"ARI!" My six-year-old sister, Emily, screamed from the bottom of the stairs. "A letter come for you! You gotta come see it, it's so pretty! It has a red sticky outy stamp and everwry thing!" I had become used to her speech impediment, so I wasn't going to correct her. I felt like a mean person when I did anyway, so what was the point? I walked down the spiraling steps to her. I thought about how much bigger I was than her, and reinforcing my thoughts one of the steps made a huge cracking noise when I stepped on it.
"Crap, I didn't think I was that heavy…" I thought to myself. I feared stepping onto the next step; afraid I would crack the next one as well, only confirming my weight.
"Come on Sissy, mamma says I can't open your lettars witout you! Come on!" Emily yelled, even though I was only a few feet away.
"I'm coming I'm coming," Now I had to face my fears and just take the next step. I stepped, and I waited to hear the crack, but it didn't come. I suppose the last step was just less sturdy or something.
"Sissy, Sissy, open it!" Emily cried. I looked at the seal; it had a suit of arms I had never seen before on it. I wondered whom it could possibly be from. I turned the letter over in my hand, looking for some other clue as to who sent it, but it was blank as well, apart from my full name, Ariana P. Strickland, written beautifully in cursive.
"Wow," I thought, "who put all this time into a letter?"
"Uh, Emily, I'm sorry but I cant open this in front of you," I lied.
"Whyyyyyyyyy?" She demanded.
"Because its from my boyfriend, it may be inappropriate," This was the biggest lie of all, I didn't even have a boyfriend much less would he send me mysterious letters like this one. Emily accepted my answer and she immediately backed off and went back to the TV. I ran up to my room. I just turned twelve the other day so there was still wrapping paper all over my room, and I just haven't bothered to pick it up yet. Sitting down on my bed I nervously looked at the letter, was it a prank, or was it an ad, or something completely different? All I knew is that if it was any of those things I didn't want my sister to be disappointed when I opened it and it wasn't what she wanted it to be.
I sat there for a few minutes, knowing that when I opened it and it wasn't something sincerely interesting I was going to be sad, and annoyed. Of course that's how I felt a lot these days, and tired, I felt tired a lot too. Crap, I couldn't avoid it any longer. I opened the letter with careful precision that would've impressed my father, who was an accountant. I opened the envelope to find the letter that would change my life. I pulled the letter out of the envelope. Looking at it, I didn't believe what I read. It said, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What?
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: that stuff doesn't exist. It just doesn't, scientists have clearly said that there is no way magic could ever be real, ever. Ok maybe I'm wrong, I'll read the letter all the way through.
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 Ms. Strickland,
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
Deputy Headmistress
Along with the note was a list of some very, very odd supplies. The list read;
First-year students will require:
Uniform
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 student's clothes should carry name-tags.
Books
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
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
1 Wand
1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set of glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set of 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.
Wait, broomsticks? Wands? Cauldrons? Robes? This couldn't be real, but for some reason I had the feeling it might be. Why do I have the feeling this is real? It can't be, it just can't. Ugh. Well I was just going to have to do what any reasonable girl does when she's in distress. Eat chocolate, and go see my Aunts. They usually knew what was going on when weird things happened, the real answer, not the crap my dad usually tells me. The only thing is that the Aunts, I have six aunts, some married in, some blood relatives, but the Aunts all live in Louisiana. I thought it would be best to show them the letter, but I was just going to have to call. I sighed deeply knowing this would be hard to explain. I dialed 1 on my speed dial.
"Hey Aunt Kayla, I have a question for all of you," Aunt Kayla knew I meant all the Aunts, and somehow they were always at her house when I needed something. I secretly think they're all physic, but the chances of that are worse than the chances this letter is real.
"Yeah, Ari? We're all here." I heard my Aunt Cat say. She was the first person to tag me with the name Ari, I remember cause she thought my name was much to long, and my sister would call me Ariawna, so she decided Ari would work.
"Ok… um… well…" I stuttered unable to get the words out.
