The strange man shook hands with Alex who smiled back at him. Lupin started the conversation with a wolfish smile. "So you finally developed an appetite for magical wine?"
"Not really, Both of my kids got their letters. I am here to get their supplies from Diagon Ally!" Alex remarked with a casual smile.
Remus blinked at hearing this. Of course this day was going to arrive. He just couldn't believe how time flew. He took a good look at the boys, The one with the glasses looked almost like James. It must be Harry. Another one shared a strike resemblance with Lily's father. He should be Alex's son. The Marauder flashed a bright grin. Appearing strangely elated about the whole ordeal.
"Matt, Harry. This is Remus Lupin. He was a very good friend of my sister. You can call him Uncle Lupin!" Alex said with a casual smile.
"Nice to meet you, Mr Lupin" Matt was the first to break silence. Albeit with a bit of awkward smile.
"Same here kid. You look a lot like your Grandfather!" Remus flashed a gentle smile at the youngest Evans, "It was a shame your father didn't become a Wizard, Lily used to talk so much about him that we started to feel he was living with us in the school. James and me feared we might fall in love with him instead!" He added with s chuckle.
"That's not funny, Remus!" Alex retorted in a stern tone
"Loosen up Alexander! You can't stay uptight all the time!" Remus let out a sigh. Alex just rolled his eyes in irritation.
"Umm... Mr Lupin, Did you really know my Mum and Dad? " Harry asked out with curiosity and interest. He had always wanted to know about his parents. Uncle Alex showed him a lot of pictures and shared a lot of stories with him. But there was always something that was lacking. Perhaps now that he was actually part of the wizarding world, He might be able to know how their lives were as Wizards.
"Yes, Harry. They were the greatest Wizards I ever knew and the best friends I could ever ask for!" Remus remarked with a fond smile. He ruffed the boy's jet black hair. Causing him to smile a bit. Matt looked around the pub. There wasn't any door from which they could go to other places. Their questions were seemingly answered when Remus too much happy to assist them pointed his wand towards the wall. Both kids looked in awe and shock as the wall magically opened revealing the gateway into Diagon Alley
"No matter how many times I will see that, It will always take my breath away!" Alex chuckled
"Ah! You have seen a lot before Alexander!" Remus patted the eldest Evans on his shoulders
"He did?" Harry dumbfounded
"Well there is this place called Hogsmade, But I think you kids will get to see it more than me!" Alex remarked in a casual tone, "Anyways kids I have a surgery lined up in four hours so we should hurry up."
Four of them quickly went inside the Diagon Alley.
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It was going to take some time for the boys to believe that they were inside. The most popular destination in Britain for all your magical needs. As they walked around Matt could see his father being slightly vague about the Remus guy. It wasn't something which could be easily spotted considering how they were chatting cheerfully. But his father's grip around him had tightened on him. Harry was busy talking to him as if he had known the man for years. The shops were quite a spectacle considering it was somesort of magical super market. It truly was a glorious day. While Remus took Harry with him for buying his supplies. Alex headed straight for the Gringotts. Which was quite easy to spot. As they walked Matt saw the crowd of children standing near a broom called Nimbus 2000. His father explained that magical brooms can fly and it had always been the subject of fascination amongst kids here. Quickly they walked into the building filled with white marble. It was quiet, very much actually. And Matt find it very creepy.
The inside of the bank was very cold. As if someone had turned on their air-conditioning on absolute zero. Matt took a look at the beings which reminded him of imp or gremlin. And all of them were sitting high on stools, constantly writing with their quills. He gulped for once after the one sitting around the door bowed at him.
"Are we inside Lord of Rings or something like it?" Matt whispered to his father.
"They are beings called Goblins. They handle the banking in Wizarding world!" Alex replied as much as he knew from many years ago in the past. He came with his father a couple of times and had to fill up several forms whenever they were for a deposit or a withdrawal. He connected the account with his own account back in non magical world. He always had an idea Harry will become a Wizard thus he will need access to the Galleons. As soon as they reached a counter, It was the same old creature who had been sitting there for years. Perhaps it was another person but most of them seemed similar to him. The creature named Griphook instantly recognized him, Creeping the hell out of father son duo.
"It's been ten years, Mr Evans!" The Goblin greeted gruffly, "I still remember the day your father came here to open an account"
Matt gulped, This was sorta creepy. Alex felt the same way but considering how he was an adult, He decided to put up a brave face.
"Yes, I am here to withdraw some amount for my son and nephew's magical education!" He responded as much casually as he could fathom.
"Hmm...you need to sign a few release documents first!" The Goblin retorted with a frown, Going back to writing.
"But why? Isn't this my account?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Mr Evans. Lily E Potter and James Potter made a significant deposit in your account. It is written as the trust fund for their son and nephew's magical education!" The Goblin responded,. Handing over an envelope to him.
