Chapter 5

"...a wand, a large cauldron, note: pewter, standard size 2, a set of glass or crystal phials, a telescope, a set of brass scales. Students may bring an owl or a cat or a toad." I read the list of required items aloud. "I'm pretty sure we don't have any of these things on our local high street. So, are we going to the wizards' shopping district?"

"Oh, maybe that's what it's called..." Eileen said, waiting for us at the door. "But you're right, we're heading to the wizards' marketplace. You'll definitely be able to get all these things there."

"It would be great if Lily and the others could come with us, right, Sev?"

"But they've already agreed to have a teacher from the school guide them. I think it's better they wait for the teacher," Severus replied.

I shrugged, turning to hurry Hughes and Isaya.

We got off the car on a street in London, and Eileen led us into a nondescript, grimy little pub. Without Eileen leading us, we wouldn't have noticed it at all as we walked past. After moving through the noisy bar, Eileen took us to a small courtyard with walls on all sides, a single trash can, and some weeds. Before we could ask any questions, Eileen pulled out her small wand and counted bricks on the wall above the trash can: three up and two across. She tapped the brick three times.

To our amazement, the brick started to tremble and move, forming a small hole that grew larger and larger until a wide archway appeared, revealing a winding cobblestone street.

"Wow..." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

A whole new world appeared before us, full of wonders I couldn't possibly list. I was reminded of a phrase from a past life: 'like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden'. I think I understood how Granny Liu felt.

Glancing at my parents, who seemed a bit more composed than I was, I adjusted my mood. Stay calm.

Eileen first took us to Gringotts, the wizarding bank, to exchange wizarding money. The goblins there made me frown—they were quite a sight.

We went from shop to shop: robe shop, bookstore, cauldron shop, and bought all the school supplies. Finally, we stopped in front of a small, shabby shop.

"Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC." I read the sign aloud.

"That's right, you still need wands. This is the only place to get them. Let's go in." Eileen pushed the door open. "Ding," the bell rang as we entered the wand shop.

Inside were rows of narrow boxes stacked almost to the ceiling. "Good afternoon," an old man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, his pale eyes observing us.

"Hello, Mr. Ollivander. We have two new students in need of wands," Eileen indicated us.

"Oh, of course. Who's first?"

"I'll go first," I stepped forward.

He asked which hand I used, then a tape measure began to automatically measure my hand, shoulder, and other dimensions, recording data.

He handed me a wand to try. I waved it, but nothing happened. He gave me another, which emitted a faint light from its tip, but before I could say anything, he took it back. "Not this one."

The third wand I picked up felt different. A wave of pleasure surged through me, like it was radiating from my bones, wanting to surround me. I couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction. Outwardly, it looked just like the first one.

"Looks like it's this one. Vine wood, unicorn hair, eleven inches long. Remember, it's the wand that chooses the wizard."

Severus had a much harder time. The unsuitable wands caused quite a bit of damage. After trying more than ten wands, he found his match: birch wood, dragon heartstring, thirteen and a half inches.

After buying our wands, our day in Diagon Alley ended.

Back home, I held my wand, tracing the patterns on it. The handle was intricately wrapped with vine-like patterns that extended a finger's width onto the wand's shaft. Holding the handle felt familiar, comfortable, like it was a part of me.

I recalled Mr. Ollivander's description of my wand: "Vine wood, symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings." New beginnings, just like my new life in this world, leaving the past behind.

I raised my wand to my chest and waved it forward. The magical world, here I come.

The night before our departure, we had a farewell dinner at my house for Severus and me.

As dinner time approached, Eileen arrived with a large birdcage containing a beautiful owl. Its black feathers were sleek and shiny, perfectly groomed—a cleanly owl.

"The shopkeeper said it likes to keep itself clean and is very obedient. We didn't visit the pet shop that day, so I thought this would make a practical birthday gift for you, Sawyer. An early present," Eileen handed me the cage.

"So, it's my pet? Thank you, Eileen. It's beautiful!" I placed the cage on the low table and opened it. The owl flew out and perched on top of the cage. "I guess it's a he?"

"You guessed right, you can name him."

"Hmm… how about James? How do you like that?" I stroked his feathers, and he lifted his head and hooted.

We talked for a while about caring for owls. Severus didn't join us; he thought pets were a hassle. He was absorbed in his textbooks.

As dinner began, we all raised our glasses, "To our little wizards embarking on their journey, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

On September 1st, at 10:30 a.m., at King's Cross Station, Eileen, Severus, my parents, and I, along with the Evans family, stood with our luggage. We didn't question the strange address of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Following Eileen, we walked between platforms nine and ten, where nothing seemed unusual.

"You just have to walk straight towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Severus, you go first!"

Severus pushed his trolley towards the barrier, and just as he seemed about to crash, he vanished.

"Wow." With Diagon Alley's experience, I was less surprised by such things. Without waiting for Eileen, I followed suit, pushing my trolley.

As I passed through the wall, I opened my eyes wide, like passing through an invisible barrier, and found myself on the other side. Severus was waiting, observing the surroundings. A deep red steam engine stood at the platform. The sign on the train read: Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Looking back at the barrier, it was now a wrought-iron archway with "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters" written on it. The others soon joined us.

It was still early, and the platform wasn't very crowded yet. I saw parents saying goodbye to their children. My parents and the Evanses were happily chatting about something, and Lily and I said goodbye to Petunia.

