Sirius came out of the fireplace, dusting his robes to get rid of all the soot. His mother was standing right in front of him, her hands on her hips.
“What took you so long?” she asked him.
“I --” Sirius started, but he didn’t get a chance to make his excuse, since a woman wearing maroon robes approached them.
Walburga’s attention immediately turned to her friend.
“Hello, Agatha! How are you?” Mrs. Black asked the woman.
Agatha gave an appropriate reply before noticing Sirius standing behind his mother. “Is that your son Sirius? It’s been ages since I last saw him! How old is he?” Agatha questioned.
Mrs. Black nudged Sirius, who went forward to shake hands with the woman. He had only bargained for clasping his hands with the old lady’s wrinkled ones, but he had never dreamt that what happened would actually happen. The old hag actually brought her dirty lips, on which she had applied blood red lipstick, to his cheek and did what his mother had, as far as he could remember, never done: Agatha Muriel Gutson actually kissed Sirius Orion Black on his cheek! And what was more? She left a ‘souvenir’ behind in the ruddy red, lip-shaped mark on his handsome face.
Sirius felt nauseous, but ended up giving a watery smile. He knew that his mother never made idle threats, so he replied to the questions that Agatha had asked.
Then Agatha turned to Mrs. Black as if nothing had happened and started doing what women do best: talk. It didn’t seem like the two witches were ever gong to stop talking, and Sirius was left, standing aloof and trying to get rid of his boredom. However, there was a problem “ They were still in Flourish and Blotts.
Sirius was still stuck in a bookshop, and what was more, the books on the shelf in front of him were all about Muggle Studies. His mother would curse him if he even touched them. And he obviously couldn’t roam around without permission from Mrs. Black who, at the moment, was quite busy.
His hand also itched to get rid of the mark on his cheek, but he couldn’t do that. Not when Agatha and his mother were still standing in front of him. What would happen if anyone saw him like this? They would make fun of him, of course. But his thoughts were interrupted by Agatha as she turned to look at Sirius while speaking to her friend. “Poor boy,” she said. “He’s getting bored just listening to us. Let him roam around for a bit, Walburga.”
Walburga glared at Sirius, but agreed all the same. Sirius's heart whooped with joy. Mrs. Black handed him a pouch full of the coins, told him to get his school things, and meet her back at the same place after an hour and a half.
"And don't be naughty, Sirius. Act like a good boy," she added with a smile that only Sirius understood. She was warning him not to talk to the wizards that were anything other than Pureblood.
Sirius nodded and walked away, feeling his mother's eyes boring into the back of his skull as he left.
He handed the book list to a shop assistant, who got all the books and packed them in a bag. Sirius handed him some Galleons and Sickles, leaving the shop with the packet of books in his hand.
The minute he stepped outside the shop, he used his free hand to get rid of the red mark on his cheek. It took him a full one minute to remove it, and after all that rubbing, his cheek became pinkish, but he decided to ignore it. It was better than the mark, after all.
Sirius walked around Diagon Alley, whistling to himself, and bought the stuff written on the school’s list. He strolled on until he came to a halt before Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, and he felt the rumbling in his stomach again. He glanced at his watch, seeing that there were still ten minutes left before he had to return to the bookshop. Then he felt the pouch, smiling as it jangled.
He had the time, money, and the stomach to eat an ice cream. He didn't waste any further time and ordered a sundae. When it was in his hand, he started walking towards Flourish and Blotts. He finished it quickly, arriving just in time in front of Mrs. Black, who was still standing next to Agatha, talking.
Sirius 'ahemed' to get the attention of the two ladies. Mrs. Black's eyes automatically went to her watch, but she was disappointed when she saw that he was exactly on time. Not one minute more or less.
Mrs. Black hugged Agatha and there was a 'good bye' session. Then Agatha hugged Sirius, but thankfully didn't kiss him this time. She Disapparated, and Mrs. Black went to buy a few books. After fifteen minutes, the Blacks Flooed back home.
