Telling Stephanie ((Marian))

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie stepped off the train onto Platform 9 3/4. She noticed everyone around was jumping in the arms of their parents, all happy and joyful. Unfortunately, Ezzie was not so lucky. Her parents tried to drown her. Ezzie would probably never experience such a feeling toward parents. Luckily, she had friends who loved her just like family. That was good enough for her. Ezzie stepped outside the platform back into the muggle world. Her friend Stephanie was waiting just outside looking very confused. Ezzie rolled her belongings over to where Stephanie was standing.

"EZZIE!" She cried. "IT'S SO GREAT TO SEE YOU!"

"And you too!" Ezzie said with a bright smile.

"What was so important?"

"We need to be in private." Ezzie said with a whisper. They walked over to a corner where nobody was around and Ezzie started to explain.

"All these years when I left to go explore, I've really been at school. A very special school."

"What kind? a music school? I always told you that you had talent!"

"Not a music school, Steph."

"Then what kind?"

Ezzie took a deep breath. "A magic school. They teach me all kinds of spells and enchantments. It's really quite cool."

Stephanie smiled. "Very funny, Ezzie! Now c'mon! I can't wait to tel everyone all this time you've been at music school." She smiled. "Sister Marie will be so proud!"

Ezzie sighed. Stephanie was not going to believe her unless she showed her. But she wasn't allowed to do magic outside school. She knew exactly what to do. She would take Stephanie to Diagon Alley.

"Come," Ezzie said. "I have to show you something."

"Did they give you a new guitar?" Stephanie said as they walked.

"Nope."

"Summer voice lessons?"

"Nope."

"Then what?"

"This!" Ezzie said with a smile. She was staring right at the Leaky Cauldron.

"When did they put that in?" Stephanie said. "I go passed this street all the time, and I never notice that place!" They went inside. Ezzie went to the back room and opened the passageway to Diagon Alley. Stephanie looked as if she was going to faint.

"Told you I was magical!" Ezzie said as she noticed Stephanie's surprise turn into excitement.

"So you're really..."

"A witch? yup!"

"OOH WAT IS THAT?" She screamed pointing at a Firebolt Broom.

"They're flying brooms."

"WHOA!" She was getting more excited by the second.

"What about those?" She pointed to a shop full of cauldrons.

"They're like pots. They're used to make potions."

"What's she holding?" Stephanie pulled some random girl from the crowd and pointed to her wand.

"I'm so sorry!"Ezzie said to the girl. She recognized her from the train, just hours before. She was a Ravenclaw third year. "This is my muggle friend. I just now told her about magic, so she's very curious."

[Marian Cormac R3]

"It's not that bad, Marian thought, her wand in her hand as she peered at the minor damage she had done to it. She was in the rather trendy Muggle clothes her mother had sent via owl to the school just before she left. Two hours had passed since the Hogwarts train stopped at the platform and she was taking much longer than she meant to. Her family had a long drive ahead of them. If only she'd been more careful. She blamed the Muggle clothes aloud, but she knew it was really her fault. Some time in her changing from her Hogwarts robes to her Muggle clothes she had placed her wand underneath her things and accidentally sat on it. She knew what it was almost as soon as she heard the snap.

She walked hastily to Ollivander's hoping that he would be able to repair it quickly and send her on her way. It was bent in any way, but it split from the tip down to the middle. She cursed herself mentally for her carelessness. She passed the Apothecary and the cauldron shop, still staring down at her wand. She looked fierce, still fuming at herself. Her quickening pace took her past Eeylops Owl Emporium and Flourish and Blotts. She longed to stop and stare into the windows at the wizarding items she couldn't afford. She always loved shopping in Diagon Alley.

"Ugh, why must Ollivander's be on the opposite side of Diagon Alley? Couldn't they have put it just a little bit closer," she complained. She was beginning to feel sorry for herself. But there wasn't much time for her thoughts to delve into her own self pity, because she was jerked back suddenly, too focused on her wand and the ground below her to notice what was going on within feet of her.

Marian looked up hastily, her mind taking a few seconds to catch up to what her eyes were seeing. A Gryffindor and a Muggle? What? Were Muggles, other than parents, even allowed in Diagon Alley? She pulled her wand closer to her as the Muggle girl pointed at it. She was still confused. What was going on?

"Oh, it's alright," she murmured, finally taking in the words of the Gryffindor girl she'd seen before but never spoken to. Her expression was a mixture of confusion and the self-fury she had only moments ago. She looked much angrier than she really was, but her interrupted mission caused a slight annoyance. "But is it even legal to bring Muggles to Diagon Alley? I mean, my parents are Muggles so you can't keep all of them in the dark, but I thought the Ministry worked to keep our world strictly secret?" She was probably overreacting, but she was rather confused as to why a Muggle girl was standing in front of her. Her parents even liked to avoid the place if at all possible. She began dusting herself off as the grip on her was released.

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Even though she had apologized, the girl looked furious. Ezzie felt truly sorry for what her friend did, even though she knew Stephanie tended to overreact when it came to surprises. She also looked very confused. The girl said it was fine, but then she said something that really got Ezzie thinking.

"But is it even legal to bring Muggles to Diagon Alley? I mean, my parents are Muggles so you can't keep all of them in the dark, but I thought the Ministry worked to keep our world strictly secret?"

"OH MY GOSH!" Ezzie screamed. "Do you think I'll get in trouble?" Just then, Ezzie thoguht of something important. "Stephanie is like my sister, she's really close-almost family...so I guess she should know." Then Ezzie remembered, she hadn't even introduced herself.

"Never mind that, I'm so sorry." Ezzie smiled. "I'm Esmeralda Mendez, I'm a third year."

[Marian Cormac R3]

Marian shrugged, a quizzical look on her face as she thought the situation through. She had always assumed that the Ministry liked to keep Muggles in the dark. The Daily Prophet was always full of articles on Muggle prevention, but she'd never heard any direct rules or laws about Muggles and the Wizarding world. "I'm not sure," she said, crossing her arms and shielding her broken wand. "It's not like they have a Muggle-born orientation when they are introduced to the Wizarding World, so I've never been told directly, I just figure it's probably not the best idea. Some might not take it well." She raised an eyebrow at the Muggle girl. "On the bright side, though, most Muggles wouldn't believe her even if she did tell."

"I know who you are, we've just never been formally introduced before. Gryffindor, right? I think we've been in combined Potions before. And I remember hearing your name when we were sorted. I'm Marian Cormac. Ravenclaw," and she held out her right hand. "And who is your friend?"

She probably wasn't being as nice as she should have been. Her parents had taught her better, but she felt very pressed for time and the last thing she wanted was the be scolded for taking too much of it. Falkirk was quite a drive and it was already late in the afternoon. She glanced up at the sky, the hot sun beaming down on her thick head of dark curls. What time was it? How much time had she wasted already?