Jones opened the worn wooden door, took a step inside and sighed in relief before dropping her bags to the floor and tossing her long brown hair over her shoulder, she was finally home. Her sense of peace however was shortly lived as she was soon jostled from behind by her two excited daughters.

"Mom it's amazing!" Hallie shouted as she ran from room to room in the box filled apartment. "This one's mine!" She shouted from down the hall.

"Mummy?" Jones's two year old Zara mumbled sleepily while she tugged at her mother's pant legs asking to be held.

"What do you think sweets?" Jones asked the little girl as she lifted her onto her hip and began strolling through the apartment.

Zara only shrugged and stuck two of her fingers into her mouth and began to suck on them. It was a habit Jones had been trying to break but it seemed like she was fighting an uphill battle. "How about we go find Hallie?" Again the little girl was silent but she nodded before laying her curly brown head on her mother's shoulder.

It only took a few seconds of searching before Jones found her eleven year old daughter eagerly rummaging through an assortment of boxes stacked inside the doorway of her new room. "So you like?" she asked putting Zara down to look around at the mess exploding across the floor.

"Uh duh!" Hallie replied before bounding over to wrap her arms around her mother's middle. "Thank you so much mom! I can't believe this is really happening!"

"Well best believe it duck," Jones replied in her best English accent. "We're Londoners now or is it Londinians? Well whichever that's what we are. Couldn't have you trotting off across the globe for school without us could we?'

Hallie grinned before pulling a well creased piece of parchment from her backpack. "That's the best part!" she squealed happily as she looked admiringly down to her school acceptance letter. "I can't believe I'm a witch and I get to go to Hogwarts! Oh mom can we go shopping for my supplied now? Please?" She begged.

Jones laughed before scooping Zara back up and heading out of the room, eager to get the little girl's room set up so she would have somewhere to nap. "How about you let us get unpacked first? Yeah? Besides the ministry wizard who is taking us to buy your supplies isn't due until tomorrow morning," she reminded the girl.

"Fine," Hallie huffed before diving back into her boxes.

The next day found the small family looking tired but excited. They had spent most of the day before unpacking most of their belongings in their new home, an exhausting task, but neither Hallie nor Jones had been able to get much sleep since they knew that with the morning would come a wizard from the ministry who was to take them to buy Hallie's supplies for school.

Hallie's letters of acceptance into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and The Salem Institute of Magic had certainly come as a shock to Jones but it was one she took in stride. As a little girl she had learned not to question the vast number of odd things that tended to occur around her and just enjoy the ride.

So when the letter had come explaining that Hallie was a witch and invited to either attend a school in Salem, Massachusetts or a more widely renowned school half way around the globe Jones hadn't hesitated to pack up the small family and move from their apartment in New York to a small three bedroom flat in the middle of London to be closer to Hallie while she attended Hogwarts. The Jones girls were nothing if not adventurous.

At eight a.m. on the dot a sharp rap sounded on the front door and Hallie rushed forward to open it. Jones was busy tying Zara's trainers but when she turned around she was met with the sight of a tall gangly, slightly harassed looking man with a full head of bright red head. With a sniff the man straightened his glasses and dusted himself off before stepping forward with a proffered hand.

"Mrs. Jones I presume?" he asked stiffly as he shook Jones's hand. "I'm Percy Weasley, here to take you and young Ms. Hallie Jones to Diagon Alley in order to procure her school things."

"Um yes, thanks for your help Mr. Weasley," Jones replied as she withdrew her hand from his grasp, "and it's Ms. Jones actually but well everyone just calls me Jones."

"Ms. Jones it is then. And I suppose this is Ms. Hallie," he said as he extended his hand for Hallie to shake. "And who is this young lady?" he asked as he noticed Zara staring at him warily from behind her mother's legs.

Jones reached behind her and scooted the little girl forward for Percy to see. "This is Zara but she's a little shy."

"Yeah she hardly ever talks," Hallie piped up helpfully.

"Ah alright then," Percy replied as he once again tried to straighten his tie. "Well I suppose we had better be off then. Don't want to be late now do we? Now we will just have to take a short stroll down the road to the Leaky Cauldron and then onward to the shops. Shall we?" he asked as he opened the door and motioned the three females through it.

Percy was right, it was a short stroll from their flat to Diagon Ally, and in fact the walk took less than five minutes, even with Zara insisting that she be allowed to walk most of the way. As the small group walked toward their destination Percy took the opportunity to inform Jones about far more of the history of Diagon Alley than she could ever want to know. She was interested to see what this Leaky Cauldron would look like to her since muggles like herself weren't supposed to be able to see it.

"Well here we are," Percy said bringing the group to a sudden halt in front of a dingy old pub.

