The journey to Diagon Alley only made the reality of going to school sink in. Ron had decided to pack alongside Renee a week after their visit to Diagon Alley. His trunk was brown with worn golden clasps whilst Renee's trunk was a royal blue with her initials painted on the side.
"Are you excited Renee? We'll be going to school in less than a week!" Ron smiled shovelling his clothes and books into his trunk in an unorganised manner.
"I'm nervous-excited." Renee replied folding her uniform and placing her textbooks on top of her clothes. "It's the housing system that scare me. It is not a system where if you do not like it, you can move…you must stay there."
"I don't think I'll go anywhere else than Gryffindor. All my brother's have gotten into Gryffindor. So I'm confident." Ron beamed as he pressed his weight onto the trunk before buckling it down. "Piece of cake."
"You can't be that confident. You might get put into Hufflepuff or something." Ginny piped from the doorway causing Ron and Renee to turn to her direction where both she and Zac were standing.
"Mum, Dad and all of our brothers were in Gryffindor Ginny. I have no fear." Ron replied still beaming to himself to which Ginny merely rolled her eyes.
"Renee…do you think you'll get into Ravenclaw like mom?" Zac asked quietly as he stepped closer to his older sister who was now biting her lip nervously.
"I can only hope Zac. The man who took away mum changed us as well…stripped us from our name, gave me this horrible red thing in my hair and my eye colour changed…what else did he change?" Renee sighed as she brushed her scarlet red streak behind her ear.
"How come he didn't change my appearance?" Zac asked looking down at his hands and body.
"I'm not sure Zac. Could be many reasons…" Renee turned to face her brother and then allowed a weak smile curve on her lips. "I'll write you from Hogwarts. I'll send Vivi so you'll know."
With the promise locked and trunks packed, Ron sat on top of his trunk brushing his forehead like he had been doing hard labour.
"I'm starving. I wonder if mum has gotten dinner ready?" Ron wondered out loud and then saw the look on his roommate's face. "What?"
"Are you joking? We've only been packing!" Renee exclaimed struggling to drag her trunk off her bed.
"Here." Ron said as he jumped off his own trunk and helped Renee drag hers onto the floor. "Besides packing takes it out of me. I had to lay on my trunk to get it shut." Ron laughed and Renee couldn't help but join in.
"You packed your trunk all higgly piggly." Renee chuckled and then she sighed again. "What happens with the robes? They are plain."
"I dunno. Maybe they're magical robes and when you get sorted, your logo appears on it?" Ron suggested shrugging his shoulders and then he looked down at his trunk. "Fancy helping me taking this down to my room?"
"RON! RENEE! SUPPER IS ON THE TABLE!" Molly called from several stories down and the joy doubled within young boy.
"Oh yeah! Dinner!"

The week leading up to departure date was long and as each day passed, Renee felt more nervous and her stomach was knotted so tight that she occasionally felt more sick than well and often the question if Renee ought to join later in the year occasionally rose to which Ron always fought. His claim was that he needed a support buddy through the year. When the day came to head towards Kings Cross, Renee insisted she had mere butterflies and was okay to go to Hogwarts purely for Ron's sake. After packing large trunks and a birdcage into Ford Angelica, everyone clambered into the vehicle making the journey very uncomfortable.
"Now kids, we're about to head to a place where muggles are everywhere. Be careful and do not speak to anyone." Molly warned them as the sight of Kings Cross pulled into the view.
Renee's eyes widened as the large station was shown and her nervousness seemed to ease a smidge. If there was going to be other witches and wizards her age around this station then Renee had an opportunity to scope out which students looked friendly and those who did not and throughout it all, Renee kept her thoughts to the back of her head.
'I have Ron as a support buddy.'
"I have to drop the Ford off to your father so I can't stay long dears." Molly sighed as she parked the ford on the corner and after the car had cut it's engine, everyone clambered out of the car and grabbed their individual trunks. "Grab those trollies, it'll make carrying your items easier." Molly continued as she pointed to a row of silver trollies which had a flat area where a trunk could easily sit.
"This is so exciting Ren! Tonight, we will be sleeping in our houses!" Ron whispered throwing his trunk on the trolly with such force, Renee thought his trolly would snap under the weight.
"It's crazy to think we'll be growing up in these houses." Renee murmured softly sliding her trunk onto the trolly and then she blew a strand out of her face. "I'm ready to continue my mother's legacy in Ravenclaw."
"That's the spirit!" Ron jeered lightly slapping Renee on the shoulder and was greeted by Renee sticking her tongue out at him.
"Renee! Ron! Come on! Tight for time!" Molly called from beside the Ford Angelica looking like she was running behind on time.

