Jackie sat on a bench, eating a cheeseburger. Turns out, her calculations with money had not been correct. According to what her new calculations showed, she only had money for 3 more days worth of cheeseburgers. So maybe, this had not been her best ideia. But for now, she was content to just savor the taste of her meal.

"Ah, there you are!" a voice called out from her right. She nearly dropped her burguer and ran, thinking it was her mother but it was just a random english lady she didn't know. "You must be Jackie, correct?

"Um… who are you, lady?"

"My name is Christina Cartwell. I'm from the Department of Supervision and Protection of Underage Magic-Users in Peril." She gave out her business card. Jackie stared at it like it was an alien. " ...Or SPUMP for short."

"You've gotta be shitting me." was Jackie's response.

"Quite the vocabulary, Ms. McAllister." Christina smiled.

"How do you know my name?"

"You and your family have been under observation for the past couple of weeks since you turned your community pool red." Christina said. Jackie's mouth dropped open.

"How-?"

"Magical disturbances in the muggle world are a serious issue. Did you not find it odd that no one in your neighborhood has mentioned the incident?"

"I thought they were just avoiding me…" Jackie said, staring out into the distance.

"Well, anyway, it has also come to my attention that you are not getting along with your parents." Christina handed Jackie the note she had left on top of her desk a few hours before. Jackie's face shifted and her head hung low. "Care to tell me what has been going on?"

Jackie bit her lip, her head still low. She didn't seem to be able to form the right words.

"You don't have to tell me right now. I have a better idea. Jackie, do you know what you are?"

"A freak?"

"No, silly. You're a witch. You're special. You're naturally gifted with the power to change the world around you."

"That doesn't even make sense. I knew you looked kinda crazy. Anyway, I gotta go. Stranger danger and all that. See ya." Jackie suddenly recollected herself and stood up from the bench, beginning to walk away.

Christina smiled, concentrated and let magic flow from the center of her chest an out through her wand. Out from its tip, a wildcat made of brilliant white light came out and followed Jackie. It tugged on her socks with a sharp meow.

"What the heck?" Jackie turned back to look at Christina, who was now levitating a tree branch in the air in front of her.

"You're not alone, Jackie. I'm here to help."

Maggie looked up through the display window with big eyes. She tried to memorize every detail of the Varápidos broom exposed in the front of the store. It's sharp curves and wonderful woodwork. She had read about these brooms in Quidditch Through the Ages, the book Ginny had given to her on her ninth birthday. However, it was entirely different to see one up close. It was the official broom of the Brazilian National Quidditch League, one of the best teams in the world. For a moment she closed her eyes and imagined herself flying on top of it, over Diagon Alley's busy streets.

"Come along, Margaret."

"Sorry, Nana." Maggie woke from her daydream and shuffled along after taking just one last look at the marvelous broom.

"Come now, carry your new pet. He's to be your responsibility from now on, do you understand?"

"Yes, Nana."

"Sweet girl. Have you decided on a name?"

They both looked inside the small cage. Inside, a small furry fruit bat started at them.

"Not sure. I'll keep thinking."

"Hey, Nana!" Teddy sprinted seamingly from nowhere, startling them both just a bit. "Harry says I can have some candy but he said to ask you first."

"Yes you may. Tell him to get some for Margaret as well."

"Sherbert Lemons and Assorted Sours please." Maggie said.

"Cool! Thank you, Nana!" And like a bullet with blue hair, Teddy ran back into the candy shop.

Soon, Harry, Ginny, little Lilly and Teddy stepped out with bags full, clearly having bought more candy than necessary. If Andromeda noticed, she pretended not to.

"Come along children, we saved the best for last." Nana set the pace for the group. Teddy was already bouncing, his hair changing color depending on which candy he ate.

"So what house do you think you'll be sorted into?" Teddy asked, taking a lick at his lollipop.

"I don't know. What do you think?" Maggie said.

"I think you'll be in Ravenclaw, because you're a know it all" Teddy said.

Maggie huffed. "It's not my fault you don't like to read."

Teddy laughed a bit. "I want to be a Hufflepuff like mom or Gryffindor like dad." He shrugged. "But I guess any house is cool. Just to be going at all is what's important right?"

"What do you think will be the best part?" Maggie asked, offering her twin one of her sours.

