Excited as ever, Alex rushed home as fast as he could.
"Mom! Dad! We're going to Diagon Alley!" he screamed, as he entered the door. Alex ran upstairs into his parents' room. Jennifer was helping Henry put his robe on. Henry turned to Alex as he was putting his wand into his pocket.
"We know, Alex. There's only a month left before school starts. Best to get your supplies as soon as possible. Come on, Jennifer. Get dressed."
"Alright. Back in a flash." With that, she disappeared with a loud crack! A second later, another loud crack! and she came back, wearing a purple robe. "Alright we're ready."
The three went downstairs and prepared to go to Diagon Alley. Jennifer turned and yelled upstairs to Francis, "Francis! We're going out! There's food in the fridge if you get hungry! We'll be back soon! Love you!"
"Bye, mom. Take as long as you want," he replied. The sound of a door closing soon followed after.
Alex and his parents lined up in front of the fireplace. Each one went to the bucket of Floo Powder and grabbed a handful of the magic dust. Alex's father went first. He stepped into the empty fireplace and said, "Diagon Alley." as he threw the powder on the floor and disappeared in an array of green flames. After the fire had vanished, Alex and his mother did the same thing.
A fireplace was specially made and put behind The Leaky Cauldron to take care of all of the Wizards coming to Diagon Alley by Floo Powder. The Lancastlers arrived at this fireplace seconds after using the powder. Alex brushed himself off.
"Whoo! What a rush! I love doing that," he said. His parents smiled at him and they walked into the street. Witches and wizards filled the bustling little area, carrying shopping bags full of magical wonders. Little kids walked with their parents while pointing at items in the shop windows and murmuring to each other. Alex's mother grabbed Alex's hand and said, "Come on, Alex. Let's go get your robes first, so you can wear them while you're shopping."
"While you guys are doing that, I will go get your schoolbooks and a little surprise for Alex." Henry winked at her and walked through the crowd towards Flourish and Blotts.
Alex and his mother decided to go to Gringotts since Henry had all the money with him. As they walked through the horde of people, the tall marble structure came into view. Alex gazed at the incredibly large building holding vast amounts of riches beyond his wildest dreams. In his bewildered stupor, Alex accidentally bumped into a girl.
"Oh, sorry," he managed to say.
"It's alright. It was my fault. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," she said, smiling. Her dark brown hair fell in front of her face and she brushed behind her ear. Purple eyes glistened in the sunlight and put Alex into another trance. Alex bent down and helped her pick up the books she had.
"Are you going to Hogwarts this year?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm very excited. Are you?"
"Yes. I'm buying my school supplies right now."
"Well, thanks for helping me pick up my things. I'll see you at school, then."
"Wait, what's your name?"
Too late. She had already disappeared into the mass of people.
Alex sighed. He thought maybe he'd meet her again at school. Hopefully, he will.
"Come on, dear." His mother motioned for him. They entered the bank and went to the counter.
"Lancastler. Vault 821, please," Jennifer politely said to the goblin sitting at the desk, eating a pastry. The tiny goblin stepped off his stool and went to the cabinet to retrieve a vault key.
"Here you are ma'am," he growled and went back to eating his pastry. "Kronk will escort you to your vault." He pointed to the goblin standing at the entrance of the caverns.
"Thank you."
Quickly, they walked to Kronk and they stepped into the cart. Alex held on tight to the sides, hoping he wouldn't fall out. Twists and turns made him feel uneasy, but they finally arrived at their vault.
"Key, please," Kronk growled. Jennifer handed the key over and he opened the massive door. Gold, silver and bronze filled the vault, almost halfway to the top.
"Wow," Alex said softly.
"Your father and I have been saving up for you to go to Hogwarts. We knew we needed money for you supplies, so we were smart and saved our money, just for you."
She took out a large bag from her robes and opened it wide. "Here, Alex. Hold this."
Alex held the bag while his mother filled it with many Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. Surprisingly, the bag felt weightless to Alex. He peered inside and saw that it didn't fill at all. The coins fell to the bottom, but never seemed to pile up. Alex's mother took the bag from him and closed it. As she pulled the strings, the sack shrunk to the size of an apple and she dropped into her robes.
"I love Bottomless Bags. Very useful when shopping," she said, getting back into the cart. Again the cart swerved and rocked its way back to the top. Alex's mother gave the key to Kronk and left. Alex followed her closely as they stepped out into the sunlight again.
"Now that we have the money, the real shopping begins." Alex's mother laughed and made her way with Alex to Madame Malkin's.
As they arrived, Madame Malkin greeted them with a very hearty welcome.
"Welcome to Madame Malkin's. Robes for every age and occasion. Casual robes and fancy robes. Silk or cotton. All the robes for your taste," she bellowed.
"Yes, um. My son is getting ready to go to Hogwarts and he needs robes for school."
