Thump thump thump thump thump thump THUD!
"Lillian Evans!" a shrill voice screeched from somewhere down a white walled hallway. "If you don't shut the bloody hell up I'll come out there and give you the worst walloping you ever had!" A petite redhead stopped on the landing, sighed, and proceeded to go apologize to her sister for making "such a racket".
"Petunia Evans!" bellowed a deep, intimidating voice from even farther down the hall. A deaf man could even recognize that the man speaking was angry. "If I have to put up with one more word from your foul and dirty vocabulary I will see to it that YOU get the worst walloping you have ever had!" The redhead grinned satisfactorily. Serves her right! she thought with a small chuckle.
"Lily, dear, could you come here for a quick word?" This time the voice belonged to a woman and was soft and so gentle that it made a summer breeze seem like hurricane worthy winds. The redhead sighed again and made her way back up the stairs, taking her time, so as to prolong the lecture that was surely awaiting her at the master bedroom at the end of the hall.
Maria and Howard Evans looked up from their bed to see the tiny figure of their youngest daughter, Lily, appear in the French doorway.
"Lily, sweetheart, come sit on Daddy's lap for a moment." said the man with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. The child being spoken to padded her way across the expanse of hard wood floor and hopped energetically onto her father's lap. Lily gave her father a small smile and his heart melted. There was no denying it...she was a Daddy's girl.
"Daddy, I'm really sorry that I woke you up, but I have to do something really important!" said the soon to be eleven year old girl. Her shockingly green eyes peered into her father's face, filled to the brim with sincerity.
"Oh pumpkin!" he said using his affectionate nickname for his daughter. "It's all right, I don't mind being woken up a bit early." His wife, Maria, snorted at the phrase "a bit early" seeing as how it was four thirty in the morning.
Lily grinned at her father and gave him as big of a hug as she could muster with her ten year old arms.
"One thing Lily," the soft voice was coated in a warm Irish accent that couldn't be mistaken. "Next time you feel the need to wake up at such an early hour, do try to keep your stair descending as quiet as possible so as not to wake Petty." Her mother's tone was gentle as ever but Lily knew that next time she woke up her sister this early there would be consequences.
"No problem, mum!" said Lily giggling as her father's mustache tickled her as she received a kiss. Lily proceeded bounce off her parent's bed and tiptoe down the hall when she was called back into her parent's room by her mother's voice calling "One more thing, Lily!"
"Yes, mum?" Lily responded, peering around one of the French doors of her parent's bedroom.
"What was so important that you had to wake up this early in the mornin'?" Maria questioned.
It was with a cheeky grin and a small wink that Lily said "You have to wait and see!" This time is was her father who called her back in.
"Lily...I don't want to "wait and see". I want to know what you are planning on doing right now." Lily's face fell at her father's words.
"But then it won't be a surprise!" she wined.
"Little Lil', you weren't planning on making pancakes again...were you?" her mother questioned with a rather nervous expression on her face.
Lily giggled.
"Lily, no. You nearly set the house on fire last time you tried to do it by yourself! You won't be able to do it...." her father said sternly. Lily looked near tears. She had been planning on giving her parents breakfast in bed, but they had ruined her wonderful surprise. She heard her mother sigh.
"Lily, you won't be able to do it unless I help you. So go get out the ingredients and I will wash up and put on a robe. Hurry up now!" Lily's eyes nearly disappeared she smiled so big!
"Thanks, mummy!" she cried already half way down the hall.
"So much for sleeping in today." Maria mumbled looking at the clock. It's glowing red numbers were telling her the depressing time of ten minutes after five. "This could be a long day."
Lily accidentally dropped the first bowl of batter on the tile floor ("Lily hold on to the bowl!! CRASH! Oh Lily.") and accidentally put baking powder instead of flour in the second batch. Luckily Mrs. Evans realized what her daughter had done. However, the third bath of batter turned out perfectly fine. So it came to be that nearly two and a half hours later the Evans family was sitting down to a "scandalously early" (Petunia's words) breakfast of golden pancakes, with Lily beaming every time someone asked for some more.
Mr. Evans had just finished declaring that he wouldn't be able to eat for a week when a large tawny owl landed on the porch railing and looked expectantly with huge amber eyes into the kitchen window, as if asking so come inside. Lily gave a small oohh of wonder and opened the sliding door from the kitchen to outside so that she could go inspect the owl more closely when (much to Petunia's horror) the bird came soaring inside and landed neatly on the back of the chair that Lily had been previously sitting in.