"Making new friends and discovering the castle I think. Harry always said the best part of Hogwarts was making friends." Teddy made a face at the lemon sour, his hair turning bright green. Maggie hung her head down a bit. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just anxious, I think". Maggie bit her lip. She wasn't as outgoing as Teddy was. Growing up all the friend's Maggie had made had just been because her brother had befriended them and introduced his sister. Thinking about being in a different house than him made her palms begin to sweat.

"Don't be silly! There's nothing to be anxious about, only excited!" He smiled at her.

"I hope we end up in the same house." Maggie said.

"Me too." Teddy smiled.

A flash of light interrupted their talk. It blinded them both for a bit, Teddy's hair turning white.

"Mr. Potter! A few words for the Daily Prophet?" A reporter spoke from beside his photographer.

"Not today. Excuse me, I am with my family." Harry tried to get away, but they stepped into his personal space.

"What are your thoughts on the Dolohov capture?"

"No comment." He glanced nervously at his godchildren.

"Were you personally involved in the case? Can we expect to see you in court tomorrow to give testimony on Antonin Dolohov's brutal crimes?

"No comment. Please, I stepped down from my position as Auror years ago."

"Are you relieved that the murderer of your godchildren's father is finally behind bars?"

"Enough!" Ginny interrupted. "You better leave our family alone before I hex both of you. Bug off. Now!"

Both men whimpered off, Ginny's yelling also catching the attention of a few people in the crowded square. Ginny huffed triumphantly and started them off as they went.

"I'm so glad you're my wife." Harry hugged her from behind and kissed her on the cheek, making her frown instantly melt away.

Maggie looked up at Andromeda, gauging her response to the whole ordeal with the reporters. She seemed to be as distant as Maggie was, like remembering a sad memory. Her eyes almost seemed to shine with tears for just a brief moment. However, as soon as she noticed she was being observed by Maggie, she recolected herself.

"Come along." She said, as she usually did while they were in public. Though her voice was not as firm as it usually was.

I have to read the Daily Prophet when I get home. Maggie decided in her head.

"What was that all about? Witches have paparazzi too?" Jackie asked. She shook her head a bit, trying to relieve a bit of her headache.

"You'll find Muggles and Wizards have much more in common with each other than they have differences." Christina answered.

Jackie scratched her head as she watched the family go inside one of the shops. Christina had given her a complete tour of the Wizarding World of London, some brief history of the past few years and a bit about the wizarding community in the United States. Jackie felt exhausted already, like she couldn't wake up from this weird dream that was giving her a headache.

"That man was Harry Potter. Do you remember what I told you about him?"

"Volder-something tried to kill him as a baby but he didn't die." Jackie frowned. "I mean, I get that Volder-something is supposed to be scary, but I mean… how hard can it be to kill a baby?"

"You'll read more about him in your history lessons." Christina chuckled. "Now, let's go get your most important instrument as a witch: your wand."

"Like one of yours?"

"Yes, but your very own, unique wand. It is said that a wand chooses its owner and not the other way around, so make sure its an ideal match before we make the purchase, alright?"

"But how will I know it's the right one?" Jackie asked.

"Trust me, you'll know. And besides, you'll have my help and also the wandmakers. Ollivanders is a centuries old wandmaking family. They sell wands all over the world, so you won't be stuck with a bad wand, I assure you."

"Cool. Will I be able to blow stuff up?" Jackie said.

"Most certainly." Christina said, making Jackie's face light up with a smile. "But only on your third year of study, fortunately. Come along."

Jackie groaned in disapointment, but followed anyway.

The shop was quite busy, but not as much as it had been a few hours earlier when they had first arrived at Diagon Alley. It was already past noon and most of the shoppers had taken a break to eat lunch.

Maggie and Teddy looked up with bright eyes at the stacks upon stacks of boxes, all containing a unique wand, made just to fit their needs. Mr. Ollivander greeted them with a warms smile. He was old and slow to move, but his eyes were still full of energy. He greeted Harry and Ginny with fond smiles, but proceeded quickly to search for the twin's wands with the help of his son.

As he was in the back of the store, the bell chimed above the door, signalling new customers. Maggie eyed them, one was a woman. She had brown hair and eyes and wore a fashionable suit. The other was about Maggie's age, but taller. She had dark skin and and big curly hair. She also wore a sports team cap that Maggie was unfamiliar with, turned backwards on her head. They looked nothing alike, so Maggie assumed that they were not related or the girl was adopted.

