The trolley witch had come and gone, and though Ma had supplied her with a lunch of chicken and rice, Reina had also bought herself nougat and jelly slugs. Now she was staring out at the sunny fields and copses of birch flying past outside, nibbling away. Her music shell was playing Mandy Merheart's latest song, but so far she had discovered that the wondrous little device held everything from the sounds of calming ambient rain to the latest swinging ballad by the Phosphorescent Phoenixes. No Muggle music, but then Reina was amazed that her parents had thought of adapting Muggle magic (Pa called it 'Tek-knowledgie') at all.
Growing up near a Muggle town had some perks. Reina'd had a friend, Tom, who had introduced her to his 'See-Dee', and subsequently she had discovered the wonders of music upon command. Since then, Reina had begged her Ma and Pa for a See-Dee every Christmas, but they couldn't seem to understand its merit.
'You can just as easily listen to music on our radio!' Pa had said.

It seemed that they'd had changed their minds since then, and Reina smiled at her shell (now serenading her with Adagio for a Thestral in B minor). Her hands, slightly sticky from nougat, stroked lovingly over the carved lines on her new wand, already familiar with the flowing shapes and smooth texture. She'd already admired it several times and had memorised all of its features. She was rather pleased with it, and Ma had informed her that Black Walnut, while challenging to master, would help her to show her fullest potential.
Reina twirled her wand idly. At her parents' recommendation, she had attempted to bond with it (so to speak), talking to it, waving it around. Of course, she hadn't tried any spells or charms from her textbooks until a couple of hours ago, and so far the only sign of success was warmth and a faint light when she'd tried 'Lumos'. She assumed that this was because she hadn't mastered her wand yet, and not because she was untalented, but even so, Reina was dreading the first day of classes.

Outside, afternoon shadows were lengthening upon terrain that was becoming more and more wild by the mile. Now there were woods of pine flying past, and deep gullies with narrow tracks spanning them. In the distance, Reina could see the beginnings of a mountain range, the rocky peaks shinning gold in the sunlight. All at once, the tight dread that had settled on her shoulders was lifted and replaced with anticipation and excitement. Soon, she would see Hogwarts, the great castle of which her parents had talked about so nostalgically. Soon, she would be making her own memories.