Disclaimer: Harry Potter's world, and all it's characters belong to J., I, in no way, claim ownership. I'm simply borrowing them for the purpose of entertaining myself, others, and getting the world out of my head. The same goes for the characters of Hetalia, all of whom belong to Hidekazu Himaruya.
Authors note: This story is set after Voldemort's fall, and it ignores the Epilogue almost completely. The teachers in this Hogwarts are made up of previous students, and the actual students, are of course, the various characters of Hetalia. There is no real plot, just snippets of ideas based in the Harry Potter realm, with various Hetalia characters. That being said.
Enjoy.
Lunae Alley (Al Jones. Age 11)
He'd been sprawled on the living room floor when the door bell rang. He hadn't thought much of it, his mind too wrapped up in the adventures of Saturday Morning cartoons. It wasn't until his Mother brought whoever had been at the front door into the living room, that he even managed to draw his eyes away from the image of Superman on the screen.
"Alfred." His mother said, and in response, he looked over his shoulder.
There was a man he'd never seen standing next to her. He wasn't tall, and had a sort of roundish figure. Something about the way he stood said he wasn't the most confident of people, but he had a smile on his face. Despite his odd clothes, he didn't give Al the creeps like some of the people he'd met before.
"Hello, Alfred." The man said, he had an odd accent. Kind of like the guys on the BBC channel that his Aunt was always watching.
"Hiya."
Alfred's life changed that morning. Though he couldn't find it in himself to be bothered by it. Really, a whole new world opened up to him, and it was exciting! He was so enthralled with the things around him, the new things that Mr. Longbottom (That was the name of the guy who showed it all to him, he held himself kinda funny, but he was a good guy) showed him were so amazing!
Al had lived in the City his whole life, but he had never seen anything like Lunae Market. They'd had to go North, closer to the border between the United States and Canada. Al had never been that far North, he'd been down South a few times in his life, and Mr. Longbottom said that there was a similar area in Louisiana, but that he had a friend near Lunae Market, who would be assisting them.
His friend turned out to be an odd woman, with pale skin, long yellow hair, the widest blue eyes, and a rather whimsical appearance. She wore robes similar to Mr. Longbottom's, though hers were an odd neon orange color, like the color of a street cone.
She led them around Lunae Market, pointing everything out, and explaining things in her calm voice. Mr. Longbottom helped Al's mom at the Bank, a large building not far from where they'd entered the Market, Al stayed outside with Miss Lovegood, who gave him sweet smiles and told him about odd creatures that were invisible most of the time.
When his mom and Mr. Longbottom returned, they all hurried along on their way. Al found himself stuck in a bookstore, while his mother and the adults collected the books he would need in the coming year. He, himself, grew bored quickly, and wandered away, finding himself lost in an isle filled with books about the sky.
He'd pulled one off the shelf at random, and opened it. The page it opened too, was amazing. A black pictures, with glowing and moving stars! Instantly, he went through more the book, looking at constellations and diagrams. The names of the stars and planets being etched into his mind, as he moved from one book to the next. When his mother eventually found him, he was laying on the floor of the isle, with three of the books open, just tracing the moving pictures with his eyes and fingers.
It had taken a while for her to drag him out of that isle, and only with the promise of buying one of the books. It was a large one, with a thick black cover, and silver writing on the cover. There were a lot of pictures and information in that book, and he held it tight until his mother had to give it to the guy so they could pay for it. After that, he held the bag it sat in, along with a few of his other school books. They were heavy, much more heavy than any stack of books he'd ever held before. He didn't complain those, Superman wouldn't have, so neither would he.
The store they bought his potions stuff wasn't as interesting as the bookstore had been. His mother kept a hold of him the whole time, and wouldn't let him go. Not that it mattered much, Al was still more interested in the book in his bag, then any of the jars of dried herbs, or the cauldrons on display. Looking over the different instruments for potion making made him think far to much of being at the that shop in the mall his mother always bought her cookie cutters in. Al didn't want to learn how to cook, and even the set of knives made for cutting through various types of ingredients wasn't enticing enough to hold his eye.
