Category : Stories

Sub Category : Fantasy

Hogwarts Bound (with section titles)
Off to England

It all began with a letter. It looked like every other letter that came into the house, except that this one bore an English return address and a stamp with the Tower of London on it. Surprisingly, it was addressed to Linda Wyzek, Tony’s mother. Curious, Tony brought in the mail and handed his mother the letter. She looked at it strangely, unsure of who would be writing to her from England. Upon reading it, her mouth dropped open in shock and she froze with her hand to her mouth. Wondering what could have so thoroughly shocked his mother, Tony took the letter from her and his mouth dropped to the floor at its contents. Apparently a distant uncle had left her his mansion in London in his will! What would happen now, Tony wondered.
He soon had his answer, as Linda and Jack made plans to go see about the mansion. They told Tony to go pack while they made all the other necessary arrangements. Tony’s friends in the Jets gang couldn’t believe it when he told them and questioned him for ages, until Tony reminded them that his parents weren’t likely to explain much to a one-year-old and they realized that asking him those kinds of questions was pointless. The family left in a week’s time and flew to London to see the solicitor about the mansion. After getting settled in their hotel, Jack and Linda went to meet the solicitor while Tony hung out in their room. After awhile, Jack and Linda came back, asking Tony if he wanted to go with them to see the mansion, which he did. They saw the place and wound up deciding to live there, so they arranged for their things to be shipped over. Tony wrote his friends in care of Doc, the owner of a store they frequented, to let them know what had happened and say goodbye. Linda enrolled him in a local school and everything was fine until the year Tony turned four. That was when everything changed forever.

Hogwarts Destined

That day, his father Jack was tossing a ball back and forth with his son when the ball suddenly stopped in midair, inches from Tony! Jack was so startled that he stumbled over a small rock in the yard while staring at the hovering ball. What was going on? What if one of their neighbors saw? Just then, the ball dropped to the ground and Jack went over to his son, confused.  At that very moment, high in a tower at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry, Tony’s magical manifestation was detected by the Quill of Acceptance, who immediately tried to write his name in Hogwarts’s Book of Admission. However, the Book required more proof of the child’s magical ability before allowing the name to be written. This was to ensure that the child wasn’t a Squib born to magical parents, but with no talent themselves for magic. Over the next few days, as more incidents happened, though, including one of Tony’s school books he needed floating toward him, the Book knew the child was indeed magical and deserved a place at Hogwarts. So Tony’s name was written in the Book and a place reserved for him at Hogwarts when he turned eleven, even though Tony himself had no knowledge of this fact.
The day of Tony’s eleventh birthday arrived bright and cheery. His parents had a party for him at a local pub he’d grown quite fond of and Tony had a great time. They had a surprise shortly after they got home, though. A woman they’d never seen before stood at the door and she had a letter in her hand addressed to Tony. Dubiously, Jack invited her in and he and Linda fixed her some tea while she talked to them about what she’d come for. Handing Tony the letter, she sat down across from them, while Tony opened his letter, which read: 
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmistress: Nerissa Belvina
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc.)

Dear Mr. Wyzek,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Zelda Madley
Deputy Headmistress
Second page
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY


UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil’s clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK
The woman who’d brought the letter informed them that magic was real and that there were wizards right there in Britain! What’s more, she told them Tony was a wizard, the first in his family! The letter contained all he needed to know to purchase his school supplies, including his wand! Tony was truly excited that he would get to have a magic wand of his very own.

Finding Diagon Alley

Tony took out his list and read it out. It said he needed a set of robes, a pointed hat, Dragon hide gloves, and a winter coat. There was a list of his books and stationary equipment. Then Tony pulled his parents into the interesting looking-pub called the Leaky Cauldron that Tony had just noticed was there. His parents couldn’t see it, interestingly enough, but followed him in anyway. It was dark and shabby, but seemed clean. Upon seeing the Hogwarts seal on Tony’s letter, the proprietor, Tom, asked if he was headed to Hogwarts, to which Tony nodded. Tom came out from behind the bar and led them out a back door into a small enclosed area with a few barrels. The Wyzeks were confused as to why Tom would lead them to a blank wall. Realizing that Tony was Muggle-born, Tom tapped a specific brick on the wall with what Tony would later realize was his wand, and the bricks began to rearrange themselves tor form an archway into the most fantastic place Tony had ever seen! Tom told them that this was Diagon Alley, the place for wizards to get all their school supplies for Hogwarts, and that they should first stop at Gringotts to get their money changed to wizard currency. Pointing it out to them, he then left to go back to the pub.