Alex dumbfounded, Freezing in shock. How did Lily know his son was going to become a Wizard? That was insane. And why did she leave a combined trust fund in their name to cover all the expenses of education in Wizarding world? Alex could easily afford it. His father easily handled Lily being a Wizard and him being a medical student. While he was in a much more favorable condition then him. Did Lily and James know they were going to die? He would never have the answer. He would never know why James Potter entrusted him with such huge amount of money? Quickly he began scribbling into the parchment. The goblin did not seem to care for the occasional ink blotches, clearly used to Muggle parents' incompetence in basic calligraphy, a trade destroyed by the inventions of these pens a Muggleborn employee might occasionally try and introduce in their system.
Quickly he was handed over a bag filled with Galleons. Spending a few extra so he didn't need à
or taking pictures with him like he was Tom Cruise or something like that. He wanted to ask this for a while but he also didn't want to offend his cousin in any way.
"They made him into a symbol, Son. It's not really unheard to make a martyr out of someone. My sister and her husband were murdered by the same entity who gave Harry that scar. We don't know the mechanics of magical world and how the spells work or what could have actually happened at that night but I don't think your cousin is any different than you!" Alex remarked with a smile
"So he is a celebrity here because his survival marked the defeat of that Psycho!" Matt raised an eyebrow
"Yes, In a way you are right. But you shouldn't let this affect your relationship with him. Both of you are equally amazing. So make sure to never let something like jealousy or rivalry affect your relationship. I have seen Petunia and Lily drifting apart and it was a terrible experience. Look, Matt if you want to learn magic, Give it your best. Keep working harder if you fail but don't ever blame others for your mistakes. And be a sport, Make a lot of friends. Break a few hearts and live an exotic life that your father didn't get to live!" Alex ruffed his son's hair. Matt smiled brightly at his father and responded with a nod.
And just like that, The Duo exited the Gringotts and started moving towards the shops for buying all the necessary items.
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As both boys returned from the Diagon Alley, They were loaded down with bags and oddly shaped packages. Harry had gotten a snowy white owl while Matt's was more yellow-ish in color. Matt thought it was too huge for his liking and was more scary then being cute in a pet like way. Meanwhile Harry just thought Matt was being a drama queen and Alex was forced to intervene when both boys pretty much mistook the wands as Jedi lightsabers for their brawl. Both boys went through their basic syllable, Which was pretty awesome by the way. Remus had gotten Harry a few extra. Such as "Basic Spells used in Wizarding Households", "1001 hexes , Jinxes and curses", "Basic and advanced wand movement" etc. Matt on the other hand got a few books from Moony as well. "Quidditch through the Ages", " Simple yet most effective Protection Charms", "Hundred easy spells to make your life better."
Both of them decided to combine their entire collection so each one of them gets the chance to learn everything.
A parent's love was supposed to be unconditional. Even though their precious son was a wizard. Aunt Liz wouldn't find it in her to despise Matt or she had no desire of doing so. The whole ordeal might have shocked her to the core but she went back to normal after some time. However Matt sometimes found her glaring at Harry , Looking away while his father or him was watching.. Overall she remained tight-lipped during the entire event. Perhaps she wasn't particularly fond of Harry after all this but she knew how to hide it well. As instructed by Alex, Matt was considerate enough to not discuss about anything unusual infront of his mother. Harry was quite excited as well but he too was pretty good at keeping things under wraps. He found his parents discussing and arguing behind locked doors .
That made him worry a bit. As far as him was concerned his parents were the ideal couple. They never had a disagreement. They never had a fight. But in his father's own words, No relationship in this world was perfect. They just needs proper efforts and time to flourish. Matt distracted himself with learning about magic as much as he could. While it did occupy most of his time, There was this feeling inside his head which told him nothing was going to stay the same after Hogwarts.
But that was just him being paranoid, Right?
...xxxxxx...xxxxxxxx...XxxxxxxxxX... ..
A little over a month later, Alex was loading Harry and Matt's trunks inside his car. Matt was feeling a little bit over the cloud nine, It was pretty exciting to go to a place where he can learn real magic. That was sorta cool. Harry was feeling pretty much same. Also he had managed to figure out how to turn matchstick into a needle. Matt was still having a little bit trouble with it. However, He managed to master a few simple cleaning charms. Both of them were also working on the good old illumination spell Lumos, Matt got it pretty much hands down but he wanted to take it over the next level. Harry was doing pretty well on his own too. While Harry seemed more gifted when it came to magic, Matt was more passionate and dedicated towards getting "Superpowers"
Matt briefly glanced at his mother who stiffly stood near the door, Waving them goodbye with an artificial smile over her face. It felt slightly awkward. She gave him a bone crushing goodbye hug, Filled with emotions and concern. Making him promise to write letters every weekend. Meanwhile Harry got an awkward pat on his shoulder. It felt as if his mother felt slightly repulsed by him. And a goodbye kiss on the forehead as Alex gave her a look. Matt let out a sigh, His mother had habit of jumping over the conclusions but she always came around in the end.
