June fifth, a bright, fresh, day of the year. One on which Kate would be turning eleven and would, finally, be getting her much awaited Hogwarts letter. She rushed to take a shower and got herself cleaned, considering that it was a weekend she did not have to worry about school as she hurried down the footsteps to greet her Aunt and Uncle.
Her cousin, Thomas, would be joining her a month from now for summer vacations which she eagerly waited for so he could tell Kate all about his second year at Durmstrang Institute.
Kate was not only greeted by her Aunt and Uncle but also by a small pile of presents on the centre table.
"There she is, the birthday girl!", Uncle Daniel boomed at the sight of his niece hopping down the stairs as he pulled her into a bear hug. While her Aunt came out of the kitchen, carrying one of her best cakes with a loving smile plastered across her face.
Aunt Demetria's face looked a lot like Kate's mother's except that her mother was a blonde and Aunt Demetria was a brunette with sharp features and soft, emerald, eyes as Kate had seen in some of her mother's old photos.
She sat down the cake on the table and sat side by side with her niece.
"Alright now, make a wish", chimed Aunt Demetria. Kate closed her eyes then blew the candles, she wished for nothing more than to get her letter from Hogwarts. After the cake had been cut, Kate settled down to open her presents.
She, first, reached for a square box and her smile began to falter.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Uncle Daniel asked, noticing the frown on her face.
"I miss Tom" she told him.
"Oh, he'll be here soon. Now, come on, open up!"
She continued to open the box and inside lay a handsome, Wand Kit. The next presents were all delightful; spell books of all kinds, pranking supplies from a joke shop in Diagon Alley and a scarf of Kate's favourite Quidditch team.
"These are amazing. Oh, thank you so much! I love you guys!" Kate cried out of appreciation as she gave her Aunt and Uncle a hug.
As they sat down for lunch, a tawny owl soared in, carrying a package and a letter. It dropped it right in Kate's lap and she began to untie the letter from the owl's toe. The letter was from none other than Tom, the package was from her second cousin; Nymphadora Tonks. Kate, quickly, unwrapped the package that contained a denim dress and a book on Aurors. She wrote back to both her cousins rather excitedly as the day passed.
The month of June had flown by, with July bringing heavy showers and the arrival of Thomas. Kate stood at the door waiting, eagerly, for her cousin and spared no second in jumping at the sight of him as he entered the house, chuckling.
The two sat together throughout the night, Tom had brought Kate some muggle records. He went on about his year, Kate's wasn't even close to as excited as his was she thought to herself.
It had been a fortnight since Tom's arrival when a handsome, tawny, owl landed in front of Kate during the afternoon. She screamed when she saw the seal, it was from Hogwarts. Her Aunt came scurrying out of the kitchen while Uncle Daniel shook awake who was soundly asleep on the couch.
"Kate, what is it?" Aunt Demetria asked, looking rather grave.
"It's the letter! Letter from Hogwarts!" Kate said while flailing the letter, her Aunt heaved a sigh of relief followed by Uncle Daniel who went back to relaxing on the couch as Kate began to read:
Miss K. Black
Room on first landing
Street 4
Wolverhampton
We, hereby, would like to inform you that unlike other students you will not be joining Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year, but perhaps in your fourth year.
You may continue with muggle school for the following year. However, the year after that you would have to be leaving your aunt and uncle, and move to the Leaky Cauldron in London for the remaining two years. We truly apologize and we will await your owl by no longer than August.
Headmaster,
Albus Dumbledore
Kate frowned as she finished reading, she threw the letter aside and dashed straight to her room. Won't be joining Hogwarts this year? Live in the Leaky Cauldron, alone? In London? What were they thinking?
July passed by rather quietly, no one talked about the letter. Kate wrote back to Professor Dumbledore by the first week of August. She felt guilty for her weird behaviour when she realised that Tom would be leaving for Durmstrang, soon.
"Hey, you'll see me on Christmas", he reassured her.
"Mhm" Kate nodded as she gave him a feeble smile.
She continued with Muggle school rather gloomily, the months had whizzed by and all she wanted was to go to Hogwarts.
"Kate, Andromeda and Ted will be joining us for Christmas. So, we'll have some decent company and of course your cousin, Nymphadora" Aunt Demetria told her one afternoon. Kate, whose mood was instantly lifted up when she heard that, exclaimed with excitement, "Really? That's great!"
On Christmas Eve, the house was already decorated with baubles, fairy lights and a Christmas tree. Aunt Demetria had prepared cookies and cake for Christmas morning.
Kate dressed in her Christmas jumper and jeans, and hurtled down the stairs.
"Merry Christmas!" She called out loudly when she reached the last step.
"Merry Christmas to you, too!", her aunt and uncle chorused from the living room. Kate reached the table to find a big, rectangular boxed wrapped spectacularly on the table. Her eyes wide, mouth agape as she moved closer and sat down to open it.
The box was heavy and was getting the best of her curiosity as she carefully unwrapped it, and her aunt and uncle watched eagerly.
"Oh, wow!" Kate gasped when she had unwrapped the last bits, inside the box lay a shiny, black, guitar that glinted brilliantly in the lights.
She got up and gave her aunt and uncle a hug.
"Thank you so much. It's spectacular!", she said happily as she continued to examine the guitar, and with light fingers strummed a soft tune. In that very moment, the door bell rang.
"Must be Ted and Dromeda", said Aunt Demetria as she got up to get the door, Kate jolted upstairs to keep her guitar then came back down to greet her cousin, Nymphadora; a girl in her early twenties with violet hair.
"And you must be Katrina", said Ted, a kindly looking man from behind Nymphadora.
Kate moved forward and greeted them, then the two departed upstairs.
"Please, dont call me Nymphadora" said Nymphadora irritably.
"Is Dora okay?" Kate chuckled to which Nymphadora nodded. Nymphadora told Kate all about her years at Hogwarts and her time spent as a Hufflepuff that evening.
Months had flown by just as they came, they seemed almost like a passing day and it was soon time for Kate to go. Well, not yet to Hogwarts but to the Leaky Cauldron where she would be living alone till Dumbledore saw fit to have her at Hogwarts.