Chapter 2

"It was you!" I cried. "You were the cat that was watching me play with the butterflies!"

My parents looked back and forth between me and McGonagall. I thought their heads were going to spin all the way around like an owl.

This time it was McGonagall whose jaw dropped to the floor. "How on Earth did you know that?" She asked in shock.

"I don't know." I told her honestly. "I felt someone watching and I looked up. When I saw the cat's eyes I could see the human behind them. I knew that it was a person watching me, not a cat." I shrugged uncomfortably, I had never told anyone other than my parents about this. They had said that people could not be cats and to forget about it. So I did.

McGonagall gave me a funny look, before smoothing out her dress-thing (I really should ask her about what they were) and putting a smile on her face. "Well it would seem that you are going to be a talented witch. That is if you agree to come to Hogwarts to learn how to use your magic so no one gets hurt."

I felt the smile I had from her complement quickly drop off my face. I would never want to hurt anyone. Especially if I can learn to stop it in advance. I turned to my parents, and they must have recognized the look on my face for they turned to McGonagall.

"Of course she can go. Is there anything she will need?" My dad said.

"Oh yes. Normally students buy everything in Diagon Alley in London, but there is a wizard community in Toronto. So tomorrow we can go there and get everything you will need. I don't want to disturb the wonderful celebration you have planned for your birthday. I will be back tomorrow morning to accompany you to Valley Street." McGonagall said as she stood up, handed me a letter, and headed to the door.

The next morning I woke up super early. Well I guess I didn't really sleep so I guess I just got up early. The party had been so much fun, skating and spinning around the ice with Sasha and Marie. But I was distracted the whole time. Thinking about being a witch and going shopping in a street I had never heard of.

I got out of bed and looked in the floor length mirror across the room. I have always thought I was different. My red hair, inherited by my father, was always wild in the morning. It stuck up in every direction, making me look like a lion.

My grey eyes, inherited from my mother, were large and round in my small face. I loved my eyes. I always thought they looked like diamonds sparkling in the light. My mom always says my eyes reflect the light that shines from others. I always loved that.

I slowly start brushing my hair. It usually takes a while to brush it down to look normal. Oh well, gives me time to think. I wonder what Hogwarts will be like? Will I have friends? Will I be able to turn into a cat like Professor McGonagall? There are so many things I don't know about.

For the hundredth time I re-read the letter McGonagall had given me. I read the list of materials I needed to buy. I was curious what "robes" were. Maybe those strange clothes McGonagall had been wearing? I can't wait to find out!

At 9am the doorbell rang and I flew down the stairs. I ran down the hall to the door and threw it open just as mom was coming out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee and dad reached the top of the stairs.

"Good morning Miss Weasley, are you ready?" McGonagall asked me.

I looked at mom and dad and nodded. McGonagall smiled at us.

"I am going to take you using apparition. It may be a bit of a strange feeling, but just hold on tight to my arm and it will be over in a blink."

We grabbed onto her arm and suddenly it felt like I was being squeezed through a rubber tube. I closed my eyes trying to push away the strange feeling. Just as suddenly as it started it was over.

When I opened my eyes I saw a dingy looking building with an old rusted sign over the door saying "The Leaky Cauldron."

"When a group of witches and wizards decided to open a wizarding street in Toronto they decided it needed to be recognizable." McGonagall explained to us. "As most of the witches and wizards came from England they decided to mark it with a pub modeled after the entrance to Diagon Alley in London."

I nodded at her as she led us into the pub. I looked around, wide-eyed. There was a broom sweeping on its own! I couldn't believe it. I must have stopped because when I turned my head McGonagall was across the room standing in front of a brick wall.

"Now, let's see if I can remember the pattern." McGonagall said distractedly, "I'm so used to the London pattern I sometimes forget the others." As she was speaking she raised her wand and tapped the bricks in what I noticed to be a diamond shape. As we watched the bricks began to fold back on themselves, opening a door for us to walk through.

Once we had crossed into the street I stopped dead and stared. It was absolutely gorgeous! It looked like pictures I had seen in museums of England like 100 years ago, or the picture Papa Weasley showed me from when he was 7 just before he was sent to Canada. All the buildings were tall and brick, but there was something that said "old" to me. I looked up and down the street. Fagin's Fancy Robes, Coulter Quiditch Supply, Canary's Emporium of Magnificent Creatures, Wolks and Ango's.

