AUTHOR'S NOTES: I re-uploaded the second chapter, mainly to add Rowan buying Hogwarts, A History. When I posted chapter 2, I'd already written the first seven or so paragraphs of this (basically, all of Hogwarts, A History and Quidditch Through The Ages.) So, here's chapter three! Once again, any mistake corrections are welcome. PS—If you have read my other stories, you know that I bend towards slash—m/m. While I sincerely doubt I'll be writing anything of that nature yet—Rowan's only eleven—if I managed to stick with it through his later years, it might come up. Any opinions on that? (I could try to write him with a girl, but it would probably suck. I could even NOT do romance at all, but that would definitely limit ideas).
Once they got home, Rowan took his new things up into his room, so he could look at it. The owl's cage was set gently in the window, the books and potions kit sprawled across his bed, the clothes and wand on his desk, and the large package containing the Rowan opened the leather case Natalia had given him. Inside, there were tiny jars of herbs, bundles of fangs, and a pouch full of stones. The bottles were labeled with names like 'boomslang skin' 'aconite' and 'dittany'. The fangs belonged to snakes, the stones were 'bezoars' and there was a powder he hadn't noticed before that came from an octopus.
He realized he was probably going to be mixing those things, and planned to look them up in one of his new books, but he was more interested in other things, like the copy of Hogwarts, A History he'd bought. It was a very, very thick book, and while the pages themselves were new, the book gave off an air of being old.
He flipped through it quickly, ignoring the moving pictures, until he got to the current information about the school. He read about the 'Houses' first:
There are four houses in Hogwarts, and each has its own history. There are also certain traits a House is known for.
Gryffindor is the first House. Founded by Godric Gryffindor, this House is known for courage and chivalry…the House's current ghost is Sir Nikolas de Mimsy-Porpington, also referred to as "Nearly Headless Nick." Gryffindor House is often favored because its students tend to shine above others in ability, personality, and pure heart. The House colors are red and gold, and its animal is the lion.
Slytherin House was founded by Salazar Slytherin, who accepted only sly students willing to do anything to get what they wanted. He also tried to only accept pure-bloods…this disagreement caused Slytherin to leave the school. However, he left a chamber called the Chamber of Secrets deep within Hogwarts' depths, and within the Chamber waited a basilisk. Harry Potter slew it, and the Chamber was later sealed off. Slytherin's colors are silver and green, its ghost is the Bloody Baron, and its animal is a serpent.
The Ravenclaw House was founded by Rowena Ravenclaw, a very smart witch who accepted the smartest, quickest students. That House's grades tend to be above the other House's. The current House ghost is the Grey Lady. Its colors are blue and bronze, and its animal is an eagle.
The last House is Hufflepuff, founded by Helga Hufflepuff. That House favors honest, hard-working students. Helga Hufflepuff did not seem to have any preference for students beyond that. The current House ghost is the Fat Friar, and its animal is a badger. Its colors are yellow and black.
There also other interesting parts, like the a paragraph on the ceiling…
The ceiling above the Great Hall is enchanted to look like the sky outside; it's cloudy when it rains, shows starts on clear nights, and shines during the day. Thankfully, it only shows the weather outside; students are perfectly dry even on the stormiest of days. It is said to be at its most beautiful on winter nights, when even space is visible in it.
In the end, he was glad he'd bought it; now, at least he knew what to expect when he got there. The classes had been outlined, the basic layout of the castle explained, and the book even had a few pages on what kind of weather to expect.
Then, he looked through Quidditch Through The Ages. As soon as he started reading, he knew he'd like it more than any other sport, except maybe soccer. The book explained the entire game, and he was especially interested in the broomstick models and the actual play of Quidditch itself…
The Quaffle is the ball used to score. It is red, covered in leather, and charmed to stick to a player's hands. It is scarlet, and charmed to fall slowly, so that players don't have to retrieve it from the ground. It is passed between players and then put through the hoops at the end of the pitch.
The Bludgers are the most dangerous balls. There are always two. They are charmed to go after players without cease, and while they do not focus on one player, they can do a lot of damage. They are beaten away from players by bats, and are made of iron.
The golden Snitch is arguably the most important ball. Very small and fast, its gold color makes it very difficult to see. It flits around the pitch, doing its best not to be caught. When captured, it is worth 150 points, and ends the game once captured.
Then, there was the section on actual Quidditch players.
There are seven players on a team. There's one Keeper, who guards the goalposts. There is one Seeker, who tries to catch the Snitch before the other team's Seeker. There are two Beaters, who protect their teammates from the Bludgers by hitting them at the other team. There are three Chasers who handle the Quaffle and try to put it in the hoops.
