Life as an orphan wasn't as horrible as people made it out to be. At first, when Woohyun was still a regular boy at Woolim's Home for Boys, life wasn't too hard. In fact, it was pretty fun. He had a bed, a big room that he shared with twenty other boys, three meals everyday, and caregivers who were kind and fair. He hadn't even known he was an orphan until he had called Jinyoung, the owner of the orphanage, 'Dad' and had been gently told that he didn't have any parents. After receiving the news, Woohyun was upset for a week or two before accepting that it didn't matter because at least he still had a home to live in and friends to play with. Life was still easy. 

However, upon reaching the age of twelve, life became a bit more complicated for Woohyun. You see, from the day he had been dropped off at the doorsteps of the orphanage, two-year-old Nam Woohyun had been a little strange. The nurses who cared for the toddlers noticed that cute little Woohyun always seemed to have whatever he needed (wanted) in his pudgy hands but they simply wrote off the mysterious cookie or two appearing on Woohyun's plate as a failure of their own memories rather than a strange occurence. There were also a few stories circling around the orphange that some of the older boys had seen Woohyun making small toys float in the air just a few inches above his little hands. Of course there was no proof of that so Jinyoung had swiftly shut the rumor down to keep the adorable two-year-old Woohyun from being isolated from the other boys. However, much to the owner's surprise, all the strange stories were confirmed ten years later when a cheerful man who simply went by, N, bounced into the orphanage doors unannounced and demanded to speak with Jinyoung. 

After a long conversation (and a few glasses of wine later), Woohyun was called to the owner's office and promptly handed a thick envelope by the smiling, dark-skinned man. The moment he read the first few lines of the letter was a moment that Woohyun would never be able to forget for the rest of his life. On one hand, he was happy. All the strange occurrences, the uneasy feeling that he didn't fit in with his friends, they were all explained. On the other hand, twelve-year-old Woohyun felt like he had just become an orphan all over again. With the simple words '-you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-', he was no longer the same as his friends who were still in the dining room, enjoying his birthday cake. Not only was he not just a regular boy anymore, Woohyun was once again reminded of the parents who hadn't wanted him. Who were they? Why did they leave him? Were they magic as well? So many question ran through the young boy's head and he knew that they would probably never be answered.

The whirlwind in his mind was interrupted by the stranger who had come and turned his world upside down. "It was wonderful to meet you, Woohyun", N said with a smile, "I look forward to seeing you again in August".

All the horribly confused boy could do was nod.

- - - -

Just as he had promised, N returned to the orphanage on the first day of August promptly after all the boys had finished breakfast. As curious as Woohyun was about where they were going that day, he was also slightly upset that the man had indeed returned because he had almost been able to convince himself that the man had never come all those months ago and the letter, now hidden in the pocket of his least favorite jacket, didn't exist. 

"Hello, Woohyun", N greeted the young boy, his kind smile still the same as it was the last time he payed the orphanage a visit. 

Taking a deep breath, Woohyun walked over to the older man and politely shook his hand. "Hello, sir. It's nice to see you again", Woohyun replied to the greeting politely, just as he had been taught by the nuns who came to teach the boys every Sunday. They would be proud. 

The dark-skinned man's smile became even brighter as he stared at the little gentleman in front of him. Before he could reply to the pleasantries, Jinyoung came down the stairs to greet the mysterious man as well. The two adults made small talk and then briefly went over the plans for the day. Shortly after, N apologized for needing to leave so soon. "We should probably get going so Woohyun can pick up all the supplies he needs for school", N explained apologetically as he placed a hand lightly on Woohyun's shoulder and gently lead the young boy out the front door.

The trip to the city was surprisingly mundane and decidedly not magical in any way. It took the duo around an hour to reach the city. The taxi ride was filled with N's nearly constant chatter and Woohyun humming in agreement every once in a while to show that he was listening even though most of his attention was on the passing scenery. It wasn't everyday that he got to travel outside his small village to the big city. 

N tapped the taxi driver on the shoulder to signify that they had reached the location. After paying the driver (with some difficulty since N seemed to struggle with getting the correct amount of money), the two left the taxi and found themselves in front of a...bar? Woohyun looked at the shabby bar with apprehension. Was this really where they were going? He looked up at N, slowly starting to feel suspicious of the older man that he hardly knew anything about. 

"Don't worry", N chuckled as if reading the young boy's thoughts, "I know it doesn't look like much but this is the entrance of one of the largest magical communities in our world". With that, he led Woohyun into the bar where they were greeted by the bartender who was making drinks for the many customers seated around the bar. 

"N! It's been a while! Care for a drink", the batender asked with a dimpled smile.

"Sorry, Leeteuk, here on Hogwarts business so I'll have to decline for now", N replied before signalling for Woohyun to follow him through a small black door that led them into a very tiny courtyard that held nothing but a trashcan and a few empty crates. 

