About five days pass before the orphanage gets it's second strange visitor. Since that time, things relatively carried on as they did before, except for one thing that made the orphanage a little bit more bearable. Kelli ran away. She had gone to summer school along with most of the other kids, except she hadn't come back. Miss. P discussed it with the Police, flyers were put up, but she had simply just disappeared. I felt a little bad she was gone, but it certainly made it easier to hold onto Professor Dumbledore's special envelope.

Speaking of the envelope, I carried it everywhere, as if it were a medal of trust or valor. To me, it was a reminder I was apart of bigger world than the one I knew. Plus, I had a mother, and she wasn't just this unattainable apparition anymore. I could potentially find out more about her, someone had to know about her. The envelope felt like a key to everything I had been asking myself for years. I was determined not to let it go.

I had just finished washing the stairs when the knock came. I was closest, so I went ahead and opened it before, some random kid opened it, screamed in the person's face and sprayed them with pan oil. I unlock the door and open it. "Hello." I say brightly, and then my mouth drops. A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, he had dark eyes that were almost completely hidden under his hair. He was at least three times my size, towering over even the door.

He looked stunned to see me.

"C-Cara?" He asked. "H-how are you-" He tried to attack me- or maybe it was a hug- either way I yelp and jump back out of the way.

"My name isn't Cara." I say, surprisingly calm for someone who just almost got bear hugged by someone who looked a lot like a bear. "My name's Ezzie." I regard him again, if anyone was from the wizarding world, it was this guy. "Are you Hagrid?" I ask him. The giant- which was the most accurate thing I could think to call him- still gaping at me as if I had just grown a second head, nodded. I smile and take the letter from my sweater, my petite hand looking even smaller compared to his, which was the size of breakfast plate. "This is for you. Dumbledore said to give it to you." He takes the letter and opens it. His eyes grow wider as he reads it. I stare at my feet until I see someone is standing behind him. He had jet black hair, was small like I was, and had the most startling green eyes.

"Hi." He says, stepping out from behind Hagrid and holding out his hand. "I'm Harry."

I give his hand a light shake. "Esmeralda, but everyone calls me Ezzie."

"Are you a wizard too?" He asks.

"The term that was used was witch, but yeah, I guess." I say shrugging. I look back at Hagrid, who still looked like he had trouble comprehending the letter.

Harry turned and followed my gaze. "Um… what was in that letter?"

I shrug. "Beats me, Dumbledore just said to give it to him first thing."

Harry studied me apprehensively. "You've met Dumbledore?"

I nod. "Yeah." But when I think about it, I'm surprised by it myself. Dumbledore was clearly an important person, so why would he take time out of his busy schedule to give me a letter?

"Alright' alright', I- er- So Esmeralda- er, Ezzie, we're goin' to get yer and 'Arry's books." He stuttered a lot, and didn't seem to be able to meet my eyes.

"Okay." I step outside and shut the door behind me. "Let's go."

Hagrid looks surprised. "Shouldn't ya' let someone know yer' leavin'?" He asked.

I scoff. "Nah, Miss. P won't know or care I'm gone."

"Alright'. Yer' got yer' letter?" I nodded. "Alright', then we're off."

By 'off' he meant walking 9 blocks to the London underground. A lot of people stared at Hagrid while he was walking, but that was understandable, seeing as he was twice as tall as a full grown adult. Also because he would point out the most ordinary things such as a traffic cone and say "Crikey, the things muggles dream up, ey', 'Arry. Ezzie." Neither me nor Harry responded, mainly because both of us had to jog to keep up with Hagrid, who took enormous steps.

"Hagrid?" Harry panted, struggling to keep up with Hagrid. "Did you say there was dragons at Gringotts?"

"Well they say so." Hagrid said, somewhat oblivious to the fact that Harry and I were pink-cheeked from trying to keep up. "I'd like a dragon." Hagrid added as an afterthought.

I stared up at him. "You'd like a dragon?"

"Been wantin' one ever since I was a kid- Ah! 'Ere we go!" We went belowground, and I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, I walked straighter, and I could feel an extra bounce in my step.

"You okay, Ezzie?" Harry asked.

I nod, grinning like an idiot. "Yeah, I'm just excited, I guess. I've never been on the underground." Harry looked at me a little weirdly, which was understandable. 30 feet below ground with solid rock in between us and I was excited? Hagrid sent me and Harry to get the tickets for downtown, since he didn't understand 'Muggle money' as he put it. "What's a muggle?" I ask Harry as we stand in line.

"Non-magical folk." He replied. I made a O shape with my mouth, then grinned. "What?" He asked.

"I was just thinking about how Kelli would react if I called her a 'muggle'." I said giggling. "She would throw a hissy fit." Harry and I burst out laughing. We got our tickets- well, more like Harry got the tickets and I stood there awkwardly trying to read the signs, I guess the spell Dumbledore used had worn off or something- and walked back to Hagrid, easily finding him in the crowd.

"How come Hagrid called you, Cara?" Harry asked as we fought the crowd of people trying to get around.

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe I look like someone he knew?"

"Like your mom?" Harry asked.

I sigh. "I wouldn't know. I never met her."

"Oh." Harry said finally.