Lily stood there, her eyes wide with astonishment. They were in the Leaky Cauldron. Professor Flitwick had explained the address to the Evans’, promising that he, himself, would come there to help them buy Lily's things.
"Lily dear, let's go. I think I can see the professor at the table on the left," Mrs. Evans said.
The Evans’ went towards the table and greeted Professor Flitwick. They then walked to a wall that the professor had pointed at. He whipped out his wand, tapped on a few bricks, and the bricks moved apart to allow the family entrance to the street on the other side.
"Wow!" Lily muttered. Diagon Alley was weird, but at the same time, it was really cool! She could see many wizards and witches, clad in robes, walking along. There were many shops “ some small, some large; some straight, some crooked. Lily specifically noticed a large, marble building about halfway down the street.
Professor Flitwick followed her gaze and spoke. "Yes,” he said. “We will go there first. It's Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank. We need to exchange your Muggle money for the wizard coins."
The Evans’ just nodded and continued their walk there. Seeing the sight, Lily's eyes boggled out of her head. There were goblins there! With dark complexions, pointed beards, and all! How in the world was that possible? But then, if magic was possible, anything was possible, she explained to herself.
Since the Evans’ were flabbergasted, Professor Flitwick did the talking for them. Soon, they were back out on the street with a pouch containing a hundred Galleons.
Then they turned to one of the shops: “Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.” Once inside, a witch told Lily to stand on a stool and after the girl had done so, she slipped a robe over her head and started pinning it to the right length. After everything was done, the witch left and returned with a bag containing Lily’s new uniform.
Their next stop was a shop where they purchased parchment, quills, and the other stationery items, all of which were things that Lily would need in school to complete her assignments.
Professor Flitwick then led them to Flourish and Blotts. Immediately, Lily went wild with pleasure at seeing so many stacks of books in front of her. Her parents bought the course books, and after paying for them, left the shop.
They stopped at a few more places to pick up some other items, like Lily’s new pewter cauldron that she’d use for her Potions class and an apothecary to pick up the ingredients she’d use in said Potions class.
The final shop that the family visited had its sign hanging above the store that proclaimed “Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.”
Professor Flitwick led the Evans family inside, Lily almost jumping with excitement. She waved several wands, none of them working, until the owner handed her one that was ten-and-a-quarter inches long, swishy, and made of willow. The moment she touched it, she knew that it was the right wand for her, and the owner agreed. Upon spotting Professor Flitwick, he also mentioned that the wand was good for Charm work, a comment that made the short professor smile widely.
“Well, I believe that is everything,” Professor Flitwick said as they left Diagon Alley and entered the Leaky Cauldron.
“Thanks a lot for all your help! We really appreciate it,” replied Mr. Evans.
They said ‘goodbyes’ and the professor Disapparated, leaving the Evans’ alone.
“Well, let’s go then,” Mrs. Evans suggested. “Petunia will be waiting.” She sighed as she thought of her other daughter; Petunia had not wanted to visit the ‘freak place’, as she had termed it.
Mr. Evans nodded his head and they left the pub. All of them entered the car and after everyone was comfortable, Mr. Evans drove them home.
Remus stared around. He had been to Diagon Alley quite a few times before, but it had never seemed to cease to amaze him.
“Well, all’s done, and only the books are left,” Mr. Lupin said.
“Yeah. Let’s go to Flourish and Blotts,” Remus said eagerly. He loved the place for one very simple reason: Remus John Lupin loved books, and they held an important place in his heart.
The Lupins entered the bookshop with several bags in their hands. The bags had all of Remus’ school things, which they had bought that day.
Remus looked around. The place was filled with loads of wooden shelves. And each had stacks of books on them. Remus wondered how many books there were in total.
After buying the school books, they wandered around the shop, Remus checking the different books out. His parents knew that he would love to have a proper look around, so they excused themselves. They said that they had to go to Madam Malkin’s to buy formal robes, and soon left the shop, leaving a very happy Remus behind.
Remus took a deep breath. He loved the scent of the place. It smelt of wood, paper, and … err … books! Remus had just gone through a few books when a girl bumped into him.
