Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 3! If you enjoy it, please FFR! Thank you!

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Malina bounded down the grand staircase to the banquet hall, Fizzle faithfully trotting at her side. It was her birthday, and she couldn't wait to her what awaited her this year. Opening the door to the room she saw stacks of hot cakes, links of sausage and strips of salt pork, along with her favorite fruits and drinks. It was her favorite breakfast, a rare treat for her. "Happy birthday, Miss!" the head chef, Rosney declared, serving her a plate of everything as the other staff pulled out her chair and placed her napkin in her lap.

"Rosney, you've outdone yourself!" Malina replied, thanking the staff with nods and smiles. "Everything looks incredible as always."

"Your parents requested this for you specifically, Miss," she replied before lowering her voice to a whisper. "From what I've heard in the gossip chain, this birthday will be unlike any other." Malina was about to ask what she meant when the door to the dining hall opened once again, revealing her parents, wrapped in each other arms with huge smiles on their faces.

"Happy birthday, Princess!" Dominick exclaimed, coming over to her ruffling her hair and kissing it. "Eleven years old already. I can't believe how fast you're growing up."

"What were you two talking about in here?" Iskra asked with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes, a clear sign to Malina that she knew something she didn't.

"Nothing, Mom," Malina put on a sweet smile. "I was just thanking Rosney for the amazing breakfast." Rosney nodded her head in agreement with what she said.

"Oh, yes," Iskra agreed. "Thank you ever so for putting this together, Rosney. It's much appreciated."

"It was my pleasure, Mistress," Rosney nodded in respect and then apparated out of the room, most likely back to the kitchen. Dominick dismissed the rest of the staff and as soon as they left, he and Iskra began to serve themselves breakfast. Yes, some did find it odd that Dominick and Iskra always served themselves at mealtimes. Malina did too mostly, except on special occasions like this. The reasoning behind the custom was her parents saying it's not right to rely on others to do everything for them, as they are perfectly capable of most tasks, with or without magic. Dominick had always said that it makes one turn lazy, unable to do much for oneself. Iskra said the staff had enough things on their minds and serving the family food should not be another thing stacked on top of that pile. The only exception to this rule though, is if they were dining in another pureblood's home, as they may find it insulting. It was also instilled in Malina at a young age to thank someone whenever they did a thing for her, whether that was cooking breakfast like Rosney, or cleaning her room like Sibkey, the maid assigned to Malina's aid. Iskra said it was very important to thank staff and house helpers, as they were often looked at as slaves by most of the wizarding world. She had always despised this, saying that Pukwudgies in America and house-elves in Europe have as much an important role in life as any other, and they should be treated accordingly. Malina was also warned, though, that not everyone thought this way and that those may look down upon her if she did so in the presence of one who thinks lowly of their service.

The breakfast went on in silence for a while. Iskra was chatting with her mother, Amitola, who had arrived. Dominick was reading his daily edition of The Wizard's Voice, the American wizarding newspaper. Fizzle, naturally, had nestled himself upon Malina's shoulder, nibbling on a piece of toast that she had given him. Unlike most nifflers, Fizzle was very well behaved and trained immaculately by the gracious services of a local Magizoologist that her parents had hired. The little creature of course could not completely stay away from nibbling on and playing with shiny objects, as that was natural niffler behavior. But he did, however, not take anything he was permitted to. To Malina, he was more than a pet; he was her best friend. Suddenly, there was a rapping at the window. Malina looked up and her parents turned around. Outside the window was a majestic bird, carrying several objects in its talons. "Ah, Kitri's back with the mail. Malina, do go fetch it, please." Malina nodded and went to go follow her father's instructions, taking some bread and fruit with her to feed Kitri. She was the family's golden eagle, responsible for sending and retrieving mail for them. In North America, her mother explained to her once during lessons, eagles were used unlike in Europe, where they used owls instead. Walking to and allowing the butler Gakbey to open the door, Kitri chirped in delight, as she landed on Malina's outstretched forearm. Fizzle hid in her hair as he had always been afraid of the much larger bird. The mail was dropped at her feet and the beautiful creature happily took the fruit and bread from Malina. Having had her fill she flew away, most likely to the attic where her perch was to take a well-deserved rest. Malina stooped to pick up the mail and walked back inside, thanking Gakbey for holding the door open for her, which earned her a huff from the grumpy Pukwudgie. She combed through the envelopes, most of them addressed to her parents. The she stopped at the very last one, her eyes going wide. In the very middle of the envelope in blue ink it read:

