Pave The Way PV David Albinsky

Diagon Alley. So this is it. David has heard a lot about its cobblestoned streets and colourful array of shops paving them; and he also imagined many times what all sorts of magical things these shops offer and what kind of wizards and witches buy various trinkets here every day.

He has been told many times about it all, mostly from his dad and his grandparents. His mum, a muggle, was always listening to these stories as well - with a piqued interest in all sorts of books on various household-cleaning charms - but, out of some reason, she always acted as if she didn't find it interesting at all.

David's parents were at the moment at the Leaky Cauldron, and David was on the quest of ticking off his list of school supplies. His first stop, after Ollivanders of course, was Flourish & Blotts. A bookshop that he, as a bookworm, couldn't have waited to visit.

As he was walking along the cobblestoned pavement, he saw all sorts of people around him - a group of older students standing by the window of the Apothecary, leading a conversation about some expensive ingredients they are going to need for a certain potion they're planning to brew in this year's Alchemy class at Hogwarts; then David passed by some kids around his age - and he couldn't help but overhear their excitement about a brand new broom that Quality Quidditch Supplies' staff just put up in the exposition (and that of course added to his own excitement about the day); when he was passing by some wizarding family, which was debating where in Africa go for a vacation in the next month, David noticed an old hag passing him by very closely - so close, that he felt her dirty robe brush against his skin for a split second. She was carrying a copper cauldron, and David could hear that some quite creepy silent cries were coming from the inside. Who knows what she had there.

He was quite content that he had just arrived at the entrance to Flourish & Blotts. It was pretty busy, but then again, it's summer and it's definitely going to be full of other young witches and wizards just like me, he thought. He entered through the wooden door, full of anticipation, and closed the door behind him, the doorbell slightly tinkling. Given David's introversive nature, he would have preferred no one approached him so that he could walk around and explore the bookshop and its floors and all its sections by himself. And since the store was filled with mostly young wizards, probably Hogwarts students, and the shopkeepers were quite busy making sure that there is at least some sort of order, he thought he might actually even get a chance to take a look at these textbooks from senior years that his brother always used to talk about, and peek in their content.

When he walked to the left side of the store, he saw a girl looking at him and waving at him. She looked quite the same age as him. "Hi! Are you getting your school books for next year? Or just... looking around the bookstore?" she smiled and gestured vaguely to the shelf next to her. "I-i'm Korinna by the way. I don't think we've met. Are you a Hogwarts student too?"

David's heart warmed with the sudden greeting of this young girl, who he thought looked very sympathetic. "Hi! It is so nice to meet you... Korinna, did you say? Anyway, yes I am looking around the bookshop, but also, I am coming to Hogwarts for the first time this September! So I came to buy the books we're required to have." he shook her hand and smiled widely, taking in her appearance.

"Are you a second year? Or are you going to see Hogwarts for the first time, like me?" he grinned.

The girl nodded, shaking his hand. "Korinna, yes. What's your name?"

She tilted her head to the side as the boy spoke, nodding in understanding. First year made sense. The bright eagerness was something she remembered all too well. She couldn't really tell if this was his first time in Diagon Alley or not - she'd noticed varying degrees of excitement in the other students that she'd met here. Some people had been visiting diagon alley since they were little, like her, and this wasn't anything new to them - and some had practically been thrown fresh into the magical world, which was probably a lot to take in with how overwhelming everything was here. Still, the prospect of going to Hogwarts for the first time would be enough to make anyone excited regardless.

Korinna tried to recall what she had been excited about the summer before Hogwarts. As a pureblood it hadn't exactly been a whole new magical experience, but there was something about it that was so exhilarating - a breath of fresh air. Was it the castle? Being away from home? The friends - which, admittedly, she hadn't made very many of... perhaps broom racing? It was so difficult to think of a point of conversation when there were so many things to talk about.

"I'm a second year, so this won't be my first time at Hogwarts. Are you excited for next year? What house are you hoping for?"

"Ahh, I see! So you got some experience already! I-I'm very excited! A bit nervous, of course," David responded with a bit of eagerness. "I am hoping for Ravenclaw, as that is where...my brother-" he seemed to lose his words for a moment, looking to the ground for a split second. "That would be the house my brother used to be in." Then he looked back up at Korinna with a different kind of a smile, less...eager, one could say.

David then took a look around the store, seeing many students and also some adult wizards and witches, but definitely not as much as students. His gaze lingered for a moment on the various
bookshelves full of books with some of the most exciting titles he had never seen, as the sunrays tried to get in through the stained glass windows, making the dust flying in the air more visible, which - along with the smell of old parchment - made all of this even more of a scene to remember.

Then a sparkle returned to his innocent brown eyes.

"Tell me, Korinna," he started again, this time with a more gentle tone, as if he was trying to make himself seem somewhat sophisticated for his age.

"What is your most favourite subject at Hogwarts?" he asked, but couldn't help seeming more excited than he wanted to seem. "Can you fly? Are you good at flying on a broom? You see, my dad has never let me even touch his old Nimbus 2000!" he exclaimed, the disappointment obvious in his expression.

Korinna had expected something like the response he gave, but not the dimming excitement that came after. The question had seemed simple to her at the time, a friendly passing remark, but there was something about the boy's fading grin that made her immediately regret saying it. Her smile dropped in worry as she studied his saddened expression, listening quietly for a moment. When it was clear he didn't want to share more, she offered him a small sympathetic smile in return, treading gently with her words. "I'm in Ravenclaw too. Hopefully you will be."

The boy's excitement seemed to return after a moment as he unleashed a flood of eager questions. Favorite subject? Flying? well at the least she had the answers for the latter. She had certainly done a lot of flying this year.

"I think the professors are decently nice for the most part, so purely going off subject matter, my personal favorite is..." she trailed off, staring up at the ceiling briefly as if it held all the answers. "Oh! I really like History of Magic, but my other favorites would be Potions, Astronomy and Herbology. Are there any classes you're looking forward to in particular?"

Korinna paused to consider his other question, laughing at the mention of his dad's Nimbus 2000. "I wouldn't say i'm particularly good, but I can fly and i've been practicing a lot this year! I used to play around with my parents' brooms when I was younger too, but I wouldn't say all of that was really flying. It's much different on the actual pitch." she paused, tilting her head to the side. "I'm hoping to make the broom racing team next year as well so I can compete for my house. Have you ever heard of broom racing? Or does your family usually watch Quidditch? I know I certainly wasn't as familiarized with broom racing growing up, but it's a wonderful sport, really - "