Melanie's wand and wand box above.

*Edited*

⚯͛

The train ride to London was uneventful. They earned some strange looks, from the strange way Professor McGonagall was dressed.

When they exited the train station, the professor began to speak. "We'll be heading to a pub called The Leaky Cauldron. That will take us to Diagon Alley."

"Diagon Alley?" Rosalie questioned. Professor McGonagall stopped short, looking at the girl beside her. "Of course. How could I have forgotten? Well, with the events of today, I can't blame myself for forgetting."

"For forgetting what?" Rosalie wondered. The professor led her into a small bookstore, taking a seat at a nearby table.

"There is a bit of information that you need to know, Rosalie."

⚯͛

Rosalie sat back in her chair, her head spinning. She had just been given a lesson on witches and wizards, and magic and myths that she had heard of, but had never believed that they were real.

With the many questions that were swirling through her head, she picked one to ask. "What about my parents? Were they wizards and witches?"

Professor McGonagall looked at the redhead over her glasses. "You'll learn more about them when you begin school. Now, I've only told you about the basics and such. You'll learn more advanced things as you being and move up in school."

"There's more?" Rosalie questions, her eyes growing wider.

"Much more, Rosalie. You'll learn more and more later on."

After a minute, the professor stood. "Well, are you ready to go?"

She hastily stood, nodding.

They edited the bookstore, Rosalie following the professor as she moved down the sidewalk. They passed a sign that read "Charing Cross Rd.", before stopping outside of a tiny pub. A sign read "The Leaky Cauldron", and as Rosalie looked around, she felt the strange feeling that she and the professor were the only two able to see the pub. Everyone else's eyes slid right over the tiny building.

They entered the dimly lit building, and she looked at all of the witches and wizards seated at tables and counters, drinking and talking among themselves.

"Hello, Professor," a man called out from behind a table. "What brings you here?"

"Afternoon, Tom. I'm leading this new witch to Diagon Alley." Professor McGonagall replied, nodding to several people.

"Well then, I'll not hold you long. Have fun at Hogwarts!" The man named Tom replied, peering down at Rosalie. She nodded, smiling.

They walked through the pub to a back door, only stopping once to say a word to a stuttering man named Professor Quirrell.

Outside, behind the pub, they were greeted by a red brick wall.

"Rosalie, take note of this, in case you ever need to pass through here," the professor spoke. "Up three, across two."

Professor McGonagall tapped her wand along the wall, and waited as a hole appeared in the center of the bricks, growing larger and larger until it was large enough to walk through.

They passed through the hole, Rosalie casting another look over her shoulder to watch the wall close again before stopping and gazing at the sights in front of her.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley."

Witches and wizards walked around the streets, and stores were packed together. The names were endless. Sunlight reflected off of a stack of cauldrons outside of a shop, with a sign that read "Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible".

"Well, I have your letter here. We only sent one, and we didn't risk sending any more, since we have observed the way Marjorie behaved. Would you like to open it?" Professor McGonagall held out a creamy white envelope with a beautiful red stamp.

Rosalie eagerly took the envelope, tugging it open. She was careful to not tear the stamp as she removed two white sheets of parchment.

"The letter was addressed to you as if you were still at Marjorie's home," the professor excused. Rosalie began reading.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
~
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Dursley,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

"My owl?" Rosalie questioned.

"I have already sent a message to Professor Dumbledore to tell him that you will be attending Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall spoke.

Rosalie placed the second letter on top of the first one, beginning to read.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
~
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter coat (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magic Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Draughts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"We can get all of this here?" Rosalie wondered in amazement, her eyes leaving the parchment and gazing around her.

"Of course, but first we must get you money first." The professor looked up at the sun. "They should be done by now..." She muttered to herself.

"Who should be done by now?" She asked, her eyes never leaving the sights, so she didn't see the startled look on Professor McGonagall's face.

"Oh, no one. Now, shall we head over to Gringotts Bank?" The professor began walking, nodding to those who waved to her.

They finally reached a large ivory building, with a statue of a goblin outside of the bronze doors. Professor McGonagall pushed them open, ushering Rosalie inside. They paused in front of a pair of silver doors, words engraved into them.

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

"You couldn't possibly be in your right mind if you attempted to rob this place," the professor spoke. She pushed open the doors.

Inside, the room was filled with desks and goblins. The goblins were peering through large microscopes, weighing large jewels on gold scales, and copying down lines and lines of documents onto paper. Three large chandeliers hung down from the ceiling, and Rosalie was amazed at their size alone.

