After purchasing a set of crystal potion vials, Anne's shoulder bag was already packed full, and Aaron's hands were filled with shopping bags. Yet, they still hadn't crossed everything off the list, there were books to buy and a pet owl still missing.
"Uncle Aaron," Anne tugged on his sleeve as they made their way toward Flourish and Blotts, "we really can't carry any more. I think we need a trunk to put everything in…" She lifted her swollen bag, genuinely worried it might burst at any moment. "And," she added nervously, "I can't take all this stuff back with me. I didn't tell Headmistress Odette about today. I just told her I was out playing with Jill…"
Aaron chuckled, "It's alright, Anne. You handled it well, it's better if she doesn't know. That'd only lead to trouble." He glanced at the overloaded bags and then at Anne's bulging satchel, which now looked almost as wide as she was.
He set the bags down and took Anne's satchel, slinging it around his neck before picking everything back up. "I should've thought of that. Let's go to the general store and find you a small trunk… Hmm, one with an Undetectable Extension Charm should do nicely. And we'll get you a map of Hogwarts too, I think you'll need it. Feel free to look around yourself, Anne. I bet you'll like some of the toys they have there."
Once the trunk was sorted, they headed into Flourish and Blotts. The shop was much larger than Ollivanders, two floors stacked with books. Some were wrapped in fine fleece covers, others bound in simple parchment. Anne even spotted a palm-sized book covered in symbols she couldn't recognize.
Aaron was speaking to the shopkeeper. "I need a full set of first-year textbooks for Hogwarts. Could you gather them all for me?"
Anne wandered through the shop by herself. Before they entered, she had mentioned wanting to buy extra books to read on her own. Aaron had happily agreed and praised her as her mother's daughter, Sonia had always been top of her class.
Running her fingers across the spines of thick and thin volumes alike, Anne was reminded of those romantic scenes in dramas and movies, where the male and female leads fall in love at first sight in a library.
She chuckled to herself at the thought and pulled a hefty book from the shelf. No one on the other side reached for the same one.
"Oh well…" she murmured with a small smile, looking at the title: A Modern History of Magic. No wonder it was so thick, it was a history book.
A hand tapped her on the shoulder, gently patting twice. A girl's voice, slightly nervous, asked, "Excuse me… could I have a look at the book you're holding?"
Anne turned to see a girl just a little taller than herself with a head of bushy brown hair. She smiled a bit shyly at her.
"Oh, of course. Here you go," Anne said, handing over the heavy book.
"Thanks." The girl immediately began flipping through it.
Anne noticed her large front teeth as she spoke and wondered if the girl might get braces someday. Do wizards even have dentists? She recalled that the heroine in the Harry Potter movies had Muggle parents who were dentists.
Anne moved to another shelf, scanning titles. By the time she left the shop, she'd not only gotten the required books but also picked up extras like An Introduction to Eastern Wizardry, 100 Magical Herbs for Cooking, and Gringotts: A History of the Wizarding Bank, five or six in total.
She cast a slightly regretful glance back at the bookstore. She had really wanted a massive tome called The Herbology Encyclopedia, easily over a thousand pages, but Aaron had gently pointed out that the trunk already held thirteen books and likely couldn't fit more.
As they were preparing to head home, Anne remembered she couldn't bring the magical trunk back to the orphanage. Wanting to keep her books close, they turned back and bought her a new enchanted shoulder bag with the same extension charm.
Sitting in the front seat of the car, Anne curiously flipped her new bag inside out, pulling the books out and putting them back in again.
"This is amazing. The thickness doesn't change at all, but it gets heavier."
Aaron laughed from the driver's seat, clearly enjoying her excitement. "That's magic for you, Anne. After you get back, I probably won't see you again until September 1st, Hogwarts' opening day. I'll get your train ticket and pick you up at 8 a.m. to take you to King's Cross Station. The train usually departs at 11. You will be good during this month, alright?"
Anne nodded, patting her bag. "Of course. I'll use the time to learn as much as I can about the wizarding world." She was also thinking about how to explain her new school to Headmistress Odette. And Jill, she had to say goodbye to her too.
Then another question popped into her mind. "Uncle Aaron, does Hogwarts have holidays?"
"Of course. Hogwarts goes on break for Christmas every year. During that time, you can either stay at school or go home… Actually, according to magical law, I'm officially your guardian now. So," Aaron turned to her, "would you like to live with me?"
Anne's eyes lit up. A wizard's house? What would that be like? "Of course I would!"
But Aaron quickly added with some embarrassment, "Not yet, though… You see, I'm only recognized as your guardian in the magical world. It'll take at least two months to sort things out with the Muggle authorities."
He sighed. "Besides, I travel constantly for work, and my place… well, let's just say it's not exactly fit for a young girl right now. But by Christmas, yes, by then, I'll have it sorted. I might even hire a house-elf."
Anne suddenly asked, "So… Uncle Aaron, are you still single?"
"Uh… yeah…" Aaron realized what he had just admitted and turned red. "Ahem… Let's move on. Hogwarts has four Houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff…"
Anne chuckled to herself. When Aaron said he traveled a lot, she already understood. His confession only confirmed it. A bachelor's home was hardly the ideal place for a child, it seemed even wizards weren't so different from ordinary Muggle men.
