14 August 1991. IT CAME. It actually came.
"MUM! DAD! Come quick! It's here!" I shouted upstairs as I fished the letter and it's grander out of the pile of our ordinary post.
When mum and dad arrived to the kitchen, they were puzzled at the odd arrival date of the letter, and looked at each other with bewildered excitement.
They saw me standing at our grey counter, the letter in hand. They examined it, it was real. They had worked out that because of when my birthday falls, they waited until my 11th full year to send me my letter. This was very odd for Hogwarts, but I was glad they made the decision.
I was over the moon to actually be holding it in my hands. It was beautiful. 'Dear Mary Emilia Fudge,' it began. 'We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' I cried at the mere thought of this being real. But IT WAS.
September rolled around and it was soon time. Soon time to head to Diagon Alley to gather my items for school. It was about to begin. My mum and I strolled down the cobblestone street, after grabbing a bite to eat at the Leaky Cauldron. There was a chill in the air, as the breeze ripped down the path, past all of the wonderful shops.
All around us, I could hear the excited chatter of similar first years, anxious and excited for what lies ahead. "First stop, Olivanders Wand Shop!" mum said. I couldn't wait. Inside, the walls were lined with thousands of wands, waiting to be waved. The shelves were disheveled and disorganized, but the owner, Mr. Olivander knew exactly where everything was. He was an older man, with a frail body and wild white hair.
As we reached the counter, Mr. Olivander looked at my mum and said, "Rose Milwood! Wonderful to see you! Is this young Mary? Already a first year?" he seemed shocked. "Yes, this is her. First year at Hogwarts." she said with a look of joy, as she brushed the hair out of my eye. The man smiled, and went toward a wand box tucked behind several others on a shelf near the back of his store. It was darker back there than in front. He came back with a beautiful wand.
"Unicorn hair center, beech wood. 11 inches long," he recited. It was perfect. When it touched my hand, it felt as though it was made to fit there, "The wand chooses the witch." Mr. Olivander informed me with a wink. And mine chose me.
Next stop, Florish & Botts, I needed my books! We quickly finished in the book store and headed to get me my very own magical creature, one to keep me company, and help me with my magic. I was able to chose between an owl, rat, toad, or a cat. Naturally, I picked a cat.
I grew up with cats back home, 3 of them to be precise- Butterscotch, Mabel, and Frieda. Butterscotch was orange & had white paws, we got her when she a kitten. Mabel was our old girl, nearly 19, and all grey.. she was our magical girl too. A Diagon Alley pet. Frieda was our newest addition, all white with a single black patch around her right eye.
I picked a cat that reminded me of all of mine back home- a tabby cat, mixed with every color. I named her Tabitha.
As we were coming out of the pet store headed for our next stop, I noticed a very large man with shaggy hair, and worn clothes, helping a boy with glasses & brown hair. My mum leaned down to me and said, "That's him Mary. That's Harry Potter." I suppose mum and dad knew his parents; they often told me how awful it was when the wizarding world found out about them.
To prevent me from staring, mum hurried me to our next stop. I knew I would see that boy again, and I hoped I would be able to find out more about him as he appeared to be just a normal boy to me.