"ISABELLA!" Amos's shout and his loud knocks interrupted her deep sleep. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. It was supposed to be a holiday for her.

"WHAT?" She shouted back with the same energy.

"Come down, will ya? Ria's got a letter!" He answered.

She sighed. "Then go tell her! She's downstairs, and she's been up for three hours!"

"Then why are you still sleeping?" He asked.

"Because—" she replied back. "I've spent almost all night packing. And my back's hurting because of it!"

"Bella!"

"What?"

There was a beat of silence. "Ria's got a letter." He said again.

Isabella thought over his words, trying to comprehend what he meant. And then her eyes widened in realisation. She hurriedly left her bed and opened the door. Amos greeted her with a grin.

"Please, tell me Mum's camera still works.." she said to him. And without missing a beat, he raised the old camera in front of her.

With a massive grin, she grabbed it and ran downstairs.

"Wait— wait, Bella, careful! I thought you had back pain!" He followed her.

"Well— not anymore!" She said with ecstasy.

"Ced! Give— that— back!" Asteria chased after her cousin, who ran around the dining table with two letters in his hand. "It's my letter!"

"Nope!" He answered, dodging her yet another time. His father had asked her to not let her open it since both of them knew how impatient she was.

Ria glowered at him. "Cedric, I swear to God, if you don't— " Her sentence was cut off when her mother came rushing to where they were. "Mum? You okay?"

"Me?" She huffed. "Yeah! What would happen to me? I'm great!" She answered, raising the camera. "Now, go on!"

"Yeah, go on!" Amos repeated, coming behind her.

And finally, Cedric handed the letter back to her. She snatched it from his grasp, muttering a 'finally' to herself. Though after seeing a red crest on the envelope, she looked at Cedric in confusion. His envelope also had the same crest.

"What're you waiting for?" He asked, watching her instead of taking a look at his letter.

Weird.. she thought as she carefully opened the seal.

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 Miss. Edwards,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at 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 longer than July 31.

Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress

"It's my Hogwarts letter.." she muttered in disbelief, looking at her mother who was grinning from ear to ear. And when Ria looked like she was just about to explode with happiness, Cedric shut his ears.

"IT'S MY HOGWARTS LETTER!" She screeched instantly, jumping in excitement as she showed the letter to Isabella. She nodded, taking her daughter in a hug.

"So, are you excited?" asked Cedric, his tone sarcastic.

"I'm gonna go to a magic school! Of course, I am!" answered Ria, reading the letter further. "Oh, I'll need some other stuff, too. Robes.. Books.. Cauldron.." she suddenly gasped. "A wand? Am I finally getting my wand?" She asked.

Isabella nodded. "Yes, you are. Go get ready."

"YES!"

Cedric sighed, watching her run away to her room. "I remember when I was that excited for school."

"Hey.. stop talking like an old man." Bella said, and then slowly peeked at her brother. "That's your father's job."

The aunt-nephew laughed at the face Amos made. "I'm literally just a year older than you." He said in defeat. "And you too, go get ready. We're meeting someone in the Leaky Cauldron in an hour."

Bella raised a questioning eyebrow. "In an hour? Who're we meeting?"

And his Cheshire Cat grin almost scared her. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

She gulped nervously. As children, those were the exact words they said to each other whenever they had a surprise planned.

Usually a bad one.

"Come on, Amos, would you tell me already?" Isabella whined to his brother. Her heartbeat raced with every step they took towards the Leaky Cauldron. He rolled his eyes.

"Bella, we aren't teenagers anymore. It's a good surprise."

"Fine." She sighed. There were some people from her past that she did not want to see. And she was afraid Amos would force her to reconnect with them.

"What's going on with Uncle Amos?" Ria asked Cedric.

He gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean by that?" He asked genuinely.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "He has this weird 'plotting face' right now. It's strange."

"Oh.." Cedric nodded. "One thing you should know about Dad; whenever he is planning something huge, he has this face. And it gives him away almost every time." Ria nodded at the received information.

"Okay, one question. Uhm— what after Hogwarts?" She asked. "I mean— is there like a college for witchcraft and wizardry? Or exams for stuff like that?"

"College?" He asked. "I don't know! But of course, you can always study more of what you like. But I don't think college is mandatory for getting jobs here. Actually, as a wizard, you can never be jobless."

Ria's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "How so?"

"If you don't get a job here, you can always be a Muggle Magician." Cedric answered cleverly. "You just have to make sure you don't get caught by the Muggles.. and the Ministry for breaking the Law of Secrecy." He chuckled.

Though, Ria seemed to be deep in thought. That's... interesting. A smile slowly grew on her face. And then Cedric realised he should not have told her that.

"No! No, no, no. Get that idea out of your head! Dear Helga, why did I tell you that?" He muttered to himself.

Her smile turned into a frown, and her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "For God's sake, is there anybody here in the Wizarding World who has a good sense of humour?"

"Ria," He said in disbelief, "a good sense of humour.. doesn't get you in prison, doesn't get you a snapped wand, doesn't disgrace you and doesn't banish you from the Wizarding community."

Ria stared at him in shock before nodding aggressively. "Yup, nobody has a good sense of humour here.."

Cedric gave up with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. His cousin really was one of a kind. How did she even manage to come up with such extreme ideas?