Worried about navigating the place to buy supplies, the Wyzeks were glad to find a friendly wizarding family in the bank who were willing to help them change their money over and help them locate where they needed to go. Their first stop was Madam Malkin’s Robes for all Occasions, where they got Tony’s robes and other clothes for Hogwarts. Then they went to Flourish and Blott’s to buy his books, which were very heavy. After they got the cauldron and other supplies, they put the books in it. They were still heavy, but now they weren’t as likely to spill. They passed the Magical Menagerie and Eyelops Owl Emporium, and Tony has a hard time deciding which he wanted to enter, but finally decided on Magical Menagerie because he figured a cat would stick out less and make less of a mess than an owl. When he saw the wide variety of other animals for sale, though, he vowed that one day he would get at least one more pet. He was particularly taken with the kneazle ha three-legged cat) and the puffskein, which looked for all the world like a furry little toy ball with eyes, but knew he wasn’t allowed to take one of those to Hogwarts and began looking at cats. He ended up choosing a sleek black cat that he named Midnight, which immediately curled up on his shoulder lovingly. Last was the wand and there was only one place for that, they were told: Ollivanders.

Ollivanders wand shop

All Tony had left was his wand, so he and his parents entered Ollivanders, a Wand shop. The shop was narrow and shabby with peeling gold letters over the door of the shop, which read: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. The shop’s display consisted of a solitary wand lying on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. The shop was tiny, empty except for a single, spindly chair in the corner. When Tony and his parents entered the shop, they saw thousands of narrow boxes containing wands that were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it. Mr Ollivander came round, scaring them all, and greeting Tony and his parents. Ollivander gave Tony a wand and told him to give it a wave. Tony did so, but it wasn’t suitable for him, so Ollivander took it back. Tony tried many wands, but none of them seemed to work well enough for him. Eventually, he picked up a wand and he felt warmth in his fingers. It was made of black walnut wood with a unicorn hair core. They purchased the wand for seven gold Galleons and then took a train back home.

Train to Hogwarts

September 1 dawned bright and early, but Tony wasn’t sleepy. In fact, he was wide-awake. He’d had a hard time going to sleep the previous night because he was so excited about Hogwarts. They drove to the King’s Cross train station and went looking for Platform 9 3/4. Unfortunately no one seemed to have heard of it and looked at them strangely. They were wondering how to get onto the platform when they overheard the tail-end of a conversation that consisted of “…packed with Muggles…” and saw a family with triplet girls and a young boy, all with ash blond hair walking by with four owls in cages and a tabby cat. Recalling the word from hearing it around Diagon Alley and seeing the owls, the Wyzeks decided to follow them in hopes of learning how to get to the train. The family stopped in front of the barrier and Tony watched the triplets disappear one at a time. Just as they were about to send the boy through, the Wyzeks walked up and asked them for help. The mother figured out they were having trouble getting onto the platform and admitted that it was her son’s first time to Hogwarts too. She told Tony to walk straight at the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, and said it was best to do it at a bit of a run if nervous. Tony ran straight at the barrier, pulling his parents behind him, and kept on running until they reached a train platform where a giant train labeled Hogwarts Express waited, and witches and wizards milled about boarding and loading luggage. Tony turned around and noticed that the barrier they’d come through had been replaced by a wrought-iron archway that read Platform 9 3/4! He’d made it!

