Anabella pushed blearily through the darkening streets of her hometown. She stumbled against the onslaught of snow pushing her backwards, her hair flying viciously around her. She took the steps up to her front door two at a time, pausing only to grab the mail. She could hardly hold it all, her mother must not have gotten it in days. She struggled to unlock the door, the key flopping around in her gloved grasp. Finally, she got the door open and hurried gratefully inside.
“I’m home!” She called, knowing her mother was upstairs, ensconced in her study. She waddled slowly to her room, already hot under her many layers. She dumped the mail on her desk before quickly pulling of her gloves, hat, and jacket, tossing them all on her bed. She turned back to the stack on the desk, intent on separating them into smaller piles depending on who they were addressed to. Half the mail was sorted before she encountered a curious cream-colored envelop addressed to her. Her eyebrow quirked at the green ink that spelled out her name, before she flipped it over to reveal the strange wax seal on the other side. She peeled it up carefully, not wanting to damage it. There were several different papers inside, but Arabella reached first for the largest. Dear Arabella, it read. Her eyes flicked back and forth across the paper. She had only read half of it before she was running out of her room, yelling. “Mom!” she sprinted up the stairs. Her mother’s door had only just begun to open by the time she was crashing through it.
“What could possibly be worth this commotion?” Her mother asked, staring at her from the doorway. Arabella had dramatically fallen into the armchair in front of the desk. She responded only by thrusting the letter towards her mother. Still staring, her mother reached out to grab it. Arabella watched as her mother took in the message, eyebrows raised. “Yes, well, this was bound to happen eventually.
“You knew about this?” Arabella shrieked.
“I did.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” Her mother only shrugged.
“I choose to leave that life behind when I married your father. However, I never sought to force my own beliefs onto you. I knew you would find out when the time came but I didn’t want to sway your decision. It is entirely up to you whether or not you take your designated place at Hogwarts or continue your life as a muggle.”
“Hogwarts? Muggle?” Arabella sighed heavily. “I think I need a bit of an explanation.” Her mother nodded, agreeing.
“I guess it is time I tell you a story.”
The pair spent the rest of the evening discussing the wizarding world and the choice now placed before Arabella.
Two weeks later, they were marching up Diagon Alley, Arabella running from storefront to storefront, face plastered upon the windows. She was in awe of all the shops had to offer, and it took her mother dragging her away to get them up the steps to Gringotts.
“This is the wizard bank I told you about, honey.” She explained. Arabella quickly decided that out of all the magical things she had seen so far, the goblins were her least favorite. They were creepy and made her uncomfortable. She tugged on her mother’s arm. “Yes?”
“Can I wait outside?” Arabella gazed suspiciously at the goblin standing guard at the door.
“As long as you promise not to leave the steps.” Her mother said, begrudgingly. Arabella nodded quickly before watching her mother enter the bank alone. She passed the next half hour, sitting on the top step, watching the crowd go by. She was glad for the break, everything thus far today had been positively overwhelming, even for a highly-imaginative eleven-year-old. She tried to guess what she was to expect at Hogwarts, but found it impossible. She had implored her mother to tell her what it was like, but her mother had maintained that it was better for her to find out for herself. All she knew was that she was expected to board a train on a secret platform at King’s Crossing Station on September the first. That was only a few days from now, and the was both exciting and nervous for the upcoming journey.
Her mother emerged from the bank, gaze sweeping side to side, looking for her daughter. She smiled when she spotted her, still sitting upon the top step, contemplating the future.