The Musings of a Pre-Teen Witch

[Rebecca]

August 28, 1996.

Dear Diary,

Before I really get into this, I think you should know that you're not the first diary I've had. I'm not exactly sure what happened to the others, -or where they are for that matter- but I've decided to promise myself that this diary is going to last. At least until I'm thirteen and I have to change the title.

Anyway, now that that's all done and over with, I'm going to tell you a bit about me. It doesn't really seem fair for you not to know who's writing to you. I mean, I wouldn't like it, so I'll assume that you wouldn't either. Right, well my name is Em Kinkade and I'm 11 years old. My real name is Emilia, but I honestly hate it. It makes me sound like some Italian aristocrat or something. I live in Norwich -it's a city in Norfolk, England- in the apartment above my parents' bookshop. I live with my mum, dad, and my two sisters: Brittany, age 15, popular, pretty and overly perfect; and Liz, age 5, blind, bouncy, and overly cute. (I'm actually not at home right now. I'm staying with Mum, Dad and Liz at the Leaky Cauldron, a hotel-type-thing in Diagon Alley.) Oh yes, I am also a witch. (It's funny how I talk about it as if it was something I completely expected, isn't it?)

Actually, being a witch is mainly the reason why I bought this diary. I figured that I'm going to want to chronicle everything if I'm going to be off at Hogwarts learning magic. (Hogwarts is a boarding school for witches and wizards, how cool is that?) I've read about it a little in a book called Hogwarts: A History, that I picked up here, in Diagon Alley, and- Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. I think I should back up a bit.
Diagon Alley is this hidden place in London where wizards can go shopping for wands and cauldrons and all that. I bought my things yesterday, and proceeded to embarrass myself in a way I didn't think possible. Apparently, wizards have their own currency. So I tried to pay for a book using "Muggle" money, at least that's what I think the shopkeeper called it, right before she laughed me out of the place. So off I went to the bank to transfer my money, and you wouldn't believe how bloody huge it is in there. It looked as if the whole place was made of marble!

Anyway, I arrived at the counter to make the transfer into wizarding currency. (I'm going to write it down so I don't forget. Galleons= gold coins. Sickles= silver. Knuts= bronze. Seventeen Sickles make a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts make a Sickle. At least, that's what the poster in the entrance said.) And as I discovered, goblins run banks in the wizarding world. I was pretty shocked by this, and I must've stood there for a whole minute staring before I actually told him -was it a him?- what I needed to do. But that wasn't the worst of it. After I got my money, this crowd of paparazzi came in, all trying to snap pictures of this really posh-looking woman. I think she was making a donation or something. Anyways, I was almost out of the bank when the cameras all flashed at once and I ran right into her! I offered to help her up, but then I decided to just get out of there. God, I thought I was going to die when the people outside saw me bolting out of the bank.

Oh well, it's not as if I'm ever going to meet up with her again, so I suppose I'll live. But you have to admit, it was pretty humiliating. Anyway, I guess I'd better go. I think I might've locked Liz out of our room.

Em xoxo

COUNTDOWN TO HOGWARTS: 5 MORE DAYS!

[Rebecca]

August 29, 1996.

Dear Diary,

It's 4:45 in the morning and no one else is awake, so I thought this would be a good a time as any to write to you. I was reading my last entry, and I realized that the pitiful description I gave you doesn't even begin to describe me or my life. Not in much detail, anyway. So -because it'll be at least an hour before someone else wakes up- I've decided to clear a few things up.

ABOUT ME
My full name is Emilia Sara Kinkade, but no one calls me Emilia. NO. ONE. Got it? It's Em. Or Emmy if you feel adventurous. I'm eleven years old, but I'll be twelve on February 13th. Like I said before, I live with my family above our bookshop -Kinkade's- in Norwich. It's pretty cozy, even if it is a bit small for all five of us. Personally, I don't think much of my looks, as I have so many other qualities I'd rather dwell on, but I'll describe them here anyway. My hair is reddish-blondish -Brittany calls it 'strawberry blonde'-, and my eyes are nondescript brown. I'm told that they're also pretty big, which is fine by me. I am overweight, go figure, but I am also tall for my age, and mum assures me that things will change as I grow. I also have tons of freckles, glasses and *shudder* braces. (Hey, maybe there's some magical cure for crooked teeth! Being a witch has so many benefits! )

Okay, now that I've finished all that, I'll move on to the more interesting aspects of Yours Truly. For one, I am very intelligent. (Yes, I know... 'modest too!') But there's not a lot I can be in my family that Brittany isn't, so I think I deserve to be able to brag once in a while. No offence to Britt, or anything. She is smart... but not as smart as me! Nyeah. Apart from my intelligence, I am also a good listener, I have a twisted sense of humor, and... um... I like pie. And I can spell antidisestablishmentarianism. Yes, that's how you spell it, although I'm not exactly sure what it means.

Time check: 5:00. The family is still asleep.

MY FAMILY
Let's start with my dad. All my other relatives say that I take after him, and I am very proud to say that it's true. He's a brilliant thinker and a really compassionate person, even if he is a bit quiet sometimes, and he's always there to listen if any of us have any problems. He has an obsession over this novel that he's been writing for six years, and he's always telling us about how our lives will change after he finishes. He told me last week that he's almost halfway done, and I'm really excited for him. If I had to pick my favourite family member, it would be him.

My mum is almost the polar opposite of dad, but I love her all the same. I like to think of her as the strong one in the family, who isn't scared to speak her mind and let everyone know exactly how she feels about something. She's also the source of the twisted sense of humor I mentioned earlier. Mum is loud, outgoing, and constantly optimistic, and I think that's a good way to balance out dad's... erm... 'quieter' tendencies.

I am the middle child in my family, and my older sister -Brittany- and I are constantly arguing over something. I don't really like Brittany that much. Maybe it's just a middle child thing, but I don't understand how and why she managed to look perfect, act perfect, and be perfect without even trying. It's infuriating. I can't ever brag about anything, because Brittany has already done it. Twice. Sometimes I wish she would just... I don't know, lock herself in the garden shed or something. At least it would be quiet.

Liz is my younger sister, and I worry about her more than anything. See, she's five years old, which makes me protective enough, but she's also blind. Apart from that, she's the sweetest kid I've ever met, and she loves being read to. I don't know what I'll do once I'm at Hogwarts and she'll be stuck back at home. I can always write to her, and mum or dad could read it for her... But I wish I'd actually be able to speak with her. Wonder if wizards have telephones...? I haven't seen any around here though...

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Even though I got my supplies two days ago, mum, dad, Liz and I are still staying at the Leaky Cauldron. Brittany decided to keep close to home, but I'm not complaining. Dad said that we might as well stay in London, as that's where the train is going to be leaving from. (At least, that's what my acceptance letter said.)

Time check: 6:00? I think I might've dozed off between paragraphs, and now Liz is up and needs some help finding the bathroom. Talk to you later!

Em xoxo

COUNTDOWN TO HOGWARTS: 4 MORE DAYS!