Diagon Alley was overwhelming for a muggle-born like Aaron Jones. He and his family had been shopping for his Hogwarts school supplies all day, and it had been an incredible experience. It was their first exposure to so much magic, and of course that meant they had to explore every inch of the shopping area. Richard and Sun-Mi Jones were officially fascinated by the wizarding world. As parents, they wanted to understand the world that their son was now a part of, but as two university professors, they had very inquisitive minds and wanted to learn everything that they could.

Of course, they hadn't been so accepting of the idea when Aaron had first gotten his letter about Hogwarts. It had been unbelievable to think there was a whole world of magic that they'd never been privy to. It was only after meeting a school representative, and seeing him perform magic, that they started to open up to the idea. Aaron could tell that being in Diagon Alley was helping his parents adjust to the idea, as well.

Aaron himself was excited by the idea of learning all kinds of magic, but there was his twin brother Avery to think about. He wasn't a wizard, and he couldn't come with Aaron to Hogwarts. It seemed so unfair, and almost like the wizarding would had made a mistake. Avery was the studious one - he should be the one going to an elite private school, even if it was only for wizards. Avery insisted he would be fine, though, so Aaron tried to be fine with the situation as well.

It was actually easy to forget his worries here in Diagon Alley. Aaron's whole family was having a great day, including Avery. He claimed he was excited about his brother being a wizard, because that meant he could learn a bunch of stuff too (just not the magic part). Avery was especially excited to go to the bookstore, which was the family's last stop of the day.

On their way to Flourish and Blotts, Aaron saw it. A broom, clearly meant for flying, in a display window. He looked at the shop's sign. Quality Quidditch Supplies. Quidditch? Is that what they call flying brooms? The rest of the family was piling into the bookstore while Aaron stood frozen outside, looking at the shop from afar. He really wanted to go to that store. So he turned to his mother, who was lingering outside the shop with him, and explained the situation.

"Your letter said you can't have a broomstick," his mother reminded him gently. But nothing was going to stop him from checking out this shop. It only took a minute of badgering her about it before she relented. "Okay, okay," Sun-Mi was clearly exhausted by the long day of shopping, and it didn't take much convincing for Aaron to get his way. "But find us when you're done. We'll be right here looking for your books, and I expect you back in ten minutes."

"Of course, Mum," Aaron said, a broad smile on his triumphant face. With the okay from his mother, he darted down the road towards the store. Flying on a broomstick was the most exciting prospect about being a wizard so far. He'd seen people doing all kinds of magic in the streets of Diagon Alley, and magic was cool and everything, but nothing had looked as exciting as this.

As soon as he walked into the shop, Aaron was in awe. It was abundantly clear to him now that Quidditch was some sort of sport played on brooms, because this was clearly a sports shop. There were robes decked out in different colors and with different numbers, clearly indicating different sports teams and players. There were balls - lots of different shapes, sizes and colors - and there was a huge selection of brooms. He noticed that the shopkeeper was busy with an adult customer, so he couldn't ask all the questions he wanted to. Instead, he went about exploring the shop on his own.

To start, Aaron went straight for the wall of brooms. It was clear they were not meant to be touched, but he admired them as he wondered what it would be like to ride one. There were so many different brands and wood colors. There were dark black ones with silver writing, and there were even some white oak ones with black writing. His eye was caught by a beautiful broom called a Firebolt, and as he walked over to it, someone else entered the store.

Aaron glanced over and saw a young girl, probably the same age as himself, walk through the shop door. She had long brown hair, green eyes, and lightly tanned skin. But even more important than all of that was that she exuded confidence and seemed to know exactly where she was. That meant she was probably not a muggle-born, and had grown up around this stuff! Aaron smiled and rushed over to her, eager to know if she could tell him more about this whole Quidditch thing. The shopkeeper was still busy with his other customer.

"Hey, I'm Aaron!" he greeted with a big smile on his face. "I was wondering if you could tell me about Quidditch? I'm a muggle-born wizard and I'm supposed to be going to Hogwarts next month, but I still have so much to learn! And the idea of racing around on brooms is so cool to me!"

@Ariana Walker

_{“Pleaseeeeeeeee” Ariana whined, jumping up and down childishly, as she tugged on her mom's sweater. “ i'm dying to go in there!”She watched as her mum gave her a reproachful look and then smiled, “Fine pumpkin, you can go in for a short while, I'll wait for you here “ Ariana had already sped off “don't be long!” her mother called after her. Ariana was in london buying her school supplies and would finally be going off to hogwarts! She had watched her 7 brothers come and go off to the beautiful castle and she had for so long longed to be a part of its magical walls. She couldn't wait. Her brothers and family were also with her in diagon alley, they needed new supplies too. the busy london streets had welcomed Ariana back with its familiar joyful happy bustle. Her family were big fans of quidditch, just as Ariana was, most of her brothers had already played on the team, Ariana hoped she would as well. She was small, but strong and being the youngest of 7 brothers had definitely roughed her up. They all cared for and loved her very much and although being the youngest meant she got the most attention, sometimes Ariana just wanted to feel free to do what she wanted without anyone noticing.} 

