Chapter 1

On the crossroads

The sky was overcast with thunder rumbling down the slopes. The rain was pouring down as it had never before. There, in the little cottage on the slopes of the hill in South Hampshire, a woman, weak and frail, lay on the cot and a little girl of ten besides her. As lightening flashed across the sky, it illuminated the tear stained face of the child.

"Hush now, my love," the mother spoke slowly, "We spoke about this… I have to leave… but my child, I need to tell you something… I don't have much time left… I need to tell you about your father."

The girl sniffled. She used to hound her mom almost everyday when she was younger about her father. But her mom used to always avoid answering and change the topic. But now, when her mom was about to tell her about him, "No, mom, I don't want to hear about him! If telling me about him will make you go away, I don't wanna know!" she cried.

"Shhh… now listen," the mother whispered. And the child finally knew the story of her father…

It was a bright sunny morning that day. Calista Faye walked down the platform number nine and ten thrice up and down. She felt like a fool. The letter she'd got from her new school said platform number nine and three quarters. 'Huh, like that's possible!' she thought. She was supposed to board the train a week later. She had just arrived in London half an hour back from South Hampshire.

She still remembered the day of her mom's funeral. Her mom, Saphiera had been buried in the green pastures on the slopes of the hill, Fey's Castle, as her family had been for ages. It had been a bright sunny day unlike a night a month back when it had rained like never before. Neighbours had attended in full attendance, as Saphiera had been a well loved neighbour always helping and healing all wounded, for she had a wonderful healing touch. Some said she had magical healing hands. Saphiera and Calista always used to enjoy a private joke when people said this.

Because no one knew that Saphiera indeed had 'magic' hands, so to say. She was a witch. Calista too, like her mother had powers. But not just healing ones. Though she was quite young, she could make things move without verbally saying anything. Saphiera used to admire Cali, as she was called, for it; but always rightly advised her not to let people know about it. In fact, no one in the small village knew about the two's powers.

Cali used to attend the local school where she was always up to some kind of mischief; sometimes, the warden's cat getting stranded on the roof, or the school bell signalling the day end rung too soon. Not a week passed when someone or the other complained to Saphiera about Cali and her naughtiness. But everybody loved Cali. She was as everyone agreed, one of the prettiest girls in town with the cleanest of hearts who was very mature for her age. Apart from her height and looks, anybody would have passed her off as at least a thirteen-fourteen year old from the way she spoke and behaved.

The day of the funeral, Cali returned alone home to find a letter closed with a seal addressed to her. Surprised to find it, she opened it and a couple of parchments fell on the floor. She picked them up and went and sat on the kitchen stool. She opened the letter and was shocked to read the contents and the sender. The letter was from Hogwarts School of Wizardry. She had been admitted to the Wizarding School where her mom had gone… Where her mom had met her father…

Cali shook herself out of the flashback and set her mind to the task at hand. The train ticket said to go to platform 9¾ but how was that possible? She shook her head. 'Okay, I'd come back by later,' she thought and looked over the address written in the letter for her to buy her stuff for school. Diagon Alley.

As she got out of the crowded station, Cali spotted a cab. "To Diagon Alley please," Cali aked as she got in.

The cabbie turned back looking puzzled and asked, "Where to, miss? Never heard of this place here now. Have lived in London forever, I have and not once heard about this alley. Are you sure that's the address?"

Cali stared at him for a moment and quickly got out. How the hell was she going to get there? Obviously this place wasn't known to muggles… She went to a bench near by and sat besides two old ladies. She felt like crying… She was all alone in this new place, a big city like London, for crying out loud! What was she going to do?

She suddenly overheard the old ladies talking. She heard something like 'muggle' and 'potions' being spoken. "Excuse me?" Cali asked hesitantly.

The old ladies looked at her quizzically. "Yes? Can I help you?" one asked her.

"Did you just say muggles?" Cali asked feeling quite stupid.

"And that affects you how?" the other old lady frowned.

Cali felt relieved to have found other witches to ask for help. "Actually I am new here and wanted to get to Diagon Alley but don't know how! Can you help please?"

Both the ladies looked relieved themselves for not being caught by some muggle talking about weird terms and latched on a fervent detailed address and what to find when there. After spending some time with the ladies understanding everything, Cali got up thanked them for their help and took off.

Diagon Alley was a couple of stations away and the old ladies had suggested her to take the tube. So when she reached the Charing Cross station, she got out and looked between the book store and the record shop. At first, she couldn't see anything but then a second later, there it was. The sign of The Leaky Cauldron. In she went. It was full with many witches and wizards smoking and drinking at every table. She went to the bar where the barman Tom, as the ladies had informed her, was serving pints.

"Excuse me!" Cali shouted above the din. He didn't hear her at first. Then a louder EXCUSE ME! had him blink and look at her.

"Yes?" he asked in between serving two witches who had broken out bawling their eyes out, almost literally.

Cali, after sending the two a disgusted look, replied, "I am wanting to get to Diagon Alley, please? Can you help?"

"Head out to the backyard," Tom grunted. As Cali started weaving her way through the throngs of people, he called out, "Would you be wanting a place to stay, missy? I have a couple of rooms empty upstairs…"

Cali thought that to be a brilliant idea. As she went back, she asked, "How much though?"

"Not much missy," Tom answered, "Ten galleons a night, seven if you're a student, and you get breakfast free!"

"Umm… galleons?" Cali quizzed, "Do you accept pounds? I only have that…"

"You'll want to head over to Gringotts then…" Tom stated. Then on seeing Cali's blank stare, he added, "It's a bank in Diagon Alley. You can exchange currency there. If you want, you can take the room now and pay me when you come back."

Cali thanked him and accepted his offer. He led her to the second floor to her room. As she opened it and went in, she saw a clean peach coloured room with white lace curtains. It had a bed with white linen on one side of the room under the window while a cabinet and a dressing table on the other. She could hear a bustling street outside the window. She put down her luggage and climbed up the bed to look out of the window. This was her first sight of the magical folk's hub― the Diagon Alley.

She realised even at such a young age, that she was standing at a crossroad of her life; bidding adieu to what she knew was a life till now. She had left the place she called her home behind and was embarking on a journey into this magical place, all alone. A new world altogether…