"No one has yet realised the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure."

-Emma Goldman


If someone had asked Remus Lupin what he thought the very first time he'd visited Diagon Alley, he'd have probably just blurted out 'Magic!'

If someone had asked him what he thought of Diagon Alley without being such a cliché, he would instead have taken a moment to drink in the atmosphere, before eventually fixing them with a growing smile and saying, "One word?"

"One word," John Lupin replied grinning down at him.

Remus closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, "Supercali-fragilistic-expialidocious."

"You know," chuckled his father as they stepped away from the brick wall that separated Diagon Alley from The Leaky Cauldron, "You're very lucky I watched those Muggle films with you and your Mother, otherwise I might have been tempted to just say 'bless you' and ask you again. What's that one, The Sound of Music?"

"No John dear, it's Mary Poppins," Marie murmured. It seemed her reply had been purely instinctive as she, like Remus was now staring down the bustling cobbled street with a look of wonder spread across her face.

"Ah, now that Mary Poppins really was magic. The undetectable extension charm she had on that bag was very well placed indeed..."

John Lupin trailed off; quickly realising his family were no longer fully listening to a word he was saying. Their attention diverted to the busy street in front of them.

Scores of flamboyantly dressed witches and wizards wandered freely throughout the street, which was alive with positive energy.

Pleasant smells wafted up from various stalls and stands, peals of laughter and happy chatter echoed through the alleyway and the sunlight refracted off the shop fronts casting extraordinary colours and patterns along the cobbles.

For Remus in particular it was like a sensory overload, not that he was complaining in this instance. It was fantastic!

The three stood for a while at the very entrance to Diagon Alley, Mother and child marvelling at the scene unfolding before their eyes and John Lupin taking a blissful moment to watch his wife and son be completely worry free.

Eventually he broke the silence, "Come on then, we've got a lot of stuff to get."

Remus looked up at his father, a rare truly happy smile painted on his face. "Where to first?"

The older man looked down at the battered watch on his right wrist, "I make it 11 o'clock, so I reckon we could either get Flourish & Blotts done before lunch, or alternatively we could save it for last. I know how long you're going to want to peruse the shelves," he laughed. "This is your day Remus, it's really up to you."

Remus thought for a moment, deliberating whether to save the best until last or be indulgent for a change and dive straight into the towering book shop.

It seemed in the end, Remus was too set in his ways. "I'd like to save Flourish & Blotts until last please."

His mother nodded appreciatively, it was clear where the boy had inherited his love of books. "Would any one mind going into that shop over there then?" She asked pointing towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "I've been dying to see if you wizards make clothing any differently to how we do," she added smiling at Remus.

Remus linked hands with his mother and she gave his a friendly squeeze before they both trotted off after her husband into the busy throng. The three walked a short way down the cobbled road, falling into step behind a very well dressed, dark haired family of four.

They watched the man and woman enter the shop accompanied by their two children and were right about to follow them inside until Marie spotted a charmed mannequin in the window wearing a lovely set of dress robes. She just had to stop and take a look.

Remus also took a moment to peer into the window, but unlike his mother he was confronted by his own reflection rather than the ability to see straight through the clear glass onto the display behind. He extracted his hand slowly from his mothers and raised it to his face, tracing the two thin raised lines running diagonally from his left eyebrow to the right corner of his mouth; a gift from the latest full moon.

Averting her gaze from the silken gown, Marie Lupin reached down and again took Remus' hand in her own. She used her free hand to sweep his long fringe away from his eyes. "Honestly Remus, it's hardly noticeable, please don't fret dear."

"Yes son, if we see anyone I know, I'm sure we can think of something to tell them," his father added with a tired smile that lacked it's usual conviction. Although, so did most conversations that involved Remus' illness.

Remus nodded once, and tried hard not to catch his reflection in the window again as Mr Lupin pushed open the wooden door, allowing them to enter.

The room was surprisingly large in comparison to its tall, narrow and exceedingly crooked exterior. There were two small podiums surrounded by multiple pin cushions, measuring tapes and various scraps of coloured fabric towards the back of the room.

One wall was entirely covered by rolls of fabrics, ranging from the traditional black, through to navy and mauve, and right up to the most glittering golds and sparkling silvers. There were even fabrics that seemed to change colour depending on which angle you were viewing them from.

