Raising Albus

CH 5 Teddy in School, Albus in Trouble

Harry and Ginny were talking to Arthur, Molly and Andromeda. These meetings took place reasonably regularly. Teddy was actually a very good boy, and there were seldom any major problems.

"Teddy received his Hogwarts letter today," Harry started. "I never realized when I was going to Hogwarts that parents were so involved."

"Your situation was always awkward," Arthur explained, "because of Vernon Dursley. Normally parents are very involved.

"Since you became legal guardians of Teddy when you took him to San Francisco you have stayed his legal guardians. Congratulations, Harry, Ginny. Your first child is going to Hogwarts this fall."

"I'm not even thirty!" Ginny objected, with a look of mock horror on her face. "I'm too young to have one going to Hogwarts. Parents are grownups, they are old people."

"How old were you when you decided to nurse Teddy, and I might add, became engaged, young lady?" Molly countered.

"Sixteen," Ginny admitted. This was not an unfamiliar conversation. "Way too young. Our children better be WAY OLDER when they get married!"

"It looks like we are going to take a trip to Diagon Alley," Harry observed.

"This would be a good shopping trip for just Teddy and the two of you," Molly suggested. "I'll watch the children for you."

So a week later Harry and Ginny took Teddy to Diagon Alley to get his supplies for Hogwarts.

First Harry and Ginny took Teddy to a stationary shop, to get parchment, pens and quills. Hogwarts was gradually being modernized, but all beginning students were expected to learn how to write essays with quills and ink on parchment. As they moved into the upper grades they could begin to use laptop computers and printers, along with magic, to produce their essays. Since this was Teddy's first year they purchased a book bag to hold all of his paper and writing instruments.

Madam Malkin's Robes was still in business, and Harry and Ginny took Teddy in to get every day and dress robes. Harry was an occasion customer; he had to get dress robes for the Wizengamot sessions. He and Arthur had all the law enforcements officials, and in fact anyone who occasionally had to come in contact with Muggles, wearing Muggle clothes, but robes were still worn by many of the more conservative witches and wizards.

They then went to Ollivander's. Ollie Ollivander was the great grandson of the Ollivander who had sold Harry his wand. He had been traveling learning from other wand makers at the start of the problems with Tom Riddle, and had not come back until after the Battle of Hogwarts.

Young Mr. Ollivander had the tape measure with silver markings, and started to measure Teddy. Harry was amused to see that, just like when he purchased his first wand, the tape went on measuring Teddy long after Ollivander went to get wands. Young Ollivander seemed to go at the business of finding a wand with a little more science than his great grandfather had. He had two wands out of each of a large number of woods, and had Teddy try each of them. He seemed to settle on mahogany right away, and then went to the various magical substances inside. He finally had several wands made of mahogany with dragon heart strings inside, of various lengths. Teddy liked several of them, but all at once he picked up one, twelve and a half inches long, a little thicker and heavier than the normal wand, stiff not flexible at all. "Wow, dad," Teddy grinned. "This feels right!" Teddy shot sparks out the end. He waved it up and down.

"It will take a lot of practice to control that wand, Teddy," young Ollivander told Teddy.

"I'll spend as much time as it takes," Teddy responded. "This wand feels right!"