Chapter One: Letters and Shopping
July 23rd, 1991
A young boy with raven black hair yawned as he got out of his bed. He grabbed his glasses from off his headboard and put them on. He looked around his room, checking if everything was still in place. The walls and ceiling were still a pristine white. The red carpet had no new stains on it, either. He nodded and went over to his door to leave the room. When he went out the door, he stopped before running into a boy and girl that were coming out of the room next to his. "Oh! Vincent, Katherine, good morning."
Vincent turned toward the boy, black hair swaying. "Morning to you too, Harry. If my guess is right, we'll be receiving our Hogwarts Letters today."
Katherine nodded, blonde hair bobbing up and down. "Dad said that his and Uncle James' always came around this time of year. Didn't we always plan what we'd do when we got to attend?"
With a chuckle, Harry started towards the stairs. "Sure, but we can talk about it during breakfast. Vexus might get angry if we take too long." The three children then went downstairs and into the dining room. The table was full of breakfast foods, and there were six chairs around the table. Harry called out to the man sitting at the head of the table. "Good morning Uncle Herbert! Have our letters arrived yet?"
Herbert looked at him with a bemused look. He pulled out three letters from his coat pocket. "They arrived just before you awoke. Come sit down, I'll hand them over when you're seated." The children took their seats at the table, and each was handed a letter. Herbert saw excitement in all their faces and smiled.
As they opened the letters, a blonde woman came into the room, holding the hand of a younger blonde girl. The woman spoke. "Look Gaia, you'll get your letter in two years. Your siblings and cousin are old enough to go, but you aren't."
Though the young girl pouted, she didn't whine about it. Tears did threaten at the edge of her amber eyes, but she didn't cry. She wiped away her tears, and sat down in her chair. Herbert looked into the woman's hazel eyes. "Ceres, you never cease to amaze me." He then looked to see that the three that had letters had finished reading them. "Alright you three. Finish breakfast and get ready for the day. We'll shop for your school supplies when you're done."
After they finished eating, Harry, Vincent, and Katherine went back upstairs together. They took turns washing up, and they got changed into day clothes. Harry wore a simple gray T-shirt and blue jeans, accompanied by white socks and black shoes. Vincent wore a blue polo shirt and black slacks, joined by green socks and brown shoes. Katherine had on a yellow sundress, pink socks, and white shoes.
When they came back downstairs, Herbert was waiting for them. He gave them a once-over, and nodded. "Alright then, let's get going." He opened the front door, and the four of them walked outside. On the driveway was a Ford Anglia. They piled in, clicked their seatbelts, and Herbert started driving off.
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A few minutes later, they parked outside The Leaky Cauldron. They all unbuckled and climbed out of the car. Herbert made sure to lock it before they went inside. The bartender then spoke as the four approached. "Herbert Potter, I see you're bringing Harry and your children to Diagon Alley. Sometimes I wish you'd come by for old times sake."
Shaking his head, Herbert sighed. "It's not the same without James, Tom. I don't think I'll be here for anything aside from business for the foreseeable future." Herbert then led the three to a back wall, and tapped one of the bricks thrice with his wand. After he stopped, the bricks shifted apart to reveal the entrance to an alleyway. He saw wonder in the blue eyes of his son, excitement in the hazel eyes of his daughter, and a mix of the two in his nephew's green eyes. "Children, welcome to Diagon Alley."
They first went to Gringotts to withdraw some money. They walked in and found their way to the front desk. Herbert spoke to the goblin behind the desk. "Salutations, lord goblin. I'm here to access Harry Potter's trust vault, as well as the ones for Vincent and Katherine Potter. I've got the keys right here." He pulled out three golden keys, and set them in front of the goblin to inspect.
After the goblin ensured that the keys were correct, he handed them to a fellow goblin and instructed him. "Griphook, lead our guests down to their vaults." The goblin in question led the four magicals through one of the many doors in the hall. Griphook called a cart on the rail system, and they all climbed onboard. The cart wizzed along the labyrinthine track until it stopped in front of a vault. Griphook climbed out first to open it, and the piles of Knuts, Sickles, and Galleons were so high that they filled about half the vault.
Herbert led Harry out of the cart. "Alright, this one's yours. Nothing compared to your parents' vault, but it's enough to get you through Hogwarts comfortably." He handed a medium sized bag to Harry. "Put enough in to get your school supplies, and maybe a little more. You'll want to make it last, trust me." After Harry had filled the bag to the brim- much to Herbert's dismay- they visited the other two vaults. Vincent and Katherine only took just enough to get their supplies.