"Mum! Look at it! Isn't it gorgeous?" Lily cooed. At this statement the owl ruffled it's feathers a bit and put an unmistakably dignified look on it's face.
"It certainly is beautiful, but I doubt it wants to spend all day in our kitchen. Howard will you try to shoo it back outside?" As soon as the words "shoo it back outside" had left Mrs. Evans' mouth the owl shot her what was surely a reproachful look.
"Daddy, wait! There is something tied to it's leg!" cried Lily. She immediately made her way to the owl.
"Lily, don't touch it! It probably isn't used to humans!" cried her mother. Petunia added that the beast was probably "frightfully dirty!" but it was too late. Lily was already petting the owl softly on it's head and cooing compliments of it's beauty. Howard and Maria looked astonished while Petunia looked disgusted.
"Now then, let's get this thing off your leg!" said Lily untying the string that fastened what appeared to be a letter to the bird's leg. Then, without thinking, Lily ripped off a piece of her pancake and offered it to the owl, who, much to her surprise took it delicately from her hand and began to nibble on it. Once it had finished it's much appreciated treat the owl flew out the sliding door which was still open from when Lily had first gone out to see the bird.
"It's a letter." Lily stated dumbly. She was looking down at a thick and heavy envelope made of yellowish parchment. Funny, she thought, there's no stamp. Then again it's a bit funnier that an owl delivered it to me.
"Who's it addressed to?" her father asked, also lacking his usual wit.
"Me." said Lily in the same awestruck voice.
"Well, there's no use in just standing here gawdeling at it all day. Hand it here Lily." her mother said regaining her composure. Maria reached across the table and Lily gently placed the letter into her mother's hand, as if afraid if it wasn't handled with utmost carefulness it would crumble into ash.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans looked down at the letter and sure enough, in emerald green ink was the address
Miss L. Evans
Second bedroom on the Right
26 Stony Lane
Little Whinging
Surrey
"Can I read it?" Lily question, beginning to get excited.
"Well I don't see why not!" her father said. He passed the letter in front of Petunia to Lily. Lily had to stifle a giggle for as the letter passed in front of Petunia's face her face became twisted with a mixture of fear and disgust and tilted her chair so far back that Lily was almost certain that she would crash to the floor. Lily gave an inward sigh of disappointment when Petunia successfully brought her chair back down on all fours with her bottom still firmly planted in the seat.
Lily focused her attention back on the letter. She turned it over and saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H. She carefully broke the seal and pulled out a letter and read out loud,
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)
Dear Miss Evans,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please
find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no
later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Next Lily pulled out what appeared to be a supply list and read aloud
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothing should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshhawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guise to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Herbs and Fungi
by Phyillida Spore
Magical Drafts And Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
By Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Lily stopped reading at the conclusion of the list and sat in a awed silence.
"This has to be a joke." said Mrs. Evans.
"A joke?" replied Mr. "You think someone would train an owl to deliver letters, make up all these book names and go through all this trouble for a joke? Come now, Maria, I think we may be looking at a little witch right here." He said gesturing to Lily in an offhand sort of way.
"It's too absurd, Howard, but I just can't believe that such a school actually exists." Maria countered.
"But we don't have any proof that it doesn't exist." Howard said stubbornly. Maria gave what was obviously an irritated sigh.
"Let's just pretend for one moment that this school does exist and that none of this is a joke. Where would we find the things on that list anyway? Hmm, Howard? You don't seem to have given that much thought." said Maria giving Howard a reprimanding look. Howard was just opening his mouth to respond when another owl came soaring through the still open sliding door. Lily soundlessly untied the letter, opened it, and began to read.
Dear Ms. Evans,
In response to your inquiry about the location of
purchasing the items on your school list we have sent
you directions and instructions enclosed in this letter on
how to get to one of the many wizarding shopping
communities. For your assistance we will be sending a
ministry official to your home to give you a rough outline
of the wizarding community.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
"How on earth did they know that I had just asked that?" questioned Mrs. Evans, with the slightest tone of fear hinted in her voice.
