In The Beginning, There Was Dugan
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. D. Kehoe,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
I read and reread the letter, before letting out a shout of surprise and dashing to the living room.
"Ma! I've got a letter!" My mother, a woman with long, curly brown hair, took the letter and gazed at it with bright green eyes, before shrieking in surprise. She leapt to her feet and grabbed me before turning on the spot and Apparating to my father's office. She thrusted the letter at him, and he took it, and read it, before rising from his chair and wrapping me in a tight hug.
"I'm so excited for you, son." I returned the hug, and my mum spoke.
"So, d'you want an owl, a cat, or a frog?" I frowned in thought, overwhelmed by the possibilities, and came to my decision.
"Cat. Definetely." She grinned, and Apparated us back home, where I eagerly began to pack, even though it was the third of July.
"Diagon Alley! Wow!" I jumped up and down in excitement, holding my mother's hand as we entered through the wall into the Alley itself. Stores and shops crowded the alleyway, and I wondered how they had managed to hide this place in such a small area.
"What kind of charm is this? It looks like a very powerful Concealment Charm, but I can't be sure." Mum looked at me with faint surprise.
"It is, in fact, a Concealment Charm. Good job, Dugan." My father chuckled from where he walked next to us.
"He might have some Ravenclaw in him, Lenore." She shook her head.
"What house were you in, ma?" She smiled at me, and said,
"Gryffindor, and your father was a Hufflepuff." I smiled up at her, and responded.
"I hope I'm in Gryffindor, like you." She grinned, while my father snorted.
"Lenore, will you take him to Ollivander's while I get the rest of his things? It might take a while to pick the right wand." She nodded, and led me through the alley to a shop with a sign that read, "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." She pushed open the door, a bell tinkling as she did, and we were greeted by a elderly man with shocking white hair.
"Hello, how may I help you?" My mother smiled, and said,
"We're picking out a wand for him. It's his first year at Hogwarts!" Her excitement was barely contained, as was mine, and he chuckled.
"Very well. Please, stand here." I did so, and he began measuring different lengths on my body as he asked me questions.
"Wand arm?" I indicated that it was my right, and he asked my weight, favourite colour, and a host of other strange questions before he nodded, satisfied. The tape measure, which had been moving on its own, fell to the floor in a heap.
"Very good. Ah, I think I have one that may fit you." He puttered back in the rows upon rows of shelving behind the small desk before withdrawing a long box.
"Yes, much longer than I normally make, but it seemed necessary at the time." He set the box on the counter, and eased it open, revealing a long, thin, black wand. He carefully removed it from the box, and handed it to me, handle first. I gripped it cautiously, not wanting to break it, and felt a sudden warmth in my hand that spread down my arm.
"Incredible! It isn't very often that the first wand I select fits the wizard this well. Let's see... Elder wood, fifteen inches, with a thestral's tail hair. Good for transfiguration magic." My mother paid for the wand, and I placed it gingerly back into the box before we met up with my father in the alleyway.
"I figured that Dugan should pick out the cat himself, so he could decide which one he liked the most." My mother nodded, and led me to another shop, Magical Menagerie, which reeked of fur and other scents as we entered the stuffy building. Immediately, I spotted a white cat with bright blue eyes, sitting quietly in a cage, and I made a beeline to it.
"This one, definetely." My mother looked at it, and nodded.
"He's very pretty, isn't he?" I nodded, and my mother called the lady over.
"Are you sure, this one?" I nodded eagerly, and she shrugged before opening the cage. The cat bounded into my arms, struggled for a second, before looking up at me with a strangely intelligent look, then settled down and allowed me to stroke him.
"Huh. Normally, he'll run as soon as he can. Strange." My mother handed over nine Galleons, and we left with the cat, whose name was Ernest, in the basket. We headed back to the Leaky Cauldron to get a night's rest before leaving for King's Cross (we had gone to Diagon Alley the day before I left, so we wouldn't have to sit at home with a cat for a few weeks before we left. That night, I laid awake, stroking Ernest, and wondering what the next day would be like.
-
I was woken by my mother pounding on the door, telling me to wake up. I stowed Ernest in the basket, and met them at the bottom of the stairs, where my trunk waited with my supplies and clothes stowed in it. Father carried it to the car, and I jumped into the back seat, Ernest in tow. We slowly drove through the traffic, Ma nervously checking her watch, father assuring her we would make it. We pulled into a parking spot neatly with ten minutes to spare, and Ma bustled us through the station and to platform Nine and Three Quarters. I barely had a chance to enjoy the brick wall that hid the entrance before my mother was helping my father load my trunk onto the train. It gleamed in the sunlight, red and black, and I gazed at it as they finished loading my things. My mother kissed my forehead, and said,
"Have fun, be safe, I love you." I responded quickly.
