Book 1: The First Year (ROTBTD Hogwarts AU) (PREQUEL)

3. Jack's POV: Late August

A/N:

This thing needed an A/N for an intro, so A/N I provide

- You know those streets that are seen in Tangled during that kingdom dance thing? Imagine that the street described in these chapters has the feel of that.

- This chapter and the next go far more into introducing the world I've set up. There will be hints of lore that'll be explained in further detail either later on in this book or else in others. Nothing definite, just taste. You can give any questions you have in the comments or else keep them with you and (hopefully) see them answered by this series' end. Or you can toss them at me on my tumblr (@ohlooksheswriting-wips)

- Here's the reason I'd put that "ocs running amok" warning in the intro. This is where it starts. It'll only get worse from here. If that's not your jam, then now's your last chance.

- A quick warning that this chapter is well over 10k words, so make sure to find a solid chunk of free time and someplace to sit before you dig in.

.°○.♤.○°.

The summer festival was days away and the magical side of the country looked like it.

Decorations in red, orange, pink, and gold spanned the wide street, easy to see even in the early morning light. Flowers in the same colours bloomed on the windowsills, the doors, and around every corner. Fresh posters declared games and events galore for the promised holiday, and in a few hours the hawkers would arrive to sell their holiday themed goods to the soon-to-be-busy market square.

On a nearby roof, a witch carefully adjusted a weathervane. The few soft, puffy clouds, barely visible in the distance, kept well away and the sky above her head hung a clear, eggshell blue. It promised to be a blisteringly sunny day.

Jack observed all of this and wondered once again how he'd ended up here.

In Halley House, school shopping took on an entirely different look compared to most others. It was a big event. And it had to be done a certain way.

It was taken as a fact that those who were of schooling age had to work together to get their supplies in order. Throughout the summer it became a kind of back-alley business for younger children to meet up with the older ones and trade for books and bags and robes, even promising to do chores if they had nothing else to offer.

And if the children lacked in friends or didn't go looking fast enough, then...too bad for them.

While this happened, the parents, guardians, or graduated students who had to be responsible for their siblings would "meet up for tea". These meetings happened in late summer, and between tea and local gossip they'd all fix a date to descend onto several tiny market streets that ran like arteries throughout the nearby magic-muggle village and hunt down whatever was left of the second-hand goods.

School shopping was not an event to be taken lightly, or to be done without at least half of everyone involved.

Except Jack's call for schooling happened long before any of this could start.

Instead of spending the summer running after older children, or his mother inviting herself to one of these meetings, his first real clue that something was not as it should be came in the hands of a man named Christopher Armitage.

Mr. Armitage worked for the part of the magical government that dealt with school affairs. He'd sent a letter beforehand asking if they would mind terribly if he stopped by, for the matter he had to discuss could not be done properly through paper.