"When will this "ministry official" be getting here?" asked Mr. Evans eagerly. As if in response to his question, the doorbell rang not three seconds after the words left his mouth. Petunia gave a shriek of terror and bolted up the stairs. Lily and her parents heard a door slamming from the upper level of their colonial home.
"Now really, I know this has come to a shock, but that seemed a bit unnecessary!" said Mr. Evans in response to his oldest daughter's reaction.
"I'll get the door!" said Lily, remembering that someone was waiting outside.
"Lily! Let your father answer it!" her mother cried a second too late. Lily had just opened the door and was standing face to face with a tall, gangly man dressed in a navy blue suit, holding a dark leather briefcase with golden snaps. His brown eyes twinkled merrily behind his circular glasses. He offered her a large, toothy grin and offered his hand to her by means of greeting.
"Well hello there! You must be Lily! My name's Mr. Winstead!" Lily smiled shyly and shook his hand. "I'm sure you're just bursting to the rim with questions!" Lily nodded, but didn't voice any of them.
"Ah, you must be Howard Evans!" said Mr. Winstead, putting his briefcase in the other hand and shaking Howard's hand. "And you must be Maria Evans!" This time he went down on one knee and kissed the hand she had offered him. Lily giggled while Mr. Evans just looked surprised. Mrs. Evans appeared to be worried about the man's mental health. Lily now started laughing full out.
"Oh dear, I've dont somethign wrong haven't I?" said Mr. Winstead taking a piece of paper out of his briefcase and skimming over it. "No, it says right here that when a gentleman greets a lady he is to drop to one knee and bestow a kiss upon her hand!"
"Er, Mr. Winstead, was it?" said Mrs. Evans, in an overly cheery voice. "May I see that paper for a moment?" Mr. Winstead obliged soundlessly. "Well now here is your problem!" said Maria, clearly relieved. "This paper describes the customs of people used in the 1800s."
"Really now! And to think! Everyone at Muggle Relations has been using out of date customs information!" he exclaimed more to himself than anyone else.
"Muggle?" said Mr. Evans, confusion etched all over his face.
"That's the wizarding word for someone who doesn't have any magic in them." explained Mr. Winstead, obviously more comfortable now that he knew what he was talking about.
"So I take it you are the "ministry official" who is being sent to your home?" asked Mrs. Evans with a warm smile.
"That I am." He replied, puffing out his chest a bit as he said so. "Now Lily, first off I need to ask you somethign very important. Hogwarts is the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry, and it is also a boarding school. If you choose to go to Hogwarts and your parents allow you to, then you will have to be prepared to spend quite a bit of time away from home. Will you be able to do that?" Lily looked at her mother and father with a pining look then put on a face of utmost courage and replied,
"Yes, I will."
"That's a girl!" exclaimed Mr. Winstead proudly.
"Excuse me, sir, but before I ship my daughter off to some school that I have never heard to be taught by people I have never met I would like to know just exactly what she will be being taught. Because if this is just a school to teach her how to make cards disappear and other hoaxes such as that then I'll not have her going." said Mr. Evans with the sternest voice he could muster. Mr. Winstead backed down a bit, out of fear of Howard or respect for him, Lily would never know. However he quickly regained his composure and put on a cheery smile.
"Well she will be learning how make things disappear, such as herself. There are 4 main subjects at Hogwarts. They are Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Those are the four building blocks of every witch and wizards education. Lily will have these classes and only these classes for her first two out of seven years at Hogwarts. In her third year she will be able to choose more classes such as Divination, Arithmacy, and Muggle Studies. She will also have mandatory classes added to her schedule such as Care of Magical Creatures and Astronomy. But school will not be all learning and no fun!" at this statement he winked at Lily. "Thoughout the year there will be games of Quidditch, which is the wizarding sport played on broomsticks. These games are played by the house teams. In Hogwarts there are four houses which Lily might be sorted into. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. I will let you make your opinions about each as you learn more about the wizarding world, Lily. Once Lily becomes a third year she will also be able to visit the wizarding village located near the school, Hogsmead. But you'll learn all about that from Lily as time wears on. Please ask questions as I am sure that I missed something." This time is was Mrs. Evans who questioned Mr. Winstead, though not nearly as ferociously as her husband had.
"How does the boarding system work? Will Lily be living in a seperate building from which her classes take place in?"
