Very few things in Myrddin Cadwallader's life can be considered particularly normal. From his name to his insane uncle who runs what his sister likes to refer to as a "scam shop" for tourists, Myr is rather accustomed to the odd and whimsical.

However a letter being dropped unceremoniously onto his head before the sun has even risen is pushing it, even for him.

"What on Earth...?" He groggily flails about for a moment, his eyes stubbornly refusing to open, until he feels the envelope slide off the bed and hears it settle onto the floor. There's a rustle of feathers but he's already halfway back asleep and he's content to believe the strange incident is simply a waking dream as he drifts back into slumber.

He nearly brains himself on his dresser later than morning when he slips on the forgotten letter as he gets dressed. Partly annoyed and partly concerned, he picks it up and takes it with him down to breakfast, where his mother and Cadi are already seated.

"Morning Myr." His sister greets after taking a moment to swallow a mouthful of cereal. He gives her a quick, tired smile before helping himself to his own bowl and sitting down across from her.

His mother frowns as she notes his apparent exhaustion "How was your sleep Myr? I thought I heard some commotion in your room last night."

He hands the letter to his mother as he begins to eat. "Something dropped that on my head last night, a bird I think. Though I'm not sure how it would have gotten in." That's bothering him more than the mystery letter honestly. Birds are rather filthy creatures and to have one flying uncontrolled through the house is not something he wants becoming a regular situation. "Of course, the sound could have been the rain as well." He amends, glancing at the gray storm sulking outside of their window.

His mother frowns and flips the envelope over in her hands, studying it cautiously. "Well, perhaps it's another joke from your uncle. I'm on shift at the shop this afternoon so I'll see if he knows anything. In the meantime perhaps we should check the locks on the doors and windows."

Cadi and Myr both agree and hurry through the rest of breakfast.

"Are you sure it was a bird Myr? You were probably half asleep and I really don't see how it could have gotten in?" Cadi frowns as they check the last window in the house only to find it quite firmly locked up. The morning's rain is still going against the pane, though it's lighter now than it had been earlier.

Myr shakes his head. "I didn't actually open my eyes, but it sounded like a bird. But you're right, the whole place is shut up tight." And he's even more paranoid now than he had been before. Nothing about the situation makes logical sense, and without logic he's flailing a bit. "It could have been the rain." He reiterates, but it's a weak suggestion and Cadi knows it. Thankfully she lets it slide.

"We'll go with mom to the shop later then. Uncle Cyril is probably just testing something for the shop, you know how he is." Cadi sounds more like she's trying to convince him of this fact than that she believes it herself, and Myr knows she doesn't want him stressing himself out about it.

Which he might have been planning to do.

He sighs. "I guess we can't do much else, can we?"

His sister grins "And you absolutely hate that. Come on, let's play a few rounds of chess, it'll get your mind off of it."

He appreciates Cadi's attempts at distraction and lets her lead him into her room where she sets up their worn chessboard.

They play for nearly an hour, both attempting to outmaneuver each other and ending up in something of a stalemate with their knights and bishops chasing one another around the board as their queens attempted to be useful without putting themselves in any danger.

"Well, looks like we're at a draw again." Cadi says ruefully after a solid twenty turns of nothing of note occurring in the game.

Myr nods and helps her start packing up the board. These deadlocks are becoming an increasingly common occurrence for their games - he attributes it to them having a nearly identical play styles due to having been taught by the same person.

"Mom is probably about ready to head out anyway. Rematch tomorrow?" Cadi offers as she slides the board back under her bed and then stands, smiling over at her brother.

"And we could just walk over ourselves if she isn't, Uncle Cyril's place isn't all that far after all. And I'm actually pretty curious about the letter as well." She continues to talk as they walk towards the kitchen, twirling a stray hair around a finger, and Myr is content to let her. Cadi is normally rather quiet, but when she gets curious about something she opens up and he likes seeing that side of her.

"Did you look at it before giving it to mom? Is it addressed to you or her? And is it properly addressed with a return address?"

Myr can't answer most of the questions, since he'd only given it a cursory glance before determining that he needed to give the unknown communication to his mother for further analysis. He does, however, remember thinking that the handwriting had been rather odd.

Cadi frowns. "Odd? In what way?"

He can only shrug. "Just... odd. It wasn't a font people usually write in." He pauses to consider, and then shrugs again helplessly.

"It was handwritten then?" Cadi always was one for mysteries and has the talent of latching onto any information she can, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Thankfully they found their mother a moment later and Cadi was able to redirect her questions to someone Myr felt was better suited to answer them.

"I still have a bit to get done but if you'd like, the letter is on my desk and I can meet you at the shop." Aster offers after a few minutes of questioning.

Both of her children were happy to take up the offer, and once the letter was safely tucked into Myr's pocket they were off, shoes sinking slightly into the damp ground.

"I wonder if Uncle Cyril has any new stock we could try out." Cadi sounds quite hopeful. For all her teasing about the questionable nature of their Uncle's curio shop she loved the place as much as the rest of the family.

Myr nods. "I hope he does. Or perhaps you'll finally take him up on that offer to read your future." He grins wickedly as Cadi gags.

"Ugh please, he's such a hack! And anyway, I already know my future. I'm going to be in Parliament making life less y for people with fewer means." She raises her chin confidently and Myr grins. Cadi had decided on her life plan when she was still in the single digits, but he fully believes that if anyone can do it it's her. Even at only fourteen years old she's already more studious than a lot of adults over twice her age.

"Sure Cadi, if you say so." They arrive at the shop then and he holds the door for her and she gives the silly little curtsy she's always given since they were small.

"Uncle Cyril! Are you busy?" Myr attempts to stamp the mud off his feet before he ventures after Cadi into the shop.

