Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. All rights go to our Goddess J. K. Rowling

August 29, 1991

William woke up to soft sheets, and sunlight filtering through the window. He slowly sat up, as what seemed like every muscle in his body was screaming at him. He looked around at the large hall he had woken up in. The windows were tall, with large white curtains. There were many beds just like the one he was currently sat in. There was even a privacy curtain for each bed. Judging from the look of the place, William assumed he was in a medical ward of some sort. He moved the sheets off of him as he sat on the side of the bed, and looked down in shock. He was so small! In fact, he hadn't been this small since he was about 11.

"Oh my, you are awake!" An elderly woman in a nurse's uniform bumbled from a small office at the end of the hall that William had missed.

"Let me have a look at you" she said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm--" He blinked in surprise. Even his voice was that of a child. Well, thought William, perhaps that was to be expected. "I'm a little thirsty. Where am I?"

The woman smiled gently. "You are in my ward, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Madam Pomfrey. What is your name, dear?"

William swallowed. This is Hogwarts? He looked up at Madam Pomfrey and realised that she was waiting for a response. "My name is William, er… Brown. William Brown."

Madam Pomfrey handed him a glass of water. "Well Mr. Brown, I think you are ready to leave my ward. The Headmaster should be here any moment."

As she spoke, Dumbledore stepped through a large set of doors on the other side, followed by a stern looking woman in long black robes. "Oh good," he said quietly. "You are awake."

Madam Pomfrey softly spoke to the pair for a few minutes while William stared at them. They looked exactly like they were in the books, which meant… the stern looking woman could only be Professor McGonagall.

As if she had heard his thoughts, the woman stepped forward. "Hello Mr Brown, I am Professor McGonagall. Do you recall what happened to you?"

William knew that he couldn't tell them the truth; he wasn't even from this world! "I… I can't remember…" He felt guilty at the lie, but if it kept him safe, he would stand by it.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. "Very well, follow me then. While we decide where to send you, you shall study here at Hogwarts. We are going to collect your supplies from Diagon Alley."

She took William to her office, a sparsely decorated room, mainly consisting of a desk, chair and fireplace. It was the fireplace she led him to, and turned to William. "I want you to remember, these flames will not burn you while we take the floo." With that, she drew some powder out of a small dish on the fireplace and threw it into the flames, saying, "Leaky Cauldron!" As the flames turned green, she stepped into them and disappeared in a burst of flame. William copied her, finding himself in an old bar in London.

Professor McGonagall took him to the back of the Leaky Cauldron to a brick wall, where she tapped several bricks with her wand. William watched in fascination as they moved out of the way, quickly forming a doorway. He had read it in the books, but man… seeing for yourself was something else.

There seemed to be a shop for just about anything magic related. There was Madam Malkin's robes, Ollivander's wands, Flourish Blotts, and so many more. William could have sworn Professor McGonagall smiled at his reaction to the wondrous place, but when he turned to look she was as straight faced as ever.

She led him to a large white building at the corner of an intersection. It was huge, made of marble with burnished steel lettering on the front spelling: GRINGOTTS. William openly gaped at the goblins, as the books didn't do them justice. They were small, roughly his size, but stunted. Their fingers had nails that were almost claws, their noses were long, hooked and crooked. Their faces were twisted with disguised cruelty and beady black eyes peered out from under their thick eyebrows. Professor McGonagall strode up to a goblin at a high desk, who glared at her. There was a nameplate on his desk that read 'Drombar'.

"Vault 718, for the Hogwarts Welfare." She said curtly.

The goblin growled, "Do you have the key?"

Professor McGonagall drew it from a pocket somewhere in her robes. Grombar all but snatched it out of her fingers, saying "Follow me.". William decided that he didn't like goblins, but from what he had seen, he didn't want to get on their bad side either. They followed the goblin through a large steel door into a tunnel made of dark grey stones. This part looked ancient, and William had no idea how old it really was. The tunnel ended in a cavern with a set of rails that twisted and curved throughout the maze that no-one could hope to navigate. They all got into the cart attached to the rails, and it leapt forward, seemingly without command. The cart took them at dizzying speeds through a labyrinth, and William could have sworn he saw a dragon. He was about to ask, but the professor looked a little green. They arrived at the vault, a great door made of unknown metals set into the bedrock. Grombar produced the small golden key, and stroked the door lovingly. The metal seemed to melt away at his touch, revealing a small keyhole. The goblin put the key in the hole, and let go. The door all but swallowed the key, and then released it again. Grombar took the key and returned it to the Professor. The door made a groaning noise, before sliding open soundlessly. Inside was a large pile of Galleons, gleaming in the faint light of the lamp attached to the cart. Professor McGonagall took a small sack and collected a small portion of the gold in the vault.

"My business is concluded." She told the goblin.

The trip back was just a fast, and soon they were back outside again. The professor looked down at William and said, "Now for your supplies. First we shall go to Madam Malkin's." She gestured at the street. "This way."