❝ It's that heart of gold and stardust soul that make you beautiful. ❞ -R. M. Broderick

I awoke before the sunrise, jumped out of bed as soon as my eyes flickered open, and fought the urge to squeal enthusiastically. There were very few times I woke up early, and those happened to be when my instincts themselves could sense I had an exciting day ahead of me.

The last time such a thing occurred, I got my acceptance letter to Hogwarts, and today was September 1, according to the date on my wristwatch. My first day at Hogwarts. My first day of attending school as a witch. The beginning of a new chapter in my life. This was the day I had been looking forward to ever since I received my letter two months ago, and now it was finally here.

After jumping out of bed, having a quick shower and getting dressed, I prepared myself a small sandwich for breakfast. I had bought just enough food to feed myself for the last week of my travels, during which I returned to Boktown, the small village that was my first stop after leaving The Leaky Cauldron almost a month ago.

I spent enough money on local restaurants and pubs throughout my travels from place to place, and while money wasn't something I would be running out of anytime soon-given my massive inherited fortune-it hit me that if there was one thing these independent ventures hadn't taught me, it was how to cook. So after returning from Godric's Hollow, where I spent the second to last week of August, I went back to Diagon Alley to borrow more money from Gringott's in order to buy groceries, then took the Knight Bus back to Boktown. And here I'd been dwelling, inside the tent Tom gave me, making my own meals and letting my body rest after being on the move for a whole month.

I walked out of the tent and took a seat on the grass, which was slightly wet with morning dew. The sky gleamed in streaks of soft pink and orange, the clouds slowly brightening from the bottom in a fiery glow. From the woods that stretched ahead of me came the faint buzzing of cicadas. As I munched on the last bites of my sandwich, my stomach plummeted at a sudden realization.

How was I supposed to get to King's Cross? Could I take the Knight Bus again (which I absolutely did not want to, but it was the only method of transportation available . . . if it even was available for that particular destination?) I had to think of something quick. There was no way I was going to miss the train.

Okay, Polly, don't panic. Do not panic!

Before I could enter a full on panic attack, a sharp noise sounded off to my right, as if somebody had pulled the trigger of a shotgun. I jumped from my seat and nearly dropped the empty plate with the sandwich crumbs. Leaping to my feet, I ran into the tent to grab my wand. When I came back out, it took me all I had not to scream at the sight of a person in front of me. They were clad in a jet black cloak with the hood up so it fully covered their face.

"Shh," the person whispered, raising an index finger to their lips.

Heart on my throat, I could only watch as the stranger reached for the hood and pulled it down to reveal their face. It was none other than Breeze McBon.

"Good God, Breeze!" I cried, blowing out an audible sigh of relief. "You scared the crap out of me."

Breeze adjusted her messy sapphire blue curls with turquoise highlights and sent me an apologetic look. But there was a spark of something else in her greenish-brown eyes. Accusation.

"I did not confront you about it the day we ran into each other in Diagon Alley," she said. "As I did not wish to put you in an uncomfortable spot in front of your friends. But it was very reckless what you did. Running away from home like that. Your mother has been worried sick about you."

My heart jumped all the way to my throat, and for a moment, I could not find my voice.

"M-My mother?" I finally managed to stutter.

"The day we ran into each other, I was at your house in California," she said. "I came to take you school shopping, as I'd promised on our second meeting. Instead I found your mother grieving about your sudden disappearance on your fifteenth birthday. She had reported you missing to the authorities and they were searching everywhere for you."

It felt like I had just been punched in the pit of my stomach. I buried my face in both hands and felt the guilt start to build in. I'd packed my belongings and left home in a rash and enraged hurry, without even a proper plan. Had it not been for Mike, God knows where I would even be today. Mom had been the last person on my mind, but now that my frustration at her had died down, the selfish recklessness of my actions was finally hitting me. How could I up and leave her like that? Of course she would be worried sick!

Maybe she was feeling even guiltier now; maybe she was blaming herself for wronging me and hiding all those things from me my whole life. What I'd done was immature and foolishly irresponsible.

"I told her that I urgently called for you because something had come up at Hogwarts that I could not tell her more about, due to her muggle identity," Breeze continued. "I assured her that you were safe and sound, and told her to let the muggle authorities know you'd been found."

She breathed out a long sigh, her next words a barely audible murmur. "I was afraid this would happen."

"Huh?" I frowned.

"Your friends, Isabella and Michael," Breeze said. "They already knew about you. I was aware that the Junes owned a cottage in Westlake Village and that Is-uhm, Sibi, was there for the summer, so I knew they were the closest people to where you lived. I went to meet them a few days before you ran away and explained that they could possibly see you roaming the streets. So I asked them to shelter you and help you ease into the magic life."

"So you knew? You knew that I'd be running away?"

"Not necessarily. But I saw how strained your relationship with your mother was and how much you wanted to get out of Newbury Park. I feared you might try to do just that, so I decided to take precautions. My apologies if my interference has made you uncomfortable."

