Along a coastline facing a gentle sea stood a town that seemed peaceful to its very core. If one left the lively urban center behind, a picture-perfect countryside stretched out beyond it.
Amid lush greenery, brooms cut through the warm spring air as they flew across the sky. Sitting astride one was a lovely girl clad in a black robe and a pointed hat. Her gray hair streamed behind her, and she possessed such beauty that anyone who happened to see her would inevitably turn to look. She descended in front of a stylish brick house.
Just as the beautiful girl brought her broom to a graceful landing, someone emerged from the house. The woman who appeared looked very much like her, though more mature. She wore a beaming smile.
"Elaina, perfect timing!"
Then the woman continued, seeming to have a special surprise in store. As the girl tilted her head in curiosity, the woman leaned closer and whispered into her ear.
"A letter has arrived from Hogwarts. Of course, it's addressed to you."
Hogwarts is a school for witches and wizards. Located in Britain, it is a venerable and prestigious school of magic, renowned not only across the country but throughout the world. If a child demonstrates magical talent by their eleventh birthday, an admission letter is sent. Those who are accepted spend seven years at this fully boarding school, after which they can proudly call themselves full-fledged witches or wizards.
What she handed over, smiling from ear to ear, was a single envelope. On it was a crest depicting four animals that symbolized the school's houses, sealed with red wax bearing the initial "H" of Hogwarts. There could be no mistake.
In other words,
"Congratulations on your admission to Hogwarts!"
Now then, by the way.
Who might this beautiful girl be, with a smile so radiant and full of happiness that anyone who saw her could not help but sigh in admiration, the very girl who had just been congratulated on her acceptance to Hogwarts?
Yes, it was me at eleven years old.
Stepping through the fireplace of the pub called the Leaky Cauldron brought us out onto the main street of the town.
Shops and houses of all shapes and sizes lined the road. Witches and wizards filled the street everywhere you looked. Some were dining together, others shopping. Seen like this, even though they were witches and wizards, the scene was not all that different from what one might see in an ordinary Muggle town.
That said, stepping inside the shops was another matter entirely. There were pet shops with owls and rats cheerfully chirping, clothing stores filled with colorful robes and pointed hats, and cauldrons made of pure gold or brass stacked in abundance. These were things one would never find on a main street in London.
In a potions shop, flasks filled with bubbling liquids in poisonous-looking colors were for sale. In the bookstore, illustrations moved of their own accord, and covers opened and closed by themselves.
"This is Diagon Alley. It's been a long time since I last came here with you, Elaina," my mother said.
Something about her words caught my attention.
"When you say a long time, exactly how long has it been?"
"About ten years, I suppose."
"…"
I would have been one year old. It was no wonder I didn't remember it.
"For now, let's start with your uniform. That shop over there."
Where my mother pointed stood a shop with a sign reading "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions."
"While you're being measured, I'm thinking of exchanging money at Gringotts Bank. Will you be all right on your own, Elaina?"
"That won't be a problem."
I had turned eleven just yesterday. I was not a child anymore.
When I answered that way, my mother looked as though she wanted to say, "That attitude is exactly what makes you a child," but she simply smiled, waved, and walked away.
"Well then, shall we go in?"
I slowly opened the old-fashioned door.
"Excuse me."
"Welcome, young miss. Hogwarts, is it? If so, you can get everything you need here."
As I opened the door, a short, stout witch dressed in purple came out to greet me. She must have been Madam Malkin herself.
"Yes, I'll be starting this year, so I'd like a full set of uniforms."
"Very well. Let's take your measurements, then."
I was placed on a small footstool and had a long robe slipped over my head. I was told not to move while the pins were being set, so I only moved my eyes, observing my surroundings.
"At first glance, it just looks like an ordinary clothing shop."
I was a little disappointed. It would have been more interesting if there were self-measuring tapes or fabrics that changed color when left alone.
As I stood there being measured for a while, a boy who was being fitted beside me spoke up.
"Hi. Are you starting at Hogwarts this year too?"
"Yes. I didn't expect to meet a classmate so soon, in a place like this."
I took a moment to observe him. He had a pale face and distinctive platinum-blond hair, and his manner carried a quiet confidence. At a glance, he seemed like the son of a well-to-do family.
"Draco Malfoy."
He said his name and held out his hand for a handshake.
This was my first encounter with a future classmate.
(End of chapter)
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09