The trip to Diagon Alley was planned for the second week of August.
Edmund had written to his friends—to Arthur, to Cassius, to Horace, to Astrid—and they had agreed to meet at the Leaky Cauldron on the morning of the twelfth. It was the first time he would see them since the end of term, and he found himself looking forward to it more than he had expected.
He spent the days before the trip preparing. He had been studying the second-year texts for months, but there was more to do. He practiced the spells he had learned, reviewed the potions he had brewed, read the chapters on Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures that he had not yet finished. He wore the ring his grandfather had left him, and sometimes, when he was practicing healing charms, he thought he felt it warm against his finger, as if it remembered what it was meant to do.
He also wrote letters. He wrote to Mr. Greengrass, thanking him for the ring, asking about the history of the Prince family's healing work. He wrote to Henry Potter, promising to see him on the train. He wrote to Mr. Thornbury, asking about the restoration of the manor, the costs, the timeline. He did not write to Abraxas Malfoy. That door, he decided, could wait.
---
The morning of the twelfth was bright and clear, the kind of summer day that made London almost beautiful. Edmund took the Floo from the manor's hearth—he was getting better at it, his exits steady, his landings sure—and stepped out into the Leaky Cauldron's familiar gloom.
Arthur was already there, bouncing on his heels, his red hair brighter than Edmund remembered.
"Edmund! You're here! I thought you'd never come. Cassius is already in the Alley, and Horace is trying to convince his mother to buy him a new cauldron, and Astrid said she'd meet us at Flourish and Blotts." He grabbed Edmund's arm and pulled him toward the courtyard. "Come on, come on, we have to get your books before they sell out."
Edmund laughed. "They're not going to sell out, Arthur."
"You don't know that. Grandmother says the new edition of *Intermediate Potion-Making* has a whole chapter on the Draught of Living Death. Everyone's going to want it."
He tapped the bricks with his wand—he had his own now, a ten-inch hawthorn with a core of unicorn hair—and the wall folded away, revealing Diagon Alley in all its August glory.
---
The Alley was crowded, more crowded than Edmund had ever seen it. Families with children of all ages jostled for space on the narrow cobblestones, and the shop windows were bright with displays of cauldrons and brooms and owls and robes. Edmund followed Arthur through the crowd, past the menagerie of Eeylops, past the gleaming cauldrons of Potage's, past the line of students waiting to be fitted at Madam Malkin's.
Flourish and Blotts was packed. The bookshop had set up tables outside, piled high with the new texts, and students crowded around them, flipping through pages, comparing lists, arguing about which electives were best. Edmund spotted Cassius near the entrance, a stack of books already under his arm, his face set in an expression of long-suffering patience.
"Finally," he said. "I've been waiting for an hour. Slughorn's been in there for twenty minutes trying to decide between the standard cauldron and the self-cleaning one. His mother's going to kill him."
Horace emerged from the shop, his face red, his arms full of books. "The self-cleaning one is only two Galleons more, and Professor Burke said in class that a clean cauldron is essential for—"
"We know, Horace." Cassius took half the books from him. "Let's find somewhere to sit before the crowd swallows us."
---
They found a bench near the fountain at the center of the Alley, and Edmund spread his purchases across the stone. *The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2. Intermediate Potion-Making. A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration. The Dark Forces.* He had bought the Ancient Runes text and the Care of Magical Creatures text as well, though they were not required for his core classes.
Arthur had bought the Divination book, which he was already reading, his eyes wide.
"It says here you can tell the future by looking at tea leaves," he said. "And by reading palms. And by staring into crystal balls. Grandmother says Divination is mostly guesswork, but she also says some of the greatest witches and wizards have had the gift."
Cassius snorted. "The greatest witches and wizards had the gift of working hard. Divination is for people who want to pretend they don't have to study."
"You're just saying that because you're taking Arithmancy and Runes."
"I'm taking Arithmancy and Runes because they're useful. What are you going to do with tea leaves?"
"I'm going to know when you're going to fail your Transfiguration O.W.L."
Cassius threw a book at him, and Arthur dodged, laughing.
---
Astrid arrived as they were arguing about the merits of Arithmancy versus Divination. She was carrying a single book, *Ancient Runes Made Easy*, and she looked at Edmund with an expression that was half question, half recognition.
