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BOOK ONE: CHAPTER ELEVEN

Veronica had never felt so free; the last five weeks had been better than she could have ever imagined. It was almost like she was back at Hogwarts, except without strict schedules, school work, and teachers telling her what to do. It was fantastic!

Veronica had bought her owl on the first day that she arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and had been in constant communication with Charlie and Bill ever since, which helped ease the loneliness she had felt since seeing them drive away five weeks ago. She had also visited every shop in Diagon Alley and had become good friends with all the shopkeepers, but especially Florean Fortescue, who's ice cream she craved every second of the day. She would often make multiple visits a day to his parlor; she absolutely adored ice cream. That was something she got from her grandparents, and because of this shared love, some of her fondest memories with them involved the sweet treat. She could almost see them, walking along the winding roads of Diagon Alley when they were her age, enjoying their favorite flavors. It made her feel connected to them, especially after learning that Florean had known them back then, and the pair spent the last five weeks sharing funny stories and fond memories of her beloved grandparents.

Despite the connections she had managed to make in Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron, Veronica found herself missing Charlie a lot. She missed their conversations and the way he always made her laugh. She missed the comfortable silences when they could simply enjoy each other's company without feeling the need to fill the silence with talking. She just missed everything about him...

"Oouf-" Veronica's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden weight and pressure on her left shoulder that would have knocked her to the ground if she hadn't grabbed hold of the wall by her side. "Athena, you scared me half to death! But more importantly, you almost made me drop my ice cream!"

Athena almost seemed to roll her eyes at her as she shook her right leg in Veronica's face, showing off the letter she had brought for her. Immediately, Veronica knew who it was from.

"Alright, sweet girl. You've brought me a letter from Charlie, so I forgive you. Just be more careful next time, okay?"

Once the letter was off her leg, Athena rubbed her body against the side of Veronica's head and cooed in affection, before flying off to their room in the Leaky Cauldron to get some rest.

Veronica carefully opened Charlie's letter, careful not to get any ice cream on the delicate parchment. It read:

Veronica! Mum and dad are bringing us all to Diagon Alley tomorrow so me and Bill can buy our books and everything for school. You and your parents should--

Veronica's heart dropped as she shook her head at her ever persistent friend.

--meet us there. I know it's short notice, but mum is dying to meet you, and so are the other kids. And it's not like I miss you or anything, but it would be cool to see you hehe. Especially because it's your BIRTHDAY tomorrow!! I bet you thought I forgot! Well, I didn't and neither did Bill, and we want to see you!!

And fine, I miss you a lot okay! You don't need to twist my arm, I've said it :) Alright, well that's enough sappy emotions for one day. No need to write me back because I'll just see you tomorrow at noon. BYYEEE!

Charlie

Veronica didn't know what to do, but all she knew was she had to see Charlie tomorrow. She would go crazy if she didn't see him, knowing he was there within walking distance of her. Plus, she couldn't wait a whole month, no way. But what could she tell them to explain why her parents weren't there? It being a Saturday made things tricky, she couldn't just blame it on work. She'd have to figure something out before tomorrow at noon. The good thing was, she had time. And she was pretty clever, if she did say so herself. She'd think of something.

Besides, that's the least of her concerns. If she didn't do some damage control at the Leaky Cauldron and with all the shopkeepers, her secret would be blown within seconds. Everyone knew her. Everyone liked her. They would greet her warmly and the jig would be up. There would be no explaining her way out of that one. Now, she also had to figure out what to tell all of them as to why her friends didn't know she was staying there. Great. Like she needed more to worry about.