The family entered the Leaky Cauldron, and almost immediately Isabella started looking around for any familiar face, and when she saw an elderly couple at a table, the doubt in her mind vanished. A little, curly-headed girl sitting next to them watched her with great curiosity, as if trying to locate the hint of familiarity. Soon, her face bloomed with realisation.

She nudged the old woman's arm. "Grandma, it's Isabella!" She said, pointing towards her. The couple turned around, and soon enough, their faces lit up with ecstasy.

"Newt! Tina!" Isabella rushed towards them, taking both of them into hugs as they chuckled with happiness. "Blimey! How have you been?" she asked, eyes tearing up.

"We're great!" Tina answered with a grin. "Oh, Lord, Isabella.. It's so nice to see you again.." she said, clasping both her hands as if she was going to run away any moment.

"To be honest, Isabella," said Newt, "disappearing for four years, without any word, wasn't very nice of you." His tone was soft, but with a hint of disapproval.

She looked down in embarrassment. "It was an accident, Newt.. Couldn't do anything about it." She then looked at her brother. "Thanks a lot, Amos."

Amos slightly bowed his head with a smile. "I realised, with the new house and Ria's schooling, you didn't really get any time to reconnect with them. So, I thought I'd do it for you." he said. And his words awed Isabella.

He really was the best brother she could ever get..

A small 'ahem' caught Isabella's attention, and she saw her daughter give her a look.

"Oh, uh— This is my daughter, Asteria. Ria.. Meet Newt Scamander, my Magizoologist boss— the one I told you about." Ria nodded in realisation. "We're friends though, aren't we, Newt?" She smiled at him.

He chuckled, glad to see that her cheeky side had finally come back. "Yes, we are. Nice to meet you, Asteria."

She smiled. "You too.. And please, call me Ria." She said, shaking his hand.

"This is his wife.. Tina." She gave Ria a little wave, which she returned. "She was the Head of the American Auror Office for decades."

"Woah, that's cool!" Ria's genuine response warmed her heart.

"And.. this little one." said Isabella as she ruffled the girl's hair. "Is their granddaughter."

"Sophie Scamander." She said, extending a hand.

Ria gladly shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Sophie."

"I'm a second-year student too, by the way." She said, and a feeling of relief settled into Ria's mind.

"Oh, it's great to meet you, then." The response made Sophie chuckle. "At least now I know someone besides my boring cousin." She taunted.

"Hey!" Cedric replied, mildly offended. The group chuckled at their sweet dynamic.

"So.. let's proceed?" asked Tina. "We will catch up at Florean's."

Agreeing, the group exited the inn through their backdoor. And Ria felt quite disappointed by what she saw. "Wow.. an old brick wall.." she mumbled to herself, sarcasm evident in her tone. She didn't mean for anyone to catch it, but Sophie did.

She raised a curious eyebrow at her. "I'm assuming, you've never been here before?" she asked, knowing all too well.

"Nope." answered Ria. In all honesty, she had expected a big shopping alley waiting right in Leaky Cauldron's backyard.

Sophie smiled slyly. "Then you're gonna like this. Just watch."

Asteria did as she was told. She saw Amos raise his wand and glide it across the wall in some pattern. Her eyes widened in shock as the bricks began separating, creating some sort of doorway. And what she saw behind was exactly what she had expected.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Sophie looked at her expectantly. "Like what you see?"

"That was.. unexpected." Ria chuckled wondrously.

"Well, we can't really risk getting caught by Muggles, so yeah! It's pretty well hidden." answered Sophie.

"Oh.. don't tell her that." Cedric chuckled sarcastically. "Miss Ria Edwards thinks otherwise. She thinks it would be exciting to break a law and get chased by the Ministry." He gave her a ridiculed look.

"What?" said Ria in a high-pitched voice. "I never said that.."

"You implied to." Her cousin replied.

"Okay, maybe I did." She shrugged. "But.. But how bad can it be?"

"Very bad!" Both of them snapped at her.

Yeah.. wizards were no fun.

The group walked into the crowded alley. It was so crowded and noisy that Ria's geography teacher (who was Sri Lankan) would've used it as an example instead of a fish market while describing their class.

It looked like every wizarding family that was associated with Hogwarts had been there. She could see various shops; shabby and old to grand and new. Several owls flying above their heads, retailers advertising their shops, adults chatting and children whining.. All that chaos in a comparably narrow alley should've annoyed Ria, but it did not. She was too fascinated to complain.

As they had discussed, they ended up in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for his infamous sundae. Cedric had spotted some of his friends and had left the group. The adults were busy catching up with each other's lives. And that left Ria and Sophie all to themselves.

"So.. Ria." Sophie started the conversation. "Did you attend your first-year somewhere else? I don't think I saw you in Hogwarts last year."

"The time-turned incident stays in our family, and Minnie and Dumbledore. No one else, okay?" She remembered her mother's words.

"I was— uh— homeschooled for a year, actually." She answered, word-to-word, just how she had rehearsed. "And also, we were abroad before I turned eleven. I've heard the first letter we get from a wizarding school depends on where we're born. I was born here, so I didn't get a letter from the school abroad. And my Hogwarts letter got lost or something." She chuckled, kind of uneasy with the lying.

