The next two days passed with Rowan in knots. He couldn't concentrate on anything, so he retreated outside to practice his soccer kicks. He had good aim, with both his arms and his feet, and told Todd about it whenever he could; Todd was fast and strong, but had poor accuracy.

Finally, the day came. Rowan didn't eat any breakfast, and spent an hour outside with their dog, Rayn. She was a beautiful chocolate lab who was getting on in years, and enjoyed just laying outside in the sun.

"If this is real, baby girl," Rowan muttered. "I won't see you for a few months. Can you imagine, living at your school? It'll be so weird."

Finally, his mother called him into the living room. Jenna, who was taking summer courses, wasn't going to come, but Todd and Leena were. Leena he wasn't too worried about; she was calm and didn't tease him a lot, but Todd…Rowan almost wished for Jenna.

They got into their car and drove in silence, Rowan looking at the buildings they passed. It wasn't too hot today, thank goodness, and people were out strolling, holding hands and laughing.

His father parked away from the pub, and they got out. But, it seemed only Rowan could actually see the building, so he led the way. A tall, slightly pudgy woman was standing in front, sweeping her eyes around, obviously looking for someone. She saw Rowan, and smiled.

"Rowan Dumas? Yes? And you must be Megan. I'm Natalia. It's good to meet you; you sounded lovely on the phone. Now, let's go inside the pub; you Muggles just follow me, okay?"

Richard looked a little miffed, but did as she asked. They didn't stop in the pub; they passed right through, to a wall in the back.

"A dead end?" Todd demanded. "Is this some sort of joke."

"No," Natalia said coolly. She took out a long, thin stick of wood-a wand-and tapped a few bricks. Instantly, they morphed, shifting away to reveal an archway.

Rowan caught his breath. This wasn't fake. This was real! He was a wizard! Beyond the arch, shops with odd things crowded together; owls in cages, plants he'd never seen, broomsticks and hats and all sorts of colorful things.

"Now, first things first," Natalia said briskly, leading them to an ice cream shop and seating them all at tables. "The letter wasn't all that specific. That's why I'm here. To explain things, and answer questions."

"First. Hogwarts is a boarding school. Rowan will stay there from September first to end of term. They can come home on Christmas and Easter breaks."

"How will we get in contact with him?" Megan asked worriedly.

"Well, normally, I'd suggest an owl. But, as you're Muggles, you might want to buy one for him and send return notes when he sends you letters. Now, he will have seven regular classes, as well as flying lessons once every few weeks. He cannot bring a broomstick to school unless he gets on the Quidditch team; if he does, we'll tell you, and you can arrange to have one bought here and sent."

"What about money?" Richard asked.

"Ah, yes. Rowan will need an account at Gringott's; we'll take care of that soon. Goblins run the bank; they'll give you and Rowan a key, so you can access the money. The money here is metal money: gold galleons, silver sickles, and Brass knuts. It's seventeen sickles to a galleon, and twenty-nine knuts to a sickle. I would advise that Rowan take some money to school with him, because sometimes they sell treats."

"And his supplies?" Megan asked.

"All of them can be bought here. This year will be the most expensive, because he's got to buy potions kits, a cauldron, brass scales and phials, and, most expensive, a wand. Do you have money problems?"

"No. We're very well off." Richard said.

"Good. Then this won't be a problem. Now, any other questions?"

"Not right now. We don't know enough."

"Right." Natalia rose, and they all followed her to a large white building. It looked like white chocolate, it was so white, but it was made of marble. Its doors were huge, and there was a poem Rowan instantly liked on the door.

Inside, it looked like a normal bank, except that, at the stations where humans normally sat, short, severe-looking creatures sat, quills in their sharp-nailed hands.

Natalia headed towards the left, where, surprisingly, a human sat. She took Richard up there, and the others hung back, staring in awe at the goblins. The intelligence glinting in their eyes shocked them.

After a few minutes, Natalia motioned Rowan forward. He came, and the human inspected him.

"Right, well, this is all in order. $2,000 from your account, yes, Mr. Dumas? Right, well, okay. Go and see Griphook, he'll set you right."

They followed Natalia again, this time over to a goblin, who looked up briefly, finished his ledger, and said,

"Yes?"

"We need to open an account, for Rowan Dumas, please."

The goblin murmured and called another goblin over, and said,

"You have the paperwork? Let me see it…$2,000 will be transferred into the vault as you go; it will be there when you go." He got two keys from below him, and handed them to Natalia. "Vault 303. Jalson will take you."

