Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions is a small cramped shop, robes hung from wooden made racks, black robes, and House robes, packs of name tags displayed in a small glass case. Hagrid couldn't fit in the shop even if he had tried, he, Hagrid decided against walking into the store.

"Mind if I get a pick-me-up at the Leaky Cauldron, boys? Yeh both be fine?" Hagrid looked at them both in the eye.

"YDes" they replied at the same time.

Hagrid took off towards The Leaky Cauldron. Harry and Ash stepped into the shop meeting the eye of a short squat woman.

"Why hello, ?" Madam Malkin said with a broad smile as Harry and Ash nodded. "I'm Madam Malkin: well, we'll have to fit you both separately as I have another boy fitting for his robes in the back." She said, as they followed her to the back of the shop. A thin, blond, boy with a pointed face had a second witch pinning up his robes.

"Go on, Harry, you can go first." Ash said.

"Cute little. Mouse?" Madam Malkin said staring at Pikachu who in turn was staring at her.

"Pikachu?"

Madam Malkin gave a start "It talks."

"Yeah, but only can say its name." Ash told her.

"Still pretty impressive." She said turning her attention to Harry her eyes flickered towards his forehead, her eyes widened, and then returned to normal. "Harry Potter. Oh come with me, boy!" She said excitedly. She led Harry to a stool as Ash and Pikachu stood at the spot for a second, then they started to look around at the robes.

"Fit him, please?" Madam Malkin said to a witch Harry hadn't noticed in the corner. The witch nodded her acknowledgement and went to fetch some black robes for Harry. She didn't take much time, as she was back within five minutes, draping the robes over Harry's shoulders. The blond boy standing on a stool next to him slightly turned his head towards Harry.

"Hello" The boy said. "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"My parents trusted me to be here on my own. My father went to fetch my books and my mother is up the street looking at wands for me." He said, the boy had a slow, nearly boring drawl about his voice.

"I want my own broom, therefore, I'll be dragging my parents to go look at racing brooms." The boy said.

"But they said first years aren't allowed their own brooms." Harry retorted.

"What makes you think I'm a first year?" The boy sneered.

"You wouldn't be fitted for robes, now, would you?" Harry said irritation building in his voice.

"Maybe I grew, you know, people grow."

"You must've been awfully small."

"I'll figure a way to smuggle in the broom once I get my parents to buy me one. Do you have a broom of your own? Have you played Quidditch?" The boy asked.

No. I don't even know what Quidditch is."

The boy scoffed at Harry's ignorance "Muggle raised?" the boy said snidely.

This boy remind Harry very much of Dudley, he didn't like him much. When Harry didn't respond to the boy's question, the boy swallowed hard with indignation.

"Raised by non-magic folk?"

"Yes. My aunt and uncle and nephew." Harry said.

"Do you know what House you're in?"

"No" Harry said almost too quiet to hear.

"I guess not too many people know. I do. I'll in Slytherin, all of my family was in Slytherin—Imagine being sorted in Hufflepuff—I'd just leave—wouldn't you? They'll chose me for the Quidditch House Team, my father says, it'll be a crime if they didn't pick me to play."

"Hmm" Harry shrugged, he wasn't quite sure how to respond to the boy's question.

"You're all done, boy." Said the witch, fitting him, everything had been pinned and hemmed without much of his acknowledgement.

"Fine. Then." The boy said in a cold drawl "I'll be off."

The boy broke into trot with his robes in hand, Ash who had been laying on his back listening to the conversation in the middle of the shop didn't notice the boy coming towards him nor did the boy see Ash laying down on the ground. The boy tripped over Ash and fell to the ground with a thud his nicely folded robes flying in front of him onto the ground a few feet away.

"OUCH!" Ash said as Pikachu came running back to him from somewhere in the shop.

"What the hell?! Why are you lying on the ground?" The boy's face contorted with anger. "Wait until my father hears about this! Tripping a Malfoy!"

"I'm." Ash stopped, pushing himself to his knees "I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming, I didn't mean to trip you." Ash's voice is calm.

"Are you a pureblood?" Malfoy asked immediately

"Well, I don't know, see I. . . I didn't know my dad. I don't know if he was a wizard or not. All I know is he tried to stop my mom from telling me I'm a wizard. She went to Hogwarts when she was my age, though." Ash said this quietly.

Somehow, Malfoy's expression softened, there was something about Ash he liked but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. By this time, Harry came in with his neatly folded robes in his arms looking on at the situation.

"Well, I'm Draco Malfoy." Malfoy said, putting out his hand to shake Ash's, Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder.

