"Melanie, it's time to wake up!"
John turned over in bed and grumbled to himself, pulling the covers higher. His mother knocked on his door again but it was early and he was on vacation so he tried to ignore her. He had little success as she opened his door and pulled the covers down herself. She rolled her eyes, walking over to his closet to begin picking out an outfit. Probably a dress.
"For someone who apparently loves school so much, you don't seem very excited about buying your supplies."
John practically leapt out of bed, pushing past his mother to get an outfit ready for the day. She chuckled and left him to his devices. He could smell bacon in the kitchen as he pulled his dungarees on. The shirt he wore under them was his Beatles shirt Allie had gifted him last Christmas and he nearly tied his fingers together as he laced his trainers up. When he left his room he spotted his father serving breakfast and he slid into his seat, pretending he hadn't almost fallen over. He sent a smile at his parents.
"You don't think you should wear something nicer?" His father asked, serving his food.
"It's just shopping." John rolled his eyes, shoving a banger into his mouth. "When did the list come in?"
"Please don't speak with your mouth open." His mother reprimanded. "It's unladylike."
"Yeah, yeah." He waved her off, swallowing the sausage. "When did the list come in?"
"This morning, while you were asleep." She handed the letter over.
It was unopened and John noted it was addressed to 'M. Smith' as opposed to his full name or even 'Mr. Smith' and he found himself grateful for that. He tore it open, not concerned with keeping it intact or clean. The grease on his fingers sullied the parchment. On it was his list of school supplies. As he still had his general supplies from the previous year, it only listed the books he needed, as well as mentioning second years were allowed broomsticks. He wondered if his parents would allow him a broomstick. The books were nothing out of the ordinary, though he noted the Defence Against the Dark Arts book seemed much more practical this year than it had the last. He wondered why that was. Their professor last year had been somewhat forgettable. He couldn't remember half of the spells they'd learned with her.
John jumped from his seat as soon as he'd finished eating, but his mother stopped him. After being forced to do the dishes he returned to his room, picking his wand up from its spot under his bed. He hadn't put it there, but it had rolled there of its own accord at some point and he'd never bothered picking it up as he wasn't permitted to use it anyways. It found its way into his chest pocket and he dumped any remaining school materials from his bag onto his bed before slinging it over his shoulder and returning to his parents.
The three of them piled into their car and the long drive to London began. Professor McGonagall had been the one to take John shopping the previous year so he hadn't had the experience of driving there (they'd teleported; apparition, she'd called it). He stared out the window, bored and tapping out random patterns on the window. He breathed on the glass to create fog and doodle little shapes on it. It felt like centuries before they arrived on Charring Cross Road. His parents passed the Leaky Cauldron and John squawked at them, pointing insistently at the pub. They sighed, explaining to him that they had to park before they would be able to go inside. John huffed and crossed his arms, slumping into his seat.
He pranced over to the pub after they finally parked but his parents looked between the muggle bookstore and new record shop with confusion. John tugged them forward and it was only when they were practically touching the building that they recognized it as a pub as opposed to a broken down old shop. It was around lunchtime and they'd been driving for hours, so they stopped to eat before moving on to their shopping. Thankfully, Tom the barkeeper accepted their muggle money, saying he could just exchange it at Gringotts later. Apparently it was common for muggle family members to eat at the Leaky Cauldron before exchanging their money. The Smiths stopped at Gringotts before going to Flourish and Blotts to purchase John's school books.
"Please, Gerard? I promise I won't sneak it into school!" An oddly familiar feminine voice pleaded.
"Your mum said no, and I'm not getting on her bad side." Gerard responded.
John handed his bag off to his parents before dashing off, ignoring his parents alarmed voices. He weaved through the crowd, following the voices as they left the bookstore. On the street, he looked in every direction before spotting a bright red head of hair and running after it. John tapped on her shoulder, out of breath by the time he caught up to her. When she turned around, his suspicion was confirmed. Brown eyes blinked owlishly at him.