It took a while for the surprise to sink in, but caught off guard was all I felt. I knew it would be senseless to be pissed at Breeze for just trying to save my life. After all, if it wasn't for her, I'd probably be either dead or lost by now. Plus, I wouldn't have met Sibi and Mike.

"Of course not, Breeze," I said softly and gave her a smile. "Thank you for looking out for me. But how did you find out where I was?"

"Your name, Polly, is registered on the Ministry of Magic just like everybody else's and it pulsates each time you put magic to use," she explained. "The first day you got here, over a month ago, you used magic to erect the tent. I, um . . . I've kept an eye out for you throughout your travels this past month. And so I knew when you came back here."

I disregarded the whole 'I've kept an eye out for you throughout your travels this past month' part, as I didn't know how to react to being told someone had been watching over my every move like I had a chip in me, all the while I thought I was gaining some independence by being able to fend for myself. Instead, I focused on the first thing she said, which made my heart plummet.

"Wait, so I broke the law? Oh my god . . . Does that mean I won't be going to Hogwarts? Am I going to be arrested? Will I-"

"You won't be arrested, and you most certainly are going to Hogwarts," Breeze interrupted calmly. "The law is valid only to those who are already Hogwarts students. You will be attending for the first time this year."

I breathed out a deep sigh of relief. But then, all the questions that had been piling up about everything I'd discovered this summer came flooding to the forefront of my brain. I knew if there was someone who was going to give me answers, it would be Breeze.

"There's so much I've found out these past two months, Breeze," I said. "It's almost like the more I learn, the more I feel like I barely even know myself. I know you said there's a reason I received my letter so late, so I want to know why. I mean, it's unheard of for someone to start Hogwarts at the age of fifteen. Then Sibi and Mike told me about my father, and how he belonged to this group of dangerous people called Dolphinuses, so I assumed it must have something to do with that, even though I have no clue what being a Dolphinus even means other than it's a genetic thing and that my Patronus takes the form of a dolphin, but I've never even cast a Patronus charm before. Oh, and the day I bought my wand, Ollivander said some pretty weird things too, which I haven't stopped thinking about since and-"

"One thing at a time, please," Breeze raised a hand to interrupt me again, her voice quiet, but as usual, toneless.

I realized I'd ran out of breath. The words had burst out of my lips as though on their own accord. It didn't occur to me how many questions I'd kept bottled up for so long, and how desperate I was to get some answers. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"I've told you I will give you answers, and all in good time," she continued. "I wouldn't lie to you, Polly. But first, we must get out of here because there's more urgent matters at hand. You have a train to catch." Her greenish brown eyes begged for understanding. I pursed my lips and nodded silently. "Good. Well, go get your things so that we can Apparate to King's Cross."

I walked inside the tent, grabbed my suitcase, which I'd finished packing the night before, and motioned for Greg to get inside his cage so we could leave. The barn owl understood the gesture and flew from the armrest of the couch he was standing on back to his spot inside the cage. I grabbed the handle of it with one hand, my luggage with the other and walked out of the tent again.

"I can still legally use magic, right?" I asked Breeze for reassurance.

"You can."

Having to perform a spell with Breeze there to watch (and judge) was nerve-wracking, but as I took out my wand and started to dismantle the tent, the look of approval on her face only encouraged me to keep going. My heart sped up with excitement as I finished the spell and put the neatly folded tent, now as small as a napkin, into the pocket of my jacket.

"Good work," she said. "You know, I may have watched over you to make sure you didn't run into any trouble and were safe during your travels, but you've taught yourself the rest. Learning such advanced magic was not my doing, Polly. You did that on your own, and I must say, I'm very impressed. I am confident that you will do just fine at Hogwarts."

She must've figured out I didn't feel great about the idea of having someone keep an eye out for me, so she probably wanted to reassure me I didn't have to rely on her for help. I felt my cheeks heat up. It was rare I got complimented on anything other than my eyes, and my embarrassingly low self esteem made it hard to even believe compliments in the first place. But I believed Breeze, and her praise meant the world to me.

"I apologize for not taking a Port-Key," she spoke up again. "Apparition can be quite uncomfortable for first timers."

"That's all right," I said, knowing that no matter how uncomfortable, it would be ten times better than taking The Knight Bus. I could still feel the bumps all over my body from the last time I traveled with that thing.

Breeze grabbed hold of my arm and we Appearated almost immediately. I had to admit, it did feel uncomfortable-suffocating even, as if I was being squeezed through a very narrow rubber tube. But thankfully, it didn't last too long, and soon my feet made contact with the hard ground again.

We stood outside King's Cross station, the dazzling sun high over the horizon. The traffic was scarce and there was little movement in the streets because it was still eight in the morning. I'd only ever seen this place in TV, but here I stood now, in front of one of the most popular spots in all of London.

"Well, it is still too early," Breeze said. "Let's go and have a drink. You can ask me anything you've been dying to know this whole time."