"The Leaky Cauldron, established in 1500," Jones read from the dilapidated sign hanging off the building. "Mr. Weasley I thought you said muggles couldn't see this place?" She asked a little disappointed. To be honest she had quite been looking forward to disappearing through a wall or something similar.

"You're- they're," Percy sputtered. "I'll have to tell Tom to check the wards," he finally mumbled to himself before ushering everyone inside.

"Oi Mr. Weasley!" a gnarled old man behind the counter greeted Percy with a wave as the door shut behind him.

"Tom," he replied with a courteous nod, "I suggest you check your wards, it would seem that some of the anti-muggle charms may be fading."

"Ay will do sir," Tom said before going back to polishing a dirty glass.

With an indignant sniff, Percy pushed past a wide eyed Hallie and led the way through a back door into a chilly little courtyard awash in shadows. Taking out his wand he counted the bricks until he found the one he wanted and tapped it three times. With a start, his companions jumped back as the bricks in the wall began to rapidly rearrange themselves into an entryway.

"Come along now ladies," Percy urged striding forward as though walls turning into entryways were an everyday occurrence, "no time to dilly dally."

Percy needn't have worried about the Jones dragging their feet. As soon as the initial shock wore off Jones scooped Zara up into her arms and she and Hallie rushed eagerly past him into the thick of Diagon Alley. Everywhere they looked there was something amazing to see. From store windows filled with eel eyeballs and batwings to a broomstick shop and an owlery, Diagon Alley was filled with the stuff of dreams.

"This is, this is," Hallie squealed.

"A mess," Percy scowled. "Just look at how crowded everything is already. Why this could very well take all day!" he exclaimed.

"Oh I do hope so," Jones sighed as she stared longingly toward Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor which boasted seventy-five flavors of ice cream guaranteed not to melt even on the hottest day.

Percy interrupted her daydream. "Well I suppose first thing's first. Best head over to Gringotts to exchange your muggle pounds for Galleons."

"Dollars," Jones corrected him absentmindedly.

"No Galleon's," Percy replied sounding perplexed.

Jones shook her head to clear her thoughts and readjusted Zara's position on her him. "I'm sorry you're right it's just that we'll be exchanging American dollars not British pounds."

Percy gaped as her before squinting and seeming to examine her more closely. "You're Americans?" he asked surprised.

"Well yeah," Hallie piped up, "couldn't you tell from our accents?"

"Well I," Percy gaped at them before regaining his composure and turning back toward the towering front of Gringotts wizard bank. "I just suppose we'll have to wait in the international currency conversion line then."

Luckily the international line for North American exchanges was rather short and before long Jones had opened a bank account in Hallie's name and exchanged a large sum of money for a bag full of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts.

"So where to first?" Hallie asked excitedly as she jumped up from the bench on which she and Zara had made themselves comfortable while they waited for Percy and their mother.

"Well," Jones pulled Hallie's school list from the back pocket of her jeans. "If it's alright with Mr. Weasley then I think we should start with your cauldron so we have something to carry everything in and we'll go from there."

Percy nodded in agreement before pointing the way to Potage's Cauldron Shop. "Sounds logical to me especially since we are on a rather tight schedule."

Within hours the group had visited Flourish and Blotts, Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, and Slug and Jigger's Apothecary.

Jones and Percy were looking quite weighted down as they collapsed onto a bench outside of Magical Menagerie.

"Alright what's left?" Jones huffed as she wiped her brow, praying that Hallie would inform her that it was time for ice cream.

"Um just my wand and a pet if I want one. Oh mom, can I? I'd really like a pet and it says I can bring an owl a cat or a toad. Please mom?" she begged while fixing her mother with her big brown eyes.

"Well…" Jones hesitated. "I guess that would be alright." The squeal that met her answer and the hug that accompanied it made it all worth it. "But let's get your wand first okay. I don't want to be lugging an animal around in all this mess."

Hallie eagerly agreed and while the adults struggled to once again collect the various packages she grabbed ahold of Zara's hand and led her toward as shabby old shop above which a sign read Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands Since 381 BC. After a few minutes of odd measurements and several explosions, Hallie became the proud owner of a new 10 ¼" wand of pine and griffin feather.

Before long, Jones once again found herself shelling out a handful of coins to a pleased shop owner as she purchased not one but two owls from Eyelops Owl Emporium. Once Percy had informed Jones and Hallie of the usefulness of having an owl it was decided that they would need two so that they could always communicate.

Hallie had picked out a beautiful horned owl for school while Zara had been allowed to pick a tiny Scoops owl for the house. Happily, Hallie carried the two birds out of the shop while Zara tagged along behind.

