Beca's Hogwarts letter arrived on her eleventh birthday just as she'd expected. She'd quickly become excited after recognising the iconic Hogwarts crest and seeing her name in emerald green ink on the envelope.
Even seeing her name on the envelope made her happy, it was addressed to "Miss Beca Mitchell", she noticed they had somehow known to use the shortened version of her name that she preferred, instead of the usual "Rebecca Mitchell" she frequently found on the rest of her mail.
Her initial excitement however was short lived, once her father saw the envelope, despite it being her birthday, and despite it being her choice, they once again had an argument about how she had chosen Hogwarts over Ivelmorny.
"So that's it then?" Her dad said nodding towards the letter in her hand. "You really do believe Hogwarts is the school you should attend?" He finished with a slightly bitter edge to his voice.
"Not now dad, please, it's my birthday, you haven't even said happy birthday to me yet." Beca almost pleaded, trying to avoid the inevitable argument.
"Well I'm having a hard time being happy for you Becs, especially when I think you are making a mistake." He said while watching her sit across from him on one of the stools at the kitchen island. "Dad I can't keep having the same argument with you, I told you I wanted to go to Hogwarts months ago, I've even booked my ticket to London to live with mom, I've sent most of my stuff over to her, I don't understand why now, on my birthday, just because my letter has officially arrived you want to continue fighting over this." Beca said beginning to loose her temper but managing to hide her frustration with a tightly clenched fist.
"Are you doing this to punish me for leaving your mom?" Her dad asked, still unrelenting on this topic.
"Oh, wow!" Beca finally exploded, "you honestly think this is all about you!" She shouted at him while practically launching herself off the stool.
"Well it's the only reason I can think of." He answered her calmly, which only wound Beca up more. "You are only upset about this because instead of going to the second best school in the world, where you work" Beca said with venom in her voice and pointed an accusing finger at her dad "I've chosen to go to the best school in the world, I'm just lucky that the best school happens to be where mom lives!" She finished and snatched up her letter and returned to her room in a fit of rage. "AND THANK YOU FOR ONCE AGAIN RUINING MY BIRTHDAY!" She bellowed down the stairs before slamming her door firmly closed.
Beca hated how easily he was able to get under her skin, she lay by her bed and attempted to calm herself down. After what seemed like hours she finally allowed herself to move.
She sat up on her bed and let her eyes wander around her room, it was looking very empty, which happily reminded her that she wouldn't have to tolerate her father much longer.
All that was left in her room now were a few posters on her walls, which included a poster of the firebolt she so desperately wanted, a map of Britain that looked like it had been drawn on old parchment with a little red dot on it indicating where Hogwarts is, and finally a picture of all four houses of Hogwarts, this one was particularly special because the animals inside each crest moved. Beca sat staring at the poster and once again felt the swell of excitement deep in her gut she'd felt earlier, she didn't care which house she got sorted into, she was just happy to be going. Beca suddenly remembered that after all the commotion with her dad, she had in fact forgotten to open her letter. She bounded off her bed and went to her desk, along with the wardrobe and bed it was the only furniture left.
Beca picked up the wad of envelopes she had scattered all over her desk earlier and searched through the pile for the unique envelope, she had received several birthday cards from various relatives, usually she would rip open the cards in search of birthday money, but this year she was gifted something much more underneath a crimson birthday card was the familiar emerald green writing she'd been so happy to see only a few hours ago.
Beca plopped herself back down on her bed and crossed her legs underneath herself without looking away from the letter she held so delicately in her hands.
She shuffled herself about a bit, and after making herself comfortable she turned the letter over and slowly slid her thumb underneath the red Hogwarts seal until it came away from the paper. Beca carefully removed the contents of the envelope and began to read, it wasn't until she read the first line that she let out the deep breath she was unaware she had been holding.
"Dear Miss Mitchell, We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment."
She read the entirety of the letter several times over, memorising specific details such as the date term started. When she eventually pried her eyes away and looked up Beca noticed something had been pushed through her door. It was a black rectangle piece of card, when Beca picked it up she noticed it had been folded in half and on the front was written in sliver writing "Happy birthday Becs, Love dad", Beca stood by her door and opened the card, inside was a gift certificate for the Owl emporium in Diagon Alley, she saw how much he had gifted her and realised that she would likely be able to buy any animal she pleased.
With a sigh Beca left her certificate on her desk and ventured back downstairs to make up with her father, and at least attempt to enjoy the rest of her birthday with him.
"You would have been much safer if you had just let me apperate you, I don't trust these muggle contraptions." Beca's father complained once they were at the airport.
