The trip to Diagon Alley was usually a quiet affair for the Lees—a careful dash for supplies, heads down, magic subtle, always mindful of staying under the radar.
But today was different.
This time, four siblings walked beside their parents, each with their own list, their own priorities, and their own excitement simmering beneath the surface. For Leo, Diagon Alley had always been magical in the purest sense of the word. No matter how many times he visited, the sharp contrast between the Muggle world and the wizarding one never failed to thrill him.
Cobblestones gleamed beneath enchanted lanterns. Shop windows shimmered with layered charms, colours shifting when no one was looking directly at them. The air itself felt alive—heavy with spellwork, incense, ink, and ambition.
Leo's favourite shop lay three streets down from Gringotts.
Celestine & Crookshanks' Conservatory of the Arts.
Every time its door opened, a soft symphony of enchanted choir voices drifted into the street, harmonizing with the chiming bell above the frame. Inside, the shelves were packed with art and music supplies that mirrored Muggle tools in shape but not in substance.
Paints infused with powdered moonstone shifted colour depending on the artist's mood. Parchment hummed faintly when brushed by a quill. Violin strings were spun from the silvery sinew of a Mooncalf, prized for their ability to resonate not just with sound, but with emotion itself.
Just thinking about the shop made Leo's chest feel light.
His steps slowed instinctively, eyes drifting toward the storefront, but Cassiopeia's sharp glance snapped him back to reality.
"Priorities first," she said, already knowing where his attention had gone.
Leo sighed but nodded. If there was time later—maybe—just maybe—they could stop by.
What amused Leo—and the rest of the siblings, along with Ji-ho—wasn't just the shops.
It was the people.
A witch passed by loudly praising a facial cream made from refined Flobberworm mucous, claiming it gave her skin a "naturally moonlit glow." Nearby, a wizard bragged about a cologne distilled from Erumpent sweat essence, insisting it attracted romantic interest, though it smelled unmistakably like butter mixed with dry fungus. Another man strutted past wearing robes so violently colorful they looked as though a rainbow had puked on him.
Apparently it was extremely expensive.
The Lees leaned toward one another, laughing quietly on the bizarre scene, although this isn't a new thing for the Lee's but due to them lives in muggle world most time and only been to diagon alley when needed. It still weird in their perspective.
Cassiopeia, on the other hand, looked faintly offended.
"This is normal," she insisted, arms crossed. "the Muggles culture are the strange ones. You eat gelatin shaped like animals."
"That's called joy," Ji-ho replied mildly.
She sniffed, unconvinced.
Carina wasn't with them today. School came first—Cassiopeia never bent on that rule. Carina had protested fiercely, threatening to "riot" unless they bought her ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.
The siblings understand her frustration as they also don't go to magic society that often but skipping school simply wasn't an option—not when magical healing could cure feigned illnesses far too efficiently.
The family moved through Diagon Alley like a small fleet.
Orion led the way and alert, acting as a quiet shield toward his three younger siblings. Lyra and Vela walked close together, already arguing about how to spend the Galleons they had saved—broom upgrades, advanced Quidditch manuals, enchanted notebooks that reorganized themselves. Leo stayed in the center, excitement bubbling just beneath his skin.
He resisted the urge to dance outright—but compromised by letting his hair ripple and sway like flowing water.
After purchasing books at Flourish and Blotts, they made their way toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to buy a new school robes.
That was when the air changed.
It grew colder.
Stepping out of the shop was a woman who looked like a ghost from Cassiopeia's past—and perhaps her future.
Narcissa Malfoy.
She was draped in pale furs, every inch of her radiating wealth and distance. Her platinum-blonde hair was perfectly coiffed, her posture immaculate. A young boy clutched her hand, pale and sharp-eyed, watching the world with aura of arrogance, like everyone else is a beneath him.
The black sisters froze.
The resemblance was unmistakable—high cheekbones, porcelain skin—but where Cassiopeia's beauty was tempered by fire and experience, Narcissa's was cold, carved from ice.
For a long moment, neither spoke. And then
"Cassiopeia," Narcissa finally said, her voice smooth as silk drawn over a blade. "I heard you were still… lurking in London."
Her gaze slid to Ji-ho, then to the children.
"I see you've brought your collection."
Cassiopeia didn't flinch.
She straightened, Black blood rising to the surface, her presence suddenly commanding.
"And I see you're still hiding behind Malfoy gold, Narcissa. I'd rather be lurking in a home full of life than freezing in a manor full of echoes." They don't use their nickname anymore due to years of estrangement.
Narcissa's lips curled.
Her eyes lingered on Cassiopeia children.
"A shame," she sneered. "Your eldest son has our Father's face. Such a waste on a boy."
Her gaze flicked dismissively to the girls. "And your daughters look nothing like you."
"And that one… confused pedigree" indicate that Leo look of mixed of both parents.
Heat surged through Leo. His hair was down and started to grow slightly longer to hide his face and a defensive crimson and blue colour on the hair.