"Well I say," Percy's muffled voice came from behind a stack of wrapped packages, "you ladies certainly know how to shop. Put my girls to shame really."

"You have kids Mr. Weasley?" Hallie asked in disbelief. The thought of this overly properly man having children was beyond her.

"Yes two girls," he replied, "Molly and Lucy. Actually my Molly and my niece and nephew will all be in your year. Well how about some ice cream before we-"

"Where's Zara?" Jones interrupted worriedly as she looked around for the little girl who only moments before had been cooing at the small owl in her sister's arms. "Have either of you seen Zara?" Hastily she dropped her armful of packages on a bench before frantically looking around for the small girl. "Zara? Zara?" she called while Hallie rushed to help her mother.

"Mom in there!" she pointed toward a garishly colored building as Zara walked through the front doors.

"You stay with Mr. Weasley and the things, I'll get your sister."

While she berated herself for being the worst mother on the face of the planet Jones pushed her way through the ever growing crowds and through the front door of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. What she saw as she entered the shop made her blood run cold. "Zara!" she shouted darting forward with her arms outstretched to catch the falling girl and missing her completely.

"It's alright, I've got her," a voice assured her before placing the squirming child in her arms. "Trust me, happens all the time around here."

"Mommy!" Zara squealed happily as she fought to turn around and get a better look at her surroundings.

"Oh my gosh, thank you," she breathed as she pulled Zara into a tight hug before looking up to thank her rescuer. Wow there sure are a lot of gingers in wizarding Britain aren't there? She thought.

"Well I wouldn't say a lot but certainly a fair few," the man chuckled good humoredly as he watched the petite young woman in front of him blush an amazing shade of red.

"I-I," she stuttered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that aloud. It's just that, well there are." She stated lamely as she stared into the man's handsome and ridiculously cheerful freckled face.

"Ah American eh? No need to be embarrassed. Oi look here comes another one of us gingers now," he chuckled and pointed toward the door where a struggling Percy and worried looking Hallie were pushing their way over to them.

"Wotcher Perc! You need some help there?" the man asked as he relieved Percy of some of his load.

"You two know one another?" Jones asked, amazed at just how small the wizarding community seemed to be. Everywhere they had gone so far it seemed as though everyone knew Percy by name.

"It's a ginger thing," the man replied with a cheeky grin.

"Now Fred," Percy scolded, "you know very well it's no such thing. Ms. Jones I would like to introduce one of my younger brothers Frederick Weasley since I'm sure he neglected to introduce himself. Really Fred, mum would be astounded by your bad manners."

"Not astounded surely," came a slightly deeper voice as a man who was most certainly Fred's twin appeared from a back room, "she has met him once or twice Perc. George Weasley," he greeted as he walked toward the group, "the better looking of the Weasley twins."

"Jones," Jones answered putting out her hand to shake. "I was just thanking your brother for saving Zara here from falling to her death."

"Ah he's a right hero that one," George nodding knowingly before relieving Percy of the rest of his packages.

"Mom," Hallie interrupted, "can I look around? This place is so cool!"

Jones nodded before putting Zara back down and placing her hand firmly in her sister's. "But please, try to hold onto your sister this time." Hallie nodded before the two girls ran off toward a display of some sort of puffy animals surrounded by a squealing group of girls.

"So Perc what brings you and Jones here to our humble shop," Fred asked with a grin. "It isn't every day that we find you lighting up our lives with an unexpected visit."

Percy readjusted his glasses. "Well it certainly wasn't on our Ministry approved itinerary I assure you."

Both twins took a step back and managed identical looks of horror. "Not on the- Gred!"

"I know Forge, I heard it too."

"Why we'll have you know that Weasley Wizard Wheezes is an integral part of wizarding life-"

"as well as life at Hogwarts dear brother."

"Of course. Now how could you and the Ministry begrudge dear Jones and her girls the chance to experience that?"

"It's just shameful."

"Truly shameful!"

"It must be remedied at once!" Both twins shouted in unison before carefully putting the pile of packages off to the side and each grabbing ahold of one of Jones' arms much to Percy's dismay as he watched his carefully constructed time schedule completely slip away from him.

George gestured toward a display of multi-colored wet start fireworks. "Now over here we have-"

"Mr. Weasley?" a young wizard in bright magenta robes interrupted nervously. "I'm sorry sir but there seems to be a strange cloud coming out of the back room?" George's eyes grew comically wide and he immediately dropped Jones' arm before rushing toward the backroom.

"Well I suppose it's up to me to carry on then love," Fred said with a wink as he continued to lead a rather amused Jones around the shop pointing out the most popular of his and his brother's inventions while enjoying the presence of the pretty brunette on his arm.