London
The green fire swirled around them as Harriett and Naos twirled in a dark abyss of nothing. Having been an experienced floo traveler, Hermione was able to step out of the fireplace very gracefully as the spinning came to an abrupt stop. Naos on the other hand was thrown out of the brick encasement and landed on the floor. Without warning he vomited rather violently. Harriett knelt by her son and pulled a handkerchief from her coat pocket, offering it to him. He took the cloth and wiped his mouth as a house-elf appeared out of thin air with a bucket and mop to clean the mess.
"Welcome to the London International Wizarding Travel Center." The guide next to the fireplace greeted. No one said anything about her son vomiting all over the floor. It must have been common enough to not mention. "Would you like to have a shuttle take you to your next destination or would you like to- Please step aside." He interrupted himself. Harriett tugged Naos away from the hearth and as she did so, the fireplace roared to life. An elderly man in sapphire robes stepped out of the emerald flames whistling a charming tune she didn't recognize. She watched the man as he walked away, paying no attention to her, her sick child, or the house elf mopping up the vomit. "As I was saying, would you like to go to the bus stop or would you be traveling by our local floo channel?"
"I would rather not do that again so soon, mom." Naos moaned. Harriett chuckled.
"Well with the way Ernie and Stan drive the Knightbus, I doubt you would like to do that either." She said. "We will just take the fireplace, sir."
"Very good, ma'am."
Once again she and Naos found themselves swirling through the darkness of the floo channel. This time, Naos managed to stay on his feet and not vomit, but he still stumbled out of the fireplace and into the Leaky Cauldron of Diagon Alley. She held her son's hand as they made their way through a thick crowd to the bar counter. She slapped a few sickles and knuts onto the bar and shouted that she wanted a room. The barkeeper handed her a key and they made their way up the rickety stairs to their room.
In their room they found their luggage, Krishna, and King waiting for them neatly by their twin beds. Harriette let them out of their cages and they stretched and made sounds of delight, happy to be free.
"I'm starving, mom." Harriette's stomach growled in agreement.
"Alright, wash up and don't answer the door while I am gone. I'll fetch us some food." As Naos went into the joining bathroom, Harriette went back downstairs. Back at the bar, she ordered a couple plates of roasted chicken legs, baked potatoes, steamed veggies, pumpkin juice, and treacle tarts. The cook told her it would be brought to her room after a while.
After dinner and a shower, Harriette and Naos sat cuddling in bed. It wasn't very often he snuggled with her anymore as he was growing into a young man but she soaked in the tender moment. Krishna lay content, softly purring next to Harriette's thigh and King perching on the nightstand, slept with his beak tucked under his wing.
"Mom?"
"Hmm?" She played with Naos' hair. The silky curls bouncing back with every tuss of his locks.
"Tell me again the reason we left London when I was a baby?" She stopped combing through his hair with her fingers and shifted slightly in the bed.
"Well, a long time ago there was a very dark wizard who was hungry for power. He wanted to rule over the magical and non-magical worlds, however; it was told that there would be a boy that could defeat him. He made it his mission to kill that boy. His name is Harry Potter. In the end, Harry defeated the dark wizard but unfortunately your father was related to one of his most loyal supporters and that person was still roaming free. I didn't want them to learn of you, so we went to America to be safe."
"And a man named Kingsley helped us go into hiding?"
"Yes, my love. He was a great man and a powerful auror. He helped protect many people, including us."
"I think I want to be an auror too. And what happened to my father?" This was a question she had never answered, no matter how many times he asked. She didn't know what to tell the boy. Before she could try to come up with an answer, Naos yawned. His instant snores let Harriette know that their very long and exciting day finally took its toll on him. She slid out of the bed and tucked the boy in, kissing him on the forehead before climbing into the other lumpy twin bed and letting herself succumb to her dreams.
Hermione found herself walking down a dark corridor. The hall seemed so familiar but she couldn't quite remember why. Hurried footsteps behind her alerted her to another's presence. With her heart racing, she quickened her pace, determined to get to the large wooden doors at the end of the hallway but a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her around. She found herself pushed against the door to her sanctuary and face to face with Sirius Black.
