And so, Harry Potter moved into Aiven's house. Compared to the Dursleys, this place was like heaven. The Mason couple quickly accepted the fact that their son was a wizard, as if it made no difference. Besides that, they were very kind to Harry too. Every meal, Mrs. Mason would cook Harry's favourite dishes and serve him several helpings of rice. Here, he could freely do his summer homework without worry, and in his free time, he could play new video games with Aiven or tell him about Hogwarts. Harry loved this feeling, being able to talk about the magical world with anyone without worrying about people staring foolishly at his scar.
In fact, Aiven also liked Harry very much. Over the past week, he had flipped through Harry's first-year magic textbooks and, with Harry's introduction, gained a general impression of each subject. It was clear that Harry had a deep prejudice against Potions class and Professor Snape, the Potions teacher, but he showed considerable talent in Defence Against the Dark Arts. In addition, Aiven also listened to Harry describe Hogwarts Castle, the secret passages and ghosts, the feasts in the Great Hall, the Gryffindor common room, the four-poster beds in the dormitories, as well as Hagrid the gamekeeper, his friends Ron and Hermione, and the most popular sport in the wizarding world, Quidditch.
"Aiven, you must come to Gryffindor, it's the best house at Hogwarts. Dumbledore himself graduated from there," Harry concluded to Aiven at the breakfast table a week later.
"Alright, after hearing your description, I also feel that Slytherin is terrible, not to mention my parents are Muggles, they probably wouldn't let me go there." Aiven paused, "But I'm not sure if I can get into Gryffindor. You know, I don't know anything, maybe I'll be sorted into Hufflepuff."
"Don't worry, the skill level of new wizards is pretty much the same. Besides Hermione, I've never seen anyone learn faster than you."
What Harry said was true. After Aiven heard that Professor Snape, the Potions teacher, often made things difficult for students in class, he spent a week memorising almost half of "Magical Drafts and Potions." This was simply incredible. This book was the only designated textbook for Potions in the O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Level) exams. Now, when Harry was doing his Potions homework, he would often stop and ask for Aiven's opinion.
Just as Harry was about to say something else, two owls flew onto Aiven's balcony, one after the other. The one behind was Hedwig, and the one in front was an owl he had never seen before, with beautiful brown feathers.
"If my Mum saw them, she'd surely faint," Aiven said with a laugh.
"I hope Mrs. Mason doesn't see them." Through their time together, Harry knew that Mrs. Mason had an extremely strong phobia of birds, so much so that he even had to keep Hedwig at his friend Ron's house. "Aiven, can you take care of Hedwig for me?"
Harry turned to look at the other brown owl. "This is the school owl. It brought the book list for second year."
Aiven fed Hedwig a little something before he leaned over to read with Harry. Second-year students were required to read: "Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2" by Miranda Goshawk, "Break with a Banshee" by Gilderoy Lockhart, "Gadding with Ghouls" by Gilderoy Lockhart, "Holidays with Hags" by Gilderoy Lockhart, "Travels with Trolls" by Gilderoy Lockhart, "Voyages with Vampires" by Gilderoy Lockhart, "Wanderings with Werewolves" by Gilderoy Lockhart, and "Year with the Yeti."
"These are all the textbooks needed for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Just like the first-year book list, I bet the new teacher must be a Lockhart admirer."
"Hopefully, it's someone reliable. These books look more like novels than magic textbooks."
Harry remembered Quirrell and last year's adventure, how that fellow let Voldemort stick to the back of his head. Luckily, he managed to stop his plot in the end. It was said that the Defence Against the Dark Arts position was cursed by Voldemort, and no one could last more than a year.
"Let's think about something happy. Let's see what Hedwig's letter says."
"It's Ron's reply!" A smile finally appeared on Harry's face. "He and Hermione are going to Diagon Alley next Wednesday to buy textbooks, and he's asking if we want to go with them that day?"
"I have no objection." Aiven had long been eager to visit Diagon Alley and see it for himself. Noticing Harry's hesitation, he asked, a little strangely, "What else did he say in the letter?"
"Ron asked if I wanted to stay at his house for a while," Harry said, a bit awkwardly, clearly considering the feelings of Aiven's family. "The letter also said that if you're willing to go..."
"Really? That's fantastic! I've always wanted to see a wizard's home." Aiven waved his hand. "Don't worry about my mother, I'll convince her."
Time flew by, and it was soon next Wednesday. Harry and Aiven were woken up early by Mrs. Mason. They packed their bags, quickly ate breakfast, and then Mr. Mason drove them to the Leaky Cauldron.
"This is it!" Harry pointed to a dirty, narrow pub. "This is the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley."
"I never imagined there would be such a place in this city. It looks like a building from the last century," Mrs. Mason exclaimed. Following Harry's lead, she seemed to just notice the small pub wedged between a large bookshop and a record store.
"Mum, the Leaky Cauldron is a very famous place. It's protected by a Protective Charm and a Muggle-Repelling Charm, so it can't be marked on maps, and Muggles can't see it if they don't know the address..." Aiven tried to recall what he had read in the book "Magical Theory."
"Alright, my dear little wizards, I think discussing a dirty pub while standing on the street is definitely not a good idea." Mr. Mason stopped Aiven from continuing and pushed him and Harry into the shop.
For a famous place, it was remarkably dark and dirty. By the dim candlelight, Aiven saw several strangely dressed old women, like medieval witches, sitting in a corner, sipping sherry from small cups. At the bar sat a shifty character wrapped in bandages, with a small dish of raw liver in front of him.
"Welcome, Mr. Potter!" The pub owner, a severely hunchbacked old man, appeared silently before them.
"Hello!" Not just the Masons, but even Harry himself seemed a bit reserved. The last time he had been here, Hagrid had led him in.
Soon, they noticed another family, just like themselves, who seemed out of place here.
"Harry, Harry!" Hermione Granger quickly ran over from the other side of the bar to greet them. Not far behind her, Mr. and Mrs. Granger stood with very unnatural expressions.
"Harry, I heard you were coming today, so I waited here early. Thank goodness, you look well. Ron said you were discovered by the Ministry of Magic for using a Transfiguration spell, and I was so worried! I hope they didn't do anything to you."
"Thank you, Hermione, I'm fine!" Harry smiled, pointing to Aiven beside him. "This is Aiven Mason, a new student this year. Thanks to his help this summer, I escaped from the Dursleys. Aiven, this is Hermione Granger, whom I told you about a while ago."
Looking at the girl with thick, bushy brown hair in front of him, Aiven understood. Of course, he knew her; she was the brain of the Golden Trio, truly Miss Know-It-All.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Granger!" Aiven extended his right hand. "Harry told me you were first in your year for the final exams. That's really impressive."
"It's nothing, just a bit of cleverness and rote learning!" Hermione's small face rarely blushed, but it did then. She shook Aiven's hand and continued, "You can call me Hermione. Of course, may I call you Aiven from now on?"
"No problem, Hermione. In fact, I've been looking through Harry's textbooks lately, and I have a lot of questions I'd like to ask you."
Harry listened with a headache as their conversation gradually shifted to textbook content. Fortunately, it didn't last long, and Ron's arrival saved him.
With a flash of green fire, the Weasley family emerged from the fireplace.