Regina paced through her room for hours that night.
It was time to decide: Continue to go to Hawkins, or start anew at Hogwarts?
She loved Hawkins: the large, warm castle somewhere off the Coast in Southern California, the personal sanctums, the fireplace's in the lounge's that were so beautifully carved and painted, and the high walls… It all just made her feel at home.
But Hogwarts? From what she read it was amazing. Magical, and British and mysterious… What an honor it would be to be able to attend! And she was asked personally by the headmaster!
She decided to write a letter for both choices. The one accepting read:
Dear Professor Albus Dumbledore,
I have been thinking a lot about switching to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and every time I think about it, the more appealing it seems. I have no other option but to accept your offer.
Thank you,
Regina Emma Welmore
The refusal letter went like this:
Dear Professor Albus Dumbledore,
I'm sorry to be sending this to you, but I have decided against switching over to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm sure it's a very lovely school, but I've grown to be, I daresay, too in love with Hawkins Academy.
I truly am sorry,
Regina Emma Welmore
She weighed them both in her hands and then threw them down. "GAH!" She exclaimed and pulled on her hair. Her mother walked in to find her curled in a fetal position in the corner of her room.
"Don't strain yourself, dear. There's no deadline. Just take your time to decide." She chuckled and turned to leave, and then she looked back at her still-rigid daughter. "Oh what is you always say? 'Chillax, dude.' Ha!" She left, chuckling.
***
"I did it!" Regina ran down the stairs with the biggest smile on her face. "I made up my mind! I said yes! I set the letter on a whim, and now I can't turn back!" She giggled and sat down at the breakfast table. "What kinda grub?" She picked up her napkin and set it on her lap.
"Eggs and bacon." Her mother set the plate down in front of Regina and went back into the kitchen. Regina started digging into her breakfast.
***
Miss Welmore,
I'm so happy you chose to come to my school. I hear from your professors you are a very good student, and I can't wait to hear just as good reports from your new teachers here. Here are just a few things you might like to know about Hogwarts:
There is no technology; the high levels of magic interfere, and the electronics go haywire.
Avoid the forbidden forest, we know some student's are daredevils and will do anything on a bet, but we just can't be sure how many dark creatures live amongst the forest, and we don't want to find out.
We know the American version is called "Quidpot", but we, here in the UK call it "Quidditch. (Just so you understand what we're all talking about.)
No leaving the dormitories after ten.
There are many secret's to be uncovered at Hogwarts, and there are also many rules. If you obey (And I highly doubt you'd break any one of them consciously) the rules you will have such a good stay at our school. This is just a short list I thought of off the top of my head, but you'll soon catch on; they're all very universal.
See you this year,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
"Wow." Regina smiled down at her letter and stuffed it in her pocket.
***
Regina paced through her hotel room. Six o'clock… seven o'clock… Eight o'clock.
"Ma! Ma! Wake up, mama!" she shook her mother awake and made her dress quickly. It was then eight thirty, and they were scrambling to the Train station. "Platform nine and three… quarters? What is this?" She showed her mother the ticket and Mrs. Welmore laughed.
"Run through the wall." She giggled and pushed her daughter through the wall. Regina tensed for expected impact, but no pain came. She felt her arms and stomach, and she was all there. Her mother came in after her and sighed. "Aw, I miss the 'ol place. Well, have fun, my dear." She hugged her daughter.
Regina hugged her for a couple minutes. "First day always sucks." She chuckled when she finally let go. "Love you, ma." She sighed at turned to see a burgundy train in front of her. She smiled slightly and walked up to an attendant and gave him her trunk and her new pet cat, Almanor.
She boarded and walked down the narrow hallway where most people were already piled onto it. The compartments all seemed to be full, except for one. Inside was a blonde boy, two big, husky boys, and a thin girl with a slightly flat face kind of like a pug. It still seemed pretty crowded, but not nearly so as the other compartments.