_{She walked through the shop door, inhaling the wonderful smell of broomsticks and wood polish. She ran over to the broom section. “Wow” she gasped. Running her fingers over the strong wooden handle, she was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt a tap on her shoulder. Ariana spun round to see a boy standing in front of her, he looked about her age and he had a beautiful smile on his face !”Hey, I'm Aaron!” "I was wondering if you could tell me about Quidditch? I'm a muggle-born wizard and I'm supposed to be going to Hogwarts next month, but I still have so much to learn! And the idea of racing around on brooms is so cool to me!" Ariana beamed at him, he was chatty, just like her, she thought they would get along well. “Of course!” She giggled excitedly “I'm a huuugeee quidditch fan!” She stretched out her arms in emphasis and the boy smiled at her, “I'm a half blood witch. I'm guessing you're joining Hogwarts this year too!” She tilted her head to the side slightly, still smiling at Aaron. “Quidditch is a wizarding sport played on broomsticks.” She explained, motioning to the brooms around the shop. “It is the most popular and most well-known game among wizards and witches. The object of the game is to score more points than your opponents. Each goal is worth ten points and catching the Golden Snitch is worth one-hundred and fifty points. It's so awesome! But there is soooo much more to it!” She picked up a golden snitch and held it out in her hand to show the boy. It fluttered its wings and zoomed up a few feet before Ariana jumped up, grabbed it and cupped it in her hand to stop it escaping. “I hope to be on the quidditch team when i get to hogwarts! I want to be a beater!” she said, delighted. I hope to be in gryffindor, she raised an imaginary sword and waved it around in the air. “My whole family has been in gryffindor! You seem really fun! We're gonna be good friends in hogwarts! I'll make sure of it!”}

This girl was clearly a people person just like Aaron was. She was energetic and enthusiastic and super informative, but she was spouting out information faster than he could comprehend. Half-blood? Like one of her parents was a witch or wizard, and the other was a Muggle? That made sense. Then she started talking about and explaining Quidditch. It seemed he had been right about it being a popular sport, but there was no way he could've guessed all the rules she was spouting at him. Ten point goals, and one-hundred-and-fifty point snitches? What in the world was a snitch? And why was it worth so much?! And how did you make a regular goal?

Suddenly, the brunette grabbed a small golden ball from a nearby display. It had wings! Aaron was instantly captivated by the flying ball and watched as it rose higher and higher in the air, only for the girl to jump up and grab it. That must be the golden snitch she had been talking about!

"Hogwarts has a Quidditch team?!" Aaron said in disbelief, looking at the girl with wonder in his eyes. Her enthusiasm for the sport was infectious, and he was suddenly imagining students on brooms flying around looking for a golden snitch. "What's a beater? Is that the person who makes the goals?" he had so so many questions for her, and it felt like there wasn't enough time in the world.

"Wow, it's super great to meet you, but, uh, I think I missed your name," Aaron laughed, excited by the idea of not being all alone when he went to Hogwarts. "I would be so glad to be friends with you!" He briefly wondered what Gryffindor was, but figured he would worry about that later. Right now, he was all about Quidditch. Out the corner of his eye, he saw a miniature field with miniature people flying around on it! Magic was still so crazy to him!

"Oh, here! This should help!" he said, gesturing for her to follow him over to the miniature field. It showed an oval-like grass field with three hoops on either side. Is that where the goals are scored? he briefly wondered, before turning to look at his new friend again. "This must be a Quidditch field, right?" he asked, smiling broadly. "You can explain the game better with this, right? Like how many people on a team? And what are all the players called?"

@Ariana Walker

_{Ariana beamed at the boy, as the questions began spilling out of his mouth. "Oh of course, I forgot to say! I'm Ariana. Ariana Walker" She paused, still holding the quidditch book in her hands. “Oh and you're probably wondering what Gryffindor is, well it's a house, one of four houses actually, and you stay with them while you are at hogwarts. I don't know much about it, but my brothers said that you have to do some sort of test to get in like I dunno, fight a dragon!" She paused and giggled, "I love dragons! Do you think it will be hard?” Or maybe it's a gigantic, disgusting, smelly troll!” Well I have to knock him out with a club!” They burst into laughter at this, giggling like toddlers. “Also, a beater is the person in the team who hits bludgers st there opponents." She pointed to the player on the poster. The chasers score goals, and in total there are 7 players on a team! The seeker is a very important player too- they have to catch the golden snitch to end the game. Here, I'll show you!” She walked over to a poster that showed the different equipment. “We’ll learn loads of this stuff at hogwarts, so don't worry. I dont know that much myself. I can't wait for everything! What are you looking forward to the most?”}

