Annabelle woke with a start. It was six o' seven. She still had two hours
until Mary-Beth would be coming for her. She yawned and stretched and made
her way to the shower. When she got out, it was seven fifteen. With forty-
five minutes left, she had nothing to do but check over everything she
packed and made sure nothing was missing. Scrounger began to screech when
Annabelle picked up his cage; he obviously didn't want to be getting up.
"Shut up! You'll wake grandma up!" Annabelle hissed at Scrounger, who tried to make himself comfortable again. It was nearly time to go and Annabelle had to transport everything from upstairs to downstairs. She started off by leaving Scrounger by the door along with her small trunk for the Magic Wand Express Way, the subway that would bring them to their school.
"Annabelle, let us in!" Gary was whispered into the mail slot on the door when she came down with a backpack. Annabelle put her finger to her lips and slowly opened the door.
"Mary-Beth, please bring my trunk, Scrounger, and my backpack to your car. Gary, I need you to help me with my big trunk," she whispered heading back for her room. Gary tiptoed past Annabelle's grandparent's room and let out a big breath when they were safe in Annabelle's room.
"Ready for England?" Gary asked strolling around Annabelle's room. Annabelle pushed some hair out of her face and leaned on her big trunk.
"I guess. It's always been a secret of mine to go to Hogwarts. I think it would be absolutely awesome to go there. Much better then stupid Magic Wand." Gary grabbed the handle on the other side of the trunk and waited for Annabelle.
"Ready and lift," he said lifting the trunk off the ground. Mary-Beth was at the door, holding it open for Gary and Annabelle.
"Hurry up, we have to get to the portkey in like, twenty minutes . . .and it's at a destination of twenty five minutes away!" Mary-Beth said hissing at them. They began to walk a little faster and heaved the trunk into the back of Mary-Beth's mini van. Mr. Hassle smiled at Annabelle and put the pedal to the medal as they sped towards the destination of the portkey.
"Are you excited?" Mrs. Hassle asked Annabelle. Normally Annabelle would have shrugged and nodded but she could resist.
"You better believe it! I couldn't fall asleep last night I was so excited about it! I've always wanted to go to England, where my mom went. Hogwarts. Just imagine going there, the greatest school founded by the greatest wizards and witches of the time. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. And just picture meeting Albus Dumbledor! Oh that is the life I would love to live." Mrs. Hassle smiled warmly and held onto the dashboard tightly while Mr. Hassle made a sharp turn.
"Careful hunny!"
"Oh shut up dear, I know where I'm going."
"No you don't, you-" Annabelle, Gary, and Mary-Beth blocked out Mr. And Mrs. Hassle and began to talk rapidly.
"I can't believe, in like less then ten minutes we'll be in England. If only we could transfer to Hogwarts! I would die, and mother would have been so proud. I always read that Hogwarts, A History book she left me before she died. Its so interesting!" Annabelle beamed, looking out the car window. They sped past the ground zero sight. Red-hot tears filled her eyes and she had to look away. Mary-Beth opened her mouth to speak, but Ms. Hassle jerked the car hard to the left and they were at an alley. They all got out of the car and Mrs. Hassle pulled out her wand. When they were sure no one was looking, she shrunk the car down to size.
"Alright, now looking for an apple core . . .one so disgusting not even a bum would pick it up," Mr. Hassle said lifting a trash can lid.
"Found it!" Gary screamed and pointed to the corner near the back of the alley. They all rushed up to it.
"Hurry, before it closes," Mrs. Hassle instructed. Annabelle smiled and reached out, touching the apple at the top. She closed her eyes and held her breath. She could feel them moving in space, traveling to England. Visions of her mother and Hogwarts came into her mind, the four greatest wizards and witches of all times and-
"Oh I can't believe we are really here!" Annabelle could hear Mary-Beth cry out. She opened her eyes, expecting to find shops and wizards of witches of all ages, but all there was, was a brick wall. A plain old brick wall with a garbage can in front of it. For a moment, she thought they hadn't left the alley in New York at all. She turned her back and saw they were in the alley of a restaurant or bar of some sort. That wasn't there before. When she turned back around, the brick wall was gone and in its place was a long, long path filled with shops and witches and wizards of all ages.
"DIAGON ALLEY!" She said, exploding with joy and pleasure. They were really there, they were really in England.