"But that's why I'm looking forward to Hogwarts," I say brightly, not wanting to put Harry down in the dumps. "Someone's got to know something about her."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about my parents, they died when I was one. And my Aunt and Uncle don't like talking about them." I nod in silence, I knew the whole 'oh that's sad' routine that people pulled, and it just sucked, and it never felt real. So instead, I keep quite. We finally get back to Hagrid, having battled the crowd to get back to him.

Hagrid took up two seats all by himself on the train, and it occurred to me how weird it must've looked from a muggles perspective. A big man knitting with carnal yellow yarn while two small kids sat on either side of him. What was a person to think? I kept playing with my skirt, I tried to keep still, but I couldn't. I hoped Harry would just think it was nerves, I wasn't a big fan of the whole 'I have ADHD' speech, it just seemed to put people around me on edge, as if they were expecting me to fling a knife across the room. "Yer both stil' got yer' letters?" Hagrid asked Harry and I. We both nodded and I took my letter out. Once again, I could read it just fine.

"How?" I muttered to myself.

Harry looked over Hagrid at me. "What's wrong, Ezzie?" He asked concerned.

"I, um-" I didn't want to tell him I was Dyslexic, it would just make him pity me even more than I felt he did. "I just have a headache." I lie.

Harry looks at Hagrid like he expects him to do something, but he was preoccupied with his knitting so instead Harry gives me a reassuring smile. "Didn't worry, we're almost there." I return it quickly and look down at my letter.

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 of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of 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 Beginners' 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, standard size 2)
1 set of glass or crystal phials
1 telescope set
1 brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"We can get all this in London?" I ask Hagrid.

"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid. Hagrid seemed to know more or less where he was going, though he was obviously not used to getting there the muggle way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and Harry and I had to help him, and complained loudly that the seats were too small, the trains were slow, and they always seemed to be late.
"I don't know how you two managed livin' like muggles all yer life," he huffed under his breath as we made a quick climb up a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.

Hagrid's size made the crowd part easily, so all Harry and I had to do was stay behind him as he walked- out of breath from the broken escalator no doubt- down a street with ordinary shops like book stores- again, no progress whatsoever on the reading- a piano shop, restaurants, and even cinemas. The streets were filled with ordinary people, and they were all carrying out ordinary business. Yet I could tell there was wizard gold beneath all of it, as if the presence of the precious gems and metals sifted through the ground and filled me with a sense of their existence. "Ezzie."

I turn and see I walked straight past Harry and Hagrid, who had stopped. I curse my ADHD for the billionth time and run over to them

"Sorry, a little distracted." I apologize. Harry looked up at the sign of a tiny, grubby-looking pub. I watched the letter peel off the sign and fly away as I tried to read it It reminded me of the orphanage. Even after Hagrid had pointed it out, I still walked straight past it. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big grocery store on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. Hagrid ushered me and Harry inside the great oak door and the sounds of the street was shut off.

The place was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking from tiny glasses. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"

"Not today, Tom. I'm on 'Ogwarts business." Placing a meaty hand each on both Harry and I each. Causing me to yelp and Harry to almost fall forward. Tom looked between Harry and I and did the slightest of double takes.

"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry and I, "is this - can this be - ? Cara?" He whispered. The low buzz of the Leaky Cauldron had trickled away.

"This is Ezzie, Tom." Hagrid said to Tom in a somewhat stern tone, that said 'drop it'.

"Right, of course. My mistake." Tom then sees Harry, and his eyes are bright once more. "Harry Potter, such an honor." He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes. "Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." It was as if I was no longer there. There was a great scraping of chairs and suddenly everyone was shaking Harry's hand and acting as if he were famous. In between the hand shakes and squeaks that reminded me of Kelli mooning over celebrity photos, I shot Harry a look of surprise. He didn't seem to know either, he just shrugged as he shook the hand of a man in a top hat for the seventh time. I stood out of the way with Hagrid. "What's all that about?" I ask him.

"Harry's sort of famous in the wizard world, he survived a killing curse." I raise an eyebrow and can't help but see both Harry and the wizarding world in a new light. There was a killing curse? And Harry survived it? That didn't seem like something that should exist if every wizard and witch could learn and execute it as they pleased. The crowd didn't seem to be thinning out, a man with a really bad eye twitch and a turban. "Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid, bounding back up to Harry and pulling me along. I was starting to get uncomfortable with the crowd, I admit I wasn't use to so many people looking at me. "Harry, Ezzie, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."
"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."
"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" I asked.
"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll both be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought. But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. "Why don't ya go wait by that back door over there. 'Arry and I will be along in a momen'." Hagrid whispers to me. I nod and walk away from the crowd. Watching the scene continue to unfold. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.
"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry." Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led Harry to the back of the bar where I was standing and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds. Hagrid grinned at Harry. "What I tell ya 'Arry? Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' in your sight. Mind you, he's usually tremblin'."

"Is he always that nervous?" I ask."Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject - now, where's me umbrella?"
Vampires? Hags? My mind felt like it was swimming in words I didn't understand, which of course pulled my brain in about 17 directions. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.
"Three up... two across... " he muttered. "Right, stand back, you two." He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.
"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."