Aaron went on to explain the sorting ceremony, the houses, and other first-day matters until they finally arrived at the orphanage.
Seeing no one around, Aaron quickly got out and opened Anne's door, reminding her once again to stay safe and write if anything happened. Then he drove off.
Anne nodded along to his many reminders and, after his car disappeared from view, wandered around a bit before re-entering the orphanage.
As she passed the mailbox, she suddenly remembered, MoMo, the owl they had bought, was still in Aaron's car.
"He probably won't realize it until tomorrow morning," she muttered to herself.
After dinner, Anne returned to her room, sat down, and was about to open a book when she heard tapping at her window.
She opened it, and a tiny, fully black fluffball flew straight into her.
She caught it gently with both hands. "It's you? MoMo!" The owl had a letter and a small pouch tied to its leg. She took them off. The letter was from Aaron, apologizing and giving her an address.
She poured some owl treats into her hand from the pouch and fed MoMo. Then, she opened her book and began reading.
After everything these past few days, the wizarding world no longer felt like just a name or image from fiction. It was real, a world as complex, lively, and three-dimensional as the Muggle one. A world full of people. Of fascinating people.
In the days that followed, Anne stayed at the orphanage, leisurely reading and occasionally worrying about how to explain that she wouldn't be attending St. Edmund's School.
She wrote to Aaron about it, and he assured her not to worry.
A few days later, Anne received a letter from the school. After reading it, she realized Aaron had come up with a rather wicked plan.
Headmistress Odette, still hung up on the St. Edmund's School, kept bringing it up, and it began to frustrate Anne. If she didn't stop her soon, the whole orphanage might find out, and then it'd be even harder to explain.
So one afternoon, Anne put on a sad expression and said to the headmistress, "Mrs. Odette, you know I got accepted to two schools. I may not be going to Cofield after all. They… they canceled my scholarship." She handed over Aaron's forged letter.
"Oh, how could they? But you passed their entrance exam!"
"Yes, ma'am. But they admitted a local London student who could pay full tuition. They said they were sorry. But the other school offered me a full scholarship."
"Oh, my poor girl," Headmistress Odette said, pulling her into a hug.
After that conversation, Anne assumed the problem was solved. Despite thinking it was a sneaky trick, the outcome was good, Odette never brought it up again.
At least, Anne believed so.
One early summer morning, Anne and three older orphans, Abelar, Gage, and Gavin, led a group of younger kids to help out at the farm next door. It was a monthly activity where the older kids guided the younger ones in chores like collecting hay and watering vegetables.
While Anne and Gage were showing three kids how to stack hay, someone called out her name from afar.
"Anne, I see you! I'm here!"
It was Jill, Anne's childhood friend. Her family owned a large dairy farm that supplied milk to the orphanage and many London families.
Anne excused herself and walked over.
"What is it?" she asked, wiping sweat from her brow. She noticed Jill holding a colorful plastic cat-shaped container.
Jill grabbed Anne's hand and pulled her into the shade. Her expression was serious. "I found out!"
Anne's heart skipped a beat. "Found out what?"
"That you're hiding something from me," Jill pouted. "Hmph, never mind. Here, this is for you!" She shoved the container into Anne's hands.
Anne took a closer look, it was a piggy bank. "Why are you giving me this?" It was heavy, full of coins.
"I overheard Mrs. Odette talking to Mrs. Adeline while delivering milk yesterday. She said you're not going to Cofield, but to another school."
Anne cursed inwardly. She knew it was a bad idea, how could wizards understand how prestigious that school was to the Muggle community?
"I don't have much," Jill bit her lip. "This is all I've saved, about 60 pounds. I don't know if it's enough, but Anne, there's always a way. You should go to a good school."
Anne looked away from Jill's pure, resolute eyes. She wanted to tell her everything, but she remembered what Aaron had said: the wizarding world must stay hidden from Muggles. If they found out, the Ministry would surely step in, and who knew how harshly?
Instead, she gave Jill a reassuring smile. "Do you trust me?"
Jill thought about it, then nodded. "Of course."
"Then I promise, the school I'm going to is way better than Cofield. It's one of the best in the world."
"But… Mrs. Odette said it was some unknown school…"
"Jill…" Anne looked her in the eyes.
"…Alright. I believe you. Is your school a boarding school too?" Jill asked. "My dad enrolled me in one in London. He said it's a good one, strict rules and all."
Her voice turned a bit wistful. "They won't let us wear cute skirts, only uniforms."
Then she perked up again. "But when my dad took me there to deliver milk, I saw the campus, it's huge! They have a big fountain in front of the main building…"
As Jill chattered excitedly about what she saw in the city and at school, Anne was truly happy for her. But eventually, she had to interrupt, there was still work to do.
Before they parted, Anne returned the piggy bank. Jill reluctantly took it back only because Anne insisted. They made plans to meet again soon, Jill had invited Anne to join her on a milk delivery trip to London.
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A/N: And, they finally met!!! If you're enjoying the journey so far and want to read ahead, you can check out 20+ advance chapters on Patreon: Patreon.com/Crimson_Lore