Chapter 6

Rose had been convinced that she would not be able to sleep, but suddenly it was dawn and weak light was filtering in through her bedroom curtains. She glanced at the clock next to her bed: 6:27, she did not need to be up for another hour, but she had been woken by the butterflies in her stomach. She remembered her dreams this morning, and they had been full of flight. Normally in her dreams she simply floated and soared about, but this times she had ridden on a broomstick as she wizzed high above the ground. She wondered if she would play Quidditch when she got to Hogwarts.

She tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but to no avail. Rose sat up and regarded her bookshelf. On the middle shelf were her Harry Potter books, a box set that her parents has given her as a birthday present the year before. Of course the best possible preparation for going to Diagon Alley would be to read about it, so Rose moved to get out of bed. But then she had a better idea. She looked at the book, stared at it, imagined it lifting off of the shelf and floating towards her outstretched arm…

And nothing happened.

Rose's heart sped up and her breath turned shallow. She tried again. And again. With each successive attempt she became more rattled. After a few minutes of trying in vain to levitate the book she jumped out of bed and ran into her parents room in a panic.

Charlotte and William were curled around each other on their bed, fast asleep, but with the sound of Rose's footsteps on the wood floors they stirred. William, who was on the side of the bed closest to the door opened his eyes.

"What's the matter?" He muttered, his voice thick with sleep.

"It's not working!" Rose cried, "I-I can't do magic anymore." She swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Rosie?" Charlotte rolled over. "What are you talking about?"

"Remember how I moved the book with my mind?"

"Oh my god, that was real." Charlotte realized. She sat up.

"Well, I t-tried to do it again this morning, but I couldn't. I tried like ten times, but it didn't work." She threw herself onto the bed. Both of her parents moved to hug her.

"Rosie," Charlotte started, "I think these little spurts of wandless magic are spontaneous and random. Or at least that's what I remember from the books."

"It means nothing about your abilities, don't worry. Ok?" William reassured her.

"Are, are you sure?" Rose hiccuped.

"No." William admitted, "But you got hit by a speeding car last year and survived without a scratch, and if that's not magical I don't know what is."

"That's a really good point," Charlotte said, "I guess that's what you weren't hurt. Everything is illuminated!" Rose laughed, her panic ebbing.

"Sorry for waking you."

"Parents are actually designed to be woken at ungodly hours," William joked. "But if you don't mind terribly we will head back to sleep for a bit longer." Rose nodded, accepted her parents kisses, and went back to her room.

She lay on top of her duvet and tried to sleep, but soon gave up. She wandered over to her wardrobe. Feeling slightly silly she stepped into it and pushed against the back wall. If Hogwarts was real, maybe Narnia was as well. But her hand only encountered wood. She laughed and backed out. Rose regarded her assembled clothes. She normally did not care at all what she wore: to school it was her uniform and during holidays and weekends she wore jeans and whatever shirt was at the top of her drawer, but today was a momentous occasion and she thought she should wear something special. She had a pair of fancy dres robes she's worn for Halloween the year before, but that seemed silly. Jeans would have to do, she hoped she wouldn't look too much like a muggle.

Rose, Charlotte, and William piled into the car. Ash was staying behind, Hermione had apologized and said that he technically wasn't allowed in Diagon Alley. He had accepted the news graciously and requested a full report when they returned. This also meant he was able to sleep past 7:30, which he was very pleased about.

They drove in silence, Charlotte concentrating on the road while William fiddled with the radio. The Beatles filled the car and they all hummed along. Rose sat on her hands and tried not to fidget too much. She had not eaten breakfast, her stomach had churned at the thought of food. As they neared the address Hermione had given them, Charlotte began looking for a place to park.

"Apparating would be so much easier than this, and greener. How rude of the wizarding world to not share their green technology, save the earth!" Charlotte grumbled. Rose and William laughed. "But honestly Rosie, you should bring it up to someone."

"It probably violates all those secrecy statutes, Mum."

"Good point, but I do love complaining." After a great deal of grumbling, turning, and quiet cursing that Rose was able to hear, they finally found a spot. They walked a few minutes to the address and immediately saw Hermione standing out front. She saw them and waved.

"Good morning Watsons!" She said with a smile. "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron."

"Are you sure this is it?" William asked. "It looked abandoned."

"Oh good, the charms still work. It appears pretty dilapidated to muggles. I promise it's safe, come on in." She led them into the dim interior. As they entered she reached into her bag and pulled out a long blue cloak which she quickly put on.

Despite the unimposing exterior, the pub was lively and filled with people. The tables were populated with witches and wizards, all dressed in a colorful assortment of robes and cloaks. The air was filled with the smell of fresh bread and the sounds of laughter, chatter, and clanking from the kitchen. As they entered many people turned to look, and their gazes lingered. Many turned to their companions and spoke in hushed voices as they looked over their shoulders at the small group.

"I can't tell if their whispering because you're famous or because we're so obviously muggles." William said. Hermione laughed.

"It's probably a combination. One of the hazards of having your face on a chocolate frog card."

"Can we buy some?" Rose's face lit up.

"Of course, but first we should probably get the essentials."

"Hermione," Charlotte's voice was serious, "there is something you should know about our family now, chocolate is an essential." They all laughed.

"Well, in that case, we'd best get moving." She led them to the back of the pub and into a small courtyard with a brick wall. Hermione pulled out her wand from within the folds of her cloak and tapped it against the bricks. The bricks ground against one another and they slowly slid aside to reveal a wide and bustling avenue.

"Oh my." Rose said, her eyes wide.

"Rose, welcome to Diagon Alley."