"I will be fine dad." Was all Beca said to reassure him, she would have let him apperate her, only she couldn't trust him not to start an argument with her mom once they arrived, it would have also been more convenient to use the floo network but unfortunately her dad didn't have a fireplace. "Okay, well, umm, have fun then, and send me an owl when you can." Beca's dad mumbled as she was about to leave.
"I will try, but you know long distance owls can take a long time." Beca said as an excuse to avoid writing that often.
She was ready to leave without another word but her dad stopped her and forced her into an awkward hug, she stood stiff by the entrance to the airport until he released her.
"Right, bye then." She said and walked into the airport without even a glance back.
Beca's flight had been long and uneventful, just as she'd expected, she had several hours to kill and spent most of it listening to her ipod, there were few muggle things Beca was going to miss once she stated at Hogwarts, she didn't really watch much television, and she never spent much time on the internet, but her music she would miss. She'd already been told electronic devices don't work at Hogwarts, her mom explained that there were radio's that played music, but Beca didn't get too exited because it would never be the same as creating her own playlists.
Beca had settled in with her mom quite happily, she had been there for a few weeks now and she realised she'd forgotten how much she enjoyed living with her mom. She was completely different to her dad, for starters she respected Beca's decision to go to Hogwarts, even if she was a tad bias because she had attended Hogwarts herself.
There were other little things she did for Beca that she loved, like the way she would make Beca breakfast every morning, or when she heard a song on the radio she knew Beca liked she would turn the volume up without even having to be asked, but what Beca loved the most was how her mom understood her.
And today was a perfect example, today beca was going to Diagon Alley for the first time, Beca had asked her mom if she could go alone, if she had asked her dad the same question he would have flat out refused, no compromise, end of discussion. But her mom wasn't like him, she allowed Beca to go on her own, with some rules of course.
"I will let you shop by yourself, but here are my conditions, firstly I will take you to the leaky cauldron and I will wait for you there while you get your supplies, secondly you will return to the leaky cauldron at 2pm sharp, even if you haven't finished getting everything, that way we can have lunch and I can make sure you are okay, and finally you promise not to talk to any strange witches or wizards." Her mom finished with a smile, they were both sat at the kitchen table after finishing breakfast where Beca had brought up the subject.
"Okay mom, I promise." Beca agreed, happy with the arrangement. It wasn't that she wouldn't enjoy shopping with her mom, but Beca preferred doing some activities by herself, this was one of them, if her mom had told her she wasn't allowed to go by herself she would have understood and still enjoyed her day.
"Okay pumpkin, go and get dressed and then we will go." Her mom said, while with a flick of her wand she began to clear the dishes.
Beca quickly ran to her room and threw on the first outfit she could find, black skinny jeans and a plaid shirt that she left unbuttoned to show a grey tank top underneath. She snatched her rucksack and went hurtling downstairs, she skidded to a halt just in front of her mom who was stood waiting by the kitchen table.
"Excited are we?" Beca's mom asked with a small chuckle at how enthusiastic Beca was. "Excited? Me? To go and get my wand, uniform and an owl or cat...and my first cauldron? Nah." Beca said with a small grin.
"You are going to need this." Her mom said handing Beca a folded piece of parchment, her mom had a big smile on her face, enjoying seeing Beca so uncharacteristically happy.
In Beca's hand was a map, and as she unfolded the parchment she realised it was a map of Diagon alley her mom had made for her.
At the top of the map was a drawing of gringoes and a little sign saying "Start here", selotaped to the door of the drawing was a little golden key, beca examined the rest of the map and saw lots of little instructions written all over it, near the drawing of Ollivanders was a little arrow with "Get your wand here", and further down by a drawing of flourish and blots was an arrow marked "textbooks from here".
"Thank you mom". Beca said sincerely.
"You're welcome, are you ready to go?" Her mom asked with a smile, and offered out her arm for Beca to hold.
"Yup, let's do this!" Beca said determined, and nodded while taking her mom's arm, her stomach was already churning at the thought of apperating. The first time Beca apperated it was a disaster, she had been warned that it makes some people feel ill, but she still wasn't prepared enough and consequently vomited everywhere, her dad wasn't very sympathetic, since then she's been fine, but her stomach still hates the sensation.
"Hold tight" her mom said as soon as she felt Beca's grip around her arm. Within the blink of an eye they vanished from the house and appeared before a rather tatty looking pub.