"Petunia, we'll write to you as soon as we get to school. You have to write back!" Lily held Petunia's hand reluctantly.

"Yeah, Eileen said we'll have a holiday for Christmas. We can come home then," I said, holding onto both of them.

"Alright, kids, it's getting late. You need to get on the train and find a compartment. It's starting to get busy," Eileen reminded us.

After a few final hugs, I turned to Hughes and Isaya. They kissed my cheeks and hugged me, "We'll miss you. Write to us."

"I will," I promised.

Finally, we boarded the train. We found an empty compartment at the back, stowed our luggage, and placed the owls—my James and Lily's Sook—inside their cages on top of the luggage. Lily and I sat on one side, Severus on the other. We exchanged glances and suddenly burst into laughter.

"We're off to Hogwarts!" Lily cheered.

"Yeah, the three of us, off to Hogwarts," I said, unable to suppress my smile. Severus was also smiling, albeit more controlled.

Looking out at the platform where parents and children were saying goodbye, the compartment door slid open. Two boys stood there, "Are these seats taken?"

The boy with glasses asked nonchalantly.

"No," I replied.

They brought their luggage in. The boy with glasses sat opposite Severus, and the other sat next to me. Their attire was elegant, not flashy, but clearly well-made. They seemed like well-pampered children. They started talking about Quidditch, a term we'd seen in Diagon Alley. Eileen had said it was a flying sport.

The train started moving. Severus took out a book and began reading quietly, while Lily watched the scenery fly by outside the window.

James, my owl, was restless in his cage.

"James, calm down. I can't let you out here," I soothed him softly.

The boy opposite, James, gave me a strange look. "It's called James?"

Lily and Severus's attention turned to us.

"Yes. He's quite the handsome fellow, isn't he?" I smiled.

"...Yes, but my name is James. James Potter," the boy responded, and my James hooted as if in reply. I saw the other James's mouth twitch.

"Oh… well, you're also a handsome fellow, James Potter," I said, trying to stifle laughter. Lily and Severus were trying hard not to laugh as well. The other James's face turned a bit red, possibly from embarrassment or anger.

I really didn't mean it, just an instinctive reaction, I thought.

"Hello, I'm Sawyer Hill. You can call me Sawyer."

"Hello, Sawyer. Could you maybe change your owl's name?"

"Oh… I'll try."

I took the cage down and placed it on the small table by the window.

"James… hmm, how about Daniel? That's a good name, Daniel?" No response.

"Oh, you don't like that. How about something cute, Garfield?" He preened his feathers.

"Not that one either. Then, how about King? Such a cool name, King?" He turned his head away, impatient.

"…"

Defeated, I turned back, "Sorry, James..." My owl hooted in response. "Oh, I think he's already accepted this name. At least he's handsome enough for it… cough, I think you'll get used to it!" I tried to suppress a laugh.

Ignoring the other James's frustrated expression, I turned to the boy next to me, who was laughing uncontrollably. "You should probably hold back a bit. I guess he's your friend?"

He tried to compose himself. "Of course. Hi, I'm Sirius Black. Can I call you Sawyer?"

"Sure, Sirius. This is Lily Evans and Severus Snape, my friends." I indicated them, and they nodded at each other.

James the owl flapped his wings again, expressing his displeasure at being ignored. We all looked at him and burst into laughter, even the other James, though it seemed a bit forced.

"Oh, I should put him back up. Haha!"

After the laughter, we felt much closer.

"Do you know which house you'll be sorted into?" James asked.

"I think I might be in Slytherin. My whole family has been in Slytherin," Sirius said, sounding a bit defeated.

"Don't you want to go there?" Severus asked.

"Of course not, it's boring there," Sirius replied grumpily.

"Yeah, Slytherins aren't very nice. Oh, Sirius, I didn't mean your family..."

"Don't worry about them, a bunch of stubborn old folks," Sirius interrupted James.

"My mom was in Slytherin, and she's great," Severus said defensively.

"Oh, come on, Slytherins are all evil, sneaky..."

Lily interrupted him, "Enough! We know Severus's mom, and she's wonderful! How can you judge someone you've never even met?"

James wanted to argue back, "But they're all evil..."

"Alright, that's enough. No matter what, we shouldn't generalize. Maybe some Slytherins are as you say, but not all of them. Severus's mom is a great witch," I interjected.

As the tension hung in the air, a woman with a cheerful smile and dimples opened our compartment door and asked, "Would you like to buy some snacks, dears?"

I broke the silence first, getting up to look at the snacks on her trolley. There were many strange treats I'd never seen before. I randomly picked some and paid, then shared them with Lily and Severus.

James and Sirius bought some as well and returned to their seats, closing the compartment door.

For a moment, it was quiet as we all ate. Severus went back to his book, clearly not wanting to interact with the two boys who had insulted his mother.

I opened a packet of snacks and casually asked, "Earlier, I heard you mention Quidditch. Is that a sport?"

The boys perked up at the mention of the sport. "You don't know Quidditch? It's the wizard's ultimate sport!"

"We grew up in Muggle families."

"Oh, that explains it. Quidditch is a game where wizards fly on broomsticks and compete..."

The compartment's atmosphere relaxed again.

The rest of the journey passed uneventfully.