𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐲 [𝖍.𝖌]

two | she said sister

[same day]

"Julianna! Dahlia!" yelled April from the bottom of the stairs after breakfast. "Let's go! We need to go now if we're to get there and back before lunch!" Both girls came running down, excited.

"You've worn the Gryffindor jumper and everything!" exclaimed Julie with jealousy. "Will I get one?"

"You can wear one of mine if you'd like," said Dahlia nervously. "Otherwise, you'll get your house's jumper."

"Do you have another?" she asked. Dahlia's heart warmed.

"I do," she winked. She gave Julie the jumper she'd outgrown last year. The eleven-year-old pulled it on excitedly.

"Wow!" she said in wonder. "It's so comfortable! What are the houses again?"

"Gryffindor for the brave, Hufflepuff for the loyal, Ravenclaw for the wise, and Slytherin for the cunning."

Julie suddenly looked nervous. "What if I get put in Slytherin like that bully Malfoy? Or in Hufflepuff? Or Ravenclaw?"

"Then those houses will have gained a wonderful new witch," said Dahlia reassuringly, leading her down the stairs with an arm around her. "I reckon the supremacists in Slytherin give their house a bad name and it's not all it's cracked up to be. And Hufflepuff... actually, there's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff. But remember, they're patient, not necessarily kind. Don't insult their house just because of everyone else." Dahlia opened the car door for Julie and they both scooted inside, waiting for April and Richard.

"I wouldn't do that," said Julie immediately.

"And be careful with Ravenclaws."

"Why?" she replied, her eyes wide.

"Slytherins play dirty, but they operate by personal moral codes. Hufflepuffs work in the best interest of the group, which is why they're revered for their loyalty. Gryffindors, they'll do what they want, but in all honesty, they won't go too far. It's not in their character.

"Ravenclaws don't have any inhibitions. They don't have rules for themselves, and they are perfectly capable of going too far. They're smart about it, too," she said grimly, remembering Quirrell in the chamber in June. "It's brainy Slytherin but without self-consciousness."

"Got it. Ravenclaw doesn't sound like the place for me. I'm not dangerous or creative, really," said Julie. "I just want to beat your first-year scores."

"In the car, girls?" asked April, buckling her seatbelt. "Right, let's go."

Dahlia told them what shops were beside it since muggles couldn't enter. When they got there, Julie looked at the block in confusion.

"Where's Diagon Alley?" she asked.

"I thought witches could see it," said Richard.

"We have to go to an inn first, called the Leaky Cauldron. The entrance to Diagon Alley is hidden there, and it's the Leaky Cauldron that muggles can't see. I can ask Tom to get you in since I'm not allowed magic yet."

"Bye!" Julie waved to her parents. They waved back frantically, and Julie clutched Dahlia's arm in excitement. "Oh, I can't wait! Is that the Leaky Cauldron, there?" She pointed at the shabby looking inn. "Looks right small."