"In the back, I'll be out in a moment! Is your brother with you?"

Myr lets Cadi shout out the affirmative - he's never been fond of raising his voice for any reason and Cadi seems content to do the talking regardless.

Cyril is grinning when he appears from behind the beaded curtain that separates his office space from the rest of the shop. By all legal accounts Cyril Greengrass doesn't actually have any familial ties to the Cadawalladers, and yet Myr can't remember a time he didn't refer to the eccentric man as his uncle. He's a school friend of Myr's absent father, and despite said father walking out on the family when Myr was quite young, Myr can't quite imagine what life would be like without the inclusion of Cyril's special brand of whimsy.

A brand that Myr likes to think he's quite attuned with, but as he studies his uncle he realizes that Cyril's grin is one of cheer and not mischief. Myr frowns and fingers the letter in his pocket uncertainly. Surely he would be able to tell if his uncle has played some part in it's appearance?

Cyril's grin falters when he spots Myr's confusion. "Something the matter Myrddin?" He's the only one who uses Myr's full name. "You look like a wet cat."

"It's raining." Myr points out, but it's half-hearted and the letter is out moments later. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

Cyril goes still when he spots the letter, and then slowly, almost cautiously though his uncle is never cautious, he takes the envelope from Myr and scans it over several times before releasing a low breath.

"Cadi I think you best go see if your mother needs any help."

Cadi frowns and for a moment Myr thinks she might argue. But instead she shoots him a look that says she expects a full debriefing afterwards and then hurries out of the shop.

Cyril follows her, locking the door and flipping the sign to deter customers.

"Alright." He sighs. "I was hoping... well, I suppose it was a miracle Cadi is how she is."

Myr isn't sure what on Earth his uncle is talking about, but he remains silent, waiting for the explanation to come on its own terms.

After a moment of silence Cyril ushers his nephew into the back room, where he sits the boy down on a stool.

"Alright. I guess you should read this first and then I'll try and explain what I can." The letter is handed to Myr, and he frowns but accepts it.

He's read the front already of course, so he turns it over and tears the odd wax seal off the back, tracing the official-looking stamp adorning the flap just over the seal with his eyes as he does.

The image on the seal is almost familiar to him, but he can't quite place why. Shaking his head, he puts the envelope aside and withdraws two pieces of parchment and what appears to be a train ticket. His uncle has promised an explanation after all, but only after the letter is read. He can inquire about the crest then.

The topmost parchment only has writing on the top third of it, so he scans over that first.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Not even past the title at the top and already he's confused. He glances up at his uncle, thinking he's going to start laughing, but for once there's no mirth in Cyri's expression. Myr chews slightly at the inside of his lip as he looks back down and presses on with reading.

Mr. Cadwallader,

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,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Myr rereads it three times before looking up at his uncle once again, certain his confusion is written plainly across his face. However, when his uncle still doesn't speak he takes it upon himself to begin what he knows is going to be a very confusing conversation.

"Uncle Cyril, what is this?"

His uncle takes a breath, and then seems to come to a decision as he looks directly at Myr.

"You know your father and I met at school. This was that school." He studies Myr's expression before pressing on. "It's the best school in the world for young witches and wizards to study magic."

Myr knows he looks incredulous, but he's not sure how else to react to his uncle's declarations. Magic? Witches and wizards? It's all utter nonsense surely? And yet his uncle, for once, seems to be completely serious.

Cyril clears his throat. "I can prove it to you, if you like, show you a bit of magic."

Myr can only nod mutely as his uncle pulls a box off one of the many cluttered shelves decorating the small office space. He pulls it open and tugs out a beautifully carved stick. Taking a slow breath, Cyril gives the stick a swish and suddenly the letter in Myr's hands is pulled out of his grasp and begins to float nearly a foot above his head. A moment later the letter folds itself into an origami cat that begins running circles around Myr, who can't help but laugh.

"Okay, I think I might believe you. But if I'm magic wouldn't I have known it? And what about Cadi? Why doesn't she have magic?" He still can't quite wrap his head around it, but the paper cat now snoozing on his shoulder is doing a pretty good job of assuring him that this isn't just another of his uncle's pranks.

"You have shown some aptitude, but you're right that it wasn't all that much." Cyril sighs and puts the stick - a wand perhaps? - back into its box. The paper cat continues purring and Myr idly reaches up to scratch at its head, earning a pleased mewl in reward. "As for Cadi, it's not unheard of for a wizard or witch to produce non-magical offspring. She's what we would call a Squib."

Myr takes a long minute to roll all this new information around in his head. It still seems rather ludicrous but his uncle has given plenty of reason to believe him, the least of which being how seriously he's treating the entire situation.

"So then you and dad are wizards, and you went to this school for magic? And now they want me to attend?" He frowns. "But what about regular school? And how much would all this cost?"

Cyril smiles. "The only cost is for books and I can help with that - I might even have some old cauldrons and quills you could use to save on supplies." He hesitates slightly, and then presses on. "In fact, I'll get you a wand as a late birthday present. That's the most expensive item on the list anyhow and you only need to get one unless you break it." At this point he's back to his usual self, and Myr somehow feels more comfortable with the entire situation because of it. Uncle Cyril being serious just isn't something that happens.

Then he frowns again. "Wait, but what do I tell mom and Cadi? They'll have to know, I can't keep something like this from them."

Cyril waves cheerfully as he stands up and heads back out into the shop. "Don't worry about that for now, I'll help explain things to them when they arrive this afternoon. In the meantime, would you help with inventory?"

Myr follows him out, still a bit dubious and extremely confused. But, he supposes, it is only June. There's plenty of time to learn more and become accustomed to the idea. Hopefully.

