Against All Odds - Harry Potter Male Reader Insert

A Shopping Trip

It was difficult for Y/N not to share his new knowledge with the other children at the orphanage. He kept pestering Madam Eleanor for information whenever he could, and the more he learned the more excited he got about the prospect of being a part of the world. Eventually, Madam Eleanor got tired of it and decided it was as good a time as any to pick up his school supplies and a few extra books to help satiate his curiosity for the time being.

Ordinarily, the only reason one of the children would be leaving Burning Hearts Home for Orphaned Youth with Madam Eleanor was to test out potential adoptions to see if they were a good fit and judge their intentions (which Madam Eleanor had a peculiarly impressive talent for). As all the kids went to the same schools in the town, the whole orphanage would take a trip to collect supplies at the nearby shops. For Madam Eleanor to only be taking Y/N to collect his school supplies and, indeed, the whole aspect of him going to a different school than the rest of them and staying on school grounds instead was enough to get a number of rumors circling about.

Y/N didn't mind, though, he was used to there being rumors about him. The excitement of getting to take his first official step into the wizarding world was causing all of their comments to go almost unnoticed. When the day arrived, he could hardly contain his excitement.

The train ride to London felt like it took forever to the boy. As they made their way down the streets, Y/N's hopes grew with each step. Just when he was so excited he felt as though he might burst, Madam Eleanor stopped. 

There didn't appear to be anything abnormal about where they stopped, which greatly confused Y/N. The only thing that differentiated it from the streets they had passed on the way was a small, rundown looking pub of some sort with a sign that read "The Leaky Cauldron." If Madam Eleanor hadn't stopped in front of it, Y/N was certain that he wouldn't have noticed it. He certainly wasn't alone in that, either. The other people on the street carried on their way without even sparing it a glance, almost as if they didn't realize it existed.

Y/N hesitantly followed Madam Eleanor through the doors into a dimly lit room that appeared to match the outside in terms of appearance. Scattered around the tables were a few oddly dressed individuals, wearing what appeared to be cloaks and robes of some sort.

"If you could wait outside that door," Madam Eleanor said, pointing across from where they had entered, "I have some business to discuss with Tom before we can move on. I'll be there in just a moment."

Nodding, Y/N made his way through to the door. Before he left, he glanced back around. While most people seemed to ignore the boy, a few seemed to be looking at him curiously. Madam Eleanor was at the bar, having a hurried discussion with the bartender presumably named Tom. Being unsure of what else to do, Y/N opened the door and walked through.

He wasn't sure what he expected, if he was being completely honest. Maybe it would make him appear somewhere genuinely magical, with strange creatures running about. Maybe it would be some mysterious market with ominous strangers lurking just around the corner. What he certainly didn't expect was to find a thoroughly normal back alley, complete with mostly filled garbage bin and a brick wall. Unfortunately, that's the one that he found waiting for him on the other side.

Just as Y/N was beginning to think this was all some terrible joke, Madam Eleanor emerged from the door and walked up to the brick wall.

"Well?" she began, seeing Y/N lagging behind. "Are you ready to take your first steps into the Wizarding World?"

The excitement began to build, though Y/N couldn't see how there was anything special about this wall. Nevertheless, he moved to stand beside Madam Eleanor.