"How much more Summer is left?" Alice asked, falling back onto my bed. "I can't take it anymore!"
"What are you talking about?" I said. "The whole last month of school you were practically begging for Summer."
"Well yes, but..." she pushed a lock of blonde hair from her face. "It's incredibly boring after a while. By the middle of it, in fact. The very middle of it."
"Which is why I much prefer Winter."
She scoffed. "Yes, it has nothing to do with the fact that your animagus is a snow leopard."
I rolled my eyes and stepped into the fireplace. "Well you have only a few days left, so stop whining. In fact, I'm going to Diagon Alley for my supplies. Tell Maman I'll be back for dinner." I grabbed the floo powder from a table and dropped some beside me. "Diagon Alley!" I said loudly. Just like that, I was gone.

"Well hello there, Clarissa!" I heard. The floo network must have changed things, because while I should have been in Flourish and Blotts, I had ended up in Twilfitt and Tatting's. "You're a long way from home." I turned to see Derek Grimm, a 5th year I had met at Hogwarts during the Triwizard Tournament.
"Hello, Derek," I said.
Derek was a snob. He had a few friends, but not many. He thought for sure that he belonged at Beauxbatons, not Hogwarts. The truth of the matter is, Beauxbatons students are not snobby. We truly are better than everyone else, and it's not only us that think so. We are la crème de la crème, the best of the best, in magic, academics, etiquette, charm, and looks. We are, simply put, polished to a shine. And that is why I exchanged pleasantries with Derek before making a beeline for the door.

The streets were calmer than usual, but still quite loud. Witches and wizards walked frantically to and from Gringotts and shops and everywhere else. Much like everything else in the wizarding world, the end of Diagon Alley was never quite visible. If there was ever an entrance or exit that you could just walk through, nobody ever saw it. People were constantly popping in and out of fireplaces or apparating here and there. I was utterly lost in the chaos of it all, when a boy bumped me from behind.
"Excusez-moi!" I said. Although Madame Marcoux was always reminding her students to practice their English, I couldn't help but revert to French when caught by surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" the boy said. He was attractive, with dark brown hair and amber eyes. "Did your hair get messed up?" Attractive but sarcastic. Obviously full of himself. I decided he wasn't worth my time and stepped into the middle of the street, headed for Flourish and Blott's. My guess was that he attended Hogwarts. Slytherin, no doubt. I thought about it while I walked. I suppose the subject consumed my mind so much that I forgot where I was going, because I ended up in Knockturn Alley.

I looked in all directions for an escape. This ended up being counterproductive however, because I soon also forgot from which way I had come.
"Well look who it is." I recognized Slytherin Boy's voice and turned with a cold look on my face. He would be in Knockturn Alley… "Are you lost?" he asked condescendingly. "This isn't exactly a place for the ladies of Beauxbatons Academy." He wrinkled his nose and put his pinky in the air at the last part.
I scowled. "I will have you know that Beauxbatons ladies are quite capable of taking care of themselves."
"Very well then." he replied with a smirk, looking as though he knew something I didn't. "I suppose you have business here?" I nodded hesitantly. "Of course you do. I'll leave you to it, then." He looked me up and down and turned on his heel. I stood for a moment, unsure of what to do, then quickly followed him.
"Attente!" I called. "Wait!" He spun around and I ran right into him. "Oh!" I exclaimed. Quickly, I pulled away from our haphazard embrace.
Slytherine Boy only smiled and said matter-of-factly, "You are lost."
It took every ounce of humility in me to reply with "Yes."
He smirked and held out his hand. "I'm Spencer. Hogwarts Gryffindor."
I raised my eyebrows, ignoring the hand. "Gryffindor?" I had met many Gryffindors and never once had I encountered someone so unfit for the house.
Spencer shrugged. "I'm a transfer from Preston Academy. I'm a sixth year now." He started walking and I had to hurry to keep up with his long strides.
"Oh… Yes, of course. I mean, I just thought that you might be from… well, Slytherine." I worried that he would be offended, but he only laughed.
"I probably should be. But no, the hat thinks I have courage. Goodie for me." We turned a corner and I practically ran into the wall. This was not my most graceful day.
"Why would anyone want to be in Slytherine?" I asked, incredulous.
"Because they win. They're cunning, and they have just the right amount of charm."
"Wow. You're not a fan or anything."
"Am I that transparent?" Again with the sarcasm, I thought. He had issues!
We arrived at Diagon Alley sooner than I expected to. "Well," he said. "I'll see you around. School starts in three days, right?"
I nodded, then frowned. "Wait, only Beauxbatons students are supposed to know when school starts. It's a tradition!" He just shrugged and stepped into the street. "Who told you?" I yelled, but he was already lost in the crowd.