It's raining when the letters arrive, and Rajani Misra has to give the delivery owl two mice as tip before it deigns to head back into the storm. She already knows what the letters are of course - they've received this same post every year since Sahana had started at school - but she has to admit to a small thrill when her fingers brush over the official Hogwarts seal and she sees her name on the front of the topmost envelope.

Her parents are busy entertaining guests at the moment, which was why Rajani felt it appropriate  to answer the window herself when the owl arrived, and the young girl decides to leave the letter bearing her name atop it on her father's desk instead of interrupting them to announce her acceptance.

The second letter is taken up the stairs to her sister's room. Sahana barely glances up from her summer readings as she instructs Rajani to leave the letter on her nightstand, which Rajani quickly does before excusing herself back to her own room.

Even though she had of course known the letter was coming, actually waiting for it had been excruciating. She wonders if her sister had felt that same uncertainty when she was awaiting her first letter. If she had she certainly hadn't shown it.

Rajani sighs and selects a book off of her shelf to curl up with. It will surely be a few hours yet before her parents are finished hosting and find the letter, so she may as well continue with her own studies.

Her chosen book is written in Hindi and details the legends of Indian culture. Rajani might find it quite interesting if only she didn't struggle so much with simply translating the text in her mind in order to properly understand.

The family had lived in India when Rajani was very young, so she speaks the language acceptably enough, but reading has never come easily to her in either Hindi or English. Her parents feel it's important for her to understand her heritage however, and so she continues to work through the Hindi language books that inhabit her bookshelf - gifts from her parents and other relatives alike.

She gets through about ten pages before she hears the front door closing, indicating that her parents' guests have left. She puts the book down and strains to hear what her parents are doing now. Is her father going towards his study? Or will he follow her mother into the kitchen to continue a conversation?

She hears her sister's door opening and the sound of Sahana's feet pattering on the steps, moving faster than she normally does. Curiosity piqued, and deciding that if Sahana can go downstairs then she can as well, Rajani follows suit.

"Mother, the post arrived while you were in the sitting room." Sahana announces. Rajani peers into the kitchen to see her mother magically gathering ingredients for supper while Sahana stands off to the side, hands folded politely behind her back. Rajani tilts her head, wondering why Sahana would want to bring this up, as she never had in the past. Not since her first letter anyway.

"Rajani, is there a reason you're skulking about in the hallway?"

Her father's voice causes her to jump guiltily, despite a voice in her mind politely reminding her that she's not technically doing anything wrong. The kitchen door closes without her small hands bracing it open, and she hopes the soft thud hasn't been noticed by the two speaking in the kitchen.

"Oh, I didn't want to interrupt Sahana and Mother's conversation." She bows slightly. "I didn't intend to skulk father, I apologize."

Samman Misra regards his youngest daughter with a critical eye before giving a short nod.

"Well don't linger in the hall in the future." He walks past her and Rajani is quick to fall in behind him, pushing her shoulders back subconsciously to improve her posture.

"Oh, and good job." Samman adds a moment before he enters the kitchen, holding up her letter with two fingers as he pushes open the door.

Rajani takes a private moment to beam happily to herself and then follows, quickly arranging her features back into a neutral facade.

She enters the kitchen to find her mother smiling proudly and Sahana looking rather pleased with herself.

"What's going on in here?" Her father's tone is one of detached interest, and Rajani does her best to emulate his attitude as she stands just behind him.

Her mother turns the smile towards her husband. "Our Sahana was chosen as a prefect!"

Just like that Rajani's excitement for her own letter dulls. Prefect is much more exciting than a simple acceptance - no wonder Sahana had come downstairs so quickly.

Sahana smiles modestly as her father congratulates her, and Rajani quickly shakes off her own disappointment to follow suit.

"I guess you'll be showing me around then?" She adds with a small smile.

Sahana nods importantly. "Of course. Prefects look out for the younger students."

"Well I say this calls for a special dinner. Sahana a prefect and Rajani starting at Hogwarts - there's certainly plenty to celebrate." Vandana sounds pleased for the excuse to make an elaborate meal. She shoos her family out of the kitchen shortly after, and Rajani's letter is returned to her before her father retires into his study.

Rajani looks up at Sahana, who's polishing her new prefect badge with her sleeve. "Could I see it?" She asks after a moment, not sure if it's a good idea but her curiosity getting the better of common sense.

Sahana glances between her and the badge, hesitates, and then sighs. "I suppose. But don't smudge it!"

Rajani takes it delicately and admires the silver engravings, resisting an urge to touch the dark green background to see if it's as soft as it looks. She hands the badge back and smiles.

"It's beautiful. It'll look really good on you."

Sahana gives a small smile in return though it's quick to retreat again, replaced with Sahana's usual look of indifference.

"Well... maybe you can get your own one day." The sentiment is brisk, but Rajani appreciates it regardless. It's rare to hear anything even vaguely affectionate from her sister these days.

The two return to their rooms in silence, and Rajani finally tears open her letter. It says the same things that Sahana's had five years before, but this one is hers and she gently smooths it out over her desk before looking to her school supply list.

She believes a majority of the textbooks are already somewhere in the house, one of the benefits of having an older sibling, but she still needs her robes, the new Defense textbook, and of course her wand.

She's definitely most excited about that.

She hadn't been permitted to visit Ollivander's with her sister five years prior, so she has no real idea of what to expect from the visit beyond the fact that it's apparently rather odd.

She quietly fantasizes about getting her wand for the next hour instead of reading like she knows she ought to be, and the guilt over that decision drives her to take her book down to the reading room when she's called for dinner so that she'll be forced to make up for lost time after eating.

She's politely silent during the meal, only speaking when a question is directed towards her, which isn't very often. For the most part she sits and savors the meal while paying sharp attention to her parents' conversation, hoping they'll mention when the visit to Diagon Alley will take place.