“Sorry!” she muttered. As they moved backwards, Remus noticed that she had applied kohl beneath her brown eyes and had a mole on her upper lip. Once she had straightened up, he saw that her hair, which was tied up in a plait, reached to her waist.
“I am really sorry,” she apologized again.
“It’s okay,” Remus replied.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I came here for the first time and I haven’t seen so many books ever before,” she explained as she waved her hand around, gesturing at the shelves.
“Oh” was all that came out of Remus’s mouth.
“Well, my name is Nikki Sen, and this will be my first year at Hogwarts,” the girl introduced herself as she extended her hand.
As the two shook hands, Remus returned the girl’s greeting in kind, saying, “Remus Lupin.” Then, after a pause, added, “I’m going to Hogwarts as well.”
“Great!” Nikki exclaimed, and the both of them soon started chattering about how Hogwarts would be.
It turned out that Nikki was a Muggle-born and the only witch in her family. She didn’t know much about Hogwarts except what the visitor, Professor Slughorn, had told her. She wanted to know everything about the magical world. She was really thrilled with everything she’d been told so far and was looking forward to the first of September.
Their conversation continued for a bit more, until after fifteen minutes, she departed from the shop, saying, “Good bye!” to Remus as she left.
Remus summed her up in one word: a chatterbox. Merlin! She talked nonstop! But, Remus admitted to himself, she was sweet and innocent, and how could he forget, very excited. It would be great to know more about her, especially when she was from a totally different place like India!
The young wizard shrugged his shoulders and went on looking at the books. He ended up with a selection of four new books, which he was sure he would be able to complete in the one month left before he went to Hogwarts.
Remus paid for the books with the Galleons that his father had given him before leaving and left the shop. He saw his parents walking towards him, and he ran towards them, as well, the bulging bag of books in his right hand, swinging to and fro as he ran.
“Done with all the shopping?” Rosie inquired.
“Yeah!”
“Let’s go then.”
They held each others hands and Disapparated.
“So, what do we have to buy?” Mr. Potter asked his son, smiling.
“A wand,” James replied quickly.
“Okay! Let’s go and buy your wand first, and then we will get the other things,” Mrs. Potter agreed.
They started walking towards Ollivanders when James asked, “Other things?”
“James! You should have cared enough to go through the list at least once,” his mother reprimanded.
“Now, now, Jane,” Mr. Potter said, shaking his head but still grinning all the same. “The boy was very excited. Still is, as a matter of fact. Surely you didn’t go through the list that first year during your time, right? I mean, even I didn’t.”
“Wrong,” Mrs. Potter immediately said, and James grinned. The corners of Mr. Potter’s mouth twitched but he restrained himself from smiling. “I practically learned the whole list,” she continued.
“Oh, right!” Mr. Potter said, now failing miserably to hide his smile.
James intervened by saying, “Yeah, so, what things?”
“Well … books, a cauldron, robes, parchments …” Mrs. Potter started but was interrupted by her husband as he said, “And a little of this and a little of that.”
Both father and son smiled, and by then, the Potters had reached Ollivanders.
They went inside. As they entered, three people were leaving the shop, but James only looked at the kid with the couple, who would most probably be with him at Hogwarts. The boy had a shock of brown hair and matching eyes.
While James had been looking at the boy, the magical measuring tape had done its job and James hadn’t even noticed.
Mr. Ollivander handed him a wand; he waved it, but it wasn’t the right one. James practically waved around twenty-five wands until he got the satisfied result. But the moment that he touched the twenty-seventh wand, he knew that it would soon belong to him. Mr. Ollivander thought along the same lines, and Mr. Potter paid for the wand -- a mahogany wand that was eleven inches long and supple. Mr. Ollivander had also mentioned that it was good for Transfiguration.
Mr. Potter congratulated James on finally getting his hands on the wand and then they left the shop. Now James felt that he was ready for anything. With his own wand in his hand, he was thrilled!
