She hadn't wanted to come. Leaving her mother behind had been the hardest thing she'd ever done. Maisie sat on her trunk, back straight, knees clenched together. She wasn't used to other people. She'd been home-schooled and knew nothing about socialising with other kids. Here, there were dozens and dozens.
Maisie took some deep breaths, counting her breaths in twos, like she'd been taught. Her mother had made her a book of anxiety management techniques. They'd been practising them all summer. The book was covered with navy blue fabric embroidered with silver stars. She thought about it, tucked up in her dressing gown in her trunk. If she could make it through one term, she could go home for Christmas. Her mother was insistent on a Hogwarts education for her.
Maisie sighed. She wondered who the other first year girls were, who she'd be sharing a room with. Maisie had never shared a room in her life. |