The Outside Perspective

The Dream

Alex woke up with a start. He was sweating and panting because he'd had a bad dream. He looked over the side of his bunk to see his twin brother Connor sleeping soundly in the bed below him. He silently looked up at the ceiling of their almost pitch black room. On the other side of the room he could just make out his and his brother's trunks in the corner, all packed.

His dream had been about Voldemort, who seemed to feature in a lot of his dreams since he'd gotten his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He'd heard so much about it from his mother, a small, sweet woman who always smiled when she saw her children, but always cried when she thought no one was looking. Alex had always wondered why...perhaps it was to do with his father, who he only knew was a bad man. His mother often refused to tell him and his siblings the truth about their father. As if it was some big secret.

Despite his best efforts he could not stop thinking about the dream he had had. He was sat on the stool ready to be sorted and everyone in the crowd was chanting "SLYTHERIN!" And he was made to go into slytherin.

Alex knew little about the sorting ceremony, or in fact Hogwarts at all. His older siblings refused to tell him and Connor much about it. "I had to do this on my own so you should too" his older brother Darren had previously said.

He felt both ashamed that he was the only one in his entire family, that he knew of, who hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor, and scared because his twin wasnt with him and all he could see on the table were people in hoods who's faces he couldn't see.

Then he saw him: Voldemort. His feelings were confusion, on how he knew what he looked like because he had never seen Voldemort, and fear, the kind of fear that washed over him and stopped him from moving at all. He'd never felt so scared in his life and it wasnt even real.

He turned over and tried to get back to sleep, filling his head with positive thoughts his older sister Natalie and oldest brother Darren had told him, about the gamekeeper, about the feasts, and most exciting of all: Quidditch.

First years weren't allowed to go on the school team but that didn't stop him from being excited to watch a real life quidditch game, who knows maybe he can make the team next year...and it was at that exact moment he wished he hadn't thought about getting onto teams, because it was in that moment he saw himself trying to get into his house team and everyone laughing at him.

His head filled with nerve wrecking thoughts he eventually managed to get back to sleep.

The next day, he was woken by his slightly more excitable twin, Connor, shouting into his ears "Alex! Alex! wake up its today we're going to Hogwarts!". Alex shot up forgetting how low the ceiling was and banging his head on the ceiling. But he didn't care, he finally got to go to the school he grew up learning about "its the safest place in the world" his mother would say, "you're gonna have great fun winding up filch" his oldest brother Darren would say, "you'd better focus on your studies or Mcgonagall will be onto you" his more serious older sister would warn.

Another thing he was concerned about was if they'd let him take his beloved pet doute named Dewey. The issue was doute's are well known for being overprotective of their owners. His twin brother Connor hated Dewey for this reason. Because whenever Alex and Connor argued Connor would get a nasty bite from Dewey.

Their venom can cause a lot of pain. It's not fatal in any way but it can some times even cause hallucinations. For this reason his mother always told Alex to keep Dewey in a cage. Although she goes out a lot to the leaky cauldron, so he can let him out of the cage when She's not around.

Now that he thought about it, he didnt want anyone thinking he was weird, i mean, they're already gonna think that because he's a twin and from a large family, but he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself.

He and his siblings were all born in America, so up until Darren was soon to go to Ilvermorney (the largest wizardry school in America) his mother for whatever reason had to move to London, and so, they were all destined to go to Hogwarts.

There was, however, one problem. Alex had lost his letter...he needed it to get all of the supplies he'd need for his first year, and he couldn't find it! He went to find his brother Connor but he wasnt in their shared bedroom.

Then he realised he might be in the garden trying to convince Darren to let him go on his Nimbus 2000 Broomstick. It had just been Darren's birthday so his mother bought him the Nimbus 2000. It was the fastest model yet, and had cost her 356 galleons, 12 silver sickles and 2 bronze knuts. A lot of families would have struggled to gain all this money, but his mother's father was the minister for magic and left all of his money to her after she died.

Alex and Connor's friend from birth, Cameron, was winding him up saying now they have all this money we're just like the Malfoys, a family rumoured to have connections with he who must not be named.

Anyway, now a greater issue was at hand. He headed downstairs into the kitchen rubbing his head where he had hit it on the ceiling and his mother was in the kitchen cooking.

"Have you got all your stuff sweetie?" His mother asked with a kind smile.
"Well...yes...but...I've lost my letter...sorry mum..." Alex said, looking sadly at the floor
He managed to find the courage to look back up ready for the wrath of his mother, she could be pretty strict sometimes, and Alex was always losing his things.

He looked up and saw her...smiling? However this time, less in a kind way more in an amused way...
"Ah...well it looks like you're going to be staying here forever then...unless..." at that moment she held up his letter and laughed
Alex breathed a sigh of relief and said
"Thanks mum...but where was it?"
She said nothing and just rolled her eyes.

"What?" He asked, waiting to be ridiculed.
"I saw it yesterday on your floor near Dewey's cage and thought I'd hide it so you can learn to finally look after your stuff!" She laughed ruffling his hair.

Alex didn't know why, but he had the sudden urge to hug his mother. So he did just that. She was shocked at first but hugged back warmly.
"This is strange...I don't think you've ever made the effort to hug me before!" She said
"Felt like it" Alex said with a simple laugh.

"I'm going to miss you mum..." he said, slightly more serious. She looked into his eyes fixing his hair and said with a warm smile.
"I'll write to you every week. And you'll have Connor to help you out if you're upset.

"But...what if we're put in different houses?" He said weakly.
"You can't be serious...even I can't tell the difference between you two sometimes! Now stop worrying and have some breakfast. I made your favourite!" She laughed pulling out a chair for him to sit in.

His mother wasn't lying. There before him laid a feast of pancakes, cereal, and toast. So much so that he didn't know where to start. He sat and waited for the rest of the family to sit down.