A Carefully Detailed Life

9:49am: Busy, Busy, Busy
Dear Diary,

I've got so much work for Charms. All of my classes are piling it on right now because it's almost Christmas, but Charms is the worst. I have to work harder at Charms than anything because of the way my grades are hanging on my written work. I'm only writing this because it got too hard to concentrate. My handwriting looks like a serial killer's right now.

Mama and Daddy wrote. They got an invitation from the school. On the last day before midterm, there's going to be a fancy dinner at a hotel in Phoenix and the parents can all come to meet our teachers and the other students. It's either going to be wonderful or a disaster. I don't know yet if they can both clear their schedules to come, but Mama and Daddy say that at least one of them will be there. Since siblings aren't included, Paige will have to stay with Nana, so I get them all to myself for the night.

And then I get to go home and see my friends again and not think about Charms once until time to go back. I can't wait.

Marissa

9:34am: Newnesses
Dear Diary,

Flying lessons honestly could have gone a lot better than they did. I had trouble making my broom respond to me and almost had a meltdown in public. Thanks to Miss Melanie, though, it didn't actually happen.

In other flying news, my House 'Quidditch' (this seems to be a sport, and may be the only one Sonora offers in the fall) team has had a change in leadership. The person who posted a sign-up list at the beginning of the year, Geoffrey Spindler, left school early, so his second-in-command, Helena Layne, is the captain now. I think she's related to the Head Boy in some way, but that's all I know about her.

We also have a new, if temporary, Transfiguration teacher. Her name is Professor Holland, and I like her. She makes Transfiguration sound less intimidating than the book does. It sounds a lot like the way I imagined magic when I first found out what I was. Unfortunately, I'm still having trouble making the target objects turn into what I want them to turn into, or for them just to turn into anything instead of breaking.

I'm starting to think that Jethro and Quentin may be a little out of their minds. I hope I'm wrong.

Marissa

9:20am: Vanity Fair
Dear Diary,

History of Magic was very interesting today. Professor Flatt had us use our supplemental book to look up our birthdays and compare them to the personalities described for a wand wood that research associates with that day. My actual wand wood, mahogany, wasn't on the list, but the one for my birthday was interesting.

I'm a poplar, and the description was far too accurate for my liking. There are some parts of it I like, but a lot more that aren't very complimentary. The only thing I can really argue I am not, though, is the part about being 'very decorative'. I am not a doll.

I still don't know what mahogany means, but unicorn hair comes from unicorns, which are the purest creatures in the world. I took that as a good thing. Maybe I'm not perfect, but that suggests I'm not a bad person, either.

...

Marissa

9:11am: Of Unicorns and Good Company
Dear Diary,

Today, we had our introduction to Care of Magical Creatures. The teacher is named Professor Kijewski, and she seems nice. She let us take off our robes, which made things comfortable; it just feels odd, wearing the thing around.

We covered Unicorns. Professor Kijewski was able to get a unicorn foal in class for us, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. Bella would die if she knew; she loves that sort of thing. We even got to touch it. That was just amazing.

Since we approached it in groups and only had a little while with it, though, there was a lot of sitting around, which wouldn't happen in my old school. Every minute is supposed to be for engaged learning time. I don't mind, though, because I got to talk to another Muggleborn. His name is David, and while he might or might not have been taking Physics right now in the real world (I'm not sure how literal he was being when we were talking about comparing our classes here with the ones we'd be taking at home), I liked him. It was nice, not feeling as if I was the only clueless person on the planet. He's a Teppenpaw.

I would talk about my other classes, but it would ruin my mood. I'll do it later.

Marissa

9:09am: The First Day
Dear Diary,

Yesterday, September 1, was the first day I've missed writing in this diary since I got it. It was such a hassle, getting everything together and getting on the wagon (literally; I am not an addict of any variety) and getting to Sonora, and I was a little overwhelmed.

