Disclaimer: I do not claim to any ideas, characters, or original plot created by J. K. Rowling. All ideas pertaining to the Harry Potter series are her original ideas, and all characters, ideas, and plot are hers as well. I take the creative liberty of expanding the ideas, but they are all purely hers.
Albus Potter and the Phoenix's Lament
Albus walked downstairs, smelling sausage and eggs. He smiled to himself and thought, how could life get any better?
As he walked into the kitchen, he noticed it was unusually quiet. The sausage was cooking on its own, and his parents….his parents were sitting at the kitchen table, staring at him.
"Er…." He mumbled. "Good morning?"
His parents gestured for him to join them, so he pulled up a chair and sat down. His father, Harry, smiled, and looked at his mother, Ginny. She tossed her luscious red hair and spoke in a comforting, yet excited voice.
"Al, we er, have something for you."
Al groaned.
"Mom, I don't need another dress robe! Seriously, I already have one from your cousin's wedding, and Uncle Ron gave me his old one. About that…I think its too big for me…why don't we give it to James?"
A voice spoke from behind them.
"Yea, over my Avada Kedavra'd body!" It was James, Albus's older, snotty brother.
Harry flinched.
"James, you will not use those words under my roof. Do you understand? Put that wand away! You know the rules! And Albus, those robes are quite large on you. James, you can have them."
James groaned, stole a sausage, and ran away, shouting,
"They've got your letter, that's the big surprise."
Albus's eyes widened, and glanced at his parents.
"Really? Oh Mum, Dad, PLEASE can I read it? PLEASE?"
Ginny laughed and handed over the thick, yellowish letter. The Hogwarts coat of arms was visible on the back, and green ink was on the front, saying,
Mr. A. Potter
The Third Largest Bedroom
347 Chival Court
Godric's Hollow
Albus's shaking hands traveled from the emerald ink to the seal on the back, opening it and pulling out the letter. He unfolded the letter, discarded the envelope, ad read aloud.
Hogwarts School
Of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Neville Longbottom
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Grand Hebologist)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Luna Lovegood
Luna Lovegood,
Deputy Headmistress, Charms Teacher, Head of Ravenclaw House
Albus closed the letter, almost shrieking with happiness. He decided to leave the supplies for later, but his father spoke.
"Albus, we thought you would want to visit Diagon Alley today. Is that ok?"
Albus nodded quickly, hugging his parents. Joy overwhelmed him, and he scooped up the envelope and its contents. He almost tripped running up the stairs. His mind was filled with wonders, and what the castle would look like.
THREE HOURS LATER
Harry grabbed onto James and Albus, preparing to apparate into Diagon Alley. Lily, Albus's younger sister, was thrashing around, trying to convince her mother to let her go.
"Sorry sweetie," she said. "Next year."
With that, Harry nodded goodbye, and they were gone with a loud, CRACK!
They appeared in the main alley, and Albus fumbled through his letter.
HOGWARTS
SCHOOL
of WHICHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year
students will require:
sets of plain work robes
(black)
plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
pair
of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
winter cloak
(black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's
clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All
students should have a copy of each of the following:
The
Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One
Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt
Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by
Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1
cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1
telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Albus immediately took off towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, seeing as it was the first item on his list. James and Harry laughed and shook their heads, but followed, as James needed a replacement robe for the one he had ripped the previous year. Twenty minutes later, they were all done, and Harry had transported the robes back home for name-labeling with a quick swish of his wand. Albus looked on enviously, and could not wait for the moment he got his wand. Albus wanted to get started on his list, but Harry had to make a trip to Gringotts.
Thirty minutes later, James and Albus came striding out of the bank, smiles on their faces and Harry carried a large sack full of Galleons and Sickles and Knuts. They next went to a haberdashery, a male accessories store, where Albus got a new hat and dragon hide gloves, and a winter cloak. After Harry sent James's and Albus's items home to Ginny for name-labeling, they walked into one of the most crowded stores, Flourish and Blotts. James knew exactly where to find all his schoolbooks, so Harry went off in search of a few of Albus's things.
Albus decided to find his Defense Against the Dark Arts book, so he walked deeper into the shop, passing all sorts of wondrous books and guides. There was How to Bewitch Your Parents: Beginners, The Official Love Potion Making Guide, and more. Soon, he found himself by a large sign saying:
The Dark Arts: Read at Your Own Risk
Must have Ministry Clearance Level 6 or Lower to Purchase Books
Albus shrugged, figuring his Defense Against the DARK ARTS book would be in this section, so he walked through, passing menacing looking covers and bone-chilling titles. One book in particular caught his eye:
Darkest Fights of the Age: Albus Dumbledore vs. Gellert Grindelwald, and even Harry Potter vs. Lord Voldemort
Albus's heart skipped a beat, and he pulled the book off of the shelf, examining the cover. MY dad fought Lord Voldemort? What? And is the Albus Dumbledore I'm named after?