"This is way better then the subway station underground underground," Gary said in awe.
"First stop, Gringotts!" Mrs. Hassle said, looking for the big main bank.
"Well, are we going in?" Annabelle asked stepping forward. It was like she stepped into a ray of the sun. There was warmth and people buzzing about. This is were she felt like she belong.
"This is so wicked cool," Mary-Beth said. Annabelle looked down and saw that they didn't fit in with the Hogwarts crowd at all. Some people were wearing robes, as if taunting her and saying you'll never be one of us. She bit her lip.
"I want to buy a Hogwarts robe," she said at once. Gary dodged a witch carrying two cages with owls and then shot her a look.
"Hunny, we are from Magic Wand. Why would we want Hogwarts robes?" he asked. Annabelle shrugged. Well, there really wasn't too much of a point of getting a Hogwarts robe, but she wanted one. Mary-Beth stopped at the sweet shop and stared inside.
"Oh man, I'm so hungry! Lets get that European wizard money!" she moaned. Mr. And Mrs. Hassle explain the situation and exchanged five hundred American wizard money for about a thousand dollars worth of European wizard money. Gary presented his key and they all waiting for him while he cleaned out half his grandmother's vault. When he came back, his smile was a mile wide.
"It was like a ride at Disney World! Nothing like the subway cars we take at the underground underground!" Mr. And Mrs. Hassle went to find Mary- Beth's sister, and let the kids roam around.
"Let's talk to some Hogwarts kids! Oh I want them to tell me all about it," she said looking at all the different kids wearing Hogwarts robes. Gary and Mary-Beth began to laugh.
"Come on Annabelle, you're a little too excited. They are normal people, not zoo animals or something," Gary said pulling her to the side by the arm. Mary-Beth nodded in agreement. Annabelle shook her head and rolled her eyes and tried to break free from Gary.
"Oh, let me go," she said trying to draw her arm back but he held it tight, with a smile on his face.
"No way, not unless you promise to calm down," he said; now smirking. She jerked her arm back hard with a scowl but instead of hitting the air, she felt a nose, and a mouth on the back of her hand. Mary-Beth's eyes got wide and Gary gasped. Annabelle closed her eyes and pulled her hand down.
"Bloody hell," a boy with a British accent said behind her. She heard him fall to the ground.
"Oh damn," she muttered.
"Shut up! You'll wake grandma up!" Annabelle hissed at Scrounger, who tried to make himself comfortable again. It was nearly time to go and Annabelle had to transport everything from upstairs to downstairs. She started off by leaving Scrounger by the door along with her small trunk for the Magic Wand Express Way, the subway that would bring them to their school.
"Annabelle, let us in!" Gary was whispered into the mail slot on the door when she came down with a backpack. Annabelle put her finger to her lips and slowly opened the door.
"Mary-Beth, please bring my trunk, Scrounger, and my backpack to your car. Gary, I need you to help me with my big trunk," she whispered heading back for her room. Gary tiptoed past Annabelle's grandparent's room and let out a big breath when they were safe in Annabelle's room.
"Ready for England?" Gary asked strolling around Annabelle's room. Annabelle pushed some hair out of her face and leaned on her big trunk.
"I guess. It's always been a secret of mine to go to Hogwarts. I think it would be absolutely awesome to go there. Much better then stupid Magic Wand." Gary grabbed the handle on the other side of the trunk and waited for Annabelle.
"Ready and lift," he said lifting the trunk off the ground. Mary-Beth was at the door, holding it open for Gary and Annabelle.
"Hurry up, we have to get to the portkey in like, twenty minutes . . .and it's at a destination of twenty five minutes away!" Mary-Beth said hissing at them. They began to walk a little faster and heaved the trunk into the back of Mary-Beth's mini van. Mr. Hassle smiled at Annabelle and put the pedal to the medal as they sped towards the destination of the portkey.
"Are you excited?" Mrs. Hassle asked Annabelle. Normally Annabelle would have shrugged and nodded but she could resist.
"You better believe it! I couldn't fall asleep last night I was so excited about it! I've always wanted to go to England, where my mom went. Hogwarts. Just imagine going there, the greatest school founded by the greatest wizards and witches of the time. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. And just picture meeting Albus Dumbledor! Oh that is the life I would love to live." Mrs. Hassle smiled warmly and held onto the dashboard tightly while Mr. Hassle made a sharp turn.