"Come on, spit it out, we wont laugh," I heard my Aunt Danie yell from what seemed to be the back of whatever room they were in.
"Except your Aunt Devan, but she's crazy," I heard my aunt Megan tease. I had forgotten how funny they all were when they were together. They all just love each other, not like any sisters I know.
"Um… well I got a letter today…" I was cut off by the sudden gasps of air I heard all of my Aunts take.
"A-and," I continued, "well it said that I had been excepted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and had a list of all sorts of stuff fit for Halloween! And well my question is… am I being tricked, or is this for real?" I heard my Aunts scream with what sounded like joy. What's going on?
"We'll explain as soon as we see you, ok?" My Aunt Devan told me before screaming in excitement again. My Aunts are still teenage girls at heart.
"Wait! I can't wait till I see you next!" I screamed into the phone hoping I would be heard over the commotion.
"Don't worry Ari, we'll be there in a few minutes," my Aunt Casey said calmly before hanging up. What the hell is going on? How are they going to get from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Castle Rock, Colorado in a few minutes? It's at least a three-hour flight. Isn't it? Suddenly, there was a huge cracking noise, it sounded like a gun had been shot right next to my ear, and after five more loud cracks, my six crazy aunts were standing before me.
"Hey there!" Aunt Cat screamed, still very exited.
"W-what's going on?" I asked, completely terrified of the answer.
"Who would like to explain?" Aunt Casey asked her sisters. I looked around at all of them, they seemed a bit antsy, except for Aunt Devan.
"I'll explain!" When her sisters gave her looks she said, "What? I don't care what he says! I'm not afraid of him! Anyway, Ari you have magic in your blood, you are a witch, and Hogwarts is the school that all of us," she motioned to her sisters, "attended to learn to control our magic. We're so exited because we didn't know if you would have magic. We were worried because your father is a scwib, meaning he has two magic parents, which usually ensures the children having magic, but he can not use magic. This is why magic isn't spoken of in your house. Your mother doesn't know, but please understand, Hogwarts is what is best for you. You will learn to control it, and use it when you need it,"
"Or if you're Danie and Cat you use it constantly to do everything," Aunt Kayla shot them a look. Cat just smiled, but Aunt Danie seemed offended,
"I don't use it for everything! I don't use it to walk!" She yelled.
"Not always," Aunt Cat teased, "and Kayla I don't use it to cook, except to hold the cookbook up so I don't make a mistake, oh and I didn't use it to study I use it just as much as you guys!"
"Anyway," Aunt Casey started, "we have to go tell your father, this might get noisy. And do you agree with going to Hogwarts?" I thought about that, I mean just the fact that they popped into my room told me that they weren't kidding -this was real- and honestly weird things keep happening. Like just last week I was at the mall and suddenly the clothes out of one of the displays were on me, and a security guard was chasing me. I was grounded for a month! Ugh, so dad knew that it might be my magic, but he ignored it? My face must of given away my thoughts, as my Aunt Kayla suddenly spoke.
"Ariana, he does love you. He just wants you to be like him, not us," She spoke with so much care in her voice that I knew she was right. But still… I knew my decision.
"I want to go to Hogwarts," I said it, plain and simple. I really did. I wanted to learn to do things with magic, useful things, fun things, easy things, and hard things.
"Ok, we'll go talk to your Dad, this should be fun. It's sorta like kidnapping small children and teaching them guitar," My Aunt Danie said, without a care in the world.
"Never again Danie… next time we teach her to dance," Aunt Cat told her sister-in-law defiantly. Didn't I tell you they were crazy? Without another word they all marched downstairs where my father was watching golf, to confront him. A minute or two passed before the yelling and screaming started. Oh goodness, I couldn't hear what they were saying, all I could hear was the noise. Oh god, what had I done? Suddenly my father burst open the door, and a second later his large palm collided with my face, smacking me to the ground.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Another chapter is on it's way :) All rights go to J.K. Rowling. Reviews are appreciated, but not required!