"Oh.." Sophie nodded in understanding. "Yeah.. that's true. That happened to me and my brother. My older brother, Rolf; he was born when my Mum and Dad were visiting my great aunt Queenie in New York, and I was born here. So, he got a letter from Ilvermorny and I got mine from Hogwarts. He lives there, with my parents. And I live with my grandparents."

Ria nodded at her answer. "Do you like it at Hogwarts?"

"I know what you're getting to.." said Sophie, as if she had been reading her mind.

Ria chuckled, nodding as she took a scoop of her ice cream. "Yeah.. I'm curious. I mean, I've never been to a wizarding school before."

"Well.. it depends on the type of people you're surrounded with, really." she answered honestly. "I have good friends. My Housemates; Hufflepuffs are also sweet to me. So, I do like it there."

Ria smiled. "Then I hope I get Hufflepuff."

Her answer made Sophie tilt her head and inspect her face to see if she was being serious. "What?" asked Asteria.

"I've never heard anyone say they wanted to be in Hufflepuff." she answered. "We get a poor rap most of the time."

Ria shrugged. "Well, my Dad, my uncle and my cousin are Hufflepuffs. You're a Hufflepuff." The way she said it made Sophie chuckle again. "I don't see a reason I wouldn't enjoy being a Hufflepuff."

"Then, I too, hope you're a Hufflepuff." She replied merrily.

After that ice cream treat, the Scamanders separated from them for some other work, while the three decided to visit Gringotts first. Ria couldn't believe her eyes for the first five minutes when she saw real goblins.

"Mum.. are they evil?" she had asked quietly.

"Why would you think that?" her mother had asked back.

"The goblins in Narnia were evil.."

"Does this look like Narnia to you?"

"No." And when Isabella hadn't spoken further, Ria had just concluded the conversation with a nod. "Got it."

And then they went through the process of retrieving money from their bank account— no— vault. They have literal vaults to keep their customers' wealth. And they have a roller coaster to get there. That's cool.. was what Ria's mind said. As a fantasy world lover, it was like living a dream.

When they exited Gringotts, Amos quickly turned to his sister. "Bella, would you mind looking for Cedric? I have some work to do. I'll take care of Ria."

Ria raised a questioning eyebrow at her uncle, who just playfully winked at her. Isabella stared at the two in confusion. "Don't worry, Amy, I can take Ria."

"Actually.." He gently held Ria's hand. "I need her help. You'll help me, won't you, Ria?" He asked.

The girl shrugged. "Sure." she looked at her mother. "Don't worry, Mum. We'll be fine."

"Oh.. okay." said Isabella, slightly anxious as she walked away from them.

"He'll likely be at Madam Malkin's with his friends. They needed new robes for Quidditch." He added.

"Okay. Come back there after your work is done, though. Ria needs to get her robes, too."

"Yeah, sure!"

As the pair saw Isabella disappear into the crowd, they proceeded to wherever Amos's work was. They had been walking past many shops when he asked her: "So, Ria, have you thought about getting a new pet before you go?"

She didn't have to think about the answer. "Not really." She said. "I don't really know the castle. I can't have a new pet in a place I don't know! I know I'll lose it. So, I'm taking Jude. Mum says he knows the castle."

Amos nodded. "Pretty reasonable. Come on! We're here." He said, directing her into a shop named 'Quality Quidditch Supplies'.

Now that Ria was pretty much obsessed with Quidditch, the place was an eye candy. Brand new accessories lined up in shelfs, polishing kits of different kinds, beautiful broomsticks displayed in front of the window. Oh, she could stare at them for hours.

"Uhm— Uncle, do you mind if I take a look around?" She asked, her voice faint because of how stunned she was.

His lips twitched upwards in a small smile. "Why not?"

With that answer, Ria roamed around the shop looking at various things, especially the broomsticks. Now she understood why Cedric had freaked out so much at the mere sight of his Starsweeper XXI. Just thinking about flying with those beauties in front of a crazy crowd was thrilling.

As she was strolling mindlessly, she stumbled into someone. "Could you watch where you're— " his words drowned down at the sight of her. A light blush climbed his cheeks but it was well concealed because of his dark skin.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!" Ria quickly apologised.

"It was my fault too. I'm sorry." He said, and she shrugged in response.

A guilty smile decorated her lips. "I mean.. these are pretty distracting." She said, glancing at the broomsticks, and the boy smiled back.

"Which one's your favourite?" He asked.

"I don't think I'll have one until I take 'em for a ride." answered Ria.

"Well.. I'd say that one, then." He pointed to a sleek black broom. "The Nimbus 2001. It's pretty fast."

"Sounds pretty great." She nodded, impressed. "Maybe I'll get it for myself, one day." She looked back at him. "You own one?"

He shook his head. "I wish. My friend does. He asked me if I wanted to try one of them."

Asteria raised a questioning eyebrow. "One of them?"

"He owns seven of that model."

Ria's jaw almost touched the floor. "Seven?!" She asked, and he nodded. "Either it's a weird obsession or he wants to bribe someone." By his laugh, Ria assumed one of her answers was correct.

Though a sudden clear of throat made their heads turn. A beautiful, dark-skinned woman outside the shop was looking at him with a strict gaze. He quickly straightened his posture.

"I'll have to go." That was all he said before walking right out, leaving Ria disappointed since she didn't even get to ask for his name.

