The Night Before
Location: Albus' room, 12 Grimmauld Place
Date: 31st August 2017
Time: 8:15pm
Al checked his trunk for the fourth time that evening. Amazingly, the contents still hadn’t managed to escape, hide themselves, or transform themselves into embarrassing baby photos. His clothes and books were still in the same neat stacks in which he’d packed them. Still, he couldn’t help himself from checking the books off against the list again.
Slamming down the lid again, Al leapt to his feet, and practically bounced across the room to where his new Hogwarts robe lay across the back of his chair, ready for the morning. He picked it up, and held it to his face, breathing in the smell of the freshly-laundered fabric. Blushing a little, he glanced over his shoulder, but only the poster on the back of his door was watching him. He pulled the robe hurriedly over his jeans and t-shirt, and scampered towards the mirror on his wardrobe, slipping awkwardly into a more controlled gait as he remembered himself.
He checked himself out in the mirror, admiring the robe. He couldn’t believe it. Hogwarts at last. He fussed with his straight, dark hair which hung down to the collar of his robes. Should he have got it cut after all? He tilted his head a little. It looked ok. He didn’t want it to look too much like his dad’s. It certainly didn’t have as violent a relationship with hairbrushes.
He still hadn’t quite got used to it, the people staring when he was out with his dad. He knew they weren’t staring at him, but did that really make it any better? A small part of him thought that he’d prefer it if they were staring at him, for something that he’d done. Would people expect him to live up to his dad’s achievements, or had they already decided that he wouldn’t be able to?
Al’s brief introspection was brought to an end as he caught sight of an odd glow in the mirror. Turning in front of the mirror and craning his neck, he caught sight of a piece of paper on the back of the cloak. Glowing pink lettering flowed across it in elaborate handwriting, reading “Jinx Me!”. The exclamation mark flashed three times before the paper went blank and the message began scrolling again.
Al’s door burst open, and he flew at James’ door like a thunderbolt, hammering on it with both fists. “James! Get out here now you stupid git!” He clawed desperately at the piece of paper, but there seemed to be no edge to it, as if it were part of the robe itself. “It’s not funny! I’ve got to go to school tomorrow. Get it off” He aimed a solid kick at the door. “If you don’t come out right now, I’ll tell mum and dad what you were doing w…”
James opened the door a crack at that, peering out. He opened his mouth to say something, but paused, looking behind Al. Al’s gaze followed his, to where Ginny was standing, wand in one hand, and a piece of notepaper with animated arrows moving around it in the other. James tried to close the door on the scene, but it appeared that the hinges had other ideas.
“Mu-um, James stuck a bit of paper on my back saying jinx me but it won’t come off and I’ve got school tomorrow and everyone will laugh at me and he did it on purpose to be mean and its not fair” Al rattled off.
James slunk back into his room, arms folded. “Wasn’t necessarily me, mum. He’s got no proof it was.” He nodded in defiance, certain of his legal footing on the matter.
Ginny rolled her eyes. “James, stop teasing your brother. It’s his first day tomorrow. Remember what it was like for you? Shall I tell Al what you were like on the night before your first day, hm?” Ginny smiled pleasantly at James, who shrunk away as if it were the gaze of a basilisk and mumbled a barely audible “Sorry” as the door to his room was finally allowed to close.
“Now, let’s have a look at that.” Ginny turned Al around, and after studying the paper for a moment, said a quick spell and tapped it with her wand. “Going to wring their scrawny little necks next time I see them…” she muttered under her breath, as the piece of paper detached and flew to her hand. Tapping it again, it burst into flame. “Al, you mustn’t let James wind you up. You know he only does it to show off.”
Al nodded reluctantly “But mum, he’s going to embarrass me at school, I know it. He’s…”
“If you want embarrassment, I’ll not let go of your hand from the moment we get to the station until the train’s ready to leave, and I will spit on a hankie to wipe your face with.” Al opened his mouth again, already framing the word “mum”, but Ginny cut him off with a look. “You are more than strong enough to weather whatever James throws at you.” She gave him a conspiratorial wink. “And remember to give as good as you get with James. It’s the only way he’ll learn.”