As far as Matt could see, His mother not only knew about magic but she was somewhat scared of it. Her fear didn't extend to Matt though. But Harry in particular scared her a bit. Perhaps she knew about the all Boy Who Lived stuff. Or she was just scared of Supernatural in general. He had seen her snapping at Harry out of nowhere. Whether it was for not finishing his breakfast, Or for not cleaning his room properly. She would always step back eventually after some verbal lashing. It left Harry a bit upset and a little bit angry. It would eventually reach his father and another argument would break out. It never became too serious but seeing his Mom and Dad fight wasn't cool. Now that he was finally off to Hogwarts, He hoped things would be okay the next time he came back.
Elizabeth Evans still refused to come with them. Especially when she learned she had to get past a transparent wall. So Matt sat in the front while Harry took the back seat. Quickly they reached Kings Cross station. It was early morning and there wasn't much traffic to begin with. Within a few moments they were standing outside the Kings Cross. Alex loaded two different trollies and guided the children towards their destination. The platform between 9 and 10. It was more like platform nine and three quarters.
"Uncle, Platform nine and three quarters? Seriously...How do we reach this place?" Harry dumbfounded
"It's not as hard as you think!" Alex chuckled as he stood near a pillar between two platforms.
"What do you mean by that, Dad?" Matt spoke out of curiosity. Alex laughed a bit as he grabbed his son and gently pushed him inside the pillar. Harry's eyes widened as his cousin vanished through the pillar. As if he stepped inside some sort of portal which opened inside some other dimension.
"What...the...?" Before Harry could finish his sentence, Matt jumped back from inside the pillar. He had an excited grin over his face.
"Magic is awesome Dad!" He gave a thumbs up to his father and cousin. "The Platform is inside the Pillar cousin! "
"That's really cool, Just like Diagon Alley!" Harry fistbumped onto Matt.
"Alright boys! This is as far as I can go. Only a magical individual can cross this barrier." Alex remarked with a fond smile. He squeezed both children's shoulders as he continued in similar tone, " I am proud of you both, Boys. Have fun, learn a sport, Break some hearts and Matthew don't slack off!" He added while pulling his son's ears
"Dad!" Matt huffed in annoyance. His face was red due to embarrassment. Harry chuckled, Nudging him in the ribs.
"Ah, He won't change Uncle Alex!" Harry grinned only for Alex to grab his ears instead. He scolded him with a stern expression.
"And you Mister, Don't you ever think I have no idea about the pranks you pulled in your school!"
"Seriously Matt! You can't keep secrets, Can you?" Harry rolled his eyes in irritation.
"Shut up Doofus! I swear on Naruto and Goku, I didn't tell anyone anything!" Matt chided as he grabbed onto his trolly
"I don't believe you!" Harry pointed a finger towards him
"Oh, like that huh! Did you forget who introduced Stacy to you? The pretty blonde you wanted to talk for a long time. I still remember how you were all stuttering and fumbling like that. C-cousin! Can you introduce me to h-her? S-she is s-so pretty...like an angel!" Matt struck out his tongue playfully only for Harry to rudely poke him in the shoulder.
"That's a lie!" Harry flushed red in embarrassment.
And just like that, Two bickering cousins vanished through the platform nine and three quarters. Alex stood there thinking for a while.
Did he make the right choice by sending them to Hogwarts?
What if some followers of the dark lord were still around?
His sister had already been murdered in that world, Was that a wide decision to send the children there?
Alex walked away with a thoughtful expression over his face. It was Matt and Harry's destiny to be born with magic. They were destined to become a part of that exotic world. He couldn't do anything about it. Holding them back just because he was afraid was not the right thing to do. He had no right to hate magic just because he couldn't understand it. At this point the only thing he could do is pray for their safety and well-being and perhaps convince his wife to be more accepting of Wizarding world and his nephew.
Suddenly, His pager rang... breaking his train of thoughts. He quickly looked at the recently received message
"Surgery at 12 PM, Presence of Dr Evans requested!"
Alex let out a sigh. It was time to get back to work. He looked at the pillar between platform nine and ten before turning back and dashing towards his car.
"Stay Happy my boys and stay safe!"
So this is it. I was a bit tempted to do a Remus Harry scene but then I thought it would be too early for this. Harry is still a kid and Remus won't go in details about Sirius Black and stuff. And I didn't want to do a wand scene. I am really tired to see them repeated word by word. Anyways I would say Harry has his canon phoenix wand and Matt got a Unicorn hair wand. Over the next chapter, Should I stick with canon and make Harry a Gryffindor? Or should I go for Ravenclaw or Slytherin? Or I should put both cousins into Ravenclaw? Or the Gryffindor golden trio and Matthew's Hufflepuff Quartlet(Susan, Hannah, Ernie)?
Argh...too much options!
Guys, please read and review :)
