Disclamer: I do not own the Harry Potter Series or have any right to the characters. They all belong to the amazingly brilliant imagination of J.K Rowling.

Wizards.

There were wizards everywhere: they stood in massive crowds, rushing past each other, lingering at shop windows, chatting animatedly about the most bizarre things. They wore the most extravagant clothing that Hermione had ever set eyes on. One witch stood in a long, flowing cloak. It reminded Hermione of the starry night sky just a light began to blossom. The galaxies above us. They had pointy hats that flopped at the top of their heads. They were so amazing, but they were nothing compared to the heaven Hermione witnessed before her.

Diagon Alley.

Never before had she seen anything like it. It was like London high street but with no shops that any normal person would have ever laid eager eyes apon.

Shops stood either side of her as she pushed her way through a cramped pathway. Shops for brooms -flying brooms!-, wands, robes, owls and right at the end of the pathway stood a towering, white bulding that stood wonkily above everything else. Guards blocked the door and a sign scratched into the buliding named it Gringotts.

She turned to both her parents who stood gobsmacked gazing around the street in total wonder.

"Ok", her Mum said, snapping out of her gaze. " That wizard man said that the first place that we needed to go to was a bank called... erm...? Gring-?"

"Gringotts!", said Hermione, pointing towards the building. " There! See? Oh my goodness! What if we can't change our money into wizards money? I wont be able to go! I will be the odd one out and not be able to buy anything, do anything, and then not make friends-"

"Hermione! Don't be silly, darling. Of course they will be able to change our money. Don't you worry. You are one of them. We know, after all this that time of me and your mother worrying because we knew you were different, special, that you will fit in here. More than you could anywhere else. Your one of these people, Hermione! Just look around! One day, that will be you", Hermione's Dad pointed at all the people shoving their way through the crowd. He had a small encouraging smile on his face that told Hermione it was OK.

It's Ok.

They heaved the wide, metal door open and peered through the gap. She gasped and her parents stood frozen in place.

There were small desks that lined the walls. On them glimmered piles of money glittering in the light that came through the towering windows. The money was nothing Hermione knew, she thought as she went up on her tiptoes to see all she could, not Pounds or Pennies but Gallons, Sickles and Knuts. There was a tinkling chandelier that hung off the ceiling and a large desk at the end of the room. But that wasn't what Hermione stare in wonder.

Goblins!

Real life Goblins!

Little men with wrinkled faces, long pointy noses and pin ears sat all around on little stools at each desk. They mumbled to themselves as the placed shiny coins onto a growing pile.

As Hermione made her way to one of the Goblins it looked up at her in curiousity and a little sneer it's face.

"Errr... Hello?" She murmured as she reached the desk feeling very short on the other side. She stood on her tiptoes trying to see over it, like a mole peeking out of the safety of its hole into the world unknown. The Goblin must be perched on a pile of books, Hermione thought, or that's just one REALLY big stool.

"Yes?" Asked the Goblin, hanging out the "E".

"I would like to... Erm? Change my money into... Erm? Your money?" She turned her head to look nervously at her parents, who gave her a reassuring nod of the head.

"Muggle-born? Yes? You want to convert you muggle money into wizarding money?" It looked up from counting its coins.

"Muggle-born? What's that?" Hermione knew that her inquisitional side was taking over but she couldn't help it. If she was going to live this life, a wizards life, she had to know all she can before she came face to face with it.

"Someone that doesn't have a wizarding family, of course. But then how would a muggle like you know?" It sneered. "Money", it demanded.

Hermione placed all the money on the table and then snatched her hand back.

It was a large stack of coins and notes. Some hers, some her parents. She had decided to put in hers for treats and her parents gave her a larger amount for school fees and food.

She was hoping that she would have friends, real friends, to spend her money with.

"Hmmm..." It muttered, placing each peice of money to one side. Hermione could almost hear the clunking in its bizarre little head, as it counted shockingly quickly. "Here we are", the Goblin pushed the money to the other side of the table. " This is your's".

Hermione gazed at the foreign coins. She was going to have to ask what they were somewhere, she thought, best be before she gets to Hogwarts, right?

"Excuse me?" The Goblin didn't hear her. It was to preoccupied counting coins at its rapid speed. "Could you maybe explain to me how this currency works? What coin means what?"