Al didn’t shy away as Ginny bent down to kiss him on the forehead, and he gave her a brief hug “Thanks, mum.” He smiled a little, and headed back to his room. He just needed to check he’d packed his Potions kit…
Date: 31st August 2017
Time: 8:15pm
Al checked his trunk for the fourth time that evening. Amazingly, the contents still hadn’t managed to escape, hide themselves, or transform themselves into embarrassing baby photos. His clothes and books were still in the same neat stacks in which he’d packed them. Still, he couldn’t help himself from checking the books off against the list again.
Slamming down the lid again, Al leapt to his feet, and practically bounced across the room to where his new Hogwarts robe lay across the back of his chair, ready for the morning. He picked it up, and held it to his face, breathing in the smell of the freshly-laundered fabric. Blushing a little, he glanced over his shoulder, but only the poster on the back of his door was watching him. He pulled the robe hurriedly over his jeans and t-shirt, and scampered towards the mirror on his wardrobe, slipping awkwardly into a more controlled gait as he remembered himself.
He checked himself out in the mirror, admiring the robe. He couldn’t believe it. Hogwarts at last. He fussed with his straight, dark hair which hung down to the collar of his robes. Should he have got it cut after all? He tilted his head a little. It looked ok. He didn’t want it to look too much like his dad’s. It certainly didn’t have as violent a relationship with hairbrushes.
He still hadn’t quite got used to it, the people staring when he was out with his dad. He knew they weren’t staring at him, but did that really make it any better? A small part of him thought that he’d prefer it if they were staring at him, for something that he’d done. Would people expect him to live up to his dad’s achievements, or had they already decided that he wouldn’t be able to?
Al’s brief introspection was brought to an end as he caught sight of an odd glow in the mirror. Turning in front of the mirror and craning his neck, he caught sight of a piece of paper on the back of the cloak. Glowing pink lettering flowed across it in elaborate handwriting, reading “Jinx Me!”. The exclamation mark flashed three times before the paper went blank and the message began scrolling again.
Al’s door burst open, and he flew at James’ door like a thunderbolt, hammering on it with both fists. “James! Get out here now you stupid git!” He clawed desperately at the piece of paper, but there seemed to be no edge to it, as if it were part of the robe itself. “It’s not funny! I’ve got to go to school tomorrow. Get it off” He aimed a solid kick at the door. “If you don’t come out right now, I’ll tell mum and dad what you were doing w…”
James opened the door a crack at that, peering out. He opened his mouth to say something, but paused, looking behind Al. Al’s gaze followed his, to where Ginny was standing, wand in one hand, and a piece of notepaper with animated arrows moving around it in the other. James tried to close the door on the scene, but it appeared that the hinges had other ideas.
“Mu-um, James stuck a bit of paper on my back saying jinx me but it won’t come off and I’ve got school tomorrow and everyone will laugh at me and he did it on purpose to be mean and its not fair” Al rattled off.
James slunk back into his room, arms folded. “Wasn’t necessarily me, mum. He’s got no proof it was.” He nodded in defiance, certain of his legal footing on the matter.
Ginny rolled her eyes. “James, stop teasing your brother. It’s his first day tomorrow. Remember what it was like for you? Shall I tell Al what you were like on the night before your first day, hm?” Ginny smiled pleasantly at James, who shrunk away as if it were the gaze of a basilisk and mumbled a barely audible “Sorry” as the door to his room was finally allowed to close.
“Now, let’s have a look at that.” Ginny turned Al around, and after studying the paper for a moment, said a quick spell and tapped it with her wand. “Going to wring their scrawny little necks next time I see them…” she muttered under her breath, as the piece of paper detached and flew to her hand. Tapping it again, it burst into flame. “Al, you mustn’t let James wind you up. You know he only does it to show off.”
Al nodded reluctantly “But mum, he’s going to embarrass me at school, I know it. He’s…”
“If you want embarrassment, I’ll not let go of your hand from the moment we get to the station until the train’s ready to leave, and I will spit on a hankie to wipe your face with.” Al opened his mouth again, already framing the word “mum”, but Ginny cut him off with a look. “You are more than strong enough to weather whatever James throws at you.” She gave him a conspiratorial wink. “And remember to give as good as you get with James. It’s the only way he’ll learn.”
Al didn’t shy away as Ginny bent down to kiss him on the forehead, and he gave her a brief hug “Thanks, mum.” He smiled a little, and headed back to his room. He just needed to check he’d packed his Potions kit…