Harry Potter : Cael Vale’s journey to Hogwarts

Diagon Alley was packed today. Why, you might ask, my dear not-so-clever reader?

System: "Author ! What on earth are you doing? Breaking the fourth wall and insulting the readers? Tsk, tsk, tsk… Idiot."

"Sorry, System, I don't know what came over me… I just wanted to make it fun. And… uh, dear reader? I'm really sorry."🥺🥺

System: "Just get on with it."😤

The reason Diagon Alley was buzzing with people was simple: it was the start of a new Hogwarts term. Families flooded the street, shopping for school supplies, and excited first-years darted about with wide eyes. Amidst the crowd, Cael was working inside Flourish and Blotts, helping the grumpy old owner stack books and guide overwhelmed students.

"Oi, boy! Get the sixth-year books from the top shelves, will you?" the owner barked. "Yesterday I climbed up and down a thousand times—I'm too old for that."

"All of them?" Cael asked, already dreading it.

"You deaf? Yes, all of them. Can't do it, can you?"

Cael straightened up. "Of course I can."

"That's the spirit! You're young. A bit of hard work'll make a real man out of you."

Cael muttered under his breath, scowling, "Yeah, yeah… every time the same nonsense. 'Make you a man, make you a man.' You've basically cursed me with these books… If I didn't need the money so badly, I'd shave your ridiculous beard clean off…"

"You said something, boy?" the owner snapped.

Cael's expression switched instantly to awkward politeness. "No, no, just saying how handsome that beard makes you look!"

The owner narrowed his eyes, suspicious, but said nothing more. Cael sighed, hoisted the heavy stack of books, and carried them to the front desk.

As he was about to take a well-deserved break, familiar voices drifted over the noise. He turned, and sure enough, Fred and George Weasley were making their way toward him with their usual mischievous grins.

"Oi, long time no see, Cael!" Fred called.

"Hello, hello, model boy," George teased.

Cael groaned, rolling his eyes. "You two are never gonna drop that, are you?"

Fred laughed. "Hard to forget when you became Diagon Alley's favorite model at Madame Malkin's."

"Older witches still can't stop talking about you," George added with a smirk.

Cael crossed his arms. "Yeah, yeah… I had to make money somehow, didn't I? Selling my face was the quickest option." He shrugged. "Anyway, how've you two been? What brings you here?"

Fred puffed up proudly. "We're here to buy Percy his new robes and books."

"Yep," George chimed in. "Our dear brother became a Prefect, so Mum promised him all new stuff."

Cael snorted. "Prefect Percy? Great… first thing he'll do is monitor us 24/7. Any prank, any whisper, we'll be suspects number one and two."

Fred sighed dramatically. "Prefect Weasley… it's disgusting, honestly. He'll rat us out to McGonagall in seconds."

"And the worst part?" George grinned. "He hasn't stopped polishing that badge. Every ten minutes—shine, shine, shine. I caught him wearing it in his sleep!"

They all burst out laughing, imagining Percy sneaking peeks at his reflection in every shiny surface.

"Oh, and our little brother Ron's starting Hogwarts this year," Fred added. "First year. Poor bloke has no idea what's coming."

"Yeah, first year…" Cael's eyes gleamed with thought. "Speaking of which… how about we find a way to make money at Hogwarts? Lots of money."

The twins perked up immediately.

"Oi, you've got a plan?" Fred asked, eyes wide.

"Tell us everything!" George grinned.

"Well… not yet." Cael shrugged, grinning slyly. "But I'm working on it. Once we're at Hogwarts, we'll talk."

Fred and George exchanged excited looks, practically bouncing with energy.

Before they could scheme further, Fred leaned in, lowering his voice. "Hey, have you seen him yet? You work here—you'd know."

Cael tilted his head. "Him?"

"The boy who lived " George whispered, as if it were a secret. "Haven't seen him, have you?"

Cael shook his head. "Been here every day, haven't seen anyone from our year, not Angelina, not Katie, not Alicia… just letters. And no, haven't seen the famous boy who lived either."

Fred let out a breath. "Can't wait to see him. He's like a ghost in stories at this point."

"Yeah," George agreed. "Some say he's the most handsome bloke ever, some say he's got angel wings, some say he's not even human—just wild stories."

Just then, Percy Weasley strutted into the shop, chest puffed out, flashing his shiny new Prefect badge like a medal of honor.

"Hello, Cael," Percy greeted, holding his chin high. "The owner in?"

Cael didn't even glance at him. "Yeah, inside."

Percy lingered, clearly waiting for Cael to acknowledge the badge, but Cael kept talking to Fred and George as if Percy wasn't there.

Deflated, Percy huffed and disappeared into the shelves to find his books, still polishing his badge every few seconds.

The twins snickered, and Cael couldn't help but grin. Hogwarts was going to be very interesting this year.

⸻