"What is that?" Draco asked.

"Oh. This." He took Pikachu off his shoulder, extending his arms towards Draco "Is Pikachu, my mouse. Hagrid told me I could take Pikachu to Hogwarts with me."

"Oh…well….Hogwarts too?"

"Yes. I'm Ash Ketchum, by the way." Ash had drawn Pikachu to his chest and let it climb back onto his shoulder. Ash saw Harry standing behind Draco in silence "And my friend Harry Potter." Ash pointed towards Harry.

"Harry Potter. The famous Harry Potter." He said in a near snide voice.

"Come on, boy. Your turn shall we get you fitted." Madam Malkin didn't pose this as a question more so a statement.

"Maybe I'll stick around a little to send you off properly, Ash." Draco says.

Harry didn't say much at all but Ash handed Pikachu to Harry as he passed by him for his fitting.

"Well, okay." Ash says as the witch that fitted Harry pushes him softly forward.

As soon as Ash had his back towards Harry, he went up to pay for his robes, taking the money out its bag he kept it in. He then sat with Pikachu against the wall waiting for Ash. The silence is strained in between Harry and Draco as Ash is being fitted for his robes.

The witch draped the robes over Ash's shoulders and started to pin up the robes on him at once. The fitting was silent, some magic had helped him the hem the robes to Ash's size. Everything was sewed up properly as he stood on the stool. Ash didn't know who long it had taken, but he was out and paying for his robes, when he heard Draco break silence. Ash had felt the tension in the room between Harry and Draco the second he had come completely into view of the two.

"Look at that man!" Draco exclaimed.

"Hagrid!" both Ash and Harry said at once.

Hagrid had three ice creams in his hand he's standing outside of Madam Malkin's looking in with a smile across his face.

"Hagrid works at Hogwarts" Harry told Draco

"Oh. I've heard of him. Isn't he some sort of servant or something?"

Harry's face contorted with disgust towards Draco, he was starting to like him less and less, he tried to figure out how Ash could get along with such a piece of work.

"He's the gamekeeper!" Harry says getting slightly red in the face. He walks over to Ash carefully placing Pikachu on his shoulder.

"I heard he's a savage, gets all drunk and all, tries to do magic, ends up sitting his bed afire. " Draco says.

"I think he's quite brilliant" Harry says

"Well, at least you have someone here with you. Even if it is that beast. Sorry about your parents." Draco didn't sound sorry at all. "They were kind, weren't they?"

"You're indicating if they were a witch and wizard, yes." Harry says.

"Good. I don't think they should let the others in. You know the Muggles. I think they should keep in with all the wizarding families." Draco says in his drawling bored voice.

Harry nor Ash said anything more to Draco, a soft tapping on the window and a jerk of the head from Hagrid had them go straight outside.

"See you both at Hogwarts!" Draco said after them.

Hagrid gave the boys their ice cream, both chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts, they found a table out on Diagon Alley.

"Hagrid, what's Quidditch?" Harry asks taking a lick of his ice cream.

"Yeah! I want to know too!"

"Blimey, I fergot the two of yeh's have missed much in the wizarding world. Well, it's sort of like soccer in the Muggle world. There's seven to a team on the pitch at a time, the pitch is where they play. There are two Beaters they have bats and hit these things called bludgers; they hurt if yeh get hit by one. Then there's three Chasers; they're the ones scoring goals in the three hops; worth ten points each. There's a Keep, they're the goalie, try to prevent the Quaffle, the ball that the Chasers score with doesn't go into either of the three there's the Seeker, they have to catch this winged golden ball called the Snitch. It's worth a hundred and fifty points. Once the Snitch is caught the game is o'ver. But the Seeker that catches the Snitch, they're team doesn't always win. See. It depends much on the Chasers have scored, how much goals the Keep blocked or didn't and how many times the Beaters prevented scoring from the opposing Chasers."

"Oh wow!" Harry said. "Oh wow!"'

"Yeah. Can't explain it anymore" Ash said

"Pikachu!"

By this time they had finished their ice cream and headed off.

"What are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.

"They're Houses. There's four, but everyone says Hufflepuffs are a lot o' duffers-"

"I hope I'm not sorted into Hufflepuff." Harry said gloomily

"Much better than Slytherin. Loads of bad witches and wizards came from Slytherin…much like You-Know-Who."
"Volde—Oh sorry, You-Know-Who went to Hogwarts?" Harry's endless questions continued as they walked down the street.

"Years an' Years ago." Hagrid said.

