Chapter 3
Later that morning the four of them, Hagrid, Jon, Lara, and Ewan left and went to a place called The Leaky Cauldron.
"I see the shoe store and the petrol station… no pub." said Lara.
"That's cause you can't see it. You're Muggles." said Hagrid.
"I see it, Mum. It says The Leaky Cauldron… but why do we have to go to a pub to get wands and robes?" said Ewan.
"You're see." said Hagrid opening the door for the group.
Upon entering the pub, they proceeded to the back into a small, walled courtyard, Hagrid than started to count some bricks along the brick wall above the trash can.
"Three up...two across..."he muttered "Right, Stand back"
He tapped the wall three times with his umbrella. Suddenly an archway appeared showing a truly magical sight.
"Welcome Ewan," said Hagrid proudly, "To Diagon Alley!"
Diagon Alley was full of magical things, such as: cauldrons, potion ingredients, animals, a quidditch supply store, 'I'm totally going there' thought Ewan, there was a shop selling Jones, and a shop selling telescopes and strange silver instruments. But towering above all else was a building that was snowy white and was bigger than all the others.
"Gringotts" said Hagrid.
The group went inside and told them about the goblins and how they don't like humans, and that they should not stare at them. They went to an open counter.
"Yes?" said the goblin that seemed rather impatiently.
"We're here to exchange muggle pounds for Wizard money" He said coolly
The goblin took a brief look at Ewan and his family. After changing their pounds for gallons, sickles, and Knuts, they proceeded to Madame Milkins Robes for all Occasions.
When they entered the store a squat, smiling witch dressed in light blue robes met them.
"Are you here for Hogwarts, dear?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am"
"Follow me, dear; I have two other boys also."
"Ewan, Jon and I are going to look around, when your finished stay with Mr. Hagrid and we'll meet at the Flourish and Blott's bookstore okay" said Lara.
"Okay, bye."
Ewan followed Madam Milkins back to the end of the store and was taken to a foot stool that Ewan stood on. Next to him were two identical red-headed boys.
"You are going to Hogwarts? Asked one of them
"Yup"
A tape measure popped next to Ewan and started taking measurements.
"So... what are your guy's names?" Ewan asked. Ewan was not shy.
"This is Fred and I am George Weasley, first years, your name?" holding out his hand to shake Ewan's.
"Ewan Tyler, first year also" shaking their hands.
"Nice to meet you" asked the one named Fred.
"Nice to meet you too" he said sternly.
"Where are your parents?" asked the one named George.
"The book store"
"Have you got…? "Said Fred
"….Your wand yet?" finished George
"No not yet" Ewan couldn't tell which one Fred or George anymore, they were so much alike.
"We are getting ours from are great grand parents" Said one of the twins.
"Oh, that's cool to have other family members with magic… I don't know if I have any I was adopted but my parents now are muggle's" said Ewan.
"So you could be a pureblood and not even know it… wicked!" replied Fred/George
"What's a pureblood?" asked Ewan
"It's a person who comes from a long line of magical relatives"
"Oh and a muggle-born is someone who comes from both muggle parents" said Ewan.
"Now you're getting it"
"So you never…"
"…knew you could do magic?"
"I knew weird things happened… a lot of weird things. I could make things move, and change things…"
"We caused all kinds…"
"….of magic in our home"
"So if your family is all magic you must know loads about Hogwarts, like the houses."
"Oh yeah, our whole family…"
"….has been in Gryffindor…"
"….for years."
"House of the brave and daring…"
"Which we diffiently are…"
"… You should see some of the pranks we pull…"
"… Charlie says you have to be nuts to do them…"
"….but we say nuts and brave are the same thing."
"What about the other houses?" asked Ewan?
"There also Ravenclaw which are the smarty pants…"
"They always have a book in their face, then Hufflepuff…"
"The good two shoes in every group…"
"…the hard workers and fair players, you know Gryffindor but there's also…"
"…Slytherin, the cunning and ambitious…"
"…many say that all Slytherin's are evil..."
"…but don't believe it…"
"…Bill has a friend in Slytherin."
"Who is Bill and Charlie?" asked Ewan.
"Our older brothers…"
"Bill graduates this year, he's Head Boy…"
"Charlie starting his fifth year this year, he's a prefect."
Ewan was confused with the twins. But he had wished he had older siblings or at least younger ones but he was alone.
FLASHBACK
"Okay, son, now all you have to do is catch it, okay?" asked James to his three-year old.
"Okay"
James Potter wanted his sons to play quidditch so bad he already started teaching them; after all, he himself was on the school quidditch team. He started easy using only the quaffle. James softly tossed the quaffle to his oldest boy. Ewan, having quidditch blood caught it easily.
