3. July 15, 2022
Diagon Alley was AMAZING! All the different shops and all the people! I mean, I've seen that kind of crowd before, of course, but not Diagon Alley. Before this year, my mother and I have always spent the end of July and August with ma grandmamma in France, so that it was easier to catch the train to Beauxbatons. So, of course, we always did our shopping in Paris. And, in Paris, it's not just one street for magical shopping. No, it's more like a dozen or more BLOCKS of magical shops. There are so many different options that you rarely see more than 5 or 6 students on the same street let alone the same shop. But I'm off topic. So, I went to Diagon Alley to buy all my new school supplies. My first stop was Gringotts, to withdraw some money from our vault. My mother transferred all our money to England when we moved here, it's easier than sending away to La Banque de Notre Dame de Paris every time we need gold. Then I started my shopping at a place called Flourish and Blotts, where I got all my all my books and parchment, ink and quills. Then I went on to Bobbin's Apothecary for my potions ingredients and equipment. Going down the list that came in my letter, I went and bought everything in plenty of time. My final stop was Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to get my new school robes. As I was leaving to go get lunch somewhere, I ran into, and I mean literally into The Harry Potter! And how do I know who he was you ask? Well duh! EVERYONE knows who he is. I mean, he did save, like, ALL of Britain! And he was only 17! I'm sure he'd rather not be famous but what can he do about it now? Okay, enough with the star struck thing. Point is, I was so embarrassed, `specially since he was there with his whole family. Okay, gotta go pack my new trunk. Peace. Ξ
The rest of the summer passed quickly for Nikia. She and her mother spent a week visiting her grandmother in France and after they returned home, she spent most of her time with Melissa.
Too soon, it was time to say goodbye to her new friend and pack up and leave for Hogwarts. Hugging Melissa goodbye, she promised t write as much and possible, then went back into her house to Floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Cerise went first, with the luggage, followed by Nikia, with Minuit.
Arriving at the inn, they caught a cab to Kings Cross Station and found their way to Platform 9 ¾. After stowing her trunk and Minuit in an empty compartment, Nikia returned to where her mother was standing on the platform. Looking at her, Nikia saw that her mother was holding back tears. Hugging her, Nikia tried to reassure her.
"Tout sera bien maman, it will be fine," she said calmly. "I will write as often as possible and I'll even be nice to the teachers," she continued, looking up at her mother with big eyes. Cerise laughed; Nikia had had a notorious reputation with the teachers back at Beauxbatons.
"I vill believe ZAT ven I do not hear from ze administration zis year ma chèrie. You are so very much like my father zat I do not believe zat zat is possible for you." Cerise's father was, of course, Sirius Black, a notorious prankster. A whistle sounded across the platform, prompting the rest of the students on the platform to board before the train left. Smiling, Nikia gave her mother one last kiss and hug before running to the train.
Standing on the platform, Cerise watched and waved as her daughter leaned out the window, waving and shouting back, until the train rounded a corner and was out of sight.