He opened the book, and saw pictures of an epic duel between two elderly wizards, and then a painting of a teenage boy fighting an older, pale looking sorcerer. Could that really be….? Albus skimmed through more chapters until he saw the chapter entitled: The Path to Bring Down Voldemort
Albus skipped a few pages until he saw something interesting:
Dumbledore's Miraculous Discovery
In Potter's second year at Hogwarts, he entered the Chamber of Secrets, defeating the Monster of Slytherin, and retrieving a diary of Tom Riddle, the former past of Voldemort. When Potter destroyed this diary, Dumbledore realized the more sinister reality of the situation. It became clear to Dumbledore that Voldemort had been creating Horcruxes-
A rough hand slammed the book shut, and whirled Albus around. It was his father, looking more furious then Albus had ever seen.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU READING? ALBUS SEVERUS, YOU ARE IN THE DARK ARTS SECTION! I HAVE ALL YOUR BOOKS HERE!"
Albus looked down to see a large stack of books hovering in midair. He blushed and looked very embarrassed.
"Sorry, Dad, really, I didn't know…"
"Of course you didn't know!" Harry interjected. "You know nothing about the Dark Arts and I hope you NEVER will. Now come on, we're going somewhere else."
They left quickly, and entered the apothecary. Harry hurriedly bought all the vials and cauldrons needed, and then brought them to The Leaky Cauldron for lunch. The whole time, Harry was watching Albus carefully, as if trying to decipher just what Albus had read. Harry thought to himself,
Please; PLEASE don't let him have read that word. He's always been so curious about everything; he'll do anything to find out. He could get into serious trouble, plus I don't want him to know ANYTHING about that subject. Just, get him distracted by the aspect of going to school this year.
Albus ate quickly, ready to finish the last part of the shopping trip. His magic wand. He wanted it more than anything. James had everything he needed, so Harry gave him several Galleons, and permission to go wherever he wished. James smirked at Albus, and ran off, but Albus took no notice. He was too excited.
They entered Ollivander's Wand Shop, and an older witch greeted them.
"Hello, Mr. Potter, and you, Mr. Potter. My name is Orza Ollivander, granddaughter of the wizard who sold you your wand," she said, gesturing to Harry.
Harry smiled, and explained that Albus was a first year, and Orza grinned.
"Well, Mr. Albus, I'm positive we shall find a wand that wants you just as much as you want it. Of course, if you didn't know, the wand chooses the wizard."
Albus stepped forward, and Orza walked off, returning a few minutes later with about twenty boxes. One by one, Albus tried them all, as a self-operating tape measurer flew around him. One longer wand almost broke a window, when a shorter one was snatched out of his hand by the shopkeeper a second later.
At one point Albus thought he had found one, a 13 ½ inch fern, but Orza shook her head. Albus reluctantly handed it over, picking up the next wand. Orza let out a low, ooohh.
Albus looked up, and Orza nodded. Albus raised his eyebrows and swung the wand it the air, speaking the only spell his parents would agree to tell him.
"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"
The chairs across the room flew to the ceiling, and cracked, the broken splinters falling to the floor. Harry whooped, and Orza grinned.
"That' a nice wand you've got there," she advised. "Eleven and a half inches, maple, firm and solid. Excellent for transfiguration and charms. You'll do wonders with this wand. It seems to have taken a certain liking to you."
Albus did notice the unusual way it fit in his hand, unlike all the others he had tried. He waved the wand again, and it grew cold, water spurting out of the end, soaking Harry, and then it grew warm, bright flames shooting out. Harry ducked, and siphoned the water away, laughing. Albus nodded confidently. This is the wand, he thought.
After they bought the wand, Harry took Albus to the store James had gone to, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Albus loved this store, and rushed in, running straight through something cold and damp, then bumping into a person.
"Uncle Fred! Uncle George!" Albus exclaimed.
George smiled, and Fred swooped down towards him, grinning.
"Hey Albus. Wanna try some new Sore Throat InvisiPowder? Just pour a packet into someone's drink, and voila. Automatic sore threat. Great for pranks at home and school."
Albus laughed at the sight of his uncle's ghost cracking jokes, and glanced at his dad. Harry groaned.
"Oh no…"
Albus coughed.
"You gave him money!"
Harry gave in, handing Albus two handfuls of coins. Fred and George began bombarding Albus with ideas and merchandise, and Harry stood by the cashier, watching his sons visit their uncles.
An hour later, Harry literally dragged his sons out of the store, waving goodbye to his brothers-in-law, and held out his hand for change. James coughed and looked away, and Albus fished out two Knuts.
"Thanks Dad!" they laughed.
Harry chuckled, and apparated home.
Thanks for reading! If you have any ideas, please message me with any advice. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review: it really helps to improve my writing. Ok, the next thing that takes place is the epilogue found in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, so don't be confused if the next chapter skips over that scene. The next chapter will be the Hogwarts Express ride, and Albus's first visit to Hogwarts. Please review! Thanks.
P.S. I know it was a bit much to make Fred a ghost, but I felt it would be funny for him to want to carry on the business with his twin, even if he was dead. Sorry if it offends your memories of him….:(