Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards) Dear Mr.
Leo Williams, 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 the first of September.
We await your owl by no later than the thirty-first of July.
Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress — “Got it.” Leo looked down at the letter in his hands, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile.
“Congratulations, Master.” The old butler straightened Leo’s collar.
“Let’s get ready to head to Diagon Alley.” “We’re just going shopping.
Do I really need to dress this formally?” Leo said, tugging at his collar — the clothes felt a little tight.
“You’re a noble, Master.
You can hardly dress like some commoner’s child,” the old butler said.
“We’re going to Diagon Alley, after all, and there’s a good chance we’ll run into children from other pureblood families.
You know how those children can be…” “You’re not worried they’ll bully me, are you?” Leo asked, exasperated.
“Not that.
I’m worried one of them will say something out of line and you’ll end up hurting them and making a mess of things,” the old butler said with a sigh.
“If that happens, getting you into Hogwarts is going to become a real headache.” “Fine.” Leo nodded.
“So when do we leave?” “Now.” The old butler rang a small bell, and a house-elf appeared before them.
It was draped in what looked like a bedsheet, small and slight, with ears as big as a bat’s, eyes bulging out like a pair of tennis balls, and a nose that was long and flat.
House-elves were magical creatures that had served old, wealthy wizarding families for generations, handling every household chore and obeying any order their master gave without the slightest hint of defiance — or else they were bound to punish themselves for it.
Their magic was nothing to scoff at, either — in some ways stronger than that of many wizards.
At Hogwarts, for instance, where wizards couldn’t Apparate, house-elves could come and go exactly as they pleased.
This particular house-elf served the Williams family and had already outlived three heads of the household.
“Cutlery, take us to the Leaky Cauldron,” the old butler ordered.
“Yes, Master Leo, Mr.
Frisia.” Cutlery bowed to them both, then cast an Apparition charm and vanished with them on the spot.
Leo felt a force squeeze around him, and by the time he came back to his senses, he was already standing in the middle of a pub.
The place had just a single bar counter, with a small chalkboard hanging beside it listing the prices of the drinks.
Old, weathered wooden tables and chairs filled the center of the room, and the grey, timeworn walls all around were covered in an assortment of framed paintings.
At the very back stood an enormous fireplace, big enough to fit three or four people inside at once, and beside it a wooden staircase climbed up to the second floor.
A handful of wizards were already scattered around the pub, and none of them so much as glanced twice at people appearing out of nowhere — they’d clearly seen it all before.
Only a few seemed to recognize the old butler, and they started murmuring to each other under their breath.
“Who is that?” “Looks like the Williams boy.
Old Williams, he…
*cough*…” “Shh…” “Master, let’s go.” The old butler paid them no mind and led Leo toward the back courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron.
In the back courtyard stood a brick wall with a dustbin at its base — the entrance to Diagon Alley.
“Three bricks up from the dustbin, then two bricks across, and tap it three times with your wand.” The old butler rapped his wand against the wall, and the bricks before them began to tremble.
They spun and folded in on themselves, slowly splitting apart to form a small archway.
“Couldn’t we have just Apparated straight in?” Leo asked.
“We could have, but don’t you think this has a bit more ceremony to it?” The old butler smiled and led Leo through.
What opened up before them was a bustling shopping street.
Diagon Alley — the commercial heart of Britain’s wizarding world.
Every kind of shop a wizard could need was gathered here, catering to the everyday wants of the magical community, and it was also where new Hogwarts students came to buy their school supplies.
As a pureblood noble, Leo had no need to stop by Gringotts to exchange money — he already carried more than enough Galleons on him to cover a full year at Hogwarts.
“Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Ollivanders, Flourish and Blotts, Slug and Jiggers Apothecary, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour…
going by the list on the acceptance letter, we’ve got quite a lot to buy.” Leo looked around, taking it all in.
He usually just told Cutlery whatever he needed, so this was actually his first time setting foot in Diagon Alley.
“Where should we start?” “Wherever you like,” the old butler said.
“Though we can skip Ollivanders — I’ve already had one made for you.” “Oh?” Leo blinked.
“Wouldn’t any old wand do?” ‘Not like I can actually use magic anyway.
A wand’s just decoration in my hands — might as well be a good-looking one.’ “Take a look.” The old butler drew a wand from the pouch at his side, a little over half a meter long, its tip needle-sharp, with a groove running the length of the shaft that was unmistakably a blood channel.
“The shaft is ironwood, the core is mithril.
Twenty inches, and harder than steel.” “…This is a wand?” Leo took it eagerly, giving it a flourish that cut through the air with a sharp whistle.
“Where did you even get this?” “I had it custom-made by a wandmaker over in America,” the old butler said.
“That Ollivander fellow wouldn’t touch it, no matter what I offered him.” “Giving me something like this…
aren’t you worried I’ll cause some kind of trouble?” Leo asked, a little puzzled.
“To a young wizard, you’re just as dangerous with it as without it,” the old butler said plainly.
“This is simply in case you run into any danger at Hogwarts — though it’s the safest place in all of Britain, so you likely won’t need it at all.” “Ahaha…” The Master, butler, and Cutlery made their way forward together, stopping first at Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions to pick up the school uniform the old butler had already ordered.
“I don’t think I need to go to Flourish and Blotts myself…
Cutlery can just bring the books back for me.” Leo glanced down the school supply list, feeling nothing but indifference toward the row of book titles.
He was a warrior at heart.
Books had never held much interest for him.
“…Cutlery, you go on ahead.
Besides everything on the list, pick up a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, The Monster Book of Monsters, Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland, From Egg to Inferno, and Fearsome Creatures of the Underground.” the old butler instructed.
“Yes, sir.” Cutlery bowed his head and vanished on the spot.
“Is that really necessary?” Leo threw up his hands.
He understood well enough that the old butler wanted him to read a little more — but even books that sounded far more interesting than his schoolbooks couldn’t hold his attention.
An hour later, at the Williams family estate.
“Ha, this one’s actually fun.” Leo picked up The Monster Book of Monsters and started wrestling it into submission.