Rachel and Maisie walked out of the shop, returning to the bustling street which was Diagon Alley.

"Oh, look Rachel!" Maisie exclaimed as she ran up to a shop window, steaming up the glass as she pressed her forehead against it to get a better look at a cat that had caught her eye. The cat stretched its paws out towards her in a stretch. Without further deliberation, Maisie dashed to the pet emporium's front entrance and swung the door open. Rachel laughed to herself and followed the excited eleven-year-old in.

Maisie rushed up to the cage she saw from the other side of the window and looked back pleadingly at Rachel.

"This one?" she asked the young girl

"This one" she replied with a large smile on her face. Rachel made her way up to the front desk and was greeted by a rather smiley woman. "How much is that cat in the very centre of the window?" she inquired.

"Ah, good choice", the woman spoke to Maisie who was fidgeting behind Rachel, "that would be ten galleons please". Maisie took out her purse and sifted through it, handing her the necessary coins. The two of them thanked her as they exited, hearing the bell chime as they returned to the road.

The next following weeks went by in a blur. It consisted of Maisie talking about Hogwarts or either Maisie asking Rachel questions about Hogwarts. Then forgetting Rachel's answers and repeating the cycle once more.

And finally, the day had come.

As Maisie regained consciousness from her slumber, she immediately shot up and sat straight in her bed, remembering what day had arrived. She threw the covers off herself, letting her leave as soon as possible. She wasted no time and sped down the hallway and into the kitchen where she was met with Rachel at the table reading a book.

"You're up early, aren't you?" she spoke with a smile and returned to the reading she was doing previously.

"Obviously", Maisie spoke as she picked up a banana from the fruit bowl on the table, "after all, today is the day," she said, biting the top of the yellow fruit and sitting down on the chair opposite Rachel.

"Did you see the robes I put in your wardrobe?" asked Rachel.

Maisie's eyes widened as she replied with a simple 'no', instantly getting up to have a look at them.

"They were my old ones!" called Rachel as Maisie ran back to her bedroom, "they should fit you! I was around the same height at your age, luckily".

As she turned the next page, a shuffle of footsteps was heard coming into the room, followed by an overly loud cough of a high-pitched voice. Rachel diverted her attention to the spot just in front of the door where she was met with Maisie holding up the robes above her head. "Hold on, Mais," Rachel said, walking forwards to the young girl. She adjusted the robes by moving her hand down slightly so she could see how it would look on her. "Now you're not covered by the collar of the robes, I can see your beautiful face!".

"Shut up" Maisie spoke, finding it hard to take the compliment.

"I'm 99% certain they'll fit you," Rachel said. She took a step back, simply looking at the girl she had spent most of her life watching grow up, unable to quite understand how time had passed so quickly.

"What?", asked Maisie impatiently, "come on Rach, my arms are hurting".

"Alright, alright," she said taking the hanger from a tired Maisie's hands. "You're gonna do great," she said, patting her on the head.

"Don't pat me, I'm not a dog"

"Really? Then why do you smell like one?"

"Shut up Rachel" concluded Maisie, sitting back down on the same chair with her hands folded across her chest. "What house do you think I'll be in?" she asked suddenly, propping her face on her hands as she waited for an answer.

"First of all, I have no doubt you'll be amazing in any house. But I think you'd do quite well in Ravenclaw". Maisie said nothing but scoffed at the response that she had been given.

"Ravenclaw?!" she repeated in disbelief.

"Ravenclaw" stated Rachel, brushing off the over-the-top reaction from the girl in front of her. "You're a bright girl, Maisie". Maisie simply rose her eyebrows as if to tell her she was mad. "Somewhere under that stubborn head of yours, there's knowledge. Plus, you're super creative. I can't wait to see what kinds of things you come up with when you're there".

"You don't think I'd be a Slytherin like you?", she asked her, somewhat disappointed.

"God no" Rachel spoke rather quickly, earning a look from Maisie. "Oh don't be silly, you know I Didn't mean it like that. It's just, I don't think you're half as mean and scary as you let yourself be. Last week you attempted to scold me for using glass to get the spider out of your room".

"It could have suffocated!", she cried, throwing her hands up in defence. Rachel cocked her head and raised her eyebrows, silently asking her if she was hearing her own words. "Okay, fine".

"Go and get ready then we'll head out", Rachel instructed Maisie who obliged and walked out of the kitchen. Rachel opened her book again, finally getting back to the page she had been completely invested in.