Woohyun was about to demand an explanation but was immediately silenced when he saw N pulling what appeared to be a wand from the inner pocket of his coat. He watched in anticipation, ready to finally see some magic. 

N bit his bottom lip in concentration as he tapped random bricks in the wall. Just as the young boy was beginning to feel disappointed at the lack of sparks or colorful smoke clouds, the brick wall began to shift, moving outwards from the center to transform into an archway. Immediately, Woohyun was greeted with the sounds of a bustling crowd. With wide eyes, the young boy stared at the colorful buildings that lined the streets and the people who went from one store to another in long, swishing robes. 

"W-where are we", he couldn't help but ask in awe of his surroundings. 

"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Woohyun". 

- - - -

About two hours later, Woohyun found himself seated at an outdoor cafe, eyeing all of his purchases that were currently sitting under their table while they had their lunch. Earlier, after the initial shock had worn off, Woohyun quickly pulled the supply list out from his pants pocket and saw that there were a long list of things that needed to be bought for the school term. The twelve-year-old knew enough about money to know that he certainly didn't have enough to be able to afford anything on the list. 

"N, I'm sorry but I- I really don't think that I can afford-".

"Don't be silly", N interrupted the boy before pulling a large pouch out from his coat pocket, "Your parents left you more than enough to make sure all of your things are taken care of until you graduate". The pouch was passed to the confused boy who opened it to find the pouch full of gold, silver, and bronze coins. 

"What? My parents left me money", Woohyun asked in confusion. How could that be possible? He was an orphan without a single memory of his parents. They had never come to find him and as far as he knew, they probably didn't want him. 

For a brief moment, the smile on N's face disappeared and was replaced with a troubled look. The older man looked as if he wanted to say something but shook his head slightly before leading the boy to a nearby store. "Let's get you fitted for your school robes first since that'll take the longest", N said, his smile once again back on his face. It didn't escape Woohyun's notice that the man had purposely ignored his question about his parents but decided to let it go since the topic clearly made the man uncomfortable. 

Upon entering the store, Woohyun was immediately ushered to stand on a stool in front of a mirror by a short woman who gushed over the young boy. The woman waved a hand at N who simply smiled before moving to sit on a plush red chair next to the register counter. 

"Hello, sweetie! I am Madame Sook", the woman said cheerfully as she swished a wand around, making different fabrics and tools levitate towards them. "A handsome boy like you must be here for your school robes, correct", Madame Sook asked but it seemed more like a formality since she began measuring his body and directing her floating pencil to begin marking the various fabrics without waiting for the boy to reply. 

In the middle of his measurments the door chimes signaled another customer entering the small shop. Just as Madame Sook turned to greet her new customers, a dark-haired child who appeared to be a few years younger than Woohyun, crashed into the older woman, wrapping thin arms around her dress skirt to give her a hug.

"Myungsoo", a woman called in a quiet voice, "Is that how I taught you to greet people? Madame Sook is working with a customer right now. You have to wait your turn". 

With a flick of her wand, Madame Sook's measuring tape jumped off the ground where it had fallen after the collision and continued to take Woohyun's measurements on its own. "Oh, it's no problem at all, Sooyoung! I'm never too busy for my favorite customer", the elderly woman knelt down to return the young boy's hug, "What can I do for you today, Myungsoo? It's a bit too soon for a Hogwart's uniform, isn't it?" 

The pretty dark-haired child pouted, "Mama said I can't go to Hogwarts for another two years. But Papa is having a big party at our house 'cuz my brother is going back to school soon so Mama says I have to get new dress robes. I'm too tall for my other dress robes!"

"You do look a bit taller than the last time I saw you. Wait here for a second and I'll see what I can throw together for you", Madame Sook patted the child's dark locks of hair before bustling to the back of her shop to shift through her various fabrics. 

Without the attention of the motherly seamstress, the child immediately focused in on the older boy currently standing on the measuring stool. He ran to the boy's side excitedly. "Hi! I'm Myungsoo. You're going to Hogwarts right? What house do you think you'll be in? My brother's in Slytherin so maybe you'll meet him if you get sorted into Slytherin too", the child talked excitedly at a rapid speed, making Woohyun wonder at how the boy was breathing. 

When the kid finally stopped to let Woohyun speak, the older boy was faced with a dilemna. N had given him a brief run through over the history of Hogwarts and the four houses that students were separated into upon arriving at school but that information wasn't enough to help him have a whole conversation about the topic. 

"I'm Woohyun and I'm not sure what house I'll be in", the poor boy answered back quietly. Would his lack of knowledge about the magical world leave him far behind the other magical students at school? He hoped not but seeing as he couldn't even talk with a little kid, odds weren't looking like they were in his favor. 

The pretty child tilted his head in confusion, "You don't know? Well, what house were your parents in?"