"I knew it was you!" He whispered. "I finally found my son, my family. He brought his free hand up to the side of her face, snaking his fingers through her hair while his other hand held her arm captive at her side. His face inched closer to hers and her chest rose and fell with her heavy breaths, waiting for their lips to meet.
A scream startled Harriette awake and she sat up, drawing her wand from underneath her pillow. Naos, sweating and crying, tossed and turned in his bed. She threw her covers off of herself and hurried to his bedside. She pulled him into her lap and had to hold him still because he started to flail his arms.
"Naos, honey!" The boy's eyes fluttered open as he panted. Realizing he was safe in her arms he hugged her close, crying harder. "There there, my love. It was only a nightmare. You are safe." She shushed and rocked him until his breathing slowed to a normal pace and he was no longer crying or hysterical. Seeing him like this hurt her heart.
"She was trying to kill me." He finally muttered.
"Who was?"
"The crazy lady with the wicked hair. She was laughing and chasing me." Bellatrix! But how? He had never seen a picture of her, and Harriette never went into detail about her. Magic really was such a mysterious wonder.
The next day Naos woke her bright and early for their shopping trip in Diagon Alley. Harriette still had to purchase all of Naos' school supplies. He was most eager to finally get his wand. He rushed her to change and brush her teeth. He rushed her down the stairs. He rushed her to eat breakfast, and finally he rushed her out the door.
"Alright Naos." She laughed. They made their way down the street visiting different shops. They picked up quills, inks, and parchments from the stationary store and all of his textbooks from Flourish and Blotts. They visited the apothecary to get him a standard cauldron, phials, and stoppers for his potions class and from there they went to Madam Mulkin's Robes for Every Occasion.
The stout woman all but yanked him onto her dressing platform and began taking her son's measurements. She muttered under her breath about how foolish it was to wait until the last minute to get robes .Harriette couldn't tell if Naos was terrified or mortified, but he stood there stark still so as to not get pricked by the enchanted pins and needles zooming all around him, marking the placement for the stitching to his new robes and uniforms.
Deciding to take a much needed break, their next stop was dessert at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream parlor. Harriette settled for a scoop of traditional vanilla and Naos went with two scoops of Chunky Chocolate Chip. While they sat in a booth at the window, he talked about all the exciting shops they have been to, and all the others they still had to visit. Harriette looked out the shop window as she finished her ice cream when she noticed someone very familiar. Her heart swelled for just a moment before it deflated.
Ronald Weasley and his family walked past the shop window, no doubt purchasing last minute school supplies just as the Weasley's were notorious for. How she wished she could run out of the ice cream parlor and hug him around his neck but unsure about a certain witch's whereabouts or the fact that she was still in hiding, she couldn't very well come out to Ron right then and there.
"Mom! Let's goooooo." Naos brought her attention back to him. "We still have to get a new cage for King, get my wand, and pick up my new robes once they are ready!" Harriette noticed how her scheduling and organization skills passed to her son.
"Alright, alright!" She threw her hands in the air. "I'm coming!"
The familiar bell rang above the wooden door as Harriette and Naos stepped into Ollivander's. Rectangular boxes lined shelves, lay scattered on tables and stood stacked in corners here and there around the small wand shop. With as much traffic as this store saw every year around this time, it was a wonder how the dust was so thick it was hard to breathe in the air. A tiny man dressed in a drabby, green suit stepped off the ladder behind a tall shelf.
"Ah, yes. I was wondering when the new transfer student would be in to get his first wand." Ollivander looked up from Naos and studied Harriette's face. "I beg your pardon, miss. You remind me of someone I served many years ago." He trailed off. Harriette laughed nervously. "Well anyways, your first wand, yes?" He directed his question back to Naos. The boy's black curls bounced as he nodded. "Very good. Let's see here." The elder stepped behind the shelf he had come out from before. Only the sound of boxes being shuffled and ruffled through could be heard. "Yes, yes. Let's give this one a try." Ollivander came back around to the counter and pulled a beautiful white wand from it's box.
