It took well over a week before Mrs. Cole told Lara that one of the teachers had arranged a date, but two weeks after her conversation with Dumbledore, now in the beginning of April, a tall, Scottish woman came to pick her up.

Lara was happy none of the other residents saw her leave as she would have to think up a story why she was shopping for new school stuff. Sooner or later she would have to do so as she couldn't just disappear for the bigger part of the year without people asking questions. She decided she would talk with Mrs. Cole about it when she got back this afternoon.

The woman introduced herself as professor McGonagall, head of transfiguration department. Lara knew that she was deputy headmistress as well, as she had read in the acceptance letter.

She was curious what transfiguration meant, though she could make up a picture in her mind.

She had already decided, after reading the letter Dumbledore had given her, that Hogwarts was no ordinary school and that the magic world really was like what they had thought it was in the middle ages.

She could still picture the letter in her mind. She had read it so many times that she knew what it said by heart.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mrs. Owen,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

The second page, with everything she needed on it, she had taken with her today. Though Lara was sure, McGonagall knew what to buy and where to buy it by heart, Lara did not and she wanted to keep the list with her to be sure not to forget anything.

It had been the list of books that interested her the most. Lara had always been a big reader and was excited to lay her hands on some of the magical books. She might even buy some extra books if they struck her as interesting. Just for some pleasure reading as she wasn't sure she was going to get that at Hogwarts.

It probably would take a while to settle in. Especially since she didn't know anything about the magical world. She was probably extremely far behind compared to her future classmates, just because she was raised in the non-magic world.

Would she be the only one? She must be, right?

'I suggest we walk to town. It is only a couple of miles and the weather is great. Besides, I don't really get the muggle transport,' McGonagall said as soon as they had left the orphanage.

'Muggle? What on earth is a muggle?' Lara asked surprised. She had never heard of that word but the way McGonagall had said it, seemed like it was a normal thing to know, thus resulting in Lara feeling stupid, for not knowing it.

'Muggles are non-magical people. Everyone else in your orphanage is a muggle. You are not,' she explained and Lara immediately knew why she didn't know the word. It was not a general word in the normal world. Or 'muggle'-world. And with muggle transport, McGonagall had obviously meant the tube. Which, to the contrary, Lara didn't get either. 'Shall we go?'

Lara nodded and followed McGonagall through the streets of London. She seemed to know exactly where to go to. Lara, on the other hand, did not.

After a good thirty minutes of walking through all sorts of streets, both big and small, McGonagall eventually stopped and went into a teeny tiny brown pub. Lara did not know what to do. Should she follow her or not? Was she allowed to follow her? Or had McGonagall only entered the pub to ask for directions to where she was heading?

Lara quickly decided to follow McGonagall. She had the feeling that if she didn't and she was supposed to follow her, McGonagall would be very annoyed to have to go back outside and get her. It seemed like the better option over being send outside again.

'Well, Lara, we're here. This is the Leaky Cauldron. The only way into Diagon Alley,' McGonagall said, just after she stopped walking. Lara had been too absorbed in her surroundings that she hadn't realized this. Result, she walked right into McGonagall. 'Please watch where you are going. Let's get going now. We don't want to spend too much time.'

Quite embarrassed, Lara followed the teacher to a small room behind the bar. No one seemed to care that they were going there, so Lara suspected it was the way into Diagon Alley.

Lara couldn't really see what McGonagall did, but it resulted in the stones to disappear and an archway to appear. She should probably ask how to do this on their way back. But right now she was way too busy to look at every direction at once.

'Well, before we can buy anything, we should go to Gringotts, the wizard bank,' McGonagall concluded and started walking through the little street towards a giant, white building.

'Lara Owen likes to visit her fault,' McGonagall said to Lara's surprise. A vault? Wasn't that a little… medieval?

'Do you have the key?' a creaking voice said, that belonged to a weird creature, and McGonagall handed him an old looking key, which was Lara's, she realized. 'Number 529, it is.'

'Excellent. Let's get going.'

It was a bumpy ride but after about five minutes, they arrived at a big vault door which the creature unlocked with the key. In the vault were big piles of gold. But unknown gold to Lara. There weren't simple pounds and pence's. No, there were big gold pieces, smaller silver pieces and tiny brown coins.

'The gold ones are galleons, the silver coins are sickles and the tiny brown ones are knuts. One galleon equals seventeen sickles, and one sickle equals 29 knuts. Got it? You can always ask again if you don't get it immediately,' McGonagall explained in a fast tempo. 'Oh, and one galleon equals to about five muggle pounds. Do you've got a wallet?'

A little bit shaken, Lara shook her head. If one galleon equaled to five pounds… then she was rich. And like really, really rich. But she didn't have a wallet, she didn't have need of one. She didn't have money. Well, until now of course.

'Then I suggest we'll buy one first thing after we get out of here. Now, I suggest to fill up the pockets of your trousers. Don't take too much, you won't need that much. Yes, that should be enough,' she said after Lara had started filling up her pockets with the big golden coins. She made sure also to grab some sickles and knuts as she might need it.

After they left the bank, McGonagall showed the way to a small shop that sold all kinds of pouches. Though Lara was very interested in all the pouches that were sold, McGonagall only let her buy the most basic, cheapest one. But it turned out to hold her money just well, so Lara couldn't complain.

'Well, let's get to Madam Mallakin's for your uniform than. It'll take a bit of time, so I'll get your cauldron and potion ingredients and I'll be here when you're done. If you're done earlier, wait here for me,' she said as she pushed Lara into a little shop.