Ash seemed to be just fine without asking questions because Harry seemed to be imploring on the same questions as him and questions he hadn't even thought about. All the same, Ash was playing with Pikachu and listening to the conversation in between Hagrid and Harry with great interest. They approached the shop that Hagrid was taking them to next, a shop called Flourish and Blotts; once they walked inside they saw it was filled with books to what seemed like the brim. There were books as large as paving stones, ones dressed in silk the size of postage stamps. Even Dudley, who doesn't read, would have gone wild to have a book in his hand from here. Hagrid helped both the boys find their proper books, gathering a couple off the list on his own. He found Harry and Ash at the Curses and Counter Curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue Tying, and Much, Much More. By Vindictus Viridian.

"Viridian? His name is like this city I visited when I was on my journey." Ash gave a slight laugh, took Pikachu off of his shoulder, and pulled it close to his chest. Pikachu facing forward, had the usual smile, as happy as can be embraced in Ash's arms.

Hagrid nearly had to pull both boys away, grabbing the book from Harry and putting it in its place.

"I was trying to figure out how to curse Dudley" Harry says looking up at Hagrid.

"I'm not tryin' ter say that's not a good idea, but yeh're not allowed to use magic in the Muggle world, except under special circumstances. Anyway, yer wouldn't be able ter workout the curses yet. Need more study fer them"

As they headed out the shop Harry looked up at Hagrid, who seemed to not mind carrying the boys' school books

"Hagrid. There was this pale boy named Draco Malfoy in Madam Malkin's. He said something about not allowing Muggles into Hogwarts."

"Don' mind him." Hagrid started "I mean some Muggles are bad look at what yer Mom had fer a sister, but not all of them. Some can really do magic like any pureblood. Some may even do it better."

"Well, I didn't much like him, but Ash seemed to get along with him finer than I did." Harry says looking at Ash, who just gives a slight smile and shrugs, a struggling Pikachu trying to get free from his grip and jumping down to walk. Ash picks Pikachu back up at once, Pikachu jumps onto Ash's shoulder, sits down and crosses its arms.

"Too many people around, Pikachu, I don't want you to get lost or hurt! I'd be absolutely heartbroken if you did" Ash explains. At this, Pikachu eases up, Ash is looking Pikachu in the eye and Pikachu smiles at him.

Harry seemed set on a solid gold cauldron, which Hagrid refused to let him buy.

"It says pewter on yer list, Harry."

Hagrid helped the boys get a nice set of scales for weighting potion ingredients and a collapsible telescopes. They went to the Apothecary, which smelled strongly of bad eggs and rotten cabbages. *Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and powder lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, snarled claws hung from the ceiling.* (*exact words are credited to J.K. Rowling from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone) Hargid asked for basic potions, Harry nudged Ash to look at some silver unicorn horns at twenty one Galleons each, and glittery black beetle eyes, (five Knuts a scoop.)*

"All we got now is yer wand, boys. Oh and Harry yer birthday present. I already got Ash his."

"You don't have to" Harry said going red in the face.

"He insists." Ash says looking at Harry. "He gave me a book on the proper path to being a PokeMon trainer and master. I don't even know where he got it from and that it was even in existence."

"Time flies, it seems like yer were being picked up yesterday and jus' being in The Leaky Caludron and all, and me paying fer yer meals. Just this round, Sam would say. " Hagrid laughs.

Harry kept stammering, thanking Hagrid, sounding much like a man he had met inside The Leaky Caldron before Ash had come, a man in a turban, shaky, avoided his hand shake. Stuttering all the while, said he was Professor Quirriell, timid he was.

"Don' mention it, Harry. Yer know ,I'll get yer an animal…toads are out of fashion so not one of those; they be laughing at yer. Cats make me sneeze, I don't like 'em fer it, oh I'll get yer an owl. They're dead usesfu and everything."

The walked and walked finally walking into Eeylop's Owl Emporium, which had been dark, and filled with rustling, flicking jewel bright owls. Harry not carried a cage with a beautiful snowy owl, her head under her wing.*

A magic wand was what seemed to be, no not seemed to be, but was the most exciting thing on the list. The last shop was narrow and shabby, peeling gold letters over the door read: Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C. a single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the window.*

Much like Flourish and Blotts the shop was filled to the brim, but not with books with narrow skinny boxes holding wants. Harry and Ash's mouths agape, they stepped further into the shop.

"Well, hello boys, good afternoon." A soft voice said

Harry and Ash jumped, an old man came out of the shadows with a kind and soft smile about his face.