The place to buy robes was even worse. What could be more horrible than clothes shopping? Al had never thought there was anything worse, until he'd had to stand on that stool, while the woman moved around him with her wand and a pin. He swore to his mother that she'd jabbed at him with the needle, but his mom just shook her head, and continued to talk to Mr. Longbottom and Miss Lovegood.
The school uniform, robes, were rather boring, in his opinion. Black, and long, it made him feel more like a villain than the Hero he wanted to be. Heroes never wore all black!
Well...
Except for Batman, he thought, swishing the long robe around, staring at himself in the mirror. Yeah, Batman.
A grin formed, as he posed in the mirror, wondering if he could get a mask, and maybe a cool belt. Batman needed a belt, after all. He wasn't much without it.
As they were leaving the robe shop, his mother's phone began to ring. The sound of Josh Turner's 'Firecracker' coming from her pocketbook. She gave a sheepish look to Miss Lovegood, and Mr. Longbottom, pointing out that she really needed to take that call.
Miss Lovegood, with her dreamy smile, told Mr. Longbottom that she'd take Al's mom back towards the restaurant they'd entered Lunae Market through, and would meet up with him and Al there. There were a few quick sentences spoken on the subject, before Al's mom finally had to dig the phone out of her bag, and answer it. Miss Lovegood took her arm, and led her through the crowd with ease.
When his mom was out of sight, along with Miss Lovegood, and everything they'd bought so far (including Al's book), Al turned to look at Mr. Longbottom. The man looked a bit nervous at first, not quite sure which way he was supposed to go, but eventually he managed to get someone to point him in the right direction.
Al followed close behind, keeping hold of Mr. Longbottom's sleeve, just to be sure he wouldn't lose him in the crowd. Several times, Mr. Longbottom had to grab Al's hand, and drag him away from some shop or another. Especially when they passed a Broom Shop, where Al immediately wandered away from the awkward Wizard, and pressed his face up against the window.
Witches flew on brooms! He wanted one- No. He didn't just want it. He needed it! Had to have it, had to fly. He didn't notice the other kids standing beside him, all staring up at the broom on display. It was the oddest broom Al had ever seen. The stick of it was a thicker than a normal broom, made to fit with the odd seat on it, and it was silver in color, the tip of it's red brush was ice blue. It looked like something a superhero would have!
He was about leave the window, and go inside, when Mr. Longbottom grabbed hold of his backpack, and dragged him away. He pointed out that First Years couldn't have brooms, and that that one in particular was far to expensive for the amount of money left to spend. Even, he pointed out, all the money they'd spent today, doubled, wouldn't have bought that broom for Al.
A bit pouty, Al settled for being happy with the book he'd gotten, though the broom officially was going on his Christmas list. He followed (or, really, was pulled by) Mr. Longbottom to the Wand shop.
The wand shop had a big sign over the front window that said "Stars & Moon Wands". Compared to the other shops, it wasn't as brightly colored, or new looking. In fact, it was quite small, if a bit run down. When they entered, a little bell rang over the door, like in a normal shop. The inside was cozy. The floor was polished pale blue tiles, the walls a matching color with moving white and silver stars on them. Al's attention went instantly to the walls, watching the flickering stars as they slowly shifted from one spot to the next, like watching the real stars, only up close.
So enraptured with the walls, he didn't notice anyone else in the shop until he'd run right into them. Stumbling, Al blinked at the kid he'd hit.
Wavy blond hair, and big violet eyes, with pale skin, and soft features. Those big eyes looked at Al through a pair of large, wire-rimmed glasses. S-sorry."
"It's okay, my fault." Al gave him the same grin he gave to the kids at school he saved from bullies. He thrust he hand out, blue eyes glinting as he looked at the smaller kid, "I'm Al, Al Jones! What's your name?"
The blond seemed a bit put off by this at first, staring at the hand, before slowly taking it. A small smile appearing, "Matthew Williams... It's nice to meet you."
Alfred stared at Matthew for a few seconds. He'd really though he was a girl. The baggy red hoodie was boyish, but Al's older cousin, Virginia, wore things like that all the time. With his hair, and those girly eyes, Alfred had been sure he was talking to a girl, even Matthew's voice was soft like a girls. He was about to open his mouth as say as much, when someone came out from the back, and Mr. Longbottom grabbed hold of Al's shoulder, making him look.
