Balmoral Castle, Scotland. July 1st, 1993.

William was lulled to sleep the previous night by a now all-too-familiar sound—his parents arguing. Even after officially separating the previous year, the Prince and Princess of Wales had made little progress in easing their tensions, not even for the sake of William and his younger brother, Harry. At just eleven, William often felt it was his duty to shield Harry from the relentless media scrutiny and the fallout from their parents' separation. Yet deep down, he knew it wasn't his responsibility to protect Harry from challenges that their parents could resolve themselves.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, stirring William from his thoughts. Glancing at the bedside clock, he noted it was just past eight-thirty. The family, as per tradition, were spending their summer holidays on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland, where it was not uncommon for members of the household to stir early. The castle was always bustling with relatives and staff, leaving little room for solitude. Sitting up, he threw off his tartan quilt and listened more intently.

"William will be overjoyed to finally receive his Hogwarts letter, Albus. He's been talking of nothing else for weeks," said his grandfather, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. William was surprised to hear another voice, realizing his grandfather wasn't alone.

"I am most pleased to hear that, Your Royal Highness," replied the kindly voice of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. William had met him only once before, at last summer's Ghillies Ball, which had been held at Balmoral since 1852. He remembered the firm handshake and the fleeting conversation before he and Harry were sent to bed, deemed too young to partake in the festivities.

A thrill of excitement coursed through William. He was eleven now—was this the moment he had been eagerly awaiting? He recalled being seven years old, accompanying his aunt, Princess Anne, and his cousins Zara and Peter to see Peter off to Hogwarts for the first time. The memory of his anticipation made his heart race; he had watched enviously as his cousins embarked on their own magical education.

He continued to eavesdrop. "If you don't mind, sir, I would like to meet with the Prince and Princess of Wales and Her Majesty to discuss William's security arrangements while at Hogwarts," Dumbledore proposed.

"That might be challenging. It's quite difficult to get those two in the same room as one another," Philip responded, his tone tinged with frustration.

Dumbledore seemed unfazed. "I'm sure you'll manage, Philip. Shall we?" He suggested.

There was a knock on the door and William quickly raced over to it, almost tripping over one of the broken floor boards. He opened the door, nodding his head politely at his grandfather. "Grandfather." He said, glancing slightly at Dumbledore, who was looking at William with a great deal of interest. William was used to this of course. He was used to people staring at him. Though, unusually for William, he did not feel uncomfortable under Dumbledore's gaze.

Philip gave William a smile. "William, dear boy." he said, his tone more enthusiastic than William had ever heard it. William knew his grandfather had a real infinity for the Wizarding World, having played for the Falmouth Falcons as a seeker in his youth. "You remember Professor Dumbledore?" He asked, and William nodded.

"Hello, Professor." William said nervously.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Your Royal Highness." Dumbledore said kindly, before turning to Philip again. "Sir, would you mind if I spoke to William on his own?"

"Not at all, Albus. I shall be back later." The Duke replied, and he disappeared back down the hallway, leaving William and Dumbledore alone for the first time. The excited feeling that William felt moments ago had seemed to disappear and now he felt as though his insides were crawling outwards.

What if, God forbid, Dumbledore was here to tell him that he was the first, in a long line of Wizards, to not be magical enough to attend Hogwarts? His Aunt Margaret had always been one to joke that there was bound to be a squib come along soon enough. Now that he thought about it, William didn't find this particular joke very amusing.

Unlike his younger brother, William hadn't had any sudden outbursts of underage magic. No implications of magic anywhere during his childhood, apart from the fact he could stay upright on a broomstick well enough. Was that enough for Hogwarts to accept him?

Professor Dumbledore seemed to have sensed his uncertainty, as he finally broke the silence between them, giving him a kind smile. "Shall we go on a walk and take in this wonderful, summer morning?" He asked.

William nodded, but hoped to Merlin that it wasn't raining outside like the forecast had predicted. This was Scotland, after all and anything was possible.

