Alex was standing in front of a mirror in the shop where she was to buy her school robes. She was, in fact, wearing one. She wanted to throw up.

It was a grey pleated skirt with a matching vest over a white blouse. She was also wearing knee grey knee high sock things and a red tie with a black robe to top it all off.

"Don't you look lovely, dear," Madame Malkin stated not really as a question. Alex looked up at her and took a deep breath. She was trying so hard to be polite.

Obviously she wasn't trying hard enough because then she replied in a not so nice voice, "Actually, I haven't worn a tie since my Avril Lavigne phase two years ago." She shuddered silently when she said that. "And who, pray tell, came up with this color scheme. Is it a goal at this school to make kids forget all about their individuality by destroying their good taste in clothes? I mean seriously."

Madame Malkin just stared stupidly.

"Oh and one more thing…I don't care if I get expelled, but I am under no circumstances going to wear that vest OR skirt OR those sock things. You know what while we're taking out the trash, let's just throw out the tie and blouse too!"

The old woman stared at Alex with her lips pursed tightly. "Fine then. You'll have to take up your little rebellion with the headmaster. Since you're not going to buy anything why don't you leave?" she asked pointing toward the door.

"I'm still going to buy the robes," Alex replied indignantly.

Madame Malkin shoved the fitted robes toward her and said, "That will be two galleons.

"Good lord! Do you overprice everything in this place?" Alex asked loudly.

Madame Malkin held out her bony hand and whispered icily, "Either pay up and get out or just get out." Alex gave her the money and marched out of the shop.

She walked straight into a black haired boy with glasses. "Sorry," he said quietly as he helped her up.

"That's okay," she replied as she brushed herself off. "Hey, are you going to that Malkin place?"

"Yeah. Hagrid is taking me." The boy then pointed to a very large man. He waved.

"Well, I wouldn't go in there if I were you. Worst customer service ever," she said as a pale blonde boy walked past her while shoving her shoulder. He looked at her with distaste and she shouted at his retreating back, "Watch where you're walking!"

He scoffed and kept walking. "Prick," she muttered. Alex then turned back to the boy she had been talking to but saw he had entered the store and was staring at her dubiously. "Prick the Second," she added to herself. With that she walked away to the last place on her list, Ollivanders.

"Hellooo…anybody here?" she called into the dusty, wand-packed room. "Mr. Ollivander?" Alex sighed, walked up to the front desk, and tapped her fingers. A few moments later she heard movement from within the long aisles.

"Miss Alexia Aarons," a hushed voice said. "You look just like your father." An old man with flyaway grey hair walked toward her out of the darkness.

"My father," she replied, frostily, "was a piss-ant."

Mr. Ollivander looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "Well, yes," he chuckled slightly, "I suppose he was. Anyway, I am eternally sorry about your mother. She was an amazing woman." Alex nodded at the familiar statement of respect. "Let's see, I believe she was a 13", Birch, Unicorn hair."

"Yeah, listen I'm in kind of a hurry to catch a plane," she told him with a shrug of her shoulders, "So if we could sort of, you know, move it along. I'm not trying to be rude, but seriously, my plane leaves in an hour."

"Of course," he replied with a smile. He walked quickly to the back of one of the aisles, all the while muttering. Alex smiled and rolled her eyes waiting. "AHA!" he shouted. "Try this. 10", Mahogany, Unicorn hair."

Alex barely gave the wand one wave before he ripped it out of her hand. "Nope, wrong one.

He then handed her another wand, a 13", Red Oak, Phoenix feather to be precise, and she waved that one. This one too, he proceeded to rip from her hand.

"You know," she said with an exasperated sigh, "You could ask nicely for the wand back and I could then hand it to you." He looked at her like she was a freak of nature. Why does everyone keep giving me that look? She thought to herself.

Mr. Ollivander then gave her a 12", Rosewood, Dragon heartstring. The effect was immediate. The magic began coursing through her veins like a wave. "Marvelous. I knew we'd find it eventually," he muttered happily. Alex smiled back.

Quickly, she paid for the wand and raced out the door. Her plane was going to leave in half an hour.