Without speaking, she slid the window open, lifted the poor bird off the window ledge and quickly closed the curtains. As she had expected, there was a letter attached to it. Laying the owl on her bedspread, she untied the parchment scroll.

There were two pieces of white parchment. One was a list of school supplies written in black ink.

"…All students should carry a quill, ink, and parchment…."

"…Optional pets are allowed: cats, owls, rats, and toads. Any student who would like to keep a different animal on campus must receive specified permission from both the headmaster and gamekeeper…"

The second piece of parchment was an acceptance letter into Hogwarts. It was stamped with a red seal and signed by a Minerva McGonagall. Wisteria was somewhat surprised that they had accepted her at such late notice, and so quickly. Her father had only sent a letter to the school yesterday.

"Ah… your acceptance letter came?" Her father, Jack, walked into the room. He was already dressed in common muggle attire: a white shirt and black trousers. He was holding a brown heavy jacket.

"Yup. They also sent me a list of school supplies."

"Good. We're going shopping for them today. Get dressed and meet me downstairs in the lobby for breakfast. Dress casually. Don't draw any attention."

"I know, dad. I'll see you there."

He was out the door as soon as she had finished speaking. She solemnly stared at the door. He was acting very distant toward her. Perhaps they had their different ways of dealing with grief.

Could he be angry at me for not defending her…?

Wisteria pushed this thought away and quickly got dressed in plain clothes: a white shirt, dark jeans, and a black jacket. She avoided makeup and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. The owl awoke and hobbled toward the window, waiting to escape. Wisteria slid the window open and let the bird free. The sky seemed much less ominous than yesterday; there were only a few white clouds in the sky. The clear blue shown through and the sun could be seen not far above the horizon. Wisteria put her moon pendant in a small luggage bag she had recently attained. She shut the window, closed the curtain, and walked out the door.



In the lobby, only a few business men and women talked on their cell phones while they drank their coffee and read their newspapers. Wisteria spotted her father after a moment; he blended in very well with muggles. Wisteria made her way over to him and sat down across from him at the small, spindle-legged table. He was absent-mindedly skimming through a muggle newspaper. Wisteria noticed how tired he looked.

"I already ordered waffles for you." He said in a monotone voice. Waffles were her favorite meal.

"Thanks. So… where are we going today?"

"I'll tell you when we're outside."

"Okay…"

Wisteria frowned. The lines on his face had grown deeper, and the bags under his eyes were stronger. He always looked a bit tired or stressed from work, but she had never seen him looking so somber. His wife had just died. She had no idea how to make him feel better.

Only time can heal grief. I should focus on my own grief for now…

She hardly touched her waffles. She hadn't felt hungry ever since they left home. She took a bite of everything on her plate. The waffle was spongy and the syrup was too sticky. The orange juice was sour and the fruit wasn't sweet enough. The toast was hard and tasteless. She thought she did a better job than Jack. He hadn't even taken a sip of his coffee. After the bill was paid, words were finally spoken.

"Are we ready to go, then?" Jack attempted a smile. Wisteria tried to return it.

The air outside was cool and breezy. Car horns honked and giant buses roared past. People pushed by each other and talked on phones. The father and daughter walk down one street, then another, and another. After about half an hour, the scene had changed: the buildings had grown shorter and there were very few people walking. An occasional car drove by. They entered a small, shabby building 

containing only a few people sitting at dirty tables. Finally, they exited through a back door, turned down an ally and stood next to a trash can, facing a brick wall. Wisteria looked at her father for an explanation.

"In a moment, I'm going to open this brick wall. When this happens, I want you to stay behind me and follow me. I don't want anyone to see us together. We have to be extremely careful. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Good."

He tapped on a brick twice with his wand. At that moment, Wisteria realized she did not possess a wand- it had been crushed inside the house with the rest of her possessions. She didn't feel too vulnerable. She had learned how to do a few spells without a wand. The bricks were moving and rotating, turning and shifting, until a hole formed in the center of the wall. Wisteria pulled a thin hooded cloak out from her small bag and draped it over herself. Jack walked through the passage, then Wisteria. Immediately, they were in an entirely different world.

