July 31st, 1991
William wearily opened the door to his home. It had been mere hours since he had received his letter and the magical world had already come knocking.
Peering outside, he felt a flash of confusion upon seeing no one. Did someone ding dong ditch me?
Still, he could sense a presence. His gaze slowly lowered until he found himself staring at what appeared to be an elderly man.
The man had messy white hair and an even messier white mustache. His hair surrounded his head like a crown, circling around a shiny bald spot that he displayed with no shame.
He appears to be quite the character.
"Ah! Greetings! Mr. Zenin, I presume?"
William blinked.
"Erm… yes that's me. Are you from Hogwarts?"
The man's face lit up for no apparent reason.
"Why yes of course! Where else would I be from? Come boy, we have much to speak of!"
William could only stare blankly as the tiny man brushed past him, into his house without so much as asking for permission.
The two seated themselves in the living room, sitting opposite to each other. For a few seconds, the house remained silent.
The tiny man cleared his throat.
"Ah! I have yet to introduce myself! How rude of me. My apologies."
Before William could answer, the man continued speaking.
"I am Professor Filius Flitwick, Head of House Hufflepuff and Charms teacher at Hogwarts."
William's eyes widened. So, this man will be one of my teachers? Are all Hogwarts teachers this enigmatic?
"Usually, this meeting would happen with your parents. However, upon investigation we have come to learn of your… unique upbringing."
The man's gaze softened. "I must say, it is incredible irresponsible for them to leave such a young boy alone with nothing but a monthly allowance."
The man's eyes were kind. The sort of kindness that William rarely saw directed at himself. No matter how cynical an eleven-year-old is, in the end he is still just that – an eleven year old.
William's shoulders sagged and he let out a heavy breath – one he felt he had been holding in for a while.
"I am used to it by now." He said, his voice tinged by a mixture of bitterness and acceptance. "Honestly, I prefer it this way. If you ever have the misfortune of meeting my parents, you would pay for them to stay away from you."
The man's gaze grew even softer. He waves his hand around as if trying to dissipate the sad path the conversation was beginning to take.
"Well regardless, today is not a day for grief or pity! Today marks the beginning of the best seven years of your life!"
William's lips twitched. He had come to learn when adults think something to be fantastic, it always ends with William going to bed that night regretting ever encountering the adult.
"Hogwarts," the man began to say. "Provides new students with no guardians with an allowance to buy their supplies. We decided your irresponsible parents do not count as proper guardians and thus you fall under our aid."
William's lips twitched. You and me both Hogwarts. You and me both.
…
William was currently wandering around Diagon Alley with Professor Flitwick, staring at everything like one would stare at a ticking bomb.
So far, he had seen at least thirty safety violations, yet no one had batted an eye passing by them.
The streets grew thin and thick at a moment's notice, and the shops seemed to have no common themes save for their medieval designs.
The products inside the shops themselves were positively incomprehensible to William.
Why is there a whole crowd near a store for brooms. Are wizard children passionate about housekeeping?
When William had first arrived at Diagon Alley, he nearly had a heart attack.
Simply put, it had a serious cursed spirit infestation problem.
William had spent the first seven years of his life in Japan, and even in Japan cursed spirits weren't as abundant as they were here.
Fortunately, most – if not all – of them were so weak they might as well not exist at all.
After a few minutes of encountering nothing but weak spirits, William finally calmed.
Why are there so many? Is there a secret depressed society underground constantly generating negative energy?
Then it dawned on him. Magic. Of course. What else could it be? How dare William assume his life's two biggest problems would remain separate? He should know better by now. Murphy's Law was his life's only constant.
"Here we are boy!" Professor Flitwick said, arriving in front of shop labelled 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions'.
I wonder who owns it, what they make, and when I'm supposed to use their products.
Noticing the crowd of students inside the shop, William sighed and resolved to get in and out as quickly as possible. In his experience, his agemates never seemed to like him.
He didn't blame them.
Pale skin, a grouchy face, and the social skills that matched his face, all worked in tangent to produce the most easily singled out eleven-year-old in existence.
The shop had a homely interior, with its wooden furniture and yellow lighting practically screaming warmth and comfort.
Had William been alone, he would have found the shop incredibly pleasant. Unfortunately, such a perfect world doesn't exist.
