The rest of the day passed quickly. Jason was bouncing off the walls as he moved from the kitchen, to the dining room, up to his bedroom, and back down the stairs again as he performed various chores his mother gave to him, smiling helplessly and humming unknowingly every time the thought of him being a wizard came up into his thoughts (about every 5 seconds).
Strutting into the kitchen with bulging cheeks and flared nostrils, Jason had never smiled for so long and so much in his life, so much so his cheeks began to grow tiresome after a while.
He could be someone, do something he would have never believed possible! He figured it's what anyone could have wanted, that is, to do remarkable things. And any fear of the future truly would not damper Jason's feeling of importance as it's something he believed he'd never felt before.
There was one thing that did actively concern him, however. That was his grandmother: Freya Briggins.
He'd went up to her bedroom around eleven with the burnt eggs in a tray along with Sprout's flowers, and although she was awake she barely acknowledged his presence as he told her her old friend had visited her.
Jason didn't want to mention his Hogwarts letter yet, not knowing where she stood in terms of magic comparative to his mother, whether for the better or the worst.
And as her trembling hands slowly moved to feed herself Jason couldn't help but notice how much older she had looked from yesterday. The color seemed to have been washed out of her face, while her mood was almost completely untalkative and her eyes unfocused as Jason spoke to her, opting to stare intensely at the wall, as if he wasn't speaking or there at all. Perhaps the heartbreak of Marius' death had finally started to sink in.
In the meantime Audrey had went out to the market to fetch ingredients for supper, to hopefully entice Freya downstairs.
Once the sun had begun to dip his grandmother had still not risen from her bed, and Audrey tried numerous times to get her to come out and stretch her legs, to no avail.
As supper rolled around, Jason's eyes shone as he contemplated the wonderful feast his mother had cooked for them.
A golden-brown roast duck sat besides a garden green salad, accompanied by mashed potatoes, corn bread and spinach collected fresh from Nan's garden. A brilliant aroma danced through the quaint home, mostly thanks to the duck. Even Jason, who's mind could think of nothing else besides Hogwarts was entranced by it's luscious allure, setting his thoughts aside.
Jason went up to his grandmother's room to fetch her for supper and as he entered, still she contained that dead-looking stare directed straight towards the wall, laying slumped with her head unto her pillow, tucked beneath her bedsheets, her wispy gray hair still wrapped in a shawl.
"Supper's ready Nan," Jason stood in the doorway, awaiting a response.
Silence.
Entering the room, Jason half-sat half-stood beside his grandmother on the nightstand.
"Come on Nan you've got to eat something," he said urgently.
Still unbudging, his grandmother continued to stare off at the blank wall ahead of her. Was she not physically able to get up or was she too depressed to respond? How come this fit had knocked her out now and not before their arrival?
Finally, hoping to ignite some sort of passion, whether it be anger or intrigue he began to tell her about Sprout.
Jason recited her visit, starting from how he first swung open the door, but the moment the word "Hogwarts," rolled off his tongue, it was as if all the air had been rushed back into the stuffy room.
Freya slapped out of her trance and snapped her head towards Jason frightfully, locking her gaze one him with her cold black eyes, causing him to rock the nightstand as he struggled for balance.
"Hog-" she croaked, face perplexed, "Hogwarts?" she let out slowly," You're going to Hogwarts?" Her voice struggled to speak these words, dried after not speaking all day and drinking very little.
Jason nodded his head with a light smile, and whatever depression Freya had succumbed too seemed to evaporate into thin air.
She began to laugh, to bellow really. Stunned, this deep hearty laugh was not something Jason expected at all. Freya threw off her covers and bounced out of bed gripping Jason's arms. Taken aback, Jason awkwardly grabbed her arms too as she began to shout and hop up and down. Relieved at this positive reaction Jason attempted to follow along as Freya cheerily burst into song;
"Hogwarts! Hogwarts! hoggy warty Hogwarts! Teach us something please!"
Exuberant, Jason tried to catch some of the words of what he assumed was the school's song, but mostly ended up just mouthing along with his grandmother and humming her tunes as she excitedly hopped besides him.
After finishing she finally released him and gasped aloud.
"Does your mother know?" She asked wearily, a dark fear coming from her throat.
