As Snape was walking away, Wiggly appeared before Hermione holding her bags.

"This way to your room missus, I made it real pretty for you."

As the house elf bounced down the corridor to a door that was only a few away from Celia, Hermione followed as well as she could. Wiggly might have short legs but he was very fast.

With a proud flourish Wiggly opened the door and showed Hermione in.

The room was almost as large as Celia's, but somehow felt a bit more inviting. The bed had a warm yellow bedspread on it, and the curtains matched both that and a big stuffed chair in front of a fireplace. There was also a desk and chair that would suit Hermione fine for her studies.

On the desk was a small vase with one slightly droopy flower in it that Wiggly pointed at excitedly.

"See, made pretty!"

Hermione laughed softly and put a hand lightly on Wiggly's shoulder.

"It looks lovely Wiggly, thank you so much. I intend to eat lunch with Celia later, if possible, could you prepare something that you know she likes? I would like to start off as good as I can with her. "

The elf beamed and his ears even wiggled a bit, Hermione could see where he got his name from.

"Yes missus, I make all of them!" And with that he disapparated with a small bow.

Hermione sat down on the bed and looked around her. So this was to be her home for a while now, who knew how long though. Snape might get annoyed with her soon enough and make her leave. She hoped not though. Hermione had never had that urge to have children yet as so many around her seemed to. But as soon as she set eyes on Celia a wave of warmth had spread through her. She already felt very protective towards the girl and wished that she would find some way to help her. No child should look that sad and scared.

When it was time for lunch she heard a timid knock on the door. As she said come in, Wiggly walked in holding a tray that was stacked with more food than a small army would need.

"Lunch missus, we go to young missus room?"

Hermione smiled and stood up from the desk where she had been going through some papers on arithmancy and string theory.

"That sounds excellent Wiggly."

They walked to Celia's room together and after knocking and not receiving an answer again, they walked in. It seemed like Celia had not moved since Hermione had been in there several hours ago.

Hermione took up a matchstick box and two matches and transformed them into a table and two chairs. But as she did she heard a muffled shriek. She quickly looked up at Celia who was staring at the furniture with large eyes.

"Oh I am so sorry Celia, you have not gotten used to magic yet, I should have warned you."

Hermione bit her lip and cursed herself internally for being so thoughtless.

"I really am sorry, that was all my fault, I promise to tell you next time. Now please come join me, Wiggly has cooked up a storm it seems."

Wiggly smiled wide as he tried to fit all the dishes on the table and then walked out of the room. Apparently he had noticed Celia's fear of magic as well and did not apparate to or from her room.

Hermione sat down and started to look at all the food. Celia did not move from her seat in the window though.

"I see that there is fried chicken, little sandwiches, Swedish meatballs and fish and chips here, among many other things, it smells lovely." Hermione said.

Celia turned her head slowly and looked hungrily at the table.

Hermione put a napkin in her lap and made sure not to look directly at Celia.

"I would love to share all this with you, and if you join me I promise not to ask you anything, I am fully capable of speaking for two myself, or possibly even four if needed."

Hermione could see the hesitation in the girl but only started to help herself to some fish and chips.

After a minute or two Celia's hunger won and the girl inched her way to the table until she sat down on the very edge of the seat. Hermione could feel the girl's eyes on her, but every time she looked up the girl cast her eyes down to the food she was carefully putting on her plate.

Hermione saw it as a great victory that the girl had joined her at all.

They ate together in silence for a while. Celia ate very carefully as if she was afraid that she would do something wrong. Hermione assumed she had been told more times that she could count that the girl had been told just that.

Hermione was full and gently pushed the several deserts over towards Celia who took a little of each.

Hermione decided that there was no time like the present to start to talk to Celia. She had something she wanted to tell the girl so scared of magic, so she cleared her throat gently.

"I started to show my first signs of magic when I was only a little younger than you are. It scared me so much, I had no idea what was happening. I don't come from a family of wizards and witches so no one could tell me what was happening. Not that anyone knew to begin with, I tried to hide it as much as I could. It usually happened when I was angry or excited about something, so I went from being a rather exuberant and curious child, to what my parents referred to as a 75 year old woman in a child's body. I though that if I always stayed calm nothing bad would happen. It still did though from time to time. Usually small things like a book that I stretched for in the bookshelf flew into my hand or when my tea had gone cold and just like that was warm again as soon as I touched the cup. But sometimes it was worse. I set several things on fire when I was angry at first when my magic started appearing. It made the teachers very concerned, they assumed I had been playing with matchsticks of course, but a child setting things on fire is no good things no matter how it is done. I had some very uncomfortable discussions with my teachers and parents because of that.

I saw it all as a curse and even though my parents by and by noticed things we never talked about it.

But then came my eleventh birthday, another birthday that I did not have a party. I was afraid of having friends because they might see something so I never had parties or went to anyone elses. But that birthday something wonderful happened. Professor McGonagall, who you have met, rang on our door.

She came with my Hogwarts letter and explained to my parents that I was a witch, explained a bit about the wizarding world and brought all the schoolbooks I would need for my first year. She also showed us some spells to prove she was serious. Did you know she can turn into a cat?"

Celias eyes widened a bit, her spoon stopping for a moment before being put down on the plate.

"My birthday is in September though so it was almost a whole year before school started for me since the year had already started at Hogwarts. McGonagall said she would be back a week before school started to take me and my parents to Diagon Alley to get all the things I would need for school.

That year I reread all the books so many times I knew them by heart. But I was so happy to have them. For the first time in five years I felt like I belonged somewhere, that I was not a freak or cursed."

During that long speech Celia had finished all of her dessert but had stayed in her seat listening to Hermione, she still did not look at her, but it was evident she listened to every word Hermione said.

As they both had finished Hermione thought she would give the girl some space again, poor thing had to be overwhelmed. Hermione was about to take up her wand before thinking better of it.

"Would it be OK if I use magic to get the food to the kitchen and turn the chairs and table back to matches and matchbox? You can say no if you don't want me to."

Celia stood up from the chair and backed towards the window. And just as Hermione thought that she would have to try to carry everything somehow, Celia gave the smallest of nods.

Hermione took out her wand and did a quick spell to return everything as it was earlier.

The little girl's eyes stared at everything when it transformed, but at least did not look as scared as before. It was not much, but it was something Hermione decided.