Jack and Linda saw his luggage loaded on the train and hugged him goodbye. Then Tony boarded the train and found a compartment that faced the platform so he could see his parents as the train departed. He wasn’t alone in the compartment for long, though, because he was soon joined by Alex Carter who asked if he could sit with him because all the other compartments were full. Grateful to have a friend on the train, Tony eagerly said yes. So Alex joined him and they got to talking. It turned out that Alex was a metamorphmagus, a witch or wizard who could change their appearance at will to whatever he or she wanted, so the boys had a great time amusing themselves with Alex changing his appearance in various ways, which made Tony laugh constantly, particularly when Alex made his lips look like a duck bill! The train hadn’t been underway terribly long before a kindly witch with a trolley full of sweets stopped by and asked if they’d like anything Knowing that Tony had never had any wizard treats before, Alex told the witch they’d take some of everything so that Tony could try them all! Tony was excited as he tried so many new treats he’d never had before: chocolate frogs with famous witch and wizard cards inside, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (they really meant every flavor, it turned out), Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, and many more! All were delicious, except for a few awful flavors in the Beans.
Just then, a girl and her brother with dark blond hair showed up in their compartment, asking if they’d seen a runaway toad lost by another student on the train. They hadn’t, but they said they’d keep an eye open. Introductions were made, and the pair introduced themselves as Madeline and Mark Malfoy, great-grandchildren of Draco Malfoy! Alex was about to open his mouth to tell Tony about the Malfoy family’s pure blood prejudice, when Maddie surprised them by saying she and Mark weren’t prejudiced against Muggle-borns and half-bloods like their ancestors! She and Mark actually liked Tony! They hoped to see more of each other upon arrival at Hogwarts. Maddie told the two boys they’d better get into their robes, as they’d be arriving at Hogwarts soon, but before she left them, she cast a repair spell on a bad spot on Tony’s suitcase, restoring it to prime condition again! Then she and Mark left to get ready to disembark, while Tony and Alex got their robes on and prepared for their first sight of Hogwarts.

Hogwarts At Last

When they arrived at Hogwarts, the first years, including Tony, Alex, and the two Malfoy siblings were led toward the lake and were told to board the boats they found there. The other students went the other way and climbed into carriages that seemed to be pulled by nothing! Tony wanted to ask more, but before he could, he was dragged toward the boats by the eager crowd of first years. He and Alex climbed into a boat with the Malfoys and the boats set off on their own toward the large castle on the other side! Tony’s mouth dropped open in surprise. How in the world did this work? Fortunately he was distracted by his first sight of Hogwarts looming up at him. It was huge! Soon enough, they reached the dock on the other side and had to disembark so they could enter the school. They were greeted by a witch who introduced herself as Zelda Madley, deputy head of Hogwarts. She told them that momentarily they’d go through the double doors and join their classmates, but that they had to b sorted into their houses first. Tony was tempted to ask about that, but figured he’d find out soon enough and didn’t. After a few more instructions from Zelda, they went through the doors and beheld Hogwarts’ Great Hall for the first time.

The Sorting Hat

When they entered the Great Hall, they were told to line up against the wall and when their name was called, they’d come forward and Zelda would put the rather battered wizard hat on the stool on their head. After a little song (Tony had never heard a hat sing before), the students were called up in alphabetical order by last name. Both Alex and the Malfoys wound up in Hufflepuff and sat at their table to thunderous cheers. Tony saw one of the Carter sisters and Luke at the Gryffindor table, one of the triplets at the Ravenclaw table, and one at the Slytherin table. If the song could be believed about the traits of each house, then it certainly was a very diverse family. Finally it was his turn and he approached the stool. “Difficult, difficult. I see a love of learning and a clever mind, but I also see a sense of fair play and justice. You’d be great in Ravenclaw, but it seems you’d rather be with your friends. Very well… Hufflepuff!” The Sorting Hat had said most of this to Tony alone, but it shouted the last word to the whole Hall. He went to sit at Hufflepuff table to deafening cheers and watched the last few students get sorted. After a speech from the headmistress, the feast began.

