The bell jingled as Kelvin left the junk shop, he wasn't sure if that was the actual name of the place or just what his brother called it because it was filled with a lot of junk, torn over whether to be happy that he'd never need the cauldron (his eighth), nor the scales, nor the phials ever again or disappointed in how little the shop had given him for all the crap. He hadn't even had the cauldron for sixth months.

It wasn't that he needed more than the few sickles he'd gotten for it, but it would have been nice to be able to trade a bunch of useless potions supplies for some new books.  He'd maybe be able to buy one book and a butterbeer.  He still needed to get all of his school supplies for the classes he was continuing on with.

Turning back toward the sign on the shop to get the name of the place, if he was going to be upset by their tightfistedness he should at least know their name, he lost his balance and instead went sprawling into the middle of Diagon alley.[1]

1.	Feel free to trip over him, have been knocked down by him, or just to lend a helping hand.  Or all of the above.

Blake Knight pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and carefully inspected his neat scrawl that detailed what he needed to buy on today's trip. But he was procrastinating. He had just left Reducto Records and was tempted to go into one of the joke shops next. But he knew that he needed to procure some of his supplies for the school year coming up. And more than likely, he was probably going to have all of his stuff stolen by his twin, Harrold, who would likely be too lazy to do any shopping at all. So it was in Blake's best interest to buy two of everything and hope he had enough with siblings swiping them.

Still, Blake found himself sighing. His grades for his OWL exams had not been well received by his parents and though he was scolded for not doing better, he was hardly sorry that he was unable to muster more enthusiasm for the new school year. Why should he force himself to do better in his classes when they didn't hold all of his family to the same standard? It was likely back in 3rd Year that Blake decided that doing the bare minimum for doing well was plenty fine for him. As long as he got at least A's in everything (even he had standards), he was fine.

Besides, becoming quidditch captain was going to be the main goal for the next year. Living up to a brother who was a professional beater and the standard set by the former Ravenclaw captain who was also now a pro, was enough ambition for him.

This long winding train of thought was interrupted when he caught sight of someone sprawled on the ground in the path ahead. The person looked familiar and he quickened his step. Leaning down, he carefully grasped him by an arm and started to pull him up. "We haven't even started 6th year yet, Watkins. We should have control of all our limbs by now..."

Kelvin laid there on the ground for a moment.  This was definitely worse than blowing something up in class.  Or being half turned into a lion.  And it was made all the worse when Blake appeared out of nowhere and was helping him up.  Would it have been to much to ask for it not to have been someone he'd had a crush on.  Or for that matter, someone he didn't know at all.  Let alone someone he shared a dormitory with.

"My brain knows that, but somehow my feet still do whatever the hell they want,"  he said irritably.  At least his arms had been mercifully empty, and the only injury was to his pride.  He sighed and swatted at his clothes to knock the dirt off.

"Thanks," he added belatedly once he was sure the worst of the dust was off.  "How was your summer? Get all the O.W.L.s you wanted?" Kelvin was happy enough with his scores, he wasn't even all that embarrassed by the troll he got in potions.

Blake's expression quickly turned from one of jest to one of genuine concern when Kelvin responded with irritation. Blake was only trying to lighten the mood because getting a good chuckle out of life's misfortunes were often the best way to get by them. The joke about controlling their limbs was more a jab at how they had conquered the awkwardness of puberty.

After Kelvin was on his feet again, Blake decided on another said of words to pep his friend up. He stepped closer and draped his arm across Kelvin's shoulders. Then he said with the most serious expression, "Kelv, we are upperclassmen now. Keep telling yourself that. The year ahead is going to be awesome. The whole world is at the tips of our fingers to explore...." With a hint of a grin, he shrugged and added, "Or our wands."

Blake hadn't purposely ignored the question about OWLs. But it fit with what he said next. "Life is not all about what grades we get on our tests. We will live even if we do get a troll or two, right?"