Beca followed her mom through the busy pub all the way to the back of the building until they were both stood in front of a brick wall. By now Beca had spent enough time in the wizarding world to know better than to question why she was stood in front of a seemingly ordinary wall. She didn't need to wait very long to have it confirmed that it wasn't ordinary at all, her mother tapped on one of the bricks three times and a marvellous sight began to blossom before her.
It was quite overwhelming to begin with, but the first thing Beca noticed was the noise, all the people chattering and laughing and going about their business down the cobbled alley. The bricks finally stopped moving and the alley had now completely revealed itself to her, after adjusting to the noise the next thing Beca noticed was the smell of the alley and the aroma of different foods drifting their way towards her, eventually her eyes adjusted to what she was seeing before her, the shops, the people, the animals, the alley itself, Beca didn't quite know where to look and for a few moments she stood motionless just absorbing everything she can.
It wasn't until Beca hears her mom chuckling beside her that she realises she must have a vacant expression on her face. Beca looks up at her with such a big smile that it's glistening behind her eyes.
"Okay honey, don't forget to read your map if you need to find anything, be back here by 2pm sharp, and I hope you have lots of fun." Her mom says gently and gives Beca a quick peck on the forehead before turning around and heading back into the leaky cauldron.
Beca takes her time walking down Diagon Alley, she smiles at the strangers in pointed hats who walk by her, she notices several people her age all soaking up as much of the alley as she is, a considerable amount of them with the same mesmerised expression she has, and presumably there for the same reason she is too.
Beca looks at her map and see's the tiny golden key glistening up at her once again, she realises before she can even begin to start her supply shopping she will need to get money. It doesn't take her long to spot the towering building that is Gringotts bank in the distance.
When Beca enters the bank she tries her very best not to stare at the goblins who are clearly hard at work, she doesn't want to be rude but mostly they frighten her, the gringotts goblins don't appear friendly in the slightest.
If Beca thought apperating made her nauseous, it was nothing compared to being driven around the vaults of gringotts bank in a four wheeled death machine that was guided by a stern faced goblin called Nimbley, who clearly had no regard for Beca's stomach. Beca closes her eyes for the majority of the experience, unable to trust her insides otherwise.
She arrives at vault 608 and is grateful to collapse out of the cart as soon as it comes to a complete stop. Nimbley unaware of how the cart was making her feel struts over to her vault and demands the key from her.
Beca was aware her parents had been saving up for her to go to Hogwarts but even she couldn't quite believe how much money was in her vault, once the door eventually opened to reveal it's contents she was shocked to see how full it was. She made a mental note to thank them both later. Beca took what she needed to cover the cost of her supplies, and a little extra just to be safe.
As soon as Beca left the bank and returned to the alley, she took in a deep breath, relaxing her stomach and getting her bearings again, it didn't take long for the familiar sights, sounds and smells to return and for her body to feel slightly more normal again, she let herself forget about that hideous cart and the unsavoury Nimbley and turned her gaze to the map her mom had created for her.
She saw a little arrow pointing to Ollivanders and written next to it was "Get your wand from here" in her mothers handwriting. Deciding it was as good a place to start as any, Beca made her way towards the store.
Beca soon arrived at the shop and saw the famous name written in clear golden letters "Ollivanders: Makers of fine wands since 382 BC" she suddenly found herself feeling slightly nervous, after all getting a wand was a big occasion, she took a deep breath and walked into the shop.
Mr Ollivander was just finishing with another customer when she heard the little bell in the distance that announced her entrance, both Mr Ollivander and the young boy who had just purchased his wand looked up at her. She was greeted with a large welcoming smile from the young boy who seemed very pleased with his newest acquisition, Mr Ollivander on the other hand didn't smile at Beca, or frown either, it felt as though he were sizing her up from his side of the room.
The boy accepted his change and walked past Beca and out of the shop, once he was gone a silence fell upon the room and Beca stood awkwardly in the centre of the store waiting for Ollivander to say something.
"Ah Miss Mitchell, I have been expecting you." Ollivander said finally breaking the silence.
"You have?" Beca asked curiously, unsure how this man already knew who she was.
"It is commonly known that I remember every wand I sell Miss Mitchell, I knew you would be in here soon much like your mother was when she purchased her first wand..." Ollivander paused, "your father though, I don't recall ever selling him one of my wands."
"No sir." Beca said quickly "he seems to believe Gregorovitch wands are superior..." she trailed off hoping it was clear in her tone that she didn't agree with her father.
"Hmm" Ollivander mumbled to himself clearly in thought, he turned his back to Beca and climbed up a ladder to reach one of the higher wand boxes that was almost touching the ceiling.
