Chapter 1
Words: 1,744

Rebecca Stone could not believe it was finally here. She'd turned 11 last October, too late for the last year, but finally!

She was going to Hogwarts!

As she ripped open the thick letter, her heartbeat accelerated. She had dreamed of this day, and was shaking a little bit with excitement that it was finally here. She carefully pulled out the first page and began to read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

Dear Miss Rebecca Stone,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will find a list of all books and equipment enclosed.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress

Rebecca smiled at the letter before carefully folding it and placing it on her bed. She moved on to the next pieces of parchment.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1) Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3) One pair protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4) One winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, and owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

As she read, Rebecca's excitement mounted. She couldn't wait to go to Diagon Alley to get her own supplies! A wand was the most exciting thing to her - it would make it all seem much more real. She clutched the letter to her chest as she ran down the hallway to her parents' room.

"Mum! Dad! Guess what I just got!" she cried out as she entered the room. "My Hogwarts letter! I have to send back my reply by owl before the 31st... could I borrow Maximus?"

Maximus was the family owl. He lived in a spare bedroom of the manor and was Rebecca's best friend.

"Finally," her mother said coolly, turning around from her discussion with Rebecca's father. "I was wondering if the thing would ever arrive. Yes, you may borrow Maximus. Send your reply back and meet me in the main hall; let's get your shopping done today."

As Rebecca turned to leave, her father offered her a wink and smile. This made her beam all the way back to her room, where she scribbled a quick reply on a piece of parchment and went to find Maximus.

"C'mere, Max," she coaxed to the snowy owl when she reached his bedroom. "I have an important delivery for you!"

He flew down and gracefully landed on her arm, picking up the letter in his beak. After blinking at her to show he understood, he took off and she ran to the main hall and dining room to meet her mother, who was already sitting in a chair, looking cool and regal as always.

"I'm ready, mum." Rebecca said in the calmest voice she could muster. "How will we be travelling?"

"Floo powder, of course." As she spoke, Arabella Stone walked into the attached kitchen and reached into one of the cupboards for a glass jar filled with powder. She then met Rebecca at the fireplace before taking a pinch and throwing the powder into the flames, which then began to burn bright green. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, mum!" Rebecca stepped into the flames and said, "Diagon Alley!"

She whirled around, faster and faster and faster before finally slowing and popping out of the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace. She dusted herself off as she waited for her mother, who came out just seconds behind her, landing slightly more gracefully and cleaner than her daughter.

"All right, Rebecca, let's do your shopping."

As much as she loved her mother, Rebecca half wished her father had taken her. He was more enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy his time with her more than her mother did, though she hoped they loved her equally. As they walked by the bar and to the back of the pub, Rebecca couldn't help but smile. She was finally here to do her shopping! Her mother took out her wand and tapped the wall, causing the stones to move aside and make a doorway big enough for both of them to fit through. As the street full of shops came into view, Rebecca's heart skipped a beat and she began to beam. Where to begin with her list?

"Mum, I want to get my robes first." She decided seconds before the words came out of her mouth.

"That means a trip to Madam Malkins. We can get your books next."

It took all of her self-restraint not to start skipping down the cobblestone path - granted, her mother didn't skip so that definitely helped. Rebecca's blonde curls leapt around her face as she whipped her head each direction, trying to take in everything at once. There were so many sounds and colors and shops to look at that she felt momentarily overwhelmed.

"I'll go get your cauldron and some other things while you get your robes." Her mother led her inside the shop and left her to the kindly-looking lady with pins in her sleeve. "I'll see you when you're done."

Getting fitted for her robes and cloak took a lot less time than Rebecca would have thought, and before she knew it, she was back out on the street with her mother, on her way to the bookstore. They were almost there when a very bright store caught her eye - Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Have you ever been in there, Mum?"

"Absolutely not. We are a respectable family, and that store is run by the biggest blood-traitors there are." Her mother sounded icy and her lip curled as her gaze moved to the shop to which her daughter was referring. "We don't associate with their kind."

They passed the shop on their way to Ollivander's; this was the stop Rebecca was looking forward to most. A wand! She looked around in awe at the shelves stocked full of slender boxes; it was hard to imagine that Mr. Ollivander kept track of every wand he had and also every one he had ever sold - and he did it all in his memory.

"Welcome," a slightly mystical voice came from the back of the shop. "I take it you're here to buy your first wand." The voice came closer, guided to Rebecca and her mother by a magical ladder that swept by all the wands.

"Yes. My daughter, Rebecca, is about to start Hogwarts this year and she needs one." Was that a note of pride she detected in her mother's voice? Rebecca thought it was and smiled. As she did, Mr. Ollivander took a tape measure out and flicked it towards her; it began to take measurements all by itself of her height, shoulder width, and all sorts of different spaces. While the tape measure took measurements, Mr. Ollivander began to pull out some of the thin boxes from the shelves.

"Hmmm... I wonder which one with favor you..." he murmured to himself. He didn't seem to be looking for an answer just yet, so Rebecca stayed quiet as he stacked several boxes on the counter in front of her. "All right. Let's give these ones a try. Which one is your wand hand?"

"My right."

Ollivander nodded and pulled out one of the boxes. "Here, try this one."

Rebecca gave it a wave; the glasses on Ollivander's nose shattered. His eyebrows raised and he repaired his glasses before grabbing the wand from her, choosing another box, and giving the wand inside to her to wave. Rebecca took it with a slight hesitation and waved it; this time, the glass windows into the shop shattered; her mother pulled her out of the way just in time.

"Maybe I was going the wrong way... try this one." Ollivander repaired the windows and handed Rebecca yet another box. She took the wand out and immediately felt the difference... it was warm and friendly in her hand, and this time it emitted golden sparks when she waved it through the air. "Ah!" Ollivander cried in triumph. "Thirteen inches, mahogany, dragon heartstring core."

Rebecca beamed and looked down at her wand, still in slight shock from all of the day's events. She was really going to Hogwarts! As her mother paid and they left the store, she caught sight of a shop that had several owls outside and cages lining the walls.

"Mum, will I be using Maximus as my post owl?" she asked, tearing her eyes away and looking up to her mother.

"Most likely... I don't think he would deal with being separated all too well, but he'll still have his room at home for rest after long journeys and if your father and I need him."

Rebecca and her mother walked in silence back to the Leaky Cauldron before using Floo powder to get back to their home. Rebecca wasted no time in regaling her exciting adventures in Diagon Alley to her father, who hugged her and listened intently. Once she was done, her father sent her to bed - the Hogwarts Express would be leaving in just a couple weeks' time, and she needed plenty of rest to prepare for her first big year at school.

"Oh, Maximus," Rebecca sighed (she had smuggled him into her bedroom after her parents had gone to sleep; she couldn't herself.) "I can't wait! These two weeks are going to go by so slowly..."

She gently stroked Maximus's plumage as she fell asleep, dreaming of magic and castles and all the things she would do when she finally arrived at Hogwarts.