Miss Malina Gryffindor

McGonagall - Fawley Mansion

Lewiston, New York

She was awestruck. She never got mail unless it was a letter from her Aunt Minerva. Her aunt definitely did not send this. It looked very official, even having the official Eagle Mail Service stamp of approval in the top right corner. Walking as if in a trance back to the banquet hall, she turned the letter over and meeting with her eyes a seal in the shape of a gordian knot, with four creatures surrounding it. Hoping it was what she thought it was, she gingerly broke the seal and opened the envelope right as she crossed the threshold into the room, handing her parents the other mail. Dominick thanked her, but her eyes were too busy unfolding the letter to acknowledge it. He combed through the rest of the mail, finding one piece addressed to him. He opened it and smiled. "A birthday card from Remus!" he said with joy. It was rare he got a message from his only school friend that was neither dead nor in prison. "Shame it got here a day late, though I suppose I can't really fault him for it. There was a full moon in Yorkshire the other day, after all." He handed Iskra her letters, one of those also from an old school friend before leafing through other envelopes, mostly likely about work related matters.

"Malina, Aunt Minerva wrote back," Iskra informed her. But she was not paying attention. "Malina?" Iskra tried again with still no answer from her daughter, whose eyes were wide reading her letter. "What have you got there, dear?" she tried once more. This time she got a reply as Malina read her letter aloud.

"Dear Miss Gryffindor," she began. "I am pleased to offer you a place of enrollment at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the foremost wizarding academy in North America. Everything that you will need for a successful term will be provided for you if you should arrive. Upon receipt of your eagle with your hopeful acceptance, the MACUSA Office for Magic Relations and Education will contact you regarding travel arrangements and other further information. Term begins on August 27th. We await your eagle by no later than July 31st.

Yours sincerely,

Alister Breckenridge, Headmaster"

Her parents looked at her with smiles, knowing she had been looking forward to receiving her letter for months now. "Are you excited to start attending school, dear?" Iskra asked.

"Definitely," Malina replied holding her letter to her chest.

"Very well, then," Dominick clapped his hands and stood up. "I'll send word to my friend, Broderick, the head of the Magic Relations and Education office. He'll give me an information packet about Ilvermorny later this afternoon with all the information you'll need, Princess." He came over to her and kissed her head again as she gave him thanks. Iskra took his extended hand and grabbed their briefcases. They walked over to the fireplace and took a pinch of floo powder from the bowl on the mantle. Together they specified "MACUSA!", and within and instant, they had vanished to go to work. Malina quickly went up to her room and went to her desk, writing both her reply letter, leaving it open for her parents to sign when they got back, and a reply to the letter Aunt Minerva sent, telling her all about what had occurred. The rest of the day she spent in the library, reading at much information as she could absorb about her new school. She began to daydream about all of the adventures she would have once she got to school. If only she knew just how big they were going to be.

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"Malina, it's time to go!" shouted Iskra from the foot of the stairs. "The train leaves in an hour!"

"Coming, Mom!" Malina shouted back. She rushed down the stairs, adjusting her skirt as she did so. She was wearing the basic attire for her school uniform, as she would be presented with her robe and everything else she would need, including her wand, when she arrived at Ilvermorny. The clothes were simple enough; a short-sleeved white button-up collared shirt which a cranberry colored tie looped around the collar, tied to perfection. It was tucked into a pleated black skirt and completed by knee high blue socks and black Mary Jane shoes with a small thick heel. "How do I look?" she asked her mother.

"Perfect. Like you're ready to take Ilvermorny by storm," Iskra replied, smoothing her daughter's hair. "Now come quickly, your father's waiting for us." Taking Iskra's hand Malina followed her into the banquet room, where her father was waiting with the rest of her bags by the fireplace.

"Wait, we're taking the floo network?" Malina asked in slight confusion. "Why can't we just apparate?"

"Because you're not strong enough, Princess," Dominick replied. "When one tries to apparate without a clear knowledge of the destination they're trying to reach, they can get hurt. Since you've never been to Grand Central Station before, the floo network is simply safer for you." She nodded in understanding and cast one last look around what she could see of her house from this view. She sighed once, a deep heavy breath. She couldn't believe she was going to be away from home by herself for a full nine months. She felt scared about leaving the security and familiarity that came with her parents and the staff being around every day. She climbed her way into the fireplace followed by her parents. Once her cart full of her bags and trunk was wheeled in with them, her father threw down the pinch of powder and very clearly saying their destination. They were sucked in the green colored vortex, rushing for what felt like mere seconds before the smoke dissipated. Malina blinked her eyes against the fading hue before striding into the grand space that was the main lobby of MACUSA. She had been here several times when she was younger with her parents to meet important figures that they insisted would help her later in life. They always said it was good to have connections everywhere. Taking all of her bags she strolled through the front door of the headquarters, dodging the other witches and wizards who were all very busily bustling about. They came up into the main lobby of the Woolworth building and walked out the heavy glass doors, brushing any stray ash from them. A sleek black Rolls Royce was waiting for them, the back door being held open by a kind faced man whom Malina smiled at. They entered the luxurious vehicle and quickly merged into the No-Maj traffic. Malina sat in silence, staring out the window of the car, trying to imagine the skyscrapers of the city as the turrets of the school that sat atop Mount Greylock. It was a short fifteen-minute drive to Grand Central Station and upon arriving the family took great care to get all the bags out of the car as quickly as possible and rushed into the station.

