Muggle London

"Maggie, we need to head out to the shops now, sweetheart. You can play with your dolls later."

Elizabeth Marsalis chucked a large coat at her young daughter. Maggie put the coat on, followed by a scarf and a matching pair of pink and purple knitted gloves.

Maggie was having quite a lot of fun with her dolls today. She had discovered a new trick that made them much easier to play with. And now her mother had ruined the fun so she could buy presents for people that never bought presents for them.

"Come on, don't dawdle. I want this to be over with as soon as possible." Elizabeth observed her daughter, tightened the scarf around Maggie's neck and headed out the door.

Taking her mother by the hand, Maggie headed to the bus stop.

That was one thing Maggie loved about Christmas shopping, she could sit on the second story of the double-decker and observe the people aboard it, wondering what they were wondering.

She often thought of herself as strange, but her mother had told her that she was always different from other children. Maggie felt this was one of the times her mother was truly being honest with her.

"Can we sit at the very top?" Maggie shyly asked her mother.

"I don't see why not," Elizabeth said, smiling at the huge grin spreading on Maggie's face.

The bus pulled up and Elizabeth let her daughter get in first, so she would be able to pay the fare. Maggie headed to the stairs and looked around for the perfect seat.

Then she spotted him, sitting at the very back, and opening a small candy.

Maggie undid her scarf and ran to the back and sat beside the man.

Before she could start a conversation with him, Maggie's eyes gazed at his silvery-white long hair and beard and then to his half mooned spectacles. He had a look in his eye that reminded Maggie greatly of someone she knew.

"Hello," Maggie said politely.

"Hello," he replied, smiling down at her, eyes twinkling.

"You know you're not fooling anyone, don't you?" Maggie stated matter-of-factly.

The man turned his head and replied in a shocked voice, "I'm not?"

"Yep," Maggie scooted closer to him, "and you've lost quite a lot of weight."

"I have?" He shifted around so that he could face her properly.

Maggie nodded her head. "You have and I didn't think your beard would be so long in person. Actually, I guess I can quite understand it now. And why are you wearing a purple dress?"

He laughed heartily at Maggie. "My dear, this is a robe. Definitely not a dress, though there is barely any difference between the two." He slowly began to drift into his own thoughts.

"Well, you're still not as sneaky as you think. I do like the... robes, you call them? They're very pretty."

Maggie looked around for her mother and saw her talking animatedly with a neighbor of theirs from the flats they occupied.

"Thank you," the old man beamed down at her.

"You're welcome, Santa." Maggie added with a wink, "and your secret's safe with me."

He laughed, the rose showing in his cheeks. "My dear, you've gotten me mistaken with a close friend. But I'll do you a favor and leave a good name for you."

Maggie screwed up he face in confusion.

"Yes, I do know Santa Claus," he answered her question.

Maggie held out her hand, "hello, my name's Margaret Mahalia Marsalis, but you can just call me Maggie. I'm turning eight in two months. How old are you?"

"Well, it's very nice to make your acquaintance, Margaret Mahalia Marsalis, who prefers Maggie and is seven until February. My name's Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. But please, it would be much simpler to call me Professor Dumbledore. And I'm one hundred thirty-five."

Maggie, although very skeptical at times, believed that Professor Dumbledore was in fact the age of one hundred thirty-five and that he did possess all those names.

"Well, if you're not Santa Claus, who are you?"

"I'm Headmaster of a school called Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" Maggie had never heard of this school before and her mother did quite a lot of talking about which schools Maggie would attend.

Professor Dumbledore's eyes did that strange twinkle that reminded Maggie of her grandfather.

"It's a school for children with special abilities. Children like you, Maggie." He said this in a very serious tone and Maggie nodded her head to show that she understood exactly what he was talking about.

"Margaret!" Her mother called hands on her hips. "What have I told you about talking to strangers!"

Maggie sighed heavily. Her mother didn't even know where she was and now she was beginning to scold her.

Maggie turned to Professor Dumbledore and said very sadly, "It was nice to meet you, Professor Dumbledore."

"Don't look so sad Ms. Marsalis, I'll be seeing you in two years." He winked and Maggie smiled so widely her face hurt afterwards.

Maggie shook his hand one last time and joined her mother at the front of the bus. She couldn't wait to return home so she could make her dolls walk on their own accord in the dollhouse again.