"Yes she does, and she's a little unhappy but I think she's letting me go!"
Freya let out a sigh of relief and then resumed her expression of pure joy. "Come now Jason we must celebrate!" And she dashed out of the room before Jason could even respond.
Dinner was fantastic that night. Jason thought that he had trouble containing his excitement, but that was nothing compared to his grandmother's who was just like a kid in a candy shop.
"We must go shopping first thing tomorrow morning!" Freya said to Jason as he scraped the last bits of potatoes off his plate.
"For what?" Jason asked," And shouldn't we be preparing for the funeral?"
"Why, you're school supplies of course," She said, very matter of fact," And the funeral's already being taken care of, all that we must do is be there," she added enthusiastically.
Before bed that night Jason looked over his letter:
Headmaster : Minerva McGonagall
(Order of Merlin, First Class)
Dear Mr. Thomas,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Although not required, an additional section of books have been added to your list to help prepare you for your 5th year, as it will be expected for all 5th year students to have basic competency in all preliminary subjects.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your response by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Pomona Sprout
Deputy Headmistress
Jason unfolded the list of materials he'd need and was shocked by its length.
There were about 7 required textbooks with names like A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot and Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling, and underneath were about another 10 that complemented what Jason guessed he would have had to learn in between year 1-4. For example, he needed grades 1-5 of The Standard Book of Spells and both the basic and intermediate level transfiguration books.
He looked at what else he needed:
Uniform:
-Three sets of plain work robes
-One plain pointed hat for day wear
-One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
-One winter cloak (black)
Other Equipment:
-1 wand
-1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
-1 set of glass or crystal phials
-1 telescope
-1 set of brass scales
-Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad
An owl?
Jason's grocery list was just about the strangest assortment of items he'd ever seen. Scratching his head, he pulled his covers on as he fell into asleep, wondering where in the world he'd get all these things.
The answer came at dawn just as the reddish orange skyline began to break.
"GET UP!" Jason was being shook violently," WE'RE GOING TO LONDON JASON NOW GET UP YOU SLEEPY HEAD!" Freya had just let go of him and he struggled to break open his crusty eyelids.
Jason looked on surprisingly at his grandmother who looked ready to go shopping already, purse hanging about her shoulder complimenting her long white dress, topped off by an old-fashioned boater hat.
Not feeling too moved to go back to London as Jason didn't see any possible way for his grandmother to know where to find things like wands or owls, his pace was much slower than hers. Before he knew it they were on the train back to London and right back into the city.
"Nan have you actually read my list?" he prodded," Where are we going?" Jason hadn't actually registered until this morning that his grandmother was just about as magical as his mother, but the more he thought about it, the more he figured that she knew more than she let on.
As they walked down the street Freya spoke optimistically looking towards the sky," Diagon Alley, of course. It's where my sister got all her wizarding supplies."
Jason was taken aback," Your sister was a wizard?"
"Ah yes indeed. She was top of her class at Hogwarts. I always dreamed of walking through those large castle doors myself but now it's you who can become what I dreamed of for so long." Freya continued to speak warmly, "Once I realized I'd never be able to do magic I was crushed, and I didn't want to be around my family who all could do great, wonderful things! But after a long time, perhaps too long, yes much too long indeed I learned that magic won't fix all your problems. Friends, family, enemies, passions don't need a wand to be repaired or destroyed."
The pair continued down Charring Cross Road.
"Here we are!" Freya was giddy with excitement as they stopped in front of a short old wooden building titled "The Leaky Cauldron", tightly saddled between a massive bookstore and a fancy restaurant.
The building was squeezed in awkwardly and was laced with rotting wood surrounding the windows with only partially attached shutters. Jason wondered how it could possibly have survived for hundreds of year without being demolished or renovated.
Freya lead the way into the dark, stingy bar, where a few odd-looking characters were around. One old man with a scarlet robe and long, dark curly hair bared his teeth into a smile at Jason as he walked in, then promptly slumped over his seat and onto the bar, knocking over his golden mug. Two wizards sat speaking with the bartender "Can ye believe it? Knocked out in the quarter-finals... AGIN!" The wizard angrily slammed his fists onto the counter. "I'd play for England me self if I hadn't blown out me back when I was younger. They'll never be gettin to the World cup Finals in me lifetime will ey?"