It was soon that she heard her uncle's call too. And when she reached there, she was completely unaware that Amos had heard that conversation.

"Ria.. How do you think about a Nimbus 2001?"

She stopped breathing for a quick moment. No way..

Her pin drop quiet response made him nod at the shopkeeper.

"Well— I— " Ria stuttered, feeling short of words and breath. "I've heard, it's.. the fastest model of Nimbus. Sounds.. nice, actually."

Amos smiled in satisfaction and the broomstick appeared at the counter, with a broom paper being magically wrapped around it. 

"No! No, you can't.." said Ria, denying even though she would die for a Nimbus 2001. "It's way too costly. And besides— I— I don't even know if I'll make the team. We can see after my Quidditch tryouts, if you want—"

Though he just slid the coins to the shopkeeper, picked up the parcel and handed it to her. "I know this is very late, but Merry Christmas, Ria."

With that, Amos walked out of the shop, leaving Ria flabbergasted. Her little fingers gripped the gift, and she fought back a smile as she followed her uncle with happy little skips.

When the pair reached Madam Malkin's shop, Isabella placed her hands on her hips. "Amos!"

"What?" He asked innocently.

She tilted her head. "You know what."

"Yes, I bought a broom for my niece, Bella.." He answered, copying every word she had said the day she had bought a Starsweeper for Cedric. "And that's between us, you don't have a say in it.

Isabella glared at him, before shaking her head in disapproval. "Come on, let's get you your robes." she said to her daughter.

As Ria walked towards her, she nervously glanced up at her. "In my defence, I tried to say no, but he had already bought it. He said it was a Christmas gift."

She just sighed in defeat and proceeded to put the broomstick in her extendable bag. While Ria saw Sophie standing there being measured by a floating tape.

"Hey, Sophie!" She quietly greeted her, and she smiled in response.

"Hello, there!" Bella greeted the Madam. "My daughter's going to Hogwarts this year."

The Madam raised her wand, making another measuring tape fly towards her. "Say no more."

Isabella then turned to Madam Malkin and engaged her into what looked like a very important conversation.

Note the sarcasm, please.

"So.. how's that plan coming along?" asked Sophie.

Ria's face contorted in confusion. "What plan?"

"Er— the one where you become a Muggle Magician while being on the run from the Ministry, because it's thrilling." she answered, and Ria chuckled.

"Well- that's not the end goal." She answered back. "It's the back up plan if Plan A, Plan B and marrying a rich person doesn't work out."

"And.. what're Plan A and Plan B?"

"It's a surprise."

There was a silence where the two stared at each other, trying not to smile.

"You have no idea, do you?"

"Yup, no idea." Their smiles finally broke out at that answer.

Ria liked her; she seemed sweet.

"I think I'll be leaving now." She said with a sigh, watching as the measuring tape rested on the counter. "You know who's here, in Diagon Alley? Gilderoy Lockhart." She whispered, excited.

"The guy who wrote our books?" asked Asteria, a bit curiously.

Sophie nodded. "Yeah! He's going to sign some of the books."

Ria nodded. "Alright, I guess. I'll catch up." she said.

"He's also pretty handsome." she added just as she was about to leave.

Ria softly smiled. "Handsome, huh? I'll hurry, then."

But as soon as Sophie left, someone spoke up. "That plan sounds wicked, by the way."

Asteria turned around to find a boy looking at her with a soft smile. She grinned at that answer. "Isn't it? No one agrees with me!"

"Like imagine, being absolutely loved by an audience. They praise you, but they don't know you are a whole nother species of human kind, and are being chased by the officials. But you are so prepared that you never get caught." She quickly added. "You are always a step ahead of everyone else." And as the story built up in her head, she sighed. "Damn, that sounds exciting."

She then thought better to introduce herself before he leaves, like the first boy. "Asteria Edwards." She said, extending her hand.

But just as the boy was going to shake her hand, a voice came. "Son."

He looked at his father, hand half-way to where hers was. He hesitantly took it back, looking down nervously.

Ria looked at the man, too. He was looking at her with the most judgemental look. "I did not catch your last name, girl."

She glanced at the boy before looking at his father. "Um— Edwards.. Sir."

His judgemental look transformed into a curious one. And for some reason, Ria knew exactly what question was running through his head. Her confident stance cowered with insecurity.

He must be the type of wizard her mother had warned her about.

"Ha— Half-blood." She muttered. And even though it was quiet, Isabella quickly turned her head to look at her. Her eyes then moved to the man who she found quite familiar. She had faced him before.

The man looked at his son, giving him some sort of approval through his eyes.

"Theodore Nott." The boy shook her hand, a bit uncomfortable. "Pureblood." His voice was quieter when he said it.

Knew it..

"Well— uh— see you at Hogwarts." He said quickly and left with his father.

Ria breathed out, trying to relieve herself of the uncomfortable atmosphere the conversation had created.

"Are you done, sweetie?" Her mother's voice brought her back.

"Yeah.." she said, nodding furiously as she tried to put the situation behind her.

"Great. The robes will take some time. Till then, we'll get the rest of your things, yeah?" Ria nodded again.

The pair walked their way to their next destination in silence. The one in silence was just Isabella though, who glanced at her daughter once in a while. Ria, seeming silent on the outside, had her mind filled with chaos.