The far side of the shop however attracted Remus' attention the most. Standing in front of who Remus assumed was Madam Malkin - a middle aged witch with greying brown hair swept up in a loose bun - were the family who had entered the shop before them.

One of the boys was standing slightly to one side and watched them enter; he surveyed them with steady grey eyes but quickly looked away from the three Lupin's when his mother's voice which was increasing in pitch and volume reached it's crescendo.

It seemed the highly strung woman was in the middle of a heated discussion with the robe fitter and Remus caught the tail end of a sentence along the lines of: "How can you still be magicking them to affiliate with a house after the sorting! This is preposterous, I will most certainly be taking my custom elsewhere you filthy..."

He exchanged wide eyed looks with his mother and father before they once again diverted their attention back to the ongoing feud before them.

The three stood awkwardly for a few moments more, until with a mighty "Harrumph" the woman stormed past them and out onto the street, but not before looking down her nose at Remus and casting him a very bitter glare.

He gulped and sidestepped the large, domineering man and two other males that were following closely in her wake.

One very ruffled Madam Malkin rushed forwards after them, closing the door firmly on the heel of the oldest boy. "I'm ever so sorry about that!" She gushed. "Some people have no manners."

She shook her head and sighed, a few strands of hair coming free from its fastening. "I can assure you we offer a very high standard of robe here and any questions or concerns you have will be answered to the best of my ability."

"No doubt of it Madam," John Lupin smiled politely, "My son here is in need of some school robes."

The plump woman nodded and her small mouth turned up at the corners, "Well let's see what we can do for you then, first year if I'm correct?"

Remus' father's large hand squeezed his shoulder in encouragement and Remus changed his brief nod into a hoarse "Yes."

She beckoned him over to one of the two podiums situated near the back of the room and offered Remus a friendly hand as he stepped onto it.

The woman collected a pin cushion and a tape measure, placing the former next to where the boy was now stood a foot above everyone else and started to extend the latter. "Oh blast," she muttered. "This is the wrong one, please excuse me for a moment while I go into the back and get my new measure."

John Lupin, who had been patrolling the edges of the room with his hands in his pockets attempting to look nonchalant, slipped past the silk curtain after the witch leaving his wife to engage their son with idle chit chat.

He approached Madam Malkin slowly in the back room, not wishing to appear rude or intimidating especially seeing as he'd snuck into a 'staff only' section of the shop.

He coughed gently into his hand, "Excuse me, I'm ever so sorry for following you back here but I have something I wish to ask you... privately."

The witch who had been somewhat startled by Mr Lupin's sudden appearance in the back of her shop, calmed quickly as she listened to his dilemma.

"I'm sorry Mr Lupin, but I just can't do discounts; what you see on the ticket is what you pay and that rule applies to all my customers I'm afraid. The best I can do is let you take a look at the second hand robes. They're quite a bit cheaper than our new robes, and I'm sure after they've been adjusted you would be able to make them look almost as good as new."

The man listened as she talked and searched for her missing tape measure, wishing that his son didn't have to have second hand school robes.

The alternative she presented him with was really the only option he had, and he hoped that Madam Malkin's second hand robes were still good quality like the rest of her clothing.

He thanked her nonetheless and they re-entered the main room. "Oh, could do the fitting without making it too apparent that the robes are second hand? The last thing I want is for Remus to start fretting about money."

She nodded solemnly, "Of course."

Thirty minutes later, after trying on only a few different robes and having them altered by magic at a very quick and precise rate indeed, Remus was one step closer to getting to Hogwarts.

Thankfully, with everything in the clothing department being second hand, the Lupin's were not too out of pocket. John knew this particular investment was the only one that would leave him with any kind of financial leeway.

There was no way of procuring second hand course books without it being obvious not only to Remus, but to his school mates when term kicked off; there was also no such thing as a second hand cauldron, and being the only wizard in Remus' immediate family meant there was no wand to possibly pass down.

Overall they were pleased with the quality of the robes; one looked as though it had never been worn; one had a small stain on the left cuff - which unfortunately couldn't be removed by magic, but Marie was determined to try and scrub it off the Muggle way. And the last was in pretty good condition if only a bit more grey than black, but that could (hopefully) be rectified by some of Mrs Lupin's dying skills.

It was nearing 12 o'clock when they bid farewell to Madam Malkin laden with their clothing purchases.