Unfortunately, the topic is never breached, and Rajani gets very little reading done after she's cleared her dishes, too distracted by the disappointment. Her mother makes a comment but she's quick to dismiss the distraction as exhaustion from the long day, an excuse she's rather certain her mother doesn't believe but accepts nonetheless.

Rajani does her best to focus more on the book after that.

Three more weeks drift by, and the anticipation nearly drives her to question her father as to when the trip will occur but she manages to bite her tongue, and her patience is rewarded when on the third day of July her mother announces that they'll be visiting Diagon Alley the following day.

"And girls, if the two of you could determine what we already have before we leave it would be appreciated."

Both Sahana and Rajani know that it isn't a request, and they quickly retire to Sahana's room with their supply lists. Sahana needs everything, naturally, and she adds a note that her robes are no longer fitting correctly. Rajani manages to cross off everything she'd expected to, and she returns to her room with her arms stacked full of slightly worn textbooks.

She spends the rest of the day with her nose buried in A History of Magic and it takes quite a bit of self-control to not talk about all she's learned over dinner that night, knowing her parents and sister have already read the book.

She ends up staying awake until the earliest hours of the morning, reading by the light of the full moon until her eyelids refuse to stay open and she finally crawls beneath her sheets.

They awaken early the next morning, and despite the lack of sleep Rajani is bursting with energy. She had accompanied her mother and Sahana to Diagon Alley once in the past, but she'd been a mere eight years of age and had been more interested in when they would be getting ice cream than what was sold in the shops.

She also recalls spending a decent amount of time asking about how the Floo system worked. Her self-control hadn't been quite as well developed at eight.

Her second usage of the Floo network is exactly as discomfiting as the first time, and she nearly faceplants as she trips out of the fireplace, silently thankful that she had requested to go through first and thus her embarrassment is not being witnessed by her mother and sister.

A hand appears at the edge of her field of vision, and she glances up to find a sturdily built teenage girl offering her a hand up.

Glancing back at the fireplace, Rajani accepts the gesture and brushes off her skirt once she's standing.

"Thank you."

The teenager grins and waves her off. "No worries, you should have seen my baby sister Holly the first time she went through the Floo. Tripped five feet forward and landed right on some Ministry official's lap!" She laughs loudly as another voice from further in the shop loudly protests the story.

Rajani is saved from attempting to respond to the odd tale by Sahana appearing out of the fireplace behind her.

"Raj don't stand right in front of the-" She cuts off as she spots the girl who had helped Rajani up. "Kiddell."

The teen - Kiddell, Rajani supposes - tilts her head, her demeanor suddenly much less friendly. "Misra. This is your sister then?"

Rajani glances between the two girls uncertainly, the tension permeating the air almost palpable.

Sahana nods sharply. "It is. Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

Kiddell smirks. "Of course. Apologies for invading your space your highness." Her bow is mocking and exaggerated, and she quickly spins on her heel and calls to two other girls in the store that she's heading out. The two quickly finish paying and scurry out after her.

Raj glances up at her sister, who's still fuming slightly. "Um, who was that?"

Sahana glances down, as if she'd forgotten that Rajani was even there. "Oh, no one. Laurel Kiddell. Gryffindor and professional nuisance." She makes a face. "She punched a sixth year Ravenclaw back in our second year. Really I don't understand why they let someone so violent into the school."

Rajani frowns. Laurel hadn't seemed very violent, but she supposes that first impressions can be misleading.

She isn't given much time to dwell on the matter as moments later Sahana tugs her out of the way to allow their mother to exit the fireplace.

"Well then, we have a lot to accomplish today, so let's begin."

Rajani's mother and sister are as efficient as ever. They start off at Madame Malkin's, and it only takes a few minutes to adjust Sahana's robes to better fit her changing body. And so Rajani is left alone to finish her fitting while her family goes to Flourish and Blotts to pick up their textbooks.

Vandana pays for the robes in advance, and hands Rajani ten galleons before she leaves.

"When you're finished you can head right to Ollivander's. It's just down the street to the right, you can't miss it. Pick up your wand and then meet us at Rosa Lee Teabag, alright? It's just across the way from Ollivander's."

Rajani nods eagerly and moment later her mother is gone in a rustle of skirts, closely followed by a glaringly less sophisticated Sahana.

Rajani lets herself giggle a bit at how silly her sister had looked upon departure, and the seamstress taking her measurement decides that this is an indication that she can speak freely.

"So is this your first year at Hogwarts?"

Rajani glances uncertainly at the door. Her parents have always advocated not speaking to strangers, and certainly not speaking to ones of lower blood status, but at the same time she's been bursting with excitement ever since she received her letter, with no real outlet for it.

And what her parents down know can't hurt them, right?

"Yes ma'am, I'm very excited. My older sister is a Prefect this year."

The woman smiles. "That was your sister who just left, yes? It must be nice to have an older sibling, she can show you around. Hogwarts can be quite confusing if you aren't familiar with it." The woman laughs. "Why I remember on my first day of school, I got so turned around looking for the Potions classroom that I somehow found my way to the Astronomy Tower instead of the dungeons!"

Rajani tilts her head in what she hopes is appropriate disbelief. "My goodness, how did you manage to confuse up for down?"

The woman laughs. "I can't quite say I know myself!"

Talking to the seamstress proves to be quite educational, and when Rajani's measurements are finished and the robes are bundled into her arms, she's rather sad to leave.

"Now you remember what I told you about those staircases! Saved my life more than once that did."

Rajani curtsies awkwardly around her full arms. "Thank you so much for telling me about Hogwarts, I dare say I may be even more excited now than I was when I walked in earlier."

The woman smiles warmly. "Any time dear. When you need your robes let out you just ask for Ilsa and I'll give you a little discount if you tell me all about your adventures at school."