"Oh! There's two of you now." The woman said, stopping dead in her tracks. She was tall, with wild black hair, streaked through with gray and white. In her hands, she held a few long rectangular boxes. "Another one for New York?"
"No, Ma'am." Mr. Longbottom said, with a smile, his hand still resting on Al's shoulder. "Mr. Jones here, is going to Hogwarts."
The woman's eyes widened, "Oh?" She seemed a bit shocked, and it took her moment to say any more, but her wits came back to her, and she turned back to disappear from sight again, waving her hand, and saying she'd be right back.
"You're going to Hogwarts too?" Came that barely there whisper, that made Al so sure that Matthew was a girl.
Maybe it was one of those names that could be a girls name too? There was a girl in Al's class from last year, her name was Bobby, but not with a Y like a boys name, it was 'Bobbi'. She always got real upset if anyone spelled it wrong, even hit Alfred once for it.
"Yeah!" He gave a grin to the girl/boy-person. "Mr. Longbottom here is being my guide!"
Matthew looked up at Mr. Longbottom, who gave a gentle smile, then looked blushed and looked at the ground, shifting his/her feet nervously. "I'm going to Hogwarts too, my mom is currently at the bookstore getting my books.."
"Then your mom is a witch too, right!"
"Yeah..." Matthew blinked, and stared at Al for a moment, he/she opened his/her mouth to say something more, but the woman had returned.
She brought with her another stack of those long boxes, and set them on the counter by the register. Opening one box from each stack, she took a long piece of wood from each. Al knew what these were. Wands, even if the sign outside hadn't been there, he would have known. Everyone knew that Witches and Wizards needed wands.
As the woman walked over to them, he started to fidget around. Nothing else that they'd gotten so far had interested him as much as that slender piece of wood the shop keeper held. His robes were boring and black (and made him wonder why he had to wear them at all, he had clothes), the books were... well, they were books. The cauldron and potions kit had looked a bit interesting at first, but in the end it hadn't been as cool as he'd thought.
But this, this was something he wanted, something that caught his attention and held it. He was nearly bursting with excitement when the woman finally handed it to him. He was promptly disappointed, when nothing happened. The wand sat there in his hand, feeling like any old stick he could have picked up off the ground.
He consoled himself with the fact that Matthew's seemed to be the same. Nothing special.
"Well, wave them." The woman said, and hands on her hips, a bemused smile on her face.
Al took note of Mr. Longbottom moving behind him, and that Matthew seemed a bit hesitant to actually move his/her wand. Shrugging his shoulders, Al didn't need to be told twice. He lifted his arm up over his head, and thrust it down, waving the wand this way and that as it arched through the air.
Bursts of blue and green flew from the tip, bouncing off the walls, leaving bright purple splats wherever they touched. Including the people they hit. Poor Matthew's hair was now a mixture of blonde and purple. Oops.
Matthew stood there, blinking, not seeming to know quite what happened. Al was about to apologize, cause you always apologize to girls, no matter how bratty and annoying they were (even Bobbi, though he still didn't know why), when the shop keeper snatched that wand out of his hands and replaced it with another.
"Wait!" She caught him just as he pulled his arm back for another go, and held his arm still. "Like this," She moved his wrist carefully, barely a flick, and no where near as dramatic or cool as his earlier movement. The wand sparked, and she snatched it back again. "No, no, not this one."
She moved back to the counter and thrust a new wand in his hand. "Try that one, like I showed you."
He flicked it, a feeling a bit disappointed with this chosen movement, but even more so that nothing happened. That wand was taken again.
"Hmm." She moved back to the stacks of boxes, and began to look through them.
Al turned his eyes back to Matthew, who had yet to move his/her own wand even an inch. "Well?"
Matt blinked, and looked at Al, "Q-qu'est-ce?"
Al failed his arms out, "Wave it!"
Looking a bit shocked, but nodding slightly, the boy/girl waved the wand in his/her hand. A slow, fluid movement, and the wand sparked, but didn't do anything else. It seemed almost uninterested in reacting.