"I love you, too." I hugged my father gruffly, before my mother shooed me towards the train. I climbed on, and dashed to the compartment my things were in. I stuck my head out of the window, and waved to her as the train began to pull away. As they disappeared from view, I sat back into the compartment, and decided to pull on my robes. I did, and had just opened Standard Book of Spells, Grade One when someone knocked on my compartment door. I stood, and opened the door, revealing a girl with bushy brown hair.
"Have you seen a toad?" I shook my head, and she barged into the compartment.
"Well, a boy named Neville has lost his, and I was walking down the train to ask everyone if they'd seen it." It was then she saw the basket.
"What's in there?" I meekly spoke.
"A cat." She gasped in delight before pulling the basket open, revealing Ernest.
"Ooooh! I love cats!" She began to stroke him, and he sat stonily as she did. After an uncomfortable minute, she stopped stroking him and left. I shut the door behind her, and patted Ernest a few times before resuming the reading of my book.
I had finished it and almost all of the others save Hogwarts, a History when the train began to slow. I marked my page, and closed the book before filing out with the others, not really knowing what to do with my trunk, so I left it there, like the others had. I stayed at the back of the group of first years, intimidated by the Gamekeeper, and quietly slipped into the last boat by myself. As it floated over the water, I held the basket in my lap, and gazed into the lake, spying a huge octopus swimming beneath us. As we went, I looked up, and was transfixed by the sight before me. Hogwarts, in all its glory, stood before me. I gasped a little, as we pulled in below it, and disembarked, awkwardly following the group until we reached a large door. At the bottom of the stairs, I reached a hand into the basket and stroked Ernest carefully. We were led in, and I watched in awe as ghosts floated above us. They talked a while, then we were led into the Great Hall. A hat, set upon a stool at the front of the Hall, opened its mouth and began to sing:
"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
I gasped again, and clutched the basket in my arms as the Transfiguration teacher, Minerva McGonagall, read the names from the list, those called walking anxiously up to the Sorting Hat to be sorted into the different houses. All too soon, it was my turn. I set the basket down on the ground next to the stool, and sat down, McGonagall setting the hat on my head, where it slipped onto my eyebrows precariously. A tiny voice, almost a whisper, sounded in my ear.
"Clever, yet timid. Not a good Hufflepuff, I'll say that. Not Gryffindor, either. Hmm, seems like you'd do best in... RAVENCLAW!" The Hat shouted the last word, and with a sinking heart I removed the hat, gathered the basket, and walked quickly over to the Ravenclaw table, where a few people patted my back. I had wanted very badly to be in Gryffindor, like my mother, but apparently it wasn't to be. The rest of the names were read out, and then-
"Potter, Harry." All the heads in the room turned, including mine, and we watched as the hat seemed to talk to him, Harry whispering in response, before it shouted out,
"GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers, and the rest of the names were read out uneventfully. As they finished, the Headmaster rose.
"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddement! Tweak!" He sat back down, and, before I could comprehend what he had said, the table in front of me magically filled with food, from turkey legs to roast beef to lamb chops and boiled potatoes. I filled a goblet with Pumpkin Juice, and loaded my plate. I began to eat, and emptied my plate, refilled it, and began again when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned, and saw a figure looming over me from the seat next to mine, a boy with spiky blond hair and hazel eyes.
"Hello, I'm Jack McLee, seventh year. You are?" I quietly spoke, scared of this stranger striking up a conversation out of the blue.
"Dugan Kehoe. First year." He laughed, and replied.
"Good to meet you, Dugan. I think you'll like it here." He patted my back, and left me to it. As I finished my second plate, feeling stuffed to the gills, the plates cleaned themselves, and the food was replaced with all sorts of desserts: blocks of ice cream, jam donuts, strawberries, you name it, it was there. I pulled my plate high with strawberries and began munching my way through them. Before I could finish, the plates cleared themselves off, and Dumbledore stood again.
"Ahem-just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils, and a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch. And, finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." I did a double take, and Jack choked on air next to me.
"He can't be serious, can he?" Jack shrugged, and said,
"Dunno. He's always had a good reason behind things being out of bounds before, so I'd probably stay away from there regardless." I nodded, and Dumbledore spoke again.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" He flicked his wand, and a long, golden ribbon flew out of it, floated above the tables, and twisted itself into words.
"Everyone pick a tune, and off we go!" Everyone around me bellowed out the words:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something, please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
I tried to finish with everyone else, and managed to, while the last two people seemed to be from the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore conducted the last few lines, and spoke.
"Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" The people at the tables rose, as did I, clutching the basket to my chest, and I followed Jack through the winding passageways of the castle until we reached a staircase.
"This goes on for a while, so make sure to catch your breath before you knock." With that, he bounded up the stairs, leaving me alone with Ernest. I began to climb, steps turning in a slow circle as I mounted the steps, stopping at each landing to catch my breath, before reaching the fifth landing, at which stood a door with a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. I knocked on it, and, to my surprise, it spoke.