It's a rather odd way to make a friend, Rajani thinks as she all but skips out of the store, but she's quite pleased at the turn of events. She'll appear quite knowledgeable among her classmates with all the tips and tricks Ilsa had shared.

Her feet carry her down the bustling cobblestone street towards the wand shop, and her pace picks up ever so slightly until she's nearly jogging in her eagerness to reach the store.

But once she's in front of the wand shop she starts to feel a bit nervous. A witch's wand is a powerful and delicate tool, and not one to be taken lightly. Once a wand has chosen her, it will stay with her for the rest of her life, becoming a finely tuned instrument, aware of her whims and decisions maybe even before she is.

For the first time the realization that she's finally, truly going to be learning magic sinks in, and the weight of it all knocks the breath out of her.

It's wonderful, and it's scary, and it all starts once she enters the store in front of her.

Taking a deep breath and shifting the robes in her arms a bit, she pushes open the door.

"It's so grey!"

A child's voice rings out over the muted bustle of the London skyline, notable for it's vibrance against an otherwise drab backdrop of white noise.

"Lida darling, please slow down."

The source of the fascinated exclamation is one Franziska Chalida Reinhardt, who is eagerly tugging at the hem of her mother's blouse as the two navigate the narrow London streets.

On a different day Franziska might have been more cautious, but her sheer excitement overrides her usual carefulness and she presses forward enthusiastically, her destination visualized firmly in her mind as her feet confidently tread unfamiliar territory as if she's traversed it her entire life and hadn't simply been studying maps the entire night before.

"We're almost there mom, come on, hurry up!"

And then she turns a corner and there it is. A rundown, utterly unimpressive little pub squats miserably between two other, equally forlorn buildings. Franzika squints at the pub intently, and her mother laughs slightly.

"Over here Lida. You can't see the alley unless you know just where to look." Pannida Reinhardt finally catches up with her daughter and gently steers the excited girl a few steps closer to the pub. From this distance, Franziska can make out the pub's name beneath the peeling paint on the sign.

"Isn't calling it the Leaky Cauldron kind of obvious?" She questions as her mother guides her into an almost invisible alley between the pub and it's neighbor. "Cauldrons are very important to magic after all."

"Muggles don't know about magic dear. They just think it's a name." Pannida is only half listening as she scrutinizes the brick wall closing off he back of the alley. "Now was it the third or fourth brick?" She muses to herself, tracing her hand over the wall as she pulls a wand from her coat pocket.

"Third." Franziksa offers cheerfully. "I remember Daddy reminding you this morning."

Pannida smiles. "Thank you dear. You know," She taps on a seemingly random brink on the wall and it begins folding into itself, "You may be a Ravenclaw with a mind like yours."

But Franziska isn't listening. She's staring in raptured awe as an archway forms in the wall, beyond which is a bustling street filled with witches and wizards of all ages racing to complete their last-minute shopping.

"Oh mum look! The Magical Menagerie!" Franziska is once again tugging on her mother's clothes. "Can I please get a pet? I'll take super good care of her and love her and-"

Pannida is already shaking her head and effortlessly using her daughter's grip to guide them both past the archway and towards a different shop. "We've already spoken about this Lida, no pets for now. If first year goes well we'll see about getting an owl."

Franziska sulks for a long moment, but her misery is short lived as she realizes where her mother is taking her instead.

"Is that Ollivander's?"

Pannida smiles over at her daughter. "It can take a while to find the perfect fit. I was in here for nearly an hour when I was your age." Her thumb rubs thoughtlessly against the wand that's still held loosely in her right hand. "So you go on inside and I'll purchase your books. Stay here and I'll pick you up when I'm done and we'll get your robes together, alright?"

Franziska manages to nod quickly before eagerly bounding into the wand shop.

It takes several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the sudden dimness she's wrapped in, and she blinks rapidly in an attempt to speed up the process.

"Well hello. You're coming in rather last minute hmm?"

Franziska can't help being startled as a squat man seems to materialize out of the thin air behind the counter. She nods, suddenly shy.

"We live in Germany so mum thought it would be a good idea to do our shopping the day before school so that we'd only have to pay for two international portkeys." She explains, fidgeting a bit.

The man - he surely must be Ollivander Franziska reasons - nods thoughtfully.

"Lots of you foreigners this year it feels like. Never mind that, let's get you a wand, shall we?"

At the mention of wands, all of Franziska's uncertainty drains away again. She steps up to the counter, leaning against it in an attempt to watch Ollivander as he vanishes into the seemingly endless rows of shelves behind the counter.

She doesn't really know all that much about wands, just that they have minds of their own. A fact that actually makes her a bit nervous. Her dad always says not to trust something if you can't see where it keeps its brain - but he also swears his wand has saved his life several times in the past. Really it's all a bit contradictory.

Her musings are interrupted by the return of Ollivander, who present her with a slim box not unlike the one her mother keeps at her bedside.

"Here, try this one."

She's barely brushed her fingers on the wood to pull it free when the box is snatched back.

"No no, no good." And he's vanished into the shadows of the shelves once again.

Franziska frowns and looks down at her fingers. How had he known so quickly it was the wrong fit? She hadn't noticed anything - but maybe that was the problem.

He's back moments later armed with three new options. Each is snatched away in turn, and the cycle continues.

A few of the wands Fransziska actually gets to hold, and one she even waves around for a moment before they're all taken back with increasingly tense mumbling from the wandmaker.

This must be a very tedious process when there's more than one person waiting. Franziska muses as she waits for the next box to be presented to her.

She half expects it to be pulled away from her as she opens the box, but for once Ollivander is silent. She gently pulls the slim wand free and examines it for a moment. It's longer than many of the others she's tried, but it fits neatly into her small hand just as well as the rest.