"Ah, Ms. Cartwell." Mr. Ollivander said. "How is your wand? Still serving you well as an Auror?"

"I'm not an Auror anymore, Mr. Ollivander, but yes. My wand has not failed me once, I doubt it will start now."

"And who is this?" He gesture towards the girl.

"I'm Jackie." The girl held out her hand and Mr. Ollivander shook it, quite delighted.

"Firm grip, firm eyes…hm…" He set down to boxes of wands on the counter in front of Maggie and Teddy. "Go on and give them a whirl while I get back."

Maggie grabbed her wand first. It was a pretty wand, with intricate designs and a sharp white color and she was eager to try. However, it proved not to be the right wand for her. As soon as it was in her hands, it shot out a bright pink light that bounced around the room, knocking over a few objects. Teddy's first try was also not good, as he exploded the lamp in the center of the roof.

Ollivander came back with a few more wands for them to try. He handed Jackie her box and she opened it. It was a dark brown color with wisps of grey. Jackie took it into her hand, admiring its craftsmanship as it fit perfectly, it's texture just rough enough so it would not slip out of her hand with ease. She gave it a flick and soon every pen laying around in the room transformed into dragonflies of all different colors, dancing around the room. After a few moments, they turned into pens again, falling onto the wooden floor with soft clacks.

Jackie stared at her wand in awe, smiling. The pure wonder of it was enough to leave her standing there, bemused. In a life always full of science, logic and explanations for everything, there were not many moments that she could say she experience this kind of feeling. There was no need for explanation, this wand was hers.

"Beautiful. Fir does make most remarkable effects when in purposeful hands. Only some have the resilience, focus and strength of character to hold this wand. It is also said that this wand is attracted to wizards and witches with a talent for transfiguration." He winked at her. Christina smiled, satisfied and payed for the wand with SPUMP resources.

Teddy and Maggie remained there for quite some time after Jackie had gotten her wand. Christina turned to call the girl so they could continue their shopping, but Jackie had already taken up conversation with the twins, laughing as Teddy changed his hair and Maggie created disastrous effects with all the wands handed to her.

When one of the wands finally chose Teddy, its effects were dazzling. A series of sparks like small fireworks popped out of his wand. They were harmless to the touch, but still retained the exciting sensory effect of seeing a miniature light show.

Jackie hooted in excitement at the display, making Christina smile, somewhat relieved. The girl had been through a lot of hardship recently and Christina worried how well she would assimilate with the magical world. It seemed she had a natural ability to make friends, as she was already cheering on the boy and smiling at his sister.

While everyone cheered for Teddy, Maggie shifted her weight between her feet slightly She picked up another wand, then another and another, and Maggie could feel her palms begging to sweat. She could sense the eyes on her from everyone following her. Harry checked his watch a few times and Lilly began to cry. To make things worse, Teddy and Jackie were laughing, showing off their new wands and she couldn't hear what they were talking about. The only one who did not seem to be bored or anxious was Ollivander, who seemed to be staring at her, observing.

"Hm.. Perhaps..." He scratched his chin, trailing off. "I'll be right back."

Maggie fidgeted in her shoes, feeling her toes rubbing of the edges. She could feel her eyes beginning to fill up with tears, but she forced her embarrassment down, though she wondered how long she would be able to keep her tears in.

"Try this one, dear." He handed her one more box. Maggie took a deep breath. She would not cry in front of everyone.

Maggie opened the box, inside lay a brown, plain looking wand. It was dark brown and had a grip that looked perfectly modeled for a firm gripped hand. Perhaps a dueling wand? Her concerns briefly overwhelmed by excitement, she put the wand into her hands.

The effect was instant, not even need a swish or a flick for something to happen. Wind burt through the windows and spun around her. Maggie let out a cry of laughter as the wind wrapped around her and lifted her feet up off the ground for just a moment. It left as quick as at it came, setting her down gently before it went.

"Beautiful!" Ollivander smiled.

"You gotta teach me how to do that!" Jackie said.

"I don't really know how I did it…" Maggie rubbed the back of her head, trying to settle some of her already messy hair back into place. "But I can try!"