She couldn't help but wonder if her time at Hogwarts was going to be that way; making allies and enemies on the basis of her blood. She had so many questions. She wondered if every Pureblood thought that way. She wondered how much Muggleborn father had suffered under this prejudice when he was in Hogwarts.

"So.. back in the shop.." Isabella started, taking Ria's attention. "It looked like you made another friend."

Ria hummed in response, her tone suggested 'yes', but she herself was confused about the answer. She did seem to get along with Theodore just fine until his father came by.

"You know, how I told you to not care what House you were in, and just.. go for the people that you think will genuinely make a good difference in your life?" asked Isabella. Her daughter nodded.

"I learned that through school and through some years after that." She added. "You know what I have also learned?"

"What?" Ria asked.

"Having certain blood didn't make you right or wrong, worthy or unworthy, high-valued or low-valued." She explained lovingly. "What really decides your worth is the decisions you take and the acts you perform. So, do you know who will truly know your worth?"

Ria waited for the answer. "The ones who have been there with you. The ones that have seen you struggle. The ones that really love you and care for you."

"Who cares what an entitled, sneering old man you met at a shop thinks about you?" Ria chuckled at her expressions.

"You wanna know what I think of you?" Isabella asked, her tone of delight. "I think of you as my annoyingly— " Ria squinted her eyes at her. "clever, adorable, beautiful little girl."

Ria wanted to look mad, but she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "You think I'm annoying?"

Isabella nodded. "Yes. But I also said you're clever and adorable and beautiful!"

"I guess you did." She said, feeling much better. "Thanks, Mum."

With a wide smile, Isabella put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer as they continued to walk. "No worries, my love."

And finally, there it was, a ginormous shabby and dusty shop, which looked like it was centuries old. It had golden letters etched at the front that spelled 'Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 b.c.'. A single wand laid on a faint purple cushion as a display.

The two entered the quiet shop, and a bell tinkled. It looked quite creepy for a shop whose majority of customers were eleven-year-olds.

And Ria absolutely hated everything about horror.

A screeching sound made her jump out of her skin. The sound came from a ladder moving to the front counter, and standing on it was an old man, with white hair and unusually twinkly eyes.

A tape magically flew towards her. "Hold your right arm out." Ria did as Isabella instructed. The tape began measuring her arm.

"Isabella Diggory.. feels like only yesterday you came to take your first wand." The man said, his face of wonder. "Swishy, Cherry wood, eleven and quarter inches with Phoenix feather core, was it?" He asked delightedly.

Isabella nodded, waving her wand in front of him. "Still correct as ever, Mr Ollivander." She beamed. His eyes moved over to the little girl. Her blue eyes shining under the dim light reminded him of someone.

"Asteria Edwards.. what a pleasure." Ria wasn't surprised that he knew her name, since he was already a bit freaky being able to remember every wand he sold.

"Twelve inches made of Oak, Dragon heartstring and surprisingly flexible.. It was your father's wand, dear. It would have led him to greatness." He said. "Too bad, he made some wrong choices."

Ollivander suddenly had his realisation moment— as if he heard one of the wands call to him. He walked towards his shelf. He shuffled through many boxes before taking out one and holding the wand out to Ria.

"Ashwood, Dragon heartstring-" She moved her hand to take it, but as soon as she touched it, a small electric current made her back off. "-defies you. Perhaps, not the one." Ollivander put it back while Ria rubbed her fingertips.

He took another one and held it out, but took it back before she could touch it. "Not this one either." He shuffled through many wands. Some he brought to her, some he decided weren't good enough at only one glance. At this point, Ria was tired.

The old man stopped looking at once and closed his eyes, as if focusing all his might into finding the wand. He then looked at her, comparing the girl and the wand in his mind to evaluate how compatible they were. His eyes slightly widened.

He bent down to match her height. "You are destined for great things, dear." He said to her, before picking a box right from under his desk. Suddenly, she felt too anxious.. as if there was a small storm swirling inside her.

He blew the dust off before opening the box and placing it in front of her. "But it is your choice that will define.. If those great things would be terrible or magnificent."

Feeling drawn to the wand, she slowly picked it up. And suddenly, the storm calmed. She felt sound; as if the wand had formed a connection with her and contained her worry.

She looked up at him. "I think this is the one." said Asteria.

Ollivander smiled. "It is, indeed." He answered. "Eleven and three-quarter inches, unbending flexibility, made of Ebony and Phoenix feather core. Perfect!" He beamed. And Ria couldn't help but smile back.

She looked at her mother. "We got the same core!" She squeaked, lightly waving her wand in the air.

Isabella nodded, softly smiling. "Yeah, we do."

She paid for the wand and they began walking to their final destination; a bookstore called 'Flourish and Blotts'. Amos and Cedric were waiting for them outside the store. It also looked like it was crowded inside.

"Finally! You're here!" said Amos. "Come on, let's get this shopping thing over with."

Isabella looked at Cedric. "What happened to him?"

"l don't know." He answered nonchalantly.

Bella looked at her brother. "What is it, Amy?"

"Nothing, I've just been waiting for you. Because, there's another couple of surprises waiting for you inside." He said, trying to hide the amusement in his tone.

Isabella looked at him in confusion. "Really?"