With a long thin box in his hand Ollivander climbed back down the ladder to face Beca once again, he opened the box containing a wand and handed it to her. Nothing happened, absolutely nothing, she gave the wand a wave and she may as well have been holding a regular wooden stick for all the magic it produced.
"Obviously not this wand.." Ollivander said, Beca wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself, she put the wand down and waited for Ollivander to return with another.
He handed her a second wand looking almost confident as he handed it to her this time, Beca accepted the wand and could feel the difference as soon as she touched it, the wand practically tingled under her touch, she gave the wand a wave and a beautiful band of silvery white light wrapped around her when she did so.
"Ahh excellent, we have found you a match." Ollivander said finally smiling and clearly very pleased. "you have in your hand an Ash wood wand, slightly yielding, nine and a half inches, phoenix tail feather core." Beca just nodded at what he was saying as though she knew the relevance of what he just said about her new wand.
Beca returned the wand to the box it came in and allowed Ollivander to wrap it up, she payed the 6 golden galleons for her wand and left the shop happy with her purchase.
When Beca found herself outside in the alley once more, she looked at her Hogwarts letter and tried to decide what to buy next on the list of equipment she needed.
First Beca went to Potage's cauldron shop, then to flourish and blots for her school books, she went to Madam Malkin's robes for all occasions to get her uniform, she didn't appreciate the comment about how small she was while she was being measured, but she still left satisfied with what she bought, she did almost bump into that overly happy boy she had seen in Ollivanders, he hurtled through the door and almost knocked her over as he entered Madam Malkin's.
Beca walked down the alley struggling to carry all of her belongings now, she was going to head back to the leaky cauldron early so she could drop off some of the load, only
on her way back she walked by Eyelop's Owl Emporium, and it reminded Beca of the generous voucher her father had gifted her for her birthday.
Beca decided it couldn't hurt to have a look at the selection of owls available, after all it was only a small shop and wouldn't take her long.
She put most of her packages down by the entrance of the shop when she entered and slowly walked around looking at all the magnificent Owls available, there were snowy owls, tawny owls, brown owls, and even some breeds she knew weren't native to Britain.
While walking around inspecting each cage, Beca got the feeling she was being watched and it made the hairs on the back of her neck tingle. Beca looked around the room trying to find the source of her discomfort, and while she did so she locked on to a pair of bright yellow eyes staring at her from the back of the shop. It was an owl that had been gazing at her from the moment she entered the shop. Beca, mesmerised by this owl walked over to the cage to greet this handsome creature.
"Well hello, didn't anyone ever teach you it's rude to stare?" Beca asked the owl knowing fully well she wouldn't get a response.
She couldn't help but appreciate how beautiful this owl was, he had feathers as dark as night and piecing yellow eyes, when he closed his eyes he became practically invisible in the darkness at the back of the shop. He may not have completely understood Beca but he made what sounded like a pleased squawk after she spoke to him.
"Don't mind him." The owner of the shop said stealing Beca's attention from the owl. "He's not a particularly friendly owl, he doesn't really like customers, that's why he's been here so long, he's a beautiful owl with completely unique colouring for a great horned owl, but unfortunately every time someone is interested in buying him he causes such a commotion that people inevitably change their minds."
Beca nodded in understanding, but still looked back at the owl who had stolen her attention.
"You don't play nicely with others huh?" Beca spoke to the owl once again, as if in understanding he gave her another squawk of approval.
"I must admit, he does seem fond of you though miss." The shop owner mentioned still from behind his desk, a small smile growing on his face, this time Beca didn't turn to talk to him but continued a silent exchange with the owl, they simply stood there for a few moments staring at each other.
"I think I will take him." Beca announced still not looking away from the owl in front of her.
"You will need to give that beauty a name you know." This startled Beca because the voice that spoke this time wasn't the shopkeeper, it was a cheerful female voice, and it sounded as though it came from directly behind her.
Beca stole her gaze from the owl and turned around, she heard the slightly unhappy sounds from behind her when she did so, her newest friend didn't enjoy sharing Beca's attention, when Beca finally turned to face the voice that had just spoken she found herself lost for words, for a second time today Beca was mesmerised by beautiful eyes, only instead of yellow these eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue.
"Have you got any ideas?" The cheerful girl stood in front of her asked, Beca didn't realise she hadn't responded until a rattle from the cage behind her broke her out of the trance she was in. "...ummm Pitch, I want to call him Pitch." Beca eventually said after finally remembering how to speak.