Diagon Alley
Chapter 1: Summer of 1971: Diagon Alley
Wednesday 25th August, 1971.
There was an eery silence as she woke up. Her eyes were met with nothing but darkness as she rolled onto her side toward the wall, a groan sounding through the room as she quickly began to sweat. The house was always hot during the summer, even with her parent's persistence that she and her twin just ran warm. They would never believe it, how in the world could it be that not one, but two members of the family just happened to run unusually warm.
Her peaceful silence was distributed when the soft sound of padding came from outside her door. She knew that any moment now her brother would slowly open the door, poking his head through at the early hour. He liked to believe that even though some people did enjoy sleeping past six, his dear twin sister would never. Practicing was much more important than sleep, of course.
Just as she had predicted, James' small head slowly crept around the now open door, his mess of black hair looking even more fluffy than usual as he rubbed his eyes silently. She could tell that he was trying to check if she was actually awake yet, entering the room fully. His footsteps were practically silent as he made his way across the wooden floor toward her bed, which was placed in the far corner of the room. Right beside the windows, just as she preferred it.
"Sam." The eleven-year-old whispered quite obnoxiously. With no reply, James tried again.
"Sam." This time, with a soft poke to her leg.
Still, Samantha absolutely refused to pay any attention to James at the moment, her eyes staying tightly shut. There were only a few days left of the summer holidays and she was not about to waste her precious sleeping time to go fly around the yard for hours. Perhaps James would get the hint, that she didn't want to join him and that she wanted to be left alone to sleep, but the Potters weren't known for being pushovers.
"Samantha get up!" He finally whined, Sam's eyes snapping open as she glared up at her brother.
"Shut it would you?!"
"Wakey wakey little Potter!" James sang out, smiling widely at his twin as he grabbed her hands, pulling her into a sitting position.
"I am twenty-one minutes younger than you James. Leave it be already." She grumbled, sliding her legs out from under the covers only to be quite disappointed by the fact that it was just as warm. James just grinned wildly as he dragged her from the bed, moving toward her dresser as he threw a pair of joggers toward her along with a sweatshirt. She pulled them on silently, catching the socks and sneakers he had tossed toward her as well. They were bounding down the stairs, as quietly as they saw fit, within ten minutes of James waking her. As much as Sam would never admit it, she quite enjoyed their early morning practices. She might even go as far as to refer to them as fun.
Sam secretly knew that they always woke their parents while venturing outside, with their badly concealed giggles and the soft thump of footsteps there was no way the two adults stayed asleep. Especially when James slammed the door after holding it up for her. She sent him a glare only to be given a sheepish smile and shrug. Rolling her eyes, she led the way toward the center of their yard knowing James was following right behind.
"Your turn to get the brooms." She stated as she sat down on the dewy grass, not minding how her pants began to get wet. James just stuck his tongue out at her as he ran toward their garden shed. It was more of a second house, there being more than enough room to add in a bed or two, but her mom refused to do so. She stated they had more than enough beds in their actual house itself.
He returned only a few moments later, two brooms in hand. He quickly handed her broom off, Sam watching as he gracefully mounted his broom and pushed off the ground. She followed in suit, the warm wind turning chilled as she pushed off the ground. This came as no surprise to her, the chilled breeze pushing against her face was welcomed as she caught up to James. They flew side by side for a while, watching as the sun slowly began to rise. They didn't often practice for real until after lunch, their parents insisting that it was better to be fueled up for their "intense" drills. Neither twin thought of their drills as particularly intense, but of course, their parents were always right.
"Wonder how busy Diagon Alley will actually be." James wondered aloud, Samantha looking toward him briefly only to shrug.
"I'd guess quite busy. I mean, every student is going to be shopping within the next few days or so."
"Wild. Can't believe we can't bring our brooms either. It's mad."
Sam groaned. "It's awful! What are we going to do every morning!"
"Class."
Sam sent him a nasty glare, James grinning as they started their second lap around the yard.