"We'll start by going to Pixikinin's, it's the Canadian wizard bank. We will be able to exchange your money there." McGonagall said and started walking again, leaving us no option but to follow. As we walked McGonagall discussed wizard money and explained how the bank was run by goblins because they were the most trustworthy with money.

After we got the money McGonagall suggested we start by getting a wand. I immediately agreed, I couldn't wait to actually have a wand like in my dreams!

McGonagall lead us to a store called "Ollivander's" just across from where we entered Valley Street.

"Mr. Ollivander is the best wand maker, in England he is the one everyone goes to. After the Second Wizarding War his son decided to continue his father's legacy but couldn't handle the memories in England, so he came here. It is Mr. Ollivander's daughter who now runs the Diagon Alley store." McGonagall explained to me. I smiled and nodded, although I was curious about the war she mentioned, it couldn't have been very long ago if it was the man's children working now. But, I decided that could wait for another day.

We walked into the store and I was shocked at how many wands there were. There must have been thousands all over the store! As I was staring, again, a man who looked to be my dad's age walked over. He was thin with dirty blond hair and a twinkle in his brown eyes.

"Hello, my name is Allistor Ollivander, are you getting a wand for school?" The man asked me with a smile.

"Yes." I squeaked excitedly. "I'm going to Hogwarts!"

The man's eyebrows raised and I recognized surprise on his face. "Wow, aren't you lucky! What's your name?"

"Ellani Weasley," I said quietly. Again, the man's eyebrows shot up and he looked up at McGonagall, who I saw shook her head a tiny bit. Well that's odd.

"Well Miss Weasley, how about we find you a wand?" Mr. Ollivander said once he had recovered from whatever had just happened. I nodded excitedly.

45 minutes later and I still didn't have a wand. I had tried maybe 100 wands already and was beginning to think I wouldn't find one. Suddenly, Mr. Ollivander looked at me sharply and wandered to the very back of the shop. When he came back to where I was sitting (I was exhausted after trying so many wands so I had to sit down) he handed me a really old box, so old it looked like it would fall apart in his hands.

"This is a very very special wand. It was one of the very first wands my grandfather had made. It has never chosen a witch or wizard, much like the other 3 it was created with. When I left England my father told me I needed to bring one of the original 4 with me just in case." He explained as he opened the box.

He handed me the wand and immediately golden sparks flew out of it! But then it started to glow, brighter, and brighter, until I was glowing too! I was shocked beyond words, and I could tell by the looks on McGonagall and Mr. Ollivander's faces that they were too. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I had a wand!

"That is a 9 ½ inch wand made out of cedar, slightly pliable. The core is made up of phoenix feather and a single strand of badger hair. It is an exact replica of Helga Hufflepuff's wand, one of the founders of Hogwarts. I expect you are going to become a great witch Miss Weasley, I wish you all the best!" Mr. Ollivander said, a little shakily.

I smiled proudly as mom and dad paid for the wand and we left the shop. The rest of the day was a blur. We got all my books from Wolks and Ango's, a black owl who I named Helga (I thought it was cool since my wand was like Helga Hufflepuff's), and a bunch of other stuff. The only thing I was a little bit sad about was that McGonagall told me about a book, Hogwarts: A History, which explained everything about Hogwarts, but it was not sold in Canada since most of the Canadian witches and wizards went to the American school. I guess that explains the surprise on Mr. Ollivander's face when I told him I was going to Hogwarts. I asked McGonagall why I was invited to Hogwarts instead of the American one. She looked panicked for a second before she hid it and said it was because my grandfather was from England so my name had been recorded by the British Ministry of Magic. I knew she was hiding something, I mean why would my grandfather's birthplace have anything to do with what school I would go to? But, I decided to let it go. By the time we got home I was so exhausted I didn't even make it upstairs, I fell asleep on the couch.

A/N: Thank you so much Extremepenguin10 for the support! This is my first ever fanfic so I would appreciate reviews and critiques to keep going. I am going to try and update as quickly as I can, but life may get in the way. Thanks!