Jason was thoroughly confused because the World Cup ended a couple of weeks ago and England had gone home in the round of 16.
Freya lead Jason past the rickety tables towards the group and straight up to the bartender," We'd like to use the visitors entrance, please!"
The bartender straightened up and uncrossed his arms," The visitor's entrance eh? I haven't let muggles into Diagon Alley for years."
"Muggles?" Confused, Jason looked towards his grandmother.
"That's what they call non-wizarding people. Of course, we're no muggles but we can't do magic on our own either." Freya gave him a large push on his back in the direction of the bartender, who had made his way to an exit on the other side of the tavern.
Outside the door lay a brick wall. Wondering where the entrance could be, Jason waited patiently as the bartender pulled from his apron a long stick, similar to Professor Sprout's wand and began tapping the wall with it.
Amazed, Jason watched the brick wall slowly disappear, revealing behind it a grand and busy street lined with shops and restaurants.
"Diagon Alley, give me a holler when you're back so you're not trapped in here forever," Then the bartender disappeared, closing the brick wall behind them.
Starstruck, Jason walked behind Freya as she led him through the street, only this was no ordinary road.
It was too tight for cars, not to mention too busy with people. Hundreds of witches and wizards milled about in all types of robes and suits, some long and elegant, others tattered and decrepit as they clogged the road, forcing Jason to fight his way through in order to keep up. Lining the road were dozens of shops, that were anything but ordinary. Through the window display "Slug and Jigger's Apothecary" had a large basket filled with orange eggs the size of footballs, a tortoise shell, and a large tube rack filled with what Jason thought looked like blood.
A witch and a wizard came out of what must have been a pet shop, accompanied by a girl just about Jason's age with a large rufous colored owl on her shoulder. "Thanks, but you really shouldn't have bought me anything, I don't want a pet..."
"Come now Lucy you've always wanted an owl since you were a kid, and it's not everyday you're daughter becomes a Hogwarts prefect!" cheered who must have been the father.
Jason had never been poor exactly, but if he ever wanted something, he usually had to work to get money himself. His mother was a fantastic chef but it wasn't a great income to split between two people living in the city. Quickly, he prayed that Hogwarts wasn't some preppy school with a bunch of spoiled and entitled wizarding children.
Among all these interesting looking characters, Jason's stomach suddenly did a flip. His outfit consisted of jeans and a red tee, and truthfully, he stuck out like a sore thumb. In Jason's constant effort to dress very modestly and ordinarily, he had unintentionally become the one who looked freakish. He could swear hundreds of eyes were constantly flicking towards his direction, then quickly looking away as Jason swung his head around on a swivel, desperately trying to stay calm as his heart beat sped up.
Then, Freya grabbed him by the ear and dragged him along," No worries Jason! We'll come back and look at everything else after we've visited Gringotts."
Embarrassed now more than ever, Jason saw the brown-headed girl with the red owl look in his direction as Jason squirmed out of his grandmothers grip.
Gringotts Bank was an old fancy marble building, but Jason couldn't help but notice the large black flags draped over the windows. Even more strange were the odd little creatures hanging around the steps... They almost looked like-
"Goblins, Jason." Freya told him before he could ask.
"Goblins?" Jason's eyes almost rolled back into his head. "Aren't they supposed to be - y'know" Jason stammered for words "Evil?" Jason didn't know much about goblins except that they weren't exactly friendly creatures in J.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.
"They're perfectly safe Jason, just try not to aggravate them with any, remarks." Jason dismissed this.
Four goblins stood at the entrance wearing identical uniforms, all with long pointed ears and noses. They were only about half of Jason's height, but they had a devilish look about their faces that told him they wouldn't mind clobbering him if given the chance. They flanked what looked like a birdbath with bubbly blue water.
"Hello, we're looking to access our vault in Gringotts," asked Freya soothingly in a a higher pitched voice, which sounded shockingly similar to his mother's telephone voice.
The goblin to the right of the birdbath crossed his arms, frowning. He wore a red badge on his chest," Alrigh' en. All wizar's need uh plac 'er hands in duh faucet 'ere."