They went to Madam Malkin’s and bought James’ robes and other required uniform. From there, they headed to Flourish and Blotts, emerging from the shop later with two bulking bags, each filled with four books. Then they went to buy the rest of the things: a cauldron, parchment, and as Mr. Potter had put it, “A little of this and a little of that.”
After most of the shopping seemed finished, James was looking around while his mother consulted the list, checking to see if they had missed anything.
“Well, we have got everything except an animal. So, James dear, what pet do you want?” Mrs. Potter asked.
“A dragon,” James replied instantly, smiling broadly as he saw his father wink at him from behind his wife.
“James! I am serious!” Mrs. Potter cried exasperatedly.
“Well, an owl, of course, Mum!” James said.
They went to Magical Menagerie. Every animal was available here: from rabbits to rats and cats to owls. James looked at all the owls and finally chose a tawny coloured one with brown, shiny eyes. They left the shop fifteen minutes later with the owl “ named ‘Ablazet’, according to the shopkeeper “ in its cage and the object in James’ hand.
“Finally all the things have been bought!” Mrs. Potter cried in a relieved voice, wiping her forehead with her handkerchief.
They walked towards the Leaky Cauldron and sat in the pub. After having some refreshments, the Potters left the place via the Knight Bus to return home.
“C’mon, Peter!” Mrs. Pettigrew called at him. “Let’s go.”
Peter brushed off the dust and soot that had settled on his robes, courtesy of the Floo, and started walking towards his mother.
“Right, so where is the list?” Mrs. Pettigrew asked him.
“Umm … I don’t know,” Peter replied worriedly.
“Oh, yes. I just remembered, I had kept it in my bag,” his mother said and dug out the piece of parchment from her handbag.
At seeing the list, Peter became relieved. Mrs. Pettigrew started reading it aloud.
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, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils’ clothes should carry name tags.
COUSE 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 Beginners’ 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 an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.
“So, let’s go now,” Mrs. Pettigrew said.
They left the shop where they had first Flooed into and went to Flourish and Blotts, which was just right next to it. A shopkeeper assistant at once came up to them and soon brought them the books required for a first-year student at Hogwarts. After Mrs. Pettigrew had paid for them, they left the shop.
On their way to Madam Malkin’s Robes for all Occasions, they passed through many shops, where they bought a cauldron, one set of crystal phials, a telescope and one set of brass scales.
They stopped at Madam Malkin’s, and outside the shop, Mrs. Pettigrew saw an old acquaintance of hers. So she stopped to talk with her and told Peter to go and get his robes after handing him some coins.
Nervously, Peter entered the shop. Madam Malkin at once came up to him. He told her that he was going to Hogwarts. She bid him to stand on a footstool and slipped a long robe over his head, pinning it to the right length for the shorter boy. After a few minutes, she was finished, and once he’d paid her for the robes, Peter left the shop.
Peter went outside to see his mother still talking to that witch. He cleared his throat to get her attention and the next moment, Mrs. Pettigrew was looking down to see her son standing next to her.
“Well, Jennifer, I will be going now. Nice talking with you. Bye!” Mrs. Pettigrew said to the witch.
Both the women hugged each other and then the Pettigrews set off for Ollivanders. They entered the shop and left it within the next five minutes.
Ollivander had been pretty surprised at how little time it had taken for the right wand to choose Peter. The shop owner barely received customers who were able to find the correct wand so quickly. Usually, all of his customers waved at least ten to fifteen wands. This boy had found one in only the third attempt.
Peter left the shop very excited. He had finally gotten his own wand that he would use to do spells in Hogwarts! He was so happy that he didn’t notice someone in front of him until he actually crashed into the boy.
“Watch where you’re going!” the boy shouted. He had thin, black, greasy hair and a long countenance; he looked pretty disagreeable, as far as Peter was concerned.
“S- Sorry,” Peter faltered.
Without answering, the boy brushed passed Peter.
Mrs. Pettigrew, who hadn’t noticed anything, told him to quicken up his pace, as all of Peter’s school shopping had been done. Very soon, both mother and son had Disapparated from Diagon Alley to return home.