"You my girl, are quite observant aren't you? If only I was observant as you, I might have picked the right wand quicker." He smiled. Maggie shrugged, flushing. "My father, Gervaise Ollivander, used to always say, 'you will never fool the cedar carrier,' and I agree. I would go further than my father and say that the wizard or witch well bonded with a cedar wand has the potential to be a frightening adversary, especially to those who tend to underestimate them."

Ollivander's speech immediately made Maggie's expression perk up form the nervous thing she was before. She proudly held her wand as she showed it off to her brother and their new friend. As they chatted, excited, Christina approached the family, who watched the children with amused faces from across the shop.

"Good afternoon, my name is Christina Cartwell." She introduced herself. "I'm from SPUMP-"

"The Department of Supervision and Protection of Underage Magic-Users in Peril." Harry completed, smiling. "Hermione has been all the rage about it since one of her projects has finally been approved by the Ministry. It's a pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand generously.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Potter." Christina smiled back. "Might I suggest we go have lunch together? Although I doubt she'll have much trouble, it's good that Jackie makes new friends to help adjust to her new world."

"Of course." Andromeda nodded. "That seems like a wonderful idea."

Samantha lay on the cot in her holding cell, staring at the ceiling. She had exhausted her tears for the day, as her face felt heavy and her eyes droopy. Yet she could not sleep, tossing and turning, she had lost track of time and didn't know if it was night or day. Her family had been captured from what she had heard, but she did not know when her trial was going to be.

Her thought was interrupted by the magical door being opened from the other side. A young man, dark skin and straight black hair walked in. He wore a modern, clean cut suit with no tie. Sam did not recognize him.

"Hello there." He entered the room and jumped a bit when the door closed behind him. He carried a plastic bag, the type muggles carry around sometimes.

He approached the table in the middle of the room and set down the contents of the plastic bag on top of it. An assortment of treats, biscuits and drinks. Sam perked up a little, though she did her best to hide it.

"Come on, have a seat. I'm not here to interrogate you. I'm here to help." He smiled, and it seemed to sincere, Samantha nearly believed him. He seemed to notice her hesitation. "Really. I'm not with the Ministry. Have a seat and I'll explain everything."

Sam could not run and she could not hide. She glanced at the foodstuffs the man had brought. They were all in colorful plastic packages and she recognized them from muggle stores her parents had robbed to keep them fed. She approached carefully and sat down in front of him.

"I'm Dev Mallick." He extended out his hand. "What's your name?"

"You don't know my name?" Sam asked.

"I do. But I want to know how you like to be called." He said.

"Oh." She had not been expecting that answer. "Sam."

"Lovely. So, Sam, I brought some tasty snacks. I assumed they haven't been giving you things children should have."

Sam nodded. They had only given her normal stale tasting meals, not anything fancy like this. Then again, she had never been allowed many luxuries during most of her life. She began trying the treats and as soon as they hit her taste buds, she felt herself not being so miserable. There was candy, soda, juice, strongly flavored savory biscuits. It was quite nice to be treated like a child and not like a criminal.

"So, now that you seem a bit more cheerful, let me explain why I'm here." He began. "I've been sent here by SPUMP, the Department of Supervision and Protection of Underage Magic-Users in Peril, have you heard of it?"

Sam shook her head, as he assumed she would.

"We help kids that are being treated unfairly or that need assistance to fit in, in magical society. In most cases, we help muggleborn children and their families to get acquainted with the wizarding world but there are other circumstances we deal with too." He paused a moment to check if she was following, and she was. "We got word of your trial and we were appalled at the way you have been mistreated by the Ministry. You were allowed no defense, and they had no parental consent to use the truth potion on you. You were treated unfairly, as you did not commit any crime besides using magic outside of school, which, under some circumstances, is excusable by law."

"What does that mean?"

"That means, Sam, that I will defend you in court. You will not be forced to take the potion again."

Sam visibly relaxed upon hearing that and Dev felt his heart break a little. This child had been through so much already. He decided he would talk to Christina about getting her a counselor.

"I don't have any money." Sam said, quietly.

"You don't have to worry about that. SPUMP is covering every expense." He said. It was a half truth, as he wasn't getting paid at all to do this, but he did not need to go through the details with the girl.

"Why?" She asked. Dev's heart sank a little more.

"Because, Sam. Everyone deserves a second chance." Dev smiled and for the first time, Samantha smiled back, if only for just a second. It was enough for now.