Alec del Signore and the Forgotten Book

The Birthday Party

Sixteen days had passed since Alec's Aunt Vikki had found the letter at the front door. In that time, Alec had been busying himself with five things only: Reading and re-reading his letter, snooping through his new books, messing around with his wand, and waiting. He had the contents of his letter memorized by heart.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of  WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
(Order of Merlin, First Class)

Dear Mr del Signore,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a of all necessary books and equipment.Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Brutus Bacri
Deputy Headmaster

The very moment they had received the letter, Alec and Vikki sent an owl out accepting his admittance to the school. Every single droplet of doubt was sent pouring away in bales from Alec. He had never felt better. All of his dreams were coming true.
They had celebrated with Alec's favorite meal and a grand pudding for dessert. Alec still hadn't come down from the high.
But the waiting was getting rough. He had received the letter on 25 July, and term didn't start until 1 September. That was thirty-eight days. Thirty-eight long, restless days where the only thing Alec could think about was Hogwarts and the only thing he couldn't do was go there. He counted off all of the days on his calendar, watching as they slowly inked away.
Now it was the tenth of August, the day before Alec's eleventh birthday. Vikki had taken the weekend off of work, leaving the store to Mary so she could handle Alec's birthday plannings. They had decided to stay at home and invite some friends of the family.
    'Who are we inviting?' Alec asked over their midday tea.
    'I've had a few people in mind,' Vikki said, 'but it's up to you, as well. Anybody you want to invite? Friends we could owl?'
    Alec thought on this. Like most wizards his age, he didn't have many friends outside of family members. He was homeschooled by Vikki—basic arithmetic, some English history, and lots of magical history along with quite extensive literacy training. While this was the best option for primary schooling when it came to wizards and witches, it limited a child's contact with the outside world. He had no cousins around his age that he knew of. In fact, he didn't know any of his cousins, because he didn't know much about the bloodline of his family, aside from his grandparents and his parents.
    'Oh, Grandpa Fabio,' Alec said, his grandfather being brought to his mind by his considerations.
    'Well, of course we'll invite him,' Vikki said. 'Mary asked if she could come, she says she has a gift she wants to give you.'
    'Okay,' Alec agreed. 'Um... and then...' Alec thought for a while. Who else did he know? There were others children in the town, but Alec wasn't great friends with them. 'We could invite...'
Aunt Vikki seemed to realise what was happening. 'A small party is fine, too,' she said quickly. 'That's what I've always preferred.'
Alec shrugged. 'Okay.' He didn't really mind that he didn't have friends here. After all, he'd make some at Hogwarts. He already had a start with Arthur from the robe shop.
Aunt Vikki reached across the table and grabbed her nephew's hands. 'I'm going to miss you when you're at Hogwarts, Alec,' she said softly. 'I know you can't wait to go, but I hope you come to treasure your time at home, too, as much as your stay at Hogwarts.'
'I—' The words got caught in Alec's mouth. His aunt's statement had caught him off-guard. He had been so focused on Hogwarts, he had never thought about how he was leaving home. 'I will treasure my time here, auntie. I love it here.'
She nodded. 'I know, Alec. I guess I'm just scared of being without my little boy.'

Alec went to bed that night with the late summer sun. He kept a window open in his upstairs bedroom, let the warm air in. He was excited for his birthday tomorrow, especially excited for its implications. He drifted off to sleep with the flickering lights of Mould-on-the-Wold.
When he woke up the next morning, he had a shower and went downstairs to find his aunt reading a letter while waiting over a waffle press.
'Who's it from?' Alec asked.
'Morning, birthday boy,' Aunt Vikki said, smiling at him. 'It's from your grandfather. He'll be here by noon. Says he's excited to see you.'
Alec didn't know his grandfather too well, as they'd only met a few times, but he liked him well enough. He knew that his wife, Alec's grandmother and Aunt Vikki's mother, had passed when Alec was just a couple of years old, leaving Alec, Vikki, and Grandpa Fabio as the only surviving members of the immediate family.
'And Mary?' Alec asked.
'She'll be here for cake and presents at two.'
Something had occurred to Alec. 'Who's going to watch the shop?'
Aunt Vikki yawned and opened the waffle press, using her wand to put the waffle on a plate. 'We've arranged for her boyfriend to watch over it, but she'll be back later in the day.' She filled the press with more batter and went over to the waffle she had already plated.
They had their breakfast together, waffles with berries and powdered sugar, with tea on the side. Near the end of their meal, Aunt Vikki had a question for Alec.
'So, put any thought into what house you want to be in?'
Alec was going to respond, but then he realised he hadn't thought about. It was such an integral part of going to Hogwarts—it would mold his school experience altogether—yet he it had barely crossed his mind.
'I... haven't. What house were you in?'
Aunt Vikki smiled at him. 'I was a Ravenclaw. The house of the clever and those with wit. Oh, I do hope Flitwick is still teaching, he was such a good Head of House during my time at Hogwarts.'
'What was—' Alec hesitated to ask his next question, because it was a sore spot between the two '—um, what was my mother's house?'
Aunt Vikki's smile faded, and then quickly came back. 'Aria was a Gryffindor. And she was a great one at that.'
'What about my dad?' Alec found himself wanting to know more.
'Luca was a Slytherin. I barely knew him during our time at Hogwarts—he and Aria's relationship was a complete secret.' Aunt Vikki smiled thinking back on it. 'Gryffindors and Slytherins almost never mix, but they were the perfect couple. Powerful and wise. Loving but strong.' She turned away to wipe her eyes, and Alec busied himself with a berry from his waffle.
'Well, no reason to dwell on sadness,' she said.
There was a moment of silence that followed this. Then, 'I think I want to be a Gryffindor,' Alec decided.
'I'm sure you'll fit in anywhere you're placed.' Aunt Vikki stood up and took her plate to the sink. 'I need to go pick up your cake. Please wash your dish when you're done. I'll be back before noon.'