"Eleven inches, springy, made of Aspen, and houses dragonheart string. Give it a whirl." He handed the wand to Naos who waved it. Pitiful sparks flew out of the tip. "No. No, that won't do." He gives Naos a few more to try with no luck. They either didn't do anything, performed pathetically, or had rather cringy results.
Finally, the old man came back with a white box. He carefully opened it, and unwrapped the beautiful white wand from the emerald colored silk that encased it. They all stared at the beautiful wand as he held it up.
"White willow. Very rare indeed. Springy, twelve and a half inches with the core of silk webbing from an Acromantula. One of my newest creations." The glossy white wood had vine engravings along the handle. It was a very beautiful wand.
Naos took it from Ollivander's outstretched hand and as soon as he touched it, the wand glowed and a blue flame erupted around the handle. The fire burned the wand from end to end, leaving only the vine engravings scorched a beautiful black.
"Curious." Was all that Ollivander said. Curious indeed. Harriette had never heard of anyone's wand doing that before.
After finishing their shopping, Harriette reluctantly took Naos to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes where she swore she saw odd looks coming from Fred and George. She also saw Ron and Lavender again with their children. She had to practically drag Naos away from the joke shop so she wouldn't be recognized.
Back at the Leaky Cauldron, she helped Naos repack his belongings to fit into his trunk. She had to use a bit of magic but she got everything to fit. King was happy in his new cage. He had grown too big for his other one.
"There! You are good to go for Hogwarts. Are you excited?" She asked Naos. Before he could answer a knock on the door interrupted them.
"Yes?" She opened the door to the barkeeper standing there with a letter addressed to her.
"An owl delivered this for you, miss."
"Thank you." She took the mail and shut the door behind her. The letter inside read:
Dear Harriette Dahl,
I would like to invite you and Mr. Naos to dinner at the Leaky Cauldron to discuss your Hogwarts arrival plans. Please meet me at seven thirty.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts
"We have been invited to dinner, Naos." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "We have two hours. I think I am going to take a quick nap. Why don't you pull out one of your new textbooks?" She turned to Naos but saw that he already had his nose in a book and didn't hear a word she said. She shook her head in amusement but it quickly turned into worry.
Both Ollivander and the Weasley twins stared at her rather curiously today. She didn't want to have anymore stares tonight. Silently, she pulled her wand from her back pocket and without speaking aloud, she cast Identitatem Illusiont on herself. An odd sensation came over here, like water dripping from her skin. She then pointed her wand at Naos and whispered ever so softly but with conviction: "Indentitatem Homenum Illusiont!" Naos, looked up and touched his hair. Not finding anything he returned to his book. The purpose of these spells was to conceal their true identities from other people. Harriette worked ages on creating these spells but the last time she used it was almost five years ago. She didn't want to chance anything so she gave them a booster if you will, re-upping the power from the original charm. Satisfied, she plopped into her lumpy bed for a quick snooze.
At precisely half past seven, Harriette found herself and her son sitting at a table in the corner with the headmistress and three other people that she didn't know were going to accompany them.
Anthony Goldstein and Mandy Brocklehurst sat with their son Andrew between them. McGonagall introduced them, but what any of them didn't realize is Harriette already knew the couple from her years at Hogwarts as a student. Both Anthony and Mandy were in her year.
The two boys became quick friends, talking about the differences between Ilvermorny and Hogwarts, and talking about which houses they wanted to be in. They paid the adults no mind.
"As I was saying, you need to prepare yourself for the semester so I was thinking you could let Naos stay with Anthony and Mandy for the night. Naos will love riding the Hogwarts Express, and taking the boats across the lake. I believe it should be part of the first year's experience, and he can not do that if he is already there." Harriette couldn't argue that her old Transfiguration's professor had a point. Still, she was extremely worried about Naos. She only ever left him overnight with Marta, at Ilvermorny in America, away from anywhere close to where anyone that would want to hurt him would be. Still, she didn't want him to miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And the Goldstein's were really nice people. If Minerva McGonagall trusted them, maybe she should too.