"Sarah! Sarah honey! Come downstairs and take a look at this"
I rolled my eyes. 'Probably another TV show,' I think.
I trudge slowly downstairs, only to be hit by the speeding bullet of my little sister, Lissy. "Lookit, Sarah! You got a letter from a private school! In England!" I brighten up instantly. A chance to get away, to visit England? YES! I grab the letter and scan it. 'Sarah Day, you have been selected due to special abilities...Get supplies at Diagon Alley...' I giggle. Diagonally... I keep reading. 'What is this stuff...Wand? Robes? Quills?'
Then the best part - 'You may take a cat!' "Hey mom, they allow pets, I can take Diana!" "That's wonderful...What?" "Nevermind!" 'It says plane tickets are included...' I open the letter fully, and a one way ticket falls out. I pick it up before Lissy can. 'Tomorrow!' I run upstairs to pack.
The next day, I arrive in England. I get off the plane. Finally, a chance to stretch my legs!
'Let's see… I'm supposed to meet Hagrid, he's unmistakable… I look around, and see the biggest guy in the world, standing over by the coffeeshop. I head in the direction, my sleeping cat in the carrier under my arm.
A chance to get coffee is always nice, and that guy looks pretty unmistakable. I get some coffee, and say nervously, "Hello, are you Hagrid?"
"Sarah, hullo," He says in his funny accent. "I'm supposed to help you get your school stuff. It's not often we get one from America."
I look him over. He has this huge unruly mane of hair, rather like mine but brown instead of black, and he's wearing a huge overcoat that twitches in unnatural places. I like the guy on sight.
"So," I say, juggling my coffee, suitcase, and cat. "Where do we go from here?" "Oh, The Leaky Cauldron isn't far from here, and then I'll take you to the school after you get your stuff. You can stay there for a few days before school starts. You're thirteen, right?" I nod. "Well, most third years know their way around, so you'll need a bit of help and extra lessons before the start of term."
"Okay," I say, and he takes my suitcase for me. He sneezes a couple times when he notices Diana, but I find it odd that he didn't until he noticed her. He leads me off to the Leaky Cauldron, which turns out to be an old, worn-down bar. We go in and straight out the back. He performs a little ritual with his umbrella, and the wall opens!
We go to all these shops, buying the cheapest stuff. "You're living on Hogwarts charity, here. Better do well in your lessons to make up for it." I nod again.
After a while it gets dark, and he takes me to a fireplace. He chucks some green powder on it, and the flames turn green. He says "Do exactly as I do." He steps INTO THE FIRE, shouts "Hogwarts!" and vanishes! I shrug, and do the same. I show up in this little room with nothing but a fireplace, Hagrid, and an old man with a damn lot of hair. He welcomes me, tells me his name is Headmaster Dumbledore, and takes me to bed.
The next few days go by in a blur of learning. I have gotten lots of remedial lessons from all the teachers (my favorites are charms and potions.) After having gotten over the shock of being a witch, I do very well and within a month I have caught up to a basic third year level.