"John?"
"Y-you're a-" John wheezed. "You're a witch!"
"You're a wizard!" Allie exclaimed. Both of them stared at each other before letting out excited squeals and hugging each other. Gerard stood to the side, rubbing his ears.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me!"
"I wanted to! You have no idea how much I wanted to!"
"Melanie!" John's mother called out with concern and the moment was broken.
"Ah, don't worry Mrs. Smith, everything is fine." Gerard said, holding his hand out for her to shake. "Your kid just saw Allie is all. They didn't know the other was magic."
John's mom shook Gerard's hand with relief. She looked overwhelmed by the magical surroundings and John was grateful when Gerard suggested she and her husband take a break while he looked after the two children. John's parents hugged him before going back to the Leaky Cauldron to relax. They trusted Gerard Stern. He was Allie's mother's boyfriend from Germany and he was pleasant and responsible. John liked Gerard because he let him and Allie eat more candy than they needed and explore the forest on their own.
Gerard was carrying Allie's books. It looked as if they'd purchased everything but her wand, and a pet if she planned on buying one. John hadn't gotten a pet. His parents wouldn't have let him keep it if he tried. The three of them walked towards Ollivander's, John and Allie chattering excitedly. Both of them were astounded they'd only just found out the other was magical. Allie explained she was a half-blood, as was Gerard. Her mother was a muggle, but her absent father was some sort of magical. John didn't want to ask further questions on that line.
They were entering Ollivander's anyways so there was no need to continue. The bell rang as they entered the musty store, dust clinging to them as if trying to make them a part of the shop. A single lantern tried to light the establishment and gave it a warm glow. Allie blinked several times, looking around for Ollivander while her two companions remembered their own wand purchases. There was a clatter as Ollivander rolled into view on a ladder attached to a shelf stacked high with wands. Allie jumped.
"Why hello there, what's your name?" He leaned forward, his large silver eyes unblinking.
"A-Allie Whitney." She said, eying him warily.
"Yes, I remember your father…" Ollivander murmured thoughtlessly as his gaze was drawn to Gerard. "Did I sell to you?" He asked before Allie could ask anything of her father.
"Ah, no, I'm from Germany. Bought my wand at Gregorovitch Zauberstäbe and went to Durmstrang." Gerard explained briefly. "I've been meaning to buy a second one though. My first one has a core of dragon heartstring but I've looked into wandlore and I believe I'd be better suited to unicorn hair."
"I believe you may be right, young man. Gregorovitch was never the best at finding the wand's perfect match. And his wands themselves…" Ollivander shuddered and John realized with a start that the man was standing directly in front of him. "How has your wand been treating you, Mr. Smith?"
"Er, very well, I think?" He said.
"What kind of wand does he have?" Allie asked, tilting her head in John's direction. She'd gotten over her initial wariness.
"Willow, unicorn hair. Eleven and a half inches. Slightly bendy." Ollivander listed carelessly. "How is your mother?"
"Oh, she's brilliant!" Allie answered, smiling at the measuring tape that had come to life. "We went to the London Zoo a month ago. I got to see Guy the gorilla and a ton of birds in the Snowdon Aviary!" John hoped she wouldn't continue to detail her trip to the zoo. She hadn't shut up about it for ages after her return and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't envious of her.
"Yes, yes. Let me see here…" Ollivander seemed very pleased with her answer and John wondered if he'd somehow gotten an idea of what type of wand she should have. He carefully removed a wand from the shelf. "Try this one. Twelve inches, English oak, dragon heartstring. Bendy." It was ornate.
"Alright then." Allie took the wand, giving it an experimental wave. A shelf quickly caught fire and Ollivander snatched it back.
"Good, good." He slid it back into place without looking as he walked further into the store.
"Sorry!" Allie called after him. He returned momentarily.
"Try this one. Maple. Phoenix feather. Twelve and a half inches. Rigid." Ollivander handed a second wand to her.
