of paper and ink rushing over him as he and Rowan entered the bookstore, which was filled with students shuffling through books on shelves, the smell reminded him of his family's library back home, although he had never seen books stacked one atop the other back home as they were in the store. He idly wondered if the roof would stay standing even if the walls were knocked down, considering the fact that there were several columns of books that seemed to stretch all the way up to the ceiling.

Thankfully, Johnathon's family had made sure to reserve his order of books in advance. They'd learned from experience that it was much easier to do so then to try and compete with the countless students who were often vying for the same books. Especially after one incident were someone had almost gotten hexed over the last copy of Hogwarts: A History.

He walked up to the counter and coughed slightly to get the attendant's attentions. "Excuse me, miss. I've had books reserved and already paid for, it should be for Johnathon Selwyn."

"Oh yes, let me just check the list of reservations." The attendant, a rather beleaguered looking, gray haired witch, said as she pulled out a parchment and ran her ink-stained fingers down it as she searched for his name. "Ah here you are. Yes, everything's already in order, thank you for your patronage." She said as she bent down beneath the counter and pulled up a small stack of books bound together with a piece of twine.

"Thank you." Johnathon said as he grabbed the books and then joined Rowan, who was standing near the door. "Where to next?"

"Hmm, you should probably go get your wand from Ollivanders, next. I've already got my supplies, but my parents gave me some extra money, and I want to get something that announces to people that I'm a serious, scholarly person on the way to becoming head boy." Rowan tapped his chin before turning his attention back to Johnathon. "What do you think I should get?"

"Already planning on becoming head boy, Rowan? Well, I won't let anyone say you don't aim high. I think a scarf would be a good choice, a proper scarf can make almost anyone look scholarly, and I've been told it can get very cold in the winter, it'd be a good investment." Johnathon said as he and Rowan exited the store, stepping to the side a bit so they wouldn't be blocking the door before pausing.

"An excellent idea, I'll go find a place that sells scarves while you get your wand, I'll meet you outside of Olivander's." Rowan said before turning and heading off down the road, waving to Johnathon as he did so. Johnathon returned the gesture before turning and heading towards Olivander's which he had seen and taken note of when he and Rowan had passed it on the way to Flourish and Blotts.

In contrast to the clamor of Flourish and Blotts or the street outside, when he walked into Olivander's, it was almost entirely silent, to the point that he had almost thought he'd gone deaf before he took a step and heard the creak of the wood beneath his shoes. However, even that relatively slight sound seem to alert someone further back in the shop.

"Ah, a customer, just one moment, I'll be right with you." There was the sound of shuffling boxes and eventually, Ollivander emerged from behind one of the tall shelves that housed some of the numerous wand boxes behind the main counter of his store. His eyes were an odd, silvery color, and his gray hair was bushy and untamed. He moved with a surprising vigor for a man of his apparent age. His eyes lit up as they landed on Johnathon. "Hello, young man, my name is Garrick Ollivander. I assume that you're here to receive your first wand, am I correct?"

"Yes sir, first, and hopefully only." Johnathon said with a happy nod as his eyes darted around the room. "My name is Johnathon Selwyn."

"A Selwyn, eh? Always nice to have one of your family come to me. The hairs you provide from your unicorns make excellent cores." Ollivander said, and Johnathon flushed slightly at the praise. His family took pride in being the only family in the known world that was capable of reliably interacting with unicorns, they'd been doing it for as long as anyone could remember, and were the primary source of nearly all unicorn related products that the wizarding world used.

"It's nothing sir. Besides, it's the unicorn's you should be thanking, we just ask them for the hairs." Johnathon rubbed the back of his head somewhat sheepishly. While he may have been bold when it came to his own achievements, he often found himself somewhat embarrassed whenever someone complimented his family, it wasn't unpleasant, but he would have preferred to be complimented for his own achievements, although he admittedly didn't really have any yet.

"Well let's get you to try out some wands and see which one is drawn to you." He said as he rummaged around behind the counter and pulled out a wand. "Try this one first, Applewood with dragon heartstring core, nine inches in length and quite rigid. Give it a twirl." He said, presenting the wand to Johnathon, who somewhat tentatively grabbed the wand's handle.

He took a step back to give himself some space before waving the wand in a loose twirling motion. Almost immediately, a breeze seemed to rustle throughout the store, sending loose sheets of paper flying before suddenly settling down. That decidedly not, what Johnathon had been intending to do. "Sorry." He said as he handed the wand back to Ollivander, glancing at the now significantly messier floor of the shop.

"It can hardly be helped, wands choose the wizard, and it simply appears this isn't the right one for you. I recall that your brother blew up my favorite inkpot when he first tried out his wand." Ollivander chuckled as Johnathon glanced at him with surprise. "It was easy to figure out you were his brother, he talked quite a bit about you when he came in to get his wand, he seemed quite fond of you. And you like quite a bit like him. Although it's a shame about what happened. I heard he ran away after being expelled, I'm sure that must have been quite hard on you." He said sympathetically.

