Money Can't Buy Friendship

Tadashi looked left and right, and then up and down. There was so much... magic. Well, he couldn't really say that. Nothing too strange was going on, but he could feel it everywhere. He could hear it in their speech, he could sense it in the air. Everyone spoke using strange words and laughed at different jokes.

He inched closer to his mother and looked at her. "Where are we going first?"

"First," she said, surveying her surroundings hastily, "I'll get some money for you. It's a different currency, so we can't use the money we have now. You go wait outside of the bank while I talk, okay?"

"Alright," Tadashi answered. "But how come I can't go inside?"

"The magic world is different, you already know that. So you should stay out of trouble."

"And you know what gets us in trouble?"

His mother looked down at Tadashi, walking into a white building. "Just stay out here. It's easier this way."

Tadashi shrugged and sat down on the cobblestone ground. He blew his hair away from his face and watched the world work around him. Many shops gathered in the streets and alleys, and many more people walked around, possibly buying magic things.

Returning to this morning, his mind remembered the man who helped him and his mother find their way into Diagon Alley. The man was on the short side, and he wore a happy and amiable face. Many times during the man's conversations with Tadashi's mother, the man would push his glasses up from the bridge of his nose. His mother asked how to get to the place, and the man agreed to help them find their way. He tapped on stones. Tadashi remembered that, but not the order in which he tapped them. Soon Tadashi found himself surrounded by so many people and magic. Never had he thought that such a scene could have been possible to witness.

The man suggested that they begin finding money first at Gringotts, if they didn't have any already. Then he told them to find their books and supplies before getting a uniform at Madam Malkin's.

Tadashi toed the dust and dirt around with his shoe and looked at the ground warily. He didn't want to look like he was out of place, but he couldn't help it. He was the only kid in sight wearing a graphic tee! Tadashi knew he should have worn a normal solid white long sleeve. He covered his chest with his arms, hoping no one would see the words on his shirt.

"Look, it's a kid!"

Tadashi looked up. Three boys towered above him, all holding wands in their hands.

"You're a wizard?" one of them asked. This one was tall and bulky, leaning down to face Tadashi.

"...Yes."

"Shy, huh?" another said. He had ridiculously bleached hair, possibly an effort to make himself look cool. "So what are you?"

"Huh?"

"He means your blood, stupid!" the last one shouted. "Must be a first-year."

"Meaning...?" Tadashi asked. The second he said it, he knew he was in trouble.

"Oh... Oh!" the first one shouted. "You're a mudblood!"

"What?" Tadashi whispered, scared about what would happen next.

"It's just a mudblood," the bleach-haired boy sighed. "And I thought we could make a friend."

"Of course we can make friends with him!" the biggest boy told him. Then he threw a box into Tadashi's hands. "Here, you can carry this for me!"

"Oh, then you can take this for me, mudblood!" the bleach-haired boy ordered.

"This, too!" The last boy threw a bag at Tadashi's face and laughed. "C'mon, mudblood!"

"Mudblood, come with us!" the first ordered. "You gotta follow us!"

"But I have to-"

"You don't want to be alone your entire time here, do you?"

Tadashi stopped. He could go. But his mother was still inside of the bank, and he still had to get his own stuff. And he didn't believe that these boys would be kind enough to lend some money for him to buy supplies. But most of all, being friends with huge jerks wouldn't be a nice change from Takuro.

"I still have to-"

"Don't worry, we've got some stuff we can give you!" the second boy said. "They'll be hand-me-downs, you okay with that?"

"I-"

"Just get up already, mudblood!"

Tadashi studied the situation. He didn't want to go. But they were waiting for him. It wasn't the good kind of waiting, either. It was threatening, and Tadashi somehow knew that what they were calling him wasn't good.

"Hey, mudblood!"

They didn't even bother. Tadashi felt the tears form in his eyes.

"Are you crying?"

"Weak!"

"Mudbloods!"

Tadashi looked down at his feet, wondering what to do. A long gray shadow met the toes of his shoes and he glanced up.

He was tall and, with one look, seemingly fearsome. It was unlikely he would be a hero, but his single word changed everything. With a raised brow, he scoffed.

"Pathetic."

The three boys froze and yelled at him to stop walking away. The 'hero' only continued on his way, ignoring the bullies and Tadashi. Watching the sight become a dot in the distance, Tadashi sat in awed shock.

The face of the 'hero' was engraved in his memory. Condescending, blunt, uninterested. It made Tadashi curious. What was that kind of a boy doing in the wizarding world? What could he do? Were all wizards like this? Tadashi shook his head. No, of course not. The man from earlier was very kind. Maybe that was just how kids acted here. This world probably had nice people and cruel people.

Maybe this world was closer to his world than he thought.

Then Tadashi shook his head again.

This world was his now, as well.

AN: We're going to do this slow and steady. I want to describe all of Tadashi's experiences myself. Especially his interactions with other characters. Especially Tsukki. And some other person.

Next time: Off You Go