"Is your shelf okay?" Allie asked, but before she could wave it around he'd already taken it back. "Is that a no?"
"The shelf is just fine." Ollivander murmured as if not hearing her. He returned, opening another wand box. "This one. Spruce with a core of phoenix feather. Twelve and three-quarter inches. Sturdy." The wand inside was very simple and natural; a stark contrast to the first wand he'd pulled out.
"Oh, I think I like this one. It's warm." Allie smiled, giving it a swish. It produced a shining golden rabbit that hopped around in the air before dissolving.
"A good, strong wand, that one. I must warn you, however, that the combination of spruce wood and phoenix tail feather make your wand prone to performing magic on its own."
"That's alright, I think we'll get along just fine." Allie kissed the wand, twirling it between her fingers.
"How much will that be? Ten galleons?" Gerard asked, pulling out his coin pouch.
"Only seven. You said you were looking into wandlore?"
"Well, I've only dabbled." Gerard's eyes focused on the ground as he handed the proper payment over. "They don't teach many classes on it with someone like you out there."
"A shame, truly…" Ollivander muttered, pocketing the coins. "Stop by anytime, we can talk." The old man smiled before disappearing to the back of his store.
"You know, I like him." Allie stated.
They left the wand shop and compared wands. Gerard's was easily the longest, though he said he would be more comfortable with a shorter one. It looked more like a random stick picked up off the forest floor than a wand, though he assured them it performed its duties well enough. John's was the most ornate, though it was by no means fancy. It was smooth and had a shaped grip with some curving details. After fiddling with her wand, Allie tucked it behind her ear. The action drew John's attention to her recent haircut. It seemed she'd decided to cut most of her hair off since he'd last seen her. When questioned, she claimed it was for the coming school year. She commented on the length of his hair and said she'd ask her mother to give it a trim when they got back home.
Allie's mother was a hairdresser and the one who had initially cut John's hair short. It had been Allie he had first confided in about his gender, and Allie wasn't the best at keeping things to herself. He hadn't thought to ask her to keep it to herself at the time so he supposed that wasn't her fault. She'd gone on to tell her mother and Gerard before he insisted she keep quiet about it. It was nice to have someplace near home he could go to feel comfortable. He was glad he'd fumbled with coming out to her but he wasn't quite ready to tell his parents.
"Have you got a broom?" Allie asked. John followed her gaze to the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies where the Nimbus 1001 was on display.
"I wish." John sighed. "I wanted to try out for quidditch but I haven't been able to practice very much."
"If I- you get a broom now we- you could practice in the forest back home! None of the muggles would see!" Allie said, bouncing up and down. John had a suspicion her motives were not entirely selfless.
"I don't have enough money for a broom." John pointed out. Allie turned to Gerard.
"No." Gerard said, firmly.
"Oh, pretty please, Gerard? It's not for me and I never gave John a proper birthday gift because we were at the zoo." Allie pouted.
"Well…" Gerard said, less firmly.
"Come on, before he changes his mind!" Allie shouted, dragging an amused John into the quidditch store.
"I'm not buying you a Nimbus!" Gerard called after them as he was forced to wait for a horde of shoppers to pass by.
John and Allie perused the crowded shop, making a beeline for the Nimbus 1001 on display. They stared at it in awe before being pushed aside by older shoppers and heading to the other side of the store where the balls were. Allie explained each position in depth, though John had already heard enough of that from James the previous year. She told him she would want to be a chaser or beater if she played. John said he wouldn't mind being a chaser. They wandered the store and when Gerard finally caught up to them they were looking at broom care kits.
It was with much protest that they learned Gerard would only buy a Tinderblast or a Swiftstick. Neither of those brooms were the large name brands of the Nimbus, Cleansweep, or Comet. John hadn't even heard of them before. Allie protested, complaining about them being thirty years old. It took a lot of convincing on Gerard's part, but Allie eventually conceded. She tried to choose the broom herself until he reminded her he was buying it for John. John didn't know much about brooms. He looked between the two and was told the Tinderblast was slower, so he went for the Swiftstick. That one was only twenty years old! John was reassured to learn there were only so many new broom models every couple decades.