The professor led Rosalie up to the front of the room. A goblin peered down at them from the tall desk, his gaze narrow.

Professor McGonagall produced a key from within her robes, holding it up to the goblin. "The other one. I assume the first has been down there already?"

The goblin glanced down at Rosalie. "They have not come back up. I will see to it that they do no meet. Gorkrat will lead you down."

Rosalie turned to see a goblin climbing down from a pedestal. A gold scale held a pair of apple-sized diamonds, so blue they almost seemed clear. Gorkrat took the key from the goblin, who had already gone back to copying down lines onto parchment.

"This way." Gorkrat held open a large iron gate for them, before closing it behind them. He led them down a narrow stone hall, torches lighting the way. Rosalie nearly tumbled down before she realized how deeply it sloped downhill. Gorkrat stopped them, whistling. A cart shot out of the darkness, freezing in front of them.

The three of them climbed in before the cart took off once more. They twisted and turned down an impossibly long passageway, and Rosalie noticed that no one was steering the cart. She hoped that it knew what it was doing. The cold air stung her eyes, and she eventually clamped them shut to prevent them from drying out.

She felt the cart stop after a bit, and she opened her eyes. The goblin and professor were already out, standing in front of a small door. She quickly climbed out, joining them. As she did, Gorkrat unlocked the door, and it swung open.

A few wisps of green smoke drifted out, and Rosalie stepped forward, and gasped. Piles and piles of little bronze coins that Professor McGonagall told her were called Knuts, silver coins call Sickles, and gold coins called Galleons.

"It's quite simple, you shouldn't have a difficult time remembering. Seventeen Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle. Now, take this bag, and get some." The professor told her.

As Gorkrat locked the door once they were finished, a cart whizzed past them. Rosalie made out a giant man, another goblin, and possible a young boy before they were gone. Behind her, the professor pursed her lips.

"Come, now. We need to go shopping," Professor McGonagall led the way back into the cart, and they hurtled back the way they had come.

The sunlight was nearly blinding when Rosalie and the professor left the bank. "Now," Professor McGonagall began, "I believe that we should start with books."

The professor led Rosalie to a book store called Flourish and Blotts. She was immediately stunned by the amount and variety of book in the store. Despite the shelves that reached the ceiling, books still littered tables and stepping stools. They came in sizes as little as stamps, and as large as paving stones. They were bound in silk and leather and filled with words, symbols, and sometimes nothing at all.

Next, they went by a store named Rosalie Malkin's robes for All Occasions. She fit the first robe they tried almost perfectly, and they headed to the Apothecary, which smelled awful but was interesting enough. They bought a cauldron, scales, telescopes, and some basic ingredients for simple potions.

"I think we ought to go get you an owl next," Professor McGonagall said. "They're very useful; all children want them. Eelops Owl Emporium is the perfect place."

There, they bought a female tawny owl. Rosalie named her Pipper, a name she saw in a book while in Flourish and Blotts.

"Now, let's go get a wand, shall we?" Professor McGonagall led the was to a store. A sign over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

They entered, greeted by an old man who peered out at them. A stack of wands were whisking themselves off of a desk and into boxes as he spoke.

Professor McGonagall spoke quietly with him for a moment, before sitting on a lone little chair. Mr. Ollivander stepped forwards, coming closer to Rosalie .

"Yes, I have been waiting for you." He turned to the professor. "The other one just left."

He pulled a tape measure out of his robe, turning back to Rosalie. "Let's see, you'll be right handed, yes?" He waited for confirmation before looking over at Professor McGonagall. "May I? About her mother and fathers' wands?"

The professor hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. Mr. Ollivander turned to Rosalie. "Of course, I remember your parent's. Your fathers' wand was mahogany. Pliable; eleven inches. A bit of extra power and perfect for transfiguration. Now, your mother, she chose a willow wand. Swishy; ten and a quarter inches long. Very good for charm work. You look so similar to her."

He looked through his glasses at the professor. "Now, nine and a half inches, isn't it? Fir; dragon heartstring core? Nice for transfiguration."

As Mr. Ollivander said all of this, his tape measure measured her from wrist to elbow, shoulder to finger, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and around her head.

"Now, you'll hear this now, and you'll hear this when you bring your children in here to buy their wands. Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use phoenix tail feathers, unicorn hairs, and heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, like no two dragons or unicorns are the same. Now, I said before that your mother chose her wand, but really, it's the wand that chooses the wizard. You'll not get as good results with another wizard's wand as yours." Mr. Ollivander scooped his measure out of the air, turning away.