Fred, George, Percy, Ron and Renee all hurriedly kept up with Molly's pace who was leading the way with Zac and Ginny.
"Every year it's the same, packed with muggles. Come on platform 9¾ this way!" Molly called as she led the way toward platform 9 and 10. Once they had reached the platform, Renee had noticed a small boy with dark hair and circular glasses following behind them but deciding not to say anything, she let it slide figuring he too, was going to Hogwarts. "Alright Percy, you first."
Percy strode confidently towards the wall and soon disappeared and Renee wondered if the feeling would be like Floo Powder which she sincerely hoped it wouldn't.
"Alright Fred, you next." Molly smiled as she turned to the twins behind her.
"He's not Fred, I am!" George piped up having an expression of pure confusion washing his face.
"Honestly you call yourself our mother." Fred continued as he shook his head.
"Oh, sorry George." Molly tutted and watched as Fred rolled his trolly up to the wall.
"You're right, I am Fred." He grinned dashing into the wall before his mother could tell him off and then George followed shortly after.
"Excuse me! Could—could you tell me how to…" The small boy chirped up behind them now pushing his trolly up to towards the Weasley's.
"How to get onto the platform? Not to worry, it's Ron and Renee's first year as well." Molly smiled pointing the two out to which Ron and Renee only politely smiled at the small boy. "All you have to do is walk directly at the wall, give yourself a bit of a run if you're nervous." Molly smiled and watched as the young boy dashed towards the wall and like that, he was gone. "Alright, Renee, off you go and if you need anything…send us an owl."
A small smile brushed Renee's lips and briefly shutting her eyes, she dashed at the wall and in a split second, Renee found herself on platform 9¾ surrounded by other witches and wizards and soon she was joined by Ron.
"Here we go Ren! The beginning of our lives!" He grinned and then he squeezed Renee's arm lightly. "You'll be okay Ren. We have each other."
"I know Ron. Come on, lets get our trunks on the train." Renee nodded and with that said, Ron and Renee darted between wizarding families and eventually found themselves boarding the Hogwarts Express.

Trying to find a seat on the Hogwarts Express was like a needle in the haystack and everytime Renee and Ron entered a separate carriage, the booth was filled with premade friends instantly making Renee feel flustered and slightly annoyed.
"Ron we're not going to find a place with just us two. We need to party crash a carriage." Renee muttered as she followed Ron through the packed corridors.
"Excuse me…do you mind if we could sit with you?" Renee had heard Ron ask and when the flag was green, Renee felt a hard tug on her top dragging her in the carriage and the girl instantly recognised the same boy that had entered the platform alongside them.
"I'm Ron by the way, Ron Weasley." Ron greeted as he took across from the small boy and Renee awkwardly took a seat next to him. "And this is Renee Riddle."
"I'm Harry, Harry Potter." The boy responded with a smile and then silence dropped in the carriage.
The famous Harry Potter was sitting in the same carriage as them.
"So…do you have…..the…the…scar?" Ron whispered the last part and leant in close to Harry.
"Oh! Yeah." He grinned and lifted his fringe to reveal the famous lightning scar.
"Wicked…" Ron breathed out leaning back in his seat.
"Anything off the trolly dears?" A voice came from outside and both Ron and Renee pulled out their corned beef sandwiches.
"No thanks, we're all good." Renee and Ron murmured in unison and then as confidently as he could be, Harry pulled out a large handful of galleons and handed it to the lady.
"We'll take the lot."

