Thank You again to my two awesome Beta Readers, Emica and Lauren. I'd be lost without you!

DISCLAIMER J.K. Rowling owns HP and all the characters therein. I do own the Standish family, but nothing else.

Diagon Alley was one of Michelle's favorite places to visit. Even before Diana had started school at Hogwarts, John would occasionally bring his daughters with him when he needed shopping done.

Of course, Michelle was all the more excited now that she was at Diagon Alley to shop for herself. Shopping for robes and a cauldron hadn't really thrilled her, but picking out a small gray kitten for her very own had made the day worthwhile.

Ollivanders had taken her breath away. It didn't take long for her to find her wand: nine inches, made of willow with Unicorn hair. As soon as she had picked it up, she felt a great light flow through her. She didn't ask what it cost, somehow sensing that with wands, price didn't matter.

Michelle, Diana and their parents left Ollivanders and headed for one of the last stops of the day: Flourish and Blotts. But they hadn't made it halfway out of the door before –

"Diana!"

Diana spun around, an excited look beaming on her face. Michelle peered around her older sister to see a Gryffindor-robed older boy running towards them.

'That grin is so cute!' Michelle thought. 'I wonder who he is?' She caught the confused looks of her mother and father and knew that they didn't know the boy either.

"Diana!" the cute Gryffindor said again when he reached them. Michelle couldn't help but wish he would say more than just her sister's name. His speech was marked with a strong Scottish accent that made Michelle's heart flutter.

Diana threw her arms around him. "Oliver!" she cried. "Where have you been?"

"At Quality Quidditch Supplies, drooling over the Nimbus 2001s," he replied with a happy glint in his eyes.

Giggling, Diana only answered, "I should have known!"

The boy, Oliver Diana had called him, grinned that grin again. "I'm just thinking about the upcoming season! We didn't lose any players last year and this is one of the best teams Gryffindor has seen in years!"

"Alright, alright!" Diana sighed affectionately as Oliver rubbed her hand.

"Ahem," John cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows at his elder daughter.

"Oh!" Diana cried, blushing. "Um, Oliver? Theses are my parents."

"John Standish," he said, shaking Oliver's hand. "And this is my wife Marie."

"Hello!" Marie said softly.

"Uh, hello. I'm Oliver Wood," he replied, a nervous stutter marring his beautiful Scottish speech.

"A Gryffindor man, I see," John remarked. "I was a Gryffindor myself!" he stated proudly. Oliver, obviously at a loss for what to say, only nodded uncertainly.

"How did you meet Diana, Oliver?" asked Marie, trying to save the boy from her occasionally overbearing husband.

"I met him at a Quidditch match!" Diana quickly said. "Oliver's Captain of Gryffindor's team!" It was her turn to be proud.

Michelle just watched the whole interaction curiously. Watching people always intrigued her. Some people would probably call her nosy, but she preferred the term observant.

After ten minutes or so, John was satisfied that Oliver seemed acceptable for his daughter. Oliver and Diana shared a rather adorable parting of ways and the family was off toward Flourish and Blotts.

"Diana?" Michelle whispered as the two girls trailed their parents.

"What?"

"Is Oliver your boyfriend?"

Diana just giggled, blushed, and nodded. "But shh!" she whispered, putting a finger to her lips. Michelle nodded and the two sisters giggled endlessly.

Flourish and Blotts was a madhouse when the Standish family reached the storefront. Throngs of witches and wizards packed the building.

"What in the world?" Michelle heard her father mutter.

Diana gasped. "Look!"

Michelle looked. A huge banner over the door read:

GILDEROY LOCKHART

will be signing copies of his autobiography

MAGICAL ME

today 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Under the sign was a picture of Lockhart on a poster that grinned with lights flashing behind him.

"I can't believe he's really here! He's here right now!" Diana squealed.

Her father rolled his eyes. "Oh no…not my own daughter!"

"What?" asked Diana innocently.

"You fancy that bumbling oaf Lockhart!"

"Everyone does! And he's not bumbling!" Diana retorted, leaping to her idol's defense. "I'm gonna go meet him!" She was gone into the crowd before anyone could say a word.

Michelle thought it was all amusing. She made fun of her sister's growing Lockhart obsession all the time.

"Marie, Michelle, you two wait here," John said. "I'll try to drag her out and pick up the books."

