Chapter 2 - Diagon Alley

August 29th

Ed was staring absentmindedly at the cobblestone path he was walking on, not paying much attention to his surroundings. His mind was too preoccupied with the recurring nightmares he continued to have. He couldn't understand why they wouldn't go away. He had always had them, ever since he was a little kid, but ever since his dad told him the truth about his mother they started to become more frequent. Now he was beginning to think that they were never gonna go away.

"Brother!" Ed jumped at the sudden hand on his shoulder and quickly turned around to see Al with a look of slight concern. Al quickly pulled his hand back at his brothers reaction.

"What is going on with you?" Al asked. "You've been all fidgety and spacey lately. Are you okay?"

"What? No...I'm fine!" Ed began, trying to sound sure of himself. He then turned back around to continue walking, trying to catch up with their dad who was still walking down the street. It was early morning and the boys and their dad had taken a trip to Diagon Alley. The new school year was fast approaching and the boys needed new school supplies.

"I just got lost in thought is all." Ed finished, shoving his hands in his pockets, trying to avoid eye contact. Al looked at his brother suspiciously and quickly ran up to walk next to him.

"What were you thinking about?" Al asked, trying to pry more information out of him. Ed still didn't look at him as he answered.

"Oh you know, just about the new school year. This is your first year after all. Shouldn't you be a little more nervous?"

"What me?" Al began, "Nah, I'm actually really excited!" Ed finally turned to look at Al as he could see the pure excitement in his eyes.

"You're not the least bit nervous about the sorting ceremony?"

"Why should I be? I'd be fine with any of the houses."

"Even Slytherin?" Ed asked, surprised that his brother didn't care what house he gets placed in. Ed had always thought that when Al came to Hogwarts he would be placed in Gryffindor with him.

"Yes even Slytherin brother. I don't understand this animosity you have for this house. I mean what's so wrong about it?"

"It would easier to ask what isn't wrong with it?" Ed said, but Al just rolled his eyes.

"Okay brother, name one bad thing about the Slytherin house."

"How about the fact that Cain is a Slytherin." Ed said folding his arms across his chest.

"That's all you got? You don't like the house because one of its members were mean to you?" Ed glared at Al, not appreciating the fact that he wasn't backing him up.

"You don't you know you weren't there!" Ed began, "You have no idea what kind of person he is!"

"Wow, you are so stubborn!" Al started as he threw his hands in the air, "Would it kill you to open your mind a little? Everyone has good in them, even if it's not always easy to see." Ed chuckled at his little brother's naive idealism. Ed had accepted the fact that Al had always been the more, for a lack of better words, charming than himself. People always seemed to be drawn to him, and he had a way of making people smile, making them feel at ease. It was so like him to always see the best in everyone. Ed then suddenly remembered the elephant in the room and turned back to Al with a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

"Oh everyone you say?" Ed asked. "Even sweet little May Chang?" Al's smile quickly dropped as he heard that wretched name slip out of his brother's mouth. Al turned a deep shade of red as he quickly turned his head away from Ed.

"Th-that's completely different!" He stuttered.

"How is that any different from the way I think of Cain!"

"It's different because….because...because it's different!" Al scrambled to find some logic in his argument, but grew even more embarrassed when he realised there was none. Here he was preaching to his brother about having an open mind and seeing the best in people, when he can't even be bothered to see the best in his own fiance. How could he though? The moment he began to see the good parts of her, he knew he wouldn't be able dislike her as much, and if he didn't dislike her then the whole arranged marriage would seem more reasonable. Which was something he absolutely didn't want happening.

"Look I have my reasons." Al said, not wanting to explain himself.

"Ya but their all stupid." Ed mumbled just loud enough for Al to hear, but before he could respond their dad interrupted them.

"Here we are boys." Ed and Al both looked up to see the large and beautiful leaning building of Gringotts Bank.

"Hey dad, remind us why were stopping at the bank again?" Ed asked, knowing they already had all the money they needed to buy the supplies for the new year. Henry turned back to the boys with a gentle smile.

"There's just something I need to get real quick." The boys looked at each other very confused. Their father was being strangely secretive, and it made them both quite curious. They made their way into the bank and the boys kept close to their father. The goblins had always given them the creeps, every time they came here. They would always stare at you like you were some sort of freak, and it made them very uncomfortable. As they made their way up to the front desk Ed and Al noticed their dad pulling out a small envelope. It looked to be made of really old parchment and it was slightly tattered, but what made them really curious was the red stamp on the front that read "Top Secret". However they refrained from asking their dad about the letter, knowing that he would not answer them.

Henry placed the small letter on the front desk. The goblin working there looked at the letter and then up at Henry.

"I need to get to vault 713 please." Henry said, The goblin immediately understood and gestured for Henry to follow.

"This way sir." Henry turned back to the boys before following the goblin.