"Nice to meet you, Ariana," Aaron said with a smile. The name Ariana was pretty and it suited the girl in front of him. It seemed like the name of an outgoing person. Then she started spouting on about Gryffindor. Houses? Were there four houses around the castle that students were assigned to? And they had to fight a dragon?! Or a troll?! There were a lot of things that Aaron didn't know about the magical world yet, and all of this was a bit too much. He tried to act like he knew what the girl was talking about, but he was just confused. Was she joking about the whole thing? Or would there really be a dragon to fight when he arrived at the magical school? It sounded epic, but there's no way his mother would let him go to Hogwarts if she knew about that!

For now, Aaron wanted to focus on Quidditch. A sport played on flying brooms was much more his speed. He shook off the unease about the houses as Ariana dragged him over to a poster detailing all the Quidditch positions and names. "Wow, the seeker seems like the most important person on the field, then," Aaron said in wonder, as she explained the seeker would be the one to end the game.

"I think… I think I'm looking forward to this most," Aaron said, looking at the posters on the wall as the players flew around the shop. There were multiple posters on the walls and it was like the players would disappear from one and appear in another. It's like they were flying between them! The sight made Aaron smile broadly. "Yeah, I wanna be on the Hogwarts Quidditch team!" he said, looking back at Ariana with bright eyes. "I can't wait to learn more about it." Aaron suddenly noticed the Quidditch book in Ariana's hand. "What's your book about?" he wondered aloud, before realizing he had changed the subject rather rudely. He was just super excited about the sport.

"And what're you looking forward to most at Hogwarts?" Aaron asked with a chagrined smile, realizing it was only polite to ask her the same question.

@Ariana Walker

_{Ariana glanced down at the book in her hands. It was ‘Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland’ She raised it up to him so he could see. "I'm going to ask my mom if i can get it "He smiled brightly and said "And what're you looking forward to most at Hogwarts?" She put her fingers to her lips thoughtfully. What was she looking forward to the most? “I'm not sure…” she said slowly, "I'm excited for a lot of things, you know the ghosts, the lessons, the magic altogether, the sorting, the grounds and DEFINITELY,” she help up the book again, “Quidditch” She finished, tapping the front cover.} 

_{She smiled at him for a second, before the ring of a bell was heard and the shop door opened. “Ariana dear, we do have to be heading off, We need to meet the boys and your father to collect your books and potions ingredients, then Liam and George said they want to go to the joke shop and buy a few bits” She said these last few words as though she didn't approve of them that much, though Ariana's face brightened considerably at the words ‘joke shop’ -she loved going there.}

_{“Okay!” she replied, “coming!” She paid for the book and turned back to face her mother, dragging Aaron towards her, “Mom I've already made a friend!” She exclaimed excitedly “Aaron is going to hogwarts too!” Her mother smiled, surveying the boy with a fond look in her eyes “Are you dear? That's nice, you'll be in the same year, well don't mind Ariana. She can sometimes be very annoying with all her talking and silliness” She laughed softly and Ariana rolled her eyes “Okay, okay I talk alot” She said, crossing her arms “Happy i've admitted it now?” Her mother smiled again, shaking her head, “Now do hurry dear, we have to meet the others” Ariana turned and beamed at Aaron again, before leaving the shop waving at him joyfully, “See you at hogwarts!” She called brightly.}

Ghosts? The grounds? Aaron had so many questions, but he was much more focused on the book in her hands. Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland. He wondered if he should get a copy, too, and find out more about the popular teams. How cool would it be if he went to Hogwarts with a favorite team already in mind? He bet that everyone would be impressed by his Quidditch knowledge as a Muggle-born!

Before he could keep asking questions, Aaron was interrupted by the sound of someone entering the store. He looked towards the door and saw a woman who vaguely looked like Ariana. Her mother, of course. She told his new friend that it was time to go. It sounded like Ariana had a big family. She had mentioned earlier that she had brothers, and he wondered how many.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Walker," Aaron said with a smile, nodding as the older woman acknowledged him. He laughed at the way she described her daughter. "Yeah, Ariana seems really cool, though," he said, looking at his new friend with a knowing grin. When she admitted to being loud, he laughed again. "See you there!" Aaron agreed, waving goodbye to his friend.

Once she and her mother had disappeared, Aaron looked around the shop again with new eyes. A whole new world had just opened up to him, and he didn't intend to leave here until he understood every bit of the sport. He hurried over to the Quidditch books section. Never before had he wanted to go out of his way to read and learn about something. But it's not like he could go on the internet and look up the rules to a magical sport played on brooms.

Aaron picked up a book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Surely, he could convince his mother to buy this for him. As soon as it was in his hands, he opened it and began to read...