Typically, Seekers are the best fliers; light and fast, they are most often fouled. Keepers are typically very deft and have quick reflexes. Beaters, which tend to be males, are strong and have a strong sense of balance. Chasers have to have quick reflexes, good aim, and be able to use teamwork. They are usually talented fliers, as well, since they often have to use dives to avoid other players.
Then, finally, he got to the section on broomsticks, after all the history sections. He learned all about the older brooms, how they had added Braking Charms and Cushioning Charms, and how the Nimbus Company had revolutionized the industry.
Then, he got to the paragraphs on the Firebolt and Starshine.
The Firebolt came out in 1993, and was well-met by the entire wizarding world. Favored by every professional team who could afford them, they responded to even the slightest touch, and its Charms were the most advanced ever seen. For three years, it reigned supreme on the market; even the Cleansweep II, which came out a year before the Starshine, was outclassed.
The Starshine was equal to the Firebolt in every way, and was just as successful, because of its lower cost and attractive features. They are all made of mahogany, and each twig, like the Firebolt's, was specially selected. Both can accelerate to 150 MPH in ten seconds.
That made up his mind. If he ever got a broom, he'd want a Starshine. It just appealed to him more. The book had a picture of the broom-shockingly, all the pictures moved-and he looked at it for a long time, then put the book away and got food and water for his owl, whom he hadn't named yet.
"What should I call you, hmm?" he murmured to it. It looked at him with its intelligent eyes, and he thought for awhile.
Once, he'd had a dog named Bowen. It had been a mutt, too mixed to tell anything, but he had loved it dearly. Then, they'd moved to a different house, and his parents didn't want a dog. So, he'd had to give him up, to his best friend, Curtis Wilkins. He'd never forget the look in his dog's eyes when he started driving away.
"How about Bo?" he murmured. "I like that." The owl hooted, and Rowan stroked his feathers gently.
It was three days until he had to leave. He was exhausted, and though he wanted to start packing, he knew it wasn't a good idea to do it that night; he'd forget things, and as his parents didn't have an owl, he'd have to wait for Bo to make the journey here and back.
So, after a tense dinner, he showered and went to bed, leaving the window and cage open for Bo.
The next morning, his grandmother came out. Rowan liked her a lot; she always brought presents or money, and stopped by often enough that she knew more about Rowan beyond that he was a "problem child."
He was the last downstairs, as he'd slept in late. His grandmother, Anna, was a thin, small woman, whose hair was totally gray, even though she was only perhaps fifty four or so.
"Rowan!" she cried when she saw him, hugging him hard. He hugged her back and smiled genuinely at her. "I came as soon as I heard! And it's not a hoax, then?"
"No, grandma," Rowan said, sighing exasperatedly. But she was just teasing him, and they both knew it. He followed her outside onto the back porch, where his siblings were already swimming in the pool, hoping to cool off.
"Well, then. So, tell me about this school. What do you know about it? Is it a good school, hmm? Does it deserve your attendance?"
So, with his parents listening, he told her everything he'd read, about the houses, the ceilings, the common rooms and dormitories, the classes…and she listened without interruption.
"Well…it sounds alright. A bit odd, yes, but then, I suppose it's normal to wizards. So, when does term start?"
"September first. I have to be at King's Cross before eleven. That's when the train leaves."
"That's two days away, isn't it? Well, how about some shopping?" Anna asked eagerly, her wide hazel eyes shining in anticipation.
"I already got all my stuff—" Rowan started, but Anna interrupted him.
"No, no. I meant clothes, Rowan. You can wear normal clothes there?"
"Um, yeah. On the weekends and holidays." Rowan remembered.
"Good, good!" Anna beamed. She loved shopping, and Rowan suddenly wished he'd though to call her when they went to Diagon Alley.
"You can come with me to Diagon Alley next year, to get my stuff." He said, and Anna beamed happily, no doubt already putting money aside for it mentally.
"Perfect! Now, shall we go? Richard, Megan, do you mind? A little celebratory clothes shopping always hits the spot!"
Anna was Megan's mother, and Richard was looking at her like she was nuts. But Megan nodded yes, and Anna pulled Rowan along behind her, planning their whole day aloud.
Rowan didn't particularly enjoy clothes shopping; he preferred jeans and T-shirts, and was happy to just buy those. His grandmother, however, had a real sense of style, and a pocketbook big enough to accommodate it.