I can't describe what I saw last night, or at least how it seemed to me then. I've now eaten four meals in the Cascade Hall (there are waterfalls over the windows), and I still can't be sure it's real, but that first moment was the most impressive. All of the 'first years' - it means 'sixth graders', though why they don't just call us 'sixth graders' is beyond me - had to drink what I think was a potion, which made us turn colors. I turned red. The others were either red like me, blue, yellow, or brown. These are the primary colors of our dormitories; mine, which has red and silver as colors and a rattlesnake mascot, is called Crotalus House.

I thought I would have trouble sleeping, but I was so exhausted that I just fell into bed after my Head of House, Professor O'Leary, finished giving us his welcoming speech. I had expected the sort of dorm Erin talks about having at college, but our dorms are very nice places, with canopied beds and plenty of room. It was a bit odd to see this morning, when everyone was in green robes; the red curtains made it look like Christmas.

My first class was Potions, with Professor Fawcett. We made a simple cheering potion, called the Acclamazioni Draft. I didn't work with Jethro (to date, the only other Crotalus I've had a proper conversation with), but with an older boy, Quentin Melcher. He seemed nice, though, like people here seem to do a lot, he read a lot into everything.

He also gave me useful information, both about Transfiguration teachers (they don't stay) and, by the sounds of it, politics. Some people evidently aren't going to like me because I'm, well, Muggleborn. I suppose I should have seen something like this coming - it's the story of history that people don't like things they don't understand, and if I'm having a hard time understanding the Wizarding World, it makes sense that it would reciprocate.

That doesn't make me feel any better.

I'm going to start on my homework now. More later.

Marissa

9:06am: Nerves
Dear Diary,

In less than twenty-four hours, I will be at Sonora Academy.

It's only just now striking me as real. I thought I'd accepted it when I first saw magic, and then when I went school shopping, but it's only tonight that it really hits me. I'm not going to be here tomorrow.

I don't even know how I feel about that. I want to talk it over with someone, but...When I try to talk things over with people, I can't. I can't get the words out. I just can't. And Mama and Daddy already have so much on their minds, and Paige would just laugh at me.

Addison would understand. I could talk to her. I hate this stupid law that says I can't. She wouldn't tell anyone about me.

The girls had a party for me tonight. Mama felt bad enough to let me stay until 10:00. It was great. I'm going to miss them all so much. No matter what happens at Sonora, I know no one I make friends with there will compare to the friends I have here.

Marissa

6:27pm: Home Again
Dear Diary,

We're back home again. I had a wonderful time in Charleston, but not so much on my first day at home.

I think all the immediate extended family now knows about me, and some of them aren't taking it well. Nana is horrified, and Aunt Kelly...She says she doesn't when Mama is around, but I know she blames me for all of this. Apparently, going to school in September to learn how to not blow up the house is very selfish of me.

There's a lot of times when I really don't like Aunt Kelly. Paige says the only way to deal with her is to remember that she always feels bad in a few hours and gives us both lots and lots of presents for no reason so we'll forgive her without her apologizing to us for being so mean. Maybe it works better for Paige, but I think I would rather not have the presents.

Anyway, now I'm just...waiting. Waiting for the family to come out of shock. Waiting for my new school to start. Waiting to see how the girls take it when I tell them I'm leaving.

Oh, yes. I haven't told my friends that I have to leave yet. I don't really look forward to it.

Marissa

6:42am: Season in the Sun
Dear Diary,

We've just arrived in Charleston. Mama and Daddy are down in the hotel lobby, getting us some information packets about different attractions. I think we're going to do a tour of homes, a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city, and a ghost tour at least, though we won't have an awful lot of time. We're only here through the weekend.

Paige isn't happy. The only reason we came is because of me - I'm going away soon, so we all need some away time to bond as a family - and I think she resents all the attention everyone gives me. Of course, not all of it's good attention, but I think we've been competing for so long that it's in our bones. I can't help being a little excited anyway, though. I've always wanted to come to Charleston.