The woman came back, and seemed to just noticed that Matt was there too. "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to forget, you just seemed to slip my mind.."
"It's okay." Matt responded, giving a small smile, and handing the wand back. He/She ducked his/her head, and stared at his/her shoes, saying in a small voice, "I'm used to it..."
Nodding, the woman went back to the cash register, and returned with two new wands. Giving one to each of the boys, she tapped her fingers against her chin, "Try those."
They did, together, and nothing happened. She took the wands, and then disappeared back out of sight again. When she came back, she held only two boxes in her hands, and a sort of sly smile on her face. She set the boxes on the counter, and pulled out the wands carefully.
When she handed the new wands to them, she looked far more thoughtful, almost expectant. "Well, give them a shot."
Again, together, they waved the wands. This time, each wand glowed, a warm red for Matt, and a cool blue for Al.
Alfred stared at the piece of wood, eyes bright, and excited. This one felt right, there was definitely something different about this one. It made his whole body feel warm, it fit just right in his hand, and as he moved it around from right to left, it didn't break anything, spark, or send odd colors soaring. It just left a soft blue glow in it's wake.
"I thought so." The woman said, giving Al and Matthew a once over. "Are you two related? You look like twins."
"Nope." Al gave the woman a smile, as he held his wand tight, "I'm an only child." He told her proudly.
"Strange."
"What's strange?" Mr. Longbottom said, finally speaking up. Al had almost forgotten the man was there.
"Well, their wands have the same core." She explained, "And not just that, but the hair used as the core, is actually from the same Wendigo."
"Wendigo?" Mr. Longbottom looked alarmed, "That's an awfully violent creature!"
Rolling her eyes, the woman put her hands on her hips, and gave Mr. Longbottom a look like the one that Al's mom always gave his dad. It usually meant 'shut up and listen to me, you twit'. "And a Dragon is gentle?"
"Well... no, but-"
"Look, Wendigo cores aren't common, but they're not exactly rare either. They're more volatile, hard to work with, but make for great wands. Not my fault you Brits don't have Wendigos. Stick to your unicorns and leave my wands alone." She snapped, Mr. Longbottom looked like he wanted to open his mouth and respond, but she'd already turned her eyes to Al and Matt, a sweet smile on her face again, "You two be careful with those wands, mm?"
"Yeah! 'Course!" Al nearly shouted, and Matt nodded silently.
Mr. Longbottom paid for the wand, and Al and Matt parted ways. Under Mr. Longbottom's order, Al had to put the wand safely away in his backpack. They met up with Al's mom, and Miss Lovegood at the restaurant, and gave their goodbyes too Miss Lovegood. By then, his mom had been done on the phone, and she happily hugged the blonde woman, and offered her to come visit them if she ever found herself in the City.
The trip home was similar to the one too the Market, quick, with a rush of magic, and the color green bleeding into everything.
Al, in all his excitement, gushed to his father for all of ten minutes, about his experiences in Lunae Market, before he rushed up to his room to put his backpack and wand away. When he returned downstairs, his parents were having a conversation with Mr. Longbottom, something about when the school year started, and where they needed to have Al so he could arrive at Hogwarts safely and on time.
Eventually, Mr. Longbottom left, and Al got the chance to gush. He spoke about all the people, and the odd things they'd seen. The boy/girl kid, Matt, at the Wand shop, that would be going to Hogwarts too, and how they had 'matching wand cores'. Hopped up on all the excitement, the eleven year old didn't calm down till well into the night, and only then because his parents made him go to bed.
Laying in bed that night, he held his wand tight, swishing and flicking it, no words used, trying to make it glow. It wouldn't. In fact, it didn't do anything anymore. It still felt right in his hand, he knew it was still special, but there was nothing different about it now.
A bit disappointed by his wand's sudden lack of magic, he drifted off to sleep. His dream filled with the sweet smell of candies and treats he'd never seen, the constant chatter from all sorts of voices, and the bright colors that had been prominent on Lunae Market. And most importantly, by a pair of big violet eyes, and a shy little smile, in a red hoodie.
