This story takes place in a world of magic and wonder. The wonderful world of Hogwarts, filled with witchcraft and wizardry. I think you've heard of it before? Harry Potter and his friends on their adventures and quests. These two don't have anything to do with those particular happenings, however. 

Oh no, the two girls we are going to talk about, are much different. 

Welcome back into the world of Hogwarts.

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Song lyrics of one of the Top Forty hits pounded through the apartment building. Clean furniture was expertly placed with the care of someone wanting to impress. Lyrics came out muffled and blurred as they echoed down the stairs and into the living room and kitchen. 

The door that cut off the sound led into a bedroom of a young girl. Blonde curls bounced up and down as she nodded her head and looked through her closet. The bedroom seemed normal, shades of white and pink decorating everything with hearts and lace. Posters dotted the walls with hot new boy bands and pop stars. 

A short white-and-pink-checkered skirt flounced to land on the girl's tanned legs. "Lovely" was scrawled out on the front of the white sweater she wore in light pink writing. The white Vans she wore contrasted the pink socks underneath. She twirled a bit of her hair on her finger as she pouted and thought about what jacket to wear. 

Deciding on a pink hoodie with a white heart on the back, the girl went over to her vanity to check her makeup. With a wink to herself she turned her stereo off and walked down the stairs.

She didn't have school, no, she found this day much more important than that. It was towards the end of summer, the summer of her 11th year of life. Her birthday had been celebrated in spring but today was the real party. 

Her parents went to the store to get sparkling juice and other treats for the girl. 

Both her mother and father had waited like this on this day when they were 11. The girl knew of another little girl waiting as well, but right now her mind wasn't focused on that. At that moment the little girl was smiling at her owl, a beautiful snowy owl with bright green eyes, matching the girl's own. It had been a gift for her 11th birthday, one of many. 

Although what the girl really wanted was a wand, her parents wouldn't let her get one until she got her letter though. That little deal had caused quite a few arguments. But the girl had always relented, just so she could rub it in her parents' face when she got that letter. 

The shinny golden plaque on the owl's cage had the word 'Cato', the owl pruned his feather-utterly uninterested with the girl. The feeling was mutual, in all honesty. 

Just about to start watching TV, the girl grinned as she heard her dad's voice call out, "Amara!" The girl ran over with her curls flying out behind her. Her father, a tall man with brown hair and green eyes, held a brown paper bag filed with different goodies. "There you are, you look as cute as a button Princess." He poked Amara on the nose as he passed. 

"Mark, put the things on the counter. I'll get them ready as you guys wait in the living room." Amara's mother walked into the apartment with her black heels clicking. The blonde curls of Amara's had come from her mother, and her lips-plump and naturally light pink. 

"Sure thing Daisy." Mark set the bag down and scooped up his little girl. Amara squealed and batted at him while giggling. "Who's Daddy's little Princess?" He tossed her a little when she wouldn't answer and just clamped her mouth shut in a huge grin. "Who's Daddy's little Princess?" He asked again, threatening to tickle if she wouldn't answer.

"I am!" Amara laughed, anything to keep from being tickled. Her dad pouted a bit, faking disappointment at not being able to tickle her today. "Set me down Daddy!" Amara pleaded. Mark grinned before just tossing his daughter onto the plush couch. "Ah! Daddy!" Amara held out the 'ie' sound a bit longer than nessacary. 

Mark just sat down beside his daughter and ran a hand through his short hair, setting his dress shoe clad feet on the glass coffee table. His white button-up had the first two buttons undone and his dark blue dress pants were held up by a brown belt. Everyday attire for him, not that he liked that. There has been plenty of times that Amara has come down stairs to see her father walking around in a ratty old T-shirt and boxers. Plenty more than she would like to admit. 

"Come here Princess." Mark pulled his daughter to his side and smiled down at her. Amara folded into his side and felt her worries fade. "What's Leala doing today?" The question made Amara blink. She hadn't thought about Leala all day. 

"I don't know, she never mentioned any plans." Amara pouted. "Why?" 

"Well if she doesn't have any plans do you want to invite her over?" Mark raised an eyebrow at his daughter. 

"She wouldn't come. She knows I've been looking forward to today, and she wouldn't want to intrude on our family time." Amara rolled her eyes at her father. She thinks that she would know her bestfriend more than her dad. 

"I was just asking." Mark ran a hand through his hair. He made a point to remember to call Jake later. "So, after the letter opening, do you want to go straight to Diagon Alley or wait a day?" He knew the answer, that his daughter had spent all day picking out an outfit. That's why a smile crept onto his face as his daughter looked at him like he had suggested that the whole family run through the streets of London completely nude. 

"Today!" She shrieked. "What are you even talking about Daddy?!" Amara blinked when her father started laughing, then she realized she was being played. "Oh, you're mean." She stuck out her bottom lip and her father just poked her nose. 

"Here we go." Daisy walked in with a sliver tray. A bottle of sparkling grape juice, three glasses, cookies, and cupcakes spread out over the shinny metal platter. Mark poured the sparkling juice into the glasses, real wine glasses, and handed them out. 

That's when an owl, clutching a letter in its talons, swooped in through the open window. The bird dropped the letter on the coffee table then flew right back out. Amara eyed that letter like a man who hadn't eaten looked at a buffet. She sat down her glass, long forgotten, and grabbed the letter. 

