Knight of the Black Rose (7 page)

"Were you waiting at the door for us?" Alex asked him smirking.

"What? No. I just saw you as I was walking past it," Troy said blushing deeply.

"He was waiting at the door!" Alex shouted.

"Whatever...I can do whatever I want," Troy said dismissively.

"So, what sort of spells do you think that we should learn first?" Alex asked them excitedly.

"I want to know how to shut my sisters up," Troy said.

"I want to know how to transport somewhere," Will said thoughtfully, thinking that being able to teleport from one place to another would be a cool ability to have.

"Yeah, that's not until like the sixth or seventh year," Troy told them. "Julia said that they might be doing it this year, and she's in the sixth year,"

They walked around for a while talking about what they wanted to find out to be able to do, what they would do when they got to the school; though a lot of this did depend upon them getting into the same estate, but they were all quite sure that they could manage it. They also promised each other, even if they didn’t get into the same estate, that they would still be friends, as it wouldn’t be like they would never see each other again.

Will pushed open the front door as it wasn't locked, which meant only one thing; his dad must already bee home.

"Dad, I'm home!" Will shouted as he came inside, and closed the door behind him.

"I'm through here!" Glen shouted from the back of the house.

Will went left through the smaller living room and into the kitchen where his dad was stood at the far end making himself something to eat, Will walked over to the island in the middle and pulled out his letter from his pocket and handed it over without saying a word. Glen took the letter off of him and read through it, he looked over at him and then walked around the island; he stopped just in front of him and then pulled him into a hug.

"This is great Will, I knew you could do it," Glen said proudly.

"Alex and Troy got in as well," Will told him smiling into his chest.

"Just what the three of you wanted," Glen said as he stepped back so that they could talk properly. "How did Nelson take the news?"

"I don't know, he left before the letters arrived," Will admitted, and he was kind of nervous as well.

"If there are any problems, just let me know...he's been a bit off lately," Glen said holding out his hand expectedly.

"What?" Will said a little confused.

Glen changed the subject, or rather got it back on track. "They normally send a list of stuff,"

"Oh right, yeah..." Will said and dug his hand back inside his pocket and pulled out the second part of the letter. "I left the ticket in the living room, you know...not wanting to lose it,"

"Well you should have left the list as well," Glen said as he straighten the letter with the list on it out as he walked back around to the oven, he turned the knob which turned it off and then he pulled the pan off of the top and poured the contents into a bowl which he had already pulled out on the side; all the while still reading. "This is pretty standard stuff...but..."

"But what?" Will asked a little confused, hoping that there was nothing wrong.

Glen picked up his bowl of soup and walked over to the breakfast table in the corner of the room, with Will following him; they both sat down and Glen placed the letters on the table.

"It's just I don't know when I'll be getting some time off," Glen said looking annoyed. "I would have liked to have done this with you to be honest,"

"That's alright, I understand...thing's have picked up since the rest of the world found out about us right," Will said; he did understand why his dad was always busy, always being called away; he protected them all.

"I'll try and make the time," Glen told him. "This is important, your first wand...starting school. I want to be there for that,"

"I know dad, me too," Will said leaning back. "We've got plenty of time, no rush,"

Chapter Two

Will had gotten up extra early, mainly because he couldn't sleep because he was so excited; he had been waiting weeks for this day. His dad had finally gotten a day off, beside from his birthday the week before which this year had landed on a Saturday, he had been so worried that his dad would be called away but he hadn't been, in fact he had stayed the whole day. He was hoping for the same thing today, Fridays he knew was also busy, but he was sure that there was someone else who could cover for at least one day, while he spent some important time with his dad, other dads got time off which meant that his dad should get time off.

Will had gotten his clothes ready the night before, so that he wouldn't be rushing around; he changed into his smart jeans and his casual checked shirt. Once he was dressed he just stood there in front of his bedroom door and listened for any noise, because he was sure that he had heard the front door before he went into the bathroom, but he couldn't hear anything at the moment, so maybe he had just imagined it because he was nervous and excited.

He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair before he opened his door and went across the landing and downstairs; he couldn't help but smile as he thought about meeting up with Alex and Troy tomorrow and telling them about everything that he had done with his dad, all the shops they had visited just like they had told him about everything that had happened when the two of them went together with their parents. Will of course had wanted to go with them, but his dad hadn't been able to get the time off for that day, and no matter how much fun he would have had with his friends, he still wanted his dad to be there with him.

As Will reached the bottom he could see and hear that he wasn't alone with his dad after all, in the far corner of the room he was stood with his uncle Infidus; who was the same height as him and dressed much smarter in an elegant suit, which Will had never understood why he dressed like that considering that they hunted down rogue wizards, wouldn't he stand out dressed like that. His aunt Anne was sat on the sofa with her back to him, her chestnut hair up and braided as normal and he could see that she was dressed to go out in their world, she wore had a caramel petty coat and matching hoop skirt. His older cousin Stuart was also there, sat at the other end of the sofa as though he owned the place; he had short dark hair like his father and was also dressed smartly, making him look a lot older than he actually was, he was only three years older than Will but with how he was dressed he looked as though he could have already left school.