From behind the counter, he produced a red box. Pulling off the top, he revealed a wand. "I do suppose that we can begin in somewhat the same order that I began in with the other child. Right, then, this one is nine inches. Beechwood and dragon heartstring, and very flexible. Just hold it and give it a nice wave."

Rosalie took the wand, holding it awkwardly in her hand, and had just begun to wave it around before Mr. Ollivander snatched it away.

"No, no, try—ebony and unicorn hair, nine and a half inches, springy."

On and on the redhead went, the pile on the table growing larger and larger, passing the pile that she had first seen, but Mr. Ollivander continued on, completely undeterred.

"Sir," Rosalie finally began when her hand just touched a wand before it was yanked away, "what if there isn't a wand for me?"

He stopped, looking at her over his glasses. He remained silent and frozen for so long, she wondered if he was going to agree with her, but then he chuckled.

"Oh no, dear, every wizard has a wand, you must first find it, though. Besides, look around—" he waved his arms all around, motioning to the tall shelves stacked with dusty boxes, "—we will find you a wand in here. We have all day, and many wizards and witches have already come through, so I'll suspect that not many more will come."

He turned his gaze to the professor, who had been waiting so patiently. "I don't suppose... do you think—"

At once, her eyes raised up to meet his. "Well, I could guess that the other one came through and took the second one?"

Mr. Ollivander nodded. "Yes, but there is the third one."

At this, Professor McGonagall sighed, leaning back. "I suppose that you might as well. I doubt that anyone else would claim it, and none of the other wands seem to agree with her yet."

He nodded at her statement, going back into his shop. Rosalie leaned forward, hoping to see where he had gone, but it was hopeless; he had gone back into the darkest area of his store.

After several minutes, he finally returned, cradling a dusty green box. He waved his hand, and the other wands and boxes flew back to their places. He lay the box onto the wood, taking out a cloth and brushing the dust off.

He eventually removed the top, laying aside, before pulling out a wand. There seemed to be nothing special about it. It had a rounded end, with spirals leading up to a gold band, before going completely smooth.

"Willow and phoenix feather, twelve inches, perfectly supple." He looked at Rosalie for a moment before handing it off to her.

A warmth filled her fingers as she took the wand from him. As she began to wave it, red and gold sparks exploded from the end of it, dancing along the walls.

"The third feather." Mr. Ollivander spoke very quietly. "I, of course, only told the boy that the phoenix gave two feathers, but it gave three. I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised, no, I can understand why the second chose him, and the third chose you, and the first chose-"

"Garrick." Professor McGonagall's voice cut through the air, cutting off Mr. Ollivander. "Remember."

He nodded. "Of course. I hadn't meant to slip. Well, Melanie, I must say that you have a very interesting future ahead of you."

He took the wand back, placing it in its box before wrapping it up. Rosalie gave him seven Galleons, and he stood by the door as they left.

The Leaky Cauldron had a closed sign on the door, but they were let through by a witch that was cleaning up.

"Would you like something to eat, Rosalie? It's been a long day, and I suspect that Marjorie will not have anything for you at her house." Professor McGonagall offered her. Melanie nodded, and she was led to a little diner. The professor bought her a cottage pie, which tasted better than anything Melanie had ever tasted before. Professor McGonagall didn't take anything for herself, simply sitting with the girl as she ate.

"I know that it is a lot to take in, but soon, you'll be in school with other like you," the professor said. "It may seem like it will take forever for you to catch up, but really, others will come in knowing less than you."

Rosalie nodded, stroking Pipper's feathers through the bars on her little cage. After a while, they left to go to the train station.

"What did he mean," Rosalie finally began, "by the three feathers?"

Professor McGonagall gave her a small smile. "You'll learn about that later on. Come now, your train will be here soon. Well, I do suppose that we have time to stop at Flores Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and get a treat."

The professor once again took nothing for herself, allowing Rosalie to choose a delicious hot fudge sundae, no cherry, and just a little whipped cream. That was the best dessert she had ever tasted, and thanked the professor several times as they headed for the train station.

When they reached the train station, the professor gave her and envelope. "This is your ticket to Hogwarts. First of September, King's Cross. Platform 9¾. Everything you need to know is on it. If you have any problems with Marjorie, send a letter to me through your owl. She will know where to find me at. I'll see you soon, Rosalie."

The girl boarded the train, her cheeks flushing from the stares of others. She finally found a seat, and closed her eyes as the train began moving. Today had been an unrealistic day, and it had tired her out, despite the questions flying around her head.