A/N: Hi people, this is officially the first chapter of my first fanfic (WOOT!). Please comment (no flamers--if you do, I will report and block you).
Dedications: This entire story is dedicated to all of my beta's/rivals/friends (and me), who are all in this story, including ToastWeasl (Terri Fox in this story) and Ayriannah (Adriinna White in this story), who both have their Harry Potter stories for our competition on this site. No, this is not an open competition, it is only for us (plus two of us who aren't on the site.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, etc. (I only wish I did.)
Hogwarts: The Next Generation
Chapter One – The Letters
Jewl was lounging on her bed, fiddling with her periwinkle and silver laptop, replying to various emails. She looked up just as a speckled owl started pecking at her closed window. She got up to take the letter from the owl's leg and shut the window to keep out the summer heat, pausing a moment to look at the clear blue sky. She brushed her long jet black hair away from her pale face and out of her eyes.
This was the address on the envelope:
Miss J. Anders
The Blue Bedroom
13 Maple Street
Godric Hollow
It was written in emerald green ink. She opened it excitedly.
This is what the letter read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Minerva McGonagall
Dear Miss Anders,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours sincerely,
Neville Longbottom
Deputy Headmaster
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes 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 Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
Basic Defense From the Dart Arts
by Kiera Knott
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
She immediately scrawled a confirmation, in blue ink, and attached it to the owl that had brought the original letter. As it was leaving, she went to her door, opened it, and yelled down, "I GOT MY LETTER!!" She promptly shut the door, and went over to her computer to IM her friends.
BlueAndSilverGirl has just signed in
BlueAndSilverGirl: is anyone on? If not, get on. ASAP. by ASAP, i mean now-if-not-sooner.
ILiveInMyBooks has just signed in
ILiveInMyBooks: i'm on. what's the big deal? i have news, too, but i wanted to finish my chapter, first.
CelticGirl has just signed in
CelticGirl: i'm here. what's up? looks like we all have news, 'cause i've got some, too.
CatEaredHat has just signed in
CatEaredHat: yo. rose's right, I have some, too.
Narutard4Life has just signed in
Narutard4Life: sup? I've got news, too.
BlueAndSilverGirl: guess.
CatEaredHat: just spit it out already, jewl!
BlueAndSilverGirl: fine, fine. I got my letter. i'm going to use my "vast psychic powers" to prophesy that you guys did, too. So, am I right?
ILiveInMyBooks: yep, you are.
CatEaredHat: me too.
Narutard4Life: yeah.
CelticGirl: same here. i have to go yell at adrean now, she's banging at my door.
CelticGirl has just signed out
ILiveInMyBooks: okay, well, that chapter i was reading awaits. see you guys later.
ILiveInMyBooks has just signed out
BlueAndSilverGirl: i'm bored, now. things to do, books to read, brooms to fly, and all that other crap we call life.
BlueAndSilverGirl has just signed out
Jewl closed out of IM, logged out, and slept her laptop, placing it on her desk. She left her room, went downstairs, and asked to go over to the Potters' house. Obviously, she was allowed to go there, asking was just a formality; as long as she told her mom where she was going, it was all right.
She then went across the street to tell everyone the good news. Before barging right in, she remembered to knock . . . then she barged right in. "I got my letter!!" she exclaimed to no one in particular, and then went farther in to search for Albus.
When she got to his door, she noticed a new sign on the door: (ESPECIALLY YOU, JAMES). It was hung under the old one which read DO NOT ENTER . . . OR ELSE. Jewl had long ago discovered that she was exempt from any and all wrath of disobeying the signs. It might have been the fact that no matter what they said, she always knocked twice, said, "It's me," waited patiently for a response (patiently meaning approximately ten seconds), and went in. It didn't matter what the response was (come in, stay out, no response, etc.), barring anything along the lines of "I'm getting dressed!"; that was just what she did. Adults were prone to better treatment, of course; she actually waited for a positive response before entering.
Anyway, the point was moot, because, just as she was about to knock, James opened the door. When Jewl looked askance at him, he just waggled his eyebrows in that annoyingly superior "I-know-something-that-you-don't-know" way that he is so fond of.
"What are you doing here?" she finally asked after about of minute of him blocking my path.
"Nothing much, just standing here, being in you're way and hopefully annoying you," he said smugly, continuing to do just that.
"If you don't move and wipe that expression off of you're face in, oh, about three seconds, I'm going to wipe it off for you and continue on in," she said in a deadly whisper, meaning business. "Three . . . t--" James, having been on the receiving end of me being angry on other occasions, abruptly went away, letting me proceed into Albus' room.
"Hey, Albus, are you in here?" Jewl called out, not seeing him.
"Over here, Jewl," he responded from behind one of his numerous bookshelves. He had nearly as many as Jewl did. She managed to find him, engrossed in one of his books, sitting on the floor.
"So, did you get you're letter yet?" she asked as she took away the book, put in a bookmark (Jewl always carried around a couple spares), and put it back on the shelf, in the right spot obviously; after all, she was the one who had organized them all in the first place.
Albus, used to her doing that sort of thing, didn't even bother to give Jewl a withering look, or, at least it wasn't a bad one. "Of course. You already knew that, though, because you were the one who gave me the book that said that all of the letters arrived at the exact same moment, due to magic."
Jewl's jaw dropped. "You actually read it?! The sky's going to burst into flames any minute now, I'm sure of it!"
"Yes, I actually read it. I don't know why it's shocking you so much; you did, after all, shove it under my nose very much in the way that you snatched away the one I was reading before you came," he replied acerbically.
"Ouch," Jewl said wryly, "I deserved that, didn't I?"
"Y--" Albus started before she cut him off.
"That was rhetorical, just for the record," Jewl interrupted.
"--es, you did," he continued, ignoring my interjection.
Jewl returned the book he had been in the middle of to him and settled down across from him, getting out her book, and read. That was how Mrs. Potter found them a few hours later, to tell Jewl that her mom wanted her back home for dinner. "See you tomorrow, Albus," Jewl called over her shoulder as she left his room.
A/N: Coming soon . . . Hogwarts: The Next Generation, Chapter Two: Diagon Alley!
