Trip to Diagon Alley
The years seemed to fly by fast. His years weren't filled with anything special, just boring muggle school and getting into fights with his siblings which always ended with Tom being in trouble and sent to his room. He hated being sent to his room — especially when he didn’t cause the fights — he just retaliated. There was the occasional watching glass or something shatter from either his own anger or his siblings. He found it interesting how much damage an emotion, something as silly as anger, could do damage just as much as there had been each time. The bigger damages seemed to come from Tom or his younger sister, Rosella. They both felt strongly when they were kids, they had no idea that would change when they hit their teenage years. Rosella was almost the one sibling that Tom was always fighting with, yes he also fought with the others but whenever he was in a fight, it was with her.
Now Tom was 11 and during the last week of July is when an owl had delivered his Hogwarts letter. He got to his letter before anyone could even touch it. He opened it up carefully — trying to keep the envelope it had come in tear free. His mom came in just as he finished reading it, “Mom! I got my letter, I’m going to Hogwarts!” “Well they wouldn’t give you a letter if you didn’t, you just wouldn’t have received one. Now let me see this list of yours.” He handed over the letter and she looked over the list, nodding. “Not such a long list. We can go get your things once your father gets home. We don’t need all of us to go to Diagon Alley. I know it’s early to get your things, but it’s better than waiting until the last minute.” She gave him back his letter. “Now go get ready.”
He raced back up the stairs to his room, feeling excited that he was going to be going away and leaving his muggle school. Though he knew that there would be one person he missed the most and it just happened to be his sibling Dakota. They were always the closest out of the bunch and he was gonna miss the nights where Tom had to sneak out of his room at night and go to theirs just to give them a snack.
His father arrived home within the hour and his mother already told him that they’d be leaving for London to get Tom his school supplies. His father had an expression on his face, though Tom couldn’t read what it meant. He was usually good at telling face expressions. He didn’t bother trying to figure it out and went with his mother to the fireplace. They were going to use the floo network. “Okay Tom, you’re gonna need to speak clearly. Throw the floo and say ‘Diagon Alley,’ I will be right behind you.” Tom nodded and he grabbed a pinch of the floo powder, stepping into the fireplace. He threw the floo down and shouted, “Diagon Alley!” Green flames roared up and he was no longer in the fireplace of his house when the flames went away.
He was in the fireplace in The Leaky Cauldron. He stepped out and it was only a matter of seconds before his mother appeared in the fireplace. “Well that is always fun. Come on, Tom.” They walked to the back of the pub and came to a brick wall, which opened up from a few taps from his mother. “First order of business is going to Gringotts to pick up the money I have stored away and then we’re going to get you your wand.”
He followed her through Gringotts and got onto the mine cart that took them all the way to vault 362. She’d brought a pouch with and grabbed just enough for Tom to get his things for school. Once his mother had gotten back onto the mine cart, they were going back right back to where they were when they arrived at Gringotts. They walked past all the elves and left the building, going back out to the streets of Diagon Alley. They went into Olivanders and the guy turned to them, “Ah! Welcome in. First year looking for their first wand, huh?” Tom nodded, “Yes, sir.” “Which is your dominant hand?” He questioned as he pulled out a tape measure. “Left, sir. I work better with my left.” “Hold your left arm out.” Tom listened and a tape measure was measuring him from top to bottom. It was put back in Mr. Ollivanders pocket by the time he was done. Instead of saying a word, Mr. Ollivander went into the back and came back with several boxes. He took a wand out of one of the boxes. “Let’s see how a twelve-and-one-fourth inch hazel wood with a unicorn core.” He handed Tom the wand, “Now just a wave will do.” Carefully, Tom waved the wand and a shelf had fallen over. “No, no, no. That is certainly not the right wand.” Tom had to have tried at least a total of 15 wands before the right one was found. Ollivanders looked like a mess. “Hopefully this will be our last wand. Let’s try this thirteen-and-a-half inch yew with a phoenix feather core.” He handed the wand to Tom, he looked hopeful that this one would work. When Tom held it and there was a warmth at his fingertips, he gave it a wave and to both his and Mr. Ollivanders luck, nothing broke. Mr. Ollivander looked ecstatic. “Looks like you found your wand boy. May it do great, great things for you.” “Thank you, sir. I’m sorry about the mess.” Tom said, sheepishly. Mr. Ollivander chuckled. “It’s expected. Not everyone easily finds their wand.” His mother paid for his wand and they left the store. Tom was sent to get his robes next. His mother sent him to Madam Malkin’s Robes For All Occasions; she'd given him enough to cover the cost of the three pairs the list told him to get. His mom was going to finish off the shopping for him.