"Well, no. It's not a seperate building, but it might as well be with enormous amount of space in the castle. You see Hogwarts is a castle built by the four of the greatest witches and wizards of their time. They were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. They used their immmense knowledge to build Hogwarts as a school for young witches and wizards to learn in. But this isn't a history lesson, so I'll get on with describing the castle. I'm not quite sure how many floors there are, at least twenty, I know that much. There are towers that could fit your home with room to spare, and there are others which only one person can fit in at a time. The staircases are a wonder in their own. They move and have vanishing steps. And the hidden passages! There are some that I am sure have never even been discovered. My friends, Hogwarts is a world of its own. It defies any laws that you have ever known, and is often said to be smarter than the smartest man alive. I assure you that Lily will be quite well taken care of at Hogwarts." he finished up proudly.
"Mum, Daddy, I need to go there." Lily stated to her parents.
"We'll see Lily." said her father.
"Actually, I don't mean to rush you but you need to decide if Lily wil be attending Hogwarts quite soon. If she is to go then we still have to bring her to Diagon Alley so she can get her supplies. If she is not to go then...well I'll need to take certain steps to ensure that this decision won't, stay on your mind for too long, shall we say." Mr. Winstead finished up hastily.
"Mr. Winstead, please make yourself at home. Lily, Howard, and I really must discuss this privately." said Maria nudging her daughter and husband through the kitchen and into the dining room.
"Lily, I don't know if I want you going there..." Maria started. Howard nodded in agreement.
"I have to go. You don't understand. I just feel like now that I know what I am and where I should be I will never be able to go back to my naive life!" Lily stated this with such passion that her parents shared one hopeless look and knew that their daughter would be attending Hogwarts. They walked (skipped in Lily's case) back into the room that Mr. Winstead was currently occupying to find him examining the lamp with utmost interest. Mr. Evans cleared his throat and Mr. Winstead snapped his head up so fast that he knocked it on the lamp shade casing the entire light to fall to the ground with a resounding shatter.
"Oh Merlin! I'm so sorry!" Mr. Winstead began to apologize feverishly.
"No, no, it's all right, really, I'll just go grab the dustpan and broom." said Mrs. Evans already striding her way purposefully towards the broom cuboard.
"Oh really, there's no need to do that!" said Mr. Winstead.
"Well, I can't just let it sit there now can I?" said Maria, turning around with a smile. Whatever she expected to see, Mr. Winstead standing there holding a stick was not it. "Mr. Winstead, may I ask why you are holding that stick?" she asked curiously. After a small chuckle Mr. Winstead replied that it was not at all a stick but a magic wand. Lily gave a gasp of surprise.
"A real magic wand?" she asked, breathlessly. "Are you going to do magic?" she asked, her green eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.
"Yes I am, little missy." said Mr. Winstead with another chuckle. With a small swish of his wand and a muttered "Reparo" the lamp was back on the table. Anyone who had not seen the lamp shatter would have said that it looked good as new, which it did.
"Well then!" was Mr. Evans's exclamation, staring at the floor where the lamp had previously rested to the table on which it resided now. "I suppose we'll be needing to get Lily her supplies, eh?" he said with a grin.
"That we will!" said Mr. Winstead obviously pleased with their decision to let Lily attend Hogwarts. "I'll just give Lily some time to neaten herself up a bit, then we'll be on our way!" he said giving Lily a wink and a smile.
"What? Oh!" said Lily just realising she was still in her pajamas. With a slight blush she raced up the stairs.
I cant't believe this is happeneing! she thought, brushing her hair. I am a witch. A real, magical, living witch! Lily quickly picked out a pair of dark jeans and a sea-green short sleeve shirt, slipped on a pair of sport sandals, and swept her thick, dark, red hair into a low ponytail. She grinned at her reflection in her full length mirror and ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She knocked on Petunia's door to ask her if she would like to come shopping with them. Petunia assured her that it would be alright and she would stay behind this time. Oh well, her loss thought Lily. Once she was done she ran down the hall and down the stairs. Her parents looked expectantly up and her and Mr. Winstead gave her a large smile. She smiled at them and jumped the last three steps heading for the door. Her parents grabbed their wallets, and Mr. Winstead picked up his briefcase.
"We all ready?" asked Mr.Winstead. He received three nods from the Evans's and opened the front door to a glorious day. The day matches my mood! thought Lily with a giant grin. My life just got a whole lot better!
