Oliver Kent sat on the stoop of a randomly selected row house, several blocks from where he actually lived. He had his book bag from school at his feet and was reading over the letter he'd received from Hogwarts.
Dear Mr. Kent,
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry formally presents you
with financial aid vouchers for the following shops in Diagon Alley in
order for you to purchase supplies for the upcoming Autumn term...
He noticed one of the vouchers had been made out for Quality Quidditch Supplies and Minerva McGonagall herself had signed that one, although the other vouchers were signed by Albus Dumbledore. At the bottom of the letter, below the list of required Year Five texts, McGonagall had written simply, "Your additional voucher is one pair of high quality for seeker's goggles".
Oliver folded his letter back up, carefully tucking the voucher slips into the envelope, and put the whole lot in his jacket pocket. He shuffled his feet on the sidewalk and watched muggles walk by, carrying their shopping bags and pushing baby prams and such, too thoroughly distracted to notice the boy sitting on the stoop. It seemed like ages before a sleek black motor car pulled up - a cabbie - and the back door opened up.
"What are you waiting outside for? I would've come knock on the door... It looks like rain." Wally waved to him from the back seat as Oliver quickly hastened to grab his bag and rush forward. He threw himself into the cabbie beside Wally.
"Hi Ollie!" called Wally's father, Archimedes Grant - everyone called him Archie.
"Hi Archie," Oliver said.
"I wanted to meet some of your housemates," Wally complained.
"You don't want to meet them," Oliver said, "Not really." He slid across the seat and dropped his bag onto the floor by his feet. "Honest. Besides, they're all out."
Wally sighed, "Someday, you need to let me meet your family."
"They're not my family," Oliver said quickly as the car pulled away from the curb and into busy London traffic. "It's cool your dad has a motorcar."
Wally shrugged, "I guess. I'm glad that old hag let you come with me to Diagon Alley."
"Yeah, me, too," Oliver said, and he shifted his weight in his seat guiltily, hoping he wouldn't catch it too bad later on when he got back to the group home and Mrs. Jennings got a hold on him. He'd already gotten in trouble twice since getting back from Hogwarts for the summer break. First because he'd slept in and missed morning Mass the first day back, and then again when he took the blame for a broken lamp that one of the other kids had done. He might've been alright on that one, but he then refused to repair the lamp by magic when Mrs. Jennings told him to. He wasn't allowed to do magic out side of Hogwarts, he told her, but she screamed at him that the lamp wasn't going to fix itself and he'd spent the afternoon trying to glue the thing back together to no luck and had caught hell for his efforts.
She was in one of her moods this morning, when Oliver had gotten up and come downstairs planning to ask her about Wally visiting and going to get his text books from Diagon Alley, and she'd told him to go away and leave her alone - but to bring her the aspirin first. "Too bad you can't magic away the headaches you bloody kids give me!" she snapped at him. "But I suppose that's not allowed outside of school, either, helping your dear poor house mother."
"I wouldn't even if I could do magic outside of school," Oliver said, "I'm not a mediwizard."
"Well what good is your magic if you can't even heal a minor headache?" she spat, and she'd given him a bit of a throttling for being mouthy and making up a term like mediwizard. "Nonsense," she had said, "Absolute idiocy!"
Wally looked over at him now, as though reading Oliver's thoughts, "What happened to your eye?"
Archie Grant glanced in the rear view mirror at this, torquing it to catch Oliver's reflection, concern on his face.
Oliver flushed. "Blimey, I'm an idiot. I'm so used to the stairs at Hogwarts moving and all, you know? I tripped. I'm lucky it wasn't worse really. Scraped my knees up good, too."
Archie's eyes went back to the road and he readjusted his mirror.
Wally answered, "That must've hurt something awful. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, I'm alright, it looks worse than it is, just a shiner." He fiddled with the hem of his jumper. "Say are we meeting Dex still or did he chicken out?"
"Shhh!" Wally hissed, punching Ollie's arm. He paused, but Archie didn't seem to have caught the exchange and was driving on, the radio playing quietly and Celestina Warbeck's warbling tones floating through the car. Wally's voice lowered. "He's meeting us at Fortescue's."
