An Opus Alchymicum Vol 1: The Experimental Theologian's Apprentice

The Hogwarts Hardship Fund

The door to Harry's new bedroom opened and his mother entered. She brought with her a tray laden with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies. Hardly the most healthy breakfast imaginable, but as this was the last time that Lily and Harry would likely share breakfast together for a long time, they thought it was quite okay to break the rules this once.

"So, have you thought of a name for her?" Lily asked, as she crossed the room to Harry and he allowed his mother to slide an arm around his shoulders, as he gently smoothed the snowy owl dozing in her cage on the bedside table.

Harry blushed a little. "I found a name I quite liked in the book that Minerva gave to me last night. But I'm not sure if its the sort of thing you call an owl."

"What is it?" asked Lily.

"It's Hedwig," Harry replied, his cheeks turning crimson. "Do ... do you think that would be an okay name for her?"

Lily smiled down at him. "I think Hedwig is a very pretty name. No, it's a beautiful name. A beautiful name, for a beautiful owl."

"Hedwig it is then," Harry beamed in relief. It had put to rest a niggling doubt he'd been having, one of a series that had begun to plague his mind since his journey into this strange and exciting new world had suddenly become so very real.

Lily noticed Harry's anxiety and inclined her head at him as she proffered a cup of the hot chocolate.

"You're worried," she diagnosed at once. "What's wrong? Are you afraid?"

"A little," Harry confessed in a meek voice.

"Of what? Being separated from us?"

"Yes, that. But not just that. I feel better having Hedwig, not just as she will connect me to you. but she'll be a great companion in her own right, I'm positive about that."

"That what is it?" Lily pressed in concern.

Harry heaved in a weighty sigh. "I was just thinking, last night while I was trying to find a name for Hedwig ... I kept doubting that I'd make a good choice, because I know so little about what's right in the Magical world. And that got me thinking about other things, especially about Hogwarts.

"I ... I bet I'll be the worst in the class," Harry mumbled. "I'll be so far behind everyone that I'll be rubbish. I'll make a fool of myself and I wont make you and Dad proud. I'll be an embarrassment to you."

"Of course you won't be," Lily replied supportively, squeezing Harry tight. "Lots of students who attend Hogwarts come from Muggle backgrounds. And even those of Magical families don't have much of a headstart. If you just buckle down and study hard, you'll get along just fine. In any case, Minerva wont let you have it any other way!"

Harry smiled weakly at that. "But I don't think I'll ever be able to do the things you and Dad can. Doing some magic by accident is all very well, but it seems a long way to go to be turning thimbles into tea cups."

Lily chuckled and dunked a cookie into Harry's mug, which he frowned at, then she took Harry's shoulders firmly in her hands and smiled warmly at him. "Now, you listen to me, Harry Potter. You are a wizard, and a thumping good 'un too, I reckon, once you get trained up a bit. Don't expect to learn everything straight away. Just take it one step at a time.

"I tell you what, when Sirius takes you into the Magical world for the first time today, your father will give him the key to our Gringotts Bank Vault, then he can take you to buy some spell books and things, just to give you an idea of what you'll be studying at Hogwarts. What do you say to that?"

Harry's eyes lit up with fervour. "Ooh, can I?"

"Yes, sweetheart," Lily beamed. "We'll see if we cant give you a headstart on all the others. But I expect you to learn all the books by heart if I let you go, and I'll have Minerva test you on them to make sure. Sound fair?"