"Lillian Evans!" a shrill voice screeched from somewhere down a white walled hallway. "If you don't shut the bloody hell up I'll come out there and give you the worst walloping you ever had!" A petite redhead stopped on the landing, sighed, and proceeded to go apologize to her sister for making "such a racket".
"Petunia Evans!" bellowed a deep, intimidating voice from even farther down the hall. A deaf man could even recognize that the man speaking was angry. "If I have to put up with one more word from your foul and dirty vocabulary I will see to it that YOU get the worst walloping you have ever had!" The redhead grinned satisfactorily. Serves her right! she thought with a small chuckle.
"Lily, dear, could you come here for a quick word?" This time the voice belonged to a woman and was soft and so gentle that it made a summer breeze seem like hurricane worthy winds. The redhead sighed again and made her way back up the stairs, taking her time, so as to prolong the lecture that was surely awaiting her at the master bedroom at the end of the hall.
Maria and Howard Evans looked up from their bed to see the tiny figure of their youngest daughter, Lily, appear in the French doorway.
"Lily, sweetheart, come sit on Daddy's lap for a moment." said the man with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. The child being spoken to padded her way across the expanse of hard wood floor and hopped energetically onto her father's lap. Lily gave her father a small smile and his heart melted. There was no denying it...she was a Daddy's girl.
"Daddy, I'm really sorry that I woke you up, but I have to do something really important!" said the soon to be eleven year old girl. Her shockingly green eyes peered into her father's face, filled to the brim with sincerity.
"Oh pumpkin!" he said using his affectionate nickname for his daughter. "It's all right, I don't mind being woken up a bit early." His wife, Maria, snorted at the phrase "a bit early" seeing as how it was four thirty in the morning.
Lily grinned at her father and gave him as big of a hug as she could muster with her ten year old arms.
"One thing Lily," the soft voice was coated in a warm Irish accent that couldn't be mistaken. "Next time you feel the need to wake up at such an early hour, do try to keep your stair descending as quiet as possible so as not to wake Petty." Her mother's tone was gentle as ever but Lily knew that next time she woke up her sister this early there would be consequences.
"No problem, mum!" said Lily giggling as her father's mustache tickled her as she received a kiss. Lily proceeded bounce off her parent's bed and tiptoe down the hall when she was called back into her parent's room by her mother's voice calling "One more thing, Lily!"
"Yes, mum?" Lily responded, peering around one of the French doors of her parent's bedroom.
"What was so important that you had to wake up this early in the mornin'?" Maria questioned.
It was with a cheeky grin and a small wink that Lily said "You have to wait and see!" This time is was her father who called her back in.
"Lily...I don't want to "wait and see". I want to know what you are planning on doing right now." Lily's face fell at her father's words.
"But then it won't be a surprise!" she wined.
"Little Lil', you weren't planning on making pancakes again...were you?" her mother questioned with a rather nervous expression on her face.
Lily giggled.
"Lily, no. You nearly set the house on fire last time you tried to do it by yourself! You won't be able to do it...." her father said sternly. Lily looked near tears. She had been planning on giving her parents breakfast in bed, but they had ruined her wonderful surprise. She heard her mother sigh.
"Lily, you won't be able to do it unless I help you. So go get out the ingredients and I will wash up and put on a robe. Hurry up now!" Lily's eyes nearly disappeared she smiled so big!
"Thanks, mummy!" she cried already half way down the hall.
"So much for sleeping in today." Maria mumbled looking at the clock. It's glowing red numbers were telling her the depressing time of ten minutes after five. "This could be a long day."
Lily accidentally dropped the first bowl of batter on the tile floor ("Lily hold on to the bowl!! CRASH! Oh Lily.") and accidentally put baking powder instead of flour in the second batch. Luckily Mrs. Evans realized what her daughter had done. However, the third bath of batter turned out perfectly fine. So it came to be that nearly two and a half hours later the Evans family was sitting down to a "scandalously early" (Petunia's words) breakfast of golden pancakes, with Lily beaming every time someone asked for some more.
Mr. Evans had just finished declaring that he wouldn't be able to eat for a week when a large tawny owl landed on the porch railing and looked expectantly with huge amber eyes into the kitchen window, as if asking so come inside. Lily gave a small oohh of wonder and opened the sliding door from the kitchen to outside so that she could go inspect the owl more closely when (much to Petunia's horror) the bird came soaring inside and landed neatly on the back of the chair that Lily had been previously sitting in.
