Wicked Eclipse

“Kids, are you all packed up?” Melody called up the stairs, leaning on the banister. Her long wavy hair fell over her purple robes, nearly to her naval.

“Almost!” Alex yelled back. She and her brother were busy zipping up their suitcases, giddy with excitement. The family was getting ready to take a trip to London—Diagon Alley to be exact. The ten-year-olds had never been and were chomping at the bit. They may have lived in a small wizarding neighborhood, but Diagon Alley was supposed to be absolutely bursting with magic, almost like a New York City for witches and wizards.

Ben sat on his suitcase as he zipped it up. They were only staying in London for two nights, having booked a hotel right in the middle of it all. Alex didn’t understand why Ben had to pack half of his wardrobe. Alex currently had a bag nearly full, but she had only put two sets of pajamas and two outfits in it. The rest of the space was taken up by books and stuffed animals, the arm of a Care Bear still sticking out from where the zipper had jammed.

“Hurry up,” they heard their father call out. “The portkey leaves in half an hour!”

The siblings lugged their suitcases down the stairs, making loud thuds with each step. “Okay, okay, we’re ready,” Alex said, smiling up at her father who took both of their bags. The tall wizard was in robes similar to his wife’s, long and purple, but where Melody’s were tailored to her petite body, Henry’s hung loosely around him. The collar of a dark green dress shirt poked out over the purple and he wore brown slacks and loafers. To a no-maj, the get-up would have been cringe-worthy—Melody’s pink undershirt and black jeans not being all that much better—but to the kids and the rest of the magical community, it was normal. They would probably be among the better dressed in Diagon Alley, actually.

“Alright, does everyone have everything? Pajamas, toothbrushes, underwear?” Melody asked.

Ben and Alex giggled and nodded, “Check, check, and check.”

“Then let’s get going!” Henry flicked his wand and the four family suitcases hovered in the air, stacking themselves on top of each other. They all filed out of the house and Melody locked the door before they began walking down the street. The houses were tall and thin but all had the same layout. Each of them had a small porch, several steps leading up to them. The sidewalk they walked on was a little uneven and on the other side of it, there was a grassy median that separated pedestrians from the street, small trees planted every few yards.

The portkey was located at the far end of the neighborhood. It was a little bit of a walk, but nothing unmanageable. There were a couple more throughout the small community, but this was the only one that led to London. Witches and wizards traveled from the other side of the city to get to this portkey and Alex and Ben had no idea why they had never used it before.

“Are you two excited?” Mr. Kostas asked with a smile on his face as he waved to a neighbor.

“Yes!” The children chimed in unison.

“Good! There’s a lot to see. We can get you some robes at Madam Malkin’s, there’s Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and of course, we can get a bite to eat at The Leaky Cauldron.”

“Let’s not forget about Honeydukes,” Melody said with a sly smile. “My personal favorite.”

“How many times have you been there?” Ben asked curiously.

“Mr. Kostas shrugged his shoulders. “I went every once in a while when I was young, but your mother lived in Europe with her aunt for a few years, so she’s a lot more familiar with it, right Melly?” The witch nodded, still grinning.

“So, you’re excited to go, too?”

“Of course!” She exclaimed. “But I’m especially excited to see how you two will like it.”

They walked the rest of the way to the portkey. It was situated in a cul-de-sac. There was a large fountain in the middle with a Hippogriff on top. That wasn’t the key, though. In front of the fountain was a Coca-Cola can. That’s what they were going to touch in order to travel. Ben and Alex were basically bouncing where they stood. Henry waited, staring at his watch until finally, he picked up the can and held it out. “Alright, hands on.”

The children’s faces hurt from smiling so widely and they reached out ecstatically. “Hold on tight.”

Henry’s watch began dinging, the alarm signaling that it was time. Alex felt a strong pull on her body. It was uncomfortable, like she was being squished and squeezed in different directions. Just as she began to get worried, she found herself falling and then she landed hard in her father’s arms. She let out a deep breath and looked around, finding her brother standing up, dusting himself off.

“Sorry I couldn’t catch you both,” Henry said, looking down at his son.

“It’s okay, Dad. She’s the girl.”

Alex wriggled out of her father’s grip, getting to her feet. The four of them stood in a dingy alley, old cobblestone beneath them while what seemed to be tall empty buildings surrounded them all around. There was no one else around and the girl frowned. “I thought it was supposed to be really busy.”