A goblin came over, looked, and said,

"Three only, please." Richard and Natalia decided that they were going to go; they followed the tiny creature to an odd cart, and Rowan realized that they were going to go on a roller coaster ride down into the lower levels.

It wasn't nearly as fun as Rowan thought it would be; the walls flying by, the occasional flashed of light, and the rocking of the cart made him nauseous and light-headed. He heard Natalia say something to his father about dragons being guardians, and curses on the vaults, but didn't pay attention. The cart stopped, and Rowan scrambled out frantically.

Natalia followed the little goblin over to a large, metal door. The goblin took the small golden key out of his pocket, moved aside a thick, metal circle, and opened the door. An audible click was loud, and the door swung open. The doors were huge, but the vault itself was not.

Inside it, resting at arm-level, was a large pile of gold, silver, and bronze coins. Natalia took out a medium-sized leather pouch and began stuffing coins in, handfuls at a time. When she stopped, took the key from the goblin and dropped it in, the goblin touched the door and closed it.

Natalia put the key in the pouch, tied it securely, and handed it to Rowan. It was rather heavy, so he stuck it in his jacket. Unfortunately, they got back into the cart, and Rowan held on for dear life as they passed more flame.

When they stumbled outside, all on shaky legs, their mother asked what happened. They all shook their heads, not well enough to answer yet. Then, Natalia asked,

"Rowan, you have your list? Let's see it, then."

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes

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

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings.)

One potions kit, complete with potions ingredients

Parchment, quills, and ink bottles.

Please note that all students' clothes should have 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 Beginners' 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.

"We can get all this here, but it'll probably take a couple of hours, at least." Natalia said. "We should probably start down at the end, so we can end up near the exit when we finish."

"May I have a look around?" Leena asked. "I'd rather see things on my own."

Natalia looked hard at her, until Richard said,

"I'll go with her. I'd like to have a look around, myself."

So, it was only Todd and his mother who went with them, down to the end. It wasn't that long of a walk, since Gringott's was right in the middle. They passed all sorts of shops, most of which he would need to go into.

That meant that the first place they would need to go was Ollivander's, a wand shop. It was rather dingy-looking, especially since Rowan was expecting something grand. It was rather dark inside, too, considering how bright and sunny it was outside. Only a single chair rested on the other side of the counter; behind it, hundreds of slim boxes were stacked on shelves.

"May I help you?" the soft voice floated through the darkness, making Rowan jump. They all turned to see a thin, reedy old man with pale, misty eyes come out from behind the stacks.

"We're here for a wand, Mr. Ollivander," Natalia said politely. Mr. Ollivander made a noise deep in his throat, looked at them, and said,

"Ah, yes, Miss Krycek. Yes, ten inches, rather stiff, wasn't it?"

Natalia blushed. "Yes, sir. With a phoenix feather core."

"Mm-hmm…now, I presume you need one, young man?" Mr. Ollivander nodded to Rowan, who nodded back.

"Let's see, then, shall we?" He disappeared into the stacks once again, and emerged with one of the boxes.

"Hazelwood. 10 ¼ inches, dragon's heartstring. Wave it." Rowan did, hesitantly, but Ollivander took it out of his hand immediately.

"No, no. Try this. Ebony, phoenix feather core, 12 inches." Once again, nothing happened. Ollivander retreated father back into the stacks, and came back out with two boxes. The first wand was made of mahogany, with a unicorn hair core, 9 ½ inches. That one didn't do anything for him.

The last one was cedar, 11 inches, with a unicorn hair core as well. The second he touched it, his stomach felt as if he'd gone over a small hill very fast, and he caught his breath. He waved it, and red and gold sparks flared instantly, fading from sight after a moment or two.

"Yes, I think so. A good wand for Charms, that one." Ollivander nodded again, smiling winningly. "Now, that'll be 7 galleons, please."

Seven? I wonder how much that is equal to in Muggle money. So he asked Natalia, once they'd left.

"Oh, about fifty-one dollars. But the books will be even more expensive, because you have to buy so many."

Was that expensive? Rowan couldn't tell. He looked at the other shops he passed-one was obviously a joke shop, another a second-hand robe shop, and still another animal shop. But they didn't do in, and passed Gringott's again.