After leaving the bank, they went to Madam Malkin's. When they entered, they saw a blonde boy just getting done with his robes. He saw them, and spoke. "Ah, more first years like myself. Say, what House do you think you'll be in? I'll probably be in Slytherin, like my parents."
Shrugging, Harry replied. "My cousins and I will probably be in Gryffindor, like my parents, my aunt and my uncle."
The boy seemed disappointed. "Well I suppose we'll have to wait and see if we're right. See you at school."
As the boy left, Herbert sighed. "If I'm right about who his father is, you should try and steer him away from following in his dad's footsteps. What have I always told you?"
"Not all Slytherins are evil." The three children chorused. Herbert smiled. After the children were measured for their robes, thy bought some parchment and quills. Then they went to pick up their course books for the year from Flourish and Blotts.
After that, they bought three pewter cauldrons, three sets of scales, and three collapsible telescopes. They got some potion ingredients from the Apothecary, along with some glass vials.
The next stop was the Eeylops Owl Emporium and the Magical Menagerie, where each child picked their own pet to take to school. Harry chose a female snowy owl that he decided to call Hedwig. Vincent and Katherine chose a pair of female cats. One black with brown spots and white paws, the other light brown with darker spots. Vincent called the black one Onyx, and Katherine called the brown one Sandy (short for Sandstone).
Next, Herbert led the three children to Olivander's to get wands. The proprietor was near the front of the store, and smiled. "Ah, Herbert! Acacia, 10 inches, unicorn hair, pliable. I trust that it's still in top shape?"
Herbert smiled. "You know me. I've kept maintaining it. But today isn't about me." He ushered the youngsters forward. "These three are here for their wands."
Olivander looked at the children, and spoke. "Right. Vincent, Katherine, and Harry. I've got a few wands for you to try. Just don't forget; the wand chooses the magic user. So don't be discouraged if you don't get your wand right away." He then pulled out three wands. He set them down on the table, and explained each one. "The one on the left is ash, 9 and a half inches, dragon heartstring. The middle one is oak, 9 inches, phoenix feather. The one on the right is alder, 11 inches, unicorn hair, pliable. Each of you can test all three."
Vincent grabbed the oak wand, Katherine took the ash wand, and Harry was left with the alder wand. At Olivander's urging, they gave them a flick. Vincent's caused some drawers to pop open, Katherine's caused some papers to scatter, and Harry's knocked him back. They then switched wands, Vincent getting the alder, Katherine receiving the oak, and Harry winding up with the ash. After similar difficulties as before, they swapped again.
When Vincent flicked the ash wand, it glowed brightly in his hand and a wide smile graced his face. Katherine had a similar reaction when the alder wand glowed in her hand. Harry, however, didn't have such luck. After breaking a pot, he handed the wand back to Olivander. Olivander took the wand and spoke. "Well, it seems two of you got the right one. I'll pick out a few more for Harry to try, and you two can wait with your dad."
The twins stepped back, and waited. After a few minutes, Olivander returned. He had two other oak wands, and one other wand. He set them on the table, and explained each one. "The one on your left and the one in the middle are both oak. The left is 10 inches, dragon heartstring, pliable. The middle is 11 inches, unicorn hair. But the one on your right is Holly, 11 inches, phoenix feather, nice and supple. Try all of them, and see which one is best."
Harry tried both of the oak wands and got bad results. But when he flicked the holly wand, not only did it glow in his hand, but red and gold fireworks shot from the end of the wand. At the display, Olivander congratulated the boy. "Ah, that's wonderful! Yet quite peculiar indeed."
"Peculiar? How so?" Harry wondered.
"I recall every wand that I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every last one. That wand has a brother- meaning that the same phoenix gave the tail feathers to the two wands. Yew, 13 inches. That wand was wielded by the man that gave you that scar." Harry gulped. "Yes, I suppose it's fitting you have it. We can expect great things from you. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."
The three paid for their wands, and left the shop. Harry didn't know how to feel. He had hoped that his wand would be willow like his mother's or mahogany like his father's. Yet to know he had a wand that was the brother of Voldemort's- well, he just supposed that he'd have to adjust. After picking up the finished robes, the quartet made their way home.