Cassiopeia tensed—ready to strike with a fist that showed how much physical exercise she had done due to her job—but Ji-ho's hand closed gently around her wrist. The siblings bristled but stayed back. They knew this was their mother's fight.
Cassiopeia inhaled.
Then smiled.
"Wizard and witches of Madam Malkin's," she announced brightly, "did you know Narcissa Malfoy—née Black—was born with an extra toe? One that has a boiled so foul the Healer fainted from the smell."
Silence.
Then laughter.
Leo doubled over. Lyra howled. Vela snorted. Orion covered his mouth. The boy who was with Narcissa stared in pure horror.
Narcissa turned beet red. She was trying to say something but no one heard due to the laughter cover her voice.
She grabbed the boy hand and stormed off, dignity shredding behind her like torn silk. Her eyes was full of anger.
"Well," Ji-ho said mildly, resting a hand on Leo's shoulder, "I think your mother won that round."
Leo grinned.
Diagon Alley glittered on.
The Weasley
After the chaos at Madam Malkin's, the rest of the robe fitting went far more smoothly. Measurements were taken, hems adjusted, and parcels neatly tied with enchanted string. With shopping bags in hand and spirits lifted, the Lee's decided it was time for lunch.
They ducked into the Leaky Cauldron, where the warmth hit them immediately—firelight, chatter, and the comforting smell of food. The pub was packed, and right in the centre was a familiar sight: a sea of red hair, loud laughter, and absolute mayhem.
"Arthur! Molly!" Cassiopeia called out, her face brightening.
The Weasley family was impossible to miss.
While Cassiopeia and the Weasley parents quickly fell into conversation, Leo found himself face-to-face with two identical boys wearing identical grins.
The Lee and the Weasley siblings didn't interact much despite their parents' closeness. The only person who is friend with the Wesley siblings are Orion who was friends with Charlie Weasley, they bond with the loves of magical creature, Charlie who loves dragon and Orion loves everything related to magical creature.
Lyra knew Charlie as both of them play quidditch for their respected house but never interact with each other. However her and Vela have talked with Percy's before despite being a year older than him. But one conversation makes them wanted to avoid him entirely. Both girls thought Percy was far too serious, too fond of rules and self-importance, even Vela, the family true bookworm found him boring and a square, that said quite a lot.
Leo mildly amaze at them, not beacuse they have more family member than Leo, but that all of them were red-head, he never saw family full of red head before even never seen that many red head in one places.
Arthur and Molly quickly ushered the Lee to sit with them—there were just enough chairs, though some were conjured on the spot.
"Right then," one of the twins said, circling Leo like a curious Kneazle.
"I'm Fred," he added.
"And I'm George," said the other.
"Or is it the other way around?"
Leo watched them, amused. His sisters had once been nearly indistinguishable too, but time—and personality—had made it easier to tell them apart, now lyra is has more of an athletic build and vela more slender. These twins, though? Still uncannily similar.
Leo grinned.
In a blink, his hair shifted red, freckles bloomed across his cheeks, and his face rearranged itself perfectly.
"No," Leo said cheerfully. "I'm George."
The Weasley parents and Charlie barely reacted—they'd been warned. The others however was not, The twins froze. Ron's jaw dropped. Ginny stared with wide-eyed fascination. And Percy glasses droop slightly.
Percy recovered first.
"You're a Metamorphmagus," he said sharply, eyes blazing with academic excitement, almost instinctively reaching for Leo's ear as every time the twin made a scene he automatically want to pull their ear.
"A what?" Fred and George asked in unison.
Percy launched into an explanation without pause.
"A Metamorphmagus is a wizard with the innate ability to alter their physical appearance at will—hair, facial structure, even height—without the use of spells or potions. It's incredibly rare and hereditary."
Leo shifted back to himself, his hair returning to thick black.
Ron and Ginny looked vaguely disappointed.
"Can you do a pig nose?" Fred asked eagerly. "We heard there was someone who could do that. Charlie mentioned it once—Tonks, I think?"
Leo's grin widened.
With a small scrunch of his face, his nose transformed into a perfect pink snout.
The table erupted.
Fred and George howled with laughter. Ron nearly fell off his chair. Ginny clapped. Even Percy let out a short laugh before catching himself and straightening up.
"You'll be in our year, won't you?" Fred said, leaning in conspiratorially.
"If you're half as funny as your hair suggests," George added, "you're coming with us."
"Absolutely not," Molly snapped instantly.
"No recruiting for nonsense! You're going to Hogwarts to learn, not terrorize the school!"
Arthur raised his hands placatingly. "Now, Molly—"
Lunch arrived before the argument could escalate.
They ate hearty plates of beef stew, roast potatoes, fresh bread with honey, and pumpkin juice, with treacle tart appearing mysteriously halfway through the meal. Conversation flowed easily—stories, laughter, shared chaos.
Eventually, the families parted ways.
The Weasleys headed off to purchase cauldrons, while the Lee split up.