She glances at Ollivander, who's still unnervingly quiet, and she hesitantly raises the wand. Before she's done a thing, a grin breaks out of Ollivander's features.

"There we are then! Hazel and unicorn hair, twelve and three quarter inches with rigid flexibility. A bit longer than I'd expected for you but you never can tell with wands!" He holds out the box, clearly with the intent for her to replace her new wand in, but she clutches it and gazes at the wandmaker with wide eyes.

"Can't I hold it a bit longer? We ought to get to know one another a bit before trying any magic, right?"

Ollivander blinks, and then smiles, quite warmly.

"Well well. I see why that one picked you. She's been on my shelf for near twenty years now you know, just waiting for a partner who sees her as an equal."

Franziska beams.

After she's paid her ten galleons, and profusely thanked Ollivander, she skips the front of the store to wait for her mother, who she's rather surprised hasn't returned yet.

While she waits, she takes the time to examine her wand more closely. It's quite slim, enough so that it almost looks fragile, and there's a neat pattern carved into the hilt that winds it's way haphazardly up the entirety of the wand.

"You and I are going to do great things together." She promises before finally returning her new companion to it's box for safe keeping.

Her mother hurries into view less than a minute later, laden down with shopping bags.

"Hold you books Lida." She instructs, passing her daughter one of the bags. Lida accepts it without complaint, and immediately launches into a full account of her time in Ollivander's.

"You'll have to show me your new wand before you pack it tonight." Pannida smiles once Franziska has completed her retelling. "I'm sure it's beautiful."

This sets off another wave of assurances that it's probably the most gorgeous wand ever carved, and did she mention yet that it's been waiting for her for twenty years? Pannida listens to her daughter's enthusiastic rambling with soft amusement as they walk to Madame Malkin's to get Franziska fitted.

Franziska calms down once she's in the presence of the Malkins seamstress, and by the time the two women leave the robe shop with two more bags weighing them down Franziska is back to her normal, much more level-headed self.

The two check into their room at the Leaky Cauldron and, after depositing Franziska's school supplies on the beds to be packed later, head back out into Muggle London for dinner.

They meet with Franzika's father in front of the restaurant, and Franziska eagerly tells him all about their shopping trip, being careful to steer away from any mentions of magic in case any of the nearby Muggles are listening in.

Her father is as attentive as ever, his eyes never leaving her as she describes her day.

"Well I'm sorry to have missed it, it sounds like you ladies had quite a bit of fun." There's distinct regret in his voice as he speaks and Franziska frowns a bit.

"Well, maybe you can come next year!" She offers hopefully.

Her father smiles. "If I don't need to work then you can bet I'll be there." He promises.

Franziska is a little put out that he wouldn't try to make sure he didn't have to work, but she supposes being an Auror isn't very easy to schedule. That knowledge doesn't stop her from pouting just slightly.

Her mother immediately spots it and places a hand on her arm. "Say, I think Fortescue's is still open - why don't we head there for desert afterwards and you can show your father everywhere we went today in person, how about that?"

Franziska is agreeing before her mother has even finished speaking, and the rest of the meal is passed with her parents talking about her father's work while Franziska mentally maps out the best possible route they can take to show her father everything they'd done that day.

After paying Franziska all but drags her parents back to their room so she can retrieve her wand before they head out for ice cream. As they walk, Franziska once again repeats the tale of how she came to meet her wand for her father, with a few added flourishes.

"I'd been through almost a hundred wands but nothing was working! Then Ollivander looked me up and down really careful-like and mutters 'perhaps this is the one' before he scuttles back into the shelves." Her arms are practically windmilling as they try to illustrate the story. "And then, he pulls down a box and I feel it. A pull right in my heart, like the wand was calling to me!"

She misses the amused glance her parents share over her head as her hands fling out in front of her. "And as soon as my fingers touched the wood, I knew she was the one!" With this final declaration she pulls her wand out and proudly presents it. "Ollivander says she's been waiting twenty years for me to walk in." She finishes happily.

Her father smiles. "Is that right?" He shoots a questioning glance at his wife, who's also smiling.

"Ollivander never lies about these things. My wand didn't come with any type of story like yours did." Pannida confirms, and Franziska puffs up even more.

"Well Ziska, we always knew you were something special." Her father ruffles her hair lightly as the small family finally reaches the ice cream parlour.

Franziska hums happily and lets her mother order for her, opting instead to find them a table out in front of the shop so she can watch the sunset.

As she settles in, a brunette who looks to be about her age boldly walks over.

"Hi! Were you just talking about wands?"

Franziska eyes the girl uncertainly. She doesn't seem like a threat, but she's also a stranger.

The girl doesn't seem to pick up on Franziska's unease as she plows ahead with her conversation. "Because I'm something of a wand expert you know. My uncle owns a wand shop - in fact, my whole family is in the business of wand making." She grins enthusiastically. "I could totally tell you more about your wand if you wanted!"

"You're related to Ollivander?" Franziska inquires curiously. She hadn't known Ollivander had any brothers.

The girl scoffs, the first hint of negativity she's shown since showing up. "Ollivander isn't the only wandmaker in London you know! There are plenty of other people who are just as good as he is, no matter what his advertising might say." She quietly fumes for a moment, but just a quickly as it comes the sour mood passes and she's grinning again. "So can I see your wand?"

Franziska hesitates. "I'm not really supposed to talk to strangers." She says uncertainly.

The girl laughs. "Well in that case." She sticks out her hand. "Holly Kiddell. I'm starting at Hogwarts this year."

Franziska finds herself unable to avoid smiling as she accepts the handshake. "Franziska Chalida Reinhardt, and I'm a first year too." Sparing one last glance towards the shop to check that her parents are still there, she turns her full attention onto Holly and pulls out her wand.