Kelvin smiled as Blake stepped closer and put an arm around his shoulder.  He managed to relax a little bit.  Thankfully after five years with his friends he'd finally gotten used to the friendly touching.  And he was over his crush on Blake. And Ambrose. And Connor.  And anyone else.

"So you got two trolls?"  He said poking fun at his friend's statement about a troll or two.

"Really though, I can barely believe it,"  Kelvin said smiling, he wasn't sure he shared Blake's prediction that it was going to be an awesome year.  But it was certainly going to be different.  Upperclassman.  He shook his head at the thought. "Two more years and we are on our own."

Blake shrugged. "I don't even remember all my grades. I think I only bothered to look at the subjects that mattered." The Ravenclaw paused and scrunched up his nose. "And that was enough to start a conversation at the dinner table about what I wanted to be when I finished school."

With his arm still around Kelvin, Blake used his free hand to make a sweeping motion out in front of them. "The world is full of endless possibilities. And now we just have to pick one." He let that trail of thought hang in the air and then also what Kelvin had just said about them being on their own in two years.

After an uncomfortably long silence that yielded few gems, Blake grinned and joked, "Should we be scared?"

Sometimes it was hard for Kelvin to believe that the boy standing in front of him was actually Blake.  He'd changed so much.  Not that it was necessarily a recent change, or a particularly sudden change.  But the Blake he'd first met would never have said he didn't remember his grades.  He'd even been a bit surprised that Blake hadn't become prefect instead of him.

And now they were staring down their wands at their future.  Even though it seemed like they'd just gotten sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Should we be scared?"

"Probably not, but I'm terrified.  How do you just pick one thing?"  Kelvin asked.  He hadn't even made up his mind about what classes he was going to take.  Other than not taking potions.  But the rest he was still waffling over.  His plan was to buy his school supplies for all the classes he might take and decide later.

"What if I hate it?  Or suck at it?  Hogwarts is easy.  You know what to do."  Of course doing it was a different matter, and Blake didn't seem to care as much as Kelvin did.

Blake blew a spurt of breath from his lips in a slightly exasperated fashion. "Not sure that I know how to pick just one thing," he responded, adding in a shrug for good measure. "I imagine for me it might be something like curse breaking or to do with muggle studies since I seem to like that so much."

Blake listened to Kelvin's concerns and had to admit when they were expressed in such a way, he wondered if there was something wrong with him because he hadn't been feeling those worries as well. Shouldn't he worry about that? Especially if he was so bent on defying his family's expectations for him?

With a sympathetic half smile, Blake shoved his hands in his pocket and offered another shrug. "I guess if you hate it, you can just pick something else and move in a different direction, no?" It probably would never be as easy as that, but plenty of other Hogwart's alums had gotten jobs with far fewer achievements than either Blake or Kelvin. "Surely there will always be something for us to do..." he hedged aloud. But looking over at Kelvin, Blake couldn't help but think that he wasn't doing much to help his friend.

"Well! Maybe we can at least make a pact here and now then that we'll always help each other out should we ever fall flat on our faces. What do you say?"

Kelvin knew Blake was trying.  And intellectually he understood what he was saying.  But Kelvin wasn't really approaching his future with his head.  The one thing he'd thought he wanted to do for much of his childhood no longer held any appeal to him.  He stilled loved history, he just had no desire to be a historian anymore.  And with the disappearance of that surety, worry had taken up residence.

"My brother is a curse-breaker."  Well he mostly stayed in London since Kelvin started living with him during summers and holidays.

"My parents.....my brother...they've done one thing all their life."  Or at least had worked toward that one thing their entire life.  Kelvin smiled at Blake's idea of a pact.  It sounded oddly like those pacts friends made to...live together if they didn't find someone.  Certainly wouldn't mind making that kind of pact with Blake either.

"Sounds like a nice plan to me. You're welcome to my couch if I've got one."  He sighed.  "I know it will be fine.  It just doesn't feel that way.  I mean...I just....I'm just worried for nothing probably."