"Mum! Look at it! Isn't it gorgeous?" Lily cooed. At this statement the owl ruffled it's feathers a bit and put an unmistakably dignified look on it's face.
"It certainly is beautiful, but I doubt it wants to spend all day in our kitchen. Howard will you try to shoo it back outside?" As soon as the words "shoo it back outside" had left Mrs. Evans' mouth the owl shot her what was surely a reproachful look.
"Daddy, wait! There is something tied to it's leg!" cried Lily. She immediately made her way to the owl.
"Lily, don't touch it! It probably isn't used to humans!" cried her mother. Petunia added that the beast was probably "frightfully dirty!" but it was too late. Lily was already petting the owl softly on it's head and cooing compliments of it's beauty. Howard and Maria looked astonished while Petunia looked disgusted.
"Now then, let's get this thing off your leg!" said Lily untying the string that fastened what appeared to be a letter to the bird's leg. Then, without thinking, Lily ripped off a piece of her pancake and offered it to the owl, who, much to her surprise took it delicately from her hand and began to nibble on it. Once it had finished it's much appreciated treat the owl flew out the sliding door which was still open from when Lily had first gone out to see the bird.
"It's a letter." Lily stated dumbly. She was looking down at a thick and heavy envelope made of yellowish parchment. Funny, she thought, there's no stamp. Then again it's a bit funnier that an owl delivered it to me.
"Who's it addressed to?" her father asked, also lacking his usual wit.
"Me." said Lily in the same awestruck voice.
"Well, there's no use in just standing here gawdeling at it all day. Hand it here Lily." her mother said regaining her composure. Maria reached across the table and Lily gently placed the letter into her mother's hand, as if afraid if it wasn't handled with utmost carefulness it would crumble into ash.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans looked down at the letter and sure enough, in emerald green ink was the address
Miss L. Evans
Second bedroom on the Right
26 Stony Lane
Little Whinging
Surrey
"Can I read it?" Lily question, beginning to get excited.
"Well I don't see why not!" her father said. He passed the letter in front of Petunia to Lily. Lily had to stifle a giggle for as the letter passed in front of Petunia's face her face became twisted with a mixture of fear and disgust and tilted her chair so far back that Lily was almost certain that she would crash to the floor. Lily gave an inward sigh of disappointment when Petunia successfully brought her chair back down on all fours with her bottom still firmly planted in the seat.
Lily focused her attention back on the letter. She turned it over and saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H. She carefully broke the seal and pulled out a letter and read out loud,
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)
Dear Miss Evans,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please
find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no
later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Next Lily pulled out what appeared to be a supply list and read aloud
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothing should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshhawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guise to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Herbs and Fungi
by Phyillida Spore
Magical Drafts And Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
By Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Lily stopped reading at the conclusion of the list and sat in a awed silence.
"This has to be a joke." said Mrs. Evans.
"A joke?" replied Mr. "You think someone would train an owl to deliver letters, make up all these book names and go through all this trouble for a joke? Come now, Maria, I think we may be looking at a little witch right here." He said gesturing to Lily in an offhand sort of way.
"It's too absurd, Howard, but I just can't believe that such a school actually exists." Maria countered.
"But we don't have any proof that it doesn't exist." Howard said stubbornly. Maria gave what was obviously an irritated sigh.
"Let's just pretend for one moment that this school does exist and that none of this is a joke. Where would we find the things on that list anyway? Hmm, Howard? You don't seem to have given that much thought." said Maria giving Howard a reprimanding look. Howard was just opening his mouth to respond when another owl came soaring through the still open sliding door. Lily soundlessly untied the letter, opened it, and began to read.
Dear Ms. Evans,
In response to your inquiry about the location of
purchasing the items on your school list we have sent
you directions and instructions enclosed in this letter on
how to get to one of the many wizarding shopping
communities. For your assistance we will be sending a
ministry official to your home to give you a rough outline
of the wizarding community.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
"How on earth did they know that I had just asked that?" questioned Mrs. Evans, with the slightest tone of fear hinted in her voice.