William had to walk very quickly to keep up with Dumbledore's quick strides, and the two soon found themselves walking across the banks of Loch Muick. "Professor, where are my parents?" William asked, looking up at Dumbledore.

"They shall be joining us soon. In the mean time, there are things of the utmost importance that we must discuss." He said and William was slightly taken aback by his sudden seriousness. "First of all," he said, going into the inside of his long grey robes, to which he pulled out an envelope made of parchment, handing it to William. "It is my great honour, to pass this onto you."

William took it, turning it over in his hands. Finally, he thought. He was mesmerized by Peter's letter, and then Zara's, but now he had one of his own. He glanced at the green writing, which reminded him so much of his great grandmother's own writing.

Mr. W. Wales

Craigowan Lodge

The Balmoral Estate

Royal Deeside

Scotland

"Wow," William said, excitedly. Everything he'd dreamt about, for as long as he could remember, was now beginning to come true. He'd finally be able to catch up with his cousins, who teased him endlessly that he was still too young to attend Hogwarts. He couldn't quite believe it.

Before William could get ahead of himself however, Dumbledore spoke, his stern and serious tone remaining. "Naturally, we would rather send acceptance letters by Owl Post, but because of who you are, we decided that it was better, and perhaps safer, for me to hand deliver your letter myself. I apologize for that," he said, bowing his head with a small smile.

William didn't mind the means in which he received his letter, he was just thrilled to have received it in the first place. "Because of who you are, of course, there are matters I wish to discuss with you. Matters of great importance." Dumbledore continued. He had finally stopped walking by the river, finally turning towards William to ensure that he was listening.

"Both in the Muggle World and the magical one, you are a great threat to many. Many would stop at nothing but to see harm befall you. I do not wish to scare you, for you are still only young—but one day, you will be King. It is our job to prepare you for your duty and to ensure you are prepared is of great importance to me."

It was at that moment that William became confused. He didn't understand how his magical education would prepare him for becoming King of the Muggle world. How exactly would this help him? Was he going to continue the lessons he had been undertaking with his grandmother, at Hogwarts?

It seemed that Professor Dumbledore, who was still gazing at William with a look of mild interest, had already read his mind. "You will be given extra lessons at Hogwarts, to ensure you are prepared for both sides of your life. But you will not lose out on free time with your peers, I assure you."

William nodded, finally bringing himself to start opening the letter that Dumbledore had given him. "Will I get to go to Diagon Alley?" He asked, reading the letter with great interest.

Dumbledore just smiled, and then nodded. "Yes, indeed you will. I shall not stop you from going with your cousins to collect your supplies. And protection shall be put in place with the Ministry of Magic to ensure your safety."

William thought that made sense, and he did begin to relax slightly. Dumbledore then started walking again and William walked after him, back towards Balmoral. "There is more we must discuss," Dumbledore continued on once again. "These are dark times, Your Royal Highness,"—William wished he'd just use his first name—"and as I have said previously, your protection is of the utmost importance. Due to your high status, you are entitled to what we call Advanced Protection. You will be issued two protection officers, who will escort you and your family to the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. Thereafter, your protection officer will accompany you to Hogwarts and will be stationed in the local village, Hogsmeade, throughout the year, should you ever need anything. Does that sound like something you can handle?"

William thought that was a silly question, considering he'd had Royal Protection Officers since the minute he was born. But, not wanting to be rude, William nodded and then looked up at Professor Dumbledore. "Yes, sir." He said.

As they walked, William caught a glance of Professor Dumbledore going into the inside of his robes again. It wasn't a letter this time, but a bag of what looked like lemon sweets. He took two from the bag, unstuck them and offered one to William. He took it, thanked him, and put it into his mouth.

William was relieved that when they got back to the castle that his grandfather was there waiting for him. "William, your cousins are itching to see your letter. Why don't you go and show them, while I take Professor Dumbledore to meet your parents?" Philip smiled at William and he got the impression that this was his grandfathers way of telling him he was no longer needed for the meeting with his parents.