Soon, the three were covered in treats that Renee had become familiar with and after tucking into a pumpkin pasty she eyed up a box that Harry was holding.
"Bertie Botts every flavour beans. They literally have every flavour." Renee said before taking a bite of her pasty.
"They SAY every flavour…remember Fred claimed he got a bogey flavoured one." Ron laughed and Harry immediately took the bean out of his mouth and on the floor. "This is Scabbers by the way, pathetic isn't he?"
"Just a bit." Harry grinned glancing down at the rat who had his head lodged inside a Bertie Botts box.
"Fred taught me a spell to turn him yellow…wanna see?" Ron said looking down at his rat with a clear expression of disappointment on his face.
"Yeah!" Harry smiled shuffling back in his seat clearly not trusting the spell completely.
"Everytime you've tried, poor Scabbers has been flung around the house." Renee grinned dusting her hands off from the flakey parts of the pasty.
"Shut up Renee. I will get it right this time. I just needed the right attitude." Ron replied coldly shifting around his seat before pulling out his wand.
Just before Ron could even recite the incantation, a young girl swung by crashed the party asking about for a toad belonging to a friend.
Renee watched awkwardly as Hermione asked Ron to perform the spell in front of her and like Renee had figured the spell had backfired only shooting the Bertie Botts off the rat's face.
"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well its not very good is it?" The girl scoffed before striding into their compartment.
Renee and Ron exchanged looks as if to say who does this girl think she is? But after showing her magical spell that somewhat repaired Harry's glasses.
"That's…incredible." Renee breathed out only to be a met with a smug grin from the other girl.
"Holy cricket…you're Harry Potter! I'm Hermione Granger…and you…are?" She asked turning to Ron who was now shovelling a cauldron cake in his mouth.
"Ron Weasley."
"And you?" Hermione continued turning to the other girl in the carriage with a much nicer expression over her face.
"Renee….Riddle…" Renee trailed off with her surname but Hermione took no notice of it and merely nodded in a greeting fashion.
"You should all get in your robes…I expect we would be arriving soon. Oh..you've got dirt on your nose by the way, right there." And with that said Hermione turned away.

"What a stuck up know-it-all! Who did she think she was?! Acting like she knew all!" Ron complained now shovelling more food into his mouth.
"Take it easy Ron. She was right. The spell was terrible…" Renee assured as she rummaged through her trunk to find her robes.
"But…she did come off rather rude." Harry added giving Renee a side glance as if to say we need to support our friend.
"Oh yes…she was rather intrusive." Renee quickly added shutting her trunk and then awkwardly clearing her throat. "I'm going to get changed, I'll be back quickly."
Renee darted quickly into the nearest toilet and quickly swapped her casual attire for the new black pencil length skirt, a blank grey sweater, grey high top socks and a pair of black t-bars along with her white shirt. Renee picked up the blank robe which she figured would adapt to the colour of her house once she had found out and with a sigh, she slipped on her robe and fixed her plain tie.
Renee shuffled back to the compartment and then when she had reached the compartment, Harry and Ron had already changed.
"Alright Renee?" Harry asked as Renee was shoving her normal clothes back into her trunk.
"Yeah…I just get nervous about the sorting ceremony." She replied now playing with the hem of her skirt – an article of clothing that she didn't particularly favour.
"You'll be alright. If anything…you'll be in Gryffindor." Ron smiled and sat beside her to give her a big hug to which Harry joined in too.
"We'll watch for you Renee." Harry murmured and then when the two boys pulled away, Renee's lips had curled up into a smile.
"Thank you…"
"NOW APPROACHING HOGSMEADE STATION." A loud voice was sounded over the train and then Ron practically jumped up.
"Here we go! Hogwarts! The beginning of our magical education and lives!"