They ended up visiting perhaps five stores. The first two were fancier places, where they only sold name-brand clothes. Anna tried to get him into fancier things—silk shirts, leather jackets, and he ended up buying one of each—but, by the time the day was done, he had four pairs of blue jeans, six shirts—two blues, a red, and three white—and a new pair of Vans sneakers, black and white.
She also bought him a jean jacket, a new wallet, and, for some reason, two packs of socks. When he insisted he had some, she ignored him and bought them, saying he'd need them.
Then, bags in hand, they went for lunch. A high-end burger place, where you had to ask for cheddar cheese, because the burgers came with Swiss cheese. They left the bags in the trunk, and went inside.
"So, are you excited?" Anna asked, finally serious. Rowan, who had just ordered, paused.
"Yeah, I am. I mean, this sounds…right to me, you know? At least, maybe there, I won't be so odd."
"Maybe not," Anna acknowledged. They were quiet for a moment, and then she said, "Part of it has to do with your looks, you know. Not many people are blessed with gold eyes."
"Yeah, I'm blessed, all right," Rowan muttered. "My hair's normal enough, though."
"Mmhmmm…" Anna said thoughtfully. "You know what you look like?"
"A little lion cub?" Rowan asked. That was always her nickname for him, especially since even Leena's hair, which was a dirty-blonde, was darker than his.
"Yes!" Anna said, smiling. "You'll be a strong boy when you grow up. You're already handsome."
Rowan flushed. He'd had compliments before, of course, but he'd never really paid attention to them. Before, he had been too young; then, he hadn't known how to respond.
Their food arrived, they ate quietly for a few minutes. Then, Anna said,
"This school sounds good for you. I don't know if whatever it is that makes you different is the same thing that makes you a wizard, but maybe you'll feel more relaxed there."
"I hope so. Anyway, thanks for taking me shopping," Rowan grinned. "I had fun."
"Me, too. We should do it more often." Then, she started asking about his siblings, his parents, and his grades at his old school.
They paid for their lunch, but instead of going home, Anna took him to the bookstore in the mall. While Rowan loved to read, he went through books so fast his parents felt it better if he check them out from the library.
She left Rowan to wander around while she went to pick up books about the Atkins Diet, so Rowan wandered over to the Fiction sections first. His eyes passed over the titles—most of them science fiction—and stopped on one—Fire From Heaven. The title interested him, and he picked it up.
It was a book about Alexander The Great by Mary Renault. He'd read her book The Mask of Apollo, so he decided to try that one, too. He continued on, ignoring the Japanese comics he passed, for though he liked them, he read them too fast to really enjoy them.
He found Wolves of the Dawn by William Sarabande. It was about a time called the Age Of Bronze, before even the English country had established itself. He loved books like that, where a group of people was settling down, so he decided to buy that, too. Bard, a similar story, joined it, too.
Anna came to get him by then, and they paid for their books—a truly outrageous $52.73, 35 of which was the Atkins books—before leaving. Rowan noticed that the sun was going down, so Anna drove him home, telling him all about her last boyfriend, who had, apparently, thought she was rich. When she'd revealed that she had money, but that she used it for shopping only, he had left her, howling with laughter at the enraged look on his face.
Personally, Rowan didn't think it was funny.
Anna came inside, but only for a few minutes; she was going to play bingo and 'pick up guys' she explained, to Megan's horror. Anna left laughing, as usual, and Megan looked at all of Rowan's purchases.
"How'd she manage to get you to buy this?" Megan asked, surprised, holding up the leather jacket. Rowan shrugged and said he'd been trying on jeans at them time, and she had tossed it over the door at him, so it landed on his head. He'd put it on, and she'd added it with the other clothes that fit.
"Try it on for me," Megan asked, so Rowan did, pulling on his new, low-cut jeans, white shirt, and leather jacket. When he came back downstairs, his mother let out a sort of half-squeal, and hugged him hard.
"You look so handsome!" she gushed, and Rowan looked at her like she was nuts. He had worn jeans and white shirts before; what did the leather jacket do for him? But, still, she insisted on showing his father.
Richard looked, for lack of a better word, stunned. He looked at him for a long time, but then nodded his head approvingly.
"It looks good on you. Very gentlemanly. It was a good idea, leather; Anna certainly knows fashion…even if she hasn't got an ounce of common sense in her."
Rowan was speechless; to cover it, he went into the living room, picked up the bags, and went upstairs. Bo was sitting in the cage, looking a little indignant that he hadn't been there all day. Rowan gave him more food and water and spent a good ten minutes petting and talking to him. He seemed mollified after that; he hooted approvingly when Rowan closed the window.
