There were so many times life was good to one Mister James Potter. He was now 11 years old. What does being 11 mean? It depends on the person but for James, it wasn't only that he was 11, it was also August, and he is a wizard. All of that means he was finally shopping for his school supplies. He was up early, perhaps the first time in his life, and he was ready to go. Mr. and Mrs. Potter promised to take him as soon as the shops started opening. James's letter came in yesterday and he wanted to be ready for Hogwarts.

Of course, at 5 in the morning, nobody else was awake. What does one such 11-year-old boy, such as James Potter do in this case? For once in his life he stays out of trouble, that's what. James dressed in some quidditch pants and a Jersey of his favorite Chaser, Wahlberg, from Germany. He grabbed his old Clean Sweep and raced outside to practice. James was determined to make the team, he started flying when he was 1 and got his first real broom at 5. Most kids were still on a toy model, but his parents saw James's talent and indulged their only child. He was in love and the only rule was that he was only to fly with supervision. By the time he was 8 they let him go by himself as long as he stayed on the pitch, they could see him through the windows and had charmed the ground to give him a soft landing if he fell. He was a prankster and loved to push his boundaries, but James loved flying so much that he never disobeyed his parents when it came to this one topic. He did not want to lose his privileges over something dumb. Out on the pitch he released his charmed quaffle and set to work. If he threw it, it would come back to him as if someone was passing to him. He flew around and warmed up his arm before he started throwing the quaffle harder and harder. Eventually, James was performing tricky throws and catches, including doing a barrel roll as if avoiding a bludger or a beater before lobbing the ball at an imaginary player. James took some shots on goal and was really beginning to sweat in the summer morning sun. He made some spectacular shots and practiced some fake-out maneuvers that left him hanging from his broom by a hand or the crook of his knee, on more than one occasion. James was in a grove and lost track of everything while he was on the field, there could have been a hurricane and he probably wouldn't notice. There was one thing that would get his attention while he was flying, though. A shrill whistle cut through the air causing James to catch the quaffle and turn to see his dad standing on the edge of the pitch.

"Good morning, dad." James grinned as he flew over.

"Good morning, James. Are you ever going to come in and clean up or were you planning on practicing all day instead of going to Diagon Alley?" His father teased him, "It is already past 10 o' clock" he was informed.

That was all it took, James's eyes widened, he raced inside to shower and change as quickly as he was able to. He got out of the shower and was promptly made to get back in, in his haste he still had soap in his hair. Stumbling out of the bathroom, a second time, James begged his mother to dry his hair with magic. She obliged him just so he could hurry. It only took him minutes to get dressed, a perk of being a boy, and look presentable. He had black slacks, a slate grey button-up, black shiny loafers and a black summer traveling cloak. The one thing that James wore that showed his personality were his cufflinks. They were lions, James knew that he would be in Gryffindor; there was no question. James ran out of his room and down the stairs racing to the kitchen. He wanted to spend as much time in Diagon Alley as possible, unfortunately, that meant he needed to eat or convince his parents to stop for lunch. When he slid through the doorway there was a breakfast sandwich in his place at the table.

"can we go now?" James pleaded as he picked the sausage and egg toaster up, backing towards the travel room.

"Sit and eat!" his mother admonished with a smile.

James clattered into his chair and tried to eat as quickly as possible. Unbuttered toast is just not something that you can eat fast, even with eggs and sausage on it. After scarfing his food and gulping his pumpkin juice his mother finally turned to acknowledge him, again.

"We will pretend that you had your meal with grace and dignity, now let us go, you impatient boy."

James's mom, Euphemia, and dad, Fleamont, walked to the travel room with him. They prepared to finally floo to Diagon Alley. Mr. Potter went first, and James followed. After coming out the other side James stepped aside to make room for his mum. Mr. Potter waved his wand and James's cloak was black as night, once more.

"We need to get your trunk, bag, and robes first." Mrs. Potter, ever the organizer, started walking out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron. With another wave, from Mr. Potter, she was also clean. "After that, we can figure out the other supplies."

"Yes, ma'am." James was excited but was still smart enough to use his manners. If he did not, there was no doubt, he would be sitting in his room at home while his parents chose his supplies for him. The Potters left the Leaky for the Alley. James had been to Diagon Alley before; it was usually for potion supplies for his dad's products, like Sleek Easy's hair potions, or something like new formal robes. This was the first time James was here just for himself. Looking around with a new view of the Alley he couldn't help but want to go inside every shop.