'Good afternoon, dear. Is it for Hogwarts? Step on the stool here, dear. That's it. I'll get you fitted right away,' a middle-aged woman said as she rushed Lara to a stool and let her hop on it.

Next to her was a boy that looked around her age, also being fitted for the uniform. He had black hair that literally stood in every direction possible. He seemed… nice.

'Hi, you're going to Hogwarts in September too? It's my first year, but I've been looking forward to it, my entire life,' he said while measuring tapes were measuring Lara at every place possible to be measured. 'I'm James.'

'I'm Lara, nice to meet you,' she said a bit overwhelmed by how new this was to her. And here she was, talking to a boy who had known his entire life that he was a wizard.

The boy chattered away freely, giving Lara the chance to listen and not have to think for a moment.

Indeed, it didn't take long to get fitted for the robes and by the time Lara had a bag full of them and had paid for it, McGonagall was back with a big, black pot and a large trunk. She apparently had decided to go ahead and buy that one too.

Next stop was a busy looking bookshop where Lara immediately felt at home. The bookshop was packed to the edge with people all looking at a man sitting close to check-out.

'Blimey, that is something we got. You go ahead and look for the first half of the books on your list. I'll get the second half. Try to be fast, will you. I don't like all this nonsense over a single writer. The faster we're out of here, the better.' And with that, they went their separate ways.

Lara didn't know where to look for the books on the list. The books didn't look like they were sorted by anything. Or maybe just a thing Lara didn't know what it was.

But, just as she did her second round of the bookstore, she found the first book on her list. And just like that, she started to find more books. By the time McGonagall found her, Lara had gotten the first half of the books and was looking at other books she might buy.

'Hogwarts: a history. Good choice. I remember when it was first released,' McGonagall said when she saw what book Lara was looking at.

'Can I get it?' she asked a bit insecurely. She had already realized that the Hogwarts professor wasn't one for useless purchases, but she apparently approved of buying this book.

'Of course you can. I was already a bit surprised that you haven't asked me about Hogwarts yet. Usually students are really eager to hear about it,' she said as they walked over to the check-out table.

'I am eager to hear about it. I just haven't even thought about it. I was too busy to look at everything here,' Lara defended herself. 'But would you want to tell me something now?'

And so professor McGonagall did. She explained Lara all about Hogwarts and it's houses while they paid for the books and bought a few more items until the only thing left was a wand and a pet.

'Do you want a pet? If so, you can have an owl, a cat or a toad,' McGonagall said.

Lara didn't know if she even was allowed one in the Orphanage, but then decided that she wouldn't be there for about ten months a year, anyways. And the orphanage had cats against the rats anyways. So she nodded and they went into the pet shop, where Lara immediately fell in love with a white and brown cat. Without thinking more about it, she bought the cat and was interested to hear about the fact that apparently McGonagall was a cat person too.

Their final stop was at Ollivander's Wand Shop, something Lara was really excited about. McGonagall offered to stay outside with all the stuff and so Lara went in on her own.

'Good afternoon,' a man who seemed around his fifties said as he looked up from the desk he was at. 'Coming for your wand dear? What's your name?'

'Lara Owen,' she answered a bit insecurely. The man looked at her as if he had known her, her entire life, but she was sure she had never met the man before.

'Ah, Owen. I remember your parent's wands. I'm sorry about their deaths. My name is Ollivander. Well, let's get started. Remember that you don't choose the wand. No, no. The wand chooses the wizard. What about this one, nine-and-a-half inches and dragon heartstring, a powerful wand,' he said as he handed it to Lara. She didn't really know what she was supposed to do and so she just flung it. The lamp on the corner of the desk splashed apart at the same moment, which gave Lara quite the fright.

'Reparo,' the man said and the lamp magically healed itself. 'Clearly not that one. What about this one, Phoenix feather and holly, nice and supple, eleven inches,' he said and handed a new wand to Lara, who immediately felt a cold, yet somehow familiar feeling. As soon as Lara felt the feeling, Ollivander snatched it away from her and went on looking at the next. 'That one is a difficult one. I've had it for about twenty years, never chose its wizard, that one,' he mumbled to himself as he went on to look for, obviously, the next one.

'Hmm, Dragon heartstring, ten-and-a-half inches, laurel wood. Quite the same as your mother's, I remember. Though hers was a bit longer. Why not try it,' Ollivander said as he gave the wand to Lara.

It was like the feeling she had when she touched the previous wand, only this feeling wasn't cold, this one was warm, like she could never be sad again. She didn't know what the man had meant with "the wand chooses the wizard", but Lara was quite sure that this must've been what he was talking about. And if it wasn't, Lara didn't know if she could ever let go of a wand that felt so, good.

'Wonderful. That's it. Who would've thought? Dragon heartstring, ten-and-a-half inches, laurel wood. Quite yielding. Perfect for transfiguration. Seven galleons that'll be,' he said as he took the wand from Lara again and placed it into a small, long box, while Lara took seven of the golden coins from the money-pouch.

'Thank you very much. Have a nice time at Hogwarts, darling. I'm sure we'll hear more from you in the future,' he said as he took the money and handed her the box.

She hadn't said a single word besides her name, but she felt so much more complete after the ten minutes in this store. It had done so much more for her than even hearing she was a witch. And besides, she had a wand similar to her mother's.