𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐀 | 𝐟.𝐰.

(𝟎𝟎𝟎)

  MATILDA CADDEL experienced the best summer of her life when she was eleven years old. Nothing exceptionally special had actually occurred that summer; she had spent the majority of her time traveling across Europe with her family and going to places that she held no particular interest in. No, it wasn't the actual vacation that had turned the summer into the best one. It was the fact that come next term, she would be starting at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

  Coming from a long line of pureblood witches and wizards, Matilda had already known all about the school, and she had dreamed endlessly of the time when she would finally be able to join her older brother and study there. Being the middle child, Matilda often felt somewhat overlooked in her family - though neither of her siblings actually got that much attention from her parents. But she supposed that Hogwarts would be different - she would get to make her own friends and have her own life.

  Her parents had of course rambled on about how things would go once she started at school. They had instructed her on what lessons to pay most attention to, and most of all, they had spoken about the house that she would be sorted into. 

  The vast majority of the Caddel family members had been sorted into the house of Salazar Slytherin - where those of ambition and determination resided. It was no surprise that seeing as her parents and brother were all Slytherins, the expectation was for Matilda to follow the same path.

  She didn't worry her head much about the house, though. Matilda supposed that they would automatically place her into Slytherin and that would be it. Whenever her parents spoke of things such as the house and the importance of fraternizing with people like them, Matilda simply brushed them off, her young ears too carefree to pay any attention to the insulting words.

  Matilda had been escorted to Diagon Alley by her older brother, Hugo a week before she was set to start at the school. They had gotten all the books and equipment she required - all top-of-the-line and brand new. The most exciting stop had been Ollivanders, the small store in the middle of the crowded alley where Matilda had gotten her trusty wand.

  She still remembered going in there vividly.

  Her finger had pointed at a pretty-looking wand right as she entered the shop, with her brother having to pull her away from it and lead her to the counter.

  "The wand chooses the witch, Ms.Caddel - not the other way around," was what the old shopkeeper had told her seriously.

  He had given her a number of powerful wands to try at first - already sensing the expectation her parents had for her as he had been the one to give her family all of their first wands. But one by one, the wands had backfired and left Matilda feeling sorry for all the damage she was causing to his shop.

  She had seen the hesitation in Ollivanders face as he reached for a wand that was placed high up on the shelves, his fingers lingering in the air for a moment. He had finally grabbed and taken it over to Matilda after a few more moments - a light ash wood wand with unicorn hair core. It was simple looking, with a few carvings on the top of the wand that caught Matilda's eye.

  "Just to settle my curiosity-" Ollivander had mumbled. "Give it a whirl."

  But a while wasn't necessary, because the moment Matilda picked up the wand, light radiated from around her, blowing her hair and casting a golden glow on her face. She looked at the wand with wide eyes before placing it carefully back into the box.