After around half an hour, Rachel closed the book, went to the fridge, and took out the lunch she had made the night before. As she closed the door, Maisie bounded in. She had dressed in a brown and cream-coloured striped jumper with a pair of blue denim jeans which had sewn-on patches (Rachel had mended them the summer prior - Maisie had always been competitive when playing games, especially when it came to bulldog) and some white trainers. She held out a brush, two hairbands and two black ribbons in front of her and looked at Rachel.

"Do you think you could tie my hair up with these like you did last time?" she asked her politely, trying her best to get what she wanted.

"Since you asked so nicely", Rachel spoke, "of course, I will".

She led Maisie over to one of the dining table chairs where she sat down, Maisie standing behind her. She parted her hair, braided each side, and finished both of them off by tying the black ribbon to ensure that nothing fell out.

"All done!" she said as she pulled the braids outwards slightly, trying to make them look softer around her face. As she said this, Maisie rushed to the mirror on the door and looked at the braids, as if she was inspecting to see if they were up to her standard or not.

"When you're done marvelling at yourself in the mirror, put your coat on so we can get ready to leave". Maisie turned around and nodded then left the room after a couple more seconds of staring at her reflection.

As Rachel grabbed her jacket from the coat stand, she was faced with Maisie standing by the door with her arms clinging to the suitcase they had bought a couple of weeks prior, ready to set out on the new chapter of her life. The cat they had gotten the day before was on the side of the counter, sitting as it licked its paws, quietly observing the things around it.

"Have you thought about what to name her yet?" Rachel asked Maisie, picking her up as they walked out of the front door.

"Not yet"

As they made their way to the car, Rachel noted the sudden change in Maisie's presence. She'd somehow finally got the girl to stop talking, however, she didn't like it one bit. Despite this, she thought it best not to bring it up, it would only make her defensive. This had continued to be the case the entire drive to kings cross station making Rachel grow slightly more concerned.

"Are you feeling alright, Mais?" she questioned, hoping she'd get an actual response from the eleven-year-old.

"I'm fine, just nervous"

"Why's that?"

"I don't know, really. I just have this feeling that I could throw up at any second but I know I don't actually need to throw up at all it's just the feeling that makes me want to entirely empty my insides without me actually needing to"

Rachel only shook her head, laughing at her rambling. As the car neared the station, Rachel pulled up beside the curb of the road and turned the engine off. As she took the keys out, Maisie looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Are we here already?" she questioned.

"You bet, kiddo". Maisie opened the car door and stepped out, soon after followed by Maisie who was visibly excited as she seemed completely unable to stand still. Maisie reached up and grabbed Rachel's hand as she allowed herself to be dragged through the entry of the building.

Maisie looked up at her surroundings with wide eyes, taking all the sights in as quickly as possible. Sure, to some people it would seem like a regular train station, but to Maisie, she saw this as a place that was nothing but magical. A place that would take her to the castle she had only ever imagined in her head since she was first told about it by her parents. She and Rachel began to descend the stairs of the balcony situated to her left, Maisie almost tripping up each one due to her feet moving too quickly for her small legs to keep up with.

"What platform are we looking for?" Maisie asked, scanning the different signs as they walked past each stone column.

"Platform 9 3/4" responded Rachel seemingly focused on trying to find it herself. "Perfect, here we are" she stated as the two of them made their way to a space which was in between platforms 9 and 10. Maisie looked up at her in disbelief.

"I know you didn't do very well in your OWLs, but come on" she stated, staring blankly at her, clearly unimpressed.

Ouch," Rachel merely said, putting her hand over her chest in mock hurt at the eleven-year-old's comment. "In a couple of minutes I'm more than sure you'll take that statement back".

Rachel then continued to guide Maisie in front of her, gently placing both of her hands comfortingly on her shoulders.

"You're going to need to trust me on this one" Rachel spoke to Maisie, not wanting her to feel scared. "What I want you to do, is to run directly up to that wall we're facing now and not to stop until I tell you to".

Maisie looked back at her as if she had gone insane.

"I'm going to be with you every step of the way"

Maisie took a deep breath and muttered the words 'if you say so under her breath.

"Okay, start running in 3...2...go!"

Rachel felt her arms being pulled by the small force of Maisie as she advanced forward to the bricks, followed by the sensation of being completely pulled into the darkness.