It was an absolute madhouse. The stories Iskra had told did the furthest thing from justice. Luckily, she knew the route to the platform like the back of her hand and before long, they were right in between platforms four and five, for the platform that was needed to get onto the Ilvermorny Procession was five-and-a-half. Malina pushed her cart until she was several yards away from the two staircases that led to the two No-Maj stops. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for her first of many passages through these stairs. As she stared at the spot she would have to run through, perhaps to visualize a door, Iskra put a hand on her shoulder in a welcome comforting gesture and Malina looked up at her mother. "Ready?" she asked in soothing voice.

"Ready," Malina nodded and took another deep breath. Pushing her cart and breaking into a run, she aimed right for the middle of the staircases. The magic absorbed her body and in a few moments she broke into the hidden Platform 5 ½. The first thing that befell her eyes was the enormous locomotive that was the Ilvermorny Procession. Now she had taken many a train ride before but this one had already outshone them all. It was a gorgeous steam engine painted royal blue with its name painted in a cranberry hue across the side in a typewriter style of font. The wheels, cylinders and rods were all also painted the same cranberry color and the cars shared the same blue shade as the engine. Her parents broke through the wall and joined her, Iskra putting her hand atop Malina's shoulder again.

"It looks just the same as it did twenty years ago," marveled her mother. She nudged her on towards the boarding conductor as they only had about five minutes before the train departed. "It's truly a fantastic engine, very comfortable as well. Just pace yourself with the snacks, now dear" The pair shared a giggle. It was a short walk to the boarding platform where Malina broke away from pushing her cart for a moment to throw her arms around her parents' middles.

"I'm gonna miss you both," she said. "I'm not lying when I say I'm a little nervous." Her parents both crouched down to her level. She looked them both in the eye and noticed for perhaps the first time, powerful figures of the wizarding world who had massive influence across the continents. Dominick in his black suit, red tie, expensive pocket watch, and of course, the wand of Godric Gryffindor himself (the very same wand Malina had performed her first spell with all those years ago); Iskra with her blonde hair coiled in a perfect swirl bun and outfitted in her favorite suit which was a black ruffle collar blouse and matching lilac pencil skirt and blazer complete with her pearl jewelry. However, she knew that she saw something different than the rest of the world. They saw power and prominence. She saw her parents; her loving, kind, amazing parents, and she wasn't sure if she had the power within herself to be separated from them for so long.

"Malina," Dominick said to her gently. "It's normal to be nervous. It's all new and unfamiliar territory, but school is very exciting. This is just another chapter in the book that is your life. The skills we have taught you, and the ones you will learn, will help you throughout your life."

"You'll do wonderfully at Ilvermorny, dear," added Iskra. "Everyone is very helpful and kind, but if you need anything just go to Headmaster Breckenridge. Understand?" Malian nodded and the train let out its first warning whistle, capturing their attentions. "Five minutes to departure," Iskra concluded. "Now dear, remember these three things: study hard, make friends, and most importantly, have fun. Other than that school's just boring. Now off you go, dear. There's a seat with your name on it." Malina lunged forward and hugged her mother one last time, Dominick wrapped his arms around them both and a few moments passed before Malina stood up and grabbed hold of her cart once more.

"I'll make you proud!" she declared, starting to move towards the boarding platform.

"You always do, princess." Dominick gave her one last grin. Malina made it to the conductor and showed him her ticket.

"Full name?" he asked.

"Malina Delancey Fawley," she answered, remembering to not give her true identity. The conductor made a quick glance of his clipboard and marked a check, waving Malina onto the train. She stepped on board where a young man was waiting to take her cart to the back of the train. She grabbed the satchel she had brought which contains matters of entertainment to keep her busy during the over three-hour journey. She gave him a smile and reached into one of the sacks of money her parents had given her. It was full of the four types of dragots that made up American wizarding currency. There were three silver coins in varying sizes and then a small copper coin, which was worth the least amount. She pulled out a couple of the largest ones and put them in his hand, remembering to thank him sincerely. Her father told her it was always wise to thank service workers, as they were already underpaid enough. She then wandered throughout the cars, marveling at all of her fellow students who had come here from all over the continent. She could tell who the older ones were as their blue and cranberry colored robes gave them away. So she wandered throughout the cars trying to find another first year to sit with. Fortunately, her search did not last long for she found a girl with long black hair that was twisted into cascading coils and beautiful ebony skin, her round brown eyes staring out the window at the opposite stone wall of the platform. She was wearing the same outfit as her exactly. Another first year. Giving a knock on the glass pane to announce her presence, she seemed to startle the girl a little as she jumped slightly. Malina slid the door open just enough to poke her head through. "Excuse me?" she began. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all! Have a seat." The girl gestured to the seat across from her and Malina sank into the soft leather cushion.