"Who invented the Deluminator?" I knew this, as I had read Hogwarts, a History.
"Albus Dumbledore." It spoke again.
"Well said." Before swinging inward, revealing a wide space, with deep blue carpeting and dark blue drapes on either side of the windows that offered a commanding view of the surrounding forest and lake. Along the walls were several bookcases, filled to the brim with books I couldn't wait to read. Also in the room was a statue of a woman wearing what looked like a tiara of some sort. I collapsed into a chair next to the crackling fireplace, and heard Jack start with surprise.
"I'm surprised you answered the question correctly. What was it?" I opened the basket, and Ernest crawled out, viewed me for a second, before hopping up onto a chair closer to the fire.
"Who invented the Deluminator. I was lucky I had read part of Hogwarts, a History on the train ride here. "Jack chuckled.
"Well, the other first years should be arriving soon, so I'd head to the dormitories if I were you. Ours are on the left." I nodded, before walking over to Ernest to pat his head and carried the basket to the dormitory that I was to be sleeping in. Strangely enough, it only had one bed.
"Hey, Jack, there's only one bed in here." He clomped up the stairs to my floor, and peered in.
"I guess you're the only first year Ravenclaw boy, then. I know for certain that there's more than one girl, but this is a little strange." I shrugged, and saw that my trunk was already at the foot of my bed, so I sat the basket next to it and walked back down to the common room, which had filled with around five girls. Apparently the prefect had left them, for he was nowhere to be seen, and Jack was sitting in the corner, viewing them curiously. Once they had caught sight of me, the rushed over.
"Are you the boy first year? I'm Padma Patil."
"Why weren't you with the group?"
"What's your name?" Overwhelmed by all of their questions, I strove to answer them all at once.
"Yes. Didn't want to. Dugan."
"You've got Standard Book of Spells, Grade One by Miranda Goshawk, right?" When I nodded, he pulled a book from behind his back, and gave it to me. It looked exactly like my copy, but when I opened it, the margins were filled with notes.
"Those are my scribbles throughout my first year, and some things I added when I got older. I managed to scrounge up my full set, except for Quirrel's class, 'cause it's his first year here, but here you are." He waved his wand, and a stack of books floated up and into my lap.
"Especially read the Potions one, it's got a lot of help in it." I looked up at him, grateful, and said,
"Thanks a lot, Jack." He grinned, and said,
"I've got all my other books, so I'll see if I can get them to you as well over the summer. Oh, and, if you see a spell written in the margins that isn't in the book, make sure to read the stuff about it before you use it." I nodded, and searched for a piece of parchment and paper. I scribbled a short note to my parents about how I wouldn't need to get books for next year, because a seventh year was giving me his, and how I was accepted as the only first year Ravenclaw boy.
"I'll show you where the Owlrey is." I followed Jack out of the common room, down the stairs, and through the castle until we reached a blisteringly cold, open area that led to a squat building with many holes in it. We entered the door, and Jack grabbed a school owl before I tied my note to its foot.
"Lenore and Arcus Kehoe." The owl seemed to understand, before swooping out of the room and into the sky. Jack led me back to the common room, and began selecting books off of shelves for me to read.
"Since you're alone, I can fill your room with books for you to read. These you must finish and understand before Christmas. Then, once everyone is gone, we'll practice." When I saw that he was serious, I began to look at the books he was picking out.
"A Beginner's Guide to Apparation? Advanced Transfiguration in the Twentieth Century? These seem like complicated books, Jack." He laughed, before turning to me.
"Of course they are. You're a Ravenclaw, mate." He piled on more books, and said,
"An easy spell for moving a lot of things without hurting yourself is this: Locomotor followed by the object you want to move. Do you see any books you want to read?" I set the books down, and looked at the shelves.
"What's an Animagus?" He chuckled, then outright laughed, before waving his wand. The book floated down from the top row, and he handed it to me.
"Good choice. Save that one for last, though." I nodded, and piled all the books he had given me into one stack that reached higher than I was tall. I waved my wand like he'd shown me, and said,
"Locomotor Books." They rose into the air, and floated slowly ahead of me as I moved towards the stairs.
"Good job, Dugan. Now remember to focus on the books, don't forget to keep pointing your wand at them." He followed me up the stairs, explaining the nuances of the spell to help me focus, and clapped when I set them down gently on the floor.
"Good job! I don't think I was able to pull off that spell the first time I tried it. Okay, you can start reading if you want. The other Ravenclaws will probably drop by to say hello, if they ask what made you get all those books, just say 'Jack McLee.'" He thumped my back, and left me to it. I cracked open the top book, Advanced Potion Mixing for the Accomplished Wizard, opened Jack's potions book, and started reading.