Meet the Big Five

Diagon Alley

(Rapunzel)

Finally!

I couldn't believe it. I had finally done it. I was outside! I had left the tower!

Everything was so beautiful. The grass smelled fresh and sweet. The air was clean as it swept across my face. The water was cool flowing over my feet. And the flowers! They surrounded me in all colours and sizes, and Pascal had a great time trying to blend in with them.

It felt really weird walking on the grass for the first time. Like, you know that feeling you get when you can't tell if something feels good or not? Kinda like pins and needles in your legs? Well, that's how the grass felt to me. But, it was my birthday, and I was determined to make the best of everything.

As I first stepped on the grass, a whole mix of emotions washed over me. I was terrified and elated and guilty and excited and paranoid, all at the same time. I was going to Hogwarts! Mother would be so mad when she found out. But I want to go to Hogwarts SO BAD! But Mother was all I had! Aaarghhhh!!! I had left her a note, of course. I hope she'd understand, even though I didn't really think she would.

Now all I had to do was buy my stuff and get to Hogwarts!

I didn't know where to go, so I just kept walking and walking until I saw a tavern. Bingo! After some warm hazelnut soup (not the best, but I couldn't complain), I asked the barman how I could get to the Leaky Cauldron.

I have to admit, it felt really weird meeting and talking to another person. Everyone I saw just stared at my hair, so I bundled it up protectively so that they wouldn't try to cut it off.

At first he looked confused, then after me repeating "LEA-KY Cauldron" to him like 20 times, he pointed me to the restroom. I said no, the Leaky Cauldron is a bar, but he just laughed at me, and said that he'd never heard of such a place. However, he did tell me how to get to town so that I could ask around there.

I decided to take a nap under a tree at the edge of the forest and continue my journey after that. Pascal volunteered to keep guard, but he fell asleep way before I did. I didn't have much to guard either, just a satchel stuffed with a couple of dresses and other clothes, my Hogwarts letter, and my paint set. I had even carried a frying pan for defense. So I pushed Pascal aside and slept too.

When I woke up, I could instantly tell something was wrong. My hair, which I'd left loose all around me, had gathered up in a bunch at the foot of the tree. Good thing my satchel was still safely in my hands. I stood up, and grabbed the frying pan and grabbed my hair, frantically pulling it to check if it was okay.

Once when I was little, I asked Mother why her hair wasn't as long as mine. She said it was because my hair was magical, and that if I sang the song she taught me it would glow and make people feel better. That's why I had to stay inside, she said. People would cut off my hair and use me. I couldn't risk anyone ever getting near my hair.

While searching, I saw something strange in my hair. It was some kind of pointy card, and it had the picture of  Albus Dumbledore. I kept searching through my hair, and found like 20 more cards, each with different names on them. Circe. Alberic Grunnion. Nicholas St. North. Ptolemy. When I turned them over, I found a description of the person. It was really fascinating.

I wonder why those cards were in my hair.

I read them all over and over until I could describe each of them by heart. I passed some to Pascal to read, too. I was pretty sure that these were wizards and witches, because I recognized Albus Dumbledore from when he came to give me my Hogwarts acceptance letter.

Just then, a tall guy came running towards me. He had wide shoulders, brown hair and he wore brown pants and a white shirt. "Oh!" he said, and stopped in surprise to see me holding a card. Then he flashed me the cheesiest smile ever and said, "Hi."