Stuart saw Will at the door. "Here's Will,"

Glen turned around and looked over at the stairs where he was still stood; Will knew that with them all here that it meant that he wasn't going to get to go with his dad, he knew his dad's job was important but so was he wasn't he? He turned back around to go back to his room to change if he wasn't going out; they would just have to figure out another day to do all of this on, and hopefully soon because the summer holidays were almost over.

"Hay, wait!" Glen shouted as he came over to him.

"I'm going to get changed, seeing that we're not going out now," Will told him as calmly as he could even though he was angry and upset with him, that all he really wanted to do was shout at his dad and demand to know why that he was being left behind again.

"You're right, we're not going out; I just got a report...I've got to take this," Glen told him.

"I know, it's important...more important than spending time with me...your own son," Will said and started up the stairs, but Glen stopped him.

"You know that's not true...it's just...at the moment thing's are...you'll understand one day," Glen told him; but he had wanted to say so much more but knew he shouldn't as it wasn't really safe even to tell his own son, and it was the last thing that he wanted to do, by putting his son in anymore danger. "Aunt Anne is going to take you,"

"Witchchester Square, just off Manchester," Infidus told him as he stepped forward. "Best wand shop in the country, though I don’t see why it has to be located there,"

Will turned around to face his dad, he could see that he was disappointed as well, but that still didn't let him off the hook for letting him down like this. He then looked over at Stuart who looked really smug as though he knew something important while Will was being left out in the dark like normal; he so didn't want to spend the day with him, especially not this day.

Anne stood up and walked over to him, she smiled kindle up at him beside his dad. "We'll have a great day, just the two of us. Your dad has even given me some extra money so that you can treat yourself, considering that it was your birthday last week,"

"Perhaps not enough for a broom though, but maybe next year when you're allowed one," Glen told him encouragingly.

"I'm still travelling with you though, but I'm meeting up with my friends on the other side," Stuart told him smugly.

Will didn't bother to answer him, as he nodded. "Fine...but you'll still have to make this up to me,"

"Of course, I'll take you next time," Glen assured him.

"I won't let you forget that," Will told him as he walked back down the rest of the stairs and stood beside his dad. "You’ll be home when I get back right?"

"I'm hoping so, so that you can show me everything that you've brought," Glen told him smiling.

"Don't worry, I'll have him home for you," Infidus assured him.

Anne put her arm around Will's shoulder and led him out of the room and into the other, in the direction of the cupboard with the doors inside; Stuart slowly got up and followed them through with his father.

"You'll go first and then we'll be off," Glen told him.

"I've got the list," Anne told Will, and then turned around to Stuart. "You've got yours on you haven't you dear?"

"Course I have, and even if I did forget it; my mates will probably have the same one as we're in all the same lessons," Stuart told her as though he wasn't at all bothered.

"Well I wouldn't want you depending on your friends for that sort of thing, as they're just as forgetful," Anne said shacking her disapprovingly.

"They're fine mum, really," Stuart said dismissively.

"He's right, all that matters is that they look out for one another; and they do," Infidus agreed.

Anne smiled as she knew that she wouldn't win the argument, she never did. Glen pulled out his wand and unlocked the door, it swung out as normal before he replaced it back on his belt hook. Anne led him to the door to the right, she slowly opened it as Stuart came up behind them; Will couldn't really make anything out on the other side, but that wasn't strange as it was never really a very clear view through the doorways, basically like a black veil obscuring the view.

"It might take a little longer than normal to get through, but that's to be expected of this time of year...Christmas is bad as well of course," Anne told them. "Now I'll go first and then you'll follow,"

Will and Stuart nodded without saying anything as she stepped through the doorway; she was absorbed by the darkness and then disappeared a moment later. Will stepped forward, he waved goodbye to his dad before he stepped through the doorway.

Will was swallowed up in the dull thick mist, he had the impression that he was walking forward but couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet; he knew that he had to keep going forward or he wouldn't come out of the right door at the other end, he would just be deposited elsewhere. A couple of seconds later he could see a emerald green gate, with a gold plaque, and written across it WELCOME TO WITCHCHESTER SQUARE; he pushed the gate open and stepped out into the sunny and busy square beside his aunt.

A couple of seconds later Stuart appeared by Will's side, he pushed him out of the way so that he could get to his mum; Will stepped aside and turned around to have a look at the gate again. It was now closed, as you weren't allowed to keep them open unless they were in use at the time; this side of the gate was still the same colour but the gold plaque had a different sign, it now read EXIST.

Will turned back around to find out what Stuart was up to and to find out just how long he was going to be staying with them, not wanting him hanging around any longer than he had to; but he was in luck as he wasn't staying for long.

"I'll meet you back at home mum...see you..." Stuart said as he walked off into the crowded square of witches and wizards.

Will still found it strange when he visited the magical places on Earth, as he was so used to wearing normal clothes he sometimes forgot that in his real world they dressed quite differently; Will always kind of had the feeling of stepping back in time with how everyone was dressed, or rather how most of the adults were dressed for those of his own age and a little older were dressed in normal clothes, the adults were dressed as though they belonged in the Victorian era, some perhaps added a few twists to make them more individual. Not that he minded the clothes or anything because they did look really smart, but they were just so different than what people were wearing now back in the normal world, it wasn't really like you could walk down the road in those clothes and not expect people to stare at you.