"Alright then Holly Kiddell, niece of a wandmaker. Tell me more."

It's not that Anastasiya Vulchanova is disappointed that she's going to be spending the next seven years learning magic - no one in their right minds would be disappointed with that.

It's more that she'd hoped her parents would have a last minute change of heart and let her attend the Durmstrang Institute instead. Being descended from the Durstrang founder herself, it feels rather silly not to be going there. But her mother is insistent and if there's been one constant in Ana's life it's that her mother always gets her way.

And so on August thirty first, nineteen eighty four, she finds herself in her room, gathering her books and attempting to fit everything she wants into her trunk, which is a much more complicated task than her parents had led her to believe.

So far she's fit her robes and a little over half of her textbooks, but there's very little room remaining now and she's stopped to try and work out how best to organize her remaining belongings.

A knock at the door briefly pulls her from her contemplation.

"Come in."

Her father pushes open the door and eyes her open trunk. "Doing alright up here?" He asks.

Ana tilts her head in an abbreviated nod. "Just fine. I'm trying to arrange my belongings so that my potion ingredients won't risk being crushed on the train ride over." She replies, turning back to the items laid out on her bed.

Her father remains in the room silently for a moment before responding. "An excellent idea, but you needn't worry too much about that. The box the ingredients are stored in is quite robust."

Ana frowns. "But it takes up a lot of room, and I wanted to bring some of my personal library with me to Hogwarts." She admits. It's the primary reason packing is taking as long as it is. If she can't have her first choice of school, then she wants to at least keep a little bit of home with her.

Her father makes a small noise of understanding and moves to stand beside her.

"It can be scary at first. When I was getting ready to go to Durmstrang when I was your age I was pretty nervous. But you'll make friends and I'm sure the Hogwarts library will have lots of books for you to read as well." He places a hand briefly on her shoulder before it's withdrawn again. Physical contact isn't very common in their house, but Ana somewhat appreciates the intention behind the gesture, even if it did make her a bit uncomfortable.

"Alright, I get it. I'll finish packing now." She picks up one of her books and meticulously, pointedly, nestles it into her trunk, and her father leaves her to it.

She's careful about where she puts her potion ingredients, still a bit concerned despite her father's assurance. They hadn't been inexpensive, and regardless she has no way of getting more during the school year if she runs out of anything. She doesn't trust the school owls to not damage or lose anything she might request that her parents send.

It takes another thirty minutes to rearrange everything to her liking, but finally she heaves the trunk shut and drags it, with quite a bit of effort, to the top of the stairs.

She leaves it off to the side of the banister - so no one will trip - and heads down to request assistance in getting it into the parlor so they'll be ready to leave first thing in the morning.

Her mother is busy in the kitchen, but her father is happy to put down his reports and levitate her trunk down.

"You've got your ticket as well?" He checks before returning to his study.

"Of course. I've kept it safe in my bedside cabinet all summer." Ana replies primly, pretending she's not miffed by the mere suggestion that she'd lose such an important item.

Her father nods. "Excellent, then I believe we're more than prepared for tomorrow. Maybe clean out Dracula's cage before dinner though, I doubt he'd appreciate having to sit in filth for several hours until you can let him out in the dorms."

Ana agrees and returns to her room. She plucks Dracula - a fire salamander she'd purchased from Magical Menagerie at the start of the summer - out of his terrarium and lets him lounge on her bed as she cleans the cage as thoroughly as she can manage. She'd of course requested a self-cleaning terrarium for her new pet, but her mother had said something about "learning responsibility" and refused to pay for it.

So for now Ana is stuck cleaning up after her - thankfully rather tidy - salamander until she gets to Hogwarts and can learn the proper magic for it instead.

Said salamander regards her with an air of detachment as she replaces  his water and food.

"Oh fine, you can stay out for a bit longer." She tells him, sitting on the bed and wiping her hands delicately on the hem of her dress. Her mother would throw a fit if she saw, but Ana doesn't particularly feel like walking down the entire hallway simply to wash a bit of grime off her hands. She'll wash up properly before dinner.

She pulls out one of her favorite books and reads aloud to Dracula - who continues to barely pay her any attention - until she hears the bell signalling that dinner is ready.

She washes her hands in the downstairs loo, as it's located just to the side of the stairs, and then joins her parents in the dining room.

"Are you excited for tomorrow Ana dear? Your first day at Hogwarts!" Winona Vulchanova is only too eager to start in on her favorite topic, and Ana suppresses a sigh.

"I suppose so mother, though I am a bit nervous."

Her mother finishes her bite of food before quickly responding. "Well of course dear, but I assure you Slytherin is  lovely House, and I'm sure you and your roommates will get along just fine."

Ana doesn't respond. It's the fact that she's unsure whether or not she truly wishes to be in her mother's old House that's feeding a majority of her nerves. Winona's family, the Burkes, have been Slytherins for generations, but while Ana certainly could see herself doing just fine in Salazar's House, she personally is more drawn to Ravenclaw.

She hasn't quite found the courage to tell that to her mother yet. And so Winona continues to regale her daughter with stories of the House while Ana quietly consumes her supper, idly rolling the idea of mentioning her Housing preferences to her mother around her brain as she chews.

When they finish, Ana and her father clear the table while her mother vanishes up the stairs to take a shower and prepare for bed.

"Are you still nervous Ana?"

Her father always has been good at noticing when she's at less than her best.

"Not really." She pauses, and then checks that her mother is well and truly out of the room. "Honestly I'm not sure I want to be in Slytherin. I wouldn't mind it per se but..."

"There's another House?" Her father guesses.

She can only nod and he ushers her to his study and closes the door.

"Tell me about it. We don't want you going in tomorrow with any doubts." He instructs.