Natalia led them to a robe shop, Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. It was a pretty shop, occupied by a motherly, thick-set woman who urged him to stand on a stool and hold his arms out. Measuring tapes flew to him and began to measure, and another witch began to pin his robes.

After ten minutes, Madam Malkin handed him a wrapped package. She also pointed to the gloves, which he tried on before buying. While Rowan paid the 6 galleons, 9 sickles that it cost, his mother asked all sorts of questions about Hogwarts, which Natalia answered, and then they left the shop, heading for the next one, which happened to be Flourish and Blott's.

Rowan had been eager to go there; he liked books, and wanted to explore that store a bit, before they left. He asked Natalia if he could, and she nodded and said she'd pick up his schoolbooks.

The shop looked much smaller than it actually was; there were two floors, and shelves covered every wall. The books were all different; some looked very old, some had pages coming out, some had titles in other languages, and some were even blank. The covers were paper, cardboard, silk, and even some kind of animal skin.

While he wandered, he came across a deep purple book called Richard the Lion-Heart, a book about King Richard, who he was doubly interested in. Another one, this one a royal blue, was blank; he picked up both, and kept wandering. A row full of green books caught his eye; the gold title, Quidditch Through The Ages, winked at him, and he pulled one out.

It was a very attractive green color, with a wide gold strip going crosswise across the middle. Resting on the strip was a golden circle. Inside it were two broomsticks crossing each other and four balls in between the spaces the brooms created. The ball in the top space had white wings.

This was the book Natalia had told him to buy. It wasn't big or heavy, but he enjoyed the color scheme a lot. He added that one, too, and went to the front, where Natalia was just placing all the books on the counter in front of a young shopkeeper. There was another book up there, a thick green one, and when he asked, Natalia told him it was Hogwarts,A History.

"That'll be all? Yes?" the shopkeeper looked at each book and said,

"That'll be 10 galleons, 15 sickles, please."

Rowan handed him the money, and Natalia gave Todd most of the books to carry, since they were rather heavy. Thankfully, they'd been given a bag, but still, their hands were getting rather full.

Right next door was a stationary shop. Natalia explained that the wizarding world didn't use Muggle paper and pens; instead, they used parchment, ink, and quills. So, they bought a rather large pack of parchment, a bundle of sharp quills, and several bottles of ink. Rowan noticed that some of the inks in the store changed colors, and some of the bottles had ink that was labeled 'invisible.' But Natalia said that his professors wouldn't accept any assignments written in such ink.

That cost them a total of 1 galleon, 5 sickles. Rowan worried about how he'd be able to write with quills; they were different from pens, and had to be dipped in ink every once in awhile. Plus, he couldn't write cursive at all; his writing was too messy, and he preferred to use print.

Beside that shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies shone. Its color scheme presented mostly gold, and the broomsticks in the window attracted a crowd. One read 'Firebolt' while another read 'Starshine'. He asked Natalia which was better.

"Well, honestly, they're about the same. The Firebolt is a little older; it came out maybe three years ago. The Starshine came out last year. They cost about the same, but were made by rival companies. You could get whichever you wanted, really, and it wouldn't make a difference. Except, of course, that the Starshine has the star on the handle."

Rowan nodded, saying, "I think I'd much prefer the Starshine. I dunno why…I just like it better."

"I would, too," Natalia said. "The Firebolt's great, but the Starshine…it has a different vibe. Now, we have to go to the Apothecary, and then the cauldron shop, and then we're done."

"Thank god," Rowan and Todd muttered at the same time. Rowan shot Todd a half smile, and Todd returned it. Rowan could remember, back when he was four or five, when he and Todd had never argued; his big brother could do no wrong, and Rowan had always clambered after him, always wanted to do what he did. But, as he got older, Rowan and Todd started fighting…it was just how things went with siblings, sometimes.

The last was the Apothecary, Slug and Jigger's. It had a horrid smell-rotted cabbages and bad eggs-but the inside was so interesting, he quickly forgot it. The wall was lined with bright powders, dried herbs, and jars of slimy, floating things. Rowan really liked the claws, feathers, and fangs hanging from the ceiling.

Natalia told him he could look around, so he did. He half-listened to her buy what she referred to as a 'potions kit' while he waded his way through people. Several things caught his eye: behind a glass case, a puddle of green goo rested…only the goo had a face, eyes, and was trying to bite the bottle it had come out of. It was rather cute, actually. The bottle read Bundimun Ooze. The thing he liked most, however, rested high atop a shelf, in a dark corner. A crescent moon-shaped bottle was tucked away, its silver white contents glowing like moon rays. The card in front of it read 'Moonseed Potion.'