"When will this "ministry official" be getting here?" asked Mr. Evans eagerly. As if in response to his question, the doorbell rang not three seconds after the words left his mouth. Petunia gave a shriek of terror and bolted up the stairs. Lily and her parents heard a door slamming from the upper level of their colonial home.
"Now really, I know this has come to a shock, but that seemed a bit unnecessary!" said Mr. Evans in response to his oldest daughter's reaction.
"I'll get the door!" said Lily, remembering that someone was waiting outside.
"Lily! Let your father answer it!" her mother cried a second too late. Lily had just opened the door and was standing face to face with a tall, gangly man dressed in a navy blue suit, holding a dark leather briefcase with golden snaps. His brown eyes twinkled merrily behind his circular glasses. He offered her a large, toothy grin and offered his hand to her by means of greeting.
"Well hello there! You must be Lily! My name's Mr. Winstead!" Lily smiled shyly and shook his hand. "I'm sure you're just bursting to the rim with questions!" Lily nodded, but didn't voice any of them.
"Ah, you must be Howard Evans!" said Mr. Winstead, putting his briefcase in the other hand and shaking Howard's hand. "And you must be Maria Evans!" This time he went down on one knee and kissed the hand she had offered him. Lily giggled while Mr. Evans just looked surprised. Mrs. Evans appeared to be worried about the man's mental health. Lily now started laughing full out.
"Oh dear, I've dont somethign wrong haven't I?" said Mr. Winstead taking a piece of paper out of his briefcase and skimming over it. "No, it says right here that when a gentleman greets a lady he is to drop to one knee and bestow a kiss upon her hand!"
"Er, Mr. Winstead, was it?" said Mrs. Evans, in an overly cheery voice. "May I see that paper for a moment?" Mr. Winstead obliged soundlessly. "Well now here is your problem!" said Maria, clearly relieved. "This paper describes the customs of people used in the 1800s."
"Really now! And to think! Everyone at Muggle Relations has been using out of date customs information!" he exclaimed more to himself than anyone else.
"Muggle?" said Mr. Evans, confusion etched all over his face.
"That's the wizarding word for someone who doesn't have any magic in them." explained Mr. Winstead, obviously more comfortable now that he knew what he was talking about.
"So I take it you are the "ministry official" who is being sent to your home?" asked Mrs. Evans with a warm smile.
"That I am." He replied, puffing out his chest a bit as he said so. "Now Lily, first off I need to ask you somethign very important. Hogwarts is the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry, and it is also a boarding school. If you choose to go to Hogwarts and your parents allow you to, then you will have to be prepared to spend quite a bit of time away from home. Will you be able to do that?" Lily looked at her mother and father with a pining look then put on a face of utmost courage and replied,
"Yes, I will."
"That's a girl!" exclaimed Mr. Winstead proudly.
"Excuse me, sir, but before I ship my daughter off to some school that I have never heard to be taught by people I have never met I would like to know just exactly what she will be being taught. Because if this is just a school to teach her how to make cards disappear and other hoaxes such as that then I'll not have her going." said Mr. Evans with the sternest voice he could muster. Mr. Winstead backed down a bit, out of fear of Howard or respect for him, Lily would never know. However he quickly regained his composure and put on a cheery smile.
"Well she will be learning how make things disappear, such as herself. There are 4 main subjects at Hogwarts. They are Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Those are the four building blocks of every witch and wizards education. Lily will have these classes and only these classes for her first two out of seven years at Hogwarts. In her third year she will be able to choose more classes such as Divination, Arithmacy, and Muggle Studies. She will also have mandatory classes added to her schedule such as Care of Magical Creatures and Astronomy. But school will not be all learning and no fun!" at this statement he winked at Lily. "Thoughout the year there will be games of Quidditch, which is the wizarding sport played on broomsticks. These games are played by the house teams. In Hogwarts there are four houses which Lily might be sorted into. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. I will let you make your opinions about each as you learn more about the wizarding world, Lily. Once Lily becomes a third year she will also be able to visit the wizarding village located near the school, Hogsmead. But you'll learn all about that from Lily as time wears on. Please ask questions as I am sure that I missed something." This time is was Mrs. Evans who questioned Mr. Winstead, though not nearly as ferociously as her husband had.
"How does the boarding system work? Will Lily be living in a seperate building from which her classes take place in?"
