A/N: Thanks for the review, HP 4eva! And now for the third chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own the HP series. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 3

Blare POV

On the train ride, Mr. and Mrs. Cline sat in the front row, right behind the driver, and me, Mason, and Mason's brother(who was awfully quiet, by the way) sat in the seat behind them. Apparently, our first destination was Diagon Alley, whatever that was. Mason had told me that it would be where I would get all my school supplies.

When the train finally stopped, I looked out the window to see a bunch of people, and immediately wondered if they were wizards. When we got off, we began walking down a long path, making sharp turns. The Clines seemed to be arguing while they passed a map back and forth between each other. Suddenly the hushed voices stopped and Mrs. Cline called, "Kids? Do you all have the list of supplies you'll need?"

Mason nodded, and I reached in my pocket and pulled out the envelope that contained my acceptance letter. I pulled out the list that said:

"HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for daywear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' 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 an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS"

"Are there really that many wizard shops?" I asked Mr. Cline.

"Of course," he said with a smile. We passed a bunch of stores, which really didn't look all that magical, if you ask me. But then I noticed something. People would scan the signs above the shops and read what it said. But when we came to a grimy-looking pub, their eyes would just skip over it.

"Why aren't they looking at that place?" I asked while pointing in the general direction.

"Because that's a wizard pub," Mr. Cline said matter-of-factly, "You wouldn't want the muggles to know that a wizard pub is right next door to their favorite shoe store, now would you?"

"I guess not." We kept walking. Finally we came to a large brick wall, and Mr. Cline seemed to be counting the bricks. He put up an arm, securing us from the wall, and pulled out a wand, of which he tapped a brick 3 times. Suddenly a small hole appeared that eventually became larger and larger. I could see a cobblestone street that had many sharp turns, lined with shops.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," said Mr. Cline. The shop closest to us was filled with cauldrons of all kinds. But we walked into a bank called 'Gringotts' instead. "Your parent have already made you an account here at Gringotts. Best security system in the world," Mr. Cline told me, with a dark glint in his eye. I decided to keep my mouth shut and just accept the money from what appeared to be a goblin. We walked out of the bank and into the cauldron shop.

"I need a pewter cauldron, standard size two," I told the shop owner when we got into the store.

"First year, are you?" he asked me.

"Yup." He walked down the aisles with signs above them saying things like 'Brass, sizes 1-3', until we finally got to an aisle that said 'Pewter, sizes 1-3'.

"Take your pick," said the man.

They all looked the same to me, so I picked the first one I laid eyes on. Mason, however, seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of each one.

His parents sighed. "We'll meet you at the register, Mason," they said. We payed for the cauldrons and then headed over to get our books for school at a place called Flourish and Blotts. It was a pretty cool place, actually, considering all it sold was spell boks of every kind. One thing to know about me is that I love books. We got our text books and then went to get our school uniforms.

"Hogwarts?" the lady asked us. We nodded, and she said, "Step right up so we can fit you. Mason started to take a step forward, but the woman said, "Uh-uh. Lady's first." She smiled at me.

With an apologetic look back at Mason, I followed her until she gestured me onto a footstool and began pinning the robe. Another witch came over and started doing the same to Mason. The witches worked fast, and I don't think three minutes had gone by before they were done. We paid and walked out of the store. I won't bother giving you the details of all the other stores, because they're really not that important. That is, until we got to the wand store. Wands, according to Mr. Cline, are very important objects and need to fit your personality in order for them to work properly.

The store was called 'Ollivander's' and it was magnificent. It had that ancient feel to it. Anyway, after we walked into the store, Ollivander came up to me and asked me which arm was my writing one. I said my right arm, and he began taking all different kinds of measurements, some not even on my arm. I also was starting to realize that the measuring tape was doing the measurements all by itself. After it was done, he took a look at me and said, "Holly and unicorn hair, 7 and a half inches, whippy."

I didn't know what to do with the wand, but as soon as it was in my hand, Ollivander took it out and said, "No, that's not it. Here, try this one- willow and dragon heartstring, 12 and a quarter inches. Quite springy." As I placed it into my hand and raised my arm, red and gold sparks shot out of the end like fireworks.

"Yes! Finally, an easy customer. Now for you young man," Mr. Ollivander said, gesturing at Mason. Mason went through eight wands before Ollivander finally found the right one for him. In the end, he got a holly and veela hair, 16 inches. It was nice and supple. "Now, are you sure you want that wand? Veela hair tends to get extremely temperamental." When Mason nodded, Ollivander added, "And don't go telling anyone that I sell wands with Veela hair. If anyone asks, it has phoenix feather. Got it?"

Mason nodded again and we walked out the door and into a cab that took us to the gates of Hogwarts.