Melody put a hand on top of her daughter’s head. “We’re not there just yet.”

Turning to come face to face with a solid brick wall, Alex watched as her mother drew out her wand and began tapping on the stone in what looked like a random pattern. The small witch looked at her brother in confusion. He just shrugged his shoulders before his eyes widened and he pointed back at the wall, making Alex look again. The bricks were beginning to move, sliding back into each other as it began to reveal what was on the other side.

Bustling bodies clad in odd colors, robes and hats and owls and cats. Alex was the first to step through, brown eyes wide in amazement. She could only see a few shops from where she stood, but each of them looked crowded. There was a dull roar from chatter among the shoppers. A strong hand clamped down on her shoulder, making her jump. She looked up to her grinning father. His eyes were twinkling.

“Welcome to Diagon Alley.”

They all walked a little further in. Alex took hold of Henry’s hand and Melody reached down to take Ben’s. He surprisingly took it, probably afraid of being swept away by the crowd. “So,” he looked up at their mother. “Where do we start?”

“Well, we’re not just here for fun,” Melody told him. “We’re here to shop for school.”

“Really?” Alex nearly shouted. They had received letters from the wizarding school they were to attend the coming year, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Alex had figured that they would have just traveled to the shopping district in Salem to get all of their school supplies. This was a surprise.

“I feel like this is a little more special for your first year.”

Ben looked like he was going to cry from the joy he was feeling. “It’s fantastic!”

“So, I think we should maybe get robes first,” Henry began walking forward. “Then cauldrons, paper and pen supplies. By then it should be close to noon, so we can stop by The Leaky Cauldron for lunch, then we can—“

Mrs. Kostas put a hand on her husband’s arm. “How about we just go wherever our hearts take us. Let the kids have some fun. We have two days, Hen.”

He sighed and showed a sweet smile. “Maybe that is a better plan.”

“Of course it is. ‘Cause it’s mine.”

The kids giggled as they listened to their parents. Their eyes were elsewhere, however, scanning over absolutely everything. Alex could see a shop full of animals, owls hooting in the front window. They were getting jostled by the many people that passed by, but the little girl didn’t mind. She was just happy to be there.

“Left or right?” Mr. Kostas asked vaguely.

“Right!”

He tugged on his daughter’s hand, leading them in that direction. It was overwhelming. Alex wanted to go into each and every shop. She wanted to stop and look at every wizard. They were dressed wildly, bright blues and magentas. Some stuck to earthy tones, but for the most part, everyone was dressed like they belonged in the circus.

Henry led them to a shop called Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. Normally, a store like this one wouldn’t hold much excitement for two ten-year-olds, but this was Diagon Alley. Everything was exciting.

“Alright, we need to get you two your school robes, and probably a set of dress robes, too.”

A young witch poked her head out from behind a curtain. “Be with you in a moment!”

Henry and Melody nodded and smiled as they looked around. There were black robes, green robes, red robes, bright yellow. Some had frills, some were straight and pressed, some made of corduroy, some of velvet. Alex was drawn to a robe on display that was lavender with griffins flying all over it.

“Do people actually wear things like this?” She asked, holding up a sleeve as the threaded creatures moved across.

Melody laughed and nodded. “You’d be surprised at what some people wear these days.”

“Alright, alright, how are we doing today?” The woman returned. Her accent was thick and made the children giggle. They weren’t used to being out of their own city, let alone the country.

“The kids will be attending school this coming year. We need a set of standard robes for each as well as a set of dress robes.”

“Alright, can do,” she scurried around the desk and knelt in front of Benjamin, summoning a measuring tape that she held up to his arm. She measured from wrist to shoulder and did the same to his leg. ”Standard black Hogwarts, you said?”

Melody shook her head, brushing hair out of her eyes. “Ilvermorny, actually.”

“Ah! Splendid, how splendid! I’ve heard great things about that school. I, of course, went to Hogwarts, but Ilvermorny is supposed to be fantastic. Did you two attend?” She asked the parents who both nodded.

“All seven years,” Henry said proudly. “And now these guys get to do the same.” He ruffled the children’s hair, making both of them swat his hands away.

“So that’ll be blue and red for the robes?”

