Chapter one: An Unfamiliar face
The coruscating daybreak sun arouse behind the lush spinach green hills of the admirable Devon countryside. The sky was a faded baby blue, and the clouds were thin and vertically large with a serene lilac colour. It was noiseless, except for the cows softly chewing their grass, and a few chickens moseying along a skinny dirt path. As I glanced outside into the peaceful picture of early morning Puddlebrook, I noticed the frost from last night had now evolved into dew which meant the cold front had left, and the remains of my summer were going to be warm and full of glee. Since late July, a rare occurrence took action and these past weeks have been very glacial. Temperatures have reached as low as negative eight degrees Celsius, farmers have been in a crisis because crops would not grow, and swimming in the lake with my friends was not in the question, ice-skating either because, well let me say it flat out I don't like cold weather. Rose and I had a week before we go back to Hogwarts, and this is good that know normal summer temperatures will be occurring. Obviously I'm Hugo, because who else has a sister named Rose, that goes to Hogwarts, but I'm not going to take time out of an appealing story just to introduce myself? Exactly it is a complete waste of time, and I despise books, or stories that do that. Anyway enough of my description of a beautiful morning lets skip to breakfast, about three hours after the whole daybreak beauty scene.
Dad read the Daily Prophet at the table, while Mum was cooking Eggs and bacon it appeared, I never wake up this early, but I got kind of bored staring out into the world after twenty minutes. I couldn't go back to sleep either, I tried, but I couldn't. It took Mum and Dad a great deal of time to notice I was sitting right across from Dad, finally Mum spoke.
"Hugo you're up?" Mum and Dad exchanged looks as if I robbed a hardware store or something.
"Yeah, couldn't get back to sleep." I glanced over at the Daily Prophet with the heading reading Late Summer Warm up! My hypothesis was correct, the cold misery was over, and my last week of vacation would be perfect.
"Will you wake up Rose darling, breakfast is ready." Mum asked.
'Sure." I walked up the stairs and was getting ready to knock but her door was cracked, I pushed the door and Rose was reading quietly on her neatly made bed. Her room was immaculate! Not a paper was out a place, not a wood furniture undusted, nothing, it was perfect! How does she do it? Rose then took notice of me.
"My guess is breakfast is ready?"
"You guessed." I responded. Rose then put down her book gently on her bed, straightened out her blanket, and followed me downstairs to the kitchen.
Mum had organized our breakfast rather nicely on the breakfast table. The eggs were a delicious pale yellow colour, the bacon was cooked to the crisp, and just the way I liked it, next to the plate of bacon were diced morning potatoes, and soft puffy rolls, and to finish it up a freshly squeezed pitcher of orange juice stood between the potatoes and bacon. My mouth was watering I could not wait to stuff this delectable food into my mouth.
"Good morning Mum, good morning Dad." Rose kissed them both, then ruffled Dad's messy red hair.
All four of us sat down at the breakfast table grabbing our portions of food. Alas when all of our plates were full Dad began to speak.
"So it's going to warm up today. You and Hugo can actually go outside today without freezing to death." Dad then let out an awkward laugh, we all stared at him, he than became silent.
"Your father and I had decided you will be going school shopping today, to get it over with, and avoid the large crowd." Mum informed.
"But Mum every year we go shopping with the Potters, it is tradition." I complained.
"A Wotter family tradition." Rose completed.
You two do notice that every year when we do go shopping with them, we can barely move through the streets of Diagon Alley, it is inconvenient." Mum pointed out.
"But we actually have fun, school shopping without Lily is," I paused, "School shopping."
"We're going school shopping, end of discussion." Mum concluded. Rose and I then picked at our food quietly without a word for the rest of breakfast.
The streets of Diagon Alley were almost empty; there were merchants, and a few kids from school, that I never talked to, that was it.
"I need a cauldron, where do I get that?" I miserably questioned. Rose pointed to a black cauldron in the window seal.
"Oh.' I sighed in boredom. This was the worst, when I would school shop with Lily, it would be so much better. We'd discuss how creepy Professor Slugorn looks with that lazy eye, or how we would go to Weasleys' Wizard and Wheezes afterward and buy dungbombs. Not today though, I would buy this school stuff, and go home.
