Dear Diary,

Okay, I've straightened my hair and I'm wearing my yellow sequined shirt and my dark blue jean Capri's, and dark brown flip flops. I've even put on a little make up, eyeliner mostly but it'll do. Right now we're all in the car and we're entering London.

I am soooo excited! Jeanie is sitting up at the front because she called dibs, and Jimmy is sitting beside me in the back of our minivan playing on his PSP. He's just wearing his baggy black jeans and a button up Hawaiian shirt that I hate. But tell him anything about it and he starts in about the lime green kimono I wore for no particular reason last year. There's no winning.

Oh, mom says we're here, and we have to get out. Just let me check my hair in the mirror…

Oh my gosh! It is AMAZING! Oh… I … my gosh! It's just so magical! And it's obviously been here for a long time, and we couldn't even find it at first. We got out of the car and started walking up and down the street and when we couldn't find it, let me tell you, I started to think we were being Punked or something. But then Jimmy says "There it is!" and he grabbed moms hand and started carting her over to some place I hadn't even noticed before. Jeanie and I started to follow but when we got about five feet from the door we just turned around and walked the other way like we had forgotten what we were supposed to be doing. I mean, it was a little scary how my brain just kind of shut off and I thought 'hey what's that over there' and just walked away. Then Jimmy grabbed both of our hands and pulled me and Jeanie over too a window. I sort of felt as if I had walked through a curtain as I noticed the creaky old sign above my head. It said, 'The Leaky Cauldron' and then we walked through the old door and were in a room with not too many people and some old toothless guy behind the counter.

"Look Jill," Jeanie whispered grabbing my hand and pointing surreptitiously at a man who was reading a book called, Voodoo for Dummies, by Pamela Whitaker. He was also holding a live chicken by the throat over a chalk circle. I widened my eyes appreciatively as Mom went up to the bar man and talked for a while. We looked around the room together, Jimmy a little apart from us. I noticed that none of the women were wearing normal clothes, they were all wearing cloaks and basically things that look like they could have been from Lord of the Rings or something. They looked worn in so they couldn't be dressed for a costume party, so I guess that's just normal wizarding attire. I frowned and watched the old man shuffle along behind mom who looked a little leery of having some creepy old man following so closely behind her, and he didn't look all that enthusiastic either.

"This way," he grumbled hopping by and leading us to a brick wall. I elbowed Jeanie in the side, "Looks like he's happy to be here," I whispered. Jeanie giggled and then stopped abruptly and gasped as the bricks in the walls rearranged themselves into a doorway and oh my gosh, it was like a whole other world! There were so many colors and so many sounds, it was soooo crazy! We sort of stumbled out into that place and just stared in awe at the surrounding things. I have truly never seen anything like this. Not even in my wildest dreams. Seriously. The bar tender walked us over to a tall lady standing in a booth that had a sign over it that read, 'Muggle Information Center' in yellow scripted letters.

"Hello, my name is Helen Reeves and I am your conductor into the Wizarding world." She shook Mom's hand and asked us if we had any prior experience in wizarding matters. Helen had bright curly red hair that she kept in a frizzy bun at the top of her head contrasting with the scarlet of her robes.

"My great aunt Esmerelda Tweed was a witch, perhaps you've heard of her?" Mom asked sounding a little uncertain as a flying book flew between her self and Helen.

"Could she be the author of all of those Romance Novels, um The Tide is High and Sleepless Beaty?" Helen asked in a high-pitched fast paced voice. Could it be that Great Aunt Esmerelda is famous in this world? Although I'm feeling kind of conflicted at how she was talking about me and Jeanie as opposed to Jimmy.

"Actually she might have mentioned writing something a while ago," and then they started talking about Aunt Esmerelda some more. Jeanie and I looked around and saw several interesting shops and venders. There was even something called a broom shop. I can't imagine why they would want a broom, but since they're wizards and witches I guess they clean stuff by themselves. Interesting concept actually. After a while when I was getting tired of standing up Helen lead us to a place called Gringotts.

"Here's where you can exchange your money, it takes a little while for you to get accustomed to the change. Wizard money is kind of different from regular money," and we walked into this huge dome shaped building that was filled with people and little bitty creatures. They were the size of dwarfs and had big pointy ears and noses.

"You kids go sit down while I get this exchanged, and er, don't touch anything," she added looking around shiftily. We went to a bench by the wall, perfect for observing things going on in the lines.

"Hi, I'm Morgan Lerew," a girl with long black hair said to me as she walked up. She was wearing a black skirt with a matching top with silver jewelry decked out on her arms and around her neck.

"Hi I'm Jill, and this is my brother Jimmy and my sister Jeanie," I said and stood up to shake her hand. She was a few inches shorter than me but I was sure we were the same age.

"Yeah hi, isn't this so boring," she said with a musical voice.

"Yeah," I said even though everything was so amazingly magical.

"An I absolutely hate goblins," she added flicking a lock of dark hair off of her shoulder as she gazed disdainfully around.

"Oh that's what they are," I said excitedly. Of course! Morgan looked at me a little funny with her dark brown eyes.

"What house are you in, I don't remember you from school." She said.

"Oh are you talking about Hogwarts? I don't go to Hogwarts but my brother does… will." I said happily. This was so cool, Morgan must be a real live witch.

"Yeah I'm starting in a few weeks," Jimmy said proudly as he stood. Morgan looked confusedly from me to Jimmy.

"So you aren't a witch?" she asked.

"No-"

"I should have known, I thought you were being funny before. But you're a muggle." She said narrowing her dark eyes.

"A what?" I asked confused.

"Never mind, anyway what's your name, Jimmy?" She asked ignoring my question. Jeanie grabbed my arm, her tight little hands digging into my skin.

"Yeah," he said defensively, puffing out his thin chest.

"Well if you get sorted into Slytherin don't make it a well known fact. Just a heads up," she said and walked off without another word her long dark hair swinging behind her.

"What was that all about," I asked confused. "What's a muggle anyway?"

"I don't know," Jimmy said staring after Morgan.

"I didn't like her," Jeanie said. I looked down at her blonde head. We sat down in silence for a while until Mom came back with Helen in tow.

"Helen, what's a muggle?" I asked. She looked down at me from her high altitude.

"Oh, that's like a non magical person. Um you know, if you aren't a witch or wizard. Or squib." She said as we walked out of the large building.

"This is Jean Jilbert's, he's the knew wand maker. After Olivander retired he set up shop, a little less personal but highly efficient if you're looking for a wand this is the place to go." This time Jeanie and I went into an ice cream shop owned by a woman named Florice Fortesque. At the front was a large bronze plaque with an old mans picture engraved upon it. "In memory of Florean Fortesque," I read to Jeanie.

"How did he die?" Jeanie asked.

"It doesn't say," I said. We ordered two hot fudge Sundays and ate them while Jimmy looked for a wand across the street with Helen and Mom. I'm writing as we speak. Oops, just got fudge on the paper. I'll write later, here they come.

-Jill