"No wands er magical items ither." The goblin turned towards Jason. He looked straight at Jason's necklace which gleamed in the sunlight and his face became tranquil as he stared at it for a moment. Jason noticed the other goblins had stopped to stare as well. Before the goblins' faces were nasty and ruthless, but now they seemed entranced and lustful.
The goblin cleared his throat," Ye um. Tha' necklace will 'ave to stay too." His voice cracking at the word "necklace."
Jason looked around confusedly," What does this er- water do?"
"The goblin straightened up. "Is ere is veraquagen. Jus' uh make sure no one tryin' to en'er has any potion enhancemen's. New protocol. The liquid 'ill turn red if ya do."
Jason unattached his necklace and handed it to the guard. Him and Freya both dipped their hands into the basin and as expected, it remained it's same bubbly blue color.
The guards let them through and Jason couldn't help but wonder why the guard needed his necklace. Was it considered a "magical item" or was it just protocol?
His grandmother spoke to another goblin at the counter," Come this way I'll show you to your vault Mrs. Briggins." said the goblin.
Vault? Jason hurried excitedly behind his grandmother and the goblin. They were lead onto what looked like a mine cart over a stony tunnel that extended into a cave.
"Hold on," the goblin grinned, and the cart sped off through the track. They zipped through a complex tunnel system with the track repeatedly splitting off at forks and intersections almost at random. Within no time Jason had completely lost his orientation and struggled to keep his breakfast down as his cheeks sagged backwards and his brown hair flew behind him.
The moment it seemed like Jason's insides would come out, the cart braked hard and Jason would have flown out of his seat had Freya not grabbed hold of his collar.
Nauseated, the three stepped out of the cart while the goblin waddled towards a small door and unlocked it with his key.
The door slowly swung open revealing stacks upon stacks of golden coins. Amazed, Jason started towards the vault when he stopped. "Nan, how'd we get all these coins?"
"This is your grandfather's inheritance of course. The Black family was one of the richest in Britain, but after inheriting this he never spent a single Knut." Freya spoke quite cold-heartedly before stepping into the bank and placing gold coins into her purse.
She explained to Jason what each coin was and once they were done they went out the way they came, and Freya retrieved his necklace from the guard, pocketing it in her royal blue purse.
"I think it's best not to go flaunting this around, I don't like the way those goblins looked at it." Freya commanded flatly.
Jason didn't question her, and they went from shop to shop to buy different supplies for school with the galleons they had just collected. They bought about 15 textbooks at one of the bookstores and Jason had no idea how he was going to lug it all around, when his grandmother slipped them into her purse, one by one, and they all disappeared inside. Apparently you could put anything that fit into it and the purse would not become heavier and seemingly had unlimited volume.
They got some lunch at a wizard's restaurant, which, Jason was relieved that the food was the same as muggle food, and after they had collected almost all their supplies it was time to get what Jason was most excited for: his wand.
They walked up the street and walked pass a shop with boarded up windows," Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" and walked up to "Ollivanders," which, Jason had been told by his excited grandmother that was where he would be getting his first wand.
Jason went in alone with a few galleons and was surprised to see the same girl with the red owl, except this time she was alone with an old man who Jason assumed must be Ollivander. The girl stood with his back toward him, and was dressed in a black robe that looked just like Jason's school robe. Her light brown hair waved shortly past her shoulders and she almost reached Jason's height. She was twiddling a light cedar-wood wand in her fingers but hadn't seemed to notice Jason.
"Hello Sir, please wait a moment while I finish up with this customer," waved Ollivander. Jason returned with a nod, his face scrunching with a sort-of half-smile as he so often does.
The girl, whose name Jason remembered was Lucy, handed Ollivander seven galleons while Ollivander promptly returned the spare wands, disappearing into his storage.
Lucy turned around and Jason got a good look at her. She was thin in a way that suggested she was athletic, and Jason immediately noticed her bright blue eyes that sparkled in the light. Her face was plain, with chipmunk-like cheeks. Contrasting her bright face was a horrible scar that ran across her neck at a curved angle, as if she had almost had her throat slit open. Jason shuddered at the sight of it instinctively rubbing his own neck but then stopping almost immediately.
Lucy gave a wide smile upon seeing Jason, showing her dimples and brilliant white teeth. "Hey I saw you earlier didn't I? Quite the getup you're wearing for a wizard, are you a Hogwarts student?" she asked, her words sounding short and curious as she spoke.