"Wonder what time mum will make us leave. I reckon it'll be as soon as she's awake enough to realize what day it is."
"Oh, surely. She's more excited than we even are. Is Pete coming along with us?" She asked, rolling her shoulders as she squinted slightly against the sun. It was just peeking over the trees now, and Sam knew soon enough she would have to bring a hand up to shield her poor eyes.
"Nah. His parents insisted they go as a family." He replied with a shrug, Sam just nodding. Peter Pettigrew's parents were nothing short of strange in her opinion. They were just on the cusp of being absolutely mental, but not quite there. Anyone who didn't know them would assume they were just as normal as the Potters.
There wasn't any argument from either eleven-year-old as they both began to climb in height, the ground grew a bit smaller and their smiles just a bit wider. The two began picking up speed the higher the sun got, both feeling much more confident the brighter it got. Of course, neither were truly worried that they would get hurt or fall, but it was a bit easier to not run into each other when it wasn't dark.
The twins had been planning their quidditch careers at Hogwarts for years, both believing wholeheartedly that they would be able to play on the team in their respective positions. They also believed that they would easily be in the same house. ( I mean come on! They are twins! )
James would be a chaser, obviously. He was wicked on his broom, flying others easily while also having impeccable aim. Sam was always a bit envious of how well he could throw the quaffle. When they were younger, they were about even in skill, but with time James excelled ahead. He seemed to never miss making him a perfect chaser for whichever team they ended up playing on.
Samantha would easily take over the position of seeker. Although it was unlikely there was an opening in the position their second year, she was sure she could secure it. Her eyes were keener than most, and her flying skills matched in power. She was a natural flyer, finding it as easy as walking. She was quick due to her short and thin frame, making her speed much more impressive than most others her age. Sam was cocky with her skill, perhaps even more so than James at times, but with how easily she could spot and catch the snitch there was reason behind it. While James chose to be a bit more arrogant about his skills, Sam had decided early on that she would let her flying speak for itself.
The two often made Peter their keeper, forcing him to become quite good with time. He was a bit timid still, in all areas of life really, but seemingly less than before while in front of the goals.
On their fourth lap now, the two smiled mischievously, their brooms picking up even more speed as they both began racing around the pitch. Sam knew any moment one of their parents would step outside and either force them to come inside and shower before breakfast, or their fun would be put to an even more abrupt halt with a spell of some kind. James nor Sam knew exactly what the spell was, but it seemed to freeze them in midair. The first time their dad had pulled this stunt they both practically ended up in tears from confusion. Their mum was not very impressed to find her five-year-olds frozen in the air while crying.
"Want me to get the quaffle before- "
"James! Sam! You better both be cleaned up in twenty minutes!" Their mum called from the back porch, both bringing their brooms to a stop slowly. Sam frowned as she lowered herself, James following reluctantly. As much as he was the one who often said no to their mother, he was in no mood to be left home today during their trip to Diagon Alley. It was much too important to the twins, both being able to finally see their classmates, and maybe even find some more friends. They knew most of the pureblood children, aside from a few who tried not to associate with the Potters. Apparently not being snotty purebloods wasn't as accepted as Sam might think. They were quite friendly with the Pettigrews and Weasleys. Other than that they just knew the families on a friendly scale, attending parties together in peace.
Sam grabbed James' broom as they landed, jogging them back toward the shed as James waited at the edge of the yard for her. Closing the door behind her, she began jogging back toward her brother, smirking as he pouted at her dramatically.
"She's evil, I'm telling you, Sammy." He whined as they began walking back toward their house side by side. Sam just shoved his shoulder with her own, giggling as he rubbed it, offended.
"Mum is far from evil you twat." She scolded, his wounded expression turning to that of pure mischief, the boy grinning as her eyes widened. She quickly began running back toward the house, knowing James would surely tackle her if he caught up. As much as their dad stressed the need for James to stop leaping on his sister, he never seemed to get the message.