The room had become chilly, but it wasn't too bad. Rowan turned on his TV and relaxed onto his bed, giving his aching legs a chance to relax. An hour later, he went down for dinner, still dressed in his new clothes; he'd gotten absorbed into a crime show, one of many that he didn't know the names to.
His siblings didn't hide their surprise well; they kept casting long glances at his clothes. He could see jealousy in Todd's eyes; to Todd, Rowan had always been their grandmother's favorite, and the expensive gifts Rowan always received only convinced him more.
"Have you packed yet, Rowan?" his mother asked. Rowan shook his head no and explained,
"I was too tired last night, and I was just relaxing after grandma and I got back. I figured I'd do it tomorrow."
Richard gave him a disapproving look, but didn't say anything. Rowan picked at his spaghetti, dipping garlic bread into the sauce and listening to his mother's lively chatter.
After he washed the dishes—it was his turn—he showered again, just to get him farther into the night. Then, after leaving Bo's cage and the window open, he went to bed.
He woke up late the next day; his parents and siblings were all off at work or school, so he had the house to himself. Bo wasn't back yet; Rowan didn't know when he'd left, but he was probably going to bring back a mouse or squirrel or something gross he'd have to clean up.
He had all sorts of frozen breakfast foods to choose from, so he toasted some cinnamon waffles—he loved those—and took them upstairs, sans syrup. Then, he opened his closet door and hauled out his trunk. It, like three of his other drawers, was filled with books; he dumped them out back into the closet and opened the trunk.
It looked like there was a lot more to put in than there actually was; his new clothes, robes, gloves, and cloak went in, followed closely by his cauldron. Then, the books went in; half of them went into the cauldron, to save space. The new books went in, too. The parchment, quills, ink bottles, and potion kit were all stacked under the scales, phials, and telescope.
By then, the trunk was full almost to bursting. He closed it and locked it, glancing around for anything he'd forgotten. He put Bo's cage down onto the trunk, next to his leather money bag.
He spent the rest of the day wasting time, looking through his things to see if there was anything he wanted to take, and swimming. He told his parents when he got home that he'd packed, and then spent the rest of the day absorbing TV shows. There were a few he loved, and he'd be missing a whole season. He'd see them all next summer, of course, but that wasn't the same.
When night fell, his parents went out and bought Chinese food, his favorite; the family actually spent a pleasant night together, eating orange chicken and chow mien and laughing.
Richard urged everyone to get to bed early, so they did. Bo had brought back a mouse, just as Rowan knew he would, so he closed the window and the cage. He didn't go to sleep right away—it was too early—but flipped on his radio, listening absently while he drifted off.
His parents woke him at nine the next morning. He let Bo out to stretch his wings, and stumbled downstairs. His mother had fixed a large breakfast—eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, milk—so they spent awhile trying to eat it. Then, Rowan went upstairs to shower. He hadn't decided what to wear yet, so he just put on his normal clothes, jeans and a shirt. He ran a hand through his short hair, which was short enough that it didn't hand into his eyes but long enough to spike, found socks and shoes, and put them on.
Richard hauled his trunk down into the car while Rowan carried Bo; the owl had returned without food, thankfully. He sat the cage next to him on the seat, and they drove through traffic all the way to King's Cross.
When they got there, Todd grabbed a trolley. Richard and Rowan loaded the trunk onto it, and placed Bo's cage on top of that. Then, Megan began to look for other people who looked…odd.
It was a few minutes before they saw anyone: a tall, blonde-haired man and a blonde boy were loitering in between platforms nine and ten. Rowan approached them and said quietly,
"Um…Hogwarts?"
The blonde man turned to him and said kindly,
"Yep. You, too? First time?"
"Umm…yeah." Rowan said. "How do we get through?"
"Just watch us. I'm Daniel Dmytro, by the way; this is my son, Alexei." His accent shone through then; Alexei was a Russian name. But Rowan didn't ask.
"Alexei, go first." Daniel nodded. Alexei grabbed hold of his own trolley and started forward, heading straight towards the brick. When he got there, however, he simply went through it.
Daniel looked at Richard. "You next. I'll come last, make sure everyone gets in alright."
"Thank you," Richard said. He nodded to Rowan's three siblings, who went in cautiously; then his mother; then Rowan himself.
Rowan's stomach flipped, and he pushed the trolley forward slowly, finally gaining speed only when a foot from the wall; he entered without a problem, though, and stared at the scene in front of him.
Hundreds of kids, some already dressed in robes, were there; trunks with owls, rats, and frogs on top waited; older witches and wizards were wishing their children goodbye.
And, in the center of all the commotion, a big scarlet train waited, puffing smoke and shining grandly in the light.
The Hogwarts express.