"Yes I just got accepted, I'll be starting there this fall," answered Jason routinely.
Lucy eyes opened in awe at his accent," Wow! I never thought I'd see an American going to Hogwarts. Are you transferring from Ilvermorny?"
"Er-" Jason had no idea what that was but didn't want to look dumb "No." Jason couldn't really think of any other way to explain that he was really transferring from a lower-end Muggle school in New York to Hogwarts.
Instead, he told Lucy that it was his first time going to wizarding school and he'd never known about magic before that.
"Wow! Really? That's amazing!" Lucy's face stretched with enthusiasm," You'll love Hogwarts, though I'm sure it's nothing like Muggle school. Hopefully you're sorted into Hufflepuff - oh, you must not know about the houses."
Lucy proceeded to explain about the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Jason would have to be sorted into one of those right away.
"So do I have to take a test or something to see where I'll go?" Jason asked cautiously, unaware of the standard procedures at Hogwarts.
A devilish smirk crossed Lucy's face," Yeah it's a test of sorts. Right in front of the entire school." Jason's face went white and Lucy giggled. "Don't worry though you'll be fine, everyone has to do it."
Right as Jason began stressing at what test he could possibly have to take on the first day in front of the entire school, Ollivander walked back up to the counter.
"Well it was nice meeting you, I'm Lucy Gardener, by the way," Lucy stuck out her hand.
Jason shook it, noting her long fingers," Jason Thomas, I'll see ya at school I guess."
With that Lucy left the shop, looking a lot happier then she had looked before with her owl.
Jason turned towards Ollivander," Hello, sir, I'm here to buy a wand."
Ollivander was an old, thin, curly haired man, radiating something very ancient about him. Ollivander looked at him curiously," So Mr. Thomas, this is your first wand I presume?"
"Yes sir."
Ollivander rounded behind his desk and started searching through the large cabinets behind him, all filled with little narrow boxes. "Hmm... No good. Let me see if I can find another. Hmm, mhm this might work."
"Rowan wood, eleven and three quarter inches, dragon heartstring... Go on, give it a wave!"
Jason took the wand and waved it around. Nothing happened.
"What should I be looking for in my wand?" asked Jason.
"Great question Mr. Thomas. You must look for the wand that responds most well to you. These are not merely humps of wood, in fact, one can think of wands as being almost sentient beings. Thus, you must choose the wand that chooses you." Ollivander said very knowledgeably, as if he'd given this sort of talk before.
Ollivander disappeared behind his great cabinets and brought out yet another wand.
"Seven inches, unicorn hair core, and chestnut wood, try this."
Jason flicked the wand and at once a handful of wand boxes shot out of the cabinet behind Ollivander, barreling towards Jason. Ducking, he only just managed to avoid his head getting blown off.
Ollivander winced and plucked the wand out of his hand, giving him a new one with his other," Not to worry, I think this wand might just do the trick, nine and a half inches, sycamore wood and a phoenix core!"
Jason held the wand by it's end. It felt slender in it's light brown color, the same as Lucy's hair he noticed, and had a nice polish to it, leaving a large section of the wand open for the grip.
He flicked it in the air and out came a ball of yellow sunlight. Elated, Jason knew this was the one for him.
"Ahhh very well Mr. Thomas it seems that this wand has chosen it's master! It must see an adventurer in you and one who is ready to explore new horizons, very curious too, that the phoenix feather core has chosen you." Ollivander gave a cracked smile, and Jason, delighted with his new wand payed the seven galleons and went to find his grandmother.
When they got back to their home Jason registered the astronomical amount of things he'd have to read through before the semester began, in just about a month...
What were they thinking? Giving a student four years of schoolwork in a month. Jason decided to start with some basic spells and gave up after an hour and his fiftieth attempt of the levitation charm. No matter what he did his apple simply would not float. So instead he opted to start reading through A History of Magic because at the very least, Jason thought, this was something that can be learned just through reading and not skill.
The hours slept away as Jason engrossed himself in the education of the earliest forms of magic, reading about the Founders of Hogwarts, the various goblin rebellions in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, and the government structure of the Ministry of Magic. And before he knew it, Jason fell asleep book in hand.