So Michelle and her mother waited outside, every once and a while peeking in at the crowd. It was boring. Michelle gazed around the store so much that she'd memorized all she could see.

Then he was there on the balcony.

He looked straight at her, smiled a little. Her head spun. Light shone off of his silver-blonde hair. A silver and green patch glittered from his black robes.

Neither one broke eye contact. At first his eyes seemed hard, cold. But Michelle thought she saw something else there. A deeper, closely guarded kindness buried in there somewhere.

Diana came bounding out of the store. "Gilderoy Lockhart's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!!"

But Michelle didn't pay any attention. She needed to find out who this boy was! He looked like an angel. She kicked herself for being so corny and cliché, but to her eleven-year-old boy-crazy heart, he really did.

Michelle turned around and noticed that her parents and Diana had left the bookstore. She smiled good-bye at the boy and ran to catch up with her family. Her father lead them through the crowded streets easily and Michelle followed absently.

The boy stayed on her mind as they walked away. She hadn't even talked to him! 'This is ridiculous,' she thought. 'You don't know him! Stop being stupid.' That was her rational brain.

'But he was so cute!' chimed in her love struck side. 'Maybe he can become my boyfriend and we could be just like Oliver and Diana!'

'I'm only eleven,' the rational said. 'Diana's fifteen.'

"Diana?" she asked her sister.

"What?"

"What house has a green and gray patch on their robes?"

"Slytherin," Diana replied without thinking.

John stopped walking and turned around. "Why are you asking about Slytherin?" he asked sharply.

Michelle shrank a little at his tone of voice. "I was just curious."

"Stay away from Slytherins, Michelle," he told her sternly.

"Why?"

"Because they are bad."

"You wouldn't understand," Diana added.

"Why wouldn't I?" Michelle asked stubbornly.

"You're too young," her father told her. "And it's complicated."

"How complicated can – "

"Enough!" John commanded. "We won't speak anymore on this." He turned around and continued walking.

Michelle followed, sullen and silent. She'd hoped that her acceptance to Hogwarts would earn her more respect from her family. Apparently not. Was it too much to ask to want to know more about the school she was going to? She was eleven, after all. She felt grown up enough, why didn't they treat her that way?

After a quick stop to buy Michelle a set of quills, the family went back through the Leaky Cauldron to the Muggle world. Michelle stayed quiet the whole way back to the house. She brought her new cat up to her room as soon as they got inside.

She seemed barely more than a kitten. Studying the cat's light gray color, Michelle said out loud, "I think I'll name you Moona." She giggled as Moona jumped onto her bed and batted the curtains.

A knock came at her door. Marie poked her head in. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

Michelle's mother came in and sat down at the desk. "I'm sorry for how Dad treated you."

"It's fine."

"No Michelle, I really am sorry. He's just…trying to protect you."

"Protect me from what?" Michelle asked angrily. She pulled Moona into her lap. "How can I go to Hogwarts if Dad and Diana keep everything from me? All I hear is Slytherin bad, Gryffindor good. Sometimes I don't remember that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff even exist!" Michelle sighed. "I'm happy to go to Hogwars, but I just wish they'd stop treating me like Gryffindor the Next Generation. All that they tell me is what I need to know to be a good Gryffindor."

Marie got up and joined Michelle on the bed. "I know." She petted the cat's head. "Do you like your cat?"

"Uh-huh!" Michelle said smiling. She cuddled the kitten. "I named her Moona."

Marie smiled. "I like it." Seeing her daughter happily playing with her new pet, Marie was convinced that Michelle felt a little better. With a last hug, she left her daughter alone to make dinner.

AUTHOR'S NOTE Ok, so the thing between Michelle and the blonde boy (hehe, guess who) is a little bit Titanic. But nothing will end up like Titanic, I promise. I'm also aware the Oliver never has a girlfriend in the books, but this is literary license I'm taking when putting him with Diana. Finally, the wording of the banner outside Flourish and Blotts is taken from page 58 of Chamber of Secrets.

Also, I've decided to start a tradition that I have seen many authors doing (especially AgiVega and Queen Li) and that is to respond individually to everyone who reviews the last chapter, just because I love my reviewers so much!

Starr Light Yes, I finally posted. I'm glad you like it, and don't worry, the angst will come soon!

Justin Etre Don't worry, there is lots more to come =)

S. C. Hardy Yeah, unfortunately, there will be badness to come. Thanks for the compliment!