The Great Feast and Hufflepuff House

Suddenly food appeared magically on the table and the students immediately began serving themselves from the various dishes. Tony tried many new things, some he liked and some he didn’t, until he was full. When the feast was over, he and his friends followed the rest of their house down to the lower levels of the school, where their prefect showed them how to open the portrait that led to the kitchens one way and their common room the other by tickling the pear in a still-life painting until it giggled and turned into a green doorknob. They followed him through the opening to a barrel-shaped door in a nook on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor, concealed behind a stack of barrels. The prefect instructed them to watch him, then knocked on the barrel in a certain rhythm and the door opened to reveal the Hufflepuff Basement. It was round and earthy and low-ceilinged; it always felt sunny, and its circular windows had a view of rippling grass and dandelions. There was a lot of burnished copper about the place, and many plants, which either hung from the ceiling or sit on the windowsills. Tony was told that their Head of house was Head of Herbology, and she brought the most interesting plant specimens (some of which danced and talked) to decorate their room — one reason why Hufflepuffs were often very good at Herbology. Their overstuffed sofas and chairs were upholstered in yellow and black, and their dormitories were reached through round doors in the walls of the common room, with lots of little underground tunnels leading off from the common room. One of them led to the girls’ dormitory, the other to the boys’. In each dormitory four-poster beds were covered in patchwork quilts. The dormitories were illuminated by warm copper lamps, and copper bed-warmers hung on the wall, in case of cold feet. In general, it sported several motifs, such as circles, nature, copper and the colours yellow and black (all associated with the house). It also emphasized comfort, said to be “the cosiest common room of them all”. It was at one floor below the ground and was very sheltered from the elements, generally allowing students to sleep easier than those in the towers (like Gryffindor and Ravenclaw).
The prefect told them before they went to their rooms that he hoped they’d all memorized what he’d done to enter the common room. Unlike Gryffindor and Slytherin, no password was required in order to reveal the entrance. Instead, one had to tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of ‘Helga Hufflepuff’, which would make the lid swing open, exposing a passageway that would lead to the basement when crawled through. However, if the wrong lid was tapped or the wrong rhythm was used, the intruder would be doused in vinegar and barred access. Yikes, Tony thought, glad he was a quick study. He certainly had no desire to be doused with vinegar or be barred from going to bed because he couldn’t remember the rhythm he needed to tap out or the right barrel to tap. They all went to their rooms after that and after unpacking what he could, Tony snuggled into his bed and went to sleep immediately.

First Day of Classes

Morning came too quickly for Tony and the last thing he wanted to do was wake up, but he was hungry and knew that if he wanted breakfast, he needed to get ready and go get some food. He got dressed, put on his robes and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. That morning, pieces of parchment began whizzing around the room, landing in front of students. Tony looked at his and realized it was his class schedule (or timetable as it was called here). His first class for today was Xylomancy, followed by Potions, Defense Against The Dark Arts, and Charms, with a break for lunch. Classes were split by the lunch break. The next day’s schedule started with Potions, which was followed by History of Magic, Herbology, and Transfiguration. A double Potions session was scheduled for Wednesday, followed by Charms and back-to-back Magical Theory classes. Thursday’s schedule began with Defense Against The Dark Arts, then it was followed by Potions, Transfiguration, and Tony’s first flying lesson at three-thirty! Tony was super excited about this last class, but went on reading the schedule, which told him he had Herbology first on Friday, followed by History of Magic, Charms, and Magical Theory. Saturday was back-to-back Potions, followed by back-to-back Transfiguration. Sundays were free and classes started at nine-o’clock. Tony knew he’d better make sure he had what he needed, so he hurried back to his dorm room to get his books, then went to look for his Xylomancy classroom.

It took awhile to find, as the castle was not only a huge maze, but the staircases tended to move and change, which made things difficult. Another problem was the school’s resident troublemaker, a poltergeist named Peeves, who loved to play pranks on everyone. Tony soon discovered he had quite a talent for both Charms and Transfiguration, managing to levitate a feather and transform a match into a needle on his first tries at each. He also proved to have a talent for Herbology like most Hufflepuffs. He wasn’t great at potion-making, though, and he found Magical Theory difficult as well. History of Magic was boring because the teacher, Cuthbert Binns, Hogwarts’ only ghost professor, had a soporific voice that could put anyone to sleep. He wasn’t the best at flying his first go, but he wasn’t disheartened and enjoyed it immensely.

