London!

Never in her wildest dreams had Billie thought she would end up in London, or that it would take so little time to arrive there. When she had barged in on Gideon that morning to point out the obvious and offer up her help, she hadn't expected an invitation. And they weren't just going to muggle London, but to Diagon Alley, too! She had heard other children chatter about their trips there. She had accepted the offer before the poor man had even finished fully extending it.

Apparating took her by surprise. She had assumed they would take a train or maybe a carriage, but the instantaneous, nauseating teleportation, left her emptying her stomach on some poor soul's doorstep. However, that did not dash her spirits in the slightest. She recovered quite quickly and merrily accompanied Gideon on his various errands. Billie tried not to ask too many questions, but exuberance got the best of her. She proved to be quite an acceptable helper, albeit a chatty one.

Ice cream had also been unexpected. At first, the waif hadn't quite known what to do with the frozen treat. It was something she wished would linger on her taste buds forever, but it melted into soup rather quickly. All in all, she LOVED it. If there was a world record for the amount of thank yous in one breath, Billie probably took the prize.

"This is the best day!" She chirped, her little legs hurrying along next to Gideon. "Ya sure know lotsa people." She added in response to his declaration of another stop even before Diagon Alley.

With a spring in her step, she continued along, winding down one street after the other. She looked about to comment on a particular shop they had just wandered past when a confused shout rang out behind them.

"Billie?"

Whirling about, the child turned and stared at a boy who stood quite a few heads taller than she did. They had the same colored hair, but his curled, and his wide eyes were brown instead of a blue-ish green. He had moved up in the world and had joined the same household as his mother, as a lowly boot boy, but he was proud none-the-less. The two siblings gaped at one another for a few long seconds before Billie broke the silence.

"Joe! What's ya doin' here?" Before her brother could answer, Billie had turned to Gideon excitedly. "That's my brother, Joe!" Could the day get any better? The last time she'd seen him had been a few weeks after she had transformed herself into a boy and had decided to leave town. Presently, she gave no thought to the possibility that her mother might be accompanying him. Instead, she busied herself with happy running one circle around her brother and then back to Gideon's side. "This is Mr. Ollivander."