The moment he stepped into the shop, he was quickly greeted, questioned, and then dragged for his measurements.
It appeared he had come right at their busiest time of the year. Pleasantries, he assumed, were optional in the face of a flood of customers.
After getting his robes, William was dragged around by Professor Flitwick to shop after shop, slowly crossing out the items in the list from his letter.
The sheer amount of items Hogwarts required were nothing to scoff at. A cauldron and a pile of books. Had William been a normal child, he would have needed the assistance of a grown man to carry them. Fortunately, William was not ordinary.
Cursed Energy Enhancement
It was a skill he hadn't mastered perfectly. His output was weak and his control in actual combat was weaker still. Lifting heavy weights, however, was something he could manage.
Flitwick stared at the boy beside him with a light frown on his face. Are eleven-year-olds really that strong?
Initially, Flitwick had planned on casting a charm to help the boy but seeing him carry everything without so much as a struggle, he realized it was unnecessary.
What sort of hardship must he have endured for him to be so strong at such a tender age?
Shaking his head, he decided to wait for the boy to open up at his own accord rather than force his life story out. I'll be sure to inform his head of house to take extra care of him.
Clapping his hands together, he smiled at William.
"Well then boy! Only two more shops left!"
William raised an eyebrow. "Two? I only have a wand left to buy though."
Flitwick flashed him with a knowing smile. "Consider the next item a gift from me for being so well-behaved."
Before William could protest and claim he didn't need a gift, Flitwick sped up and began walking.
The teacher and the student arrived at Eeylops Owl Emporium. The latter was staring at the birds in the shop with hidden delight.
Since birth, William had had a fondness for animals. He was told his ancestor Megumi Fushiguro shared the fondness, so he assumed it ran in the family.
So many birds… is Professor Flitwick gifting me one?
It seemed absurd. An owl was expensive. William was nothing to the professor. Simply another snotnosed brat he had to walk around and buy school supplies with. There was no conceivable reason for him to treat William so well.
Is this what a reliable adult is like? How novel.
The shop was filled with more owls than William had ever seen, and every single one of them was unique.
Professor Flitwick nudged him lightly. "Well go on boy, pick one out!"
William stared at him blankly, unsure of how to express himself. Should he say thank you? A hug maybe? He had seen children say things like "you're the best!" to their parents. No, that would be weird. He had no doubts Professor Flitwick wouldn't want to hear anything like that from the gloomy brat he was buying a pet out of his own pockets from.
He shivered in disgust, imagining his skinny self batting his lashes and acting cute. What a horrifying image.
Before it got even more awkward than it already was, William flashed him an awkward smile and nodded.
Walking around the shop, he locked eyes with every owl one by one. The owls seemed to be smarter than their non-magical counterparts. They understood he was potential partner, and appraised him just as he did them.
Let's see, an owl needs to be large, strong, and capable of flying long distances. So basically, something tough.
His eyes then met the complete opposite of everything he just thought of.
There was a label beneath its cage. Northern Saw-whet Owl.
The owl was brown, with big eyes. It was also tiny. Tiny with a head that appeared too big for it.
It was… adorable.
No William. Be reasonable William. A cute pet is a luxury. Professor is buying you an owl for communication. Not a pet.
"That one, eh?" Someone whispered beside him.
William jumped.
The source of the whisper was, of course, Professor Flitwick.
The man nodded and smiled. "A fine choice, my boy. Love is far more important than capability when picking a partner."
William blinked. He's… buying me the owl?
Before he even realized what was happening, William was out of the shop with a cage in hand.
The owl inside was staring at him with its head tilted.
The owl seemed unsure of what it was supposed to do. A sentiment it shared with its new owner.
"Well then! Go on! Name it!" Professor Flitwick said, his voice cheerful as ever.
William stared at his partner. A name. If I was an owl, what would I like to be named?
Before he could put much thought into it, a name emerged from his subconscious.
A smile graced William's lip. What an absurd name.
"His name… is Flywick."
The name seemed to please the owl, causing it to toot joyfully.
Now it was Professor Flitwick's turn to blink. A smile slowly forced its way onto his face. "An excellent name my boy! Almost as good as mine, I dare say!"
Surrounded by the half-goblin's encouragement, his partner's toots, and his newly bought school supplies, a thought graced William.
Happy Birthday to me.