Alessander James Sinclaire-Black had never been so nervous before in his entire life. He was about to enter one of the most revered places in the history of almost forever. Diagon Alley. He'd been upset, at first, at having to go to Britain to go to Hogwarts for his second year, but it was better than Durmstrang. And now, here he stood, in the back court of the Leaky Cauldron, about to go get his school supplies.
"Alex, remember what I told you."
"I know, Mother. No backstory. I understand."
"Of course you do."
With a deep breath, Cassi tapped on the correct brick to give them access to the famed Alley.
Several hours, and several stores, later, the pair were sitting outside an ice cream parlor, eating large double scoops of ice cream, chocolate fudge for Alex and strawberry and vanilla for Cassi. She suddenly stopped eating when a young boy, only a little older than Alex himself, entered and sat at a table. The boy had messy, jet-black hair and green eyes, and Alex had to wonder what had his mother all in a tizzy.
The boy seemed to be a regular here, as the owner came out to discuss History of Magic with him. Alex's curiosity was piqued. Once the owner left, on the pretense of throwing away some napkins, he walked by the boy. His head was bent over a long scroll of parchment. He stopped and outright stared for a moment until the boy looked up.
Harry was feeling a little anxious. First, the pretty blond woman was staring at him. That was nothing new. But instead of awe, she seemed terrified and anxious at the same time. Then, the boy who was sitting with her was standing in front of him, staring. Harry could feel his eyes on the back of his neck.
He glanced up at the boy. He was the kind of boy Harry wished he was. He was tall, already taller than Harry, even though he appeared to be a little bit younger. He had finely sculpted features and wide gray eyes. His dark hair was swept across his forehead and out of his eyes. Which were still staring.
"What do you want?" Harry snapped.
The boy smirked, then stuck out his hand.
"Alessander Sinclaire."
Harry stared at the boy's hand. It was thin, and pale, and seemingly unthreatening, but you could never be sure. He eyed it warily. The boy sighed.
"This is the part when you shake my hand, tell me your name, and make a comment about Hogwarts."
Harry blinked owlishly at the boy.
"And if I don't?"
"Then I will walk away from here assuming you're rude. And believe you me, it's a bad idea to make such a reputation."
"Well, I think I will go with the trend, in that case. My name is Harry potter."
Alessander's eyes flashed.
"Potter? As in, James Potter?"
Harry stared.
"How do you know my dad's name?"
This boy, this Alessander, smirked again.
"You'd have to talk to my mother about that one." Alessander pointed to the pretty blond woman. Doubts instantly sprung into Harry's head. Had this woman really known his father? He decided to take a chance. He nodded to Alessander, who led him over to where the woman was sitting. She stared at him the entire way.
"Hello."
"Hello, Harry."
"How do you know my name?"
"I've known you for quite a while, actually. I was there when you were born, but I haven't seen you since you were only a year old."
Harry stared at her incredulously.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
The woman smiled.
"You don't. But I can prove it."
With that, she reached into her purse and extracted a small, leather wallet. She opened it and gulped. She flipped through the pages until she found the one she wanted. She handed it to Harry.
Harry stared. Smiling back from him, eyes bright, was a couple he recognized as his parents. The woman was standing next to Lily, holding in her arms a tiny baby Harry. The man he knew to be his father had an arm slung around the blond woman, grinning at the camera. They looked so happy. Harry could feel tears well up in his eyes.
"Is this real?"
"Yes, it is," Alessander cut in here. "Magical photos can't be forged."
Harry nodded and gulped, staring at his parents.
"Harry, my name is Cassi, Cassi Sinclaire, and I was one of your parents' best friends."