Wisteria didn't dare take her eyes off her father's back, because she was terrified of getting lost on this crowded road. Children ran by her, shouting. Shops lined the road that was filled with people bustling by, talking, shouting, and laughing. A tall white building stood not far away. Jack quickly walked directly toward it. Within a few minutes, they were walking up marble stairs. Jack held a tall door open for her. She glanced upward, and saw the words, "Gringots Wizarding Bank" carved in the marble. Inside, she saw Goblin tellers sitting at desks. She followed her father to one of them. After a brief exchange of words, she was handed a small leather bag that clinked with coins, which she stored inside her jacket. They returned to the marble steps outside.

"That should be more than enough for your supplies, and anything else you might want for school. I have to go to the Ministry of Magic to discuss transferring my position at WWT from New York to London. I'll be back in four hours. Meet me back in this spot."

Without saying another word, he walked away. Wisteria sighed and walked toward the crowded shops. Within a few minutes, she had forgotten about everything and was entranced at the scenery around her. Every shop looked welcoming, but she decided her first priority would be to find a new wand. She wandered about, reading store signs, until she saw "Olivander's Wand Shop". The door was closed. Tentatively, she pushed the wooden door open and walked into the dusty store. A small bell above the door clinked. The only light in the store was from the window and a few oil lamps that were burning in the ceiling. Rows and rows of boxes stacked one on top of another filled the store. A table covered with more boxes stood next to a dusty counter.

"Hello?" she called out hesitantly. The store seemed to be deserted.

"Why, it's a customer…" a figure loomed out of a particularly shadowy aisle. An old man with bright blue eyes and wild white hair stepped toward her.

"Hello, miss. My name is Olivander." He stopped. "A Veela... You are rare around these parts."

"My father is a wizard." Wisteria explained, slightly unsettled.

"I see… and you'll be needing a new wand? What is your name?"



"Y-yes, I need a wand. My name is Wisteria Iris. My old wand was… broken."

"Ah. Do you have it with you?"

"No… I forgot it."

"Tsk, tsk… what a sad tale. Let's find a new wand that suits you, then"

He sauntered into an aisle. Did he know she was lying? There was something unnerving about him. Wisteria forced herself to follow him further into the dark store. He shuffled down the aisle, mumbling to himself, touching a box here and there, turning to the other row, and turning back again. It was a eerily comical dance. "Ah!" he said suddenly, pulling out a blue box as spiders scurried away.

"Try this. Unicorn tail. Ivy. Give it a wave."

He handed her a long, pale wand. She gripped it and waved it in a fluid motion. The tip was illuminated with a bright blue light.

"How does that feel? It seems to like you."

"It feels like my old wand."

"Excellent. I'll wrap this up for you."

With that, she had a new wand. Mr. Olivander's eyes followed her out the door. She felt a chill run down her spine as she stepped into the sunlight.

Though she was alone, Wisteria enjoyed being in Diagon Alley. It took her mind off of her grief. And a few times, she even found herself smiling. Not many people approached her. People were usually intimidated by her beauty. She was used to this, and she didn't mind being alone in her fragile state. She pushed through her supply list, until she had acquired everything that was required. Her books and school supplies were deep in a small bag she kept in her pocket. Her father used the Engogio charm in the inside so it could accommodate nearly anything. She still had one hour to spare, and plenty of galleons to spend. The optional supplies of her list tempted her. Wandering down a less crowded cobble street, a red and gold blur caught her eye. Wisteria stopped walking. It was a phoenix. She had only read about them before, and she never thought she would get the chance to see one. It sat on the corner of a roof, preening its long scarlet and gold feathers. Wisteria glanced at the building it was on. The sign read "Eeylops Owl Emporium". Returning her gaze to the magnificent bird, she silently wondered if it belonged to the store. Other people had taken notice of the phoenix and were pointing. Wisteria pulled her supply list out of her pocket.

"Optional pets are allowed: cats, owls, rats, and toads. Any student who would like to keep a different animal on campus must receive specified permission…"

She glanced upward again. The phoenix was gone. None of the various birds and owls appealed to her, and she assumed the school would have owls available for mailing purposes. She began to make her way back to Gringot's.