"Uh… Hi." She stopped at the door. "Hi, I'm Regina. I'm sorry, but everywhere else is full, would you mind if I sat here? I won't be a bother." She smiled shyly; she had never been a real talkative girl.
"Sure, whatever." The skinny blond boy shrugged and gestured to the only open seat. Regina nodded a thank you and sat down.
The train left the station, and she stared nervously out the window. The blonde boy, the two muscley boys and the pug girl started talking to each other animatedly, so Regina pulled a book out from her small bag and started to read.
"Ravenclaw?" She heard the blond boy say, but she figured he was talking to his friends, so she didn't answer. "Hey, Regina, I'm talking to you." He snapped his fingers in front of her book, and she looked up.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize. What did you ask?" She asked quietly.
"Are. You. In. Ravenclaw?" He said the words slowly so as not to be unheard again.
"Uh… What's that?" She blushed a little.
"What house are you in?" He sighed, obviously frustrated.
"Oh, I don't know yet."
"How old are you?" He chuckled.
"Fourteen. I'm new. I used to go to Hawkins Academy in the states." She smiled and looked back down to her book, assuming the conversation was over, but the blonde boy talked again:
"Ah… Well I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy." He stuck out his hand and Regina shook it softly. "What is your blood status?"
"Ah… Pure-blood." She remembered reading an article in American Wizard Daily that Blood status had become a very controversial thing in the UK, The USA, thankfully, avoided that one problem. The state's were messed up enough as it was without having Racism a big issue.
"Good." He sighed in what seemed to be relief – though he had a smirk seemingly engraved onto his face – and settled back into his seat. "What are you reading there, Regina?" He asked with only half-interest.
"Um… Hogwarts, a History." She smiled and glanced down at her book; she was getting rather bored of this conversation, though, of course, she wouldn't show that, how rude.
"Is it good?" He glanced out the window and back to Regina.
"So far, I suppose." She smiled merrily to him.
"Mm…" He chuckled and stood up. "You're alright, Regina. You are. I'm in Slytherin. Come look for me sometime if you end up in my house. I'll show you the ropes." He patted her shoulder and gestured for the big boys to follow him out the door. She was now left alone with the flat-faced girl and Regina could feel dislike radiating out of her, so she glanced nervously at her and then down at her book.
"So, Regina," The girl switched sides over to Regina's side. "I'm Pansy Parkinson." Pansy's eyebrow twitched.
"Well, nice to meet you, Pansy." Regina grinned and waited five seconds more for Pansy to say something before turning back to Hogwarts, a History.
Pansy just stared at Regina until Draco and his friends came back. "Oh, hey, Draco. You should change into your robes; I expect we'll be arriving soon." She wheezed. Regina now noticed she had a very nasal-y voice.
"Alright," He stripped is jacket off his shoulders and took a robe from his bag and swung that over in place of the jacket.
Regina looked up and was overcome by an urge to leave. "They have a bathroom on this thing, right?" She stood up and looked to Draco and Pansy.
"Yeah, it's down the hall." Pansy smiled what seemed to be her first real smile since Draco had talked to Regina first.
"Thanks," she muttered and left the crowded closet-like space. After several long minutes in the bathroom, most of which was spent looking at herself in the mirror, she decided it was prudent to go back to the compartment. Everybody was crowded around the window when she walked in, and she peeked over their shoulders to a small train station coming up ahead.
"Is that Hogsmead?" She asked.
"Yeah, that's Hogsmead." Somebody – Regina wasn't sure who – said.
"Oh," she murmured and kept staring at the small building coming up ahead.
What seemed like twenty minutes later, the train stopped.
Regina followed the four Slytherin's out to the street, where hundreds of horseless carriages waited.
Instead of climbing in behind the Slytherin's, she jumped in with a bunch of giggly girls who were, thankfully, much more entranced in their own conversation of some British, wizard boy band.
Regina was the first one out of the carriage and was halfway up the steps of the castle when a woman with cat-eye glasses approached her. "Regina Welmore?" She asked stiffly.
"Yeah?"
"Follow me,"