"Potage's and the Potion's stuff next?" asked Remus' father. "Then a spot of lunch, followed by Ollivander's and Flourish & Blott's?"

Remus' stomach clenched at the thought of Ollivander's. He couldn't work out if it was a feeling of nervousness or excitement, but he agreed enthusiastically to his Father's plan either way.

After some more shopping and a bite to eat back at The Leaky Cauldron, John, Marie and Remus were enjoying a pleasant stroll down to the south side of Diagon Alley and towards Ollivander's. The sun was high in the sky on this summer's day, and the street was even more crowded than it had been two hours earlier, a feat which at the time had seemed impossible.

Remus was glad he had opted to wear a long sleeved shirt underneath his slightly baggy woollen jumper as it meant he could take the top layer off without exposing any of the scratches and nicks that covered his arms. He slid one of the shopping bags onto the crook of his elbow and wrapped his patchy jumper around his waist.

The cobbles leading to this particular area of the alley were well worn. Remus could practically hear his soft footfalls echoing in the steps of hundreds of young witches and wizards before him. He wondered however, as he and his parents neared their destination, if any of them had been quite like him.

He doubted it. The more he thought about it in fact, the more he wondered if Werewolves were even allowed wands.

Remus tried to think logically about the situation, Professor McGonagall wouldn't have come to his house five months ago to tell him he was allowed to go to Hogwarts if he couldn't even get a wand.

But no matter how easy it was to create rational and sensible conclusions to every possible dilemma he created in his head, he still couldn't shake the niggling feeling of self doubt that seemed to creep inside of him when he wasn't looking.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a loud "Whoop!" and raucous laughter. "Hahahaha did you see what happened with that first one dad! Mr Ollivander looked so shocked. I swear I didn't mean for it to happen!"

They boy making all the noise was exiting Ollivander's and brandishing a thin strip of wood in his right hand.

The older couple exiting behind him were shaking their heads, although not in a disapproving manner, more in quiet amusement. Although the woman did let out a slightly alarmed shout when the boy's wand started issuing sparks from its tip.

"James! Be careful where you're waving that thing! I don't want you taking someone's eye out, you've only had it five minutes!"

"Hahaha sorry Mum, it's just so... cool!" The boy sprinted a short way down the road flourishing his wand only slightly less enthusiastically than before, almost tripping over his own or possibly John Lupin's feet as he went.

The elder couple strode down the street after him, the man offering Remus' father an eye roll and a hearty "Sorry about that, you know what they get like this time of the year!"

Mr Lupin snorted and nodded appreciatively, "Ready to go and get yours Remus?"

He didn't wait for a reply - which likely would've been an audible gulp and brief dip of Remus' head - and instead held the door open once again for his wife and son, inviting them into the shadowy shop.

The two adults hung back near the doorway, ushering Remus gently towards the elderly man with white hair a few feet in front of them. Remus plucked up his courage and approached Mr Ollivander who was eyeing him from the other side of the counter.

"Um, hello," Remus offered quietly.

"Good afternoon my boy," the man countered with a slight quirk of his eyebrow.

"I erm, I'm starting Hogwarts this year... so would you be able to um, match me with a wand? Please."

The elder wand maker, who had been watching him speculatively from the behind the counter clapped his hands together suddenly – causing Remus to start. "Marvellous my boy, marvellous, put so eloquently. A very nice request indeed, let us see what we can do shall we?

"You are, I assume," he furthered as he beckoned Remus closer to the desk, "right handed?"

Remus nodded dumbly.

"Then please present me with your wand arm."

Remus extended his arm so that it was perpendicular to his body. In return Mr Ollivander leaned precariously over his desk and snapped out his tape measure. The rule reached from Remus' armpit and down to the tips of his fingers, before the man took it back for inspection.

"Just as I thought," he murmured to himself, "A nice length."

Then as an afterthought he added, "Or maybe slightly longer," before stalking into the bowels of his shop where the dust was thick and the wand boxes towered higher than anywhere else.

He returned a few minutes later arms laden with boxes. "I feel you may be trickier than my previous customer, but nonetheless your wand is in here somewhere. I know it."

He presented Remus with his first wand, offering a brief description of its core, wood and length. The boy took it in his hand and held it there.

"Well go on then!" Ollivander encouraged. "Give it a wave!"

Remus blinked a few times then gave the wand a small swish back and forth. Nothing.

