Chapter Text
Year 1
Chapter 1: A Place in this World
Dear Mr. Poole,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Students shall be required to report to the Chamber of Reception upon arrival, the dates for which shall be duly advised. Please ensure that the utmost attention be made to the list of requirements attached herewith. We very much look forward to receiving you as part of the new generation of Hogwarts’ heritage.
Yours Sincerely,
Deputy Headmistress M. Mcgonagall
Leo stands in the foyer of his parents house scanning the letter in his hands repeatedly, trying to make sense of the words on the page. According to M. Mcgongall, he is a wizard that has been accepted into a school for “people like him” called Hogwarts. This explains how I never miss the net in football, even when my aim is way off, he thinks. But it doesn't make sense; wizards don’t exist. This must be a prank of some sort, but if it is a prank how do they know who he is and where he lives. Being a wizard helps to explain things that happened in his life but at the same time makes everything harder to understand. Shouldn’t magic break the laws of physics? Also, if this “Hogwarts” did exist surely he would have heard of it.
Leo flips the letter over and finds the required book list Mcgonagall mentions in her letter. He has never heard of any of these books before. How is he meant to keep the top spot like he has in primary if he has never even heard of the books and equipment he will need? The list does not even mention where to find the necessary supplies. Suddenly, there is an emphatic knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” he calls out to his family, having gotten distracted in the foyer by the confusing letter from the school that may or may not exist. Cautiously, he cracks open the door to find an older man wearing a 5-piece suit. Even in platform shoes, his head barely comes above Leo’s belly button. “Mr. Leo Poole?” the old man squeaks out. Leo nods slowly. “Very nice to meet you Mr. Poole. My name is Professor Filius Flitwick. I teach Charms and conduct the frog choir at Hogwarts. I trust you have received your letter by now?” At this point Leo hears his family coming to see who is at the door. Stunned, Leo raises the letter, and looks behind him to see if his family is also seeing this, or if he is imagining things. Honestly, either option seems possible to him at this point. Professor Flitwick finally seems to sense Leo’s hesitancy, and walks farther into the foyer. “Mr. Poole, I am here to tell you and your family more about our school and introduce you to our world, but we are in no real rush. We can move at your pace so long as I am back at Hogwarts by the end of the week.”
It is not until he mentions telling both Leo and his family about this world that Leo realizes his parents and siblings have no idea what Professor Flitwick is talking about. He had never shown them the letter! “M-Mum, D-Dad-” Leo starts, “I have been accepted into Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.” His parents look at Leo, then Professor Flitwick, and then each other with the most confusion Leo has ever seen on their faces. They do not say anything, and usher everyone into the sitting room where they gesture for Professor Flitwick to begin explaining the situation.
He begins by explaining the basics of Hogwarts. The Headmaster is Professor Albus Dumbledore, and he is said to be one of the greatest wizards of all time. Schooling will last 7 years and Leo will become a wizarding adult at the age of 17 (a full year earlier than in a non-magic world). According to Flitwick, Leo’s family are what the wizarding world call “muggles,” which means they are non-magical people. Or at least his parents and older sister, Maia, are. It is still too early to tell about the twins, Calypso and Atlas, since they are still too young to have begun to be showing signs of accidental magic. Accidental magic typically starts to show up around age 7 or 8, so they will know whether they are magical within the next year or two.
After teaching him about Hogwarts, Flitwick starts to explain the basics of the wizarding world. Among these is its currency, culture, etc. He starts with wizard money, and how the conversions work. It is a lot more complicated than muggle money. There are 17 Sickles to a Galleon and 29 Knuts in a Sickle. What is even more difficult is that there are 4.93 Galleons to a muggle pound. A calculator would be a necessity for Leo when doing any conversions between muggle and magical money, unless of course he rounds to 5 Galleons per pound. Professor Flitwick tells them that he will come back tomorrow to show Leo where to get all of his school supplies. He says that next year Leo will not have to take the tube, but will instead be able to use the floo network. It would be convenient for them to use it now, but it takes about a year to connect a muggle house to the floo network. Leo assumes that “Floo Network” is not the wizarding world’s television network, but he decides to ask Professor Flitwick more about it tomorrow.
After hours of shopping, Leo returns to his room with all of his school supplies. He has his potions ingredients, uniform, and textbooks. He even has a beautiful tawny owl he named Caruso. The owls in the wizarding world can carry the post. This way Leo can write home while at school. He also got his wand while he was out. It can actually help him use magic and is made of Aspen wood and dragon heartstring. Mr. Ollivander, the wandmaker, told Leo it was 9 inches long and pliant. Leo can hardly believe this whole experience has been real. Now all he has to do is wait for September 1st to arrive. When it finally comes, he will board the Hogwarts Express and officially begin his wizard schooling.
The rest of the summer, Leo plans on practicing and reading through his textbooks (as well as the information packet Professor Flitwick left him), to give himself a more in depth overview of the wizarding world over the summer. Hopefully, this will help him not make a complete fool of himself when he arrives at Hogwarts. He will not allow himself to start year 1 as an embarrassment.