About a week after Rose's birthday mum and dad decided, since it was already the start of August, the 8th to be precise, they should go down to London and get Rose's school things.

Following the directions on the parchment they'd been given on Rose's birthday, they headed off. They parked on a normal looking street and there, just between a book shop and a record shop, Rose spotted it. The Leaky Cauldron. She stared at the dingy looking little pub and her mum and dad watched her, utterly confused.

"Do you see something, Rose?" mum asked.

"Yeah," Rose said, "can't you?"

"No," Dad replied, looking down at the parchment. "But it should be right here..."

"It is!" Rose insisted, she took both of her parents by the hand and began to take them towards the pub. Her dad let out a gasp, as if he'd suddenly noticed a whole building appear in front of his eyes.

"That's amazing," mum whispered.

"Let's go, let's go!" Rose quipped, keeping hold of their hands, as apparently contact with Rose was what allowed them access to the place.

They entered the pub and looked around. There were very few people. Her dad walked up to the barman, followed quickly by Rose and her mum.

"Hello," he said conversationally "Tom, right? I was told you could help us out."

The barman looked at the little family and something clicked. He smiled slightly from one Rivers to the other.

"Muggle born, about to start her first year?" Tom asked.

"Yeah," Rose answered. Tom nodded and then looked back at her dad.

"You'll need help getting into Diagon Alley since your daughter doesn't have a wand yet," he said. "I do this sort of thing every year. Follow me."

Tom led them out the back door and out into a courtyard where there was nothing but weeds and a dustbin. Rose looked confused and Tom smiled at her again.

"Pay attention, young one." Tom said, taking a wand out of his pocket which Rose regarded with keen interest, she was super excited to get one of her own. "You'll need to know this." He walked over to the dustbin and continued. "Three up and two across," he told Rose. "Tap it with your wand like so." He tapped the brick and then the amazing happened. The wall began to expand and contort until it became a huge archway leading to a cobbled street that twisted and winded out of sight. The three Rivers all let out gasps of amazement and Rose squealed in delight.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Tom said brightly, chuckling at the wonder painted all over Rose's face. He then turned to her father.

"First place you'll want to go is Gringotts, the wizarding bank. You'll be able to change your money there. Big white building, you can't miss it. Fair warning though, the staff are all goblins."

Rose wondered what goblins might be like. This world she was getting into was becoming more and more like a story from a book every moment.

Dad nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Tom," he said gratefully

"Yeah thanks," Rose squeaked. Tom waved them off and headed back inside the pub. Rose and her parents stepped through the archway which faded back into a solid wall behind them. Rose was looking around quickly, clinging to her mum's hand. This was amazing! The shops, everything outside them and even the people doing their shopping. Everything was so new and interesting that Rose didn't know where to look first. They passed a shop in which broomsticks were displayed. She wondered if dad would get her one as an extra birthday gift but then she remembered that her letter had said first-years weren't allowed them. Rose pouted a bit. Rules were no fun sometimes. They also passed a shop called Eyelop's Owl Emporium. An owl? Maybe dad would get her one of those. Professor McGonagall had told them all about how owls carried mail in the wizarding world. She grinned, that usefulness might just end up getting her first pet.

Eventually they reached the bank, a huge snow white building that towered over all the others. It was staffed by the oddest creatures Rose had ever seen, shorter than her but not by too much with pointed ears and long fingers and feet.

Rose and her mum waited as dad went to a free goblin looking kind of awkward as he spoke to him about exchanging money. Rose noticed another family that seemed to be doing the same thing as they were. The girl looked about her age with bushy brown hair quite similar to her own.

"Hey mum," Rose said, pointing at the girl, "can I go say hello?"

Her mum considered it and then nodded, Rose would need friends in her new world after all. "Just stay close."

Rose nodded and scampered off over to the other girl who was looking around, just as starstruck as Rose was feeling herself. Another muggle-born perhaps?

"Hi," Rose said, smiling at the girl who looked around in shock.

"Oh, hello there," she said awkwardly.