She ran through the back door, slamming it behind her only for it to be pulled open a few moments later. She sprinted down the hall toward the kitchen, hoping that either of her parents would be in there already. If not then she would have to make it to her room and lock the door before James got the chance to grab her. It felt like an impossible task when thought about, but she had done it many times before.
Her feet moved quickly over the floor, the sneakers that she had on sliding as she slid around a corner. Immediately she was met with the sight of her parents, a relieved sigh escaping her lips as she ran toward them. Her mom raised an eyebrow slightly as a smile grew on her face. Sam quickly jumped up onto her dad, his arms wrapping around her in surprise. A loud laugh left his throat as he held her up, his eyebrows rising in surprise. As soon as he was about to ask her what was happening, James came sliding, much less gracefully, around the corner. He swung his arms around to steady himself before running toward his family.
"That is cheating, Sam!" He complained, crossing his arms over his chest as she stuck her tongue out at him. Fleamont Potter set his daughter back down, his hand staying on her shoulder as he looked between the two.
"James, were you chasing your sister again?" He asked, James' angry face quickly changing into a sheepish grin, his shoulders shrugging.
"Possibly. No harm done though, see." He replied while motioning up and down Sam. She just rolled her eyes as she stepped out of her dad's hold, going to drag James upstairs to get ready before breakfast. Their mom stepped in front of them quickly, kissing each of their heads gently.
"Morning sweetheart." She said softly to each of them, the two twins smiling up at her as she then ushered them toward the stairs once more. They walked side by side up the stairs, James taking two at a time. He had annoyingly long legs already compared to Sam, and he knew how to show them off efficiently.
"You're getting faster." He said as they reached the top, his fingers running up the railing as they stopped just outside of their rooms. They were across the hall from each other, of course.
"As annoying as you are, you chasing me does seem to help." She replied with a shrug. The smile that overtook his face was priceless, Sam hiding her own grin behind her hair as she opened the door to her room.
"You love me, really." James sighed dramatically, holding his hands over his heart as he stumbled into his room. Sam just nodded her head as she shut the door on him, rolling her eyes as she began to get ready for the big day ahead of them.
Their summer had been mostly tame so far, spending three weeks at their summer home was the most exciting thing they'd done. Of course, the two had tried to convince their parents that going to the quidditch world cup was of the utmost importance, it was put off to another year once more. Besides the vacation, the twins had mostly spent their time practicing with Peter. They also spent quite a lot of hours sitting in front of the fireplace while playing gobstones. Their parents enjoyed laughing at the two while they got sprayed. They weren't the most tactical players.
Summer was possibly Sam's least favorite time of the year, only because she was forced to actually do all of James' stupid schemes with him instead of using the excuse of studying or reading. Their tutor had often assigned too much work for either to find acceptable, but Sam did find herself doing all of it when James suddenly came up with a stupid joke.
"Ready, Sam?" James called through the door, her looking up from her bed as she tied her shoes. She was quite the converse fan, collecting the colors it seemed, and today had decide to go with red. It went with her shirt, she couldn't resist.
"Yep!" She called back as she made her way toward the door, tucking her long hair behind her ears. Opening she was met with her twin standing in the middle of the doorway, a goofy grin on his face as he ran his hand over his black hair. It was a bit lighter than Sam's, and a bit curlier. It was probably one of the things that was most different about their features. They had the exact same eyes, nose, and mouth ( Sam knew that her lips were a bit bigger, even if James denied it. ) Their face shape was relatively the same, her's being softer with a few more freckles spotting her nose and cheeks. It was obvious they were related however, and if you knew that then most people could put together that they were twins.
She grinned back at him, the two falling into stride as they made their way downstairs for breakfast. They knew if they weren't down soon their parents would definitely grow worried. The smell of pancakes drifted through the lower level of the house, the smiles on their faces growing as it grew strong with each step. Euphemia Potter definitely knew the way to her kids' hearts.
