It was a cold autumn day. Bella Neller was sitting in her bedroom looking out the window. Tomorrow would be August 23, the day she had to travel to England to go to a new school. Her parents were proud that she had gotten into a famous and great school such as Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She could remember the day she got that stupid letter.

FLASH BACK

"Bella! Bella! Get down here you've got something in the mail!" Her mother shouted rather excited from downstairs.

"What mom? I hardly every get mail." She look at her mom quizically.

"Here," her mother handed her the letter, "well, hurry and open it!"

Bella stared at her mom then went to open the letter. After she got done reading it, Bella threw the letter on the ground.

"I'm not going mother and you cant make me!" She shouted back to her mom as she was halfway up the stairs.

"But Bella this is such an honor! You should be proud!"

With that as the last thing she remembered from that day, she snapped out of her trance and continued looking out the window. Looking down to her front lawn, she saw all the discolored leaves. Oh how she loathed autumn. She hated the cold, and she hated the fact that it meant that school was just around the corner. The only thing she really like about autumn was the leaves. So beautifully colored and rippled and ripped just falling helplessly to the ground only to be gone by the harsh winter winds.

"Bella! It's time for lunch!" Her mother had called for her, for the fifth time in ten minutes.

"I'll be down in a minute!" She shouted back.

"No need to." Her mother said as she walked into Bella's room with a plate of food.

"Oh, thanks mom." She said grabbing the food from her mother.

"Listen Bella, I know your not happy to be going to Hogwarts, but please, just give it a chance, thats all I ask."

"I know mom. I just don't want to have to leave all of my friends. Going to a new school is not going to be easy for me, especially a school for witches and wizards and god knows what else."

"You'll be fine. Plus, you'll be able to come home for holidays, so it is not like you will be gone all year long." She said putting a hand on her daughters head.

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to start packing a bag for tomorrows ride, if that is okay with you mom."

"Of course dear. I'll be up soon to check on you." Her mother said exiting her room.

With her mother finally gone, Bella got up, closed her bedroom door and locked it, went to her stereo and put some music on . She pulled out some dufflebags that were crammed in her closet and began to pull clothes off of the hangers and just piling them in the bags, not caring if they were in there perfectly. In the middle of her packing, her cell phone rang. Racing to turn the music down and then to answer her cell phone, she made it just in time. She answered the phone.

"Hello?" She asked into the phone.

"HEY HEY BELLA!!!" Came a voice booming from the other side.

"Hey Taylor. Do you have to be so loud?" She said with a soft giggle.

"Well, you know I do, especially since your leaving tomorrow and never coming back." She said in her baby voice.

"Taylor, your crazy, you know damn well that I'm going to be coming home on holidays and the summer."

"Yeah, but the closest holiday is Christmas, and that is so far away!" She whined into your ear.

"Calm down, it will be fine, just you wait. I'll come and visit you all the time, and you know if I have a hard time your the first person i'll call."
"But Bella! What if you get a new best friend?!" She whined even louder into your ear.

"I won't. I won't. I promise Taylor. Listen, I've got to go. I've got alot of packing to do for tomorrow. Are you still coming to say good-bye to me tomorrow?"
"Of course I am!! I wouldnt miss it for the world! Well, I'll talk to you later. Bye Bella!"

They both hung up. Sometimes Taylor could be a little obnoxious, she thought to yourself. A couple of hours later, with everything packed inside her dufflebags, her mother came knocking on the door.

"Bella, it's time for dinner. Would you please come downstairs?" Her mother said politely.

"Sure mom, i'll be down in a minute, I just have to zip this last bag up."

With her mom gone, Bella opened the door and started her way downstairs. She sat down at the dinner table across from her father.

"Hey Bella. Your mother has told me you started packing. How's it going?" Her father said staring straight at her.

"Very well thanks. I've actually finished." You said looking at your plate, playing with the peas that ran away from your fork.
"What's the matter sport?" Your dad asked, looking concerned.

"She doesn't want to go David." Your mother answered for you.

"Why not? Hogwarts is such a fine school." He looked at you again.

"I know, I know. Its just, I dont want to lose all of my friends here. They all mean so much to me, and I just don't want to lose them, plus what if nobody likes me at that school? I mean, I am going to be the only american child there. I'll be the oddball of everyone. No one will want to be my friend." You said, staring your dad in the eyes.

"Oh, your just being paranoid, you'll be perfectly fine! Your an amazing person Bella, and if someone didn't want to be your friend, thats their fault! Plus, don't worry about being homesick, we'll have your friends write you and what not." He said smiling at you.

"Yeah, I guess. May I be excuse, I'd like to get to sleep for my trip tomorrow?"

"Sure." Both your parents responded in unison.

Finally Bella made it back to her room. She collapsed on her bed, totally exhausted from today.

"Its been along day, regardless of what I did today." She said to herself aloud.

"I just hope Hogwarts is ready for its first american girl." She said as she dozed off into a deep sleep.