"My name's Roselynn Rivers. Rose for short, what about you?"

"Hermione. Hermione Granger," the girl answered. She sounded taken aback by Rose's kindness as if she wasn't used to people being friendly to her.

"Amazing, this, isn't it?" Rose said, gesturing around at the bank. Hermione nodded, finally seeming to get comfortable.

"It really is! I couldn't believe it at first when I found out, but of course I was pleased. I'm so excited to get started, there'll be so much to learn though it makes me nervous, I want to do well but I don't know if I can. I'm gonna have to do a lot of studying just like I did back in..you know..in muggle school-" Hermione looked slightly awkward at using the word and it rang strange in Rose's ears as well. She still wasn't quite used to it. "-and maybe I'll do okay," she spoke very fast and Rose had a bit of trouble keeping up but Hermione seemed kind of nice even if a bit geeky with all her talk about studying hard. School had always come fairly easy to Rose and she wondered if magic school would be a lot more difficult. She began to get a bit nervous about the studying herself.

"Done," her dad called suddenly. "Come along, pup. Lots to get done...Oh. Have you made a friend already?"

"Yeah," said Rose and Hermione looked a bit shocked.

Hermione's parents had finished their business as well and came over. After a bit of talking they all decided to stick together. Both girls were delighted by that.

They all went through the shops getting what they needed. Hermione had especially enjoyed the bookshop and had asked to get some extras for an early birthday present. Rose also ended up getting her owl. A stormy grey one she'd decided to call Phantom. Potions ingredients, robes, cauldrons, scales, everything the girls needed. Finally the last thing they needed was...their wands.

"This is what I was really looking forward to," Rose told Hermione excitedly as they walked towards Ollivander's wand shop and Hermione nodded in agreement

"Yeah. It's the most important thing, isn't it?" she answered.

They entered and Rose felt as if the very air was charged with magic. Hermione's eyes were wide as she looked around at the stacked boxes around the shop. Mr. Ollivander, the shop keeper, greeted them and explained that the wand chose the witch and they would have to find their wands among the hundreds in the shop

"So...who would like to be first?" Mr. Ollivander asked. Rose and Hermione looked uncertainly at one another but finally Hermione stepped forward.

"I will," she said, suddenly sounding a bit confident.

Mr. Ollivander began handing her wands to try. It took quite a few…and then finally one of the wands let out a couple of red sparks and Hermione looked delighted she scampered over to Rose with her new wand in her hand and grinned.

"Your turn, dear," Mr Ollivander said to Rose.

"Go on," Hermione encouraged.

"How will I know when it's the right one?" Rose whispered back.

"You'll know, trust me."

Rose stepped forward and began trying wands. She'd gone through a few, more than Hermione had, and she started to get nervous. What if none of the wands picked her? That would be awful.

Mr. Ollivander seemed delighted though, as if he loved the challenge. He finally brought out a wand that had a little dragon carved into the handle. Rose tilted her head at it. Could it possibly be?

"Silver Lime and Dragon heartstring," Mr. Ollivander said "Twelve and three quarter inches..bendy. Try that one, dear."

Rose took the wand and knew instantly that it was the one. A warmth spread from her fingertips down her arm. She waved the wand confidently and yellow and green sparks shot from it with a small bang. Hermione, Mum, Dad and Mr. and Mrs. Granger clapped. Rose's face split into a wide grin. She'd done it.

Once they'd paid for the wands, the two families headed back to the Leaky Cauldron and back into muggle London. Rose gave Hermione a quick hug which the other girl reciprocated.

"See you at school?" Rose asked.

"You know it." Hermione said keenly.

Once Rose and her parents returned home, Rose went up to her room and got Phantom settled in his cage on top of her chest of drawers. Perhaps she'd start writing to Hermione.

She then pulled out some of her books and looked through them with a bit of interest. Wow, this all looked so complicated. More complicated than anything she'd studied before. Maybe this would be harder than she thought. Rose sighed and put her things away as mum called her for dinner. No need to worry. She'd do just fine...hopefully.