A/N: Hey, in this chapter, no offense to my awesome Slytherins, I'm just writing from what I think Fred and George would say when your house comes up later in the chapter. Personally I'm a Gryffindor, but I totally love you guys 💚😄 also, this story is not going to follow the third book exactly. The differences should be pretty minor though, so hopefully it doesn't bug you guys too much 🤞🏼😄
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I woke up and packed quickly, managing to squeeze everything into a few bags. Normally, I was an expert at fitting all my stuff into one suitcase, but this time I was bringing everything in sight, since I didn't know how easily I'd be able to get normal things at Hogwarts.
My dad and I left late that night, but because of the time difference, we arrived in London at 11:00am. Thankfully, I'd managed to sleep on the plane.
"Here we are!" announced my dad, flinging out his arms as we stepped off the jet. Private air travel was a perk of being a Stark.
"Let's check into our hotel so we can start seeing the city!" I said excitedly. We were going to do all the wizard shopping tomorrow, so today we were going to explore London on a father-daughter bonding trip.
We drove to the hotel incognito, since my dad was usually recognized if he didn't wear a disguise, and a surprising number of people were starting to recognize me as his daughter. As we toured the city, even the ball cap and shades didn't keep us totally anonymous. Still, we managed to enjoy things in relative-anonymity, what with the whole 'Stark' thing.
The next day, we were headed to a place called Diagon Alley. It was hidden in a wizard "pub" (British for bar) that no one but wizards could see. I had to lead my dad through the door like he was blind.
The bartender lead us to an alleyway in the back, where he used a magic wand to open a brick archway that literally lead to a whole other world.
People were rushing back and forth along the street in robes of all colors. Owls swooped overhead and people stood on the sides of the street selling everything from livestock to potion ingredients.
"Wow," I muttered, looking out at everything. I couldn't even begin to articulate my feelings, and my awe was amplified by my dad's reaction: for the first time in his life, Tony Stark was speechless.
As we wandered down the street towards the bank (our first stop), I realized something was seriously different (besides the magic), but it took me a minute to put my finger on it.
"Dad," I suddenly said, realizing what had changed. "Do you notice anything weird?"
"Alexa, we're in the middle of a street with magic spells. I notice everything weird."
"Yeah, but no one's recognizing you! You're not even wearing a ball cap!"
My dad actually stopped walking for a minute as this donned on him.
"You're right. Hm, it works out for us today, doesn't it?"
I nodded. It was so nice to be able to walk down the street without getting those looks of recognition. I could seriously get used to this, but I could already tell my dad was starting to fidget. He thrived on the attention, so he'd definitely be excited to get back to the normal world.
Now, I didn't necessarily mind attention. I just wanted it for something I did, rather than because I was related to Tony Stark.
My dad and I got a whole new level of shock as we walked into the bank and found it completely run by goblins. Goblins! The first bank guard I walked past got an exaggerated movie-level double take.
After finishing at the bank, we went to get a wand from Ollivander's. An honest-to-God magic wand, from a business which had apparently been operating for more than 2,000 years.
We walked in and I headed towards the counter while my dad took a seat on one of the stools in the back of the room.
"Hello there," said an old man from the back of the shop.
"Hi," I said, smiling as he came forward to speak to me.
"I suppose you're looking for a wand?"
"Yup."
"Hmm..." he wandered farther back into the tall shelves of wands, analyzing all the boxes. "Let's try... this one."
He read out some specs on the wand, then handed it to me. I wasn't sure what was supposed to happen, but apparently it was something, because Mr. Ollivander (I assumed that's who this was) immediately took the wand back and went to get another one.
The process continued over and over, again and again, wand after wand. Nothing seemed to be working, and I was struggling to stay patient.
"Ah. Walnut, dragon heartstring, thirteen inches, springy." He handed the wand over, and I'll admit, I was very skeptic as I took it from him.
The minute the wand touched my hand, though, it felt alive and warm. It felt like an extension of myself, and I swear I could feel the magic flowing through my body.
"Woah," I said breathlessly. A wind swirled through the shop, and everything felt right.
"That's the one," said Ollivander decisively, moving to the till (British for cash register) so we could pay and go.
"That was pretty amazing," muttered my dad, still sounding a little awestruck as we walked back into the daylight of Diagon Alley.
"No kidding." I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I didn't let go of my wand, either.
The next stop was a pet, since the school said we could bring one. Owls seemed to be the norm communication-wise, so that's what I was going to get.
As soon as I walked into the store, I bonded with a barn owl who kept hooting at me whenever I tried to walk away. We were already best friends as we left the store together, and I decided to name him "Jimmy Tallon".
Dad, Jimmy, and I made our rounds to the other stores, buying some of the weirdest things imaginable.
Potions is going to be a hell of a class, I thought as I purchased one of the ingredients: armadillo bile.
