Year 1: Boy Meets Boy [LAMS]

John POV

    I walk around Diagon Alley with my family, including my 4 younger siblings. My father sternly scolds Jemmy, as he was getting his fingerprints on the window of an expensive shop. We've barely gotten any of the supplies I'll need for Hogwarts, but my mother's already growing weary and my father irritable.
    "Here, John, just take some Galleons and find your stuff. We'll be at Fortescue's," my father finally huffs out, shoving a bag of Galleons in my hands and turning around to go to Fortescue's with the rest of the family. My guess is that what he's actually doing is leaving my mother to watch the younger ones while he goes and grabs a drink, but I doubt anything I'd do would help.
    I venture inside of Flourish and Blotts, tall bookshelves lining the walls. A faint smile shows on my lips. Perhaps I'll buy myself some books to read for fun, alongside the ones for Hogwarts. I stroll through the multitude of shelves, and eventually come across a boy about my age trying to reach for a book high on the Muggle Fiction shelf. Most of the books over here are unsold and collecting dust, as so many families are so prejudiced. Even I reflexively want to turn away from it, but I can't just ignore the boy. I step up and grab the book that was just barely out of reach for him, as I'm only an inch or two taller than he is. As soon as he realizes I'm here, though, he turns cold blue eyes on me and looks almost defensive, as if preparing for a fight.
    "Here," I say with a kind smile, holding it out to him. He looks generally scraggly, with his generally worn attire and messy red curls, but I try not to judge.
    "Uh... thanks, I guess," he mutters, taking the books from me. I can see him size me up, skepticism written all across his features.
    "You're welcome. I'm John Laurens, it's a pleasure to meet you," I introduce myself with an outstretched hand, trying to be as polite and charming as I was taught. Surprisingly, I see no recognition of my surname. Perhaps he's half-blood? Or maybe muggleborn...
    "Alexander Hamilton," he states simply, not seeming to enjoy this conversation in the slightest. I try not to frown. I'm just trying to make conversation, he could at least put a little more effort in.
    "Well... uh, what's that book you're gettin'?" I ask, both curious and trying to keep the conversation flowing.
    "Oh, it's called Catching fire. It's the sequel to The Hunger Games, have you heard of it?" Suddenly, his eyes are alight, and he shows me the cover with a tentative smile.
    "I actually haven't, but could you tell me about it? I might consider getting it." Even though it's a muggle book, I really can't help but be curious. Plus, the cover looks really cool; it's red with some sort of bird on it.
    With my question asked, Alexander starts to talk rapidly about The Hunger Games, giving me the details. At times it's harder to follow along, as he'll drift away from the topic, but I listen attentively anyway and ask further questions. We talk for a while, and I end up taking a copy of The Hunger Games off of the shelf by the time the conversation comes to an end.
    "Oh, I gotta go, my brother's waiting for me. Sorry. I'll see you around," he tells me whenever he catches sight of a boy that looks almost exactly like him, except a few years older with soft features and shorter hair.
    "Alright." He throws me one last grin before going off to his brother. As he walks away, I notice he carries a bag bursting full of books on his arm. I should've asked about them, as I know that not all of them are just school books. He seems like an avid reader... I wish we had talked more.
    As I wander around the bookshop for my school books, I find myself hoping I'll bump into Alexander again, but I shake it off. Perhaps we'll find each other on the Hogwarts Express, though... Okay, enough contemplating. I need to find my books.

                        *    *    *

    Finally, I finish up and head to Fortescue's to meet with my family. I'm not surprised to see that my father bought everyone low-calorie low-fat frozen yogurt, but it still sucks.
    "I've finished gathering my stuff, we can head on home," I say, fidgeting with the bags my arms support.
    "It's about time," my father scoffs, quick to hurry us out of Diagon Alley. As we're walking to  the closest place with a fireplace, I catch sight of Alexander. He's walking alongside his brother, wearing that guarded look I had seen on him earlier. I would wave, but I fear my father asking invasive questions after seeing the mere acquaintanceship I had formed with alexander.

                        *    *    *

    A few hours after a light dinner, I sit in my room, drawing. We have many piles of Galleons in our vault, so we could easily eat 5 course meals, but my father insists on keeping us on a diet and in good shape. The Laurens family must always look their best, I suppose. I trust that it's good for us, though, even if my mother has been looking a bit skeletal lately... It's probably fine. My father wouldn't go so far as to starve his own wife.
    I get back to my drawing, the image of a mockingbird forming under my pencil. It's just a rough sketch, but I think it's one of the best ones I've done in a while. I get my watercolor paints and gently start the first layer. Lately I've realized that I'll need patience if I want to get better at watercolor, as I have to let some parts dry before I can add things to them. I decided to start with a light baby blue as my base color, my paintbrush gliding across the page smoothly. Once I'm satisfied with it, I leave it on my desk to dry.
    I lay back on my bed, boredom already creeping into my mind. After a minute of restlessness, I get back up again with a slight sigh. I rummage through my bag from Flourish & Blotts, picking up the book on centaurs that I found. They've always been quite interesting to me, so the book immediately caught my eye in the bookshop. I start to flip through the pages, my eyes growing heavy halfway through. There were some terms I didn't comprehend, but I'm guessing that the book is typically for more advanced readers. What I could understand was interesting anyways, but I don't think I can read any more, for I am growing tired.
    I go to the living room to bid my mother a good night, but I see that she's already fallen asleep on the couch, my father nowhere in sight. If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say that he's in his office, doing ministry work. I grab a blanket to cover my mother and keep the cold away and then head back to my room to finally fall into a deep sleep.

(A/N: I'm pretty sure this one sucks sorry but here we go ✨✨ btw I'm completely open to constructive criticism and encourage it, as I need to know what to improve on)