Alicia Cecelia stood in the road in front of Dane's house. He was coming out to meet her.
"Dane," she said, and he stopped walking, "I'm moving to England."
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Probably not."
Alicia Cecelia didn't know how Dane would react, but just in case he was about to go crazy, she added,
"However: Here is my new address. If you feel you must, you can write me." She handed Dane the piece of paper and turned to walk back to her house. Dane threw himself on her and kissed her cheek. Alicia Cecelia pushed him away.
"Dane! You know I don't like that kind of thing."
"Oh, come on, Alicia Cecelia! We're almost teenagers. We're gonna have to do it someday."
"Actually, Dane, no, we won't. That's not to say that I won't do it someday, but, no, we don't have to. And I don't want to! I don't like you!"
Alicia Cecelia turned and walked down the street, disgusted and shaking the cooties off herself.
From the tire swing in their front yard, Jennifer Alicia said,
"I saw."
"You saw what?"
"I saw what Dane did. Why did he do that?" Alicia Cecelia sighed.
"He's so eager to grow up. But he doesn't even know what that means."
"Oh, why can't Dane like me!"
"Because, you're six. If he were to do that stuff with you, it wouldn't be anything like growing up, as he sees it. But I know that doesn't make you feel any better."
"It's not as if I'm smitten with him." There was a lull in the conversation.
"I found someone I want to be friends with," Jennifer Alicia said, introducing a new and nicer topic.
"Oh yeah? Someone who lives in our neighborhood?"
"No, but she goes to Hogwarts. Her name is Ginny Weasley."
"Weasley … That name sounds familiar."
"Yeah. She's Ronald Weasley's younger sister, and Ron is friends with Harry Potter."
"Oh, that's right! I read that in the Directory of Wizards."
"Ginny will be a 5th year this September."
"What!? You think a 15 year old is going to be friends with you?" Alicia Cecelia began laughing.
"You think Harry Potter and the other sixth years are going to be friends with you? You've got just as must chance as I have."
"That's not true. I'll at least be in school with them. You won't. Kids don't start at Hogwarts until their 11." Jennifer Alicia groaned.
"Don't remind me! You're going to be a million years ahead of me in magic!"
"Don't worry! I'll teach you in the summers." Jennifer Alicia stopped to think.
"But I don't even have a wand yet. What if I don't have one by the time I'm 11?"
"Oh, don't be silly, you will! If it gets right down to it, you could just do it the Europe way."
"What do you mean?"
"They don't find their wands like we do. They go and buy them in a store. It seems to me, the magic couldn't be as efficient that way, but they've been doing it that way forever, so I guess it works."
"I don't want to buy a wand! It won't be just for me!"
"That's not necessarily true. You'll try out a whole bunch of wands at the store and you'll take the one that fits you the best. The proprietors of wand stores know what they're doing. It'll be all right."
"If I go by their method, I will certainly have to wait until I am 11 to start learning magic."
"I don't think that's true. I think some kids learn a little bit of magic before they start school. I bet you can even buy a wand as soon as we get there."
Jennifer Alicia lapsed into silence and Alicia Cecelia knew the conversation was over.