“More like cranberry, if you could manage.”

“Yes, of course!”

“I’m sure they give students robes when you get to the school, or maybe have you special order them,” Henry told them, “but Madam Malkin’s are the best. You’ll be able to wear these for years. All we’ll have to do is charm them to grow as you do.”

The young witch who was now draping Ben in blue beamed at the compliment. “Thank you, sir!”

Alex looked up at her mother who had grabbed her hand. “How about you and I find something to busy ourselves with? This could take a little while. We can come back in a bit and get you fitted for your robes.”

The little girl nodded and grinned toothily at her brother and father before following her mother out of the shop.

“What’s Honeydukes? Can we go?”

Melody smiled widely. “Honeydukes is a candy shop and if we go now, you’ll spoil your lunch.”

“Please, Mom, pleeease?”

Mrs. Kostas sighed. It was such a beautiful day. Her daughter was experiencing the real magical community for the first time. She couldn’t help herself. “Okay, fine.”

Honeydukes wasn’t too far away, a few buildings down and across the street. It was very crowded, but it looked like the line was moving quickly. Alex peered around, mouth watering as she did. Every kind of sweet treat that she could imagine was there—fudge, brownies, fried cookie-dough, caramel apples, cake pops, lollipops and the chocolate… There was so much chocolate.

Small plastic bags hung by the door. Melody grabbed two of them, handing one to Alex, then walked ahead of her to start gathering candy as if to show her what to do. The girl followed her mother’s lead, scooping generous amounts of candies into the bag, chocolate-covered pretzels, caramel chews, fudge bites and so on.

At the counter, Melody asked for two caramel apples and paid for all of the candy then grabbed a tiny table outside before anyone else could. From there, the two could watch everybody passing by as they munched on their treats. Alex had a light brown ring of caramel around her mouth by the time she finished the apple. The woman across from her cast a cleaning spell and threw both of their apple cores into a nearby trash bin.

“Can you tell me more about Ilvermorny?” Alex asked. Her parents had talked about it before, gone over the basics, but they had never gone into detail. All Alex really knew was that it was a magical school where she was supposed to learn about spells and charms, magical creatures, and what kind of magic to watch out for.

“Well,” Mrs. Kostas tied a knot at the top of her bag of candy, taking her daughter’s and doing the same. “It’s wonderful,” she laughed.

“I know that already! I mean, what’s the castle like? What are classes like? When do I get to fly on a broom?”

“The castle is… Well, there’s not anything like it. It’s hidden from no-majs on top of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts. You walk in through the huge front doors into the first hall. There’s a great big glass dome over your head, so you can see the sky. It’s beautiful. That’s where you get sorted into your house. All of the older students watch from above on a balcony and cheer for you.”

“Horned Serpent, Thunderbird, Wampus, and Pukwudgie, right?”

The woman nodded. “I was in Horned Serpent. Your father was a Pukwudgie.”

Alex grinned, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands. “Most kids will pick their wands after that and then you get to feast in the main hall. Now, most schools have House Elves working in the kitchens, but Ilvermorny actually has human chefs. All of them are witches and wizards and they make the best food. You’ll never want to eat the dinners I make after eating at Ilvermorny.”

“You’re the best cook I know, Mom,” Alex said doubtfully.

“That’s what you say now. Just you wait.”

“Okay, so what about classes? What all will I take?”

“Your first year, you’ll have normal core classes—Charms, Transfiguration, Defense against Dark Magic, Potions, History of Magic, and you’ll have flying lessons,” she winked.

“What about astronomy and fortune telling and stuff?”

“Those will come in later years with classes like Alchemy and Caring for Magical Creatures.”

Mother and Daughter talked for some time before getting up and making their way back to Madam Malkin’s. Inside, they found Henry and Benjamin, the latter sporting new robes that fit him perfectly. He was ecstatic and refused to take them off. Henry had a small package tucked under his arm and mouthed, ”Dress robes,” to his wife while pointing to both children.

The little seamstress got to work on Alex who stood very still, not wanting to get pricked by one of the many pins. Just like her brother, Alex didn’t want to take her new robes off when they were all finished. Smiling happily, Henry paid for everything and the parents left the shop holding hands, watching as the kids pointed at each and every storefront while their eyes danced with wonder.