After reluctantly returning to the strange muggle world, Wisteria and Jack checked into new hotels every day. They could not be seen in the same place twice, especially if they were in London. The hotels were nice and clean, but they made Wisteria feel confined and defeated. She tried once or twice to watch muggle television shows, but she felt her mind being twisted by them, and she didn't like it at all. She found herself reading books, daydreaming, and staring out the windows, searching for a flash of scarlet and gold. To say the least, it was not how she had expected to end her summer.

The day before she was to board the Hogwarts Express, she saw the phoenix again through her bedroom window. It was twisting through the air in between buildings. The muggles couldn't see it. Its long feathers glimmered in the sunlight. Wisteria's moon pendant grew hot when she saw it. So hot, she pulled it off of her skin before it could burn her. It was shining brighter than the muggle fluorescent light bulbs used in the hotels. She left the pendant in the bottom of her luggage. She did not sleep that night.

In the morning, she arrived at King's Cross station very early. The sooner she was safe on the train, the better. That morning, she indulged in aesthetics: she let her blonde curls down, her odd pink streak bouncing; she wore a small amount of mascara; she wore a satin white halter top with her favorite jeans. She wanted to look her best to make good impressions. Her father walked onto the platform with her and kissed her goodbye before he returned to the Ministry of Magic. He looked more exhausted than ever. She promised she would write to him, and this seemed to enlighten him. He smiled for the first time in days before he strode through the brick wall. She boarded the train, chose a compartment near the front and sat down next to the window. She watched people gather on the platform. Some wanted to stay with their families for as long as possible, while others insisted that they wanted a good seat and said goodbye early. The timid First-years hesitantly climbed up the stairs into the train while their parents cried. The secure Seventh-years hopped up the stairs while their parents warned them not to make trouble like last year, and to get good marks for goodness sake, they only had one year left. Wisteria grimaced and turned away from the window. She was sure she didn't have any tears left, but she just couldn't handle seeing whole families while she was still in such a brittle emotional state. She pulled out one of the books from her reading list: The Standard Book Of Spells, Level 6. She had read it last year, and she amused herself by trying to find spells she didn't remember. She thought back to school in Kilauea. She had so many friends back then… they had no idea where she was now. She closed her eyes. She remembered taking classes and learning spells within the deep, ancient caverns of the volcano. She could see them now: they were colorful, decorated by the first few generations of students; there was a series of passages and tall caves, lit by colorful orbs of light. They never became stuffy or warm. The caverns were protected from ash, heat, sulfur, muggles, and constant eruptions by several spells and charms that were refreshed daily. She remembered taking secret passages just outside the national park to get to the school. She remembered apparating to the beach during lunch and breaks with her friends and classmates. She learned the ancient Hawaiian art of fire and molten rock manipulation within the volcano without the aid of a wand. For her final exam the previous year, she prevented an eruption and passed with flying colors. She remembered learning how the change the colors of inanimate objects her first year. A jealous girl had fired a spell at Wisteria's head, aiming to make her pink from head to toe. Instead, only a small section of her hair and scalp had been effected. The school nurse couldn't lift the spell. Wisteria grew to like the pink streak, and she became friends with the girl who attacked her after a few days. All it took was a smile. Her school had a flying class for about a month. She wanted to learn more about brooms and flying, but the charms to keep the students and wooden brooms from burning were too much for the volunteering teacher to upkeep, and many parents complained that they didn't want their children flying on wooden brooms over a lake of magma. She had loved flying, even if the sight of magma beneath her had terrified her and she occasionally choked on ash from flying too fast for the charm that surrounded her to keep up. She thought of Hogwarts and its Quidditch teams. I bet they have a fantastic class for learning how to fly she thought keenly. Nothing could beat her experience at Kilauea, but maybe this year wouldn't be so bad.

A whistle blew. She looked out the window. People were running toward the train. It would be leaving soon. She noticed the voices that had been filling the hallway. She saw people filing past her. Some looked in though the small window, hoping to see a friend, and moved on when they didn't recognize her. She began to feel lonely when someone slid open the compartment door. It opened with a squeal.



"Sorry! Everywhere else is full. Do you mind if I sit here?"