[A/N: I'm publishing thsi chapter to see if anyone is interested in it. I'm sorry its short and rather uneventful. I'll get better I promise! feedback much appreciated!]

The streets of Diagon Alley were crowded with the usual hustle and bustle of the late weeks of August. Excited children buzzed through the streets, excited to buy their first wand or owl, as their parents followed, most only just coming to the realisation of how fast their infants had grown into young witches and wizards
Alfred Jones was among these excited children. However, his parents had not quite the same thoughts running through their minds as the others did. The Joneses were still struggling to believe that the past week had been reality. Before last Friday they had considered magic to be pure fiction, if you had mention Hogwarts to them they would have thought you were referring to some rare disease. But now they found themselves bewildered on a street full of people dressed in robes, carrying broomsticks and owls and all sorts of strange things that the Joneses had never even imagined could exist.
"Mom!" Mrs Jones and her husband followed the sound of their over excited son as he sprinted to yet another appealing window display, "can i have a broomstick! Please mom! It would be so awesome!" The young boy had his nose pressed up against the window pane in awe, as he watched the broom hover.
Mrs Jones checked the long list in her hand, "that's not on the list Alfred, " she shook her head, "maybe next year?" Mrs Jones was a woman who liked rules, she had been given a list of everything her son needed for his year at school, and though most of it sounded like nonsense to her; she would follow it to the letter. All the books she had read on parenting insisted that she not spoil her child, and so Alfred would have what was necessary and nothing more.
"aww but mom...please!" Alfred peeled his face from the glass and pouted up at her. "I'll let you have a go too." He put on his best, most convincing puppy dog face, but to no avail.
"I said no, Alfred."

Arthur felt deserted, and though he would never admit it; a little scared. That stupid Bonnefoy had supposed to have been staying with him, but it looked like he'd been dropped for someone more interesting. Again.
Now he didn't know where to look, Francis and his friends could be just about anywhere by now. He supposed he might as well carry on, he had all the money he needed, the only issue was getting the attention of shop clerks, just because he was shorter than average that was no reason to ignore him for goodness sake!
Arthur turned a corner and approached madam Malkin's. The robes were the last thing on his list.
The bell on the door rang out quietly as he pushed it open.

Arthur was having his robes fitted when the other boy entered the shop. Malkin had made his take his jumper off, much to his displeasure, and he was getting his revenge by being as awkward a model as could be.
The tape measure was pulled particularly tight as Arthur hunched his shoulders in an attempt to be difficult. But both looked up as the bell above the door rang and Alfred Jones and his parents walked in. Malkin smiled and promised to be with them in a few moments. Arthur ceased his struggling and eyed the other boy suspiciously. He was about the same age, give or take a few months; a pair slightly wonky glasses sat on his nose, drawing attention to the deep sky blue eyes behind them. Alfred's mother knelt down and licked her finger, applying it to the young boy's face, trying to clean a patch of dirt from the bridge of his nose. Alfred squirmed and protested, fiddling with the hem of his threadbare jumper.
Arthur couldn't help but be a little jealous as he watched. His own parents hadn't even bothered to come with him today, they had instead sent him off with Francis and his family, whom they knew full well Arthur despised.
"Mr Kirkland...are you listening to me?" a voice cut through what Arthur had thought had been silence. He found he'd been lost in thought, gawping somewhat at the other boy by the door. "you're quite finished with, your robes will be with you by owl."
Arthur thanked her as politely as he could muster and took his jumper from the chair beside him, pulling it over his head as quickly as he could, ever conscious that he was being watched by the other boy.

Alfred in fact was not watching Arthur at all, he was gazing beyond him, at the fabulous cloaks and robes on display, he had never seen clothes so strange and exciting before. He didn't notice that there was another boy with him until he heard the bell behind him ring and as he turned he saw the back of a sandy head of hair dash away across the street.