Chapter 2

The sun was shining as the Potter family set off. Godric's Hollow had been remade after the scandal of Bathilda Bagshot, the Potter's old time friend, being inhabited by Nagini, Voldemort's snake. New houses were built and Godric's Hollow was the great Gryffindor village once again.

The Potter's had been given their own flying car by Arthur Weasley. He had created many after the downfall of Voldemort.

"Everyone in!" Harry Potter shouted, "We're meeting the rest of them soon!"

James Sirius Potter, the oldest of the three, got in. Then Lilly Luna and Albus Severus climbed in. Lilly was sandwiched between her two older brothers, a painful experience seeing as they were always fighting. Finally Ginny Potter climbed gracefully into the car behind her husband. "Let's go," she said.

"Albus, what's on your list?" Harry Potter asked his son.

"Come on, read it out." James said, leaning across Lilly.

"It says:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter coat (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

Set 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

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS" Albus looked up from reading the letter.

As the family walked into the Leaky Cauldron, the people inside stood up to welcome Harry Potter back into the Wizarding World. A voice cried out from the back, "Now really! Does he need all that?" Albus moved to see who had spoken. The man had an eye patch and was wearing a top hat and very formal black dressrobes. Albus wondered whether he had come from the past. His clothes looked as if he was old-fashioned.

"We are sorry, but we are just going to Diagon Alley," said Ginny, the only one brave enough to speak after the strange man.

"Let me take you," Tom, the bar keeper, piped up. He walked towards the back door. Lilly was slightly surprised at there being a door in between the congestion of bodies further back. The pub was very full that day.

Tom led them out towards the back wall. "If you would do the honours," he said to Harry Potter, "After all, you are famous."

Harry raised his wand and tapped the wall three times with the point of his wand. The brick he had touched began to shift and slowly, very slowly, there created a small hole in the middle of the single brick. Then, to the amazement of Albus Potter, a red brick archway was in front of them.

The family stepped through the archway into Diagon Alley. The street was full of lively people and the businesses were up and running again after the time of Voldemort.

"Can we go to the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, please?" Lilly pleaded to her mother.

"Go on then," Ginny replied.

Lilly ran off, chased by her brothers. The joke shop was several stories high and was jutting out at weird angles compared to Gringotts next door. Inside was Ron and Hermoine Weasley; and their son and daughter, Hugo and Rose. When the two groups saw each other, they ran up and hugged.

"It is so great to see you again!" Hermoine said.

"Yes. But should we go to get the children's things for Hogwarts. That is after all why we are here," Ron suggested.

"Yes," Ginny agreed. The group said goodbye to George and Angelica Weasley, who were running the store, and stepped outside.

The first place they went to was of course Ollivanders Wand Shop, put back into business after Ollivander himself got kidnapped by Lord Voldemort. The faded brown sign still said Ollivanders: makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC, and the walls had been stripped of posters.

Albus pushed open the creaky front door and entered the building. His eyes widened when he saw the shelves and shelves of boxes sitting still, full of all the wands that would, one day, choose a wizard. One would be his.

An old man zoomed into sight above Albus. He seemed to be balancing on a ladder reaching high above the sight of a normal person. "I thought you would be coming," said Ollivander mysteriously. "Yes, let me see, your father had a holly and phoenix feather wand, eleven inches, nice and supple. An unusual combination that was. Now your mother, Ginny, her wand was hazel and dragon heartstring, twelve and a half inches, nice and flexible. But you ... Maybe this will do,"

Ollivander gave Albus a wand to try. "What am I supposed to do with it?" Albus asked when Ollivander stared at him, as if he was willing the wand to do something.

"Go on, wave it then." Albus waved it just like his father had shown him. A cascade of shelves came down on the other side of the room. "Not that one then."