"Runes," she said.
"And Care of Magical Creatures."
She nodded slowly. "My father says Runes are the foundation of all old magic. He says the Princes were masters of it, once." She looked at the ring on his finger. "I see you found your grandfather's ring."
Edmund touched the silver band. "Mr. Greengrass gave it to me. He said it was my grandfather's."
"It was more than your grandfather's." Astrid sat beside him, her voice low. "My father says that ring has been in the Prince family for centuries. He says it was used by the first Princes, the ones who built the family's reputation as healers. He says it was lost for a time, and that your grandfather found it again, and that it chose him." She paused. "He says it has chosen you, too."
Edmund looked at the ring. It was warm against his finger, warmer than it had been, and for a moment, he thought he felt something stir in its depths—a presence, a memory, a purpose.
"I don't know if it's chosen me," he said. "But I'm going to try to be worthy of it."
Astrid smiled. "That's all anyone can do."
---
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of shops and packages and the easy companionship of friends who had not seen each other in months. They bought quills at Scrivenshaft's, parchment at the paper shop, new robes at Madam Malkin's, where the seamstress measured them with the same brisk efficiency she had shown a year ago. They watched the older students try out for the Quidditch teams in the display window of Quality Quidditch Supplies, and they ate ice cream at Florean Fortescue's—though the shop was not yet the institution it would become, and the owner was a young man with a kind face who asked about their summers and wished them well for the year ahead.
At the end of the day, they gathered at the fountain, their arms full of packages, their faces tired from the sun.
"Same compartment on the train?" Arthur asked.
"Same compartment," Edmund said.
Cassius grinned. "Second year. Can you believe it?"
"I can," Horace said, adjusting his glasses. "I've been ready for months."
They laughed, and parted, and Edmund watched them go—Arthur bounding toward the Leaky Cauldron, Cassius striding after him, Horace trailing behind with his new cauldron, Astrid walking alone toward the Floo.
They were his friends. They did not know about the system, or the roadmap, or the school he was meant to build. But they were his, and he was theirs, and that, he was learning, was worth more than any alliance.
---
He returned to the Prince manor that evening with his books and his packages and the ring warm on his finger. The house was quiet, the garden dark, the fountain dry. But it was not empty. It was waiting, like him.
He sat in the library, the fire low, the books spread across the table, and thought about the year ahead. Second year. New subjects, new spells, new challenges. He had done well in first year—Outstanding in four subjects, Exceeds Expectations in the rest. But that was behind him now. The roadmap he had set for himself was clear.
He pulled out his journal and opened it to the section he had labeled "Summer Progress."
**Summer Progress – End of August**
*Charms: 48%*
*Transfiguration: 41%*
*Potions: 45%*
*Defence Against the Dark Arts: 38%*
*Herbology: 33%*
*Ancient Runes: 31%*
*Care of Magical Creatures: 18%*
*Healing Fundamentals: Self-study initiated.*
*Prince Family Archives: Edinburgh vault cataloged (47 of 128 documents reviewed).*
*Alliances: Greengrass (active), Potter (renewed), Malfoy (observed).*
*Wizengamot: One session observed. Political Connections skill tree unlocked.*
He closed the journal and sat back. He was not where he wanted to be. But he was ready. He had been ready since the day he woke in this house.
The system pulsed.
**System Notification: End of Summer Report**
*Second Year Preparation: Complete.*
*Electives: Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures.*
*Summer Self-Study: All subjects within target range.*
*Legacy Progress: 18% (Greengrass alliance active; Potter friendship renewed; Malfoy door open).*
*Recommendations for Second Year:*
*- Maintain focus on core subjects (Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts).*
*- Dedicate additional time to Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures to establish strong foundations.*
*- Continue self-study in Healing Fundamentals.*
*- Begin research on warding theory and ley line manipulation.*
*Projected Milestones:*
*- Third-year proficiency in core subjects by mid-second year.*
*- O.W.L.-level proficiency in Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration by end of second year.*
*You have done well this summer, Edmund. Rest. You will need it.*
Edmund dismissed the interface and closed his eyes. The fire crackled in the hearth, the books waited on the table, and the ring on his finger pulsed with a warmth that was almost alive.
Tomorrow, the train would take him back to Hogwarts.
He was ready.
---