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Dear Miss Mason,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
Emma's parents are thrilled. Such a good school, so well respected, and those alumni- just look at the battle against the Dark Lord! All that talent!- they're beyond proud. Emma's pleased on their behalf, of course. She wants to make her parents proud. She doesn't ask how badly the school was damaged in the war; she doesn't inquire how many teachers are missing or dead; she doesn't mention wishing she could stay home for a year. Maybe until things are just a little more rebuilt.
(She thinks it, though.)
She smiles and hugs her parents and agrees yes, of course it's wonderful, helping to rebuild the wizarding world is important. She'll start school in the fall, become a better witch.
And, as her mother points out excitedly- now they need to go shopping.
Emma's hardly unfamiliar with Diagon Alley. It's the place to be seen, as far as her parents are concerned, so that's where they've always shopped. But it feels different, somehow, to be shopping for Hogwarts. Her mother is showing every shopkeeper the list, fingers underlining the Hogwarts letterhead. Her father is stopping every friend he sees, talking loudly about "here to shop for Emma's first year, at Hogwarts you know".
Emma wants to scrunch up and hide from the attention, but her parents are so happy. It's only just the once she starts school, she supposes. She plasters on a smile and follows after her mother. Almost done now; all she needs is a wand.
And as everyone knows, there's only one place to get those.
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parental_guidance
parental_guidance
"Wow, cool" Emma says, staring. "That's-"
The time, it should be looked at. Ideally right about now.
"Um, sorry, I'm running late," she sighs. "I told my mum I'd pick up nettle tea, too." She waves a hand at the wand. "That's still really cool though. Congrats! I'll, um, I guess I might see you on the train? Maybe?"
The time, it should be looked at. Ideally right about now.
"Um, sorry, I'm running late," she sighs. "I told my mum I'd pick up nettle tea, too." She waves a hand at the wand. "That's still really cool though. Congrats! I'll, um, I guess I might see you on the train? Maybe?"
metamorphmaga
September arrives, as it tends to do. King's Cross is busy this time of year, with students both Muggle and magical, and Jenny is just one more girl in an enormous crowd. This is not helping her, not at all; she knows her train leaves from platform 9¾, but that doesn't tell her where that platform is. She hasn't even seen anyone obviously 'wizardly' enough to ask yet, though she's been looking. They couldn't put up signs, or something? "Impossibly Numbered Platform This Way", that would work.
Her hair is starting to curl and darken in frustration. Hopefully, no one will notice.
Her hair is starting to curl and darken in frustration. Hopefully, no one will notice.
chanuphis
Does the girl with two wands crossed in her hair, leading a trunk on wheels by a sort of leash, and accompanied by her mother and a caged owl, look wizardy?
metamorphmaga
That certainly seems wizardly to Jenny!
"Excuse me? Hi? Sorry, don't mean to bother you, I just- I think we're maybe possibly going to the same place? I'm... sorta lost. A little bit."
"Excuse me? Hi? Sorry, don't mean to bother you, I just- I think we're maybe possibly going to the same place? I'm... sorta lost. A little bit."
chanuphis
"Oh, are you looking for nine and three-quarters?" says the girl's mother.
metamorphmaga
"Oh, brilliant! Yes, yes I am. Could you give me directions, please?"
Wizarding people have been found! Stress averted, for now. Her hair correspondingly starts to creep back to its usual blonde.
Wizarding people have been found! Stress averted, for now. Her hair correspondingly starts to creep back to its usual blonde.
chanuphis
"It's just this way. Miranda's starting this year too," says the mom.
"You might want to cover up your hair if it does that whether you like it or not. There's Muggles around," Miranda advises.
"You might want to cover up your hair if it does that whether you like it or not. There's Muggles around," Miranda advises.
metamorphmaga
"Oh, geez, is it doing that again? Sorry!" A second's focus has her hair all the way back to normal. "I'm usually really good about it, I was just stressed about being lost." She shrugs. And then, since they seem friendly and she didn't get a chance to ask anyone when she did her school shopping: "How do you deal with yours?"
(That she is going to a school for People With Magic, this Jenny knows. But if there was a memo that 'people with magic' does not equal 'people with magic hair', Jenny has definitely missed it.)
(That she is going to a school for People With Magic, this Jenny knows. But if there was a memo that 'people with magic' does not equal 'people with magic hair', Jenny has definitely missed it.)
chanuphis
"...My hair? Mum braids it for me," says Miranda. "Well, has done. I can do the spell myself at school though. Can metamorphmagi braid their hair by magic or is it only color and length and so on?"
metamorphmaga
Blink. Blink. Huh?
"I don't know? What's a meta... er... that thing? The letter said everyone-" non-wizards around, right, being careful "-at the school would be, y'know. Like me. Us."
"I don't know? What's a meta... er... that thing? The letter said everyone-" non-wizards around, right, being careful "-at the school would be, y'know. Like me. Us."
chanuphis
"...Metamorphmagi and witches aren't the same thing," says Miranda.