"I need a standard book of spells, which I have from last year. Okay Mum, Dad I've completed my task." Rose informed.
"Brilliant! Hugo?" Mum and Dad asked.
"I'm still looking for that book you need for Care of Magical creatures. What's it called?"
"Monster Book of Monsters." Rose answered.
"Yeah, that. Where can I find that?"
"Obscurus Books." How does she know all these things I thought? I then took notice to the map in her hand.
I walked into Obscurus's. Books were piled meters high, the wooden floors beneath me were old, and made noises. The old man tending the store looked like five minutes from death, and had blood shot eyes.
"Excuse me?" I whispered.
The old man was startled and nervously asked, "Yes, young man can I help you?"
"I need the book Monster Book of Monsters."
"Um yes, follow me." He walked rather fast pace for an old man over to the back corner of this building. He then pulled out a furry book with eyes, and teeth, and it made noises. "To open the book touch the spine."
"Thank you," before leaving the store a girl with golden blond hair, up to the waist, with narrow brown eyes, and freckles on her nose stopped in front of me.
"Hey Hugo, How have you been?" She had a Welsh accent, and seemed to be my around age.
"Hey..."
"Fallon. Fallon Stanley, remember last year, D.A.D.A? Potions? Charms?"
I pretended to remember, "Yeah hey Fallon good times."
"Yeah, we get to choose electives this year. So what are you doing?" She asked.
"Care of magical creatures," I held up the book, "and Muggle Studies."
"Wicked. I'm taking Care of magical creatures too, but instead of Muggle studies, I'm going to do Divination." She told
"Wicked." I mimicked.
"Yeah, well see you next week Hughie!" She then hugged me then ran off.
"Hughie? I wish I knew who that was." Before I could walk out of the door, she came back.
"Here" She handed me a necklace. With an arrangement of various shades of blue, but in the middle was silver medallion with an unfamiliar symbol in the middle. I examined it for a few seconds then responded, "Thanks Fallon, but what is this for?"
"Um, a symbol of our friendship, let's say." Fallon then smiled, and skipped away.
I put the necklace around my neck, and walked out of the store.
"Are you going to pay for that Sir?" The shaky old man asked.
"Oh sorry." I apologized. I looked back at Fallon walking toward the Broomstix, swearing I have never seen her in my entire life.
"Try again, to close to the shore." Rose sat on a large boulder reading a book written in Latin. We were at the lake I discussed earlier with a few other kids that lived in Puddlebrooke. I was skipping rocks and most of my rocks haven't even made it to the mi9ddle of the lake. Pretty pathetic actually.
"Why do this? I should skateboard." I pointed out.
"You're just saying that because you're giving up on rock skipping." Rose told.
"No." I denied. I then examined the area around us and spoke, " No one's rock skipping, people are skateboarding."
"No they are not." Rose fought, it was true nobody was.
"Well they should."
"How about you swim?" Rose suggested.
"No, things live in that pond." I murmured.
"Hugo, come on, beside Mum got rid of your skateboard anyway."
"What?" I exclaimed, how could mum do that, she knows I love skateboarding, it is my life, the air I breath. I started to trek back home.
"Where are you going?" Rose questioned.
"Home." I boomed. I continued to stomp down the dirt path leading to our house.
A kid that lives on our block named Zachary Longfellow turned to Rose suspicious of my little episode.
"Your Mum didn't throw out his skateboard did he?" He asked curious of the whole situation.
A sinister smile crept on Rose's face, " No. He was just annoying me with that complaining."
Zachary laughed along with Rose, but Rose suddenly stopped laughing, and notice the necklace Fallon gave me on the ground. It must have fell off my neck, I probably didn't tie it tight enough.
"What's this?" She whispered. Rose than lifted the necklace off of the ground, dusted the sand off of the medallion and squinted her eyes to try to interpret the symbol. Zachary looked over her shoulder.
"What is that?" He asked.
"I asked my self the same question." Rose admitted. Rose then dusted it one last time and slyly slipped the necklace into her pocket.