We bought all the required books, and then a few more just in case. Thankfully, we also managed to find a magical trunk that was bigger on the inside (yes, like the TARDIS) so that I could fit everything into the one trunk we were allowed.
When we got back to the hotel, Jimmy got several looks from the staff, but my dad was famous enough that they let it slide. I felt a little guilty, and I promised myself I wouldn't leave any mess Jimmy made for them to clean up.
For the next week, I divided my time between exploring the city with my dad and trying to memorize all the information I'd missed in the past four years. I focused on just the spells (I figured history could wait), and by the time September 1st rolled around, I was feeling pretty solid on the practical magic piece.
At least, as solid as I could be without being allowed to actually cast any of the spells.
September 1st was the first day of magic school, so my dad and I headed down to King's Cross, which apparently held the magical gateway.
I was signed up to take normal classes online, but that stuff wouldn't start until September 5th, so I would have a few days to adjust to Hogwarts.
"You ready?" asked my dad, giving me a look as we both got ready to rush a seemingly-solid barrier. Apparently, that was the only way we could get to the wizarding world. I couldn't help thinking that was the perfect set up for a prank.
"Ready as I'll ever be."
"Alright, then let's go!" We rushed the pillar, and it flashed through my mind that this was probably one of the stupidest things we'd ever done, which was saying something.
I closed my eyes right before the barrier, bracing for the impact. Despite everything I'd seen, I couldn't help it.
When nothing happened, I cautiously opened my eyes again. We were in a completely different station, with completely different people and a train.
My dad and I stood stunned for a little while, both in awe of this stuff.
"So what do you think? Temporal-spacial macroscopic teleporting?" I finally asked.
Dad laughed. "That's my girl."
We shook off the shock and headed for the bright scarlet steam train.
"Alright. You sure you still want to do this?" asked Dad after helping me lug my trunk over the threshold of a passenger car.
"Absolutely."
He nodded. "Then turn the wizarding world upside down. And don't forget to email me, or I'll come by in one of the suits to check on you."
I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Don't worry Dad, I'll make sure to do both."
We hugged, and then it was time to go.
"Give Happy, Pepper, and the rest of the Avengers another hug from me too, okay?" I called as I stepped farther into the train.
"Will do."
"And propose! Soon!"
He just smiled and shook his head at me. He raised his hand in a wave as the door closed, and I waved back before turning to the trunk I now had to wrestle down the hallway.
"Hey," called a voice from a short ways down the hallway.
"Do you need some help?" asked another voice. I looked up and saw two boys, definitely twins, with bright red hair looking at me.
"That'd be great."
"Where are you from?" asked the first twin as he lifted one end of the trunk. I got the other end, and the second twin led the way.
"New York."
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said the second twin, holding open the door to one of the compartments.
"Thanks," I said, a little out of breath as I heaved the trunk into the storage above the seats. "So, what are your names?"
"I'm Fred Weasley," said the first twin.
"I'm George Weasley," said the second.
"Nice to meet you guys. I'm Alexa Stark."
"Nice to meet you, Alexa. What year are you?" asked Fred.
"Fifth," I answered. I was a little shocked they hadn't commented on my last name, but I wasn't complaining. "How about you guys?"
"We're both fifth years, too!" exclaimed George.
"What house are you in?" asked Fred.
"House?"
"You know."
"Your Hogwarts House."
"Umm... I've been a little more focused on catching up with spells, so I don't actually know what that means."
Both boys looked shocked, but they quickly recovered, launching into an explanation.
"There are four houses at Hogwarts," started Fred.
"Gryffindor-"
"The best house, the brave house."
"-Slytherin-"
"The worst house. 'Ambitious' is putting it kindly."
"-Ravenclaw-"
"The smart house."
"-and Hufflepuff."
"The friendly house," Fred finished, giving me context.
"Okay... how do I know which one I'm in?"
"You'll probably be Sorted when we get to Hogwarts," said George.
"Don't worry, it's easy," added Fred.
"Good. I don't want any hard tests on my first day," I said. As I spoke, the door to the compartment slid open, and another boy stepped in.
"Fred, George, you'll never believe what I thought of this summer- oh, sorry, hello. Who are you?" he asked once he noticed me.
"Alexa Stark."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Jordan."
"Nice to meet you, too."
"We were just explaining the Houses to her," said George.
"Nice. Do you know which one you're in yet?"
"Nope. Which House are you guys in?"
"Gryffindor!" they all shouted proudly. I'd figured as much, but I didn't want to assume.
"So, Lee, what's this brilliant idea you've had over the summer?" asked Fred.
"Oh, you two will go mad!" Lee launched into an explanation of an extremely detailed prank he'd thought of, including me in the conversation, and I was relieved to already have such a cool group of friends.
I'd definitely made the right call about Hogwarts.