When he walked into the shop the bell rang, making it clear that someone had entered the shop. He was greeted instantly by Madam Malkin coming out of the back, “Welcome in! Here to get your robes fitted for your first year at Hogwarts?” She had asked him and he nodded. “Yes ma’am.” She seemed taken back by the manners he had, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she said, “Come on back. I have two other people back there at the moment but there should be enough help that you don’t have to wait long.” They went to the back of the shop to see the other two people. He was placed right in the centre of both of them. Madam Malkin slipped a long robe over his head, the robe almost drowned him. The boy to his left seemed rather bored. His robes were being pinned by another witch. He was examining the boy next to him, not trying to make it obvious he was looking. He had dark hair, just like he had. He then looked to his right and saw the girl, who had just about the same hair colour. She looked less bored and was happy. He turned the attention back to himself, he didn’t want either of them to think he was watching them. He was wearing almost the same expression as the boy next to him.
It wasn’t long before a witch started to pin up the robes. It also wasn’t long before one of them spoke up. “You’re both going to Hogwarts, right?” The girl asked. Tom nodded. “Yes, I’ll be going there.” It came from the boy next to him. “I won’t be going. I’ll be going to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.” The girl beside him questioned, “What house do you guys think you’ll get into?” ‘House? What does she mean by house?’ Tom didn’t ask it out loud, he didn’t want to seem like he didn’t know anything about Hogwarts. He almost spoke up, but the boy did before him. “I have a long line of my family getting into Slytherin, there’s no doubt I won’t end up in that house.” The girl nodded as she listened. When Tom didn’t say anything, she turned to look at him and repeated her question. “How about you? What house do you think you’ll get into?” Tom didn’t try to look nervous and he did pretty well with hiding the fact he was. “I’m not quite sure. I think there’s a chance I could end up in either one.” Tom said, hoping that his answer didn’t say anything about him not knowing anything about Hogwarts. The girl nodded once again. “Maybe you guys will end up in the same house. Maybe even the same dorm.” She paused but then continued. “I heard they no longer have separate dormitories for the girls and boys.” “Hmm. Sometimes that can end bad, especially when girls and boys have a tendency to fight.” “You’re right,” she agreed, but she continued. “Girls can also fight too. Same with boys. So it doesn’t really end up mattering anyways, especially if your personalities clash with each other.” She was right. “You aren’t wrong. I was just going off from experience from girls and boys fighting. I constantly fight with my younger sister.” She nodded.
It was quiet for just a few seconds before the witch was done with the girl’s robe. “Well dear, you’re all done. Let’s get you out of here.” It had come from the witch. She was just about to leave the backroom before turning back to the boys. “Have fun at Hogwarts!” She said it with a smile, Tom returned the smile back in the mirror. “Have a good time at Beauxbatons.” Once he heard the bell from the door, he knew she was gone. Tom knew there would be silence now, she was the one who initiated the conversation anyways. He was wrong. The boy asked a question. “What do you look forward to going to Hogwarts?” Tom almost panicked. What could he say? He didn’t know anything that happened there. He didn’t let any of the panic he felt come onto his face. Tom thought of something and he had to say it before him not answering would be questioned. “I’m looking forward to getting away from my siblings.” He even said it with a smile. It must’ve been amusing because the boy laughed. “Lucky you, I have siblings already there. I won’t be getting away from them.” “Yeah, I guess I’m quite lucky. Only for one year though. Soon they’ll be coming to school with me. What are you most excited about?” The boy next to him must’ve been thinking, Tom didn’t say a word to disrupt his train of thought. “I would have to go with watching Quidditch, maybe even getting the chance to play it too. Also learning Potions.” He nodded at the boys response. ‘Quidditch? It must’ve been a sport, but why on earth call a sport Quidditch?’ Tom thought. Their conversation lasted about 10 minutes before the boy was done. Just like the girl before, he turned around to look at Tom. He just didn’t have a smile. “See you at Hogwarts.” Tom nodded and while the boy was walking to the front, he said, “See you at Hogwarts.”
Tom’s robes were finally finished within the next half hour. He was quite sick of standing. He paid for the robes and said thank you to the witch who made them, taking the bag they were set in. When he left the shop, the bell rang over top. His mother must’ve been done with his shopping because she was waiting outside the shop for him. When his mom noticed he came out, she smiled brightly. “There you are! All your shopping is done and now we won’t have to worry about the craziness there will be later on.” She led them into the shop they were in when they used the floo. “Now it's time to get home.” They both used some of the floo from the shop, saying a thank you to the kind witch who allowed them to use the fireplace. They were back home in no time.