"Yeah.." He nodded. "You'll finally remember who Gilderoy Lockhart was." He said.

"Okay.." she answered, still confused.

"Come on, go inside. I'll follow." He said, encouraging her to go inside.

"I've heard he's handsome," said Ria.

"I have too." Her mother answered.

But the moment Ria stepped into the store and looked at his face, her expectations crumbled down like a heavily eroded rock. Okay, maybe he's not the one Sophie was talking about.

When she looked at her mother, she got concerned for a moment. She had her eyes wide and her hand on her mouth. Ria didn't know if it was the shock, or if she wanted to vomit.

That's Gilderoy Lockhart.. Isabella thought. Oh Godric, he's that brat—

She mumbled something before walking right out the door. Cedric looked at Ria, confused and worried. "What did she say?"

"Something along the lines of 'I'll be back. Just stay here.'" She answered, and her cousin nodded in understanding.

"Hey, Ria!" Sophie greeted her cheerily. "Did you get your wand?" she asked.

Ria nodded. "Yeah.. Yeah!" She said, showing her the dark tinted wand. "Ebony and Phoenix feather core."

"Oh, that's great!" She said, her tone seeming genuine. "Come with me!" She said, holding her hand and dragging her to the front, where Tina had been waiting. Ria tried to drag Cedric with her, but his attention was somewhere else.

"Hey, Ria." He said, "do you mind if I come back in a while? I'll just be around."

She shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

He smiled. "Good. Just stay with Sophie, okay?" She nodded, watching as he left and watching as they reached the front.

Ria tried hard to keep her smile on as she pointed towards the man in the spotlight. He was the one she was talking about. "That's.. That's good."

"Right?" Sophie asked, turning back to pay attention to him.

"Good for you.." she muttered under her breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" said Gilderoy, trying to sound as posh as he could. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!"

"I will be sharing my extraordinary talents at Defence against the Dark Arts with the students of Hogwarts." he said with a smug smile. "Yes, that means exactly what you think, young lady— " he said, looking at her, while Ria made a face.

I didn't think anything you thought I was thinking, sketchy man.

"I will be teaching at Hogwarts, this year." At Lockhart's words, the crowd cheered.

With all his blabbering and the flashing lights, it took a moment for her to notice the small boy beside him. Initially she thought he was just a fanboy of Lockhart, but then she saw the lack of comfort on his face as he pushed his round-rimmed glasses back and faked a smile at the man.

Harry was staggering under the weight of his book. Merlin knew how badly he wanted to escape Lockhart's grip, but that man didn't budge. He just sighed, moving his gaze to the crowd to find his friends, but instead, he saw a girl that he had not seen before.

And she was staring at him.

The tips of his ears turned crimson. She looked really pretty, with her long brown hair, though he could not tell if her eyes were blue or grey from where he was standing.

But then, realisation slapped him in the face. She was probably staring at him because he was famous. A tinge of disappointment settled into his heart.

But then, the girl finally looked away from him. She looked at the high stack of books on the desk, to Lockhart's other side. She slowly covered her mouth with her hand, looking around to see if anyone was paying attention.

"Is that Kennilworthy Whisp?" At that name, blinding flashes of light erupted from everywhere. Unexpectedly, the high stack of books on his desk collapsed. And being the narcissistic stuck-up Lockhart was, he quickly released Harry to collect his books. Many of the customers and photographers did the same.

She quickly rushed to Harry's side of the room and clasped his cloak, gently pulling him away from that desk. He smiled at her, feeling awed and ever-so grateful.

"Thanks for that." He said with a content sigh.

Ria shrugged. "No worries. Honestly, you looked like you needed some help."

Harry nodded with a small chuckle. "Yeah, I did." But then, a question occurred to him. "Who is Kennilworthy Whisp?"

"He is an author." She answered. "He wrote 'Quidditch through the Ages'."

She liked Quidditch too. Harry thought.

"I'm really sorry to ask this.. but have we met before?" She asked. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere."

Harry pursed his lips. My scar's probably hidden behind my hair, that's why she doesn't recognise me.

"Have we?" He repeated mindlessly.

After concentrating a bit on her memories, her eyes widened in surprise. "I think I do know who you are!" She said.

Here goes.. Harry thought. She'll look at my scar and ask if I am Harry Potter..

"I know that face.. Are you Lily and James Potter's son?"

Her question took him by surprise. That was unexpected. No one had ever asked him that at first glance..

"You knew them?" He asked, his voice soft.

"My parents did." She answered with a gentle smile. "I've only seen them in pictures. And I know I'm not mistaken, you look very much like James."

Harry couldn't help but genuinely smile at the girl. She didn't know how glad he felt, hearing that.

"I'm sorry for your loss, by the way." She continued. "From what I've heard, they seemed like good people."

He nodded. "I've heard that too."

That answer broke Ria's heart a little. She couldn't imagine not knowing her parents at all.

"I'm Harry." He said, extending his hand for introduction. But he lost balance of his books as he had momentarily forgotten about the weight he was carrying. Though Ria had quickly leaped forward to give him some support and retrieve the balance.

The two looked at each other and laughed silently. "Hi, Harry." She replied. "I'm Ria."

Harry had finally noticed the colour. She had a pair of the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. And without thinking of his words, he blurted out. "You have really pretty eyes."