They sat at their respective seats at the table, their parents joining them shortly after before they began eating. The buzz of excitement in the air made them all move a bit quicker than usual, and they finished eating within about fifteen minutes. The only thing that was spoken about was their trip.
∘∘∘
Before either twin knew it, they were standing in the foyer, Sam holding Effie's hand tightly while James was holding Fleamont's. They both squeezed their eyes shut as their parents told them before they were apparated into what they both believed to be the most exciting place in all of London. Diagon Alley was just busy as they had guessed, maybe even more so. It seemed everyone had wanted to shop on that Wednesday.
"Alright, wands, then robes, then supplies?" Fleamont suggested, the three other Potters turning up to him with a few nods. Sam let her mom hold her hand, not yet at the maturity level to be embarrassed by the action.
Stepping into Ollivanders for the first time was something that Sam knew she'd never forget. The feeling of magic in the air was thick, reminding her slightly of how the air felt when James and her got into tense arguments. The walls were completely covered by shelves, all of which were stacked to the brim with different wands. Her heart seemed to rise to her throat as she and James walked up to the desk side by side, their parents moving behind them.
The man who walked toward them looked quite friendly, his smile welcoming as he looked over the desk at the two soon to be first years.
"Fleamont, Euphemia, it's a pleasure to see you both again." The wandmaker greeted.
"Pleasure is all ours! This is James and Samantha." Effie replied, placing her hands on her children's backs as she introduced them. The two smiled up at him, the man returning the action.
"It is an honor to meet you both. The heirs of the honorary Potter name." He said, nodding his head down. The Potters all stared at him for a moment, all a bit confused. It must be how he greets all pureblood families nowadays.
Ollivander examined them both quietly, looking at them slowly before turning and grabbing two of the same wand. "I have helped many sets of twins in my time, and more often than not the wands that they possess are quite similar. One or two differences perhaps," he explained while handing James one wand and Sam another.
"Twelve inches each of them, unicorn hair core, vine wood, nice and pliable." The man stated to the two.
James flicked his curtly, the five of them jumping as a lamp exploded across the room. Sam grinned at him slightly before flicking her, a whole shelf of wands flying into another. Her face became warm as she quickly placed her wand back in the box. Ollivander just sent them both gentle smiles while going to grab others.
"Eleven inches, mahogany, unicorn hair core, quite pliable for you Mr. Potter," He stated while handing James his wand before turning to Sam, "Ten and a half inches, mahogany, phoenix feather core, a bit less pliable, Ms. Potter."
She grabbed hers gently, twisting it around in her hand. James let out a soft gasp, Sam's eyes widening as she watched his hair begin to push back as if there was a gust of wind pushing against him. She began to ask what was wrong before her face was suddenly hit with warm air, the rest of her body feeling as though it was floating as the wand became the only thing she could really focus on. The tense feeling of magic that had surrounded them a moment ago lessened, becoming soft and light around her as she held the wand steadily in her hand.
"There we are," Ollivander stated with a proud smile. Sam smiled up at him, feeling quite confident that this man was good at his job.
Fleamont stepped forward to pay as Ollivander handed them both their wand boxes, Sam and James turning toward Effie who was kneeling down before them now.
"Come now, let me see." She said as she placed a hand on either of their shoulders. They both held out their new wands with pride, Effie giving them both big smiles as she examined them. She placed a kiss on each of their cheeks before standing to full height once more.
"Absolutely lovely!" She praised as Fleamont joined her side once more. Sam held her wand tightly in her hand, afraid that if she let it go she would lose it already. James shoved his wand back into the box, handing it off to their dad before snatching Sam's hand and dragging her out of the shop. She called back a 'thank you' just before the door shut behind her parents.
James hauled her down the street, seemingly on a mission as they separated from their parents in the crowd. Sam knew that their parents wouldn't worry too much, both their kids being smart enough not to get into too much trouble.
"James where on earth are we going?" Sam asked as James came to a sudden stop, Sam running straight into his back.