Cassiopeia and Ji-ho took Orion and Vela to Selwyn & Sons Stationers, a narrow shop filled with enchanted notebooks, self-organizing parchment, and ink bottles that shifted colour depending on mood. Ministry workers, and studious students filled the aisles.
Lyra wandered toward Broomwright's Gallery, a high-end broom shop displaying models suspended in midair, frequented by Quidditch enthusiasts and professional flyers.
Leo was escorted toward Ollivanders.
Nearby, Cassiopeia made it very clear to Ji-ho that Leo was not allowed near Magical Menagerie.
"He is not responsible enough," she said flatly.
Ji-ho didn't argue.
Leo didn't even pretend to disagree.
He once was tasked to feed the owl, and that one time he forgot to feed the owl, it now don't trust Leo anymore, Leo sulked but secretly agree that he himself didn't trust to watch an animal for more than a day.
The old wand shop waited ahead, narrow and dark.
And somewhere inside, someone was already there.
The Wand and the Boy
After lunch, the family split up to finish their shopping, leaving Leo to go to Ollivanders alone.
It felt important somehow. Like a test to be alone at the shop.
The bell chimed softly as he stepped inside. Dust floated in the air, shelves stacked high with narrow boxes stretching into the shadows.
He wasn't alone.
Another boy stood near the counter, just finishing his purchase. He had soft brown hair, warm grey eyes, and a calm confidence about him that made the cramped shop feel less heavy. In his hands was a wand a classic brown, smooth, with an elegant spiral pattern carved into the handle.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Ollivander watched from behind the counter, pale eyes sharp with interest, as if the silence itself were saying something worth noting.
Leo felt an odd warmth flutter in his chest, unfamiliar and distracting.
"I'-im Leo Lee," he said finally, offering a small smile. "Ni-nice to meet you. Are you a first year too?"
The boy blinked, clearly snapping out of his own daze.
"Oh—uh—yes!" he said quickly. His cheeks flushed pink. "I mean—hello. I'm Cedric. Cedric Diggory. First year as well."
They both nodded.
Then stood there.
Too close to walk away. Too shy to say more.
Leo reached for a stack of wand boxes at the same time Cedric did. Their fingers brushed.
Both boys froze.
Cedric's ears went red. Leo's face burned, and despite his control, a few strands of his dark hair shifted to a faint rosy pink.
"Oh—sorry—" they said at the same time.
Cedric laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Er—so—Diagon Alley's… big, isn't it?"
Leo nodded too fast. "Yes. Very… alley-like."
Silence again.
Cedric cleared his throat. "I heard Hogwarts is… um… nice?"
"Very castle-y," Leo replied.
That finally did it.
Cedric laughed properly this time, the tension breaking. "Sorry," he said, smiling now. "I promise I won't be awkward again. It's just—nice meeting you. I really hope we're in the same house."
Leo felt his shoulders relax. "Yeah," he said, grinning back "hohoho how do you indicate that awkward interaction to suddenly want to be in the same house together"
Both of them laugh
"nice to meet you"
Cedric gave a small wave and headed for the door, completely unaware that Leo's hair had turned just a shade pinker as he watched him leave.
Only then did Ollivander emerge fully from the shadows.
"Curious," the old wandmaker murmured, eyes glinting. "Very curious indeed."
Leo swallowed.
"You see," Ollivander continued softly, "the wand chooses the wizard. But the wizard reveals himself long before the wand is lifted. Hair that changes with emotion… a rare gift. Metamorphmagus magic Favors adaptability, transfiguration, and intent over brute force."
He began pulling boxes from the shelves.
"Let us see what answers you, Mr. Lee."
The first wand was oak.
The moment Leo flicked it, a lamp exploded into sparks.
Ollivander tutted.
"Too stubborn."
Next came cherry.
The ladder shot across the room, slamming into a shelf and sending boxes tumbling.
"Too emotional."
Maple made the floor ripple. Hawthorn vibrated violently in Leo's grip. Ash refused to respond at all.
"A complex soul," Ollivander hummed. "Ancient bloodlines and new beginnings. Creativity restrained by discipline. Change… but guided change."
He paused, then glanced at Leo thoughtfully.
"Your family favors darker woods," he said. "Blackwood, ebony. Wands of protection, endurance, and strength of will. But you, Mr. Lee… you are movement."
Ollivander reached high and drew down a pale, elegant box.
"Sycamore," he said. "Eleven inches. Unicorn hair core. Whippy flexibility."
Leo wrapped his fingers around it.
Warmth surged up his arm, gentle but powerful. Silver and gold sparks spilled from the tip, swirling around his head like tiny stars.
Ollivander's breath caught.
"Sycamore," he whispered. "A wood that dulls if bored, that demands growth and imagination. It thrives with a wizard who changes, creates, and refuses to remain still. And unicorn hair… loyal, steady, faithful. It will not betray you and have a dislike on dark magic."
Leo stared at the wand, heart pounding.
"It's perfect," he said quietly.