"Oh, yes, yes. The little darling is so cute. Very handsome. And tall, too." She rushed to the back and reappeared with a black robe. "Try this one, dear. Black silk with a winter hood when it gets cold." Alex grabbed it and put it on. It fit perfectly. He flipped the hood over his head and turned to his mother.
"What do you think, mother?"
She walked around him, looking up and down for any rips or tears in the robes. "Very handsome you are, Alex," she said, smiling at him. "We'll take three of them and a black winter cloak if you have one."
"Very good. Three it is and a cloak." Madame Malkin rushed to the back and retrieved three of the black silk robes and a cloak made with the same material. "That's sixteen Galleons and eleven Sickles." Jennifer reached into the bag and paid her with seventeen Galleons. Madame Malkin gave back six sickles. "Thank you for your purchase of fine robes from Madame Malkin's! Come back next year and have a great school year!"
"Thank you!" Alex put one of the robes on and felt very comfortable wearing it.
Next, they headed to Eeylops Owl Emporium to pick out an owl. As they entered the shop, all the owls hooted and jumped in their cages. So many types of owls filled the cages. There were snow owls and screech owls and tawny owls. Alex looked around at the many different types of owls and found one that he liked a lot. It was a brown barn owl with pointy ears and very large eyes. It looked at Alex curiously with its yellow eyes and turned its head sideways. Alex mimicked the bird and turned his head to match up with the owl's head.
"Mom, I found one," he shouted. He picked up the cage and set it in front of the cashier.
"That'll be twenty five Galleons," he said. Alex's mother came and paid him.
Holding the cage up in front of him, Alex said, "I think I'll name her Aerawin. I like that name. Hello, Aerawin." He smiled at the owl and she stared back at him, fluttering its wings lightly and hooting softly.
The next stop was Ollivander's Wand Shop to get the most important item on the shopping list. As Alex entered the store, Mr. Ollivander was up on a ladder, putting boxes on the overflowing shelves.
"Ah, Jennifer. Long time no see. Ten and a half inch willow with unicorn tail hair if I remember, right?"
"Yes, sir. Always have it with me," she replied.
Looking down at Alex, he said, "And this must be your son." Ollivander stuck his hand and Alex shook it, to be polite.
"My name is Alex."
"Getting ready for school I see," he said, noticing the owl and the robes.
"Alex. Are you ready for your wand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, your wand is ready to choose you," Ollivander said, as he climbed on top of the ladder again. He slid down the rows of boxes and retrieved one with careful decisiveness. "Here. Try this one. Thirteen and a half hazel with phoenix tail feather. Only a few can have the privilege of having a phoenix feather core and you are among those few. It can produce very powerful magic if used correctly. Give it a swish," he said, handing the wand to Alex. Not knowing what would happen, Alex waved the wand in the air. The empty box burst into flames and in its place was a white mouse. It scurried off into a hole in the wall as Alex stood there, staring in amazement.
"Was that me?" he whispered.
"Looks like it's another good match," Ollivander said, wiping the ashes from the counter. "That'll be thirty Galleons, for the young lad." The wand was paid for and they were done with all the items they needed. There was the matter of meeting Alex's father to see if he had gotten all the other supplies for him. They left the shop and the sun was high in the air. Holding the wand in his hand, Alex felt empowered. He couldn't wait to learn new spells and use them, like a real wizard.
"Alex! Jennifer! Over here!"
It was Henry, carrying a large pewter cauldron in his hands. Alex and his mother rushed over to help him with heavy load. As he was helping his father, Alex peered inside the cauldron. His schoolbooks were in there, along with a couple of quills and parchment. Folded beside them was a silver cloth that shimmered like water. A cage sat on top of the books, holding a small yellow bird with ruby-like eyes. It jumped excitedly in its cage and chirped happily. Dragon scale gloves were in the midst of items and so were a silver telescope, a bronze scale and a number of different-sized crystal vials.
"Well, I think I've gotten all of the things you need. Let's see. Lucky dragon-hide gloves, made from a Chinese Fireball. Pewter Cauldron, size 2. Precision-made silver telescope. A set of bronze scales. Oh, and your surprises." He picked up the cage. "This is a snidget. It's a fast little devil. As fast as the Golden Snitch, they say. It's yours to keep for sending messages in a hurry." He set the cage back into the cauldron and picked up the silver cloth. "And this is an Invisibility Cloak. Anything under this cloth shall appear to vanish under its magical veil." He wrapped the cloak around his hand to show it disappearing under the cloth. "This is also yours to keep for any emergencies. Well, now that we have everything we need, let's go home."
Once again, the three went to the fireplace behind The Leaky Cauldron and Henry pulled out the bag of Floo Powder. They all departed in another assortment of green flames and arrived at the comfort of their own home.