- Chapter 2 -

S.C. Ruffey

Soon Edward was in the Magical Menagerie, staring at the owls through the gaps in their cages. He liked the fluffy grey one, but he liked the snowy-coloured little one too... At least he didn't have to take Hector to Hogwarts, the bad-tempered and old grey owl that Edward's mother had got when she started Hogwarts. Hector had been found lying very still and quiet at the bottom of his cage one morning. Edward's mother had cried for three days, but Edward was secretely glad that he didn't have to take Hector - who loathed travelling even more than dust in his water bowl - on the Hogwarts Express.

"You getting an owl?"

Edward looked beside him to see a very small girl dressed in purple with long brown hair, holding a grey and squirming rat in one of her hands. "Yes, I am," Edward replied.

"I've already got my pet," she grinned. "Meet Bobby."

Edward smiled. "Very nice."

"My name's Lady. What's yours?"

"Edward."

"Nice name...I had a choice of a cat or a rat. I chose Bobby here, though. I've never liked cats much, my Aunt Jemima's tried to bite my neck when I was six."

Edward laughed, then said, "I would've liked to get a cat, but Mum wanted me to get an owl. I would've had to take our old owl Hector, if he hadn't died over the summer. I didn't like him, he was always trying to peck my face off."

Lady giggled, then turned to Edward. "Can't you decide?"

"Well, I like them all..."

"That one's nice." Lady pointed to a brown owl with ruffled-looking feathers, who was flitting around his cage and making more noise than all the other owls put together. S.C. Ruffey was embossed on his cage in gold letters.

* * *

Before he knew it, Edward was standing in front of the counter holding S.C. Ruffey under his arm. The person behind the counter was clad in thick black robes and was wearing a hood which covered most of their (Edward couldn't tell whether they were male or female) face, leaving only their thin lips showing, and even they had the shadow of the hood cast over them. "Um...'scuse me..." mumbled Edward.

"Yes?" replied the assistant, who sounded male. He didn't move his head - Edward had a feeling that he had never been looking down.

"I need...to pay for...this."

The assistant took S.C. Ruffey wordlessly while Edward found a handful of Galleons in the pocket of his robes. Suddenly he noticed the assistant drawing his wand from under his robes.

"Wha- I mean - is there something wrong with him?"

"Just a slightly damaged wing tip," smirked the assistant. Muttering a spell under his breath, he tapped S.C. Ruffey's wing. S.C. Ruffey squawked and jerked on the counter.

"Is he - is he OK?"

"Perfectly, perfectly fine," answered the assistant, that malicious smirk playing on his pale lips again.

Edward stepped out of the Magical Menagerie, holding S.C. Ruffey in his cage. Edward couldn't help thinking that he looked a bit off-colour, but decided to push those thoughts aside for now.

"Edward? Edward? Oh, there you are!" Edward's mother pushed through the crowds in Diagon Alley. "You've got your owl? Oh, there we are - what's its - where are those twins?" Looking wildly around Diagon Alley, she suddenly saw a small boy with a crop of blond curls running towards them. "There's one of them, anyway..." she sighed, looking slightly more relieved. She turned round to scold him. "Bill, where's - "

"I'm Ben," interuppted Ben, grinning wildly, "and Bill's gone into the wand shop, and Mr Ollivander thinks he's eleven, and now he's trying out all the wands!" he added breathlessly.

"Oh my dear!" gasped their mother. "oh my dear...we'd better get over to Ollivander's as fast as we can...you come too, Edward!" She grasped her sons' hands and ran across to Ollivander's wand shop with them.

"BENJAMIN - I mean, WILLIAM BLUEHILL, YOU PUT THAT WAND DOWN RIGHT NOW!" yelled Mrs Bluehill. Edward hung back in the doorway while she bellowed across the shop. Bill dropped the wand he had been holding (Mr Ollivander quickly caught it before it hit the floor and snapped in two) and looked chastened, while Ben giggled at his twin. After scolding Bill, Mrs Bluehill marched over to Mr Ollivander and began apologising profusely ("Ever so sorry...honestly, they're a nightmare, those two...") while Edward looked at the wands on display. Every one looked different from the next; different sizes, colours, shapes...it was fascinating.

Once Mrs Bluehill had finished her rather long and extended apology, Mr Ollivander stepped over to Edward. "So, you're the one getting the wand, then?" he smiled, grasping Edward's hand and shaking it hard enough so Edward felt that it had come slightly loose. "Of course," he went on, "you'll have to try out lots of wands before you find one that's right. They're all made of different types of wood, obviously, and then they all have some kind of magical substances in its core - dragon heartstring, unicorn hair..." Edward daydreamed about his new wand while Mr Ollivander gave his commentary. It was only when Mr Ollivander thrust a wand into his hand that Edward paid attention. "Try this one. Oak, dragon heartstring, twelve inches." Edward took the wand and swished it around a bit, but there was no warmth, no inner glow that came from a truly good wand. Mr Ollivander took it from him. "No, that one isn't right...but the wand chooses the wizard, remember that...this one might be better. Beech, phoenix feather, eleven-and-a-half inches." But that wand still had no effect on Edward, who again waved the thin wand nervously through the musty air. "Not that one either...aha! How about this? Quite an odd wand, certainly - ash with Thestral hair, eleven and three-quarters - but it's worth a try."

It was third time lucky. The wand felt beautifully smooth, and felt - well, magical. It seemed to shimmer in Edward's hand. "Perfect!" cried Mr Ollivander.

When Edward had paid for the wand, he, his mother and the mischievous twins headed to Flourish and Blotts, the bookshop. "You'd better go off and get your books," Mrs Bluehill told him, "these two have been begging me to look in that Quidditch shop, they won't leave me alone...Meet us just outside in half an hour, won't you?"

"Yes, Mum," Edward nodded, wandering of into the mass of books. He browsed all the books, reluctantly putting down Quidditch through the Ages when he eventually decided to start looking for the books on his Hogwarts list. The Quidditch book had been reduced to just two Sickles because its dustjacket was torn...but Edward's last few Galleons were only just enough to pay for all his school books. As Edward gazed at the book longingly, a red-haired boy appeared beside him. "Wish I'd saved some of my birthday money now," he grinned, picking up the book and flicking through the pages. "I spent it all on a new broom - ruddy good one it is though, a Comet 290. It'll be nice to have something to show off about at Hogwarts, though."

"I love Quidditch," said Edward wistfully, spotting Charming for Beginners on the shelf and scooping it up."

"Don't we all? My name's James, by the way."

"Edward."

"Well - " James was interuppted by someone calling "James! Where on earth are you?"

"I'd better go," shrugged James. "See you at Hogwarts?"

"See you there."