Green ink was covering the front. It said: 

To Amara Lolve
Living Room, Apartment 209
London, Britain

Amara's hands were completely steady as she opened the letter, careful not to break the seal-wanting to save this her whole life. Inside was her acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Silver filled her eyes but she wiped it away, she held it close to her chest as she grinned. 

"A toast!" Mark called as he handed his daughter back her glass. The family clanked their glasses and Amara felt her heart shinning. Nothing would stop her now, she would be the best, she'd do whatever it took to get her name recognized. With Gryffindor Head-Boy and Head-Girl as parents, how could she not be?

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Black hair was brushed out of a grey-ish blue eye. Pale fingers tucked choppy locks of bangs behind a naturally slightly pointed ear. A mirror showed a girl brushing her teeth. Rock music played through headphones the girl wore around her neck, her iPod tucked into the pocket of her purple hoodie. 

With a spit and rinse the girl looked herself over one last time for the morning. Two different colored eyes shown back. One grey-ish blue the other a green with specks of brown. Always a point of ridicule from others, but one of the girl's favorite things about herself. 

Both eyes rolled before the girl shoved her grey beanie onto her head and left the small bathroom of the apartment she shared with her uncle. Her uncle was currently at work, would be until around six pm, which was the normal. The girl did feel bad that her uncle had to work so much. If it was just him he wouldn't have to, but since she was kind of shoved on him-it was hard. 

That's why the girl was leaving the apartment with blue doggy bags, and a dog whistle. She shoved the different bags into her satchel and put the whistle around her neck. Any thoughts that this day could be any different from any other of her summer days didn't even cross her mind. 

She had a vague thought of this being important to her friend, but she was too busy to really pinpoint why. Oh, well, her friend wouldn't even be up right now. She'd just have to call later. 

With a knock on a door, she was greeted by an old woman smiling. "Oh, Leala, Dear. Thank you again." The old woman handed control of a bright blue leash over to the girl. On the leash was a Dachshund, his name was Henry. "You are such a good girl. See you in a bit." The woman shut the door and Leala went to four more apartments, gathering dogs and their leashes. 

Then she was out on the sidewalk, wrangling with five dogs. Henry was the most well behaved of the bunch. Besides him there was Randy the Pit-bull, Jacklyn the Cocker Spaniel, a Lancashire Heeler named Becky, and a Norfolk Terrier with the classy name of Speck. All together there was not a moment's piece for Leala as she walked them for an hour away from the building and an hour back. 

When she started dropping the dogs back off she got twenty pounds from the different people. Though Henry's owner, Mrs. Koel, gave Leala twenty-five. Leala tried to get her to take back the extra five, but the old woman wouldn't have it. Sighing, Leala hugged the woman and made her way back to her apartment. 

With time to herself, Leala listened to music while reading in her room. 

The girl didn't even eat anything, just got lost in characters and plot lines. Though her alarm went off and she went to the kitchen. Her uncle would be home in a little under a hour, and she had to make dinner. Leala pulled out pots and pasta, her uncle always loved spaghetti. 

She was putting the plates down on the small table in the corner of the kitchen when her uncle walked into the apartment. 

"How was your day?" Leala asked as she took his jacket and hat. 

"The usual. Thanks Lee-Lee." Her uncle kissed her forehead and smiled at her. 

"No problem, It's the least I can do." In truth that's what she thought, cleaning the house and making dinner was the least she could do for her loving uncle. "It's spaghetti tonight."

"Oh, thank god!" Her uncle joked and wrapped his niece in his arms. 

"I knew you'd like it Uncle Jake." The two of them sat down to eat. Lots of garlic bread and pasta later Uncle Jake and Leala were sitting on the couch watching Big Hero 6 on Netflix. 

"Leala did you get your letter yet?" Uncle gasped as he remembered what day it way. 

"What?"

"Your Hogwarts Letter! Have you gotten it?" 

"No-maybe I won't get it." Leala shrugged. She had always wanted to go, to live up to her mother's name but if she didn't she wasn't going to throw a fit. 

"Nonsense, I bet it's just running late." Jake rolled his brown eyes and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. He was clean shaven and shared the same high cheek bones as his sister and niece. "I was the only squib in our family for four generations, I doubt you're one. We've seen your powers." 

Jake tucked his niece into his side and patted her arm. 

It was only a little while later that an owl flew in through the window, carrying a letter. 

Jake grinned at Leala as she opened it, he knew it. "I've been accepted. But all the things I need . . ." Leala trailed off. 

"Oh don't worry about that." Jake waved it off. 

"Jake I've actually been saving up for this. Let me pay for as much as I can." Leala pleaded. 

"How have you saved up?" Jake was confused, Leala didn't have a job.

"I've walked dogs every day for the past . . ." She counted on her fingers. "Three years. Twenty pounds per dog for two hours. And with some of them insisting on paying more every now and then-I have a lot." The girl moved her fingers as she closed her eyes tight and calculated. "That's roughly twenty-two thousand gallons. Please let me help!"

"Honey, fine. But it's only because that is so much like your mother it's frightening." Jake laughed as he embraced his niece. "I bet your friend went today, I have tomorrow off though, shall we go then?"

Leala nodded against her Uncle's chest and smiled to herself.