"Well, no. It's not a seperate building, but it might as well be with enormous amount of space in the castle. You see Hogwarts is a castle built by the four of the greatest witches and wizards of their time. They were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. They used their immmense knowledge to build Hogwarts as a school for young witches and wizards to learn in. But this isn't a history lesson, so I'll get on with describing the castle. I'm not quite sure how many floors there are, at least twenty, I know that much. There are towers that could fit your home with room to spare, and there are others which only one person can fit in at a time. The staircases are a wonder in their own. They move and have vanishing steps. And the hidden passages! There are some that I am sure have never even been discovered. My friends, Hogwarts is a world of its own. It defies any laws that you have ever known, and is often said to be smarter than the smartest man alive. I assure you that Lily will be quite well taken care of at Hogwarts." he finished up proudly.
"Mum, Daddy, I need to go there." Lily stated to her parents.
"We'll see Lily." said her father.
"Actually, I don't mean to rush you but you need to decide if Lily wil be attending Hogwarts quite soon. If she is to go then we still have to bring her to Diagon Alley so she can get her supplies. If she is not to go then...well I'll need to take certain steps to ensure that this decision won't, stay on your mind for too long, shall we say." Mr. Winstead finished up hastily.
"Mr. Winstead, please make yourself at home. Lily, Howard, and I really must discuss this privately." said Maria nudging her daughter and husband through the kitchen and into the dining room.
"Lily, I don't know if I want you going there..." Maria started. Howard nodded in agreement.
"I have to go. You don't understand. I just feel like now that I know what I am and where I should be I will never be able to go back to my naive life!" Lily stated this with such passion that her parents shared one hopeless look and knew that their daughter would be attending Hogwarts. They walked (skipped in Lily's case) back into the room that Mr. Winstead was currently occupying to find him examining the lamp with utmost interest. Mr. Evans cleared his throat and Mr. Winstead snapped his head up so fast that he knocked it on the lamp shade casing the entire light to fall to the ground with a resounding shatter.
"Oh Merlin! I'm so sorry!" Mr. Winstead began to apologize feverishly.
"No, no, it's all right, really, I'll just go grab the dustpan and broom." said Mrs. Evans already striding her way purposefully towards the broom cuboard.
"Oh really, there's no need to do that!" said Mr. Winstead.
"Well, I can't just let it sit there now can I?" said Maria, turning around with a smile. Whatever she expected to see, Mr. Winstead standing there holding a stick was not it. "Mr. Winstead, may I ask why you are holding that stick?" she asked curiously. After a small chuckle Mr. Winstead replied that it was not at all a stick but a magic wand. Lily gave a gasp of surprise.
"A real magic wand?" she asked, breathlessly. "Are you going to do magic?" she asked, her green eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.
"Yes I am, little missy." said Mr. Winstead with another chuckle. With a small swish of his wand and a muttered "Reparo" the lamp was back on the table. Anyone who had not seen the lamp shatter would have said that it looked good as new, which it did.
"Well then!" was Mr. Evans's exclamation, staring at the floor where the lamp had previously rested to the table on which it resided now. "I suppose we'll be needing to get Lily her supplies, eh?" he said with a grin.
"That we will!" said Mr. Winstead obviously pleased with their decision to let Lily attend Hogwarts. "I'll just give Lily some time to neaten herself up a bit, then we'll be on our way!" he said giving Lily a wink and a smile.
"What? Oh!" said Lily just realising she was still in her pajamas. With a slight blush she raced up the stairs.
I cant't believe this is happeneing! she thought, brushing her hair. I am a witch. A real, magical, living witch! Lily quickly picked out a pair of dark jeans and a sea-green short sleeve shirt, slipped on a pair of sport sandals, and swept her thick, dark, red hair into a low ponytail. She grinned at her reflection in her full length mirror and ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She knocked on Petunia's door to ask her if she would like to come shopping with them. Petunia assured her that it would be alright and she would stay behind this time. Oh well, her loss thought Lily. Once she was done she ran down the hall and down the stairs. Her parents looked expectantly up and her and Mr. Winstead gave her a large smile. She smiled at them and jumped the last three steps heading for the door. Her parents grabbed their wallets, and Mr. Winstead picked up his briefcase.
"We all ready?" asked Mr.Winstead. He received three nods from the Evans's and opened the front door to a glorious day. The day matches my mood! thought Lily with a giant grin. My life just got a whole lot better!