Ria was taken aback by the sudden compliment. Her cheeks turned red. He blushed profusely too, when he realised what he had said. He cleared his throat.

"I— uh— I didn't mean it like that-" He mentally facepalmed. "I mean— they really are pretty— I just— I just didn't mean to say it out loud. And I didn't mean to say that out loud— "

"Thanks." Ria cut him off, and he was grateful she did, or else he would've turned into a blabbering mess.

The stack of books was finally piled back up on the desk, and Lockhart was just about to seek Harry when a familiar face walked back into the store.

"Diggory? Isabella Diggory?" Gilderoy's voice made Isabella panic and hide behind her brother, who she had just walked inside with.

"Shit— Amos! Hide me, please— " She whispered to him, but Lockhart had already recognised her. She faked a smile. 

"Lockhart! Such a surprise that you remember me!" Isabella exclaimed through gritted teeth. Why do you remember me?

Ria sent her a questioning look. They knew each other?

Gilderoy chuckled, flashing his teeth. It took Isabella her everything to not cringe right in front of him. And even though Amos would be amused in such situations, he put a protective arm around his sister. He had stepped in that shop remembering one thing; Gilderoy Lockhart was a narcissist that did not know the concept of taking a hint.

"Yes, of course I would! A very great bond we had, didn't we, Diggory?" He asked and winked.

Isabella nodded her head, questioning her life existence. It was one date, and I vomited because of how nasty your breath was..

"Edwards now, Lockhart!" Amos exclaimed hurriedly. One lie doesn't hurt. Gilderoy's smile faltered for just a second. "Yeah, my sister's married and has a child."

That uncomfortable, one-sided conversation continued while Ria and Harry were interrupted by a taunting voice and a sneering face. "Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a boy. Ria could see the irritation on Harry's face as he spotted the blonde boy.

"Famous Harry Potter. Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page." He hissed, spiralling Ria in confusion. Harry was famous?

"Leave him alone! He didn't want all that!" A little redhead defended him.

"Oh look, Potter!" He scoffed a laugh. "You've got yourself a girlfriend." The girl's face turned at his remark.

"At least, he can get himself one." Ria commented, glancing at his slicked back hair with slight disgust. It sure looked greasy. "Hard to say that about you, with that widow's peak."

He looked at her, face annoyed. "How dare you talk to me like that?! Who are you, anyway?"

Oh, he was one of them too.

"Why would I tell you? I'm not interested in introducing myself to narcissistic jerks."

Harry and the redhead girl felt satisfied by her response. A redhead boy and a bushy-haired girl fought their way over, both clutching their stacks of Lockhart's books.

"Oh, it's you," said the boy, looking at Malfoy as if he were something unpleasant on the sole of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," retorted Malfoy. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."

He went as red as his hair. He dropped his books into her cauldron, and started towards the blondie, but Harry and the bushy-haired girl grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Ron!" said a man who looked much like him, struggling over with a pair of twins. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

He didn't get the chance to address Ria, since a man showed up. By his overall look, she could put two and two together to conclude that he was the narcissist's relative.

"Well, well, well— Arthur Weasley." His cold voice sneered. His face and his long platinum blonde hair oddly reminded her of Jeffree Star.

"Lucius." The redhead man nodded coldly.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Lucius. "All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?"

He reached into the little girl's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration'.

"Obviously not," Lucius said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?" Arthur flushed darker than either of his children.

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said. Ria internally cheered for Mr Arthur.

"Clearly," said Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to a couple standing nearby, who were watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley.. and I thought your family could sink no lower— "

There was a thud of metal as the cauldron went flying; Mr Weasley had thrown himself at Mr Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spell books came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, "Get him, Dad!"

"Arthur! Arthur— " Amos had come rushing at all the commotion, pulling his friend and co-worker away from Malfoy. But when it was no use, a giant man suddenly pulled them apart, Ria looked up at him with her jaw dropped to the floor.

"Break it up, there, gents, break it up— "

Lucius thrusted the books into Ginny's cauldron. "Take your book— it's the best your father can give you— "

"Enough, Malfoy."

And at the familiar voice, he raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Ah! Look who's here.." He said, his lips curling into a smile as he saw Isabella Diggory's face. "The coward is finally back."

Isabella scoffed with a laugh. "You are the one to talk about cowardice, Lucius Malfoy?"

His eyes moved towards the small, unfamiliar girl standing in the bunch. It startled him just a little. She was glaring up at him, her gaze deadly, like the one he had seen all those years ago.

Lucius looked back at Isabella to find a similar glower in her eyes. He straightened his robes with a jerk. "Draco.." He said as he left the shop. The boy followed him, giving them all one last glance.

"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur." The giant man said. "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that— no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter— bad blood." He sighed and turned towards the children.

"You're right, Hagrid." He said, huffing. He then looked at Isabella. "Thank you for stepping in, but do I know you?"

"Oh, you haven't met yet, have you?" said Amos, "Arthur.. meet my sister."

"Ah.. the infamous Isabella Diggory." Arthur said in realisation. "I have heard of you from the Department of Magical Creatures, and from your brother, of course." She smiled. "Good to finally meet you."

"Same here." replied Isabella.

"It is yeh!" Hagrid exclaimed happily. "Thought it was just someone who looked like yeh!" He said.

