Disclaimer: If I was J.K. Rowling I'd been wearing my Micah silhouette shirt...But you see it says if and that means I'm not her and therefore do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: mclover here with chapter 3! Sorry it's a bit late...Remember, please R&R!

Chapter Three: Mother and Wife

Patrick knew that he was getting a little bit of special treatment from his friends even though they had agreed to just forget about his leaving at the end of the holidays. Ever since Kevin had told them, as he said he would, they tried to spend even more time together. It was as though they were trying to spend the amount of time with him that they would've gotten to in a year, in just a couple days. Edward had been a little cold towards him at first but had warmed up soon enough. He had realized that his anger wasn't going to sway Patrick's decision.

Though they played hard during the day and Patrick usually slept soundly, there was always a feeling of dread and anticipation in his stomach. Everyday he wondered whether or not he had made the right decision. Should he really be going? He barely ever talked to his father already but would his leaving completely tear apart the already fragile relationship that they had? Even though he had made the decision to leave based on the fact that going to a boarding school would lessen his time at home, he almost didn't want to leave now. Maybe their father-son relationship could still be salvaged...

He had been looking through the envelope that had arrived with his acceptance letter. There was a list of books he needed and other general items he needed to bring. He knew the only place to buy any of these items was Diagon Alley. He had been there a couple of times with his mother. Those memories were nothing more that whispered images. He was, in any case, certain that he could find The Leaky Cauldron.

oOoOoOo

It was the Saturday before term started and he needed to get his supplies soon. He would have to talk to his father about going to Diagon Alley.

"Um, father? Could I have some money to go buy my school things?" Patrick asked.

"Of course, son. When should we go?"

"We?" He wanted to come with him? Of course Patrick wouldn't stop him from coming, but this was strange. He hadn't thought that his father would want to come to a place that would remind him of his dead wife.

"Well term starts on Monday-"

"You left this rather late didn't you?" his father interrupted.

"Yes, so I was thinking maybe we could go now."

"All right, that's fine. But do you know how to get to…what was that place? Oh yes, Diagon Alley? I only went a couple times with you mother and that was many years ago."

"Yes, I know the way," Patrick said, walking back to his room.

The dread had left his stomach and had been replaced by pure anticipation and excitement. He was going to really be wizard. Of course he was- he was going to go and buy a magic wand!

oOoOoOo

The trip to Diagon Alley had been uneventful enough. They had driven in silence to where Patrick knew the muggle entrance was. His father had been unable to see the door to the Leaky Cauldron and Patrick had had to help him. After that they had entered the narrow alley way that was stuffed full of everything a wizard could possibly ever need.

Both Patrick and his father had been a little overwhelmed as memories of their mother and wife, respectively, washed over them. They had just stood there looking around for a minute, hastily blinking back tears starting to form. They made a silent agreement to not comment on that brief moment of weakness and started to go about their business with certain gusto.

Their first stop had been getting a cauldron. The shopkeeper had been very helpful as both Patrick and his father had been rather helpless. Neither knew exactly what they were supposed to get. The shopkeeper must've seen that they were rather unfamiliar with the magical world and was a great help. But when the topic of payment came up and the shopkeeper asked for galleons and sickles, both Patrick and his father realized their mistake. They had completely forgotten about the different currency. The shopkeeper told them that they should go to Gringott's first and exchange their money.

Both of them had followed the shopkeeper's directions and traveled to the bank. They had both also received a fright when they saw the goblins. After they had their money exchanged, they headed back to buy the cauldron.

Next they had bought robes for 'daily use' as the list said, and a cloak with silver fastenings. After that they had seen the wand shop. Patrick had loved that the most. A magic wand! The many times he had seen his mother use her wand to make things levitate, or fix a plate he had just dropped. Every time she had used it he had wanted one. A wand to him was the ability to make things happen so easily. His wand was twelve and a half inches long, made of willow, and had a unicorn hair as the core. Mr. Ollivander had said that it was a rather powerful wand and that Patrick was lucky to have it. He had also said that it was a good wand for charm work. Patrick wasn't completely sure what that meant, but he knew that it was a good thing.

As he entered Flourish and Blotts, Patrick thought his head would explode. While his father went to get the schoolbooks that he needed, Patrick, who loved to read, browsed through the store and picked up six extra books about everything from the documentation of all wizard history to the latest jinxes and spells. He would've gotten more but his father stopped him. Ladden with books, garments and all sorts of accessories, they went around getting the rest of him supplies until they ended up in front a store that had broomsticks in the front window. There were all sorts of styles, varying in grandeur. Why would there be brooms? And so lavishly displayed? He ran over to the shop and looked up at the store name. It said "Quality Quidditch Supplies" in large, bold letters. Quidditch…it sounded vaguely familiar. Then it started to come back to him. Images of people flying through the air and throwing a red ball or dodging a black one went through his mind. He remembered. His mother had taken him to a game once. She had been an avid fan but with a muggle husband and a child she had not been able to go as much as she would have liked. Patrick remembered some of the positions as well, though he wouldn't bet his life that he had them right. Chaser….Beater…Finder…and Goalkeeper? Well it was something to that effect. At least he could follow a game if he ever saw one again. Was there Quidditch at the school?

"Is there Quidditch at Hogwarts?" Patrick inadvertently blurted out. He turned around to see his father standing rigidly with a blank look on his face.

"Yes," his father said, choking a little on the word.

"Oh…Okay," Patrick replied with a weary look on his face.

His father's expression had become one of nostalgia. "She loved it so much. She played on her house team. Ravenclaw. Damn good at it too, according to what her friends told me! I told her she should keep playing after we got married but she left the Tornados. She said she wanted to have a family. So she settled down- had you. Then she got a j ob at the Ministry of Magic. But her love of the game never left her. She still went to games. Even I went a couple times. She took you once or twice too. God, I miss Quidditch."

But it wasn't Quidditch that he missed. It was his wife. One solitary tear had escaped and fell down his cheek. He seemed to become embarrassed because he quickly turned and walked away.

Patrick was almost trembling. That was the most he had head from his father's mouth in a long time. And he had spoken so much about his mother. Before all this, thinking of his mother had been…well he rarely thought about her. But now he was almost forced to even though he didn't want to. Those memories brought only pain. It would be easier to just shut them out. Slowly he turned away from the store and walked back to catch up with his father.

oOoOoOo

Everything was set. His trunk was packed with all his books, but not before he had read them. So much to learn! There was so much! He had also looked through the extra books that he had bought. It was all so interesting. Patrick had always loved to read and learn, but this was truly amazing. A whole new world for him to learn from had opened up. But really the books were only there to distract him from the quickly approaching Monday. It was the first time he would really be leaving his home. He knew he would miss Kevin and all the rest. It wasn't even as though he could write to them. The only person that he could write to was his father. But he didn't really want to write to him. Or did he? Now that he came around to it, there was the possibility that he might miss his father. Most likely not, but it was possible.