"What's your name?" she asked. The girl smiled and stuck out her hand.

"Ruellia," she replied. "Ruellia Brooks. And you?"

"Malina Fawley. How do you do?" Malina placed her hand in Ruellia's and shook it. No sooner than they had let go of the others hand did they feel a jolt and heard a whistle. The train was leaving the platform. Both girls immediately rushed out of the car to the other end and opened the window. Immediately Malina spotted her parents, smiling proudly. Iskra was wiping away tears with one hand and waving with the other, Dominick with one arm around his wife's shoulders, smiling and waving goodbye. Ruellia waved to a man dressed in plain No-Maj clothing. Soon enough the train had left Grand Central and was moving its way through the underground. The two girls went back to the compartment and sat down in their previous places. "Was that your father?" Malina asked. Ruellia nodded her conformation.

"Yes," she responded. "He's all I've got. My mom left when I was just a baby, so my dad has raised me on his own. We never have had much since we live in the slums of Atlanta. My mom was a witch and my dad's a No-Maj, so I was shocked when I got my letter because I never knew magic existed. Going to Ilvermorny is a chance to make a better life for us. After all, he's given me so much with so little so the least I can do is repay him." Malina felt sorry for Ruellia, but at the same time also felt inspired by her fiery spirit, almost warrior like. "What about you, Malina?" Ruellia asked. "What's your story?"

"Well," she began. "Both of my parents are wizards and we live in upstate New York on my family's estate. In fact I have some pictures of my house and family if you want to see them."

"Ooh, yes please!" Ruellia grinned. "I've always wanted to see a big house!" Malina smiled at her new friend's excitement and leaned across the gap to grab her small satchel from the opposing seats. She opened it ready to grab the photos that were sitting at the bottom but she was not expecting to find a black, furry ball sleeping right on top, waking up when she opened the top.

"Fizzle?!" Malina gaped in shock. "What are you doing in there?!"

"You have a pet niffler?" Ruellia asked.

"Yes," Malina sighed. She scooped her pet up into her hand and looked at him with a disapprovingly. "Who's supposed to be at home." Fizzle looked down; face painted with guilt. "Please don't tell Headmaster Breckenridge," Malina pleaded to Ruellia. "I know they don't allow pets at Ilvermorny, but he's very well behaved." During this, Fizzle crawled his way gingerly to Ruellia and climbed into her hand before rushing around her torso in a display of trust and affection. She giggled, looking at Malina with a smile.

"Don't worry," she said. "Fizzle's secret is safe with me. After all, he's really cute." The niffler jumped from Ruellia's to Malina's shoulder, snuggling into her golden-brown hair. The train currently was outside of the city and gliding through thick wood. The two girls looked at the pictures of McGonagall - Fawley Mansion, Ruellia having a somewhat starry look in her eyes when they had cycled through them all.

"So, tell me, Ruellia," Malina asked. "What house are you hoping for?" she replied without missing a beat.

"Wampus," said Ruellia determinedly. "Breckenridge sent me an information packet explaining nearly everything about the school. What about you? What house are you hoping for?"

"Whichever house I'm destined for. Although I can't wait to find out."

The train continued its journey north and the two girls chatted all the while it took to reach the destination. They had both decided right then and there that they would be best friends. Soon the Ilvermorny Procession crossed into Massachusetts and not long after that lurched to a stop at the base of Mount Greylock. The two girls looked out the window, whose pane faced the castle, and glanced up at the massive stone building. "It's beautiful isn't it?" Ruellia marveled.

"Yes, it is," Malina agreed. After a few more moments of staring an announcement came through the speakers of the train.

"All first years please proceed to the back most exit. Second through seventh years, follow the standard procedure. Thank you and have a magical year at Ilvermorny!" Malina quickly put Fizzle back in her satchel and gave him a few copper dragots to play with so he would keep quiet. The pair followed the other first years to the back of the train where a short blonde woman with glasses and dressed in orange robes was calling for all the first years to follow her, explaining that they were taking the longer trek so as to give the older students time to enter and settle down into the Dining Hall for the feast that would come before the sorting. They all did so and began to climb up a set of stone stairs up the mountain. The castle grew bigger and bigger with each step, and so did the excitement within Malina.

"Are you ready for this?" Ruellia smiled from beside her.

"Absolutely," she replied, with perhaps one of the biggest smiles one could paint upon their face.