It's Okay (Bandom Hogwarts AU)

Brick Walls

The next week went by in a blur for the two best friends. After showing Josh's parents their mysterious letters, Josh's mom explained her heritage and education. Apparently, Josh's mom was a witch, had gone to another school of witchcraft and wizardry in America. She explained their new talents, to which the boys had a major freakout. They couldn't sleep for days, talking constantly about their new lives. After Josh's mom told them all they needed to know, she covered their supplies list.

The two boys went with her to the middle of London, and followed her down the cobbled streets to an empty corner. As they neared it, the wall seemingly opened, and they noticed a sign that read 'The Leaky Cauldron' in curved letters. The followed her through the tavern to a brick wall behind it, and she pulled out what looked like a fancy stick and began tapping at the crumbling bricks.

"Is that a wand?" Josh gasped, eyeballing what his mom was holding.

"Yup! You two will get one soon!" Josh's mom responded, smiling at Tyler and Josh, who began cheering.

After Josh's mom tapped the wall, the bricks began shaking, and they opened up to reveal a gate to a sprawling street full of people. There were colorful shops, and equally colorful people, and Tyler and Josh almost fainted at the sight of it. Their mom walked them to a shop with dirtied windows, the sign above reading "Ollivander's". They walked in, and an extremely old man behind the counter looked down at them.

"More customers! Excellent! You two look full of potential," He walked around the counter and vigorously shook their hands, Tyler looking suspicious while Josh gave him a blinding smile, "I'm Ollivander."

"I'm Josh!" Josh said, shaking his hand with equal vigor. When Tyler didn't say anything, Josh added "And he's Tyler!"

"Very nice to meet you two. Let's get you some wands, shall we?" Ollivander said, before waving a wand of his own. Boxes began flying off of overcrowded shelves, and he began to hand the wands inside them to Tyler and Josh, listing off material after material. "Try them!"

Josh waved his wand, and the wilted-looking potted plant on Ollivander's desk burst into green flames. Tyler, however, waved his wand, and the the box in front of him gently levitated before dropping into Tyler's hand. Ollivander hummed.

"Ten and three-fourths, vine wood, dragon heartstring. Very reliable!" He put the wand back into it's box and handed it to Tyler before giving him a gentle nudge towards Josh's mom. He handed Josh another wand, and this time, when he gave it a wave, the now-charred plant burst to life, the flower blooming a bright pink.

"Excellent, Josh!" His mom called, excitement clear in her voice.

"Very excellent! Eleven inches, holly, phoenix feather. Same wand as Harry Potter!" Ollivander handed Josh his wand as well, but Josh looked at him in confusion.

"Harry Potter?" Josh asked.

"Savior of the wizarding world, defeater of Voldemort, Josh." His mom said, and he nodded.

"Oh right! I'm terrible with names." He said, looking upset at that realization.

The three of them left the shop, Tyler and Josh admiring their wands as they walked. They ended up at what looked like an ice cream shop. Josh's mom got them some ice cream and sat them down, before leaving to go get the boys' books. The two didn't seem to mind, and they sat there quietly enjoying their ice cream until a frazzled boy ran up to their table.

"I'm very lost. Can I sit with you guys?" He asked, sitting down before they could answer. The boy was extremely tall for their age, with fluffy brown hair that seemed to make him even taller and icy blue eyes that somehow didn't make him look cold.

"Sure! I'm Josh!" Josh said, reaching out a hand, which the stranger accepted. Tyler was just staring at the stranger, a look Josh didn't recognize in his eyes. He nudged him, and Tyler shook his head before seeming to come back from his daydream.

"I'm Tyler." He said, offering a rare smile to the stranger, who returned it.

"I'm Dallon. Dallon Weekes." The boy said, grabbing an extra spoon off the table and snagging a bite of Josh's ice cream, who laughed but didn't protest.

"How old are you?" Josh asked.

"Eleven. And you?"

"Us too." Tyler said.

"Ah. So is this your first time to Diagon Alley? It is for me!" Dallon said, looking around. "It's incredible here!"

"...Diagon Alley?" Josh said, tilting his head in confusion.

"Yeah? Like, as in, where we are right now." Dallon scoffed, but there was no malice behind it.

"My mom never told us." Josh said.

"Diagonally." Tyler said at the same time with a snort, laughing when he realized he pun.

Josh's mom came back a few minutes later, arms full of books. She didn't seem to care about the new addition to their little party, and she walked them to another store, the awning bright and colorful and the windows full of all sorts of animals.

"Now, boys," She said, addressing Dallon too, "I may not be rich in Muggle money," Tyler and Josh exchanged confused looks at that word, "But I have a fair amount of wizarding currency!"

She ushered them into the shop, and encouraged that each of them pick out a pet to accompany them. Josh immediately went to the cats, finally deciding on a runty siamese one. Tyler wandered over to the owls, and when one with gleaming, black feathers kept pecking at his fingers, he decided that was the one. Dallon went to the cats after Josh, and picked up a chubby grey one with a smushed face. They all walked out of the shop with smiles on their faces, cooing at their animals until a family ran up to them.

"Dallon, honey, there you are!" The woman said, grabbing Dallon's hand, "Thanks for keeping him safe!" The family began walking away, and Dallon turned around and waved at Tyler and Josh.

"See you guys at Hogwarts!"