"I think" started James proudly, "that you will make an awesome chaser". He flashed his 'I am so proud of my son' smile and caught the quaffle that Ewan threw back.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Are you okay, Mate?" asked George
"Yeah, I'm fine"
"Alright you're done" said Madam Milkin's handing him his packages, he took them and paid her.
"See you at Hogwarts, mate." the twins said together.
"See you guys."
The day finished quite nicely, they headed home their arms laden with his new things.
Ewan was carrying his new orange tabby kitten named Milo and his new Family Owl that Jon, and Lara picked out, it was a brown owl named Teetle, and he was also carrying his new wand.
His wand was nine and half inches, flexible, made of elder with a phoenix feather, it was excellent for transfiguration and charms. He bought it from a wand maker named Ollivander.
"Here is your ticket the train leaves at 11am on September 1st, at platform 9 3/4"
"Platform 9 3/4, surely that's a joke?" asked Jon. "There's no such thing."
"There is so, at Kings Cross, all you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't worry about crashing 'cause you won't. Now I got to be goin', any problems send Teetle to me 'kay?"
"Okay"
With that the giant turned and left.
***
September 1st came quickly in the Tyler House. Jon and Ewan woke up late; Lara was making sure everything was packed for him and preparing breakfast.
Three hours, three bowls of cereal, and two near car crashes later, Jon, Lara, and Ewan were in Platform 9 3/4. When they first passed through the barrier they were in shock. They had been to Kings Cross before but had never known about this. There were so many people, so many mothers' saying goodbye to their children, so many animals getting boarded on the train. Ewan was getting a feeling in his stomach that he was a needle in a haystack. However, that feeling vanished when Lara started talking.
"Now" Lara said her voice cracking and her eye's starting to water, reminding Ewan of those many mothers, "I want you to write, and be good" she said while attacking the imaginary lent that was on his shirt. Suddenly she was hugging him.
The only time Ewan had seen his mother like this was when he had broken his leg playing football. Ewan understood though he wouldn't see them for a year but he wasn't a child anymore.
"Honey..." Jon said touching Lara's arm.
"HONEY!!" He said a bit louder trying to get his wife's attention.
Ewan, however, was trying not to laugh because he kept on thinking 'here lies Ewan Evan Tyler, he was only eleven, and he was smothered to death by his mother, Lara Renee Tyler on September 1st'
Lara released Ewan, from what he liked to call a wrestling choke hold.
"You should be going" Jon said. "I see you at Christmas, son." He said with a hug.
He dragged his trunk and went onto the train, waving his mother and father, goodbye before the clock struck 11 and he was off the best wizardry school in all of Europe.
It was only a few minutes after the train left, when two red-headed boys and another boy walked into his compartment with their trunks.
"Hey Ewan" said George Wesley, 'or was it Fred?' Ewan thought.
"This is our friend Lee Jordan, Lee this is Ewan Tyler" said the other twin.
"Nice to meet you." Lee said shaking Ewan's hand. The three boys each took a seat.
"So," Started Fred, "What house do you think we'll be in?"
"Gryffindor!" said Lee and George together. Ewan didn't know what house he would be in. He liked all of them, plus he was smart, brave, ambitious, and loyal, but he wasn't just one.
The four kept talking about Hogwarts, when suddenly an old witch pulling a trolley interrupted them.
"Would you like anything off the trolley dears?" said the old witch.
Ewan had gotten the impression that Fred and George's family didn't have a lot of money so he was more than willing to share, he bought some of everything from the old witch and they shared and talked for most of the way to Hogwarts.
When it did start to get darker, the boys decided to put on their robes just in time to have the train stop making them lose their balance causing all the boys fall onto each other.
They were still laughing about it when they heard a huge, and familiar, voice call out.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Hiya Ewan!" called Hagrid through a sea of people, mostly terrified first years. Lee, Fred, and George seemed a little scared but once they heard that Ewan knew Hagrid they weren't. "Firs' years follow me!"
All the first years followed Hagrid until they reached a lake filled with little boats. "No more than four to a boat!" called Hagrid, himself taking one whole boat. Fred, George, Ewan, and Lee all got into one boat, before it took off.
After a few minutes of riding, and splashing thanks to Fred and George, they received their first glimpse of Hogwarts. There were "oh's" and "awe's" from various people. Once the boats stopped the kids made their way inside meeting a witch named Minerva McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall reminded him of someone long ago, but he didn't remember. The Professor started telling them the rules and what it was like at Hogwarts. Fred and George pretended they were asleep during her speech.
Finally it was time to get sorted. They walked into the Great hall, where there were the four house tables, the High table, the enchanted ceiling, and an old sorting hat on a stool. He knew about these things because he had read about them in Hogwarts: A history. The Professor started calling names from a scroll she had. After a few minutes Lee's name was called. He, like he said he was, was placed in Gryffindor. A few minutes later…
"Tyler, Ewan"
