The Truth and Diagon Alley
It was several weeks before Maya didn't have to keep sneaking food into her brother's cupboard. When his punishment lifted the summer holidays had started and the both of them would take walks outside and to the play park. They had the time when they weren't doing chores and eating the meager meals they were given three times a day. Harry was continually avoiding Dudley's gang and Maya needed a way to get rid of some of her pent up energy. One morning before the two of them were going to go outside and play at the park again, since no chores were demanded for them to do today, (which was very rare) Harry was ordered to go and get the mail. He had come back with the normal pile, and quietly gave her a letter. Intrigued and a little suspicious, she looked down at it in shock. Seeing the others distracted she opened the envelope under the table.
"Dad look Harry's got a letter!" Dudley roared.
In the ensuing argument, Maya tried to look at her letter, before it was also ripped out of her hands. Aunt Petunia had spotted her trying to read it and took it away like Harry's. After watching both of their faces turn gray, green, and red, they were all ordered out into the hallway. Maya stayed back as Dudley and Harry tried to decide who should eavesdrop where. After a minute or two Uncle Vernon had ordered Harry back to the cupboard and Maya to her room. Maya's mind was reeling. Who would write to her? After so many years of no mail, one letter just came today out of the blue. She couldn't figure out who would write after so many years of nothing.
The week to come was anything but, normal. Letters kept coming through the normal mail slot, until Uncle Vernon sealed it shut. He then sealed the door, the windows, and at one point called some companies trying to complain about the dairy products since, it was all wrong. Dudley was just as amazed by it as well. Harry was slightly amused by Uncle Vernon's agitated state, but it just made Maya more nervous, so she had stayed in her room for most of the week trying to figure out who it could be; but since she barely had any evidence to go by, she had no luck figuring out the mystery of the letters.
The day tons of letters flooded the living room coming through the chimney, Uncle Vernon had lost it completely. Several hours later they had gotten a room at a hotel for the night and stayed there until after breakfast the next day. Somehow more letters had arrived at the front desk and Uncle Vernon had intervened again, before they could read their letters. Maya was disappointed and frustrated by this point. Who was so desperate to contact them? And why was Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon so against them reading a letter? There was nothing dangerous about that! What the hell is going on? These thoughts plagued Maya as they made there way to a hut out to sea on a rickety boat. Uncle Vernon was gleefully happy since he deduced that no letter could find them out here, and Aunt Petunia had agreed with him wholeheartedly.
Once they got situated in the decrepit hut, Maya and Harry had to share a rugged blanket and were trying to keep warm. Harry was staring at Dudley's watch counting down the time until their birthday hit, but Maya didn't see the point in it. What was there to look forward to when they had never gotten a decent present in their very short lives, and were forced to do chores on every birthday they ever had? Since she couldn't get comfortable having to try and share body heat with her brother she decided to draw a cake on the floor of the slightly sandy hut. At least it was something instead of nothing, Maya mused.
BOOM! BOOM! Someone was banging on the door, which woke Dudley. Another booming knock broke it off its hinges and fell to the ground. Maya and Harry both scrambled to their feet and were gaping at the large man, as Uncle Vernon burst into the room brandishing a rifle. After getting rid of the gun the man started talking all sorts of nonsense, after giving them a cake and introducing himself. What was a hogwarts? What does keeper of keys mean? A huge shouting match ensued between Hagrid and their Aunt and Uncle, and then he gave them both letters to read, after telling them they were a witch and wizard respectively.
Maya was finally able to solve the biggest mystery of her life. She opened her letter and gaped opened mouth after reading the invitation.
"What does it mean they await my owl?" Harry asked just as Maya was about to ask a different question.
Hagrid scribbled a note and gave a to a tiny owl in his huge coat and threw it out the window. After more arguing with the Dursley's Maya's anger peaked and exploded for the first time in a long time.
"BLOWN UP! You told us our parents died in a car crash!" She shrieked. She was about to keep going when Hagrid intervened on her behalf.
What happened next was a tale about the night their parent's died. At the end of it, Maya was trying to wrap around the fact that a war had gone in the world, and that the madman known as Voldemort vanished after he tried to kill her brother. Harry and Hagrid talked a little more, until he was convinced he was a wizard. Maya wasn't questioning it, because if it took her away from the Dursley's then she would go along with it no matter what. After another shouting match with their fool of an uncle, Dudley got a pigs tail; Maya and Harry had both smirked at this and the others went into the other room. Both kids could easily kip under Hagrid's huge coat, and fell asleep happy for the first time in their lives.
The next morning they left with Hagrid back on the tiny boat to go and buy their school supplies. Hagrid had done magic to speed up the boat and opened a newspaper called the daily prophet. During the ride and the trip to London Maya and Harry alternated questioning Hagrid all the way there. As soon as they entered a grubby looking pub called the Leaky Cauldron everyone went silent when Hagrid had told a man called Tom who he was escorting today. Several people wanted to shake their hands, especially Harry's and it took a while before they got to a brick wall on the other side of the pub. Hagrid had tapped a brick on the wall with his pink umbrella and an archway was formed.
Maya looked around with amazement. There was everything and anything that looked so cool! She couldn't wait to explore the shops, but first they had to visit Gringotts bank. When Maya had asked if there was a wizards bank earlier Hagrid and explained that goblins run it. So even though they were still kind of creepy she kept silent as they made their way in. Soon enough they were escorted to a cart that would lead them to their vault. Both kids were given their own sets of keys when Hagrid had taken them out if his pocket, back at the counter. Maya could tell that Harry was enjoying the ride, but she was getting a dizzy headache and hated the experience. After getting some money and putting them in their bags, Hagrid told them about the money system. It seemed a bit complicated to Maya, but she would have to make do. After Hagrid visited another vault on "Hogwarts business," they made their way back to the entrance of the bank.
Maya nursing her head walked with Harry into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to get fitted. Some blonde boy struck up a conversation with Harry when she was shown to a different area. When the process was done, and they both paid for their purchases, they made their way to Hagrid who had three ice creams for them all. Maya happily took hers when Harry asked about something called a Slytherin. They went from shop to shop picking up potion ingredients, cauldron's, books, and even pets. Hagrid had bought each of them an owl for their birthday. Harry's was a snowy owl, and Maya's was more of a screech owl. Maya had thanked him politely once, and stared at the bird smiling widely, but Harry couldn't stop stammering. Finally they had made their way into Ollivander's wand shop. Maya had gone first and it had only taken a couple wands until she got one that choose her. Her's was made of birch, had unicorn hair, and was 12 inches long. Harry's had taken longer, and Maya was wondering how much longer she was willing to stand when Harry finally found his wand.
When they were leaving the Alley Hagrid told them about Platform-Nine and three quarters when they were eating lunch in muggle London. When they had gotten on the train back to Surrey, Maya and Harry were surprised when Hagrid seemed to have vanished in thin air.
Maya was excited and jumpy, she knew she had one more month of hell, but she couldn't help, but feel relief that she would soon be leaving the place for some place better; and it was all she could think about for the next month, which Harry visited her room often so they could explore their books together. Harry had decided to call his owl Hedwig and since Maya had found out her owl was male she settled on the name Cooper. It was now one day until they boarded the train, and for once Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were going to do something for them, take them to the train station so they could get to their school. Maya couldn't wait!