"Harry Potter. I knew I'd be seeing you soon. It seemed just like yesterday your mother was in here. Ten and a quarter inches, swishy and made of willow. Nice want for charm work.*"

Mr. Ollivander put his hand to Harry's scar then gently on his cheek, his tear ducts filled with tears, but did not fall down his face. Mr. Ollivander dropped his hand. "Harry Potter. You're a very lucky boy" he said.

"Well, thank you." Harry said awkwardly, not quite sure how to respond to it. "What was my mother like?"

Mr. Ollivander's soft silver moon like eyes lit up, a small across his face "Wonderful young lady she was, Harry, just an innocent girl. Seemed to be quite intelligent. From the second that wand landed in her hands I knew, perfect for Charms it was, she'd be destined to greatness. To succeed in Charms and probably even Potions. I felt as if she were like a daughter to me; the few minutes I knew her."

Harry and Ash looked at each other, Ash gave Harry a wan smile, one that Harry didn't return. Instead, Ash saw Harry's lip quiver a barely noticeable smile or was it a twitch? Spread over Harry's mouth. A strong pressure landed upon Harry's shoulder he looked up to see Hagrid smiling down at him.

"Well, Harry, I'm sorry for the delay. Truly I am. But I must set you up with your proper wand and then I'll get to this young man." Mr. Ollivander said looking at Ash Pikachu had its back legs on Ash's shoulder and hands set slightly below his collar bone staring at the entire lot. "But your scar…I sold the wand that did it. I sold it to….him. That wretched man I didn't know."

Mr. Ollivander took a wand from a shelf. "Though, Harry, your father's wand was eleven inches made of mahogany. Pliable. It had a bit more power, fantastic for transfiguration. Favored it he did…well, rather, the wand favored him. The wand choses its wizard the wizard does not chose his wand." As Mr. Ollivander took the wand to give it to Harry he fully acknowledged Hagrid. "Reubeus Hagrid! Oak sixteen inches, rather bendy, eh?"

"Yeah, well." Hagrid said slowly.

"I suppose they snapped it in half when you were expelled, did they not?" Mr. Ollivander's voice was suddenly stern

"Yes." Hagrid said quietly.

Mr. Ollivander had been holding the wand meant for Harry to try all the while.

"What is your wand hand, Harry?" Mr. Ollivander now had his attention fully to Harry.

"My what?" Harry asked

"Which hand do you write with?"

"Oh. My right hand."

Mr. Ollivander had set the wand back in its box on the plush cushion, he drew out a long tape measure.

"Hold out your right arm" Mr. Ollivander says this as he's gripping the tape measure with both hands. Harry does as he is told and stretches out his arm; Mr. Ollivander makes to measure his arm. Fingers to wrist, wrist to elbow, fingers to elbow, wrist to shoulder, elbow to shoulder, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit.

The wand that had been sitting on the counter, the one Mr. Ollivander and dragged out, he gave it to Harry but immediately grabbed it from his grip. A few more wands he tried, one threw off everything on the shelves. Finally, Harry was given a wand, this wand shed warmth through Harry's fingers and whole body; he brought up the wand above his head and gave it a swish. Red and gold sparks flew out of the tip of the wand. The thin layer of dust upon the shop lifted, as dancing light gave a show right in front of them. Mr. Ollivander clapped, Hagrid cheered and gave out a whoop, Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms.

"Oh! Such curiosity strikes!" Mr. Ollivander beamed down at Harry.

"Curiosity strikes?" Harry said.

"I remember every wand I sold, Mr. Potter. It's curious why you should be destined for this wand. It is the brother of the wand that gave you that scar."

Harry didn't say anything, he swallowed hard.

" We make wands with magical substance. Unicorn hair, Phoenix tail feather, and dragon heartstring. No two Ollivander's wands are alike. However, some do share some of the same magical substances. Like the one in which you hold right now. It just happens that your wand contains the same phoenix tail feather, whose feather was inside of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He did great things, as wretched of a man he was, he did great things but terrible all the same. Oh yes, thirteen in a half inches. After all the wand choose you"

A shiver had been sent down Harry's spine, he paid seven Galleons for it. Now Mr. Ollivander looked at Ash, who handed Pikachu over to Harry. Mr. Ollivander measured him with his tape measure the same exact way.

"What's your name, boy?" Mr. Ollivander asked, his back towards his customers, as he searched for a wand.

"Ash. Ash Ketchum." Ash said confidently.

Mr. Ollivander stopped his hands up in the air reaching for a wand he did not take down, he turned his head a little towards his customers, but then proceeded to take down a wand turning around and opening the box for Ash. His slivery eyes gave Ash a dreary look, Ash licked his lips feeling uneasy as Mr. Ollivander's silvery eyes bore into him.

