Chapter Text
A massive fireball the size of a house flew towards the valiant Prince Roman. He dove out of the way, feeling the heat singe his cape. With a scowl on his face, he ran at the dragon, raising his sword-
“Roman, honey, you have a visitor!”
Roman Castle dropped the two rulers he had taped together, sparing one last glance at the dragon shaped piñata before running inside the apartment.
A man Roman had never seen before was sitting on his family’s couch, drinking tea with his father.
“State your name, villain!” Roman cried, wishing that he had his sword.
“Roman!”
“It’s quite alright, Rose. I’m a stranger in his home, he has every right to ask for my name,” the man said, putting his teacup down. “Hello, Roman. My name is Headmaster Sanders, but you may call me Thomas.”
Roman glanced at his parents before asking, “Why are you here?”
“I’m here, Roman, because you are a very special child. Your imagination is quite impressive, I must say. Making book characters come to life is some advanced magic that even adults struggle with.”
Roman drifted further into the living room. “Magic?”
“Of course! You didn’t think that just any child could create characters like that, did you? You’re special and my school teaches special kids like you.” Thomas said, pulling a wand out of his boot. “Would you believe me if I showed you?”
Eyes widening, Roman clambered onto the couch, his gaze locked on Thomas.
Clearing his throat, the wizard pointed his wand to his head. “Colovaria.”
At once, his brown hair began to change into a deep purple, reminding Roman of the grapes he’d had for a snack just that morning.
The boy gaped at Thomas, unsure if what he’d seen was real.
“Go ahead, you can feel it.”
Shooting up from his seat, Roman rubbed a strand of hair between his fingers. It was real. It had actually changed color with one word from the wizard kneeling in front of him.
“Can I come to your school?”
Thomas laughed, before gesturing to his parents. “That’s all up to them. I would love to have you, but your parents are the ones who get to make the final decision.”
“Will he learn to control his…incidents at the school?” Roman’s father asked, his own eyes still on Thomas’s hair.
“Of course, Henry! With most young witches and wizards, their magic builds up inside of them and has nowhere to go but out. That’s why they cause the occasional incident,” Thomas explained as Roman continued to examine his head. “At Hogwarts, they’ll be using magic every day. Their magic won’t build up so much, and they’ll learn to control it.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Rose said, smiling fondly at her son. “What are we to tell the neighbors?”
“You can tell them that he’s going to private school. That’s practically what Hogwarts is.”
Rose’s face fell and she shuffled her feet. “We certainly don’t have enough money to send Roman to private school.”
“There’s no need to worry about the money,” Thomas said, pulling a sack out of his robes. “This is what you should need for Roman’s supplies.”
“Oh, that’s very generous of you, but we can’t-”
“Supplies?”
“Ah, yes. I knew I was forgetting something,” Thomas said, before whistling loudly.
A barn owl flew through the open window, startling Henry. He dumped his tea all over his lap.
“I’m glad this is cold,” he said with a laugh, reaching for a napkin.
“My apologies, Henry.” Thomas lifted his wand once more, pointing it at Henry. “Scourgify.”
The owl, seeing that Henry’s lap was now free, dropped the letter it was holding before landing on Thomas’s shoulder.
“Ah, yes, thank you J.D. Here’s a treat.”
The owl hooted happily before flying back out of the window, soaring into the sky.
“This is…an extensive list,” Henry said, eyes flicking back and forth as he read over the letter. “Where are we going to find gloves made of dragon hide?”
“Diagon Alley, of course. I’m here to take you there and aid your shopping so that you don’t have to fret all summer about getting Roman’s supplies.”
“Oh, Mr. Sanders-”
“Please, call me Thomas.”
“Thomas, we simply can’t accept all the help you’re giving us. It’s too much,” Rose said, worry written all over her face. “We won’t be able to pay you back anytime soon.”
“Consider it a gift,” Thomas said, standing up. “Every child deserves the right to learn. Besides, I don’t have any children myself. Any child I aid becomes one of my own in my mind.”
“When are we leaving?” Roman asked, looking up at Thomas, picturing him as a brave knight.
“We could leave right now if you’d like, but that’s up to your parents.”
Henry and Rose were met with puppy dog eyes from their son. “Please?”
“Alright.”
“Brilliant! Everyone grab hold, and take a deep breath,” Thomas said, waving the family around.
Roman did as he was told, hearing a loud crack before the hustle and bustle of a busy street.