The three of them made their way out of Quality Quidditch Supplies. Allie asked if they could stop by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour before returning to John's parents and Gerard redirected the conversation to point out Eeylops Owl Emporium. John wasn't sure if Gerard wanted to deny them ice cream or if he was simply running out of money. He decided on the latter. Gerard would never deny them ice cream under normal circumstances. The emporium was dark inside, and various owls went about their business. Some ignored them and others stared them down. Allie was drawn to a small, sad looking tawny owl. It was slumped in its cage and she pointed it out to Gerard immediately.
Allie named it Pepper despite its decidedly non-peppery colouration and the purchase was made without any trouble. She seemed to have forgotten about her wish for ice cream as they returned to the Leaky Cauldron. John's parents put a damper on his mood as they misgendered him but he tried to keep his mind on more positive things. Gerard asked the other two adults if they'd arrived by car, to which John's parents nodded. He offered to help them use something called the Floo Network to arrive home faster, after which he would simply summon their car. It took only a moment for the Smiths to agree and after a reassuringly thorough explanation everyone had gotten home.
The sun had begun to set by the time they arrived home and John all but collapsed onto his bed when he reached his room. His bag carrying his school books had been unceremoniously tossed to the ground and his broom was on the bed next to him. He wondered what his Hogwarts friends were up to as he drifted off to sleep. John felt it was going to be a good school year and he had a smile on his face as he entered dreamland.
Word Count: 2,846
Hello! This was a fun chapter for me to write! First year felt sluggish and I didn't enjoy writing it but I have actual plans for second year and on so hopefully I'll enjoy myself more! I haven't edited anything in this though so if it's awkward anywhere I apologize. I won't be editing anything until I finish this and put it on Archive of Our Own. Anyways!
I've been mentioning Allie here and there, yes. She's the character I've kind of been leading up to and is John's childhood friend. She's very fun to write and will be the protagonist of my side-story that will go along with this series. I haven't come up with the title but it will be 'Allie Whitney and the _' because I enjoy using the same title conventions as the series I'm writing for (this is why my How to Train Your Dragon fics are usually titled 'How to _ _ _'). That story will let me focus more on OCs. John will still be a character in it and that's where I'll include any John+OC interactions because his time with the Marauders is more important to this story and I don't want to clutter anything here with OCs now that I've realized how this story will be playing out.
You may continue to send in student OCs if you wish. I've received 2 DADA Professor submissions so far (and 1 is reserved) so I can take 4 more (one will be used for the 2nd part of this series; ask me if you want more information). I've also received an Astrology teacher for part 2. I need teachers for pretty much every subject for part 2 so if you're interested in that (or submitting a student OC for part 2) please let me know and we will talk about that. I don't want to spoil things for my other readers so that's why I'm having this extra step and why I require any submissions to be made by account users. It doesn't take much time to make an account and having one lets you easily follow fics anyways so I recommend you do that if you haven't already (for your own sake!)
I'm in Edinburgh right now and I've actually visited the Elephant House Cafe, where Rowling wrote the first few chapters of Harry Potter! I also wound up on Victoria Street, which is supposedly the inspiration for Diagon Alley. I went into a shop there and bought the 'Hogwarts Library' books (Fantastic Beasts, Beedle, Quidditch) so that's where the broom names came from. I also bought an unofficial spellbook that will be very useful to me (it has every spell in the Harry Potter universe separated into the 7 spell types, lists the incantation if applicable, gives a description, and lets you know if it was found in the video/card games just in case you don't want to use those) so that's also fun!
I've been having a blast and I really hope you guys are enjoying yourselves too! I'd really love it if you could leave a review; I love talking to my readers. As always, I love all of you and I hope to see you next time!