"All metamorphmagi are witches, or wizards," says her mum, still leading them through King's Cross, "but not all witches and wizards can change their hair like that. Most can't, in fact."
"Are you Muggleborn? That's okay, Mum is too," Miranda says.
"All metamorphmagi are witches, or wizards," says her mum, still leading them through King's Cross, "but not all witches and wizards can change their hair like that. Most can't, in fact."
"Are you Muggleborn? That's okay, Mum is too," Miranda says.
metamorphmaga
"...oh, huh," Jenny says, assimilating. "Who knew." She grins. "I guess I'm special! So what is 'witchy', then? You said you can do spells already? That's so neat!" They're talking about magic, Jenny supposes it's probably okay if they are. They know way more about this than her, clearly.
"And yep, Muggleborn, that's me." This much vocabulary, at least, she has figured out from her trip to Diagon Alley. "What's it like, growing up already knowing this stuff? Any tips for a hapless Muggle?"
"And yep, Muggleborn, that's me." This much vocabulary, at least, she has figured out from her trip to Diagon Alley. "What's it like, growing up already knowing this stuff? Any tips for a hapless Muggle?"
chanuphis
"Keep your voices down a little bit till we're on the platform," advises Miranda's mum.
"It's very special," Miranda confirms. "People will want you to do tricks. I haven't done any spells yet but I know the incantations for some of them from Mum and once we're allowed it shouldn't be too hard to actually do them. If I think of any more tips I'll tell you."
"It's very special," Miranda confirms. "People will want you to do tricks. I haven't done any spells yet but I know the incantations for some of them from Mum and once we're allowed it shouldn't be too hard to actually do them. If I think of any more tips I'll tell you."
metamorphmaga
"Sorry!" Voice goes down two levels as instructed.
"Huh. That doesn't sound too bad. I can do tricks! They're fun!" She smiles at Miranda. "Any requests? Once we're inside, I mean?"
"Huh. That doesn't sound too bad. I can do tricks! They're fun!" She smiles at Miranda. "Any requests? Once we're inside, I mean?"
chanuphis
"Well, can you make it braid itself?"
"Here's the platform," says Miranda's mum. "It's best to go at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Nobody's looking just now, go on."
Miranda trots straight at the wall, trunk rolling behind her.
"Here's the platform," says Miranda's mum. "It's best to go at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Nobody's looking just now, go on."
Miranda trots straight at the wall, trunk rolling behind her.
metamorphmaga
Jenny stares. Then she giggles and pushes her cart faster. She's not all that nervous, but that's okay. Zoom!
"I've never tried!" she tells Miranda as they go. "But I bet I could if I practiced some. I have a Unicorn Face I'm very proud of," she says rather gleefully.
"I've never tried!" she tells Miranda as they go. "But I bet I could if I practiced some. I have a Unicorn Face I'm very proud of," she says rather gleefully.
metamorphmaga
"Yep! For reading unicorn stories to my little sister." Costumes are very important for bedtime stories, after all. "Sparkly pink horn and silver hair. I am an Extremely Pretty Unicorn!"
metamorphmaga
Jenny smiles, pleased. "I nominate Unicorn Face as my trick until I have mastered hair braiding!"
At this point Jenny hits the wall, and-
-doesn't. Straight through to the other side she didn't know was there, where she is now surrounded by lots more Wizardly People.
"Eeee! This is so neat! How did it do that?"
At this point Jenny hits the wall, and-
-doesn't. Straight through to the other side she didn't know was there, where she is now surrounded by lots more Wizardly People.
"Eeee! This is so neat! How did it do that?"
chanuphis
"Magic," giggles Miranda, ushering her out of the way. "I don't know the spell yet."
Miranda's mum follows presently.
"Where are your own parents, anyway?" she asks Jenny.
Miranda's mum follows presently.
"Where are your own parents, anyway?" she asks Jenny.
metamorphmaga
"Pfft, cheating," Jenny huffs, but with a wide grin. "It's all magic!"
"Thank you for helping me find the platform!" Jenny says as soon as Miranda's mom appears. "They both have work today. Dad brought me to the station on his way in, but he couldn't wait with me or anything."
"Thank you for helping me find the platform!" Jenny says as soon as Miranda's mom appears. "They both have work today. Dad brought me to the station on his way in, but he couldn't wait with me or anything."
chanuphis
"Well, it's a good thing you found us, then," says Miranda, "or you probably would have been very lost. What all do you already know about Hogwarts?"
metamorphmaga
"Not much," Jenny admits. "I mean, I figured out why they admitted me, that one wasn't hard. It's a school? It has magic people? I did get directions to that alley place, I got my stuff there, I picked up a couple things there I guess. Like Muggle! I knew that one!" She thinks. "Oh! And the letter mentioned broomsticks, I think? I really really want to see that!"