Hidden Secrets ☆ HARRY POTTER UNIVERSE | 1 [BEING EDITED]

18 | as real as it gets

❝ Whether you come back by page or big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. ❞ — J. K. Rowling

We entered a muggle coffee shop nearby, the delicious scent of freshly brewed coffee filling my nostrils as soon as I stepped in with Breeze following behind. As we took a seat on a free booth in the corner, I tried to ignore the weird looks we were getting—probably because of Breeze's odd clothing and the fact that I was holding a cage that contained an owl. Not the kind of sight you see every day.

I ordered a cappuccino, but Breeze settled for water, since she wasn't familiar with muggle drinks. The reality dawned on me again, that today would be my first day at Hogwarts, and a swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach from the excitement of it all.

"So," Breeze started, clearing her throat. "Tell me what you've been up to this summer."

I took a sip of my cappuccino and sent her a funny look. "Like you don't already know."

"Just because I have been tracking you throughout your travels doesn't mean I am aware what you were up to. Though some of it, I can speculate. Like when you spent two weeks in Godric's Hollow, I'm guessing you visited the remains of the Potters' house. And in the time you spent in Coriander Village, you probably stayed at the Mayos' townhouse."

"I did!" I said, awestruck at how right she was, though I suppose I shouldn't have been.

Breeze knew I'd grown up being a Harry Potter fan—it's how I even made the connection between my magical powers and the wizards' of the series, before I even received my Hogwarts letter. So naturally, somebody like me wouldn't pass up the chance to visit her childhood hero's place of birth. And she knew where Sibi lived, so it only made sense to think I'd stayed at her place when I visited her village—which I had, though when I first heard of Coriander Village, it was because the waitress at the tavern in Boktown recommended I travel there if I was looking for cheap motels to stay in. Running into Sibi had been an unexpectedly pleasant surprise, and she insisted I stay at her house, which I didn't object to.

"I didn't expect Godric's Hollow to be such a tourist hotspot," I said. "In the books, it was described as this quiet place, but when I got there, there were so many visitors. More than locals, even. The hotel I stayed in wasn't that cheap either—which, obviously, wasn't an issue for me, but I'm just saying."