The boys had plotted a daring DWO adventure into Knockturn Alley to get some questionable but rather important supplies for some practical jokes that Wally had come up with, which required some powder of everlasting darkness and toad wartgum. Those sorts of things were only available in the seedier potions supply shop, down the forbidden alley way, famous for the Dark Arts supplies shops. It had been Dexter's idea for the three of them to meet up at Diagon Alley, talk their parents into letting them go it alone, and the three of them giving each other back-up, just in case something came up while they were in there. It would be way better traveling in a pack than any one of them on their own. They were all certain that they could've taken anyone who attacked them, if that were the case, but it would be much easier, of course, if they had backups. Besides, if it was Dexter's idea, Oliver felt Dexter ought to be there for it.
Archie Grant pulled up in the road across from the Leaky Cauldron's dusty old sign, which creaked as it waved in the breeze that whistled down the alleyway. "Here you are mate," Archie said, leaning back and handing Wally a little coin purse that clanged when it fell into Wally's open palm. "Have fun. You boys have lunch at the Cauldron, there's enough there for that, your supplies, and something fun as well, I imagine... but get your supplies first, your mum'll have my head if you don't have all your supplies by the time we get home. I'll see you about half three to pick you up. Right here. Got it?"
"Thanks Dad," Wally answered. "See you."
The sky was getting dark, so it really was going to rain, and Wally popped his wand into an umbrella as he got out.
"Won't you get in trouble for that?" Ollie asked as the rain stated falling and Wally held the umbrella up over Oliver, too.
"Nah, we're around grown-up wizards now," Wally answered. "Blimey, I forgot you live in a muggle house. It must be awful not using magic all summer. I'd forget what I learned if I didn't practice any!"
They splashed their way across the street in the sudden downpour and Wally shook the umbrella off as they stepped into the Leaky Cauldron. Inside was warm - the barkeeper, Tom, had a fire in the hearth and there were loads of wizards and witches all about the room, sipping soups and eating thick sandwiches. A little band was playing on a plinth in the corner, a large classical bass, clarinet, and a violin. The music was dreadful. "Ugh," Wally said, "Let's go shop first and come back. Maybe that lot will have shut up by the time we get back and we can hear our heads thinking!"
Oliver followed Wally out into the street and they made their way down Diagon Alley. Usually the alley was crowded but with the rain most of the shoppers had found their way into stores to get out of the downpour. Ollie and Wally both had their wands turned into umbrellas by then and they splashed along the street toward Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.
The tables were full, but luckily Dexter had gotten there before the whole street had vacated into the shops and he had himself a small table in the corner. He waved for the other two when they came in and they put their bags down with him and joined the queue to get themselves some ice cream, since Dexter had already gotten his. "Whoaaa," Dexter said, "You guys gotta try this new flavor Fortescue's got. It's called Limeberry Sourblast and it's --" he puckered and giggled as his face screwed up tight from the bite he'd just stuffed in his mouth, "Very, very sour." His eyes were watering.
"I am not getting the Limeberry Sourblast," Wally said, shaking his head, "You seen his face? He's mental he thinks I want to try that after seeing that look he made. Right?"
"I hate sour stuff," Oliver agreed.
"I think I'm trying the Brown Sugar Bourbon," Wally said, then grinned, "You reckon it really's got bourbon in it?"
"Yeah probably, but alcohol cooks off," Oliver said.
"Cooks off? You know ice cream is cold?"
"Yeah but -- nevermind," Oliver said as they stepped up to the counter.
Jasper Odair was at the counter, looking a bit frazzled for the sudden flux of business due to the rain. "Blimey - oi Meg, we're nearly out of the Forbidden Fudge Choconut. Could you grab another keg of it while you're out back?"
"Sure thing!" Meg Johnson shouted, disappearing into the back room of the shop, her bright red hair standing out all the more with the dismal gray day that it was outdoors.
Jasper turned to the boys. "Heyyyy it's two of the seagulls." He'd been dating Lily Evans at Hogwarts when the boys had started there and he'd spent a fair amount of time with them in library as she tutored them in some of their subjects. "How's the D.W.O.?"