So Ana confesses. She describes how you have to answer riddles to get into the Ravenclaw common room, how nearly every witch or wizard who was an alumnus of Ravenclaw went on to create amazing things and discover new kinds of magic, and how she felt that she'd simply learn more in Ravenclaw than in Slytherin.

Her father listens thoughtfully, and when she finishes her explanation he purses his lips.

"Well, it sounds like you've spent a lot of time pondering this. I can speak with your mother tonight if you wish."

Ana shakes her head. "I should probably tell her myself."

Her father looks proud of her decision. "I agree. Take life head on - you have nothing to be ashamed of after all, you're a Vulchanova."

It's something he says a lot, and it really does help when he reminds Ana she has no reason not to keep her head up.

She nods to him and excuses herself to bed. Dracula has switched pillows in the time she's been away, but has otherwise remained motionless. She scoops him up and deposits him back in the terrarium before changing into her nightgown.

She checks that her ticket is still where she'd left it, as she has every night since receiving her Hogwarts letter in late June, and then drifts into a restless slumber.

She awakens with the sun and finds herself unable to sleep again, so she picks up her book and reads until she hears her parents stirring down the hall. As quietly as she can she places her book down and slips out of bed to select her clothes for the day.

It's rather frustrating that they'll have to pass through Muggle London to reach the train. Even in Bulgaria the Vulchanova family has always lived in Wizarding communities, and Ana doesn't have much in the way of Muggle clothing. And what she does have is far from her preferred wardrobe.

Eventually she settles for a black dress that she can admit will likely look a bit strange to the Muggles, but she thinks is plain enough that she might just be written off as eccentric.

She pockets her train ticket and hurries to intercept her father when she hears his heavy footfalls passing by her door. He levitates Dracula's cage down the stairs to join her trunk and the two are joined shortly thereafter by Winona.

"And you're absolutely certain that you've got everything?"

Breakfast is barely half way finished but it's already the third time her mother has asked. "Yes mother, I'm sure. I double checked everything last night before locking my trunk, and I showed you my ticket before we sat down." Ana fights to keep her tone patient but the repeated question is starting to irk her.

Winona's hands flutter slightly along her utensils. "I'm sorry dear, I'm just so excited for you! Another Burke off to Hogwarts-"

"I'm a Vulchanova mother. And actually, I wanted to speak with you about something before we leave this morning, if that's possible?" She catches her father's proud smile in her periphery and she draws herself up a bit straighter.

Winona looks startled, but she quickly agrees. "Of course dear! You can help me tidy up after we finish and tell me anything you need to."

Ana spends the rest of breakfast quietly planning how exactly to inform her mother that she fully intends to break family tradition if the Sorting process allows her to. By the time her father has departed for his study she feels a bit more prepared, though still slightly concerned as to what her mother's reaction might be.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" Winona tries, and fails, to sound nonchalant, as the two begin clearing the table, but Ana doesn't notice as she tries to work out the best way to broach the topic.

Ana takes a quick breath. "Well... it's about Hogwarts I suppose."

"Don't suppose dear, it's not attractive. Confidence is key." Winona responds with a trace of distaste and Ana quickly corrects herself.

"Of course. Well I feel I'm better suited for a House other than Slytherin." There. She'd said it. Whatever happened now was out of her control.

Winona pauses, one half-washed plate levitating in the air. Ana meanwhile continues to dry the utensils in her hands.

Finally her mother speaks. "Well if that is the case then it's alright I suppose." She hesitates, and then continues. "It's not... Gryffindor, is it?"

Ana could almost laugh. The weight on her chest lifts some and she shakes her head.

"Heavens no, how anyone can stand that House I'll never understand. I simply think Ravenclaw would be nice. Lots of intelligent people to have discussions with."

Winona is clearly relieved as the dishes begin washing themselves once again. "Oh well that's quite alright. I'd be proud to have a Ravenclaw in the family. Our Ana, judged as the brightest in the class!"

The rest of the morning is a blur of once again double checking that they have everything before their prescheduled remise to pick them up.

The driver eyes Dracula's terrarium with clear confusion but keeps his mouth shut as he helps them load Ana's trunk into the back. The drive to King's Cross takes less than twenty minutes, and Ana lets her mind wander past the ride and beyond the scarlet express they're driving to all the way to a castle in the highlands of Scotland.

She's still not thrilled that she isn't going to Durmstrang, but if she can't change things, perhaps she can find something worthwhile at Hogwarts.

They have to wait outside the station for a few minutes as her father pays the driver, and they receive several sideways glances due to the fire salamander cage perched on top of their trolley. Ana doesn't know why she even bothered trying to wear something passably Muggle and decides she won't ever attempt to cater to them again as her father finally joins them and they head into the crowded station.

Both Ana and her father are quite lost, having never been to King's Cross before, but Winona is walking with confidence and her family has to hurry to keep up with her.

It takes some tricky maneuvering to stop the trolley from running anyone over and keep Dracula's terrarium from falling, but the family finally finds themselves at the barrier between Platforms Nind and Ten.

Winona finally pauses at the barrier between the two. "Well then." She says, glancing around quickly before turning back to Ana. "You can push your trolley right through the wall here - the Platform is just past the barrier. Your father and I will be right behind."

Ana strides confidently through the wall, having already read about the strange passage onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

The station is already crowded despite their having arrived thirty minutes early, and Winona encourages her to board the train quickly "or else there will be no compartments left open".

Ana's father helps her lift her trunk and Dracula's home onto the train, and then she says a quick goodbye and hurries to find an empty compartment to claim for herself.

Once situated she glances back out the window, but her parents seem to have already left. Shrugging to herself, she pops open her trunk and pulls out the one non-required book she'd managed to fit in and flips it open. Might as well get comfortable now.

It's going to be a long ride.