I have to go. Mama and Daddy are back, and we need to talk about what we're going to do.

* * * * *
Just got back from dinner - we had a wonderful day. It's very late, though, so I'm going to go to bed and write down everything we did tomorrow. Paige and I both got bracelets. Mine's an open-looped silver one, with three little beads on each loop. We also got t-shirts.

Marissa

3:11pm: The Beginning
Dear Diary,

About an hour ago, I got home from my first shopping trip to magical Atlanta.

I'm not really sure how to start this diary. Everything has changed so fast that I can barely keep up with it. Last month, I was shopping with my best friends, who I thought I would go to sixth grade with in August. Today, I went shopping with my parents and Ms. Miriam Walker from the Muggle Liaison Office of the Wizarding Council so I could get everything I'll need for my first year (that's what Ms. Walker calls the sixth grade) at Sonora Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry in September.

It's still impossible to believe that I'm a Muggleborn witch - a witch with a family that has no magic in it. If I didn't have hard evidence in the letter Ms. Walker gave me and all these shopping bags around me that it was real, I might think I had dreamed it up, and I'm not that fanciful. I can't deny the evidence, though. This is all real.

At least I now have my school supplies, though I can't tell Addison and the girls about them. That's the bad part of being a witch. I loved the places we went today because they just felt so steeped in tradition, but I hate not being able to tell my friends about it. Everywhere we went, I thought about something else, like how Bella would have loved the little place we had lunch or whether or not Sage would think I looked stupid in my uniform. Because of a law that witches and wizards have to follow, though, I can't tell them that I'm a witch. I have to say Mama and Daddy are sending me to boarding school on their own, and then I have to say that it only accepts students when other students finish the program because Addison wants to let her parents sign her up, too. We've been best friends since we both started at Montessori school, and we do everything together.

Until now.

Mama got me this diary in the bookstore. She told me I should keep a record of my new life as a witch, so I don't forget anything I want to tell her and have a reliable source when I tell my children about it someday. I promised I would write down everything every day, so here's a quick overview of today:

The first place we went was to a seamstress, Mistress Moriarty. We had my school robes (the Sonora Academy uniform is a long, dark green robe) all fitted, and then we bought some more robes I'd wear on normal days to help me blend in. I just really hope Mistress Moriarty was being honest when she told us what was fashionable. After that, we went to the apothecary - Potions ingredients. It smelled horrible, and I'm not sure I want to know what some items I saw were. Once we had my basic Potions kit, it was time to go to the bookstore.

This was my favorite part of the day. I've never seen a store so cluttered with books in my whole life. It smelled wonderful. We had to get an attendant, Josiah, to help us locate all the books on my list, and I have to say that I don't know if I can carry them all around in my bookbag all day. Mama also had him recommend some casual reading for high school girls - I've been above grade level in reading since the second half of kindergarten. It took a lot of the money Ms. Walker changed from dollars for us to pay for them all.

We went to lunch after that, and I had a salad and ice cream. When we finished lunch, Ms. Walker decided it was time to go to the wandmaker's.

This is what Ms. Walker said was the most important part of the day. A wand is like a part of its owner, and it's a very special day when you get your wand. I had to be measured, and then I tried out five wands before I finally found one that suited me. It's made of mahogany, it's fourteen inches long, and it has a unicorn tail hair inside of it. I'm afraid to touch it, in case it makes more than just sparkles happen this time.

Mama's calling me down for dinner. I have to go.

Sincerely,

Marissa Rose Stephenson

10:06am: The Letter
Dear Marissa Stephenson,

I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Sonora Academy. Congratulations! A wagon will be available for transportation to the school at your nearest Authorised Wizard Transportation Centre on the first day of the term. These are located in all mainland USA states.

Students may bring with them a cat, a rat, or an owl. Please remember that Muggle electrical appliances will not work within the school grounds.


The staff looks forward to you joining our school.

-Sadi Powell
Headmistress
Sonora Academy