"Robes." He just replied, beaming as he entered the shop with Sam's hand still tightly in his.
"You're trouble." She said simply, pulling out of his grasp to go look at the robes. There were a few other families walking around, none of which Sam recognized well. That was until she saw a little head of blonde hair standing a few inches shorter than everyone else.
"Peter!" She shouted across the shop, most of the other occupants looking toward her skeptically as she skipped over to the younger boy. Peter Pettigrew turned toward her with wide eyes, his nerves shifting to a smile as he recognized who it was.
"Ello Sam." He greeted, shoving her hand away as she ruffled his hair playfully.
"Hiya Pete!" James said quite loudly as he bounded toward the two, Peter sending him a large grin.
"Mornin'!"
"You lot gotten your robes yet?" He asked the two, Sam nodding as James just sighed.
"Nah. Our parents are still catching up to us. Look at Sam's wand though. Mine's back with dad." James exclaimed, shoving Sam's hand which held her wand into Peter's face.
"Wow! Mine is so short it's awful." He replied, grabbing his wand and holding it out for the two to see.
Sam gasped lightly. "Woah, it's bendy."
Peter beamed as she examined it with wide eyes. His wand was quite the spectacle, the end being twisted around itself. Honestly, Sam thought her wand was a bit less cool now while looking at his. It made sense to her though, Pete was quite cool so having a cool wand just made sense.
"Samantha Euphemia Potter!"
"James Fleamont Potter!"
Sam whipped her head back, eyes wide as she stared at her parents walking toward them. James snickered from beside her as he sent their parents a wave. Sam smacked his side as she gave them both a little smile.
"You both must stop running off like that! It gives your father and me a heart attack for merlin's sake.!" Effie said while giving them the infamous mom look. Their expressions turned sheepish as Peter pushed through them to say hello.
"Oh hello, Peter! How are you?" She asked, her mom tone long gone as the usual friendly smile took over her face.
"I'm good, Mrs. Potter, how are you?" Pete asked politely, giving the adults a smile.
"Well, thank you. Fleamont, come say hello!" Effie called over her shoulder, Fleamont looking up from his conversation with the shopkeeper. Sam watched as he mumbled a few words to the man before walking over.
"Ello Peter. How's the summer been?" He asked while patting the Pettigrew boy's back a few times.
"Great! Missed you lot when you were away though." He replied, Fleamont laughing with his head thrown back as Sam threw an arm over his shoulder, not even bothering to glare as her mom took her wand back.
"You'll come with us next year, Pete. We'll convince them." She said with a grin while James nodded along.
"We are ready for you, Mr. Potter." The shopkeeper called over, the Potters all turning to look at him. Sam patted Peter's shoulder as she was pulled away by her parents, James following along as they began to get fitted for their robes.
The process was quick and slightly irritating, but nevertheless, the Potter twins walked out of the shop with three pairs of robes each. Sam held her dad's hand as they walked, him holding the bag of her robes and wand in his other hand securely. The buying of their supplies was uneventful, Sam being a bit disappointed that her parents hadn't allowed her to buy a cat to bring along.
"We want you to focus on yourself this year rather than a cat." Her dad had stated, sounding quite thoughtful, rather than condescending. That had been enough to convince her that she could wait a year or two to get a little kitten friend.
They met up with Peter quickly for a goodbye, spending no more than five minutes talking about where they would try and meet up at the station on September first. There wasn't much of a plan besides the fact that they knew they would all sit together for the ride. Her parents had told her that the ride was about nine or ten hours long, making her a bit nauseous. The thought of sitting down for that long was a bit daunting, but she knew that James would make it a little more bearable.
"Alright, see you later Pete!" James said as they began to leave, Sam sending him a wave as her parents led them toward the edge of the street so they could apparate without getting in anyone's way. The trip had been as great as Sam had expected, and it seemed to just make her even more excited for the school year to come. Holding her mother's had once more, she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the familiar sensation of apparation rip through her body.