"Let us go into Lee's Luggage. We can get your trunk and your bag, there." Mr. Potter waved to the right towards one of the first shops.

Upon entering the shop James was bombarded with noise, the Alley was busy but the shop was packed. James strolled around with his parents trying to see all the different trunks and bags that he was allowed to choose from. The trunks had a wide variety of options. On the outside they all were the same size, however, the insides were charmed larger with extension charms. They even had different degrees of the featherweight charm, some could hold more and weigh less than other trunks. James Wanted to get one that would last him all seven years and be able to use it after he graduated. He looked around to find the one that was the largest on the inside and would not weigh too much. Even with Quidditch workouts, he wanted the ease of being able to move his trunk by himself, and 7 years worth of books was going to be a lot to carry around. As much as James loved quidditch, he loved to read. By the end of his seventh year, he figured he would be carrying around 50 books. Plus, he would have his robes, casual and formal, potions ingredients and cauldrons, extra quills and ink, Pajamas, extra shoes, Quidditch clothing, and his broom. It was only feasible to have a large trunk to fit everything in.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" An older wizard approached James.

"I need a trunk for school." James supplied, quickly wanting to smack himself afterward. Of course, he needed a trunk, everyone in the store needed a trunk. "I mean, I need a trunk that has been expanded quite a bit and has a really good featherweight charm on it. I plan to use it up until and after I graduate. I read a lot and will probably have about 50 school books plus some other books I like. I also play quidditch, so I have a lot of supplies for that. I want it to be something I can move around fairly easily by myself." James no longer felt like an idiot but hoped he didn't sound to be rambling.

"We can meet all of your needs. I'm Lee, I own the store, I can help you out. We have a newish model that will stand up to your needs. It is durable, has been expanded, and if you fill it to the brim it will not weigh over about 45 kilograms. Plus, we have charmed it with a stabilizer that will keep everything in place. Even if you charm it to do barrel rolls." Lee was excited about the job he did and it showed. "Is there a certain color you want? A standard tan color or something else?"

"I'm going to be in Gryffindor." James stated confidently "I would love to have my house colors."

"Are you sure? We can charm it to change to your house colors after you have been sorted." Lee asked nervously.

"No, I'm confident in this, I belong in Gryffindor."

"Alright, I'll get the trunk for you, what initials or name should I put on it?" Lee questioned.

"James H. Potter." James didn't really feel excited, he felt numb. Any minute he was going to wake up and he was still going to be 10 years old waiting to be 11 so that he could finally go to Hogwarts. Lee was staring at him, expectantly. "I'm sorry, what was that?" He tried to cover his blunder.

"Are you also looking for a book bag?" Lee asked with patience.

"Definitely."

"We have some on the wall over there," he gestured "the boy with the Long black hair is also looking. As soon as I finish your trunk I will come to assist the both of you." Lee turned to get James's trunk ready.

James rushed over to look for the best bag he could get. There were signs stating things like ink resistant, rip proof, lightweight, and even cushioning charms. He was in absolute awe of this moment.

"I take it you're a first year, also?" came a voice beside him.

"I am." James turned to greet the boy beside him. He had long black hair that laid in waves almost to his shoulders, a very straight nose, and pale blue eyes. He stood in the same manner that James did, he was a pureblood. "James Potter." He stuck his hand out.

"Sirius." The boy stated.

"It's nice to meet you." James didn't miss the fact that the boy purposely left his last name out. He was named after a constellation, however, so he had to be a Black. "Have you picked a trunk, yet?"

"Yes, I got the biggest, lightest one they have." He smiled brilliantly, "All the better for my pranking equipment." He added quietly, grinning at James.

"That. Is. Fant-"

"Have you two found bags, yet?" Lee interrupted, coming around the corner.

"Not yet." They replied in unison.

"Considering you both got our biggest trunk model, I would recommend the bag over here." He said steering them to the end of the wall. "These are my favorites. They cannot be ripped, they can hold almost anything you want to put in them, they won't stain, and they also are feather weighted like your trunks. They have several compartments, so you can stay extremely organized and you can only open it or 'accio' things from it if you are the owner. You sign your name on the tag and it is bound to you. We can also charm it whatever color or colors you want

"We will take them." They said together after looking at each other, clearly thinking the same thing.