Albus put the wand carefully back in its case, while leaning away from the wand, scared of what it could do. "Try this." He passed down another wand. Albus waved it, shattering a glass on the cluttered desk. "No. Not that one." Ollivander stared at Albus. "It could be this one. Ebony and dragon heartstring, eight inches, quite whippy. No, it can't be. Yes. Have it." Ollivander looked away as he said this and held out the precious wand where Albus took it. Immediately a spiral of golden spikes came out of the tip.

"I haven't seen as good a one as that in, well, since your father!"

Ollivander led Albus to the corner of the room, so they weren't overheard. "I remember every single wand I have ever made and sold in my life. Now there, the wand that you are holding, there was a second wand I made from the same dragon. That one I gave to Voldemort when I was imprisoned by him. I suspect he gave it to family, he had a daughter. But she was kept in hiding. Now with both her parents dead, she may come for the wizard with the twin wand core. She's said to be deadly!"

"If I may ask, who was her mother?"

"Her mother? She was Bellatrix Lestrange."

Meanwhile, Harry Potter and the others had entered the shop quietly behind him. They stood watching as the events unfolded before them. Now, Albus turned around and saw his family there behind him. He smiled and showed the people assembled his new and brightly shining wand.

"That will be seven gold galleons please," Ollivander mentioned from behind Albus. Harry stepped forward to pay him, procuring the galleons from his pocket. "Ah, hello Rose. Your wand was willow and phoenix feather, ten inches, swishy. Why, you only bought it two hours ago." Rose nodded respectfully and the family left.

The next place to go to was Flourish and Blotts, the best bookstore in Diagon Alley. Albus needed: 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 and the Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble.

Inside, the shelves were packed to the ceiling with every book that you could think of. The range went from Your Basic Kitchen Spells by Anna Morgan to Curses and Counter-Curses by Professor Vindictus Viridian. Albus bought all the books that he needed and headed to the apothecary's to buy the ingredients he needed for potions.

Then he went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. When he stepped inside the shop, a squat, smiling witch stood in front of him. She said "Hogwarts?" Albus nodded. "Come on in. In fact another boy is being done right now." She led him further into the shop where he could see another boy being measured for his new robes. This boy was pale-faced and had small red pinching eyes. Now that he thought about it, he looked rather like a rat to be honest. "Just step up here. That's it." She pulled a long robe over his head and started to pin the edges in so that it would fit him."

The other boy had just noticed him. "Hello, I'm Malfoy, Scorpious Malfoy."

"Hi, I'm Albus Potter."

"You are Albus Potter, the famous Harry Potter's son? I did think that you would be a little more imposing than that. Not that that's true for any of your family."

"That's not very nice," said Albus, offended.

Malfoy paused for a moment. "Do you know what house you're going to be in? I want to be in Slytherin. I wouldn't want to be in Hufflepuff though, would you? I think I'd turn around and go straight home if I found out I was."

"Huffflepuff are actually very loyal. The only reason they don't seem as good as the other houses because they don't boast about what they've done."

"So you want to be in Hufflepuff?"

"No, it's Gryffindor for me."

Thankfully by that point Albus was done with fitting his robes and could go away from Scorpious Malfoy.

The last store was the Eeylops Owl Emporium. Albus wanted an owl to take to Hogwarts. They at last bought a large eagle owl with white dots all over it.

It was getting late as Albus and his family made their way back through the archway and the Leaky Cauldron. They got in their flying car.

"What are you going to call your owl?" Ginny asked.

"I think I will call him Cyclops." Albus decided.

"That's a silly name for a bird," James said.

"No, it isn't!" Albus answered.

"You're going to be put in Slytherin and that's where all the bad wizards go," James said.

"I am not. I'm going to be put in Gryffindor, aren't I dad?" His father turns away, intend on the fact that he is driving. "Aren't I mum?" Albus said, turning to his mother.

"Yes you are. Don't listen to your brother," she said shakily trying to convince herself as well as her son.

They then made their way home, to the relief of the younger children.