"Is there something wrong?" Ash asked

"Oh no. no." Mr. Ollivander said. "Ketchum…" he said quietly.

"What?" Ash took the wand by he was handed, he raised it and gave it a flick, as he had seen Harry do so. The wand did….nothing. Mr. Ollivander took the wand away from Ash and placed it back in its box.

"Ever wonder why your mother couldn't tell you that you were a wizard, Ash?" Mr. Ollivander said as he put back the wand and reached for another one.

"Yes! Every day since I found out I was to attend Hogwarts." Ash said excitedly "Do you know why she couldn't tell me?"

"Ten inches with phoenix tail, this one made out of mahogany." Mr. Ollivander once again handed the wand to Ash who lifted it and gave it a swish. The wand shot out an orange light, gave an explosion and smoke wisped from its tip. Mr. Ollivander snatched it from Ash and placed it back in its box.

" Do you know? She said something about my dad" Ash pushed.

"Well….no. Your father…." Mr. Ollivander lied, he broke eye contact with Ash as he said this. Turned around and drew another wand from its shelf. "Dragon heart string made of Maplewood, nine in a half inches."

Ash took the wand, looked at Hagrid and Harry who just smiled at him, not saying a word. Ash gave it a flick, like Harry's the wand gave warmth through Ash's fingers and body it shot out red and gold sparks.

"Oh bravo!" Harry said.

"Pikachu! Pika! Pika! Chu!"

Mr. Ollivander took the wand from Ash and placed it in its box. Ash paid six Galleons and five Sickles for it. Pikachu jumped out of Harry's arms and onto Ash's shoulder, staring at the side of Ash's face. They left Mr. Ollivander's shop.

"Chu?"

"I don't know Pikachu. He seemed to know something. Hagrid, do you know why he didn't tell me anything?" Ash looked up at Hagrid now walking in between him and Harry.

"Don' know, Ash." He shrugged his massive shoulders. " There's time for a bite to eat before I send yer lot on the train."

Hagrid bought both Ash and Harry a burger and Ash was silent, apparently deep in thought about the trip to Ollivander's. Harry was quiet, he had told Hagrid he was famous, and didn't know if he could handle it.

"Just be yerself, Harry, yer'll be singled out but don' pay that too much mind, Harry. Yer learn real quick. Well, Harry, I'm sorry to say yer'll have to be going back to the Dursely's for the remaining month. Headmaster Dumbledore's orders. Ash, think yeh can spend some money to help me pay for yer room fer a month? Sorry yeh have to be in a small inn room."

"Sure." Ash said unenthusiastically, it seemed as if Ash wasn't really there.

Harry, Ash, and Hagrid set off to the train station and Hagrid helped Harry on the train with all of his new school stuff, everything had been stuffed in his truck they had bought somewhere along their trip Hagrid handed Harry an envelop

"Yer ticket for yer train at Kings Cross at Hogwarts."

Ash and Hagrid waved Harry good bye for now. They set back towards The Leaky Cauldron, they made sure Ash had the proper funds for his share of paying for his room for the month, paid Sam in advanced and Hagrid had set off.

"Well, I be headin off now, Ash. I'll come and check on yeh once in a while." Hagrid told Ash, as he had set his trunk with his school belongings at the foot of Ash's bed. Hagrid smiled at Ash opened the door walked through the threshold and gave one last look at Ash before closing the door.

Ash lay on his bed on his back thinking and wondering, unnecessarily racking his brains about why Mr. Ollivander wouldn't say anything about his wizard blood line. There was nothing about his mom and he had mentioned his father. What had his father done that was so bad, why did he prevent her from telling her only son that he was a wizard? Did Mr. Ollivander know these answers? If he did then why hadn't he told Ash? And if he couldn't say it in front of Hagrid or Harry, why hadn't he asked if he could be along with him a few minutes? Pikachu had been on the floor and then jumped up onto the bed and laid next to Ash looking at him.

"Pika?"

Ash didn't respond to Piakchu, he instead turned his back to it and lay on his side, his arm under his head. Pikachu's eyes filled with tears, it climbed onto Ash's side and laid down on Ash's side.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu said softly. Then Pikachu jumped down and laid against Ash's stomach, Ash gave a small pat to Pikachu but stared at the wall in front of him. Thoughts still raced through his head, he skipped dinner, and fell asleep unrestful to the very core. Piakchu slept against Ash's stomach.