"Careful hunny!"
"Oh shut up dear, I know where I'm going."
"No you don't, you-" Annabelle, Gary, and Mary-Beth blocked out Mr. And Mrs. Hassle and began to talk rapidly.
"I can't believe, in like less then ten minutes we'll be in England. If only we could transfer to Hogwarts! I would die, and mother would have been so proud. I always read that Hogwarts, A History book she left me before she died. Its so interesting!" Annabelle beamed, looking out the car window. They sped past the ground zero sight. Red-hot tears filled her eyes and she had to look away. Mary-Beth opened her mouth to speak, but Ms. Hassle jerked the car hard to the left and they were at an alley. They all got out of the car and Mrs. Hassle pulled out her wand. When they were sure no one was looking, she shrunk the car down to size.
"Alright, now looking for an apple core . . .one so disgusting not even a bum would pick it up," Mr. Hassle said lifting a trash can lid.
"Found it!" Gary screamed and pointed to the corner near the back of the alley. They all rushed up to it.
"Hurry, before it closes," Mrs. Hassle instructed. Annabelle smiled and reached out, touching the apple at the top. She closed her eyes and held her breath. She could feel them moving in space, traveling to England. Visions of her mother and Hogwarts came into her mind, the four greatest wizards and witches of all times and-
"Oh I can't believe we are really here!" Annabelle could hear Mary-Beth cry out. She opened her eyes, expecting to find shops and wizards of witches of all ages, but all there was, was a brick wall. A plain old brick wall with a garbage can in front of it. For a moment, she thought they hadn't left the alley in New York at all. She turned her back and saw they were in the alley of a restaurant or bar of some sort. That wasn't there before. When she turned back around, the brick wall was gone and in its place was a long, long path filled with shops and witches and wizards of all ages.
"DIAGON ALLEY!" She said, exploding with joy and pleasure. They were really there, they were really in England.
"This is way better then the subway station underground underground," Gary said in awe.
"First stop, Gringotts!" Mrs. Hassle said, looking for the big main bank.
"Well, are we going in?" Annabelle asked stepping forward. It was like she stepped into a ray of the sun. There was warmth and people buzzing about. This is were she felt like she belong.
"This is so wicked cool," Mary-Beth said. Annabelle looked down and saw that they didn't fit in with the Hogwarts crowd at all. Some people were wearing robes, as if taunting her and saying you'll never be one of us. She bit her lip.
"I want to buy a Hogwarts robe," she said at once. Gary dodged a witch carrying two cages with owls and then shot her a look.
"Hunny, we are from Magic Wand. Why would we want Hogwarts robes?" he asked. Annabelle shrugged. Well, there really wasn't too much of a point of getting a Hogwarts robe, but she wanted one. Mary-Beth stopped at the sweet shop and stared inside.
"Oh man, I'm so hungry! Lets get that European wizard money!" she moaned. Mr. And Mrs. Hassle explain the situation and exchanged five hundred American wizard money for about a thousand dollars worth of European wizard money. Gary presented his key and they all waiting for him while he cleaned out half his grandmother's vault. When he came back, his smile was a mile wide.
"It was like a ride at Disney World! Nothing like the subway cars we take at the underground underground!" Mr. And Mrs. Hassle went to find Mary- Beth's sister, and let the kids roam around.
"Let's talk to some Hogwarts kids! Oh I want them to tell me all about it," she said looking at all the different kids wearing Hogwarts robes. Gary and Mary-Beth began to laugh.
"Come on Annabelle, you're a little too excited. They are normal people, not zoo animals or something," Gary said pulling her to the side by the arm. Mary-Beth nodded in agreement. Annabelle shook her head and rolled her eyes and tried to break free from Gary.
"Oh, let me go," she said trying to draw her arm back but he held it tight, with a smile on his face.
"No way, not unless you promise to calm down," he said; now smirking. She jerked her arm back hard with a scowl but instead of hitting the air, she felt a nose, and a mouth on the back of her hand. Mary-Beth's eyes got wide and Gary gasped. Annabelle closed her eyes and pulled her hand down.
"Bloody hell," a boy with a British accent said behind her. She heard him fall to the ground.
"Oh damn," she muttered.