Quidditch

Some time later, Tony came into the common room and discovered that a notice had been put up announcing that the first Quidditch match of the year was in a few days. Tony had no idea what Quidditch was, so he asked Alex about it. Alex’s face lit up and he started eagerly telling Tony everything, including his favorite team. Tony had to get him to slow down and start at the beginning. From Alex, Tony learned that there were seven players on a Quidditch team: two Beaters, three Chasers, a Keeper, and a Seeker, who all rode brooms to play. The Keeper guarded the goal posts to try and keep the other team from scoring and the chasers were the ones who scored the goals. There were also three types of balls involved: the Quaffle, the Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch. The Chasers passed the Quaffle to each other in an attempt to score goals that were worth ten points each. The Beaters were armed with heavily reinforced bats and tried to keep the bludgers away from their teammates. The Bludgers were apparently charmed to go after the players, but would thankfully stay within the boundaries of the pitch. The Golden Snitch was worth one hundred and fifty points and it was the Seeker’s job to catch it. Whichever team caught the Snitch usually won the match, Alex told him. After that exciting description, Tony couldn’t wait for the match.
The day of the Quidditch match dawned bright and early, and Tony was so excited about seeing his first match that he could hardly concentrate in any of his classes, even his favorites. That afternoon, he and Alex went down to the Quidditch pitch together and found the best seats they could get so Tony would be able to get the full experience. The players flew out onto the pitch on their brooms and Madam Hooch blew her whistle as she tossed the quaffle into the air and released the bludgers. With that, the game began and Tony was soon overtaken by the full spectacle of the game. “And they’re off!” called a voice, commentating on the match. The commentator introduced each of the players on the two teams playing, Gryffindor and Slytherin, and Tony was surprised to learn that Amelia Carter was the Gryffindor team’s Keeper, while her sister Anne played one of the Beaters for the Slytherin team. He also learned that many of the Gryffindor players were siblings, members of the Lupin family. Hermione Hope Lupin played Seeker, Olivia and Remus Lyall Lupin played Chasers alongside Agatha Mirfield, and Oliver Lupin was one of the team’s Beaters along with Luke Carter.
The match was intense, with a few near-misses with the bludgers and other players, as well as a few nasty tricks from some of the Slytherins, but no one in the stands got hit. Gryffindor won and Tony’s heart was still racing with excitement for hours afterward. They ate dinner in the Great Hall and headed for their dorm room, where they talked Quidditch until bedtime. The rest of the year flew by after that and Tony learned a lot. He’d made a lot of new friends and developed a sense of camaraderie with his fellow Hufflepuffs. He was almost sad when it came time to go home for Christmas, even though he rather enjoyed the Christmas Feast. However, when the time came to go back for second term, he was excited because he would get to see his friends again.