"Going strong!" Wally said enthusiastically. "I'll have the Brown Sugar Bourbon. What'll you do, Ollie?"
Oliver flushed, "I'm okay."
"On the house," Jasper said, meeting Oliver's eyes.
Jasper knew where Oliver lived. Jasper had delivered ice creams to the group home more than once, and all the kids at Mrs. Jenning's Group Home for Boys had been delighted by it. They'd had loads of normal muggle flavors and a pint special for Oliver of the Butterbeer Toffee Crunch that Jasper knew was his favorite. Which Jasper confirmed right then. "Here... the Butterbeer Toffee Crunch is fresh, just made it this morning. I put a bit more butterbeer in than usual, I think you'll like it." He scooped it into a dish and handed it to Oliver.
Wally paid for his dish, even though Jasper said he didn't have to and Wally said, "I want to pay for it so you can afford to keep giving ice creams to kids that can't."
Jasper smiled, "That's very noble of you, thank you Wally," and he'd put the sickles into the till. Wally walked away, but Jasper said, "Oi, Ollie." Oliver turned around. "What happened to your eye?"
Oliver laughed, "Oh that? I'm such a klutz. I was playing muggle ball with one of my housemates this morning and caught it off the wrist, bounced it back right into my eye. Smarted something terrible, I'll tell you what. My wrist, too."
"Oh, ouch," Jasper said, concerned. "You be more careful, alright? That - that doesn't look good. The ball must've hit you right good to cause that much of a mark."
"Yeah, he's a good throw," Oliver said quickly, and he flushed and dashed off with his dish, though he could feel Jasper's eyes on him the whole way.
"You didn't get the Limeberry Sourblast!" Dexter complained, still puckering from his. He craned his neck to see Oliver's cup as he walked up, "Neither of you did! You're no fun."
"Yeah, I'd rather enjoy my ice cream, thanks," Wally said, and he scooped a big mouthful of the brown sugar bourbon into his mouth. "Blimey, that Jasper Odair is brilliant with ice cream flavors, I swear!" He laughed and pointed at Ollie with his spoon, "And that one always gets the same thing."
Oliver shrugged, "I know what I like."
Suddenly Jasper Odair was at their table. "Wally, you left your purse at the counter." He held it up and Wally's eyes bulged.
"Bloody hell, my dad would've killed me if I lost it! Thanks Jasper!"
"Whoa Ollie!" Dexter said, suddenly, catching a glimpse of Oliver's cheekbone as he'd turned to look at Jasper coming to the table. "What the bloody hell happened to you?"
"He fell on the stairs, the big idiot," Wally laughed. "Didn't you Ollie? Tell him how you tripped on account of the stairs not moving like at Hogwarts!"
Jasper's eyebrows came together and he looked at Oliver funny.
Oliver felt his face grow hot. "Y-yeah, I tripped," he said to Dexter. "But - that's the whole story, Wally's just told it all." He glanced at Jasper.
Jasper stared at him good and long and Oliver could tell by the look on his face that he just knew that Oliver was lying and Oliver's face grew all the more hot and he looked down at his ice cream, feeling profoundly bad for having lied to the nice man who gave him ice creams. He stared into the cup, pushing the bits of toffee about with the end of his spoon.
Jasper wouldn't yell at him, would he?
"You kids have fun, alright?" Jasper asked. "And... be safe, okay?" His voice sounded funny.
"Yeah, we'll be safe," Wally said, "See ya!"
Jasper turned and went back to the counter, disappearing through the door to the backroom.
Oliver felt sick to his stomach.
"You don't think he knows about our plan to go down Knockturn Alley, do you?" Dexter whispered.
"How could he? He isn't a legilimens is he?" Wally asked.
"Whoaaaaa, if he was -- that would be so cool!"
"Yeah until he rats us out to our parents about the Knockturn Alley idea!" Wally answered. "Blimey, I hope he's not. Right, Ollie?"
"Yeah," Ollie said, thinking there was a lot worse than the plans to visit Knockturn Alley that Jasper could see if he looked into his mind. "I really hope he's not."