"You boys wait here, I'll be right back." Ed and Al just nodded as they watched their dad leave. They sat down on a bench by the far wall and patiently waited for their dad to come back.

"What do think that was all about?" Al asked, not being able to keep his curiosity at bay.

"I don't know." Ed replied looking at the place were his dad had disappeared. "But dads been acting kind of weird this whole last summer, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" Al asked.

"Remember? Those random trips he kept taking, and he would never tell us where he had gone."

"Yeah, that was pretty weird."

"And now he's got some top secret note that he's taking to a vault that isn't ours."

"You don't think dad's involved in anything dangerous, do you?" Al asked as he averted his eyes to the floor. Ed could see the worry in his little brother's eyes and sighed.

"I don't know Al. It just seems really weird to me." It wasn't long after that that Henry came back. However he wasn't carrying anything with him, which just made the boys even more suspicious. When they tried to ask him about it he simply replied with.

"It's nothing you should be worried about." He then refused to say anything else on the subject. He quickly went back out into Diagon Alley to pick up their supplies. However Al stopped when they passed the quidditch store. Henry and Edward stopped when they noticed that Al wasn't following them anymore. They turned back to see Al's face almost pressed up against the quidditch shop window.

"Why don't you boys take a look around while I pick up what we need." Henry said to Ed as he chuckled at Al's excitement. "I'll meet you guys back in front of Gringotts in an hour." Ed smiled at his dad and nodded as he made his way over to his brother.

"Don't forget to stop by Ollivanders!" Henry called out, before he turned and left himself. Ed ran over to Al who was still completely captured by the latest quidditch equipment in the window.

"You're fogging up the window Al." Ed chuckled as Al blushed at his over excited behavior.

"Sorry," Al began, a little embarrassed. "Just look at it all! Isn't it amazing?!"

"It's alright." Ed said nonchalant as he shrugged his shoulders. Al looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Alright?!," Al began, a little indignant, "Do you see that broomstick right there?!" Ed turned to see that his brother was pointing at the slick wooden broom with golden lining.

"That right there is the Nimbus 2000! It's the fastest model yet! Just imagine how incredible it would feel to fly through the air on that thing!" Al turned back to the broom staring at it in awe. Ed just smiled at his little brother. He loved how passionate Al got about quidditch. Although it was no surprise considering their mother was a star player when she went to Hogwarts. Trisha was the seeker for the Gryffindor team, and some would say she was the best in the whole school. Henry had said that Al was already so much like their mother. So the fact that he inherited her love for the game came as no surprise to him.

"You really get into this kind of stuff don't you?" Ed smiled, as Al turned back to him.

"And to think, soon I'll be flying around the quidditch field at Hogwarts." Ed's smile fell slightly as he remembered the conversation that they had had with May on Al's birthday.

"You know Al, I'm not one to agree with anything the little bean sprout has to say, but she did have a point about making the team."

"Not you too!" Al began, not wanting to hear the same conversation again.

"Al, they don't even let first years try out." Al turned back to the window with a frown not wanting to hear the realistic views of his older brother. Ed sighed as he tried to think of a way to cheer Al up. He looked around and spotted the pet shop across the street.

"Hey Al, check it out." Ed said as he pointed over to the shop. Al turned around and smiled as he saw all the little cute animals in the window.

"We still haven't gotten your pet. You wanna take a look?" Ed knew how much Al loved cute little animals and wouldn't be able to resist. Al smiled at his brother as he began pulling him over to the shop. A small bell rang out as the two entered the shop. The store was filled with different creatures of all shapes and sizes. There were toads, lizards, and rodents lining the walls, as dogs and cats ran around in pens on the floor. On the second landing of the shop were cages filled with different owls of all kinds. Ed turned to ask Al what kind of animal he waned, but quickly noticed that he had already made his way over to where the newborn kittens were waddling around.

Al was grinning ear to ear as the many little kittens ran around him. He sat down and let them crawl up into his lap. He picked a little ginger kitten up and let it burrow its head into the crook of his neck. He chuckled as the kitten began to purr softly.

"It's amazing how predictable you are Al." Ed said as he looked down at his brother nuzzling with the cat.

"Oh come on," Al began as he held out the small creature. "Look at him and tell me he's not the cutest little thing you've ever seen."

"Yeah yeah, he's adorable." Ed said as he rolled his eyes. "But shouldn't you maybe pick something more practical?" Ed then pointed up to where the owls were.

"Like maybe an owl? That way you can send mail anytime you want." Al frowned at his brother and snuggled closer to the little cat.

"Yeah but can they cuddle with you?" Al asked.

"You could try, but I don't think they'd like that all too much."

"Exactly! Besides if I wanna send a package I can just use Iris."

"Iris is an elf owl Al." Ed said as he folded his arms, "She can barley carry a quill."

"So why did you pick her?"

"She called to me okay?" Al smiled as he turned back to the little ginger kitten.