"There are knuts", he pointed quickly at one coin. "Gallons and sickles". He ran through a quick, very quick, explanation of how much each coin was worth. Hermione had her head tilted to the side thoughtfully, trying to make a mental note of what he was saying but it was no use. It was all to much, to quickly.

Well, I'm sure I will pick it up as I go along.

"Thank you", mumbled Hermione. It didn't seem to notice. Goblins do seem extremely busy, Hermione slide the money into her messenger bag, I hope they get payed well. She turned back to her parents and they turned, making their way out of the bank.

"This is rather strange, isn't it? How much do all these have on a pound? A penny?" Her Father inquired as he squinted at a Knut. His eyesight was getting worse.

" I don't know. That Goblin was extremely confusing!"

"Is that what that small creature was?" Her Mother's voice was just a squeak. "A Goblin?"

Hermione nodded.

"Oh, Hermione! This is all so strange! Witches, Wizards, Goblins! Next thing you'll be telling me that you have seen a dragon or a mermaid! I feel like I am going to wake up from a very, very strange dream!" Hermione's thought her Mother looked extremely flustered. " How this has happened to us, I do not know." Her voice went into a murmur.

Hermione gave her a reassuring pat on the back.

The day only got weirder. They went into many different shops: they bought a cauldron (Hermione couldnt help but think of "Macbeth's" witches and hoping that she wouldn't turn into one of them), a long, flowing robe that had the Hogwarts sign on it ( a giant H with a lion, eagle, snake and a badger encircling in. The H she knew stood for Hogwarts, however the animals she had absolutely no idea what they were for) and a bookstore, which Hermione was really looking forward to. She had given the lady her list of books needed and the witch had hurried of to collect them. In the mean time Hermione had examined some of the other books. Most were very ordinary but one of them had a image inside and, at first she thought she was imagining it but, it moved! Like a video had somehow been place inside the page because it moved about and the person inside the picture actually waved at her. At that point she dropped the book, only for her poor Mother to pick it up and so the exact same thing. After that she wasn't so sure of herself but looked at one more book, which happened to tell her that memaids and dragons did exist and so did elves, vampire and even werewolfs. This book she hid from her Mother, she didn't want her having a heart attack.

They had looked quickly through an animal shop full of cats, mice, rats and mainly owls. At first Hermione thought this was weird so she asked the man at the desk who informed her that owl carried their letters and parcels. That was even weirder.

Finally, the arrived at the wand shop: Ollivanders. Hermione had been looking forward to this the most for it was the thing that really let her do magic.

"Hello?" She called over the desk.

"Ahhh... A young muggle-born" A old looking man stood infront of her. He had white hair, a small beard and was holding a box of, what Hermione guessed was, wands. "You must be looking for your first wand, the first you will ever see. The first, and hopefully the last, you will ever own.

He moved inbetween the rows of shelves stocked with boxes and pulled one out of its shelf. "Hold this", he handed her a thin peice of wood, a wand. He looked at her as though waiting. "No, no, no" He muttered, snatching the wand from her and returning to the shelves and pulling out a second box. " Here".

She took the wand. He seemed to be waiting for something. She had expected to come into the store and pick out a wand that she liked the look of like you would with clothes, not this.

"Nope", he sighed taking the wand away again. "Tricky customer, I see." I fumbled around the shelves, picking up boxes, putting them back and then grabbing another one.

Her Father made a small coughing noise as Mr Olivander made his way back to Hermione with another wand. " What exactly are you looking for-" Mr Olivander held up a silencing hand as Hermione took the wand.

The whole room seemed to tilt as she took the wand and the air began to whirl around her ina tornado of yellow light. Blue sparks flew from the tip of the wand and she gasped ad Mr Olivander clapped.

"What was that?" Hermione asked, breathlessly.

"The wand chose you miss", Olivander replied boxing up the wand. "The wand chooses the wizard. It is not like muggle shops. The wand chooses you, not the other way round."

She raised her eyebrows, confused.

"If you were to chose a wand at random it would allow you to use it but when the wand choses you it allows you to do the best spells that you can. The wand chooses the wizard or witch. Your wand is made of vine wood, with a dragon heartstring core. 10 inches and three quaters." He handed her the box and she gave him the money.

Now she was a real witch, she thought.

She turned to see her Mother frozen to the spot blinking at her.

"Did he just say dr- dragon heart string?" She muttered. " Dragon?" She had turned pale white.

"Yes", I replied. "Yes he did."