"No matter," said the wand maker, "Try this one."

This process continued in a similar fashion for at least five more wands. Some, like the first had absolutely no effect while others had a somewhat more forceful effect that resulted in a smashed vase and a small avalanche of wand boxes from somewhere over Mr Ollivander's shoulder.

Remus was starting to lose hope, half tempted to just refuse the seventh wand and let his self doubt swallow him whole.

Of course Remus had not been brought up to be a rude child and accepted yet another wand. This one, according to the older wizard was 14 inches, willow and unicorn hair. The wood was a light tan at the tip, tapering into a deeper, richer brown further up the wand until it met its conclusion in a gently dappled globe at the end.

This one felt different. This one felt like an old friend. A friend that wouldn't judge him because of what he was. A friend that he could always rely on no matter what.

Remus felt the warmth from the wood spread from his finger tips all the way through his body. The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood up, and a shiver ran through him. This was a welcome shiver though, not one to do with the cold but one due to anticipation and excitement.

Ollivander also seemed to sense something special with this wand. He surveyed Remus from above his finger tips, which he had brought to rest just under his nose in a gesture of contemplation.

He inclined his head towards the young boy, inviting him to give the wand a flourish just as he had with a previous six. Remus waved it in the general vicinity of the wand maker's desk, and was pleased to see after it issued a gentle stream of blue sparks, that the vase he had previously smashed by accident repaired itself.

A timid smile started to spread across Remus' face and his usually tired eyes seemed to come alive. He was starting to feel like he really did belong in the wizarding world.

"Nicely done my boy!" Ollivander applauded, his hands coming together for a second time during Remus' visit to the shop.

Remus let out a long breath that he didn't even know he had been holding and before he knew it his mother and father had come up behind him.

As he handed the wand back to Mr Ollivander to be boxed and wrapped, his mother leaned down to whisper fondly in his ear, "Now that really was magic!"

John Lupin engaged in friendly conversation with the older man as they prepared to leave the shop. It seemed that the wand maker really did remember every wand he'd ever sold and was pleased to see that his Father's wand was still in good condition despite the many years that had passed since he had bought it.

They exited the store with gracious thank you's and broad smiles and spent the journey back up the alley reminiscing about the events that had happened mere moments ago.

Remus of course did not indulge with his parents that he had started to panic after his third wand try and instead shared in their delight as they discussed his rather humorous mishaps and ultimately his triumph.

The newfound happiness that burned inside Remus escalated when he entered the immense bookshop. It smelled wonderful, and if there was one thing Remus liked more than the smell of chocolate, it was the smell of a good book.

The queue was unsurprisingly long, as this was the main place for all Hogwarts students to buy their books. Remus quickly excused himself to go and explore the many different shelves and ledges that surrounded him.

He was browsing through all the tomes on offer for at least 25 minutes before he realised he should probably venture back to the main section of the shop where his parents were waiting.

On his return journey Remus wasn't paying full attention to where he was walking and accidentally knocked into a short chubby boy who promptly dropped the book he was carrying onto Remus' foot.

They both stumbled out fast and earnest apologies and Remus stooped to pick up the boy's book, handing it to him carefully. "Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," he mumbled.

"Sorry for dropping it on you," squeaked the round boy, and then like that he was gone - lost in the tumultuous mass that crowded the inside of the book shop.

He met up with his parents again a few moments later, and was pleased to find they were now nearing the front of the line. He stood with them for the rest of the queue, discussing eagerly all the different genres and types of books he had encountered on his scout around the shop.

They left 10 minutes later, Remus heavily laden with several texts for his upcoming year at Hogwarts and John Lupin's wallet feeling considerably lighter.

He shook his head. It was inevitable, there was no way they could have come out on this trip without finding their savings somewhat dented.

Mr Lupin thought of the reason why his wallet was not as full as it had been this morning and realised that he had absolutely no qualms with it at all. His son was being given a chance at a normal childhood and John wanted that for him whatever the cost.

So instead of frowning when he found his pockets almost empty, he smiled. Clutching the last remaining sickles of the day's spending money, he turned to his wife and son and with an uncommon care free smirk said, "Florean Fortescue's is just up ahead, who wants an ice cream?"


Two more to go until we hit Hogwarts, I hope everyone has had a good time so far! Recognise any familiar faces? James Potter next.