"And this one is calling to me." He said as he stood up. He turned and walked over to where the cashier was standing, holding the kitten close to his chest where it continued to purr.

"How much for the kitten sir?" Al asked, looking up at unkempt and stoic man behind the register. The man simply pointed o the sign next to him where the prices of all the animals were listed. Al scanned the list until he spotted the kitten price at five galleons. Al turned back to Ed in anticipation.

"It's five galleons brother." Ed sighed as he dug around in his pocket for the money his dad had entrusted him with. Ed quickly paid the man and the two left the shop. Al gleefully walked down the street with his new little friend.

"I think I'm gonna name you Arlo." Al smiled. Ed chuckled at his brother before checking the time on a clock hanging by a shop window. He saw that it was about half an hour before they were supposed to meet up with their dad at the bank again.

"Come on Al, we've got to head over to Ollivanders and get your wand." Ed began, "We only have 30 minutes until we have to meet up with dad." Al nodded and followed Ed down the street to he old shop. As they entered the eccentric old Ollivander was organizing some of his shelves. Which seemed odd considering that every time the boys had come into the shop or looked through the windows, the store had always been in disarray. Although looking at it now it seemed more like organized chaos than an actual mess. Ollivander quickly turned to the boys and smiled.

"Ahh Edward, so good to see you again." He made his way over, immediately forgetting about the wands he had been putting away.

"I hope you are treating your wand well." He finished.

"Of course Mr. Ollivander." Ed replied. He still remembered the day he got his wand. It was an 11in English Oak, with a phoenix feather core. However today was his little brothers turn for his first wand.

"This is my little brother-"

"Alphonse...Of course." Mr. Ollivander finished looking at young Al.

"I have been waiting for you my boy."

"You have?" Al asked a little put of by the man's eccentric nature. He turned to Ed who just rolled his eyes and leaned in close.

"Just go with it." He whispered. Al turned back to Mr. Ollivander, but noticed he had scurried off to his stacks of wand cases and was currently rifling through a pile. As he pulled one out he inspected it closely before coming back to the two. He pulled the wand out and gestured for Al to take it. Al handed Arlo over to Ed and took the wand in his hands. He was a little confused though as he looked up at the old man wondering what he was to do with the wand.

"Well...Give it a wave." Mr. Ollivander said as if it should have been obvious. Al looked down at the wand for a second before turning to a stack of papers in the corner of the shop. He gave the wand a quick swish. The pile of papers exploded and flew across the whole shop, scattering them all over. Al quickly lowered his hand and blushed.

"Oh I'm so sorry Mr. Ollivander, I didn't mean to!"

"Nope, that's not right!" Mr. Ollivander said as he immediately took the wand from Al's grasp. He put it back in it's case and scurried back into the stacks to search for another wand.

"Is this how he always works?" Al whispered to his brother, not taking his eyes off the odd shop keeper.

"Yeah pretty much. I got my wand on my third try." Ed said, remembering how he had split the old man's desk in two. Mr. Ollivander came back with another wand, but as Al tried to use it, it shattered a vase of flowers sitting on his desk. The third try ended with a broken window and the fourth tipped an entire stack of wands over onto the floor. Al quickly put down the fourth wand and looked up to with a sheepish look, but the old man disregarded him as he hurried back for a fifth wand.

"The next one has to be the one, right?!" Al asked Ed a little panicked, as he looked at all the damage he was doing to the poor man's shop.

"I couldn't possibly break anything more!"

"Calm down Al. Everything is fine, this is just how he works." Ed said trying to comfort him a little. Once again Mr. Ollivander came back with another wand. It was fairly long and had a beautiful light color that seemed to swirl around the wand. Al nervously took it in his hands, however this time it felt warmer than the other times. It felt very comfortable in his hand and he let a small smile crack through his nervous facade. He looked back at the broken shop and hesitated for a moment, so nervous that he was going to break even more. He closed his eyes and moved the wand ever so slightly. Instead of feeling the rush of exploding papers or broken glass, he felt at ease and slightly warm in his chest. He opened his eyes and was amazed at what he saw. All around him shards of broken glass danced as it reflected colors of all kinds. It was like a glittering rainbow had flown into the shop.

"Brother, are you seeing this?!" Al grinned as he turned back to his brother. Ed turned back to Al and grinned as well.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

The shards began to form back into their original state. The window was soon repaired, as was the mirror.

"That my boy," Mr. Ollivander began, "Is a 13in Larch Wood wand, with a unicorn hair core. A perfect fit. Take good care of it." Al looked up at the smiling old man as he held his wand firmly in his hands. He couldn't believe he had his own wand. For the first time everything became all too real for him. He was actually going to the greatest wizarding school in the world, and he had just gotten his first wand ever. The excitement was almost to much to bear, and he wanted to hold on to this feeling for as long as he possibly could. He couldn't wait for his first year at Hogwarts to begin.