But before he could ask about it, Natalia was handing him a heavy, medium-sized leather case and a thick package-the one containing the phials and telescope-and herding him out.

"That there cost 4 galleons, 9 sickles, since you seem to be keeping track."

Rowan blushed. He was just trying to make out how much this cost, and how it evened out into Muggle money. Natalia didn't notice his blush.

"That place always stinks! You'd think they'd have done something about it." Rowan almost asked about the Moonseed Potion, but decided not to. They had left the shop, anyway, and he was exhausted.

"One more to go!" Natalia called, and Megan smiled widely at her. Natalia was very easy to like; kind, polite, helpful…and goodness knew they would need her help in the following years, understanding and coping with what Rowan was.

Across the street from the Apothecary was the cauldron shop. It was small shop, filled with dingy cauldrons. The paper said he'd need a standard size two pewter cauldron, so they got that and quickly left, since the shop was too small to accommodate the crowd of people inside it. That cost 2 galleons, even.

"Now, are you going to buy him an owl?" Natalia asked. They had gone to Eyelops Owl Emporium, and were looking at the owls. Megan considered things for a moment, and then nodded.

"We need to stay in contact. You told me there are owls at Hogwarts, but still…I'd feel better if he had his own."

"Alright. Do you see one you like, Rowan?"

Rowan looked at all the owls. There were white ones, brown ones, and even gray ones. Some were big and some were small. Some were energetic, some were sleepy, and some looked very forbidding.

He saw a smaller, slimmer one looking at him with keen eyes, and said,

"I want this one."

"A tawny? Okay." Natalia got the shopkeeper and the man took the owl gently, slipping it into a cage. The shopkeeper told him that it was a boy, and cost 5 galleons. Rowan gave the cage to his mother, paid, and left, taking the cage back.

Finally, they were finished. So, the total of their day came to 37 galleons, 4 sickles. His leather bag was considerably lighter, but there were still five galleons, 15 sickles, and a lot of knuts left. He didn't know what he could possibly use it later, but the thought that, once he got to school, there would be wizarding things to buy, excited him.

Richard and Leena were waiting at the ice cream parlor, deep in a conversation about Leena's college choices. Rowan wasn't surprised; his father probably hadn't even gone into any of the shops. They both looked serious, and it was easy to tell that they were related.

"We're finished, Richie," Megan said pleasantly, sitting down and putting the potions kit, which she held, down onto the table. Todd put the books down on the seat next to him, and they thudded audibly. Natalia asked them what kind of ice cream they wanted as a treat, and it appeared on the table in front of them. Everyone except Natalia jumped in shock.

The ice cream was good, though. Richard looked up at Natalia and asked,

"So, when does he have to get on the train?"

"September first, from King's Cross. The train leaves at eleven exactly. The platform is 9 ¾, and before you ask, you have to go through the archway in between platforms nine and ten. Don't worry; you'll see other wizards doing it. Muggles ignore it; even if they see it, they write it off."

By then, they had all finished their ice creams. They all rose, grabbed a bag-or, in Megan's case, a cage-and followed Natalia out through the pub they had come in. Now, Rowan read its name-the Leaky Cauldron. Fitting.

"All right. That's pretty much it." Natalia said, turning to them and smiling. Rowan liked her a lot; he felt normal around her. Everyone else did, too; he could tell from the way they acted around her. Jenna might have liked her, too; he really didn't know.

"Remember, term starts on September first. Be at King's Cross before eleven. The train doesn't wait."

"Thank you, Natalia," Rowan said, smiling at her. She smiled back, shook his father's hand, and turned away, walking towards one of the Muggle music shops. Rowan and his family turned back towards their car, put their purchases in the trunk-except for the cage-and started driving home.

"So…what do you think?" Rowan offered. There was silence for awhile, and then, his father said,

"Well, it seems alright, I suppose. I'm not happy about this, Rowan," he added severely. "But your mother thinks it's best. Maybe it is; we'll see. If you can't keep out of trouble this year, I swear, I'll bring you home and enroll you in a Catholic school. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," he muttered, any good feelings towards his father vanishing. Why did it always have to be a contest? He never just said anything; it had to come with warnings attached.

Why can't we be like him and Todd, or him and Leena? What's so different between us?

He honestly didn't know.