Holidays, Hogsmeade, and Animagi

Christmas was fun, and spending time with his parents was wonderful, but when it came time to return to school, Tony was more than ready to go back and learn more magic. The Hogwarts Express returned for him the first week of January and he returned to school for the winter term. The term passed by quickly enough and Tony could scarcely believe it was already time for final exams, but it was. He, Alex, Mark, and Maddie all passed their exams and couldn’t wait for second year. They went home for the summer after the exams were over in June, and eagerly awaited the day they’d return to their magical education. Second year was almost like the first, except for learning new spells. Tony and his friends all tried out for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, but none of them made it. The third year was exciting, though, because his start-of-term letter included a permission slip to visit the nearby wizarding village of Hogsmeade during the school year! Tony’s parents willingly signed it when they saw the excited look on Tony’s face.
	As it turned out, Hogsmeade wasn’t the only reason to get excited that year. One of their Transfiguration classes would cover the theory of Animagi and their professor would teach them how to achieve the transformation themselves if they desired! Tony wanted to, as did Maddie and Mark, but Alex decided to decline, as he was already a metamorphmagus himself and didn’t see the point. The process to become an Animagus was very complicated, as Tony soon learned, and if it went wrong, you could wind up with very unpleasant side-effects. Tony learned that he had to keep a single mandrake leaf in his mouth for an entire month (from full moon to full moon). If the leaf was removed or swallowed, the witch or wizard would have to start over again. At the next visible full moon (if the night happened to be cloudy one would have to start over) the wizard had to spit the leaf in a phial within range of the moon’s pure rays. To the moon-struck phial, the wizard or witch had to add one of their own hairs, a silver teaspoon of dew that had not seen sunlight or been touched by human feet for seven days, and the chrysalis of a Death’s-head Hawk Moth. The mixture had to be put in a quiet, dark place and not be in any way disturbed. The next thing that had to happen was for the wizard to wait for an electrical storm, whenever that might be. During this waiting period the wizard had to, at sunrise and sundown without fail, chant the incantation Amato Animo Animato Animagus with the tip of their wand placed over the heart. When, at last, there was a lightening storm, the wizard ought to move immediately to a large and secure place, recite the incantation one final time, and then drink the potion. It was advised to drink the potion in an open, out of sight area, so as to not disturb or startle those nearby who were unaware of the transformation the drinker was about to undergo. They might feel uncomfortable or panicked in a new body, and this may cause them to destroy their surroundings. Instantly after consumption, they would feel “a fiery pain and an intense double heartbeat”. The shape of the creature they would transform into would appear in their mind directly before the transformation.
	If successful, the drinker would now have the ability to transform from human to animal by envisioning the animal with the intent of transforming in mind, and vice versa. If unsuccessful, the drinker may experience gruesome half-human half-animal mutations that were permanent, and couldn’t be fixed. Tony still wanted to try it, though, and signed up for lessons with the professor. The professor advised them of areas where they could collect the dew needed and the chrysalis of the Death’s Head Hawk Moth. Then they collected mandrake leaves from the Herbology professor and Tony put it in his mouth to start the month-long process of soaking it in preparation for the potion. The first full moon was cloudy, so it took another month before it was ready. He then spit the leaf into a phial within range of the moon’s rays. To that, he added one of his hairs, the teaspoon of dew, and the chrysalis. He took it to the professor, who had a place set up for everyone’s potions so they would be undisturbed. Tony said the incantation Amato Animo Animato Animagus every day at sunrise and sunset faithfully with the tip of his wand placed over his heart. At last, about two weeks later, there was a lightning storm on Saturday after classes and everyone’s potion turned blood red. The potential Animagi were told to come to the Forbidden Forest to try out their potions. Tony took his and immediately felt the fiery pain and double heartbeat the professor had mentioned. Tony saw a raven in his mind with a band of yellow around it’s neck and down it’s front appear in his mind just before he transformed. All of them were successful and from then on, Tony could transform into a raven at will, but keep his mind when he did, exciting him tremendously! Even a visit to Hogsmeade couldn’t be more exciting than this, he thought.
He was right about that, but it was still pretty exciting. There were two pubs where you could buy butterbeer, which soon became one of Tony’s favorite drinks, and a candy store called Honeyduke’s, and even places that sold wands and brooms. There was even a joke shop that sold all kinds of things Tony had never seen before called Zonko’s. All too soon, the visit was over and they had to return to Hogwarts, but Tony had managed to purchase several sweet treats and a new broom to take back with him to school, which he immediately began practicing on whenever he could. He soon improved dramatically and by the time he was fourteen, he even made the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, along with Alex, Mark, and Maddie! Practice could be grueling, as could the matches, but the satisfaction of winning more than made up for it. 
	

N.E.W.T.’s and New Jobs

He managed to pass his O.W.L.’s in fifth year with flying colors. He even took the Apparition test when he was seventeen and managed to pass it on the first try! He knew he couldn’t apparate on school grounds, but he knew he’d have lots of fun at home with his new skills, as long as he kept them secret from the muggles in the town. He managed to pass his N.E.W.T.’s later that year, but was extremely glad to have them over with, even though it meant his time at Hogwarts was coming to an end. Tony knew he would have to pick his career now that he was no longer a student and decided he wished to work for the Ministry of Magic, using his excellent Charms and Transfiguration skills to great effect. He made a wonderful wizard and had a highly successful career in the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. He was able to use his talents to help others in the wizarding world until his death at the age of 98.