Johnathon nodded, his mood having deflated somewhat at the mention of his brother. "Yes, I felt bad for him being expelled. But nobody ever told me why. So when I get to Hogwarts, I'm going to find out why he got expelled, and then I'm going to find out where he went." Johnathon said as he clenched his fists, a determined spark in his eye.

Ollivander smiled and arched a brow. "And what exactly are you going to do when you find him?"

"Honestly, it depends." Johnathon shrugged in response. "I'll either hug him until he has to pry me off, or knee him in the unmentionables." He paused for a bit before speaking again. "Probably both."

Ollivander chuckled at his response and then turned and walked down an aisle to rummage through one of the shelves. "I think I know just the wand for you." He said before presenting Johnathon with a box which snapped open, revealing a long, slender wand about thirteen inches in length. It was a very light brown, bordering on tan, and had a smooth, straight handle. "Spruce wood with dragon heartstring, moderately flexible and thirteen inches long. A temperamental combination, it will need a firm hand to keep it under control, but I get the feeling you'll be able bring out the best in it." He said as he placed the wand on the counter.

Johnathon picked up the wand, and almost immediately felt a spark jump between his fingers and the wand's handle when they initially touched. He could already feel a difference as he held it up to examine it. "It feels…right." He said before giving the wand an experimental twirl, a golden light seemed to engulf him briefly before fading and he smiled. "This is the one." He said as his gaze shifted to Ollivander, who was smiling at him.

"I agree, I'll be interested to see what path you and your wand end up taking. Just remember, take care of your wand, and it will take care of you." He said. Johnathon nodded in response before shaking Ollivander's hand.

"Thank you sir, I'll be sure to treat it well, I'll have my family send you the payment, you can expect it by next week." He said before turning and striding out the door, with a newfound spring in his step. He had his own wand! He was now officially a wizard, at least in his own mind.

As he stepped out into the street, he found Rowan waiting for him with a smile on his face, and an odd looking scarf around his neck. It was odd not because it was poorly made, no, in fact it actually looked rather warm and comfortable, but it was probably the strangest mix of colors that Johnathon had ever seen on a single piece of clothing, there were yellow and white and pink and orange and red stripes all along its length.

"What do you think of my new scarf?" Rowan said as he put his hands on his hips and struck a particularly vain looking pose.

Johnathon briefly contemplated just letting it slide, but he couldn't help but let out a snicker, and the way the Rowan was grinning told him that his fellow first year was also quite aware of his new scarf's tackiness. "Rowan, that is hands down, the gaudiest scarf I've ever seen."

"I know, right? It's awesome! I was looking for something smart but it was so tacky, so garish, I just had to have it. It's like a work of art." Rowan said as he flicked one end of the scarf over his shoulder.

"I agree, they should put it in the Louvre next to the Mona Lisa. A testament to the art of ugly scarf making." Johnathon said. "But speaking of recent acquisitions, guess what I just got?" He said as he raised his wand so that Rowan could see it.

"Nice. Is that spruce wood?" Rowan said as he leaned in to get a better look at the wand.

"Yep, how did you know?" Johnathon asked as he cocked his head to the side. Most people weren't all that knowledgeable about different types of wood, but Rowan had identified it with a single look.

"My family owns a tree farm, we supply a lot of wood for wands and broomsticks." Rowan explained. "That's why I like reading and studying so much, it gives me a reason to stay inside instead of going out and farming…well that and the fact that I don't have any friends."

"Well we can be friends." Johnathon said happily.

"Are you sure? You don't think I'm weird? A lot of people think I'm weird." Rowan said, his voice lowering to a mumble as he spoke more and more.

"Rowan, my lad, people say the same thing about me. And in truth, they're probably right. Besides, I'm hardly in a position to judge, my brother is Jacob Selwyn." Rowan's mouth dropped slightly at this revelation.

"Wait, the same Jacob Selwyn who got expelled for breaking school rules and looking for the Cursed Vaults?" He said incredulously, and Johnathon just nodded in response.

"They very same, I've already guessed that everyone's going to think I'm weird because of it." Johnathon seemed remarkably chipper at the thought of being viewed as weird by others, but then again he also wasn't all that concerned with the thoughts of others, after all, he had a mission to accomplish.

"Well then, I'll guess we'll be weird together. What should I do if someone starts giving you trouble about your brother?" Rowan asked.

"Just try and keep it cool, I wouldn't want to go causing a scene. Besides, I plan to get to the bottom of just why my brother was looking for the Vaults, and drawing attention to myself would probably just make that harder." Johnathon said, and Rowan nodded in response.

"Understood, well we should probably make for the train, the Hogwarts Express leaves in a few hours, and I'd like to get a compartment before they all get snapped up." Rowan said, Johnathon slung his arm around Rowan's shoulder.

"Indeed. And I believe this is the start of a most excellent partnership. Think about it, the magic, the learning, the potentially life threatening adventures!" Johnathon said as a spark of almost manic glee danced in his eyes. "Rowan, my good man, we are going to leave a mark on Hogwarts that nobody will ever be able to forget."