"Hello, again, Hagrid!" Isabella chuckled. "And did you meet my daughter, Asteria?"

He looked at her with a warm smile. "Hello, Asteria."

"Can I say something, if you don't mind?" She asked, and he nodded in response, already seeming to have an idea. "You are astonishingly huge!" She chuckled, wonder written all over her face.

"Look, Hermione.." Ron whispered to his friend. "She's got a vocabulary bigger than you." He sniggered.

But Hermione looked at him with mild shock plastered on her face. "I'm surprised you even know that word." She whispered back, and his smile disappeared. She looked back at the front with a small, victorious smile on her face.

Hagrid just laughed. "I get tha' a lot."

"It was great meeting you." said Isabella, looking at Hagrid, Arthur, and then Harry. She sighed at the familiar face, but she had no idea what to say. Even after being so close to Lily and James, Harry and Isabella had never met after their demise.

"But we have to leave.. before Lockhart finds me again." she whispered that part under her breath. "See you!"

"See you at Hogwarts!" Ria smiled at Harry, and he returned one. "Uh— Mum.. We didn't take the books." she muttered to her.

"I'll manage that. Let's just get out of here first." She said. She didn't want to be there for multiple reasons.

The Diggorys parted with the Scamanders too and began walking their way back to Madam Malkin's, to take their new robes.

"Hey, honey.." Isabella said, glancing at her daughter. "When you go to Hogwarts.. why don't you invite Harry for Christmas?"

Asteria gave her a questioning look. "Why didn't you do that now? Harry was right there."

"Well— it would be a bit weird, coming from me. He doesn't really know me, does he?" She answered. "I saw you two talking. You could invite him as a friend."

"Actually.. He does know you now.." At Ria's answer, her mother quickly paused for a second. She looked at her. "I told him that you knew James and Lily."

Isabella looked back at her front, continuing to walk, but now her mind was swarming with thoughts. "What did he say, then?"

Ria shrugged, not giving it much of a thought while Isabella was panicking inside. "Nothing much."

Isabella nodded hesitantly. "Okay.. you can wait outside. I'll get the robes." She said, leaving them outside Madam Malkin's.

Ria sighed, slightly panicking inside too. Was she not supposed to tell Harry that?

"Why the long face, cousin?" asked Cedric, appearing next to her.

"Oh, you're back!" She said. "Were you off to see your girlfriend or something?"

"Girlfriend?" Cedric scoffed. "No, she's just a friend."

At those words, Ria nodded. Just a friend.. that'll definitely change.

"Why do you seem upset though? You just made friends with a celebrity." He said.

Ria gave him a look. "Who? Lockhart?"

"Why would I talk about Lockhart?" he asked. "I was talking about Harry Potter."

Ria gave him another look, but this time, it was of confusion. "Harry's a celebrity?"

Cedric's face held an expression that screamed 'are you serious'. "You didn't know that?" Ria shook her head. "You don't know You-Know-Who's story?" He whispered that part.

Ria blinked in confusion. "Who?"

Cedric's jaw dropped in shock. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

And that was when Ria came to know the story about a wizarding war, a blood supremacist villain, and a one-year-old boy who had ended it. The Boy who Lived, who had defeated You-Know-Who, not once but twice.

Ria didn't talk to Cedric for the next ten minutes, as they all left Diagon Alley and reached home. She had the most ridiculous expression on her face, trying to comprehend the story.

It was slightly terrifying. Asteria was living in a story. No, it wasn't a story, it was reality. 

Granted. She had wished to live in a magical fantasy like Narnia (with a big, epic conquest or war at the end) for a while now. But she didn't expect her wish to come true this suddenly.

"You're joking!" She said as she suddenly barged into his room.

He jumped at the suddenness. "Why would I be joking? And could you please knock the next time?" Ria rolled her eyes, sitting in front of him on his bed.

"Ria. People have fought against him for years, and they have died fighting." He softly explained to her. "How do you think Harry's parents died? How do you think Marlene McKinnon, your— your Godmother died? How do you think my Mum died?"

Ria didn't say anything. She was too stunned to speak.

With a small sigh, he said. "Listen, it's not a bad thing that you didn't know. Not your fault. Don't make yourself feel bad about it."

Ria nodded. "It's not that. Are we sure he's really gone?" She whispered.

Cedric raised a questioning eyebrow. "Of course, he is. He's been defeated twice now."

"Didn't you say, everyone was sure he was gone after that night in 1981? But he did come back, didn't he?"

"He did.. but that doesn't have to mean he'll come back again." He shrugged. "And you don't need to worry about it. We have Harry for that." He made a comment in hopes to cheer her up, but it ended up annoying her a bit.

"He's a child. He shouldn't be worrying about that either." She defended the boy.

"Alright, sorry." Her cousin truthfully apologised. "But honestly, how did you not know? It's like the most famous story in the Wizarding World. Everyone knows it."

"Well, not me!" Ria exclaimed, slightly distressed and enraged. "Guess I need to start spending more time with you, because Mum doesn't tell me shit."

Cedric was slightly taken aback by the swearing. "Hey, watch your language."

"Okay, Grandpa Rogers."

Now it was Cedric's turn to get annoyed. "I am asking you this one last time; who is Rogers?"

Asteria sighed in frustration.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

[word count: 8096]