Blake grinned. "Well, you know my family." It was a simple statement, but since they had shared a dorm for over five years, they knew enough about each other's life outside of Hogwart's. Plus, with all of Blake's siblings attending the school as well and the legend of Callum's terror before and during their years at Hogwart's was also a given.

Blake and Kelvin were also distantly related. Not that that was something they talked about often, but the pureblooded, high expectations, need-to-be-an-upstanding-citizen-in-society bit ran deep in both of their family lines and was hard to get away from. The path of defying that or bucking the trend was not going to be an easy one. In some ways, they would have to be prepared for a life of endless mocking or scorn. Having a support system was going to be an important coping mechanism.

"I don't think you're necessarily worrying for nothing. I know I worry that my family will disown me and I'll have to fly by the seat of my pants," he admitted. He joked a lot about it, but was in the back of his mind. "It's definitely a scary not knowing what life is going to throw at us and who's going to support us." Blake paused for a long moment and then swallowed hard. "But you know, they do say that there are families that you are born with and those that you choose. And I try to remember that I have a lot of really great friends and perhaps we can be each other's family when we're out of here."

"Well, I've got that covered already." Kelvin said with a laugh.  His mother had already disowned him, and his mother wasn't all that much better off with her family so Kelvin might as well already be disowned from all of them.  But his brother and father made up for that most of the time.  And he certainly had it better off than some.  He at least didn't have to count Callum as a brother, just distant family.

"Well considering our lineage, even most of the people we'd choose are blood relatives."  He grinned, even if he had one less parent to provide those connections, it still seemed like he was related to every other person he met.  And that was on a good day.  "I don't think my brother would appreciate me choosing someone to replace him," he chuckled.  Hell his brother had always been more outgoing than him, he'd probably adopt any of Kelvin's friends as an honorary little brothers or sisters, whether Kelvin wanted him to or not.  Which might have been why he hadn't really invited any of his friends over during the summer.

"Though I can't blame you with brothers like yours."  Kelvin did his best to keep from smiling to much.

"There we go. We're just ahead of the game," Blake wryly returned.  "Who needs stuffy pureblooded families anyway?" If pressed, Blake would agree that he wished his family was more loving and accepting and less combative and snobbish. It would validate the efforts he made to be nice to them even when they didn't deserve it. Navigating a loving relationship with his own twin felt toxic and caused Blake to doubt its sincerity. Other people he knew who had twins were able to share such a deep bond and part of him felt cheated.

That feeling was not often shared with others. It was too depressing. Hearing Kelvin talk fondly of his own brother simply illustrated the wonky dynamics of the Knight family and stirred up Blake's inner frustrations. "Well, if you ever do want another brother...or even a sister....feel free."

He doubted that was an offer that would be taken. Deciding they should change the subject to something else, Blake was reminded of why he was in Diagon in the first place. "Do you still have shopping to do? I've been procrastinating so I haven't got anything yet." H paused and glanced around the alley for where he might want to go first. "I'm almost tempted to keep procrastinating more...."

"Well, if you ever do want another brother...or even a sister....feel free."

Kelvin frowned, "Not a chance in hell.  You keeping your siblings is the best act of friendship possible."  He shook his head.  Blake he'd take, the rest, no thank you.  He smiled, trying to take the edge out of his voice, "Besides, they wouldn't want me anyways."  Probably for a variety of reasons.

Thankfully, Blake changed the subject though.  He shook his now very empty bag, "Nope.  Still have to get everything."  He looked back at the store he'd so gracefully exited, "All I've done so far is get rid of all my potion supplies."   Before he managed to do what hadn't been done in the history of Hogwarts, blow up the castle.  He'd certainly tried his damnedest. 

"Books first?  Or...."  If Blake wanted to put off getting school supplies there were plenty of other things to distract themselves with.  "I mean, I definitely need to get stuff before the end of the day, but I'm in no hurry."  Spending an afternoon with his friend wasn't the worst way to waste an afternoon.